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

Review: Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir

I'm sure I've mentioned countless times before on this blog how dark circles and under-eye puffiness are pretty much the bane of my life. Up until about a year ago I was more or less problem free in that respect, then all of a sudden, I woke up one day and everything had changed. It's not that I have particularly bad dark circles, but they are certainly noticeable, so since it all started I've tried out a number of different eye creams, all to no avail. Origins Gin Zing did help a little bit, but nothing to write home about - in fact, I only realised it had been doing some sort of good when I stopped using it for a time.

As if dark circles and puffiness aren't enough, I then began to realise that I have developed some under-eye creases and crinkles, so I embarked upon a split routine, trying to attack the former with my morning eye cream and the latter in the evenings, but it was all a bit of a disappointment.

So, when I stumbled upon the Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir, which promises to fight dark circles, puffiness and fine lines all in one go, I was straight online hunting for the best bargain I could find! It really is a rarity to find an eye product that can combat all three, and with eye creams not exactly coming cheap this seemed like the perfect solution. An added bonus was that I was eager to try out some more products from Elemental Herbology, so it was pretty much a win-win.

So, onto the review.

Elemental Herbology pride themselves on their nutritious, indulgent and high-performing products, using patented bio-active ingredients and sophisticated technologies to produce visible results. Rich in vitamins, anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids, all products feed and nurture the skin with everything it needs to restore vibrance and vitality, as well as helping to keep individual skin complaints under control. Not only do these ingredients help to counteract the effects of the environment, but they also help to fight against the damage done by ageing and lifestyle.

Packed with lots of lovely, natural ingredients, Elemental Herbology was always going to be right up my street, so I couldn't wait to add the Eye Elixir to both my morning and evening routines. 100% free of mineral oils, synthetic fragrances and colours, sulphates and paraben preservatives, this is something that always sits well with me, as I like to know exactly what I'm putting on my skin and try my best to avoid unnecessary chemicals or comedogenic (pore clogging) ingredients where possible. Even better, Elemental Herbology never test on animals, which again I think is something really important, and it's nice to see some brands still holding their own on this one.

The main active ingredients in the Eye Elixir are plant peptides, hematite and blue algae, all of which contribute to the firming, tightening, lifting and nourishing properties. It comes in a little glass bottle with a pump dispenser - something that really appeals to me as it's so much more hygienic than repeatedly dipping your fingers in the same pot time and again.

The Elixir is an off-white cream of lotion consistency, and has the most wonderful herbal scent (all natural, of course). I do find that the pump dispenses a little bit more product than I would personally choose, but luckily my under-eye area drinks it right up regardless. Half a pump is all that's required, and I dot it around the inner aspect of my orbital bone before gently tapping it in with my ring fingers.

So, the burning question. Does it really work?

You all know how much of a skeptic I am when it comes to eye creams, having been disappointed by them time and again in the past. But I have to say, the Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir has somewhat changed my stance on the matter! It does a great job of hydrating my under-eye area and leaving it silky smooth and soft, but even better - and more astonishingly, in my eyes - it really, genuinely has helped to diminish my dark circles and puffiness quite noticeably. How can I be so sure? Well, one day I just looked in the mirror and was shocked to find that I barely had any signs of darkness under my eyes, and since then I have found that I've almost completely forgotten about such woes. I used to feel like crying in the mornings, when no amount of concealer could disguise anything, but this stuff really has made a big difference. Sadly - and there's always a but, isn't there? - I can't say that I've noticed any difference whatsoever when it comes to fine lines, but taking into consideration my past experience, two out of three certainly isn't bad!

I'm definitely going to be repurchasing this when I run out, which hopefully won't be any time soon. At £40 for 15ml this most certainly doesn't come cheap, so while I got mine on special offer at half that price, I'm going to find it really difficult to part with the cash when I reach the bottom of my bottle. In fact, I'll definitely be waiting until I can get it on sale! Still, at least I know that it does do the job, and on that basis it's worth it

You can find the Elemental Herbology Eye Elixir on their website, and also at Feel Unique.

Have you tried anything from Elemental Herbology?

Would you recommend any of their other products? I can't wait to try more, and already have their Weekend Facial gift set to tell you all about before long.

xx