New Hair and Tips On Looking After Bleached Locks

Over the past few months I've been gradually lightening my hair with highlights, the goal was to get as light as possible with minimal damage, not an easy task when your hair as previously been dyed dark brown but I was determined I would achieve platinum eventually.

Well as you might have noticed from the recent profile picture change that day as come, my hair is now white almost borderline grey actually because a strong toner was used (my hair likes to pull gold).
Below is a before and after:

Now obviously lightening your hair with bleach all over is an harsh process and you will get damage but if done properly and with the right aftercare you hair will be okay and it's less damaging in the long run cause unlike highlight your not overlapping colour.

Here are my tips on keeping platinum locks in tip top condition:

Don't wash your hair too often, it will dry out your hair and wash the toner away faster. Try and use dry shampoo and keep shampooing to a minimum. Also when you do wash your hair make sure you're using a purple shampoo as you do not want the blonde to turn yellow.

Hair oils are your best friend, there's loads of them on the market, the one that I currently use is the Kerastase Elixir Ultime but I've  tried several different ones and they all work pretty much the same. I apply mine to the ends of my hair every single night to help moisturise and nourish.

Use a deep conditioning treatment every time you wash! Alternate between a protein mask and a moisturising one, you don't want too much of either as it will weigh down you hair and too much protein can make you hair snap. My two favourites are the Joico K-Pack Deep Penetrating Reconstructor and the K-Pack Intense Hydrator.

Don't rip the brush through your hair, be gentle. Since it's bleached it might tangle up a lot more but pulling a brush through the knots isn't going to do it any good. Use a good detangler or leave in conditioner and it will make brushing so much easier.

Have a toner at the ready, I use one by Goldwell and it's brilliant! It works in 5 minutes flat and eliminates all brassiness.

Be prepared to embrace the roots! Now I'm not saying let them grow out till they are past your ears but there's no need re-do them every 3-4 weeks, it makes it harder to not overlap the colour. Every 6-8 weeks is plenty.

So there you have my top tips to keep your bleached hair in great condition!
What is your top tip for bleached hair?

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner Review

Let me begin by giving you a bit of backstory on my hair: naturally I have dark blonde hair that I abuse with bleach every 8 weeks, this makes my already dry hair even drier.

Add to that a generous amount of frizz and what you have is what I can only describe as pubes hot glued to my head, I dread washing and drying it cause it's such a long process and I'm always looking for product that add moisture and manageability.

Normal conditioner aren't enough so I have to resort to using a more intensive formula, I got a sample of this in a magazine and didn't think it would do much but it's actually perfect as a daily treatment.
It claims to be an 60 second intensive treatment which might work on thinner hair but on my thick, coarse barnet it's not strong enough,what it does do is provide moisture without making my roots flat and detangles my hair so it's easy to brush.

It doesn't fully tame my frizz (nothing really does unless I straighten my hair) but my hair definitely looks less bush-like when I've used this and is generally easier to work with.
It also smells lovely and it's inexpensive, it's usually priced around the £3 mark but I stocked up while it was on offer so I think I paid £1.79 and bought 3 tubes.

What are your favourite conditioners?

August Favourites!

Skincare

Alpha H Liquid Gold
Used to used this all the time a couple of years ago and my skin was always clear and glowy, I stopped using it and my skin looked awful so I finally decided to get a new bottle.
It's a glycolic acid treatment that you put on before bed to gently resurface your skin as you sleep, it does it's job quite effectively and I would recommend it to anyone who is breakout prone or suffers with dull uneven skin tone.

Chanel Hydramax Lotion
Another old favourite, it suits my skin type brilliantly and provides just enough hydration without breaking me out.
Expensive but so worth it.

Garnier Tinted Roll-On
I like to use this as my morning eye treatment as it cools and de-puffs eyes while helping to conceal dark circles.

Makeup

Chanel Vitalimiere Aqua
Brilliant light/medium coverage foundation that looks natural on the skin, this is a step up from tinted moisturiser.
I have the colour B10 and it's the best match out of all the foundations that I own, the only slightly negative thing about it is it doesn't last as long as I would like it to.

Bourjois Healthy Mix
This is perfect for days were I want a little extra coverage and a more matte finish, glides on effortlessly and provides medium coverage that lasts all day.

