9 All Natural Haircare Practices-What Works And What Didn't

It's been a year since I started using natural hair products and it's been fun experimenting. I've saved cash from ditching the manufactured products and the unnecessary chemicals too!

1) Co-washing:

It's useful when you need a light wash but still have to shampoo the next day. Co-washed hair becomes flatter and greasier faster than shampooed hair. I co-wash because I go to the gym almost everyday and can't stand sweaty hair. I use Tressemme Naturals.

2) Using Ayurvedic Herbs For Washing Hair:

My staples are shikikai and aritha powders. They gently clean and remove drandruff. As for other herbs like alma, maka, tulsi and brahmi, I add them to my cleansing mix but it's hard to tell if they do anything. I guess that's what happens when you use too many things at once. I know shikikai and aritha works so I'll only replace the"shikritha" powders when they run out.

3) Oiling Hair: 

I used to oil my ends and no matter what I used, coconut, olive, almond, jojoba, avocado, grapeseed, rosehip oils, I would get stringy looking hair. For coconut, grapeseed and rosehip oils, my hair would feel even drier than before. Avocado is my favorite oil because it feels the most nourishing. But no oil makes my hair feel moisturised. It just coats it. As for oiling the scalp and hair overnight, I've never done it consistently enough to know if it makes a difference but it's too messy. I only oil my hair before a gym session, when I know I have to wash it out soon.

4) Black Jamaican Castor Oil: 

Yes indeed this works. I can't explain how but it's regrown hair for me. Every few nights I massage a few drops on where my hair has thinned out and it's regrown to how my hair was in my early twenties. When I'm oiling my hair, I use this on my scalp. Sometimes I'd thin it out with Kumarika oil. I also use BJCO on my excema and it calms it down and protects the skin. This stuff is gold!

5) Coconut Oil:

This does'nt work for me anymore. It's too light to weigh my frizzies down and isn't moisturising at all. My hair looks stringy and feels dry. I bought a small bottle of Parachute years ago and I won't be replacing it. There are more effective oils such as olive and avocado.

6) Henna:

I'm obsessed with henna! It gives a red tint and conditions the hair. The day after a long henna treatment is the best because I have "wonder hair". Straighter, thicker-feeling, and very shiny. I happily henna my hair every month for atleast 5 hours at a time. My favorite brand is Jamila. This one has given the most intense red colour for me.

7) Shealoe:

I've recently discovered this combo of half and half aloe vera gel emulsified with shea butter. Shea butter on it's own is heavy but mixed with a light, liquid and moisturising ingredient, it makes a effective moisturiser for ends. I was tired of using oils that only make it feel drier. This mix is perfect for keeping my ends nourished and smooth without that dry-coated feeling.

8) Glycerin and Water Moisturiser:

Works well on skin as a light refreshing moisturiser. I tried it on my hair and it made more tangles and feels sticky. The strands cling together and my hair felt weaker. Now after washing I wait until my hair is almost dry and use a Tangle Teezer to get rid of the knots. I finish the ends with shealoe.

9) Avoiding SLS. Mineral Oil and Silicones:

The jury's out on whether these things ruin your hair or not. There are alternatives to SLS effective enough to remove dirt and grease. Personally SLS free or not, I'm fine with it because it gets washed out anyway. As for silicones, they remain on the hair. Granted for kick-ass detangling, silicone products are the most effective. My personal preference is to avoid them and look after the hair so they don't need silicones. Too much and they make hair flat and it builds up. This requires a strong wash to clarify the hair. So SLS is OK for very dirty days and avoid silicones. As for mineral oil, there isn't enough conclusive evidence that it causes harm. It can be washed out so I'm not bothered using products containing mineral oil.

Nails Inc Alexa Cashmere Nail Polish

Nails Inc has a deal where an express manicure is £10 with a purchase of a nail polish. I chose this satin grey lilac from the Alex Chung range for £15. 

This is my favourite neutral colour. There are so many taupe, greys and beiges out there but add a little shimmer, a bit of lilac and it's the perfect nail polish. Relaxed and chic. Sometimes it's grey and other times it's mauve. The polish turns matte with a textured finish but with a top coat the finish will be smooth and shiny. Cashmere can be worn in a few ways. Looks amazing with glitter on top of it-I have to try that next time!

The rectangular silver top bottle looks smarter than the round bottles but the top is purely ornamental. It's not attached to the brush so you have to pull it off and unscrew the bottle. The brush is the thick "pro" type so it's easier to apply the nail polish.

PS. The midi ring is from Forever 21-only £2! 

Bioderma Atoderm Pack and Repairing Hand Cream

Love Bioderma but hate paying a premium outside of France? This will make you feel a little more envious of the French.

I was Secret Santa for a girlfriend and while in Paris, I went to Parashop at Place D'Italie. This store sells heaps of European but mainly French skin and haircare products.

I found the perfect gift for less than £10. This Bioderma travel pack contains Atoderm gentle shower gel 100ml, Nourishing Cream 15ml, Crealine H2o micellar water 100ml and Light cream 15ml. It was only EUR 8.60. 

