I am so so so sorry for not doing any posts recently: I've been so busy with exams it's ridiculous and I will be for the next two weeks :(. I promise to do lots and lots of new posts ASAP.
All my love,
x
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Results of the poll...
As you have probably seen (and hopefully voted) I have had a poll running on my blog to see what the most popular hair colour is, the winner: Blondes. I am incredibly jealous, I have naturally dark brown hair and would love it if blonde suited me, but sadly it dosen't. To celebrate the results of the poll i've put some pictures of the most iconic blondes:
Marilyn Monroe
Claudia Schiffer (German Supermodel)
Brigitte bardot:
Lady Gaga-
Britney Spears-
Madonna-
Feel free to comment with your own :D
Claudia Schiffer (German Supermodel)
Brigitte bardot:
Feel free to comment with your own :D
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Oils....
Oiling hair is THE best thing you can do for it, far far far better than conditioners. Although conditioners are important, of course. Women in India have been oiling their hair for thousands of years. This is largely due to the fact that Sikhism is one of the major religions in India and Sikh beliefs about hair.However, it can get very confusing as their are so many different oils available and many people are unsure of what oils they should use.
Firstly, make sure it is a PURE oil. There are many things available on the high street that are INFUSED with natural oils: but infused means that the natural oils are just one ingredient, and that artificial chemicals are also at work. Examples of these are:
V05 Miracle Concentrate, enriched with Argon oil
Aussie Take the Heat Leave in Conditioning Cream, enriched with Jojoba seed oil
Naked Smooth and Silky Conditioner, enriched with jojoba oil
(There are many other products like this but these are the ones that came to mind)
NONE of these products are pure: they all contain drying chemicals and silicones (which is basically a fancy word for plastic) to give the hair shine, why would you put plastic on your hair to make it shine?! Bin these products and buy the pure form of these oils. Read on for my favourites.....
Amla Oil- It is by no means an exaggeration when I say that Amla oil is in the top 5 loves of my life: It is simply heaven for hair in a bottle.
I was first introduced to Amla Oil by my science teacher, Miss Rai. Miss Rai had the most gorgeous hair. Just a few inches above her hips, long, glossy and raven black (although once a year she'd come in with red highlights through it, I think she highlighted her hair with henna). I didn't put much effort into my science lessons so Miss Rai would come over and speak to me and the girls who sat next to me. We always used to say to her how jealous we were of her hair and she said it was because of the oils she used. When I asked what oils she told me that her favourite was Amla Oil, made by Dabur. Amla Oil is available from most Asian shops, I live in Northamptonshire so I get mine from the Asian shops in the Queens Park area of Bedford. Many Indian cosmetic brands have their own Amla Oil but I recommend the Dabur Amla Oil. Amla is the Indian Gooseberry. I you do not have any Asian shops in your area then here is a website that you can order Amla Oil from: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dabur-Amla-Hair-Oil-200ml/dp/B000JWM7E6
How to use Amla: Apply to hair dry and begin by massaging into the scalp, massaging into the scalp is very important as it encourages bloodflow to the hair follicles, encouraging hair growth. Then apply liberally to the roots and all over the hair, making sure most strands are coated. Leave on for as long as possible (I've currently had Amla Oil on my hair for four days, I may rinse it off tonight). Be warned though, I've heard that Amla Oil can turn Blonde hair a green colour so I don't recommend you use this oil if you are blonde!
Olive Oil- Olive Oil is literally like pure hydration for hair. The wonderful Sophia Loren claims to have used it on her hair her entire life. I use olive oil on my hair, too. Olive oil is both a deep conditioner and as it helps with the health of the scalp, a good dandruff prevention. yesterday one of my friends was complainging that her bleached hair felt dry so I recommended olive oil to her (Amla would turn her blonde hair green) and she was pleased with the results. How to use Olive Oil: Heat oil either in a microwave or on the hob of an oven until it is warm but not too hot, start by massaging into the scalp and the applying all over, although I only use Olive oil on my mid lengths and ends, but if you have dry hair then I recommend you apply it all over. Olive Oil is avialable to buy from any food shop, and you probably have some in your kitchen right now! leave Olive Oil on for as long as possible, although I recommend at least 2 hours.