Christian Dior Diorskin Nude Powder
This can be used like you would a mineral powder foundation but I find that way useless however it makes a great setting powder for all my foundations and a little goes a long way, I feel I've had my pot forever.

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes
I was given a sample a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it!
The tapered brush means you can get every little hard to reach lash and it leaves them looking long and full.
Will re-purchase as soon as my little tube runs out.

Hair

Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo

I've recently had my old colour stripped and gone back to blonde so I needed a purple shampoo to keep my new shade brass free and bright looking.

I did my research and this was the one everyone recommended and it's brilliant, it's so rich in violet pigment and works so well to cool down any gold tones in your hair, it works so much better than the L'Oreal one I used too use.

Joico K-Pack Deep Penetrating Reconstructor

Like I said above I've gone back to blonde after two years of dying my hair brown, (it took 4 hours to do, I had my hair stripped 3 times and some highlights put in) and the process can be quite harsh on your hair and leave it feeling dry and weak.

It took one application of this treatment to restore the strength in my hair and make it feel normal again, it's a miracle worker but needs to be followed up with a moisturising treatment as this one is protein based and can make your hair feel dry.

Joico K-Pack Intense Hydrator
I use this after I've used the Deep Penetrating Reconstructor, it's moisturising enough to leave hair soft and shiny but doesn't weigh it down or make it limp and greasy.
I think I could get away with using this as my daily conditioner as I don't find regular conditioner moisturising enough.

Perfume

Elie Saab La Parfum
Not usually the sort of perfume I go for as it's a floral and I normally go for very sweet, fruity scents but there something so addictive about this.
It's a strong neroli and jasmine scent and quite heavy and sweet something about it reminds me of summer back home in Italy.

Gucci Flora
Gorgeous summer scent,not that we've had much of a summer in the UK, very fresh and fruity without being overpowering.

What were your favourites of August?

March Favourites

I've not been buying too much new stuff as I want to get trough what I already have so a lot of the products mentioned are old favourites that I use day in day out with the odd new product here and there.

Chanel Hyramax+ Active Moisture Fluid, expensive but worth every penny. Gives me just enough moisture without being greasy and is an excellent make-up base.

Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Serum and Night Cream, I use this combo before bed to exfoliate my skin, in the morning skin is softer, brighter and more even toned.

MAC's Brushes # 187, #138 and #224, I can do my whole face using these 3 brushes alone. I use the 187 to apply my foundation and cream blush, the 138 to apply powder products and the 224 to apply and blend my eyeshadow.

Keihl's Lip Balm #1 in Vanilla, nice and glossy and not heavy feeling while still being really moisturising.

Shu Uemura Art Of Air Essence Absolue, so much better than Moroccan Oil (which I still think is good). Leaves my hair feeling so nice and smooth and cuts out frizz completely, smells amazing too, I also tried a sample of the shampoo and conditioner and they were fantastic.

Laboratoire Physcience Hair Sublim and Wassen Silica-OK, I've been taking these help make my hair grow faster after my disastrous hair cut and I think they work really well. I feel my hair as grown faster but also it seems thicker and healthier too.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Make-Up Remover Refreshing Oil-Free Wipes, these are amazing at removing make-up really quickly without leaving my skin feeling irritated and they smell good too. I stocked up last time Superdrug had their 3for2 offer.

Britney Spears Fantasy Perfume, best fragrance ever!!

I'm NEVER EVER letting anyone cut my hair for me again!!!

Why is it when you go to the hair salon you ask your stylist for a certain cut and you never end up getting what you asked for?

Take today for example.

I had a booking at my usual salon for a cut and blow dry, my usual stylist has left so I booked in with the manager who is at the same level.
Her first step is my consultation, I tell her that my hair as gotten unmanageable and I have a lot of split end but also my fringe needs sorting out has it wont lie straight, sometimes it want to go to the right other times to the left, I ask her to cut it so it can wear it both sides. I also specify that I do not want my layers taken to short because I find them hard to manage that way.
She says no problem, she can cut me in a "switch" fringe, take a little of the layers but still keep it nice and long.

Well let me tell you it is probably the worst haircut I've ever had and I'm majorly pissed off, the only part of it that's okay is the blow dry and she didn't even do that part.

