Review: Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner

In the past, I'll admit to having been a bit of a snob when it comes to haircare. Bar Aussie, I have always assumed that the higher-end salon brands were where it was at if you really wanted to take care of your tresses, and a while back I stocked up on many a treatment to pamper my dry, damaged ends, post-ombre.

But truth be told, many of those were disappointments, and I was left feeling dismayed at having spent my hard-earned pennies on something that wasn't up to scratch. After that, I resolved to give the high-street brands I could find in the supermarket a fairer hearing, and one of the products that I have found along the way is the Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner (mine is called the Daily Treatment Conditioner as I picked it up abroad).

With 3x the nourishing power of a standard conditioner, this offers the benefits of a richer treatment mask in the form of a practical daily conditioner. Salon-smooth locks in just one minute a day? Sounds pretty good, doesn't it. 

The weightless nutri-oils - a  revolutionary lightweight blend of argan, coconut and almond oils - soak rapidly into the hair, providing super-doses of vitamins E and F to leave locks soft, amooth, shiny and full of life.

I started using this straight after I re-ombred my hair at home, and was expecting my ends to be dry, brittle and frizzy, but after slapping this on and wrapping my hair in a towel for a good ten minutes (I know, it defeats the object of it being an 'express' treatment, but the longer the better when your hair has spent the last hour soaked in peroxide, in my eyes!) I was pleasantly surprised. My hair was soft and healthy-looking, which at this stage was more than I could have hoped for! I've continued to use this around three times a week (I tend to wash my hair every other day) and I'm really happy with the results. My locks are smooth, shiny and manageable - definitely worthy of a repurchase, and at just £1.69 in Boots, it won't break the bank either.

Are you a fan of Dove haircare? What are your favourite products?

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

Review: L'oreal Professionel Mythic Oil Hair Masque

I'd heard lots of good things about the L'oreal Mythic Oil, and being a fan of the very similar Extraordinary Oil, which I use on my damp locks every time after I've washed my hair to help tame frizz and keep them looking smooth, I was excited to try the L'oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil Hair Masque.

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The masque, which is suitable for all hair types, aims to transform the condition of the hair in just three minutes, leaving it glossy, nourished and soft to the touch. With an enriched formula of argan, avocado, cottonseed and grapeseed oil blends, it does its best to replenish tired, dull and lifeless hair and get it looking back to its best.

Personally, I've suffered quite a lot with dry and damaged hair since originally having it ombred early last year, so I was really looking for a treatment that would help to soften up my ends and put some oomph back into my locks. So far, nothing I'd tried had made a major impact, and any improvements I had noticed were short-lived, as my ends were soon back to looking pretty dry and frazzled.

The treatment comes in a plastic tub with a screw top, making it easily accessible when in the shower or bath (and no worries about any product getting stuck in the bottom and going to waste). It's a thick, creamy and dense in consistency, making it feel quite luxurious, and it spreads easily and distributes evenly when combed through the hair or run through with the fingers.

While wet, the hair feels like silk, and while it did leave my hair feeling in better condition after the first use, I couldn't help but think that three minutes wasn't enough time for a deep-conditioning product to really do its work. After playing around with it a little bit and experimenting with leaving it on for longer and using it more often, I've found that I get the best results when I stick to roughly the recommended three minutes, but use it more regularly as a normal conditioner rather than just once or twice a week. It's definitely made my hair softer and more manageable, and along with a couple of other hair products I've been using it has really helped to combat that dryness. I'd say that the effect has been cumulative, as it does seem to have improved over time.

The L'oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil Hair costs £17.95 for 200ml, and is available from Look Fantastic.

Have you tried this hair mask, or do you have another favourite you'd recommend for dry, colour-treated hair? I'm always open to suggestions and am currently on the look-out for a new leave-in conditioner too...any thoughts?

Hope everyone's enjoying their week so far.

xx

Quick Review: Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque

I'm always on the look-out for something to whip my dry, damaged hair back into shape. Nobody wants to have to walk around with a dull, frizzy mop of hair now, do they?

I've heard so many good things about the Macadamia range across the bloggosphere, and about a year ago there was something of a craze for this line, particularly the Deep Repair Masque. But as I was getting on just fine with my hair at the time, I didn't really take much notice.

