my current hair care routine

Hello :)

When I looked at my hair in the mirror earlier, I just felt all pleased with how shiny and healthy it currently looks, so I thought I'd tell you all about my hair care routine which seems to be working so well for me! I feel as if I've finally found some products that get on with well with my (sometimes naughty) hair.

First of all I should probably tell you a bit about my hair and its 'behaviour' so you'll know more whether or not these products will work for you. I've been told before that although I have a lot of hair (as in singular strands), each hair itself is quite fine so sometimes I've felt in the past that my hair can be quite flat. Also, as I've told you before my hair can be quite dry so I look for products that will help to combat this. I have naturally auburn hair which I've never died and I don't used a heat on my hair everyday, so I suppose it must just be naturally lacking some moisture!

Shampoo and conditioner

Apologies for the well loved shampoo bottle!

I was never loyal to one particular type of shampoo and conditioner until I tried the Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Shampoo and Conditioner. I was always put off previously as I really don't like the packaging and branding of the product (not quite sure why - Liz Tyler swishing her hair just doesn't really scream 'buy me', at least for me!), but the two were on some sort of deal in Sainsbury's ages ago so I just picked them up on a whim - and I don't regret it!

The products claim that they 'improve moisture balance and leave hair more resilient against styling or combing damaging' and 'prevent the formation of split ends' amongst other things. I've been using the shampoo and conditioner for a couple of months now and I did notice a difference very quickly. They leave my hair feeling clean and soft and I actually do believe they've made my hair stronger as I've certainly noticed less split ends. They're also both a brilliant thick creamy consistency and smell deliciously fruity!

I wash my hair normally about once every three days as my hair doesn't get very greasy. I use the shampoo every time but I don't always use the conditioner as I have a hair mask and a balm I also like to use which I'll tell you about in a minute...

I've just had a look on the Boots website and the Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Shampoo and Conditioner are £4.69 which I think is great as they're big bottles so last you a long time. If you suffer from dry unhappy hair then I really do suggest giving them a go! Like I said, you often see them on offers too so shop about.

Hair masks and balms

Every few washes (so perhaps once every week and a half) I like to use something really deeply moisturising. I make sure I've got a bit more time when I do this so I can let the products sit for a bit and feel their true effects.

My two favourites are the Umberto Giannini Indulgent Beauty Moisture Mask and Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm. The Umberto Giannini is a deep treatment conditioning mask which makes your hair ridiculously soft. I've done a full review of this product - because it's so fab! - which you can read here.

The Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm I actually got in my January Glossybox and at first I didn't really know what to do with it. The tube instructs that it's a '98% natural' product that can be used on your face hair and body... for me that's too much choice! On the back it tells you to put it on the ends of your hair and leave for a few minutes so I gave it a try - and it's brilliant! If you suffer from split ends or are looking just to prevent them then this product is excellent as you easily concentrate it on to where you really need it and it makes your hair look so sleek! I shampoo and condition my hair and then put this on to my clean hair. I probably leave it for about ten minutes while I do everything else in the shower then rinse this off last.

On a side not, the packaging is absolutely beautiful, with drawings of a girl, a bee, hummingbird and lots of other things. I love that it's a bit different to other designs on the market (a lot better than the horrid Pantene packaging)! I'll definitely be repurchasing this product. It's £17.40 for 150ml but I think that's great value as you don't need much of the balm at a time. I've been using my sample size (75ml) since January and I still have about half of it left, if not more.

Hair oils and serums

When I get out of the shower with my wet hair, I first towel dry it for a little while as I like to try and use as little heat on it as possible. When it's damp and not quite so wet any more, I smooth three drops of VO5 Miracle Concentrate through the midlengths and ends of my hair before I give it a short blast with the hair dryer and dry my fringe (it will go in all sorts of directions otherwise)! I normally leave the rest of my hair then to finish off airdrying.

The VO5 Miracle Concentrate in an 'intensive leave-in treatment' which contains the much raved about Argan Oil. It leaves your hair so soft and shiny, plus it smells great too. I think that it really does refine the look of the ends of your hair and makes it appear as if you've newly had a trim! I've not tried the much blogged about and very expensive Moroccan Oil but for now this is good enough for me and does exactly what it says on the tin. I picked this up from Boots for £4.99 which might seem like a lot for a tiny bottle but as I said I literally use a few drops at a time.