And if that wasn't a steal already, I bought a pack of 3 x Repairing hand cream 50ml for EUR 5. The total cost was the equivalent to AUD 20.55. A tube of hand cream alone is AUD 14.95 in Oz!

I gifted the travel pack and a hand cream and my girlfriend was pleased. 

My advice for those in London, buy a cheap return Eurostar for the day, splurge on Bioderma and Nuxe, cheese and champagne and you will break even on the cost of your train ticket :)

Kumarika Nourishing Hair Oil

The benefits of a henna treatment seem to wash out quickly on me. Its been less than a week or two washes and my hair is tangly again. My hair kept caught onto christmas trees as I walked past them today!

My girlfriend brought my back a bottle of this Kumarika hair oil Sri Lanka. She says everyone uses King Coconut Oil there to nourish their scalp and make hair grow. In Sri Lanka it's not unusual to oil your hair and leave it in all day. But it's not a socially acceptable thing to do in the western world. She says that there is a big difference to her hair and her sister's, who lives in Sri Lanka. Of course genetics plays a part but apparently oiling your hair, eating gelatin from meat products and maintaining a healthy diet is the reason why hair grows thicker.  

I was excited to try king coconut oil. It's also made with rice, but I'm not sure how. There has to be mineral oil in this because there's no way coconut oil can stay liquid at this time of the year. Still, I'm willing to give it a try because my girlfriend raves about it. 

The bottle contains an ornamental sprig of rice. I tried googling for the ingredients but couldn't find anything. There are no instructions on the label. 

The oil is very light and gives smoothness and shine. It will still make hair look stringy if you use too much but no way as bad as pure coconut oil.  There is a tolerable scent that goes away after a while. I like how there's a stopper with a little hole on the top so you can control how much comes out. This oil is more for smoothing down frizzies and ends and oiling the scalp. 

This is definitely nicer smelling and lighter than the alma oils and heenara oils I've tried. And the bottle is also the prettiest!

Henna Update-Mixing With Coconut Milk

Check out my henna stash! The Nupur, Ayur Rajastani and Jamila for hair was bought in Australia. I went a bit nuts buying henna. I saw two of the brands featured in superprincessjo's youtube videos and was so happy to not only find them in my neighbourhood in Sydney, I also found Jamila!

The Nupur is in a huge bag and only cost $6.50, the Ayur was $2.60 and the Jamila was $3. How could I resist? Even though I still have henna from Hesh and Top Op to go through.

It's been 9 weeks since my Jamila BAQ treatment and the colour has faded. I decided to try the Hesh henna mixed with coconut milk. There are a few raves about using only coconut milk and I wanted to experiment and see if colour can be released without acid.

I added a little water because I thought the milk would be too oily on it's own. The henna mixture smelt less grassy and the consistency was gelatinous. I tested the henna over a period of six, 12 and 24 hours standing. It had good colour release at 24 hours because the stain is still faint on my hand after a week!

I put the mix in the freezer for a day or two and then I took it out the night before I used it. The mix was in my hair for 5 hours. A tip: a coconut milk mix will loosen when it's warmed on your head so watch out for drips.

The result? Super shiny conditioned hair. All the wonders of henned hair with a burgundy tint. It's browner than red and no way as intense as the Jamila BAQ. I used Red Zinger tea last time so the jury's out on whether it was the mixing ingredient or the Hesh henna. Still it was a great conditioning treatment and I will top up for more red in a few weeks.

Edited to add: It's been two weeks and the henna is still bleeding on to my towels after I've washed my hair. I wonder if it's because of the lack of acid in the mix.

I'd love to hear your recommendations for henna brands!

A Guide to Using Jamila Henna On Asian Hair

I'm addicted to henna-ing my hair. To the point where I actually enjoy it's hay smell. It's an all natural product that's been used safely for thousands of years and can be applied easily at home with a little patience. If you're not looking to chemically process your hair in the near future, then I can't recommend henna enough. 

Henna coats your hair with a translucent red orange stain. With repeated applications, your hair will be stronger and feel slightly thicker. The shine from henna is amazing and you can customise the colour with additions such as alma, coffee, tea and indigo for brown or black tones. Even if you have almost black hair like me, you will still reap conditioning benefits and your hair will glow red in the sunshine. 

I'm still experimenting for the perfect henna mix recipe. In the past I've added too much oil and my hair was greasy after rinsing the henna out. I've eliminated acids to prevent my hair from drying out and decided to take the processing time from 3 hours to a new level-overnight. I want my hair to be saturated with henna and Jamila is the best brand to use for this.

Jamila henna is the holy grail of henna. How beautiful is the box with the holographic coating? It comes from Pakistan and one of the best henna brands you can buy. It's fresh and leaves an intense stain. I ordered two boxes from Ebay and they weren't cheap-it worked out to be £7.50 for 100 grams and this is the body art quality. Looks like you can buy it much cheaper if you live in the US. I found it available only from specialised henna/mehandi websites. If you can buy it cheaply from an Indian/Pakistani grocer, I'm very envious!

