December Empties: Hair Care

I've never done an empties post before, but they are posts and videos that I always enjoy reading and watching.  I have been saving up products for an empties post for quite a while and I think I over estimated how much I needed to save for a post...to the point that I will be splitting this post down!  Part of me thinks this would be much easier to make into a video, but maybe that's something I'll think about doing in the New Year?  We'll see...

I'll start with the hair products I've managed to finish.  I'm not too big on hair - I would love to have hair skills, but I'm absolutely, utterly useless.  I stick to the basics and hope something will work out for me.  That said, I seem to have quite a few empties from this category...

The Herbal Essences Uplifting Volume Dry Shampoo was something I was really excited to try as I finally thought I'd found a dry shampoo which I could switch from Batiste to.  Unfortunately though, it wasn't the case.  I haven't actually finished either of these two bottles, because the nozzle completely blocked on both cans.  One I thought might have been a dud, but two definitely makes me think it's the product itself.  I won't be repurchasing...I'll pop a full review up sometime soon.

I've managed to finish two leave in conditioners.  First up is The Bed Head Colour Goddess Leave In Conditioner and I've had this for quite a while.  It smells insane - it's a real caramel, fudgey scent and I absolutely love it.  This leaves my hair feeling silky soft and doesn't weigh my hair down.  I like it, and would own it again if I could find it, but I think if I was going to buy another leave in conditioner I would buy my next empty - the Milk Shake Conditioning Whipped Cream.  This smells like vanilla ice cream, and is a really light weight conditioning mousse.  It's amazing, and I would definitely buy this again.

The VO5 Give Me Texture Spray was something I was really looking forward to using, and it was okay...nothing special.  It gave my hair a bit of oomph, but I think that the spray was lacking some grit.  You need to set the style with hair spray to make it hold, and I'd rather it just be an all in one product without the need for hair spray.  I think I'll be looking into some other options as I can do all this with my Batiste XXL Volume Dry Shampoo.

The Avon Advanced Techniques Oil was another one I really liked and will be buying again.  I don't order from Avon really, so maybe I'll ask around and ask somebody to pop it onto their order.  I don't think it's an oil - it feels more like a serum, but it's an amazing price for a product that really helps to smooth down any wispy bits and helps to make my hair look generally sleeker.

Finally the OSIS Dust It Powder was one I have really been loving lately.  It is a super fine, mattifying powder which adds texture and lift to my otherwise boring hair.  You can use it just shaken into the roots and rubbed in, apply it to damp hair for an intense lift, or apply to your hands and rub through the hair for some texture.  It's got grit and hold - it feels a little sticky, but nothing horrendous and I feel like I'll be needing another one of these asap...

Have you got any hair recommendations for me to try?

Avon Advanced Techniques Moroccan Argan Hair Oil

The Avon Advanced Techniques 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argan Oil Leave In Treatment literally has the longest product name I have ever written on this blog...literally ridiculous.  I don't even know how you would fit that in the tiny box that you write the product name in on the Avon hand written order forms!  Joking aside, this is a hair treatment which I have had for quite a long time but have only started using again recently.

I don't know why I stopped using this, as for the price (currently just £2.55 on the Avon website!), this really is a great product.  It is called a hair oil, but it feels a bit thicker than your normal oil, kind of more like a serum - it doesn't uncontrollably run around my hand, and doesn't leave behind an oily residue.  It has an almost fruity scent that is really pleasant, but doesn't linger once on the hair.  As far as ingredients go, I can't actually see anything on the website or on the bottle, but I don't imagine it to have a high content of Moroccan Argan Oil!

I don't really care for spending a fortune on hair care; as far as shampoo and conditioner goes, I usually just buy whatever is on offer at the time.  But more recently, I have found that I needed a little something extra to add to my routine to keep everything that little bit neater.

My hair is naturally straight, but always has that annoying halo of frizzy hair just everywhere, and seems a little more unruly since I bleached the ends.  The Avon Argan Oil really smoothes all that down and leaves my hair looking neat, really shiny and definitely easier to brush after I've dried my hair.  My hair doesn't feel greasy after use, and doesn't look or feel like it has any extra product in it.  My hair is quite lacking in volume as well, so I was worried that an extra product would take out any "volume" I had, but it is so light weight!