The VO5 Miracle Concentrate can also be used on dry hair to slick any frizziness and add a little shine if your hair is looking a bit dull. However, if my hair is being naughty and frizzy then I use the Charles Worthington On-The-Go Serum. As the name suggests, the main reason I use this is that the little sleek tube is great for carrying around for when your hair needs a bit of taming during the day. I just smooth a tiny amount through the ends of my hair to make my hair appear a little sleeker and put any naughty flyaways back in their place!

It does claim on the tube that you can use this on wet hair and then blow dry to make your hair lovely and smooth. However the reason that I use the VO5 Miracle Concentrate for this instead of the Charles Worthington Serum is that the the Miracle Concentrate actually contains conditioning ingredients which will do your hair good and moisturise the ends of your hair whereas the serum will simply make your hair appear shinier etc. The Charles Worthington Serum also contains a lot of silicones which will coat your hair and way it down over time.

I couldn't fine the Charles Worthington On-The-Go Serum online so perhaps it's not available any more. As it's a Takeaway product I think I paid about two or three pounds for it.

Extras

I don't actually use many different types of mousses etc for my hair, as I don't want to overload my hair with products. However if I'm going out and I want a bit more volume for my hair then I massage Charles Worthington Volume Body Booster Mousse into my roots then blow dry my hair upside down and perhaps finish it off with my Babyliss Big Hair (I won't go in to it now, that thing is a whole other post haha)! The Charles Worthington Volume Body Booster Mousse is available at Boots for £5.19, but it's also available as part of a deal for 2 for £6 on selected Charles Worthington products at the moment so you could check that out!

As for other products, I don't tend to use hairspray very much. I only use a tiny amount when I curl my hair as I hate how it makes my hair feel the next day, and I always worry it's drying my hair out. The hairspray I'm using at the moment is Sainsbury's Firm Hold Hairspray which is doing the job perfectly well but I can't get particularly excited about it!

I've just realised that this is quite a long post so thank you for persevering if you've made it this far! I'd also love to know what your favourite hair care products are and if you have any recommendations for me if you have a similar hair type to me :)

xx

i love you umberto giannini hair mask!

Before I tell you about this product, I'm first going to tell you a little story...

A few hair cuts ago, I was chatting to the hairdresser when she told me "Ooh your hair is quite dry". Now, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean it in a nasty way and was just making an innocent comment, but for some reason I took this as a massive insult and couldn't get her comment out of my head (sad, I know...)! So after leaving the hairdressers, the war began against my dry hair, and my mission became to make it silky soft.

In this dry hair saga, I've tried quite a few products, and obviously some have been better than others. However one that has really stood out to me is the Umberto Giannini Indulgent Beauty Moisture Mask. I picked this up in Boots quite a few months ago now on a whim and didn't really expect much but it truly does make your hair ridiculously soft and shiny, and the ends of your hair look nourished and healthy. One of its ingredients is shea butter, so it's super moisturising hurrah! It also smells amazing and has lovely packaging - a winner all round basically!

I love the design on the lid, very art nouveau!

I probably use this about once every three washes and I make sure it's at a time when I'm not in a rush so that I can feel it's full benefits. I first shampoo and rinse my hair then apply this all over my hair, but especially concentrate on the ends. I next put my hair in to a very loose bun and leave for as long as possible while I wash, exfoliate, cleanse, shave etc. It instructs on the pot that a 'professional secret' is the longer you leave it on  the better, and with experience I do agree with this. After maybe 10-15 minutes, I rinse it out and voila! Soft and shiny hair!

When I last went to the hairdresser (a different one), I asked her if my hair was dry. She told me that it wasn't and that it is in fact in great condition! If you are suffering from dry hair then I really do urge you to try this as it's worked wonders for me and although I will continue to try other products, I can't see anything overtaking this in the near future.

As I said, I picked it up from Boots. It's on the website for £5.61 but there's also a 2 selected Umberto Giannini products for £7.50 offer at the moment so it's the perfect time to pick it up. Plus, if you get it in store, you'll also receive one of the £5 off No7 vouchers - it all just gets better! 

xx