Jamila also sells hair grade henna but its not as fresh or finely sifted. It won't deliver the same colour results as the body art version. You can tell the difference in the packaging because the body art henna box shows the season and year of the harvest and expiry date. The hair version doesn't have this. Also there is a foil bag for the body art powder whereas it's a clear plastic bag for the hair version.

I was so excited to finally get my hands on this stuff. I want intense merlot highlights and the best quality henna is what I need to give my hair an extra oomph!

This is what I do to prepare henna. I brewed 1.5 cups of boiling water with 2 teabags of Red Zinger and 1 normal black tea for 15 minutes. I use a 1 litre icecream container and a plastic spoon to make my henna mix.

The Jamila henna powder is the greenest I've ever seen. This is what it looks like after mixing 100 grams with hot Red Zinger/black tea, three tablespoons of Heenara oil and 2 tablespoons of honey. It was lumpy at first but I eventually mixed it to a smooth paste. It should be the consistency of Greek yogurt. Gradually add more henna powder if it's too runny or tea/water if too thick. I let it sit for 6-9 hours in a warm place before freezing it to maximise dye release.

When you are ready to henna, thaw the container in a pot of hot water. This is what the mix looks like. It's darker and there is a red tint which means it's ready to use. Its fine if it's a little thicker than before as long as you can still spread it on your hair. Otherwise very gradually mix in some water.

The easiest and laziest way to apply henna is to stand in your shower or bathtub with your head tipped forward. Your hair must be tangle free and clean without using conditioner. If you have thick hair, section your hair. Start applying (wearing gloves) from the roots at your nape down to the ends. Massage it in generously to make sure every strand is covered. Don't be afraid to slather it on like cake frosting! 

Gather your heavily slathered hair and twist into a bun at the top of your head if it's long like mine and press it down. If you've used the right amount of henna, it should stay on it's own although you can secure it down with clips if needed. You might need to apply extra henna on the area just above your ears as its easy to miss those spots. Then I put on a shower cap and wipe off any stray henna with a wet flannel. Try to do this all within 5 minutes so your skin doesn't stain. 

I wear a dark spaghetti strap top rather than an old shirt to save having ugly henna stains. Applying Vaseline first around your ears and hairline makes removal easier but I don't bother anymore. 

Leftover henna can be frozen for the next application. When everything's tidied up, gloves thrown out and shower/bathtub rinsed down, I go about my evening as normal and sleep with the henna in my hair. I put a dark towel on my pillow in case of leaks. Then I rinse it out the next morning until the water runs clear (don't shampoo). I give my hair a treatment and after rinsing it out, I gently squeeze out the excess water before towel drying. 

There will be colour run off for the next few washes so make sure you use a dark towel to hide any staining. If you're concerned about drip stains, blow dry your hair. I like to finish off the henna process by smoothing a few drops of jojoba oil on the ends of my hair.

I'm so happy with the results. My hair is warm black and the highlights are intensely red. They were orange when the henna was rinsed off but oxidation causes it to deepen to red. 

Thanks to the henna mix and treatment, I had a FABULOUS HAIR DAY. My hair felt strong. smooth and shiny. It was full of body and volume. I couldn't stop running my fingers through it. There was hair swishing and secret admiring glances in mirrors all day long.

My hair colour before henna.

Hold off on shampooing your hair as long as you can after a henna treatment. The colour will continue to develop over the next day or two. 

This is the first day after using Jamila. My hair now looks blazing red in sunlight. I feel that after one more application with Jamila, it will give the intensity I'm after.

To deepen the colour, do further overnight (or atleast 6 hour) applications every two weeks. Don't henna more often then that because your hair goes through a fair bit of mechanical stress during the whole process.

If anyone has more useful tips on henna, please comment! 

"Henna" Eyebrow Tinting

I went to Upton Park with a couple of colleagues to a super cheap eyebrow threading salon. I hardly  have eyebrows to thread so I had them tinted. 

It was only £5 and I was told it lasts for two weeks. The lady applied a black paste on my eyebrows and asked me to check the shape before leaving it on for five minutes. At first I was alarmed to see harsh black thick brows but the shape is right.

Up close it was scary looking. Here's what it looks like during and after. I'm a bit stunned because the eyebrows looks filled in but from a normal distance, it actually looks natural!

I asked the lady if she was using indigo but she said it was a "special henna".  For £5, it's something I can afford to do regularly but I think the "bad black henna" is used, the stuff you hear about in temporary tattoo horror stories. 5 minutes is very fast for dye release and the paste is jet black with no smell (henna smells like hay).

  If I do it again, I'll ask the lady to wait a few minutes after cleaning the first eyebrow before doing the next. The one that received the less processing time is less dark.

