Helping Hands for Hair

Everyone's hair needs a little bit of a helping hand at times, and mine is no exception. Although I've got mine through it's terrible 'frazzled' phase of last year, the warm weather and sunshine can still dry out my locks and leave them feeling less than silky soft, so besides my shampoo and conditioner, I have an arsenal of little helpers on hand to get  things back on track.

My trustiest friend when it comes to keeping my hair in tip-top condition is the Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe, a liquid treatment which is applied to clean, wet hair for 3-5 minutes. I have never managed to ascertain whether or not this one is supposed to replace a conditioner, but when I use this once a week I do tend to apply an extra one afterwards, as with this being quite runny in consistency, I sometimes feel that my tresses are asking for a little bit of something extra afterwards. Revitaluxe is a Bio-advanced restorative treatment to revitalise, nourish and repair, and it certainly does just that. With each use, my hair becomes stronger, smoother, silkier and more manageable,and as I'm coming to the end of this tube the full-size version is a must for my shopping basket.

A couple of times a week, I run two pumps of the Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Treatment through towel-dried hair after washing and conditioning (excuse the sticky label mark - couldn't get it off for love nor money!). Rich in proteins, this helps to strengthen each strand and minimise split ends - it can't be used daily though, as too much protein can have the same effect as none at all: breakage.

On the subject of split ends, I recently picked up the TreSemme Split End Remedy, a spray-in treatment which aims to reconstruct the ends of the hair. I've been spraying this on liberally after washing, despite my scepticism - I don't personally believe that split-ends can be 'mended', at least not permanently. But anything that helps keep any nasty fly-aways at bay is worth a try in my book.

After a coconut oil disaster some while ago that left me with something of an oil slick on my head, I might well have been put off hair oils for life, but I'm so glad I persevered with them as they are now an integral part of my post-hair-wash routine. I apply a couple of pumps of the L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil (don't mind my foreign version in the picture) to my hair after blotting with a towel (if I'm using the Redken Anti-Snap then I mix the two together in my palms before smoothing through), and it makes a huge difference to the final appearance of my hair after blow-drying, leaving it much softer, smoother and shinier. I rarely to apply this to dry hair, as personally I don't find it hugely beneficial, but I will occasionally add the tiniest amount if my ends are looking overly frizzy. Generally though, I much prefer damp hair as a canvas, as I find that my locks just drink it up, with no hint of greasiness left behind when dry.

Last but by no means least is the Agadir Argan Oil Hair Treatment, which I stumbled across by sheer accident when looking for discounted Moroccan Oil on Ebay. This is my best find in quite a while when it comes to hair products, and is far superior to the Elvive Extraordinary Oil (which is pretty darn good in itself). This is a slightly thicker, more luxurious oil and leaves my hair feeling healthier and shinier than anything else I've tried. Unfortunately I only picked up a handful of samples, so I have now made it my mission to find out where I can get my hands on a full-size bottle - if anyone has heard of this brand before and knows the best place to buy it then do please let me know!

What are your favourite hair saviours? 

Are you a fan of oils?

xx

Review: Joico K-Pak Essential Travel Kit

As I have perpetually dry ends to my hair, I'm constantly on the look-out for helping hands, and my hair is one tough customer. There are not many products that it tends to absorb very well, so any effects tend to be pretty short-lived. On my hunt for a solution, I recently decided to purchase the Joico K-Pak Essential Travel Kit, which contains a couple of 50ml bottles of the K-Pak Reconstruct shampoo and conditioner, and a 50ml tube of  the K-Pak Revitaluxe. I thought this would be a great way for me to trial the range before investing in full-size bottles, as doing that there is always the risk of disappointment.

Enriched with Joico's unique keratine silicone complex, the K-Pak Reconstructor Shampoo is of  a rich, creamy consistency, designed to begin the reconstruction process. It restores weak and depleted hair to its optimal strenghth and condition by replenishing amino acids and filling in damaged areas of the cuticle, as well as hydrating and protecting with aloe and vitamin E. It smells really lovely - that classic 'just stepped out of the salon' scent, lathers nicely and leaves my hair feeling clean and soft. The K-Pak Reconstructor Conditioner has the same lovely scent and is designed to strengthen, detangle and reconstruct the hair., leaving it bouncy, silky and soft. The instructions recommend leaving this on for just one minute, but that just isn't enough for my long, damaged hair, so I tend to go for the standard three minutes (or more), and used in conjunction with the shampoo my hair is smoother and more controllable.

The real star of the set, though, is the K-Pak Revitaluxe Bio-Advanced Restorative Treatment. This touts itself as a luxurious treatment which is able to correct years of damage, while also preventing future damage - quite a bold claim, I'd say. The Keratine Peptide complex is said to double the hair's resistance to breakage, while protecting against colour fade up to 94% (great for my ombre hair). Revitaluxe has a cumulative effect, meaning that the more you use it, the shinier, stronger and healthier your hair becomes - so it's not a quick fix, but should have lasting results.

 I was quite thrown by this product at first, as it's extremely watery rather than the thick cream I was expecting. This does make it a little bit fiddly to apply in the shower, as it's easy to spill the product after you've squeezed out what you need - you really need to pop the lid back on straight away. It also smells exactly like those little purple Parma-Violet sweets which were popular back when I was a child - does anyone remember them? Personally I like the scent, so it's only a bonus for me. It's to be left on for 3-5 minutes once or twice a week, and I tend to do this in between the shampoo and conditioner stages.

Over time, I've noticed a vast improvement in the condition of my hair after using this - it's stronger, smoother, silkier and shinier. However, it hasn't completely put paid to problems like split ends, which I'm still suffering from to some degree.

Unfortunately the shampoo and conditioner only lasted a few washes, but the Revitaluxe is still going strong after a couple of months as you only need a small amount due to it's thin consistency.

I'm going to be repurchasing all three of these, as when used in conjunction with one another they definitely give the best results, and have made a bigger difference to my hair than anything else I've tried (although I'm still liking the L'oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil mask for in between). I'm also planning on trying out some of the Tigi S-Factor range, as I've heard good things about that too. Have you tried it?

The Joico K-Pak Essential Travel Kit is available for £11.95 from Feel Unique.

What are your favourite remedies and treatments for dry/dull hair?

xx