I apply a small amount of this to the lengths of my hair when it has been towel dried, and then continue as normal.  An oil was something that I never really thought I'd like to apply to my hair - my hair gets greasy really easily, and the last thing I thought I'd want was an oil.  But on using this, my hair has become so much more manageable and just feels so much nicer!  I'm pretty much out of this bottle now, maybe a few more applications left in this bottle, but I definitely think I will treat my hair to a second!

When was the last time you bought anything from Avon?

Bleach London DIY Dip Dye Kit

Bleach London is a brand I've constantly admired, but a brand that I never thought I'd dip my toes into.  I've done a lot to my hair in the past, and have dyed my hair on and off for years, but bleaching my hair was never something I thought I'd do.  I was scared blonde wouldn't suit me, and I feared the damage that bleaching could do to my hair.

A few weeks ago, I decided to grow a pair and finally jump on the bleaching band wagon by opting for an ombre on my hair.  I am way late to the ombre party, but I just don't care!  I thought about booking in at the hairdressers, but having just got back from holiday, things are a bit tight and to be honest, at home kits can often be just as good!

I did a bit of research before opting for Bleach London's DIY Dip Dye kit, which contained two sachets of bleaching powder, a unique blending lotion to banish the dip line, an intensive moisturising mask (which was amazing!!), brush, gloves and a mixing pot.  I was so, so nervous before bleaching my hair (as you might have seen on my Twitter account) - I have quite dark hair which still has remnants of a red dye from years ago on the bottom two inches of my hair.  I was convinced that I would come out with a botched bleach job.

With a little assistance, the Bleach Kit is surprisingly easy to use.  I think working solo on my hair would have been so difficult, so if you decide to have a go, be sure to have a friend to help!  The results are far better than I ever anticipated, and the colour of my hair has been lifted really well.  I am left with some brassy tones, but I completely expected to be considering how dark my hair was initially.  I left the bleach on for a total of forty minutes, but if I had left it on any longer, the bleach would have started to really damage my hair, and I would have risked some serious breakage.

The only downside is the blending lotion, which didn't work out for me as well as I would have liked.  My hair is naturally straight and when I leave it straight now (which I usually do every day) you can clearly see a dip dye line.  I am opting for choppy, textured waves in my hair from now on which is hopefully disguising and blending in the bleaching line.  Despite my worries though, I've had lots of compliments on my hair since doing it, and a couple of people have even asked where I got it done - hurrah for at home dyes!

I'll be picking up a toner to make it a touch lighter, but in the mean time I've picked up a silver shampoo and conditioner which is helping calm down the brassiness.  I might even throw on another kit in the next few weeks as it cost me just £7.00  from Boots, which compared to salon prices is a total bargain.  Maybe I'll have a play with the Super Cool Colours too - I've always wanted some pastel shades on my hair, and maybe someday soon I'll be brave enough to test those waters!  But I might opt for taking a trip to the Bleach London salon to do a full head of colour!

Have you tried anything from Bleach London?

Batiste XXL Volume Dry Shampoo

My name is Carly, and I can't live without dry shampoo.  Specifically, I can't live without Batiste.

I stick to my favourites, which are Blush, Tropical and Cherry so...the majority of them, but a few weeks ago my Mum actually bought me one I haven't tried before.  This is the Batiste XXL Volume Dry Shampoo and damn, this is bloody good.

It's your standard dry shampoo - I'm sure we've all used it, and if you haven't, don't waste your time washing your hair next time, and just spritz in some of this and you are good to go.  Anyway, it's your standard dry shampoo, but with extra volume.  I find that dry shampoo gives my fine, flat hair volume anyway, but this has some serious texture to it as well.