Coconut Oil- Coconut Oil is a wondrous product for hair. It leaves hair very,very shiny but the only issue is it takes A LOT of effort to rinse it out, but it is most definetly worth it. Coconut Oil has a cooling effect on the scalp which is very relexing and obviously a cool environment is ideal for hair: we all know the dangers of heat and hair! The interesting thing about coconut oil (again, make sure you are buying it in the purest form and not some coconut oil enriched shine spray!!!) is that it is actually a solid, but melts on contact with the skin. Again, massage into scalp and spread down the hair shaft, coating each hair and focusing on the ends. Coconut oil has also been used in India for many, many years. Coconut Oil is available in most Asian shops and health food shops. If not then you can order it here: http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=690&prodid=733&cid=182&sid=0&afid=70&safid=AG&scid=14581&cm_mmc=Aggregates-_-Comparisons-_-GoogleProducts-_-HBMVPCGP&of_tid=zRf8YL0qDR2SffY6KhwhDEK9JXqVj-NdzWePgJyAS2FxeHxoPxHrOIl8Uy6nTu4z
Dabur Vatika Enriched Almond Hair Oil- I desperately want to try this after hearing great feedback about it, it is pure almond oil (obviously) and has both the hibiscus and muskroot herbs in it, too.I will get a bottle of this and review it, girls.
Jojoba Oil- This is another billiant oil, it is very similiar to the hair's natural oils so gently nourishes and improves hair health.I will get a bottle of this and review it too.
My Favourite Oil mix- Amla and Olive.
I only wash my hair once a week and spend four days a week with my hair in an Olive and Amla oil mix, so I spend most of my life with greasy hair! But when I wash my ahir it is sooooo worth it as my hair is so healthy. For this mix I massage amla oil into my scalp and put it on the root sections of myhair, then a smaller amount on the mid lengths and some on the ends. I then apply olive oil liberally to the ends and some onto the mid lengths but none on the root. The root is an amla only zone. I do this on the third day after I washed my hair and then rinse it off four days later. It works wonders.
With all these oils, you apply them on dry hair before you wash your hair.The idea of shampooing and then applying a conditioning product is a Western idea and in the ancient art of Indian hair oiling does not make much sense. Apply oils to dry hair, leave on for as long as possible (days if you can!) and then shampoo. There really is no need to buy expensive conditioners when you've discovered the wonders of oiling!!!
Firstly, make sure it is a PURE oil. There are many things available on the high street that are INFUSED with natural oils: but infused means that the natural oils are just one ingredient, and that artificial chemicals are also at work. Examples of these are:
V05 Miracle Concentrate, enriched with Argon oil
Aussie Take the Heat Leave in Conditioning Cream, enriched with Jojoba seed oil
Naked Smooth and Silky Conditioner, enriched with jojoba oil
(There are many other products like this but these are the ones that came to mind)
NONE of these products are pure: they all contain drying chemicals and silicones (which is basically a fancy word for plastic) to give the hair shine, why would you put plastic on your hair to make it shine?! Bin these products and buy the pure form of these oils. Read on for my favourites.....
Amla Oil- It is by no means an exaggeration when I say that Amla oil is in the top 5 loves of my life: It is simply heaven for hair in a bottle.
