Fine hair is a nightmare!! I know that sounds a little over dramatic but it really can be. There are just so many issues that come with having fine hair but it really gets a whole lot worse when you also have thinning hair. There is the daily battle with creating volume without loading on the products and making your hair look greasy. Then there is also the problem of not over washing you hair because second hair looks never really good on a fine head, not to mention growth disappointments because you need to have hair cuts on a regular basis otherwise it would just fray into nothingness and split ends. I could go on but I don't want to be here all day and moan about my hair.

If you are a fine head girl like me you probably know what its like and find it just as frustrating especially when everyone else seem to have bouncier, thicker, voluminous hair than you. But over the last year I have tried making peace with my hair and start concentrating on looking after it and treating it with some care.
Making some errors along the way but also discovering some real gems.

The first major discovery came when I used Philip Kingley Elasticizer for the first time. Back then I was still growing out my years of over bleached hair out and I needed something to take care of the dry ends.
This was a real life/hair saver as it sorted my ends out and made them look nice again. It stopped me from needing to go to the hairdressers all the time and even now that my hair is all natural I still like to pop this one once a week to keep things looking nice!

One recent find that has made using conditioner on my hair a real joy is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Treatment Mousse. This is just brilliant and a no fail when it comes to conditioners. No more greasy heads because you got a little carried away with the conditioner in the shower or didn't wash it out long enough. Just put some mousse in your balm, smooth it through you hair, leave in for 3 minutes and then rinse. You will be left with hair that feels light but also nourished and has a lovely shine to it. I have a feeling that this will stay in my shower for some time and will definitely be repurchased.

Monthly Empties

Well this is the time again where I can show you how good I have been and what I have used up until the last drop!!

I think its easy to see that I have been really loving my skincare over the last month or so. There are two cleansers, a moisturizer, a serum and I even managed to empty my hand creme ( normally I forget to use it after about a week). And it doesn't look like I am going to stop buying skincare any time soon. Ever since I discovered the Clarins Lotus Oil I have been fascinated with what else I can do to help my skin improve.

Like I have said before I have never been really into skincare (more of a make up kind of gal) but so far I am enjoying the pampering at night and the seeing results in the morning.

Anyway lets have a look what I have been using!

First up is the Clinique Take The Day Off Balm Cleanser. This is a brilliant cleanser if you are after a more affordable cleanser. Most of the balm cleansers can be quite expensive and can also have a lot of perfume in them but not the Clinique one. It's a real gem especially for girls with sensitive skin. Yes it doesn't feel as luxurious as some others do but it really gets the job done (even removes waterproof mascara). And when it comes down to it that's all I really want from a cleanser!

Another Clinique product that I was using the last month was the Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus. This claims to erase like a laser fine lines and wrinkles and also freshen up you complexion. While I don't think it has done much for my fine lines it did however help with my breakouts and complexion. If I felt like I had a spot coming on I used this at night and the next day the swelling was down and the spot was on its way out! As for repurchasing it. I would say that there are better serums out there like the Estee Lauder Night Advance Repair Serum so I would rather buy that one.

Next up is a cleanser that I have been using for years on and off. The La Roche Posay Toleriane Cleanser is one that I always like to come back to as its easy to get hold of, doesn't cost a lot and does a really good job removing my make up. Again it's for us girls with sensitive skin with no parbens or fragrance added. A perfect cleanser if you have sensitive skin and are on a budget!

When it comes to moistuizer I don't really make a big fuss. Maybe its because I still haven't found one that has made a huge difference. The Vichy Normaderm Moistuizer is a good one to use if you have oily skin as it feels super light and has salicylic acid in it. Only problem is that it doesn't have any spf in it and that's something I really look for in a moistuizer.

Do you hate the feeling of greasy hands after applying your hand cream. Yes me too but the Garnier Intensive 7 Day Hand Cream doesn't feel at all like that. That's probably why I have been sticking with applying it regular and going though it quite quickly. It keeps you hand moisturized and also makes my nails look nice and nourished. A definite repurchase!

Hair wise I have been sadly running out of the Kerastase Cristaliste Shampoo. I have to say that I really enjoyed using this shampoo. Its really good for fine haired people who want a shampoo that is not too striping on their hair and also gives a lovely shine. I will buy it in the full size as its a nice shampoo to have in my stash!

Lastly is the only make up product and its a mascara. The one I was using is the Loreal Volume Million Lash Mascara. When I bought it I was hoping that this would make my lashes look thicker and fuller but maybe I understood the volume wrong. Because it really is a good mascara if you have short lashes and you are looking for lenght. But I really had to build it up quite a bit to get the results I was after.
Do you know of a good mascara that makes you lashes thicker? I would love to know?

