Where Art Thou Olive?

I wonder how many people actually look at the ingredients in the products that they buy? I have to admit that before i started making my own products i didn't really take a huge amount of notice about what was in what? Nowadays that has all changed though and i am very fussy about what i put on my skin, in my bath and on my hair.

I have found a new love and appreciation of different oils and butters and when you look into the benefits of each single oil its no wonder that so many people are turning back to nature.

One of my favourite oils is good old Olive Oil. Now i say old because its the first oil i ever used as a beauty product. Being half Italian i was taught from being about 11 years old that the best way to condition long hair was to warm a little olive oil up in a pan and massage through the hair. Wrap in a towel and leave for or a few hrs and shampoo out. It works like a dream and my Nana & Great grandmother always had the most gorgeous shiny hair from years of doing this. 

So i guess it was natural for me to have a love of this gorgeous oil not only as a beauty product but of course in cooking as well.

Olive oil naturally contains Vitamins A & E which are often added into expensive Face creams as an ingredient which helps to repair and renew skin damage. Olive oil penetrates the skin easily and moisturises exceptionally well without clogging pores. Its good for all skin types and best of all you can buy it at your supermarket.

If you have a bottle of olive oil lying about and you fancy a little bit of DIY beauty then here are a few ways to use it:

Deep hair treatment: As i said before warm a small amount up in a sauce pan so its nice and warm (Not hot) about 3 tablespoons depending on hair length. Wash your hair and rinse then massage this through the hair. Its great for a dry scalp or dandruff and brilliant for dry ends. Wrap in a towel and leave for a good few hrs, the longer the better and then just shampoo out. It leaves hair silky soft and so shiny.

Zesty Body Scrub: I'm not going to give amounts as its easier to do this by feel just throw them in together mix well. Juice of a lemon or lime, good swig of olive oil, natural brown sugar. Mix them well so it makes a nice paste and then massage over wet skin and rinse. This will leave the skin super soft and moisturised but if you don't like the feel of oil on your skin then you can just rinse off with your usual shower gel.

Lip Scrub: If your lips are feeling a bit flaky then add 2 teaspoons of olive oil with 2 teaspoons of white sugar and 1 teaspoon of honey. Mix well then gently massage over the lips and wipe off with a soft cloth. Apply a dab of lip balm (Works Wonders)

Do you look at what ingredients are in your products that you use or are you happy to use something without reading the label? Would you be interested in more DIY Posts?

SOS Itchy Scalp relief!

My hair has taken a fair bit of abuse lately from permanent colour, heat styling etc and i have been mixing and matching different shampoo's, conditioners and styling products like there's no tomorrow.
Unfortunately my scalp didn't seem to like this and i suddenly had a sever dose of itchy scalp.

Now it doesn't sound much but for anyone who has suffered with dry and itchiness to the scalp you will know how annoying it is. I have never suffered with dandruff before and i looked like i had nits as i was constantly itching my head. It was seriously driving me insane.

Luckily for me a lovely PR lady heard me complaining on twitter and offered to send me a new product from La Roche-Posay. I had no idea that La Roche-Posay produced hair care and as i love a lot of the skincare range i was thrilled to try it out.

Kerium DS Anti-dandruff intensive treatment

The shampoo is Paraben Free and provides intense micro exfoliation to quickly remove even persistent dandruff. It also contains a vitamin PP which helps to deeply sooth and relieve itchiness on the scalp.

The bottle contains only 125ml but you only need to use this twice a week. You basically shampoo your hair as normal with it but leave it on for about 10 minutes before rinsing off.

This looks like any other shampoo, its clear in colour, lathers up nicely and rinses off as you would expect. The smell is barely there just a clean and fresh type of aroma.

Even from the first use it made a huge difference to my scalp. It really soothed and calmed down the itchiness and after using it for 4 weeks my scalp is back to its normal healthy looking self. No flakes, no itchiness, Yahoooo.

Another benefit is that my hair is looking really shiny and healthy. My only problem at the moment is the ends of my hair look a bit dry but that is down to the fact that i need a trim and nothing to do with this product.
I'm so pleased that this was recommended to me to try and if you suffer with itchiness, dry scalp or dandruff then i seriously would consider trying this. xx

Where's your hair now!

Hello my lovely readers, Today i am in a really chirpy mood, probably due to the fact that tomorrow i am heading off on a weeks holiday to Newquay.
I am really not prepared so the rest of the day will be spent frantically packing and then panicking thinking Ive forgot things ha.

Tonight i need to colour my hair as its looking a bit dull and the dark roots are not a good look. I thought I'd have a look back at the various stages of my hair to see how they compare:

Becoming a teenager and the cult of the perm lured me into this shaggy dog perm with a fringe. My preferred style for everyday was the sides pulled up in a high pony tail. I don't know my exact age here but I'm probably about 14.