I was first introduced to Amla Oil by my science teacher, Miss Rai. Miss Rai had the most gorgeous hair. Just a few inches above her hips, long, glossy and raven black (although once a year she'd come in with red highlights through it, I think she highlighted her hair with henna). I didn't put much effort into my science lessons so Miss Rai would come over and speak to me and the girls who sat next to me. We always used to say to her how jealous we were of her hair and she said it was because of the oils she used. When I asked what oils she told me that her favourite was Amla Oil, made by Dabur. Amla Oil is available from most Asian shops, I live in Northamptonshire so I get mine from the Asian shops in the Queens Park area of Bedford. Many Indian cosmetic brands have their own Amla Oil but I recommend the Dabur Amla Oil. Amla is the Indian Gooseberry. I you do not have any Asian shops in your area then here is a website that you can order Amla Oil from: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dabur-Amla-Hair-Oil-200ml/dp/B000JWM7E6
Olive Oil- Olive Oil is literally like pure hydration for hair. The wonderful Sophia Loren claims to have used it on her hair her entire life. I use olive oil on my hair, too. Olive oil is both a deep conditioner and as it helps with the health of the scalp, a good dandruff prevention. yesterday one of my friends was complainging that her bleached hair felt dry so I recommended olive oil to her (Amla would turn her blonde hair green) and she was pleased with the results. How to use Olive Oil: Heat oil either in a microwave or on the hob of an oven until it is warm but not too hot, start by massaging into the scalp and the applying all over, although I only use Olive oil on my mid lengths and ends, but if you have dry hair then I recommend you apply it all over. Olive Oil is avialable to buy from any food shop, and you probably have some in your kitchen right now! leave Olive Oil on for as long as possible, although I recommend at least 2 hours.
Coconut Oil- Coconut Oil is a wondrous product for hair. It leaves hair very,very shiny but the only issue is it takes A LOT of effort to rinse it out, but it is most definetly worth it. Coconut Oil has a cooling effect on the scalp which is very relexing and obviously a cool environment is ideal for hair: we all know the dangers of heat and hair! The interesting thing about coconut oil (again, make sure you are buying it in the purest form and not some coconut oil enriched shine spray!!!) is that it is actually a solid, but melts on contact with the skin. Again, massage into scalp and spread down the hair shaft, coating each hair and focusing on the ends. Coconut oil has also been used in India for many, many years. Coconut Oil is available in most Asian shops and health food shops. If not then you can order it here: http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=690&prodid=733&cid=182&sid=0&afid=70&safid=AG&scid=14581&cm_mmc=Aggregates-_-Comparisons-_-GoogleProducts-_-HBMVPCGP&of_tid=zRf8YL0qDR2SffY6KhwhDEK9JXqVj-NdzWePgJyAS2FxeHxoPxHrOIl8Uy6nTu4z
Dabur Vatika Enriched Almond Hair Oil- I desperately want to try this after hearing great feedback about it, it is pure almond oil (obviously) and has both the hibiscus and muskroot herbs in it, too.I will get a bottle of this and review it, girls.
Jojoba Oil- This is another billiant oil, it is very similiar to the hair's natural oils so gently nourishes and improves hair health.I will get a bottle of this and review it too.
My Favourite Oil mix- Amla and Olive.
I only wash my hair once a week and spend four days a week with my hair in an Olive and Amla oil mix, so I spend most of my life with greasy hair! But when I wash my ahir it is sooooo worth it as my hair is so healthy. For this mix I massage amla oil into my scalp and put it on the root sections of myhair, then a smaller amount on the mid lengths and some on the ends. I then apply olive oil liberally to the ends and some onto the mid lengths but none on the root. The root is an amla only zone. I do this on the third day after I washed my hair and then rinse it off four days later. It works wonders.
With all these oils, you apply them on dry hair before you wash your hair.The idea of shampooing and then applying a conditioning product is a Western idea and in the ancient art of Indian hair oiling does not make much sense. Apply oils to dry hair, leave on for as long as possible (days if you can!) and then shampoo. There really is no need to buy expensive conditioners when you've discovered the wonders of oiling!!!
Thursday, 22 December 2011
My hair....
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Another reason I started this blog...
