10 Haircare Tips // Dry, Damaged, Thick & Curly

I have been locked in battle with my hair for the past 20 years: it is ridiculously thick, curly and since I began messing around with colour (let alone straightening, backcombing etc) it has become seriously dry and damaged. So I thought I would just ramble at my camera for 10 minutes or so and talk you through a few of my 'tips' that I have discovered and developed over my many years of searching for a way to better my hair. Indeed over the past 6 months or so I have drastically increased the manageability of my hair, as well as improving the condition, look and feel of it, so I thought it was worth sharing. This is what works for me at the moment, but my hair-care routine is always open to new wonder products! There are still many issues that I have with my hair, that I am constantly striving to fix, so if anyone knows of any other tips, tricks or products that I haven't mentioned, please comment below :D

My January Favourites!

Charles Worthington  Overnight Ultimate Hair Healer: £14.99 // Mac Studio Sculpt: £24 // L'Oreal LumiMagique Pure Light Primer: £9.99 // Mac eyeshadow in Wedge: £12 // Brow zings by Benefit: £22.50 // Real Techniques Buffing Brush: (from the collections) £21.99

Where has January gone?! Between exams and essays and my birthday the whole month has just flown by! Anyway this month I have been loving a few things, and I just couldn't go another month without sharing :D Also the videos, makeup tutorials and makeup reviews that I have lined up will have to wait as I have become ill and therefore can't film myself or test out any new makeup. Sad times for all. But never fear here are the lovely products that I have been in love with this past month!

First up is a haircare product, the Charles Worthington Secrets Collection, Overnight Ultimate Hair Healer. Wow that's a mouthful! The product is an overnight hair mask which you just smother all over your hair, and when you wash it out in the morning you hair feels fabulous! Seriously, after using it the first time I was sold, as my hair feels plumped up, less damaged and smoother. I haven't come across any other products like this, and it is the first hair mask that I genuinely feel is doing what it says it does. I cannot rave about this product enough!

Moving onto makeup, there are a few products that I have worn pretty much everyday of this month. First up: Brow Zings by benefit. This is a eyebrow kit with a wax and a setting powder. You can use the wax to shape your eyebrow, and then fill them in with the setting powder which, if used sparingly can create a really soft and natural look. I do feel that I can sometimes be a little heavy handed with my eyebrows and don't really suit a scouse brow, but that is all trial and error. This kit is just really handy and the product works really well.

Next up I have been loving wearing the L'Oreal LumiMagique Pure Light Primer under Mac Studio Sculpt. The foundation is a godsend in itself as it is really good for dry skin, as it doesn't cling to dry patches and the colour match is perfect! It also leave a dewy finish, which is what I go for. This is where LumiMagique comes in. I have read a lot of people on the internet complaining that it is a highlighter not a primer, but if you want a radiant finish, use this. When worn under a dewy finish foundation it gives you a lovely radiant look without being shiny or iridescent, like it would be if you were wearing a highlighter. I have definitely worn this combo almost everyday this month, and a radiant face throughout the horrid weather of January was the perfect way to beat the blues :P Still in the sort of foundation realms, my next monthly favourite is my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. Words cannot explain how much this has revolutionized my makeup life. This brush is, as a brush, fantastic, it is soft, reasonably-priced, and sturdy. But by using it to buff my foundation in, my skin has never looked so good! I thoroughly recommend as it makes my foundation flawless and natural looking.

And so finally let me tell you about Mac eyeshadow in Wedge. This is a soft, matte, muted grey-toned brown. It is epic for contouring, and that is how I have been using it this month. I love to contour my eyes as I think it defines eyes and makes cat-eyeliner (my go to look) pop. The colour is subtle but buildable, and the formula is looovely: super pigmented, soft, and a little definitely goes a long way. This is an all round perfect colour to have in my collection, and I have been loving it!



So there you have it! My monthly favourites for January. I do think I will be doing this every month, however how quickly each month goes is going to scare me haha. Thank you for reading!

Hair Oils: Love// Like// Hate

Moroccanoil: £30.45 // Mythic Oil: £13.95 // Coconut Milk: £5.99

Okay, so hair oils have been floating around the beauty world for about a year or so now, and if you have't already worked them into your general hair-care routine, do so now! They will revolutionize your life, trust me.

I have naturally very thick, wild and frizzy hair, which I have also damaged a hell of a lot over the years from bleaching, dying, heat styling and backcombing, and using Moroccanoil has made the most difference to the manageability of my hair. I first bought this last year, and instantly fell in love. The oil smooths onto the hair easily, with a few pumps covering my entire head. It absorbs fairly quickly and smells lovely! The main advantage that I have found is that it eradicates frizz, defines my natural curls and makes my hair look a whole lot healthier. Also it can be used as a treatment, so you know that it is helping to heal at the same time as all those other lovely benefits! After trying (and for the most part failing) to find a cheaper alternative that is just as good, I recently repurchased, and whilst it is a little expensive, I believe you can't afford not to have it, and I will definitely be repurchasing 'till kingdom come! I really think you do get what you pay for here :)

On the cheaper side, is a product that I have liked a lot over the past few months, but just isn't quite as good as Moroccanoil. L'Oreal Professionel's Mythic Oil has more of a serum consistency, and does do much of the same job, except to a lower standard. Judging it without trying to compare it, I would say that it is a very good hair product for after-shower hair prep. However when it comes to maintaining my hair, it isn't amazing and starts to leave a greasy looking residue. I have used most of the bottle though, and for the price I do think it is a very lovely product!

Okay so Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk is technically an 'anti-breakage serum' not oil, but it lists, very overtly, the inclusion of coconut oil in the formula, and this is why I have put is next to these two 'genuine' oils. First up I would like to comment that the smell of this is divine, and I will keep the product purely for if I want to maybe put the tiniest amount on the ends of my hair just to smell it. Apart from the smell however, I hate this product. The consistency is definitely serum standard, but even for a serum is uber sticky and a little doesn't go very far, as opposed to my beloved Aussie serums. As soon as you put it in your hair it looks greasy, weighed down and lank. It feels like it is not doing anything to help 'nourish your hair', as it claims to do. I would really not recommend this serum / oil / hair product whatever you want to call it! I bought it blind, which is something I never normally do, as I usually am a slave to reading reviews, but I love coconut oil (I used to plaster pure coconut oil on my hair during the height of it's damage) and the brand really caught my eye. I am severely disappointed in this product and shan't buy any more of Organix's products  unless I hear some fantabulous reviews!

All in all I would recommend Moroccanoil and Mythic Oil, and the range in price there means that depending on funds, I will be repurchasing both :)