Update: after three days the tint completely disappeared! I think it's because I don't much eyebrow hair for the tint to cling on to but meh, it was good while it lasted. I won't be doing this again unless they leave it on longer than 5 minutes!

Les Stars de NUXE - Huile Prodigieuse and Parfum

Behold goodies I brought back from Paris. With an already overflowing bathroom shelf, I don't have space for more toiletries. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy more Nuxe and Bioderma products. They're my favourite skin care brands. 

It's a shame you have to pay a premium for their products in London and heaven forbid, Australia-so when in France, stock up!

I bought a 1 litre bottle of Bioderma Atoderm shower gel. It's gentle for sensitive skin and I like how to you can dispense from a pump. This was only EUR 7 and comes with a full sized sample bottle of moisturiser and a 2 EUR voucher off my next purchase from this range. Amazing value!

I also bought a gift pack from Nuxe. If you love the Huile Prodigieuse oil as much as I do, you will be pleased to know they have a parfum with it's heavenly scent. I tested it in the store and just had to buy it. The smell is fresh, warm and long lasting. The parfum is 15ml and the pack comes with a full sized bottle of the oil. This was just under EUR 20 so both products combined turned out to be only £21. The brands are stocked everywhere in pharmacies so you could get them cheaper if you shop around. I love shopping in Paris!

Longchamp Quadri Cross Body Bag-4 Swiss Francs!

I've had good luck charity shopping for Longchamp. I bought a large metallic pliage for £30 and I found this bag in Switzerland for a steal.

It was no pricier than the other bags on the rack. It looks like authentic Longchamp, smelt like leather and the quality was to be expected from the label. Not familiar with this model, I relied on the hallmarks of an authentic Longchamp-the quality of the stitching, positioning of the pattern of the lining (pictures centered), zipper pulls and stud branding and serial number tag. It even had a care booklet inside the pocket. Real or not, CHF 4 or USD 4.23 was a bargain.

Nowadays anything high end usually gets their own designer section with pricing to match the labels. I'm so pleased have snagged a lucky find in Caritas.

I identified the bag from the Longchamp website. When I tried it on in the Regent Street store, the bag was bigger. I was told last year's model was smaller, exactly the dimensions of my bag. Longchamp doesn't stock it anymore but Selfridges still sell this for £175!

Top Op Red Henna Powder Review

My hair was so knotty, I could'nt pass a brush though without pulling hair out. When this happens there's only one thing to do to bring it back to life and it's not just a trim. It's henna!

I'm rather obsessed with henna, watching youtube videos and reading up on it. I ran out of Rainbow Henna so I bought Top Op (from Pakistan) and Hesh Mehandi (from India) from my local Indian store.

Top Op was the first one I tried. It's body art quality and powder is very fine. The packaging looks cheap but for only 79p for 100g, I couldn't complain. I mixed it with strong chamomile tea, a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. The consistency had to be like cake batter to avoid drips.

I left it covered for 24 hours to release the dye. With this henna I don't think the colour released well since it hardly changed colour on the surface. I tested a drop on my palm by leaving it there for 5 minutes and wiping it off. It left a faint orange stain. As I'm impatient, I decided to use it anyway. I figured after 24 hours, it's not going to develop any further.

Before application I shampooed my hair and lightly oiled it with coconut oil while it was still damp. I'm not sure if that hinders the colour setting in but since I didn't add any oil to my mix, I wanted to make sure my hair was conditioned. I applied the henna and left it on under a shower cap for four hours.

After rinsing it off (no shampoo), I towel dried with a dark towel because the henna colour will still run. Then I blow dried my hair so it doesn't drip and stain anything.

The colour release was milder than expected. And that's accounting for my nearly black hair. I'm used to seeing vibrant red highlights. Perhaps the mix has to be tweaked and I need more apple cider vinegar. My hair had a dark orange tinge but I'm expecting the colour to deepen to red over the next few days.

The conditioning effect is unbelieveable. My hair feels soft yet strong. I can't stop running my fingers through it. My hair is so shiny, even a colleague at work complimented it today.

My hair feels stronger than ever. Perhaps the initial oiling had something to do with it as well. I was using henna every 6-8 weeks but I'm going to do it again in two weeks to make my hair stronger and redder. I love henna and Top Op is good for the price. I will post more reviews!

Goodies From Naturally Thinking

My friend buys her organic avocado oil and other natural products from the site Naturally Thinking. When the little decanted bottle she gave me ran out, I checked out their website and I love their concept. Natural, pure, decent prices and all the refillable bottles and tops and spray you need to reduce waste. And no, I'm not paid to post this!

They run courses on aromatherapy and making cosmetics so they really know their oils and other ingredients. Also their packaging is practical and so darn pretty for aluminium bottles. My order arrived in less than a week. It's a little disappointing that you need to spend £80 or more to get free shipping but I felt the value in their products made the cost worth it. You can also pick up from their Croydon store for free if you're nearby.

