I have been a long-term sufferer of over-processed, dry hair for quite some time (due to previous highlights, ombre and dye-jobs) so for years I've been on the hunt for an affordable product I can use without shelling out loads of cash on the expensive ranges always pushed by salons and hairdressers. 
So, you'll be more than happy to discover that after googling 'Gigi Hadid hair secrets' at the weekend, I discovered one of her stylists swears by the Salon Science ReCorrect Leave In Treatment, £15, for over-processed damaged hair, which lead to me rushing out to Boots at the weekend to grab a bottle. I also picked up the Shampoo and Conditioner in the same range while I was there because they're currently on offer at 3 for 2 so I couldn't say no to that.

After recently having highlights to blend away the ombre look I've had for the past year I was in need of a little TLC so after buying the Salon Science products I was more than excited to try them out. I washed my hair first with the Salon Science Retextuluxe Shampoo, £13 and Salon Science Retextuluxe Conditioner, £15 and found only a tiny amount of each is needed and instantly my hair felt clean and soft and the smell, which is grape, is so lovely!

I was most excited to try the leave-in treatment, as I think these are where you find the best results when it comes to hair care. The great thing about this treatment is the fact that it is a leave-in conditioner, you don't have to sit around with wet hair for 20 minutes while it works before getting back in the shower and washing it off and I love that. I used a small, chestnut-sized amount and worked it into my ends before using any leftover nearer my roots.

A lot of comments and reviews about this product are that it's too heavy or it's making people's hair feel too greasy. Personally, I didn't experience this at all when using the treatment and I can only imagine that perhaps if you do get that feeling then using a smaller amount and making sure it's worked fully into your ends only, steering clear of the roots, then you may notice a difference.

I then blow-dried and styled as normal, using my usual heat defence spray and my hair felt amazing afterwards, soft and silky despite the beatings it's taken recently from the highlights. The best thing about this treatment is that you can use it regularly and the bottle recommends at least twice a week so you may get through it a little quicker than some of those other intensive hair masks but the fact you're treating your hair to that luxury multiple times a week means you'll notice a difference much sooner.

NEW HAIRCARE HAUL

So I've reached that point with my current hair care products where I'll sit pressing down the pump on my Aussie leave-in conditioner bottle for about 20 minutes before accepting that I've 100% run out and definitely need to replace it.

Of course, when I get to Boots they're completely out of the leave-in conditioner that I usually use so I had to stand there in the aisle talking myself - yes, out loud - through the pros and cons of the two conditioners they had instead. As you can see from the picture above, arguing with myself never gets me very far so I resulted in throwing both in my basket along with a couple of other bits.

I'm in love with Aussie's leave in conditioners and although I do really like a hair mask, I appreciate being able to spritz my  hair with moisturising goodness and leaving it in because I'm a very impatient human being. I usually use the Miracle Recharge Moisture conditioner but as I said they were out of it in Boots, leaving me to decide between Take The Heat and Shine before giving up and opting for both.

I haven't given either of these a go yet but if they're anything like their Moisture counterpart then these conditioners will be lightweight, non-sticky leave-in sprays which I feel just give my hair a little more of a silky soft finish after washing. Although I use a heat-defence product alongside the Aussie conditioner, I quite liked that the Take The Heat spray also does this so I can double up on the heat defence!

The Shine leave-in conditioner just sounded really nice, I've always had quite damaged hair until recently thanks to the incredible Olaplex treatment I had recently, post on that coming this week - so it will be nice to put a shine back into my much healthier looking hair.

Another product that I've ran out of recently was my heat-defence spray, usually I use a Toni & Guy product but once again, they were sold out. I'm really not selling my local Boots right now, am I? Although, this did give me a chance to look for something new. I'm a big fan of Lee Stafford products and thought that the Poker Straight Flat Iron Protection Mist sounded like it would do the trick. You can use this product before you blow-dry and also afterwards, on dry hair, before you use straighteners.

I also picked up a large can of the DeHumidifer Liquid Umbrella, also from Lee Stafford. I used to swear by this product when I was at school/college and when I discovered serum I stopped using it, however, I'm gradually running out of Bleach London's Split Fix Serum which I am obsessed with and was going to replace until I saw this! This is a lightweight spray which controls frizz and keeps your hair looking smooth, sleek and silky. I've already given it a go this afternoon and forgot how much I loved it. This product also comes in a smaller, handbag-sized can for frizz-control on the go!

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to know what you think of them so let me know! 

July Beauty Favourites

This last month has been a manic one and I feel like it's flown by! I've titled this post my July Beauty Favourites because I think I'm going to try spreading my other 'Favourites' out (like clothes, movies, music) throughout the month rather than all in one post because, you know, I'm always discovering new things and want to share them with you as soon as I've figured out I like them!

Anyway, that's enough rambling for me, let's get down to my July Beauty Faves.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo and Conditioner: The Marvellous Transformer with Argan & Camellia Oils 



The name is a bit of a mouthful but these two products have really helped in getting my hair back to a much better condition after it was lightened earlier this year. I've been trying for the last few months to not bleach or use as much as heat on my hair and so far so good. However, a little extra help never hurt anybody so during a recent Morisson's shopping trip I noticed these two products on offer and grabbed them!

There are a few different varieties of shampoos and conditioners in this range but this pair is designed for dry and dull hair and contains two types of nourishing oils; argan and carmellia. Since using them I've found my hair is a lot silkier and softer after washing and I like to alternate these throughout the week with the Lee Stafford Bleach Blonde shampoo and conditioner that I mentioned in my Julianne Hough hair tutorial.

Garnier Ambre Solaire Self-Tanning Dry Body Mist



Here's a funny story; last weekend I was feeling super pale, the weather was beautiful and I was going for lunch SO I grabbed a St Moriz instant tan out of my drawer and proceeded to slather it all over my body after a shower. Little did I know that particular bottle of tan was about 18 months out of date.

The tan turned an instant greyish-green colour and I freaked out and washed it off entirely. I then went back upstairs again to root through my drawer of self-tans (yes, that is a thing I'm afraid) and found this one which fortunately was in date and also worked a bloomin' treat!

I love, love, love tanning mists. They're the second easiest way of self-tanning after the super-easy in-shower tan, like the one I wrote about last month. I sprayed this instant Garnier mist all over and by the time I was ready to head out the door a couple of hours later, it had already developed into a beautiful, natural golden tan. Due to the nature of this product I found that it didn't leave nasty streaks or uneven patches. I also have the face version of this tan so I might give that a go in August and update you!

Hair Burst 



I'm going to write a full blog post on this soon, I know I've missed my 30 days milestone now but I've been super busy so please forgive me, it is coming!) So far, I really, really like the Hair Burst vitamins! I've noticed changes in my hair length, hair condition and also, more excitingly for me, the condition of my skin since I started taking them, you can read my original post on these all-natural pills here.

During certain times of the month I suffer from breakouts, usually it's inevitable and I just roll with it because it never lasts more than a week, but since taking Hair Burst it's safe to say I haven't suffered from any at all *touch wood, as I don't want to jinx it!*

Ultimately, Hair Burst contains a lot of the same ingredients as your average hair, skin and nails vitamins and I've definitely noticed vast improvements in all of those areas so I'm really chuffed. I will of course be updating more thoroughly for the next couple of months and there will be a big post at the end of my three-month trial to let you know how I got on and whether I will be continuing to take the vitamins.

Keep blonde looking fresh

When you're not a natural blonde - like myself - it can be a struggle to keep your blonde looking fresh and to keep those annoying yellow tinged out of your hair.

There are a combination of ways to battle brassy blonde hair, here are some of my favourites: