Love Your Hair

I've only gone and found a miracle hair routine haven't I? AND on a budget!
I feel like the cat who got the cream.
So lets rewind a few years to the beginning of my hair adventure. As a kid I had the most gorgeous blond ringlets and I curse the day I ever picked up a pair of straighteners! When I started high school I decided to burn the shit out of my hair and basicly just neglect it. I straightened it everyday, never used heat protection and then started to dye it. My hair was a right state and I just don't even know what I was thinking. Anyway when I was 16 I gots very ill and lost all my hair :'( waaahhhhhhh cry cry cry.
But when it grew back I had a fresh start with my hair.
But it grew back completely different. It grew a grey blonde colour and the texture was just completely different, and, omg it was always greasy!
I went through years of hair dye, straighteners, curlers and general neglect. Thank god my mum had always forced me to use conditioner, I think that was my only saving grace!
So anyway this time 2 years ago I had shoulder length bright red straight hair and I loved it so much and I desperately miss it! Then EVERYONE and their mother jumped on the red hair trend and I just went right off it.
Hello ginger hair.
Turns out red is near impossible to get out of your hair. So I went through months of transitional hair colours and just bad hair days. Then one day I had to get it all cut off :( There was no way I could have kept it long, it was appalling!
So I've learnt my lesson right? Nope. Straightening every single day and still no heat protection. Then last summer I went on holiday and it was just so dry and brittle again. I had to go to the hair dressers in Turkey. It was the best hair cut I had ever had, even though the guy who cut my hair could hardly speak English and my Turkish stops at Turkish delights. And it only cost me £9! woi!
So now I have learnt my lesson! As I'm trying to grow it I have regular hair cuts at every 10-12 weeks. I avoid heat as much as possible but always use a thermal protection serum just in-case as well as a liquid keratin spray. My hair is really soft and lovely now but I still struggle with the greasy-ness and have to wash it every other day, which is just a pain in the bum!
But alas! I have found my perfect hair care routine, and a few miracle products!
Well what is it? Now that I've bored even myself with that story here it is:
Step 1: Wash - Lush Shampoo bar

I use Seanik wich is just great for greasy hair. It does smell like the sea when you sniff it, but doesn't leave a smell on your hair. It lathers up AMAZINGLY! It's much better for your hair than traditional shampoo as it doesn't contain all the nasty chemicals. Its also great for your scalp and lasts ages! I bought my first bar just shy of a month ago and it's still going strong! They're a bargain at around £5 each!

Step 2: Treat (once a week) - Charles Worthington Mineral Hair Spa

I have so much love for this product! It smells amazing and works wonders. Every time I use this  I leave the shower feeling like I've just left the salon! I use this once a week as I don't want my hair to get too used to it but it works so well I just couldn't use it any less. I apply a generous amount after I've shampooed and really massage it into my scalp and lengths of my hair. Massaging your scalp is also beneficial for hair growth as it stimulates your folicals and coxes the hair out. I'm sure its what Repunzel uses. It retails at around £6 in boots, superdrugs and supermarkets, but you can often find it on 2 for £7 promotions.

Step 3: Condition (every other wash)  - L'oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Light for greasy hair.

I switch up my conditioner regularly and if I have an itchy scalp I use head and shoulders (steer clear of H&S if you have coloured hair as it dulls your colour!). This is my conditioner of the moment and I find its a lovely conditioner and makes my hair soft and smell beautiful but it doesn't really help with the greasy-ness issue. However I find the light formula alot better than the regular. This product retails at around £4 ish and I get mine at Tesco, but again it's widely available.

Step 4: Treat - Andrew Collinge One Minute Wonder Salon Treatment

The final piece to my  hair wash routine! I use this product every wash on the ends of my hair, but not the roots as I just generally try to avoid products on my roots. This has a uv protector in so is great for use in summer or on holiday. Its not the kind of product that has a difference after one wash so you have to be patient, but it really helps my split ends and flyaways! Plus its super cheap and retails for about £3 and I only use a small amount! Leave it on for a minute, work it into your ends and wash away.

So those are the products that I use in the shower. 

TOP TIP!

When you wash your hair, do not use hot water! Use warm or cold water as your scalp can get burnt if the water is too hot and that's not good for anyone!

Next is time to protect my hair.

Step 1: Repair! - Schwarzkopf Gliss hair repair, with Liquid Keratin.

I love this spray! It smells amazing and works to repair any breaks in your hair. It works magic on split ends and doesn't leave your hair greasy after use. I spray it generously onto wet hair and leave for a minute to soak in as I work my fingers through my hair. Again this product is sooo cheap! It costs around £2 in Superdrugs but about £1.50 in Savers!

Step 2: Heat Protection - Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray

This is just a standard heat protecting spray and I do switch  up the products I use as far as heat protection spray goes. This retails for around £4 (I'm not completely sure!). 

Step 3: Heat Protect Serum  - John Frieda Frizz-Ease Thermal and UV Protection Serum

I love the frizz-ease range and always have at  least one of the products on the go! I don't have frizzy hair at all but I have yet to find a better heat protection.  I only use this on the ends of my hair, but I am very generous as I just don't want my hair to be destroyed by heat again and you can never be too safe! I use this even when I don't put heat on my hair as it does tame the ends of my hair nicely. This retails for about £4-5 depending on where you buy it and it is soooo worth it!

 And finaaalllyyyyy when I do decide to use heat to style my hair I use this baby:

Its the Tresemme Salon Professional Volume Styler. Or as I like to call it, my magic wand!
Its available at Boots for £25.49 and is definitely worth it! As I said I like to avoid using heat on my hair but when I do, this is what I reach for.
Personally my hair never looks better than after I've been to the salon and had a blow dry. When I try to recreate the look at home with my blowdryer and barrel brush it just takes for ever, never looks as good and gives me major arm ache!
With my magic wand I literally just brush my hair with it. It gives so much volume and is so easy to use. The heat is also not applied directly to your hair so is better than straighteners and leaves your hair straight if you pull it tight.
Click here for a Youtube tutorial of Gemma Maquillage using a similar (but more expensive) version of my magic wand.

If I'm not putting any heat on my hair I just work abit of mouse into the lengths to give it a messy look.

Hope you found this helpful as I have yet to find a blog or youtube video with this products (apart from the lush shampoo bar) in and just had to share!