So that is it, now I can give myself a pat on the back and keep on shopping for new thing!!

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Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Light Treatment Mousse

When I first heard that Aussie where coming out with a 3 Minute Miracle Mousse Conditioner I knew I had to try it. Everybody knows and loves their regular 3 Minute Miracle Treatment, so naturally my hopes where really high.  And I have to say that this is by far the most exciting new product that has come out in a long time for us fine haired ladies. 

If you are thinking mousse and crunchy curls then think again. This is nothing like a regular hair mousse. Its a mousse that is meant to apply like any other conditioner in the shower and then like the other 3 Minute Miracle Treatment to be left in your hair for 3 minutes and then rinsed. The difference between the mousse and the regular is that this one is for us girls with fine hair. Which makes me super happy because if you are honest there isn't much out there at the moment. Lots of shampoos but no conditioners especially in the drugstore compartment.

Because of its mousse formula ( looks just like rich whipped cream) it feels weightless when I apply it to my hair in the shower and it's super easy to wash out! The results are also quite impressive, both formulas left my hair super soft and shiny, the Aussome Volume gives a slight bit of volume and the Mega a lovely rich moisturizing feel. Swishing my hair around all day!

I can see these two little miracles become a firm staple in my haircare. Like a good hair day in a can!!

Budget Buy Of The Month

You all know how much I like a good hair products but when it comes to heat protection I can be a bit lazy. Its quite odd that I like to spend my money on expensive styling tools and shampoos but completely neglected the fact that it also needs protection from all the heat.

I think it was mostly down to the fact that I tried some of the heat sprays before and most of them either weight my hair down and made it look greasy or they made styling more difficult by being sticky so that my hair didn't feel soft and bouncy anymore.

So I gave up on them for quite some time until I came across the Loreal Elnett Satin Heat Styling Spray.

I like to spray a few pumps in my damp hair, brush it through with my hairbrush an then start blow drying it with a round brush. What I love about it is that its completely weightless and doesn't make you hair feel sticky or greasy. We all want that soft bouncy clean feeling on the day we washed our hair and this does just the trick. It even helps with flyaways and humidity and for £4.49 is an absolute bargain. As for the Volume, it says that it can "lock in volume for up to 3 days" but I think that's just a little bit to much of the advertising. While I do think it give you a little bit of hold throughout the day it certainly can not life up to a 3 day volume promise. My volume only ever last for one day, as soon as my head hits the pillow, that volume is gone!!

But as a heat protection styling spray its definitely doing a great job! Will be a repurchase!

Have you got a heat protecting spray that I need to know about then leave me a comment, I would love to know!

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HAIR DETOX

Every now and then hair needs a little break and go back to its original state. These days its quite rare for me to actually just leave my hair to its own devices without using any product. Leave in conditioner, hair oil and texurizing spays are all part of my hair routine, I am sure without them my hair would be a total disaster. But there also lies the problem, too much use of these kind of products can leave my hair feel heavy and unmanageable.

That's when I am in need of a good shampoo detox. A clarifying shampoo will clean away all the silicons that most styling products have in them and leave you hair clean and fresh, bringing its back to its normal glory!!
I love having a bath on a Sunday night using this on my hair, it makes me feel like I am doing a little treatment for my hair and getting it ready for the coming week ahead.

Only problem is that they often can feel super drying on hair and scalp and I don't know about you but when my hair gets really dry it becomes super frizzy and nothing in the would will tame that frizz.
Its so annoying because you know you gotta give your hair a good detox but at the same time you are dreading it because of the dryness you will be left with. That's when my mission began to find a clarifying shampoo that doesn't leave my hair crispy and dry. I wanted a shampoo that cleans but also nourish it at the same time. It was not an easy one to find but I got there in the end.

I tried quite a few, high and low end and I have to say that the high end ones performed much better than the lower end ones. I think the cheaper brands put a lot of sulfates in their shampoos making them really foam up, giving you that herbal essence kind of feeling with lots of bubbles and foam but they also really can make your hair feel dry and sad.

Anyway on to the one that really stood out, PHYTO Clarifying Detox Shampoo!! Not only does it really do a good job cleaning your hair and taking all the nasties away it also leaves your hair in a perfect place. It's not drying at all and doesn't make you hair feel stripped. Its a little bit more expensive that most shampoos but then again I only use it once a week so it will last me for quite some time which makes it in my eyes totally worth it. I even noticed that I can go a day longer in between washes and that's always a good thing.
It's definitely one to keep repurchasing!

