new hair, new hair-products!

Ok, so yesterday I posted about my newly-coloured hair, and I promised that I would write about the products that I use on my hair to keep it as looking healthy and shiny! 

I guess that I'll start with the basics: shampoo and conditioner. When I left the hair-dresser, I was aware that bleached blonde hair can quickly develop brassy undertones: darker streaks of yellowy blonde that aren't quite as fresh as light blonde hair. To prevent the blonde in my hair from darkening, I've been using John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonder Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner.

I had heard a ton of mixed reviews regarding this product: some extremely positive and others extremely negative, so I decided to do my research into the products before actually buying them. There were a few complaints about scalp irritation and accentuated dryness caused by these products. The reasons that I decided to purchase them despite the negative claims was because I planned to only apply this product to the ends of my hair that had been dyed, and not throughout my entire head of hair. Therefore, the product doesn't really come into a great deal of contact with my scalp. I will tackle the dryness "problem" later in the post. 

So far, I've not had any issue with the shampoo or conditioner. I have noticed a slight alteration in how blonde my hair is after using this product four times. I only shampoo my hair once, and follow this up with one application of conditioner. Whilst both products claim to be ammonia and peroxide-free, I'm guessing that lemon juice is a key ingredient in both. My one critique would have to be the smell of these products. There is a very subtle citrus tinge to the scent of both the shampoo and the conditioner, and I wouldn't be being truthful if I said that I find the smell appealing. Perhaps that's because I'm not fond of lemons, who knows! I will keep you updated as I continue to use these products in case anything I've said changes with continued use! 

The next product that I have been using is Organix Moroccan Argan Oil. 

You probably can't see from the picture, (the text has faded away on my own bottle, hence why I had to hunt the net to find a suitable picture of the product!) but Moroccan Argan Oil claims to "instantly penetrate the hair shaft" to "restore shine and softness". It sounds like exactly what bleached hair needs after the hair follicle has been stripped of pigmentation. I apply this product to my hair when it is damp and distribute with my fingers and later a wide-toothed comb.

I absolutely love this product. Honestly, everything about it is divine and I cannot recommend it enough. The smell of the product, the way that it leaves my hair, everything about it is spot-on. My hair feels soft, healthy and moisturised and I adore it. 

Since colouring my hair I have been abandoning my hair-dryer and allowing my locks to air-dry. I do this for two reasons: firstly because I usually curl my hair and I have been trying to limit the amount of heat that it applied to my hair to prevent further damage, and secondly, because my hair has been drying fairly quickly since having a good couple of inches chopped off of the ends! This set-up will probably change when I start university in September as I will probably be a little more pushed for time then.

The last product that I have been using is the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Spun Gold Balm. (Isn't that the prettiest name for a product ever??)

Regardless of whether I straighten or curl my hair, I apply this product after it has been styled. When my hair is straight, it makes my hair shiny and smooth. When my hair is curled, it keeps the curls bouncy and prevents them from falling within about a minute of being styled (the joys of fine hair...). There isn't really much else that I can say about it! Only a small quantity is required, and it smells nice and clean, so no complaints there! I can't imagine that it is all too different from every other texturising balm that it out there, but it certainly does the job and I'm happy to use it!

So... yip! That's my hair products for the time being. Thanks for reading, Lovely, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

I dip-dyed my hair!

Oh my goodness it's been a while! My final exams and working two jobs had been getting on top of me a little bit over the past few months but at long last I'm back and ready to blog! 

So my best friend and I, in a moment of complete madness last week, decided to book ourselves hair appointments at the last minute. Why a moment of complete madness? Well, we didn't opt for trims, let's put it that way. Whilst my friend got her long hair (which was about half-way down her back prior to the appointment) chopped into the cutest little pixie 'do, I decided that I was going to get my hair dip-dyed. 

I had always been a bit apprehensive at the thought of getting my hair bleached in any way, shape or form, and I would certainly never have the confidence to bleach my hair myself. I've heard, and even witnessed, a few horror stories regarding self-bleached hair, and I didn't want to risk not applying the bleach properly and damaging the hair follicle (which can result in permanent damage and loss of hair). I was also a bit nervous as, even though my brown hair was fine, it was very soft and shiny, and I worried that the silkiness of my hair would be lost during the bleaching process. No matter what anyone says, hair is already dead, and bleached hair cannot be "restored" or "repaired"- eek!

My friend and I usually have our hair cut by the same stylist, and so bleach was applied to my hair first, and whilst I waited for it to kick in, my friend had her long locks chopped off. The bleach was applied to my hair and left for an hour and a half. There was a horrible moment when I looked at the hair and saw that it was orange. Not even strawberry blonde, but tangerine orange. Me being me, I completely freaked out, but my hairdresser confidently reassured me that when bleaching brown hair, the hair will first lighten to an orange colour, before turning honey blonde, then light blonde, then white. My hair was bleached until the light blonde stage, and oh my days, I absolutely love it! 

I had to get a good two inches chopped off of my hair, seeing as I hadn't had it cut since April, but it feels so much better now - a lot healthier, which is bizarre seeing as bleach actually strips the hair but hey ho! I went on a little shopping spree for new hair products, and that will be on its way soon! 

Thanks for reading, I hope you have the loveliest of days!