Although she hasn't taken that much of the overall length the layers are much shorter than what I asked for and the fringe is an absolute mess, the best way I can describe it is that it looks like a wedge. I cannot flip it from side to side because the one side is shorter and it has a gap when i wear it on that side, it's also far to thick and heavy and it's just sitting there in one big chunk.

I had it blow dried in big waves today but I know when I straighten it myself tomorrow it's gonna be even more noticeable, the fringe is gonna look even worse, the worst part is that I am trying to grow my hair and this feels like a huge step backwards.

I'm never letting anyone get near my hair again, I'd rather have dried damaged hair that is the shape I want it rather than have a healthy but wonky wedge cut.

Has anyone else had similar experience? What did you do to disguise the cut while it grows out? Do any of you cut your own hair?

I'm now a Brunette!

I no longer have red hair and I can say I'm much more happier with it being dark, the red was visably fading within two washes and the maintanance was too much.
It turned out darker than I anticipated but I'm actually glad it did, I think it really suits me, it matches my eyebrows and I can wear pretty much any color without worrying about it clashing.

My old copper red hair:



My new shiny dark chocolate brown hair:

Changing Haircolor... Again!

I dye my hair a lot, in the past year it's been light brown, dark brown, brown with highlights, caramel, blonde with higlights, bleach blonde, natural red, bright cherry red and my current color copper red.
While I love the red it's a pain to maintain, I can have it dyed one week and it will have faded the next and let me tell you faded red hair aint pretty.
I also find I clash with certain colors, baby pinks in particular which means my beloved YSL Lingerie Pink lipstick sits unused.
So I have an hair appointment tommorow to change my hair to a cool deep chocolate brown shade, it will be a nice change for the colder months and it won't fade all that much, best of all I can wear my pinks again.

July's The Good and The Bad

I can't believe another month as passed so fast and in contrast to last month the weather in the UK as been absolutely awful, it' done nothing but pour with rain and to be honest it's depressing me.

The Good

Alpha H Rejuvenating Cream, a glycolic and vitamin C based face cream that exfoliates while you sleep and lightens acne scars.

MAC Studio Sculpt foundation, I've gone back to using this because it covers all of the blemishes the Garnier stuff as given me.

Make Up For Ever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette, 5 shades of concealer to cover any imperfection.

MAC Fast Response Eye Cream, helps diminish dark circles and lately mine have been really bad.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I'm almost out of this and I realise am gonna miss it.
MAC Naked Honey Skin Salve, the most perfect lip treatment ever.

Estee Lauder Pure Color lipstick in Vanilla Truffle, lovely moisturising nude lipstick that's not too light or dark.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Gloss in Honey Glaze, pair perfectly with the Vanilla Truffle.

L'Anza Healing Colorcare Trauma Treatment, a leave in protein treatment that leaves my hair feeling stronger and softer.

The Bad
Garnier Pure Active range, I got the cleansing wash, scrub and moisturiser and found that it made my skin worse rather than better. I got horrendous breakouts that I'm still trying to get rid of. I shall be doing a full review.

MAC Naked Honey perfume, I sprayed myself with the tester in store and it smelled gorgeous, a few hours later the lovely honeysuckle scent had turned into sweaty socks and sour milk, it's going back.

My hair and the rain, the tiniest amount of moisture in the air turns it into a frizz ball, the constant monsoon weather we've been having means by the time I've got into work my "styled when I left the house hair" looks like crap.

New Hair Color!

I haven't had my hair professionally dyed since end of February quite simply because I've been topping up my shade with Special Effects hair dye.
Because the Special Effect won't take on hair that hasn't been previously bleached or permanently dyed I was left with a couple of inches of regrowth even tough the rest was still red.
So I guess you can see why I was in dire need of a color, I decided I wanted something warmer for summer than the cool based red I had all during winter, I'd debated about going back to blonde but I don't think it suits me and I do love red so my hairdresser reccomended copper and I love it.
She did a darker copper base with brighter, lighter copper highlights that are still quite subtle as she placed them underneath the top layers of my hair.

Here's a picture:

How To Keep Your Color Vibrant For Longer.

Since my previous post was about hair dye I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to post a set of guidelines on how to keep your color from fading.

1. Use a shampoo and conditioner specifically designed for color treated hair, preferably a sulfate free one and one that as UV protection to prevent fading from the sun.