Fast-forward a year, and I'm in dire need, having tried and cast aside many a deep conditioning treatment since having my hair ombred around eight months ago. So, rather than fork out for a whole tub of this stuff and risk further disappointment, I decided to order a few sachets from Ebay and see what all the fuss was about.

Enriched with macadamia and Argan oils, this deeply nourishing mask claims to provide locks with long-lasting conditioning, as well as penetrating and rebuilding damaged hair, improving shine and elasticity. Tea-tree oil, chamomile oil and algae also give the hair a rejuvenating boost.

I spread this generously through my hair from the mid-lengths down to the ends, avoiding the roots and combing through with a wide-toothed comb for even distribution. It's recommended that you leave it on for seven minutes, but having now made my way through a few sachets, I've experimented with this a bit to see if the results would differ. It's thick and creamy in texture, and has a lovely salon smell, making it a pleasure to pop on while having a nice relaxing bath.

One sachet is enough for about three treatments, which I thought was pretty good. The masque is available in three different sizes from the Macadamia Hair website - 100ml (£12.50), 250ml (£23.95) and 500ml (36.75). I think it's great that they have these options, as if you know that it works for you then you can save money by buying a larger tub. Equally, you can try out a smaller one if you are unsure, without investing too much money, although I do think it's a shame the sachets aren's available as they are on the US website (here) for just $4. Still, there is always Ebay.

So, what did I think?

Well, unfortunately this did absolutely nothing for me. My hair felt vaguely conditioned, as it would do from using any standard conditioner, but there was no softness, shine or bounce, and the ends of my hair were still just as frizzy when they dried. As I mentioned before, I did give this numerouse goes, but sadly it has failed to impress me.

Having said this, I know that this product has something of a cult following, so as always, it just goes to show that different things work well for different people. I'm actually beginning to wonder whether there is a product out there that can penetrate my locks and do some sort of good at all, or if it is just beyond help. I've recently had the ends chopped, but it hasn't made a huge difference to the condition.

The search continues!

xx

Favourite Hair Care Products: Conditioners and Treatments

Well hello lovelies, today it's time to continue with my 'Favourite Hair Products' series, so let me introduce you to my favourite conditioners.

I'm sure these first two will come as no surprise if you've already read about my favourite shampoos! For the record, I am in no way affiliated with Aussie and am featuring them because I genuinely enjoy their products!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner

(Approx. £4.48)

I like to use these in conjunction with my Aussie shampoos. 

Because I colour my hair, it is sometimes left feeling dry and brittle on the ends, and just generally in need of a good treat, so at these moments I slather my locks in Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Conditioner (above). You really do need to leave it on for the full three minutes to let it work it's magic, and it does a great job. On the bottle, it says: 'Safflower Seed Oil smooths rough cuticles, helps restore manageability and adds shine', and I can certainly see the evidence of all three of things after rinsing. My hair is much happier when I use this, which I do about twice to three times a week to keep it in tip top condition.

Aussie Luscious Long Conditioner

(Approx. £4.48)

Aussie Luscious long is more of an every-day conditioner, so this is what I use most of the time to keep my hair nice and soft and smooth.

Personally, I condition my hair every time I wash it, because if I don't, it's horribly knotty and difficult to brush through afterwards. It also dries frizzy, which is not a look I am ever going for! My hair is quite long, and I feel that these two conditioners are a really quenching treat for it.

You really have to leave it on for the full three minutes (both) to get the full benefit. As is expected, I think they smell delicious, but be warned if you are someone who does not like scented products!

Now, sometimes, if my hair is really, really in need of some extra nourishment (like, for example, when I had caramel highlights and it really dried out), I will splash out on Tigi Bed Head Chocolate Head.

Tigi Bed Head Chocolate Head Massive Hair Repair Treatment (£10.49)

I LOVE this stuff! It smells ah-mazing, like pouring hot chocolate sauce onto my head! Now, I am aware that this will not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is definitely mine, and it is worth the extra pennies if your hair is really in need of a little extra help in restoring it's lustre and shine. Unfortunately, it does come in a rather small bottle, but you only need to use a small amount of it, so it doesn't run out all that quickly, especially as it's only designed for once-a-week use.  Leave it on for ten minutes for a really deep treatment.

What's your favourite conditioner or deep treatment?

Let me know in the comments, I always love to try new things.

Happy Monday!

xx