I bought 100ml rose water which smell beautiful and 100ml rosehip carrier oil. The latter is not a dark as the more expensive kind but is still cold pressed from rosehips. It feels lighter and there is no fried chip smell so it's perfect to use on the body or better yet, hair as I've recently discovered.

I ordered a spray cap to use on the rosewater to spritz my face before applying rosehip oil. The caps and bottles are great value. I also bought a foamer bottle to reduce the wastage on handwash. I fill the bottle 1/4 with handwash and the rest with water. Instant foam and you can get hands clean just as well with much less product going down the drain!

I recently bought a Neals Yard oil burner (for only £4 at the charity store!) and wanted to get back in to burning aromatherapy oils again. It helps me concentrate and makes the home smell nicer. My favourite essential oils are rosemary, lavender and sweet orange. I wanted to try to the palmarosa for the first time because it resembles rose and is cheaper. I will definitely buy more oils from Naturally Thinking when I'm running low.

The Wonders Of Rosehip OIl

I've often seen rose hip bushes but never appreciated the benefits of the fruit until now. Rosehip oil is touted as a wonder ingredient for dry skin and now I've tried it and love it.

I read up on rose hip oil and ordered on Amazon where I've found it to be the cheapest. I paid £16 for 100ml of organic oil in a glass spray bottle. When you buy it, make sure it's stored in an opaque or dark glass to protect it from light. For skin, don't use rose hip carrier oil as it's mixed with cheaper oils or of a lower quality.

For my handbag, I also bought this bottle from Aussie company Moogoo. I love their stuff and I managed to track down a stockist not far from me. It was 25ml for £8 which is good value compared to the Trilogy brand.

You should notice that rose hip oil is orange red in colour and it has an oily odour. It does not smell like roses! It smells like fish oil but it goes away as long as you don't use too much. The oil feels light and absorbs quickly.

All you need is 4-5 drops for your face. Distribute on your palms first and smooth it on cleaned skin. Give your face a light massage and it will thank you for it. Sometimes I spray my homemade moisturising spritz first to get my skin hydrated.

The oil is also excellent for hair as its a dry oil. It's known to fade skin imperfections such as scars and stretchmarks.

The result for me after two weeks is impressive. My wrinkles have definitely softened and my skin glows. The wrinkles around my eyes when I smile do not crease as much-yay! My skin has a sheen immediately after I've applied the oil but it takes only a few minutes for it to fully absorb.

A few months of using this oil and I've noticed an issue. I'm now only using this oil on my crows feet. There's something about it that's causing acne on my chin and since I've stopped putting it all over my face, the acne has gone away.

Homemade Natural Moisturiser: 3 Simple Ingredients

In my plight to go all natural for beauty products, I've mixed the simplest ingredients to make a light moisturising spritz. I use it at home for my hands because I don't like scented products when I'm handling food. Because there are no chemical additives, I can use this until my heart's content and skin is moisturised!

All you need is water (spring or distilled is the best but tap is fine), an natural oil, vegetable glycerin and a small spray bottle 50ml or smaller. As there are no preservatives, only make enough to last you two weeks max. If it smells off, chuck it out and make a new batch.

You can buy vegetable glycerine from health food shops or online. It's good for skin as a humectant. Glycerine draws moisture from the environment and draws it upon where its applied. That's why it's important to use it mixed with water so it's not sucking out moisture from the top layers of the skin.

The oil can be sweet almond, olive, jojoba or grape seed. These are less likely to go rancid when mixed with water. The oil softens the skin and creates a protective barrier from drying out.

Here is my recipe: 6 parts water, 1 part oil and 1 part glycerin. Play around with the proportions to get to the right mix for you. Give it a shake every time you use it. And that's how you make moisturiser out of three ingredients!

Rausch Herbal Detangling Conditioner Spray

I randomly bought this detangling spray at local independent pharmacy for £10.95. How I miss those places. They stock lots of hard to find products from Europe and when I paid for the spray, they gave me this bumper sample pack for free! It contains luxe sized samples from Bioderma, La Roche Posay, Ren and Nuxe. 

Anyway back to the conditioner spray. It's from a Swiss brand and doesn't contain mineral oil or silicones. That was the selling point for me because usually detangling sprays are loaded with dimethicone. The active ingredients are mostly plant based and there a light fresh scent. On the label it says: "Natural valuable extracts of horsetail and birch immediately detangle normal hair, leaving it silky smooth and shiny. Protects the hair's surface and makes long hair sensitive children's hair easier to comb."

As for it's conditioning and detangling qualities, they are light. I can't really tell if it's just nice smelling water or otherwise. Maybe my hair is too damaged and dry. I'll use it up but won't buy again. While I really wanted this to be a HG product, it wasn't effective enough for my hair.

Does Hair Grow Faster If You Cut It?

If you've arrived here because you were wondering if regular trims result in faster growing hair, the answer is simply no.

I'm often told by friends that cutting hair will trigger it to grow faster. But how do the roots know when the ends are cut? It does'nt. Hair is dead, like fingernails. We all trim our nails but no matter how often we do it, they still grow at the same rate. 