2. Use a protein conditioner once a week to deeply nourish and strenghten your hair.
Color treated hair tends to be drier and more prone to damage and what the protein treatment will do is temporarily fill in any spots that need repairing.

3. Rinse in cold water, it's hard I know but it makes such a difference in how long your color lasts. The cool water closes the hair cuticle trapping the color molecules in and giving a fantastic shine too.

4. Use a thermal heat protectant before you use any heat appliances, it will prevent your hair from any unecessary damage and slow down the fading that a blowdrier, straightener or curling tong can do.

5. If your gonna be in the sun for a long period of time wear an hat or a scarf, the sun will bleach the color right out of your hair, this is not only true for dyed hair but virgin hair too.

So there you have it, those are the basic step I follow in order to keep my hair's vibrancy for as long as I possibly can.

Special Effects Hair Dye

This is just gonna be a quick overview and review on Special Effects hair dye.

Special Effects is a semi-permanent, brightly colored hair dye that last anything between 2 and 6 weeks, it's best used on pre-bleached hair to give the most vibrant results but can be used on dark hair to give a sheen.

Picture of my hair:



Anyone who as red hair knows how hard it is to keep this particular color vibrant as it tends to fade really fast, I find that when I have my hair dyed at the salon the vibrancy of the color last maybe 3 weeks then it fades to this dull peachy shade, this as nothing to do with the hair stylists who do my hair, they are amazing and I trust them completely.
The problem lies in the fact that professional salon hair dye isn't as strong as the Special Effects is at depositing color.
The way I use it is as a color refresher I already have my hair dyed red at the salon but I top it up in between appointments with either the shade Blood Red or Devilish.
Blood Red is a true cool red, Devilish is a cool toned pinky red, both work very well with my complexion.
They are very vibrant and noticeable, you will get a ton of people ask you about your color the best part is once it's on I don't have to re-do it for another 6-8 weeks which is great.
Now for the negatives, it doesn't contain peroxide so IT'S NOT GONNA LIGHTEN YOUR HAIR, it's deposit only so when it comes to doing your roots your gonna have to bleach before or I just get it re-dyed red at the salon which allows for my hair to absorb the Special Effects color.
Secondly it stain everything it comes into contact, your shower, towel, hands, neck, pillowcase and any light colored clothing luckily it does come off with scrubbing/washing.
All in all I highly recommend it if your looking for a long lasting, vibrant hair dye that won't damage your hair.

This is where you can get it from:
www.beeunique.co.uk the only place in the UK that sells it as far as I'm aware.

April's: The Good and The Bad

Okay so officially two days late on this one but I didn't get a chance to post yesterday.

I've tried not to include anything I bought to recently or that's not been used more than once as I feel that would be to quick to make a judgement.

The Good:

MAC Studio Moisture Cream, love the way it provides just the right amount of moisture for my combination skin.
Chanel Mat Lumiere Fluid Foundation, perfect for when my skin is oilier and needs more coverage.
MAC Studio Fix Powder, love this so much more than the MUFA HD powder to set my makeup and provide extra coverage.
NARS Laguna Bronzer, love that it's not to light, not too dark and it's not orange.
NARS Taj Mahal Blush, applied with a very light hand it makes my fair NC20 skin look alive and glowing.
NARS Albatross, perfect highlighter need I say more.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero and Bourbon, last forever on the waterline and those two shades are very versatile.
YSL Lingerie Pink Lipstick, my new favourite pink lipstick, bright but still very wearable.
MAC Angel Lipstick, perfect nude everyday pink.
MAC Show Orchid Lipstick, I absolutely love this lipstick it's the perfect bright cool pink shade that make your teeth look whiter too.
Gosh Cool Lip Jam in #100, looks white in the tube but goes on clear with a blue irridescence, how cool is that?
Kerastase Nectar Thermique, the best heat protectant in the world.
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo, perfect for when you can be bothered to wash your hair but still want it to look clean.
Tigi Bed Head Afterparty, the only thing that makes my hair look smooth an shiny.

The Bad:

MAC Penultimate Liner, used it twice and it dried up complete waste of money.
Barry M Lip Paint in #100 and #101, super dry texture and doesn't go on smooth.
Wella Enrich Mask, did absolutely nothing for my hair apart from make it frizzy.