6 weeks after my last trip to the hairdressers and I’m still committed to growing my hair out.
Roots are always going to require a huge upkeep when my hair is blonde so I’ve gone back to being a brunette albeit a good few shades darker than my natural light brown colour.
I think my hair always looks healthier when it’s dyed a darker colour.
I decided not have it cut this time and scheduled my next appointment for 7 week’s time.
H x
After 18 months of growing my hair (badly) I went for the chop in November 2015.
Here’s the before and after:
Fast forward to now (June 2016 in case any of you weren’t sure or are reading this later) and I’ve decided to grow it again. But this time I’ll be doing it properly with lots of TLC.
I was growing my hair for my wedding and wouldn’t let my hairdresser cut it for fear of them taking too much off. Unfortunately this, combined with over styling on the lead up to the big day, meant my hair was breaking and was completely unmanageable.
This time round there’s no pressure and I’ll be happy to have a little trim every 6 – 8 weeks to keep it tidy.
I’m going to share my journey with all of you as motivation to keep growing it.
My next post will include the products I’m going to use and some of my tips for when you start to grow out your cut.
I’d love to know what tips or tricks you all have if you’ve grown your hair.
H xx
Following on from my post about my new haircut this is my routine when I wash my hair and all the products I use. I’ll link them all at the end of this post.
This is my new hair:
Washing My Hair
My shampoo & conditioner at the moment is the L’oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Luminiser. I like to try new shampoos and conditioners but I always go back to this. It puts a beautiful shine on my hair without weighing it down. I always wash my hair twice and I only need a tiny drop of conditioner applied to the ends and then combed through. Leave for a minute and wash off.
Just now I’m not using a hairmask or intensive treatment in my routine but I always favour any of the Lee Stafford tubs.
Drying My Hair
I try to let my hair air dry a little but sometimes the mornings don’t allow for very along. I use my Tangle Teezer when I’m first brushing my hair and then use a wide toothed comb to distribute products and part my hair.
I use two products on my hair when it’s wet/damp; Platinum Strength Stay Soft leave-in treatment by Tresemme and Poker Straight Flat Iron Protection Mist by Lee Stafford.
Stay Soft is applied to the ends and then combed through. The Flat Iron Protection Mist is sprayed all over then I blow dry my hair straight using my Denman brush.
Final Styling
Once my hair is dry I’ll use more of the protection mist to make sure I’m giving my hair extra heat protection. I use GHDs to smooth over my hair and curl the ends.
Once I’m happy with my hair I use the following three products to finish (it’s purely coincidence that they are all the same brand):
Vo5 Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder – this is a brilliant little pot for adding volume to the roots of my hair. It keeps the style from falling flat as the day goes on.
Vo5 Extreme Style Texture Texturising Gum – I only use a tiny amount of this to help hold the waves/curls.
Vo5 Ultimate Hold Hairspray – I’ve used this one for years and really love it so why change?
xx
I decided to go for the chop at the weekend when I got my hair cut and this is the before and after (picture credit to my hairdressers Facebook page):
So why did I decide to go short?
I have fairly thick hair and that means styling it really becomes a chore. It takes ages to dry, is so heavy when it has length it starts to fall out and is difficult to style.
It’s no secret to those who know me that I change my hair all the time but this is a completely new style for me.
Colour
The colour is an ombre style with dark brown fading into a medium blonde. Ombre is a great option for anyone who can’t afford root upkeep or anyone who just simply hates roots.
My hair grows fast and when I was blonde I had to constantly have touch ups to avoid that horrible line! This can be pricey but ombre means I can skip the colour and only have a cut if my bank balance is a little light.
Cut
I’ve gone for a really blunt cut. I’ve always preferred this to layers and this type of cut is really popular at the moment. It’s been chopped to my chin and not tapered into my neck like most bobs would be.
Styling
Including drying my hair now takes no time at all. I blowdry it straight (straight-ish) to make sure it’s not frizzy and then use my GHDs to smooth over and curl the ends. The very bottom layer of my hair is left straight.
Plenty hairspray and a tiny amount of wax and I’m good to go.
I also bought a new styling product – Vo5 Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder. This powder is great to use at the roots to keep the volume throughout the day. I won’t talk about this too much as I’m planning a whole post on hairstyling.
This style is so low maintenance and super easy to do at home. It’s my favourite style I’ve ever had!
xx
Batiste is an essential part of my haircare routine. I would be lost without dry shampoo and of all the brands I’ve tried this one in my opinion is by far the best.I try my hardest to only wash my hair every second or third day depending on what I’ve got on and without dry shampoo this would make my life miserable.
My current scent is the bright and lively floral. Usually my go to is the Tropical one but my local drug store never seems to have it in stock.
Super easy to use – after a good shake, spray directly onto roots in sections and then massage into the hair. Leave for a minute before brushing through to remove excess residue. You can then style as normal.
I bought this one from Superdrug. You can view it on their website here.
When my bottles of Elvive Nutri-Gloss Luminiser ran out I was so impressed with the condition of my hair that I rushed out to purchase some more, but as usual my local Boots was out of stock – so I picked up these sparkly bottles instead!
Nutri-Gloss Crystal claims to give you 50% more shine after the first use without weighing your hair down. This is something I always seem to struggle with. My hair usually feels like it has a heavy coating on it and looks like it hasn’t been washed for a month but not with these products.
From first use they put an amazing shine on my hair. It was left frizz free and soft but still easy to style. There’s definitely no greasy coating and I get away with only washing my hair every third day (if I want to wait that long).
My hair does need some TLC with the comb as the shampoo leaves it a little more knotted than usual however this still isn’t a drastic change from any other shampoos I’ve used.