This next photo is one that i really hated at the time but now i just look back and smile. I don't know what happened, a mix of puppy fat, extra pale foundation and a nearly black hair colour left me looking like this :) I was about 16/17 going on 30.

Fast forward about 10 years and my hair was longish black with extensions and a few white blond additions ( I don't know why i thought this was a good look but i did )

A few years on and i had my youngest son. I decided i wanted a drastic change so went for highlights and lots of them. I didn't keep this for long as it just looked ashy as you can see from the photo.

However it didn't put me off colour and i just had different warmer colours put through my hair and a long sweeping fringe.

Then i grew the fringe out and wore clip in extensions for a while as i had a fair amount of hair cut off due to damage from all that colour.

By the time i got married i decided to go back dark with a sweeping fringe and i also wore clip in extensions which i curled in with my hair. I just felt more like me this colour and style.

Not long after i went for the full on fringe look. I quite like my hair like this but it was a pain to have to style my fringe every morning and have it cut every 3 weeks.

So i clipped my fringe back while i grew it out to a long sweeping side fringe that i could easily tie back when i wanted.

Then i went to the salon and had it coloured Red. I really love this colour now and i think it is much warmer looking than any of the other colours that i have had. I also look after my hair so much more these days which I'm sure helps keep it shiny.

Unfortunately for me the upkeep of the roots every 6 weeks is just too much for me so I'm having a go at colouring it myself. Eeeek.

I have to say i love my hair this colour and i cant imagine going back dark now. My next mission is to get some great hair extensions that clip in and colour them to match my hair. I will probably use these when my hair is straight and needs a bit of thickness adding.
Hope you all have a great week and i cant wait to catch up when i get back xx

SASHAJUAN !

SashaJuan is still a fairly new haircare product range in the UK. Launched here after making a fabulous name for themselves in Sweden. I am lucky enough to have been using these products for the past few months and really road tested them with my fine, coloured hair.

I would guess the products are aimed at the higher end of the market as the price reflects. A key ingredient im the range is Ocean Silk Technology which contains a nourishing blend of algae extracts which claim to provide a silky feeling to the hair and assist in restoring lost moisture, shine, body and bounce .

Overnight Hair Repair Treatment

The bottle itself is solid heavy glass which looks looks sleek & comes packaged  in a gorgeous box. I leave mine in the bathroom so its at hand last thing at night before i go to bed.

The overnight hair repair is a gel product based on pure water. It is designed to build elasticity and strengthen the hair as well as give it amazing shine.

What did i think?
I love everything about this leave in hair repair. I've been using it about 3 times a week. The texture is quite thin and ive needed to use about 5/6 pumps each time.
The next day my hair feels lovely and soft and you can choose to wash it out or leave in the hair.
You would think leaving it in the hair would make it greasy but i had no problems at all in fact it just seemed to make it shinier.

Root Lift £18.00

Root lift is a spray in product that creates volume and stability at the roots. Designed to give roots a boost and add lift.


What did i think?

I was really looking forward to trying this product as anything that promises to give me some much needed volume is great for me.

You spray this right at the roots of the hair before blow drying and it does really work well. Even my husband commented the first time i used it. His exact words were " your hairs getting really thick "

Now my hair will never be thick but this does give the illusion of thicker fuller hair because of the root lift and it has no sticky or hard feeling to it either which is a first for root products that I've tried.

you do have to play around and see how much you need for your hair type but i can really recommend this.

I wouldn't use it everyday as its too pricey and i would get through it fast but for going out i really like it.

SachaJuan are launching in Liberty Of London on the 3rd June.

My hair is in really good condition at the moment and i have a lot more hair care posts coming up.

Have you heard of this brand before and do you have any products you swear by?

Tommy Guns Shampoo & Conditioner

Morning my beautiful blogging friends, i am on a serious hair care mission at the moment. I'm looking for the perfect products for my hair.
On this mission i intend on trying LOTS of different products to see exactly what's out there in the giant field of Shampoo, conditioners, treatments, styling products etc.
The first combo I've been using is this little twosome:

Jasmine & Wild Nettle Shampoo & Jasmine, Wild Nettle & Sweet Almond Conditioner

Tommy Guns products are a range of salon and nature inspired products at an affordable price.
This duo is designed for thirsty, dry undernourished and coloured hair types.

These two products smell beautiful and i have really enjoyed using them in the shower. Although they are designed for dry hair i still find them both quite light and they don't weigh my hair down which is a nice change.

Overall a lovely set of products and my hair is looking unbelievably shiny. I think i will try some of the other range as the Fig & Plum shampoo & Conditioner for frizzy hair sounds Delicious.
Priced at £4.99 each they are a really good price too.

Shiny Hair :)

Available from John Lewis, Waitrose and Ocado. I like the fact that you can add these in your trolley when at the supermarket. There's nothing like a little beauty treat to brighten up a weekly shop.
Anyone else tried this range before and if so what do you think?