It feels a bit like a mattifying dust powder; a bit tacky (which dries down) and super matte, so it doesn't feel as easy to massage into the roots of your hair as your normal Batiste, but it really does the job well.  I struggle to get any volume or body in my hair because I'm too lazy to do anything in the way of styling in the mornings, but this makes it a breeze and even I can do it.  I don't think the volume lasts all day without a light cover of hair spray, but even without, a quick massage of the roots re-lifts the bounce you initially had.  The scent is nice, nothing special and I don't think it's as nice as their normal scents, but it doesn't last long anyway.

It's actually a pound more than the standard Batiste sprays, which is a little annoying...but I do think I might convert and buy this one from now on.  But at the same time...seeing as we've just bought a house, and are flat out skint, I might just aim to have one of these in my stocks!  I always get my Batiste from Superdrug because they always have the best offers there.  Right now, you can get the XXL for £1.97 instead of £3.99!

Have you tried the XXL Volume Batiste?  What's your favourite dry shampoo

Tangle Teezer Original

Way back in November, I took a glorious trip to Boots to do some Christmas shopping and somehow ended up with this in my basket.  I paid £10.99 for this from Boots, but I have recently found it cheaper elsewhere if you have a browse!  I have really fine hair, I malt like I don't know what and my ends lately have been getting really bad.  My Dad's girlfriend is a hairdresser, so I regularly get my hair trimmed, but I always end up hating my hair.

In a bid to start looking after it a bit more, I have bought myself this Tangle Teezer in the hope that by not dragging a brush through my hair, I will have fewer split ends.  I didn't really know what to expect from this brush...I didn't think my previous hair brush was that bad, even though I have had it for as long as I can remember.  BUT!  Since using it, I can't believe how much of a difference this makes.

I find that it takes longer with the Tangle Teezer to get rid of all of my knots, but it is so much nicer to use so I don't really mind.  I never really was bothered about brushing my hair before this, as in it didn't hurt, but I can't get over what a difference it makes.  I've not used my previous brush since!  My first dive into detangling brushes has been a good one.  In fact, the only downside I find is the lack of a handle.  I have got into a habit of brushing my hair onto the left side of my head because I can't reach the bottom of my hair, so I've been waking up with some very questionable partings...

What I haven't noticed a difference in though is my split ends...I still get them really quickly!  I think I need a proper hair care routine, so if anyone has any suggestions for fine hair, please share them with me!  I think I might be due a few inches cut off after Christmas too...New Year, New Start and all that...

Have you tried the Tangle Teezer?  What's your hair routine?

Richard Ward Keratin Rehab Conditioning Treatment

At the beginning of this month, I received the Richard Ward Keratin Rehab Conditioning Treatment* to test out.  I had been toying with the idea of getting another hair mask for a while, so this arrived at the perfect time.  It is a deep conditioning treatment enriched with keratin, hairs natural protein, which helps protect your hair and helps it to re-build it's natural fibres.

I had real high hopes for this, and at my first chance, I applied this to my hair after shampooing for the full half an hour.  You can leave this treatment on from five minutes, to half an hour; I was really looking forward to having beautifully soft hair.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed.  I have fine, flat hair and leaving it on for this amount of time obviously really weighed my hair down, as well as making it feel really thick, and greasy - because of my hair type, I took extra care to ensure that all the product was washed out, but it must have left behind a very moisturising residue.  On drying my hair, my hair actually felt worse than when I first started, it felt dry and matted.

I tried this mask again for a shorter time of five minutes recently, and the same thing happened again minus the greasy feeling.  My hair felt so dry and I can't understand why or how it happened.  I was so looking forward to trying it seeing as it is a product by a top hairdresser; looking after the locks of Kate Middleton would be enough to make me buy anything he had to offer!  Unfortunately, I just don't think this mask is for me but there are lots of other things in the collection that might be more for my hair type!  I'm currently eyeing up the Keratin Volume Shampoo and Conditioner.

The Richard Ward Chelsea Collection is exclusively available at Waitrose, and this particular mask is £5.99.  If you want think that this is suitable for your hair type and want to try it, or anything else from this collection, the Richard Ward range is currently on a 3 for 2 promotion!  (On a positive note, I really love the little illustrations on the packaging!)

Have you tried any of the Richard Ward products?  What hair masks would you recommend?

*PR Sample. This product was sent to me for review.