My firm belief is that hair growth and thickness is built into your genes and can only be influenced by hormones/drugs. Nutrition is also a factor. The only things you can do is avoid hair damage and have a healthy diet.

What's probably kept the myth alive is that as a consequence of trimmed hair, there's less chance of breakage when brushing/combing because damaged hair tangles easily. Fresh cut ends also gives the impression of fuller hair.

My ends were so ratty that not even detangling spray helped pass a comb through my hair. It was silly of me for not trimming properly. My hair snagged and shed with my daily brushing. The ends felt like straw. Not even the "search and destroy" method of cutting split ends helped. Getting rid of forked splits still left behind the majority of damaged hair. Once damaged, it will not be healthy again.

Keeping strangly old ends is not worth it. I'd rather just maintain healthy hair so I had proper trim today. I only had a cut about three weeks ago but asked for 1 cm off (the previous was three months ago.) The hairdresser said I needed an inch off so happy to agree. 

My hair feels smoother and I no longer have crunchy thin ends. It looks and feels healthier and I don't lose so much hair when brushing. I will keep up with the trims from now on!

11 Natural Oils For Hair and My Absolute Favourite

If you haven't used pure natural oils to nourish and protect your hair, or you want to ditch the commercial oils with chemical additives, the best place to start is probably in the kitchen! Here's the round up on all the oils I've tried and my favourite which I never leave home without it.

1) Olive Oil - as mentioned you can start trying natural oils for hair from your own kitchen as it's a common ingredient for cooking. Any kind will do as long as it's cold pressed. It's nourishing and is perfect for mixing with treatments as it's a bit heavier than some oils. I add it to my henna treatment for moisturising my hair. 

While this oil has an array of heath properties it's worth noting that all natural oils do but hair doesn't metabolise like our digestive systems. I won't go into the nutritional properties of these oils. It's just good to know what you're using on your hair is all natural and even edible.

2) Coconut Oil - The first natural oil I tried as a hair treatment. I bought pure unrefined coconut oil from an Indian grocery store and it's cheap. This oil penetrates the hair shaft so it nourishes from the inside. To be honest, I can't tell if it does or not although it has been documented in published studies. I just know that's a lovely smelling oil which is good to use for pre-shampoos. 

It solidifies when the weather is cold so it's good for scooping out of a tub. When it's hot, it's liquid and is best stored in a bottle. The only problem is that I don't find it moisturising as a leave in. It makes my hair ends crunchy and stringy. Read about how I use coconut oil in my post here. 

3) Jojoba Oil - has been known to "trick" the skin into thinking it has produced enough oil and thus balance oil production. It's chemically comparable with the human sebum. That's the theory and the reason why I moved on from coconut oil. It's spreads well and doesn't give that stringy effect when used as a leave in. Feels moisturising and enriching on the skin. 

4) Sweet Almond Oil - I find this feels similar to jojoba oil but lighter. This oil is high in vitamin E which is the reason why I don't bother about using the Tocopherol in my mixes. This is a good all rounder oil. Very nourishing and doesn't have a scent.

5 ) Castor Oil - this is the unrefined version and is widely available as a laxative when taken orally. It's well known to also thicken hair, especially eyelashes. The reason why I bought it was to regrow my hairline and it works but it only enhances what mother nature gave you. It won't make you grow hair where there was none. For something that's all natural, it's worth trying out if you are trying to recover from hair loss. 

I put it on my hairline before bed and within a few days, baby hairs are growing longer. The only downsides is that you have to keep using it for the effect. It's a thick and sticky oil. It's hair thickening properties is due to it coating your hair. If you're using it on your hairline, it will look and feel greasy so it's best used mixed with other oils as a hair treatment.

6) Argan Oil - I used to carry a 10ml bottle of this oil in my handbag and used it to seal my ends. It's light, odourless and absorbable. While it's all the rage with commercial hair products today, I don't think it's more superior than any other type of natural oil. Twenty years ago no one had heard of it and all of a sudden it was like the world's best kept secret in hair care. It's a good oil but for me, I think it's similar to sweet almond and jojoba oils.

7) Black Jamaican Castor Oil - this oil is harder to find but it's touted as the best kind of oil to grow your hair on Youtube. I bought mine from an ethnic hair and beauty store called Paks. It's "black" because the castor beans are roasted before the oil is extracted. Apparently the hair growing properties is in the ash so I bought the extra dark version. It has a smoky smell that dissipates after application. So far it's working to not only grow my hair line but also I'm using it protect my eczema patches. As to whether it's more effective than normal castor oil, that remains to be seen and I will update in a few weeks time. 

Since castor oil is thick and sticky, its easiest to dispense it from a nozzle tipped applicator bottle. 

8) Shea Butter - not really an oil as it's waxy textured and can be a thickener for making your own lotion. You can use it as a lip balm or heavy duty hand protectant. I use it to seal my hair and weigh down frizzies. The raw unrefined kind has a smell so I use it sparingly. The is great for taming and moisturising my hair without oiliness.

