Tuesday 3 February 2015

Winter chronicles: crowning glory.



I have always thought my hair to be my best feature, and while I was lucky enough not to have a predisposition to dark circles, you can always tell how tired I am by looking at my hair. For hair to be in good condition it can all sound a bit complicated, it starts with the right diet, followed by a shampoo that suits your locks, having a good hairdresser, but not overdoing it with the hair cuts. Being gentle when it comes to colour and not forgetting some regular treatments to keep your crowning glory in tip top shape. Of course if I was a lady of leisure, with not a care in the world but how to make myself the rival of Lady Godiva, all of the steps would not at all be a problem. Reality on the other hand often likes to present me with interesting challenges when it comes to keeping my locks healthy.

I find winter is the time when my hair needs all the extra attention and effort. Central heating makes it look frazzled, my favourite warm scarf, jacket and hat can make it look like a slightly flattened dandelion, and sleeping with my had completely under covers leaves my locks resembling something like a bird's nest.

First step to becoming Goldy Locks is a good hair brush. The Wet Brush is an indispensable tool, the ergonomic handle provides for a perfect hold when it comes to dealing with tricky knots, and the bristles are just like a team of wizards. I remember the tears streaming down my face when my mom was trying to sort my hair out for school, I think she would have sold our house to get her hands on this brush. It is designed to be used especially on wet hair (but of course you can use it on dry hair), to make sure it causes no damage. If Austin Powers psychedelic orange is not your style it does come in other colours including plain black, and there is a brand new eco bamboo version.

Oil treatments are a must for my hair during winter months, usually I would do them once a month, but when it comes to December through February time, they become a weekly occurrence. I like to pick something with an uplifting scent, Bohemia Verde from La Bella Figura is one of my favourites. After thoroughly brushing my hair, I pour about a teaspoon of the oil and spread it as evenly as I can (I tend to do it in sections), after that I loosely plat it and leave it for about an hour before washing it off with shampoo. My hair is left glossy and nourished, and the lovely scent of Jasmine lifts up my mood.

Despite the fact the central heating is extremely drying to my locks, my hair still doesn't really like wash off conditioners event in the winter, they mostly make it look greasy and are not something I can use after every wash. Leave in spray conditioners have been an absolute saviour for my hair, John Masters green tea and calendula conditioning mist has been extremely handy this winter, because it can be used on both dry and damp hair. So if I wake up in the morning to find that my ends are all dry and I look like someone has been rubbing a balloon over my had, I just reach for the spray and it gives my hair that much needed moisture boost. It leaves my hair looking like it should, not greasy or sticky and it has the most wonderful lightly floral scent.

While grease is not much of an issue for me in the winter even on day 4 after washing, my hair does become rather flat as the days go by. Yarok feed your roots brings a little joie de vivre back to my locks without causing any dryness. I was a little dubious at first as this "mousse" is significantly watery, not at all like the conventional counterparts, so I do it in stages, one pump to begin with and add more if necessary. I hold my head upside down and apply it straight to the roots, with a little massage, being careful not to mess up the rest of the hair as brushing straight after would simply make it flat again.

I am not going to pretend that my hair is swoon worthy every day, when I'm tired it can look very sad and miserable, because I didn't care enough to brush it properly or use the appropriate products (and don't get me started on the shampoo swapping fiascos). However on a good day I get lots of complements and questions about what I use. The answer is always simple, a good shampoo, leave-in conditioner, occasional oil mask. When my hair is no longer fresh, but still OK without a wash, I will use something to give it a volume boost. Oh an a decent hair brush of course.

10 comments:

  1. Amazing post, thank you for sharing! I can't get over "Austin power psychedelic orange", you're hilarious Tammy, it's spot-on! Bohemian Verde looks like a dream, and I will have a closer look at Yarok's mousse. Since I wear a lot of beanies *grrr cold, go away*, I'm always looking for something to counteract the flat hair (besides automatically wearing my hair in a bun lol ;) xx

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    1. That was a LOL moment for me too! When it comes to hair I'm pretty lazy - I usually don't go beyond shampoo & conditioner these days. I should be oiling my hair more to help with hair fall... :(

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    2. Lol so happy you guys appreciate my puns :) Bohemia Verde is such a delight especially if you like Jasmine and rose combo scent. Also have a look at the yarok vit hairspray Liz, I think it may prove useful. Yeah I know where you are coming from Ru, to be honest in summer I hardly ever do the oil treatment, but right now my hair needs it. I don't really use many styling products if it's not a special occasion, but I love this mousse instead of dry shampoo. Xx

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  2. These picks all sound amazing! I'd love to try La Bella Figura and Yarok.

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    1. Both brands are gorgeous! LBF will be adding more hair care as the year goes in so smthg to look forward to ;)

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  3. Great picks indeed! I am eyeing on trying out that La Bella Figura. It sounds like a good one.

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    1. Thank you very much! It is a lovely oil, that can be used as a hair serum to give extra moisture or as a treatment oil! Love a multitasking product. Xx

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  4. Great post. I bought the pink wet brush for my 7 year old after reading your post and it detangles her crazy bedhead with ease. I have been using it myself and plan to get one too. I would love to know what shampoo you use.

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    1. Oh thank you, and I'm so happy it made a difference! Ok about the shampoo that I use it's a somewhat complicated answer. My absolute top fav is Rahua original formula, however I know it is rather pricey and not an investment most are willing to make, I ran out of it a few weeks ago and at the moment trying to use a shampoo that really does not work for my hair inbetween samples that I managed to accumulate, but none that I could honestly recommend. A less expensive shampoo that I do really like is Acure the argan version (the orange colouring) and I was not fond of the other formulations ( I normally order from iherb or vitacost). And I do like yarok feed your volume, but again it is a more expensive shampoo. I will be trying a very affordable shampoo bar in the next few weeks, but have no clue as to how well it will perform. Hope this helps xx

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  5. Thanks so much. I might try some samples of the rahua with my next integrity botanicals order to see if it works for me.

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