Twp years ago, I decided that I was bored of my lovely long hair and wanted a change. So off I went to the salon and trusted a reasonable looking woman to cut my hair into a bob, little did I know that she was Edward scissorhands in disguise. Whilst I had visions of a nice collarbone length bob with soft layers, she had a more, ahem, 'edgy' look in mind aka: jaw length with the shortest layer being about a centremeter. I left the salon with heavy feelings of regret. Thankfully, the haircut did suit me but I missed my long hair soooooooo much. Simple things like being able to tie it, spending time slowly brushing my maine of hair and even watching it unravel into Ariel-esque waves when i'd plaited it were no longer possible. I was on a mission: the hair growth mission. So, two and a half years later my hair is now halfway down my back, so it has grown pretty fast. My aim is to get it down to my hips. Do any of you have any hair disasters you wish to share? What are the reasons that you are trying to grow your hair really long? I look forward to hearing them :) xxx
How d'ya like your eggs in your hair? I like mine with some oil.....
What comes to mind when I say eggs and olive oil?
Food? Fat? Grease? Or Protein and moisture?
You see, the latter are exactly what the hair needs in order to stay strong, and strong hair is hair that grows.
Hair is made out of keratin, which is essentially protein, so in order for hair to grow and stay strong it must have protein. One of the best sources of protein? eggs. Eggs are packed full of protein (this is why it is recommended you eat an egg for breakfast if you are dieting as protein is the most filling substance, but I recommend either shredded wheat or porridge and green tea for a weight loss breakfast, but weight's a completely different story...) so they are a MIRACLE for hair. Not only does the protein in eggs strengthen the hair by adding more protein to it (what hair is made of) but the other nutrients add to the shine. Olive oil is just amazing for helping hair: it is literally like pure moisture for hair and screams: 'Olive oil to the rescue!!!!'. Seriously, just think of olive oil as your prince charming. It will never disappoint unlike 99.9999999999999% of the male population. (keep your eyes peeled for a future post on the wonders of oils in general, including my also beloved Amla oil). So it made perfect sense to combine these two wonder products and see what happenes, here's how to and what exactly happened:
For average length/ normal thickness you will need 1 medium or large egg and 4 teaspoons of olive oil.
For long/ thick to very thick hair (such as mine) you will need 2 eggs amd 8 teaspoons of olive oil.
Eins- Crack the egg (or two if you have long/ thick to very thick hair) into a bowl and carefully measure out the necessary amount of oil. Make sure your hair is completely detangled as the eggs will knot it and make it feel matted.
Zwei- Add the oil to the eggs and stir it in using a spoon. It's kinda impossible (or so I found it to be, anyway) to make it a completely even blend but stir them together as best as you can, making sure the yoke in particular is completely stirred in particular.
Drei- Put some of this in your hands and gently massage into hair, starting from the forehead and area working backwards. Your hair will begin to feel matted, knotty and dry, but this is just the protein in the egg, i promise. Make sure all hair is covered from scalp to tip, making sure to massage well as this increases blood flow to the scalp meaning more nutrients are delivered to the hair follicle and faster growth, this also helps to make sure that all nutrients from the egg and oil are absorbed into the scalp too.
Now you have 30 minutes to sit around and wait; paint your nails, text your friend, tweet your favourite celebrity,finish with your boyfriend or carry on reading my blog, do what ever you like :D.
Vier- Now rinse your hair. Using lukewarm water wet your hair and shampoo it, rinse the shampoo and shampoo again, making sure to shampoo the ends and mid-length too and the scalp. When your confident all shampoo has been removed put a little bit of conditioner on the ends and mid-lengths. TIP: do a finaal rinse for around a minute with cold water, as ice cold as you can handle!!! My bathrooms makes the antartic seem tropically hot so it's awful for me having to do a cold rinse, but it's worth it :D.
Fünf- Now let your hair dry naturally (don't betray me and use a hairdryer, just think of having a healthy, long, maine of hair!) and see stronger and glossy-er locks :D, love it!
My final thoughts on this treatment: My hair is very shiny and feels stronger for this treatment so I will definetly do this again, it is a bit ooff putting at first when your hair starts feeling matted and dry, not to mention crunchy!! But as soon as you've rinsed it it is soooo worth it! This treatment will be better each time you do it as your hair will build up a stronger supply of protein. I am going to do this treatment once a month (I do my oil reatments the rest of the month, which I will blog about) and see if my hair continues to feel stonger. A picture of my hair will be uploaded tomorrow :). xxxx
Food? Fat? Grease? Or Protein and moisture?