9) Grape Seed Oil - reknown to be super light and making heavy oils runnier. I bought a cheap supermarket version which I presume was not cold pressed. I liked it because it did'nt have a smell and it's indeed light. You can get away with using a fair bit without looking greasy. However it makes my hair feel dry, like it's only coating the hair and not nourishing it. I used the rest of the oil for cooking.

10) Rosehip Oil - It's pricey and worth it, especially for keeping wrinkles at bay. The orangey oil is rich in fatty acids and makes the hair feel moisturised. I feel that it absorbs better than any other kind of oil and if you buy the pure cold pressed carrier oil version, it doesn't have that fried chip smell. This cheaper version is paler and odourless which makes it perfect for hair application. This is my second favourite oil for hair. 

11) Avocado Oil - this is my absolute favourite oil. I find it light and easily absorbable. I love the healthy green colour. There's no crunchiness or smell. I'm also using it as a face moisturiser by applying pure aloe vera gel after cleansing then smoothing on a few drops of oil. My hair and skin just soaks it up. Many commercial hair products contains avocado oil but why use it with chemical additives when there's the unadulterated thing?

Queen Helene Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream And Adding Egg For Protein

I've become so obsessed with African hair care that my girlfriend from Barbados thinks I'll be growing an afro soon!

I went to Paks Cosmetics in Finsbury Park for the first time. They have THREE shops on the same street, two for wigs and one for products.

There was so many products I wanted to try. They all promised wonderful things with the words: super grow, hair fertiliser, hair food, and mega thick hair. They sell cosmetics, hair care, toiletries, hair dressing and beauty supplies. My neck almost hurt having to look at everything as I passed through the aisles.

I found Queen Helene Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream which I've always wanted to try and believe it or not, a huge tub was only £1.99! I also bought Jamaican Castor Oil £5.99, an applicator bottle 79p and a Blue Heaven kajal stick 59p. Cheaper than online and better value than anything from the high street. I was tempted to impulse buy and forced myself to leave the store. Although I don't think it will be long before I'm back...

I tried the Conditioning Cream after my gym session today as a deep treatment. I shampooed my hair with Bawang and smothered this thick creamy goop all through my hair and scalp. The instructions says to mix it with a little warm water which helps spread it along. I used two scoops with my fingers. The cream smells like plain cold cream, no added scent.

I put on a shower cap and sat in the steam room for 10 mins, pottered for 5 and rinsed it out. Surprisingly it rinsed really easily for a heavy product. I suspect it's because there's SLS in it.

My hair felt hard as I rinsed out the cream. I wondered if it had moisturised at all. As it dried, my hair felt drier than usual. I put on a little avocado oil on the ends and my hair felt better and it seemed to soften. I had volume, body and shine. Softness too but not the ends. For the price I couldn't fault it. It has no silicones and didn't make my hair flat.

The next time I used it as a protein treatment by mixing it with a beaten egg. It was a 25% egg and 75% cream mix and it was perfect for distributing through my hair. I put on a shower cap, wrapped a towel over it and sat in the steam room for 10 mins. (I really had to be careful not to cook egg in my hair!)

Having freshly shampooed hair is not essential although it's in the instructions. As long as your hair isn't super greasy, rinsing hair with warm water is fine. The treatment rinsed off clean and although my hair was hard, it felt strong. Much better than stretchy and fragile!

When my hair dried (and I picked out a few bits of white membrane), I put a few drops of avocado oil on my ends and my hair was phwhoarrrrrrrr!

That's the only way I can describe the result in one word. My hair was shiny, strong full of body and healthy looking. I love this treatment so much, it's a weekly essential. Who needs a separate protein treatment when you have eggs in the kitchen?

How To Henna Hair The Easy Way

I bought Rainbow henna from the States two years ago and it was time to use it up considering my hair has gotten so thin. I read that henna coats your hair so with repeated use, it gives more body and shine. Anything to give my weightless frizzy hair weight, I have do it! 

In the morning I mixed 1/2 cup of henna powder (this one was mixed with indigo to give a brown tone) with very hot water and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to release the dye. I'm not doing this to colour my hair but I think the molecule that coats the hair shaft is in the dye. After it cooled, I added the oil from 3 vitamin E capsules and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. I let it develop for two hours although some people do it overnight.

An Indian friend of mine said that henna is drying to the hair. I think that's explained by the acidic liquid to make the paste. Some people add egg to their mix but I read from this website http://www.mehandi.com/ that it hinders the dye setting in. It says the same for oils but my hair is dry and fragile-it needs oils! I recommend downloading the free e-book from the website. It's a comprehensive guide on dying hair with henna.

As henna paste is thick and very messy, I applied it in my friend's backyard. I smeared vaseline around my ears, nape, temples and forehead. Now here's the easy trick to putting henna in your hair - tip your head forward and apply it to your hair upside down. With latex gloves, smooth on the henna starting from the roots at the nape. It's handy to have a mirror nearby so you can see if you missed areas or if you've applied to much. If you apply henna to upside down hair, it's easier and less messy. 