I only apply conditioner to the ends of my hair and then brush it through with a wide-tooth comb to lightly condition the rest.
It smells amazing – like you’ve had your hair washed at the hairdressers and the smell stays fresh.
As far as the packaging goes L’oreal must have seen me coming. One it’s pink and two it has ‘crystals’ in it. These bottles are 400ml and I bought these for £3.99 each (this is the link to the Boots website).
I’d love to know if anyone else has tried these and what you thought of them and if you had any recommendations for other brands to try!
I’ve had to spend the last 2 years growing my hair for my wedding and maintaining my blonde highlights.
Five months on from my wedding I had finally decided what I wanted to do with my hair… and I wanted a new look!
I’d let my blonde grow out without any maintenance other than trying to keep the condition fairly good. I had only visited my hairdressers maybe once or twice for a teeny tiny trim (because I wasn’t sure what I wanted length-wise).
So I sat in the chair and taadaa:
The picture on the left is obviously my outgrown highlights. Wow so much growth in just 5 months! I’ve had my hair softened up with a colour that is a few shades darker than natural light brown/dark blonde hair. I wasn’t ready to part with blonde completely so I’ve kept some near the front to add some definition.
As for the cut, it’s not that clear from the photo, but I went for the chop saying goodbye to a good 2 – 3 inches. I love a blunt, no layer cut and I’m so happy this is what the trend seems to be just now!
My hair feels super soft, nourished and is styling perfectly.
I’d love to know if any of you change your hair for winter!
❤ xx
P.S Don’t forget to give me a follow on Instagram to keep up to date with posts I have planned 🙂
As you may know by now my hair has been subjected to major over-styling for the past year and I’m desperately trying to keep growing my hair. Since I’m not too far away from the length I want I’m trying to stay away scissors.
My main problem is the amount of hair I end up losing during the whole washing and styling process so anything that can strengthen my hair is a must for me at the moment.
I used to love using Vo5’s Hot Oil treatments but my local boots never seem to have them anymore – I can’t even find an empty space on the shelf 😦 :(. If I manage to find them again I’ll review them. Or if anyone reading this knows where I can pick them up please let me know!!
I picked up these Tresemme Renewal Hair & Scalp 60 Second Shots. This particular Tresemme range makes a lot of sense to me – most people focus on the ends of their hair forgetting that if your scalp isnt well cared for then your roots won’t grow! Think of it like a plant – if you don’t nourish the soil you won’t get pretty flowers!!
You can buy them at Boots instore or online here and they retail at around £5. You get four in a pack so you’re talking one treatment a week.
The Claims (taken off the box):
Instantly helps to nourish scalp and renew your hair.
Salon quality formula containing tea tree extract & sunflower seed oil will leave hair 3 times stronger.
Please remember here I’m not using the whole product range here. I have used the shampoo and conditioner before with good results.
There’s a lot to like about Tresemme as a brand and I’ve yet to try a product from them that hasnt lived up to the claims on the bottle.
Off I go to use this product…
I’m back 🙂
I used this before shampooing and conditioning so there was nothing interefering with the treatement and. I followed with a hair mask. I counted 60 seconds from when I finished applying the whole tube. I don’t know why Tresemme have said 60 seconds and if leaving on longer is beneficial or not.
I want to stress I’m not doing anything different in my routine and I’m basing this review on how my hair feels right now compared to last week when I used my hair mask.
I’m impressed at how much more managable my hair is. I was able to comb my conditioner through no problem and the same after I’d came out the bath.
I’m letting my hair dry naturally to cut out some heat so I can’t comment on how my hair is during styling. A luxury I only have on a Sunday as my hair takes about a whole day to dry! I can only imagine I’d be just as impressed if I styled it today – my hair never feels this good before I set the hairdryer on it!!
So if your hair is in need of some strength go out and try these little shots. I’ve felt a huge difference in just one use!
❤ xx
Not a top 5 but a top 4? Let’s go with it…
When it comes to hair styling I really struggle to pick products that I end up really liking. I’m constantly throwing out products in favour of something different but these 4 are all products I’ve re-purchased. I bought all these items in Boots and I’ve included the links to their website below.
Umberto Giannini Curl Friends – Glossybox must have known I was running low on this when they included a full size bottle of this a few months ago. I have naturally curly hair but as it’s getting longer it’s needing more help to hold a curl. This is a great scrunching jelly that is used before drying. You can use the gel and scrunch your hair or twist hair into sections and then dry. If you’re feeling brave you can even let your air dry naturally!
Although not recommended on the bottle I also add a small amount of this to my hair throughout the day when it’s dry to keep the curls in place.
Next is the Tresemme Salon Sleek Glossing Spray – if you suffer from split ends and flyaways or dry, frizzy hair then this is the answer to your prayers. I use a tiny spray of this on damp hair in sections and blowdry straight. Then depending on how my hair is acting that day I’ll spray it on dry hair in sections before smoothing over with my GHDs. This leaves my hair so soft and super sleek like I’ve had a blowdry at the hairdressers! Be careful to really avoid your roots as this will make them greasy.
I have two Lee Stafford products here – the Breaking Hair Leave in Conditioner and the Poker Straight Protection Shine Mist. I’m not a fan of Lee Stafford shampoos and conditioners but I do like his styling ranges. I love the pink and white packaging <3. I use the leave in conditioner in the ends of my hair only to give them extra nourishment and use the shine mist on dry hair when straightening. Lee Stafford products smell devine and the scent stays with you until the next wash.
Do you have any of these products? I’d love to know what you think of them!
What are your favourite styling products?
❤ xx
Holly's Beauty Thoughts 