current haircare routine: updated.

My last haircare routine was back in September last year (here is the post) and I thought it was time to update it. My hair is still quite curly but if you compare the picture in the previous haircare routine post and this picture below, it has become less curlier. This is mainly because my hair has grown quite a lot so the total weight of it has caused the curls to become more wavy rather than ringlets. 

I wash my hair every 3/4 days still and only ever do rough blowdrying to hair and properly blowdry my fringe. My hair is mid-length to me (just in the middle of my shoulder and elbow) but I'm sure if I straightened it, which I hardly ever do, that it will be much longer.

Shampoo:

Naked Clear Anti-Dandruff Shampoo - I have no idea why I'm suddenly getting a flaky scalp but I'm sure it's a mix between my bad food choices lately and the sudden change in temperature here in England. So this shampoo is kinda good at getting rid of it but I find it doesn't clear it up completely.

Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo - I just bought this a couple of days ago but I haven't tried it out. I've tried the Dove Damage Repair shampoo and it made my hair feel incredible so I'm sure this will be just as good.

Conditioner:

Tresemme Moisture Rich Conditioner - I have the super big salon sized bottle so I still have it and I know it was in my last haircare routine. I'm desperately trying to finish it. I find it is no longer that moisturising and it would be better for fine hair as it doesn't weigh down my hair. However, I do have thick hair and I find it doesn't work too well.

Extras/treatments:

Boots Coconut and Almond Leave-in Conditioner - this doesn't really make a difference to my hair but again, I'm still trying to finish it and I don't like to be wasteful. I think it is better as a detangler than a leave-in conditioner as it isn't hydrating or conditioning.

Charles Worthington Frizz Free Serum - a serum is vital for me, especially for my fringe. I use a small pump for my fringe and about 2/3 pumps for the bottom half of my hair. It's great for when you're blowdrying your hair as it minimises frizz.

This is actually really similar to my last haircare routine and I've only really changed a few items. 

Kayla x

best haircare products of 2012.

Unlike my 'best books of 2012' post, I'll try and keep this one a tad shorter so this is my list of favourite haircare products this year. My hair has undoubtedly been a pain in the bum, as usual, and my unruly curls have driven me mad so my haircare routine has been pretty vital. However, I do apologise as I only have 2 favourite products really because I haven't found anything outstanding.

source

~ Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner - This has ultimately become my best haircare purchase of the year. I didn't expect anything spectacular but wow, was I amazed. They are extremely hyrdating and make your hair super soft, shiny and smooth. When I ran out of my shaving cream, I often used the conditioner temporarily and it worked a wonder, even better than shaving cream!

~ Charles Worthington Frizz Free Serum - I actually have owned this for over a year and really only started using it properly now so the packaging I have is different to the one shown on the link to Boots so I'm not sure if they have reformulated it. Anyways, this is awesome for side fringes as you need a tiny tiny pump and run it through the ends of the fringe and after you blowdry it, voila! You'll end up with super sleek hair and no frizz in sight. However, I have heard that this is not suitable if you have coloured hair so beware.

Kayla x

how to grow luscious long and healthy hair.

First of all, I would like to say I haven't got a magic potion to give you hair as long as Rapunzel's overnight. These are just some tips to help keep your hair healthy as well as helping it grow in the long term :)

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1. Your hair is what you eat - eating junk food and food with little/no nutrition will make your hair very unhealthy. Make sure you eat the right food and have a healthy diet. I recently did a post on the '10 Commandments for being healthy', you can read it here.

2. Oils - coconut oil, mustard oil and olive oil are great for your hair. Any oil will do and you just put it in your hair an hour (or more) before you wash your hair. I also did a post on how to keep your hair healthy and how I use oils in my hair. You can read the post here.

3. Easy on the washing - don't wash your hair everyday as it was get rid of your hair's natural oils, causing your hair to be dry. I wash my hair around 2-3 times a week. 

4. No heat = healthy hair - try to reduce the amount of heat you put onto your hair as overheating you hair can cause it to stunt its growth, so it will take longer to grow. If you do use heat, always use a heat protectant. 

5. Trim regularly - trim the ends of your hair every 4 weeks (each month) as it was reduce split ends and hair breakage. I always trim my own hair as I don't trust hairdressers because they always seem to cut off too much!

6. Less is more - try to use as little products on your hair as possible. More products will lead to product build up, causing you to wash it more often.

7. Be realistic - don't expect your hair to suddenly become long. This process will take years at a time so you have to be dedicated.

I hope you found this useful, just remember that you need to care for your hair!

Kayla x

my current haircare routine.

This is my hair naturally and the curls are a total pain. If any of you are curious, I wash my hair every 3/4 days. I don't use any heat on my hair expect blowdrying my fringe but I let the rest of my hair air dry.

Here is my current haircare routine:

I actually use 3 different shampoos and 2 conditoners. I alternate between these shampoos and conditioners, mainly because I really want to use them all up.

Shampoo: 

Tresemme Moisture Rich Shampoo - one of my favourite shampoos, really moisturising.

Dove Damage Repair Shampoo - awesome shampoo, also one of my favs, even if your hair isn't damaged like mine, it makes your hair go super super soft and it smells gorgeous!

Naked Clear Anti-Dandruff Shampoo (hardly use it) - I hardly ever use it and only to keep dandruff at bay. It really does work to keep away dandruff.

Conditioner: 

Tresemme Moisture Rich Conditioner - a really good conditioner, not my favourite, its very moisturising but it has a very weird smell?

Dove Damage Repair Conditioner - this is my favourite conditioner in the whole wide world and has a beautiful smell. You need to try this, seriously!

After washing my hair, I towel dry most of it and then put the Boots Almond and Coconut Leave In Conditioner to detangle my hair. I only apply this at the ends of my hair but this has a really horrible smell, not as bad as the smell of garbage or something but it doesn't smell like coconuts or almonds to me. I don't think it detangles my hair very well and I haven't noticed a difference in my hair after using this. However, I bought this ages ago and I really want to finish it so I just use it for the sake of it really.

I then part my hair so I can see my fringe and put some Charles Worthington Frizz Free Serum onto the ends of my fringe and on the ends of my hair. It is a really good serum and I find that it keeps my hair soft after blowdrying my fringe. I also find that it stops my ends being so dry.

That's the end of my haircare routine and I know its not a lot compared to other people's routines but I find that less is more for my hair as it will get greasy, quickly. 

Kayla x

how to keep your hair healthy.

There are a lot of products out there labelled to keep your hair healthy but I've found only a handful of them actually help, so here are two that worked for me:

(Source: weheartit)

~ Coconut Oil - this is my ultimate holy grail haircare product. Always always always buy pure coconut oil from the food aisles and not the haircare aisles. This is because the haircare ones have chemicals added to it which generally, your hair could do without. The pure coconut oil comes in a solid so before you use it, heat it up in the microwave for 30 secs. I put it in my hair for 1 hour before I wash it out and tah dah! Beautiful healthy hair. Another alternative to coconut oil is amla oil mixed with mustard oil!

~ Yogurt and Mustard Oil - this is a great combination for people who have dandruff in their hair. This is actually an ancient family recipe and it has been keeping hair dandruff free for years. You put some greek style or natural set yogurt in a bowl and mix with about 2 tablespoons of mustard oil. Then mix it together, put it on your hair and tie your hair up in a bun or it will ruin your clothes! You might want to put a shower cap over your hair or it may go all over your furniture. I usually do this about once a month and keep it in my hair for around an hour and wash it out as usual.

Do you have any haircare secrets?

Kayla x