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HAIR OH HAIR

Last week I was browsing the Internet for some new hair products that I can try and test out. When I do this I always have to look at all the Kerastase shampoos ,conditioners and styling products. Every time I hear something good about a hair product that someone has tested, guess what, it is from Kerastase.

But Kerastase is a salon brand and with all salon brands its not cheap to buy. One bottle of shampoo cost about £11-13 and once you got the right conditioner to go with it, you can easily spend £25- 30.

And then what if you don't like it??

Well while I was browsing on my Sunday afternoon I found this amazing deal on Rush's website (here), get 50% off Kerastase travel size kits. So you only have to pay £6.99 for two travel size products.

They have two kits from the resistance range for hair that is damaged. One is with shampoo and leave in treatment and the other one is with shampoo and deep conditioner.

Then they have a travel kit from the cristaliste line with the Shampoo and conditioner for fine, long hair and last but not least is the famous Kerastase nutritive travel kit with the conditioner and leave in treatment.

I love these little travel size products as they are brilliant for trying out new products if you don't want to pay for the full price. And when they even have them reduced to 50% whats holding you back?

 Have you tied any product from  Kerastase? I would love to find out what you think?

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL DEEP CONDITIONER

Tiana Organic Fairtrade Extra Virgin Coconut Oil £13

Where to start with this amazing oil of miracles? OK maybe not miracles but god do I love this oil. It has changed  the way I look after my hair forever. You have probably heard of virgin cold pressed coconut oil from other beauty sites, even Vogue is talking about it but I have know about it's good properties for some time now.

 So what does it do and how do I use it?

Well you can use it for all sorts of ways

1. moisturising your skin like a moisturiser or night cream
2. taking of your make up (great for taking of stubborn mascara)
3. reducing stretch marks during pregnancy
4. rubbed on lips as a natural chap stick
5. defrizzes hair like other hair serums and oils
6. rub on to cuticles to make nails stronger and keep them moisturised 
7. as a body balm or body scrub ( mix with your favourite body butter for intense hydration or mix with salts or sugar for an amazing body scrub)
8. massage oil
9. reducing your cholesterol
10. and of course you can also cook with it (it doesn't burn at high heat like olive oil)

The list goes on and on but out of all these lovely things that you can do with it, I mostly use it to deep condition my hair the night before I wash it. I simply soak the hair ears down with the oil and put it in a braid, go to bed and sleep with it. You could also put it on your scalp if you have a very dry one for moisturisation.

Coconut oil's fatty acids have a unique molecular structure that penetrates easily into the hair shaft. A hair is just like a hose or a tube. It is hollow inside. Coconut oil fully penetrates this hollow space( the hair shaft) and keeps your hair healthy.

The next day I just wash my hair normally with shampoo and conditioner.

Once the hair is dry you will feel the difference straight away. My hair feels super soft and fluffy and you just want to keep on touching it. It has really made a difference with my hairs condition and preventing it from splitting.

Have you tried Virgin Coconut Oil and what were your results?

HAIR SERUMS AND OILS

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum £14

Avon Argan Oil £5.50

One of my absolute favorite things to talk about is hair care and how to grow your hair lusciously long.

I am still in hope that one day I might be able to have hair down to my waist. So far its has been a very long and unsuccessful journey with only few inches of growth. First of all I have to say that I used to colour my hair blonde since I was 16 and over the years it has really taken its toll on my hair. So one and a half years ago I was fed up with the blonde and thought to try out brunette for some time. Big mistake!!! Well guess what I hated it and tried to colour my hair back to blonde and in the process of recolouring I ruined my hair so much so that still now after one and a half years of taking care and not doing any more colouring its still splitting and breaking easily. The only thing that helps with the split ends is a regular trim and that's not really a good idea when you trying to grow your hair out.

Few of the things that I love when it comes to hair care are serums.

I love hair serums because they help with the frizzyness of my hair and make it more manageable. I know they are loaded with silicones but for me that's exactly what my hair needs to stay smooth and shiny as I have tried hair care products without the silicones in it and I end up looking like a hot mess.

What I also like about the Paul Mitchell Serum is that it make your wet hair dry extra fast, I don't know why it does that but for me that's an added bonus as I am trying to stay away from hairdryers as much as I can.

Another product that I like is the Avon Argan Oil. Its not a complete pure argan oil, it just has some argan oil in it but its a really nice rich oil that I put into the ends of my hair when its still wet.

It prevents my hair from drying out at the ends during the day and my hair stays super soft  until the next wash. Oils are one of my absolute must haves for my hair and in the coming days I will show you another oil what I use as an overnight treatment.

What are your hair care staples, I am interested to know.

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