You see, the latter are exactly what the hair needs in order to stay strong, and strong hair is hair that grows.
Hair is made out of keratin, which is essentially protein, so in order for hair to grow and stay strong it must have protein. One of the best sources of protein? eggs. Eggs are packed full of protein (this is why it is recommended you eat an egg for breakfast if you are dieting as protein is the most filling substance, but I recommend either shredded wheat or porridge and green tea for a weight loss breakfast, but weight's a completely different story...) so they are a MIRACLE for hair. Not only does the protein in eggs strengthen the hair by adding more protein to it (what hair is made of) but the other nutrients add to the shine. Olive oil is just amazing for helping hair: it is literally like pure moisture for hair and screams: 'Olive oil to the rescue!!!!'. Seriously, just think of olive oil as your prince charming. It will never disappoint unlike 99.9999999999999% of the male population. (keep your eyes peeled for a future post on the wonders of oils in general, including my also beloved Amla oil). So it made perfect sense to combine these two wonder products and see what happenes, here's how to and what exactly happened:
For average length/ normal thickness you will need 1 medium or large egg and 4 teaspoons of olive oil.
For long/ thick to very thick hair (such as mine) you will need 2 eggs amd 8 teaspoons of olive oil.
Eins- Crack the egg (or two if you have long/ thick to very thick hair) into a bowl and carefully measure out the necessary amount of oil. Make sure your hair is completely detangled as the eggs will knot it and make it feel matted.
Zwei- Add the oil to the eggs and stir it in using a spoon. It's kinda impossible (or so I found it to be, anyway) to make it a completely even blend but stir them together as best as you can, making sure the yoke in particular is completely stirred in particular.
Drei- Put some of this in your hands and gently massage into hair, starting from the forehead and area working backwards. Your hair will begin to feel matted, knotty and dry, but this is just the protein in the egg, i promise. Make sure all hair is covered from scalp to tip, making sure to massage well as this increases blood flow to the scalp meaning more nutrients are delivered to the hair follicle and faster growth, this also helps to make sure that all nutrients from the egg and oil are absorbed into the scalp too.
Now you have 30 minutes to sit around and wait; paint your nails, text your friend, tweet your favourite celebrity,finish with your boyfriend or carry on reading my blog, do what ever you like :D.
Vier- Now rinse your hair. Using lukewarm water wet your hair and shampoo it, rinse the shampoo and shampoo again, making sure to shampoo the ends and mid-length too and the scalp. When your confident all shampoo has been removed put a little bit of conditioner on the ends and mid-lengths. TIP: do a finaal rinse for around a minute with cold water, as ice cold as you can handle!!! My bathrooms makes the antartic seem tropically hot so it's awful for me having to do a cold rinse, but it's worth it :D.
Fünf- Now let your hair dry naturally (don't betray me and use a hairdryer, just think of having a healthy, long, maine of hair!) and see stronger and glossy-er locks :D, love it!
My final thoughts on this treatment: My hair is very shiny and feels stronger for this treatment so I will definetly do this again, it is a bit ooff putting at first when your hair starts feeling matted and dry, not to mention crunchy!! But as soon as you've rinsed it it is soooo worth it! This treatment will be better each time you do it as your hair will build up a stronger supply of protein. I am going to do this treatment once a month (I do my oil reatments the rest of the month, which I will blog about) and see if my hair continues to feel stonger. A picture of my hair will be uploaded tomorrow :). xxxx
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Hair-spirations.....
here's some hair-spirations for you all to keep you going on your mission for jaw droppingly stunning hair..... (feel free to comment with your own personal hair-spirations....)
I realise that Kim and Adrianna's hair is most likely to be extensions, but I aim to achieve this look naturally. There is no bias towards dark hair, it's simply a case of i'm a brunette so these are more easy to relate to for me, but if you're a blonde or redhead reader then you can also relate to this length and thickness just in your texture. xxx
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