Once the henna is evenly distributed through the hair, I twisted it into a bun on the top of my head and secured it with a plastic clip. Then I took off the gloves, put on a shower cap and wiped off any stray henna.

I watched a movie and had lunch at home with my friend :) The henna was in my hair for three hours but it could have stayed on for a few hours longer. 

When I rinsed it off I immediately noticed how smooth my hair felt. Then I applied a hair masque to moisturise. I half blow dried my hair (because there is still dye wet hair and I did'nt want to stain anything) and sealed my hair with shea butter. 

The result is healthy looking and feeling hair. I should have shampooed because not all of the olive oil rinsed out. My hair doesn't feel any thicker. I'll be sure of the result after the first wash in case the hair masque had anything to do with it. In any case I want to add layers of henna for weight and protection so it feels like a good start. 

The reason why I didn't post before and after pics is because henna on brown/black hair has no colour changing effect. Anyone who says otherwise is not referring to pure henna powder. Henna cannot lighten hair. It gives colour if your hair is light enough but if it's near black, you'll only get red highlights visible in sunshine.  

My hair feels stronger, soft and shiny. Just like a hair treatment but the effects are much longer lasting and there are faint highlights. In the next three weeks I'll do the treatment again before my trip to the Azores. When I run out of this henna, I'm going to buy pure henna powder from the Indian shop.

Just to update, my hair felt really dry a few days after but after an overnight oil treatment it was soft and moisturised again.   

Oiling Your Hair with Alma And Coconut Oils

I used to think it was too messy to do an overnight oil treatment. But it's time to try it. My hair has become drier and more split than ever. I shed a lot and the sad thing is that I don't even colour or use a hair straightener. 

So I decided to try oiling my hair with alma oil. This one is called Brahmol which I picked up mega cheap for £1. It was too cheap not to try out, even though it was mostly made of mineral oil.

The ingredients. 

As for the mineral oil, my girlfriend who has amazingly fine and resilient hair, puts baby oil in hers all the time. (It was her who recommended oiling my hair.) I did a bit of research the more scientific sources does say that mineral oil is safe to use and holds moisture well. 

So on a "wash day", I poured a teaspoon at a time on my fingers and gave myself a head massage. Then I distributed more along the lengths of my hair. The first thing I noticed was how shiny my hair was and it wasn't sticky, although of course it was very oily. The mineral oil feels softer than the other plant based oils I've used. 

I put my hair in a high bun and sleep on a towel over my pillow. I shampooed my hair twice the next morning and the results were stunning. My hair was soft, super shiny and there was less frizz. It behaved itself throughout the day. It was even straightener than usual!

The downside is that the oil has a strong sandalwood herbal scent. I find it really off putting because it smells like nasty incense. I had to top up the treatment with a bit of Heenara oil because I couldn't handle any more of the smell. After my hair was washed, most it was gone.

As for the Heenara oil, I used it solely for the next oil treatment because I wanted to compare coconut oil to mineral. As you can see there were coconut oil solids which did'nt melt away with the rest of the oil. In winter, this oil is completely solid. 

A closer look at the oil.

I bought this specifically because there was no mineral oil. Alma is the third ingredient.

And the verdict on which oil is the best? Both made my hair soft and shiny but the Brahmol, gave the best results. My hair after the Heenara felt dry and I think that's because of the coconut oil. I will use this bottle up to mix it with Brahmol.

Models Own - Golden Peach

Spring is here and summer's coming. Shimmery peach with golden highlights. Colourful, not garish. I love it!

Meera Hair Wash Powder-All Natural?

I had some time to kill at Euston so I popped over to the local indian grocery shop. I found this premixed herbal hairwash powder called Meera.

As quoted from their website:

"Meera Hair Wash Powder is a healthy and traditional method of looking after your hair. The Powder is made from natural ingredients which nurture and protect the hair making it soft and healthy. Meera powder is a blend of flowers and herbs such as shikakai, green gram, tulsi, vetiver and reetha which cleanse the hair, leaving it fresh and shiny. The powder also contains Hibiscus and Fenugreek which act as deep conditioners and strengthen each strand of hair from the root to the tip. Meera Herbal Hairwash Powder promises its consumers ”Healthy Hair for Years”.

It sounded good to me and this 100 gram jar was only £1.49 so I figured it was worth a try.

The instructions weren't detailed. It said to mix the powder with water to make a paste, apply to wet hair and wait a while and rinse thoroughly. I made a paste with 1 tablespoon of powder. Surprisingly it foamed as if it was a normal shampoo! The foam was so thick, I could feel it's resistance in my hair while massaging my scalp. There was more foam than I've ever had with a herbal shampoo so I figured there had to be surfactant in the powder. I didn't want to leave it in my hair so I rinsed it out straight away and used a light conditioner.

The powder smells like curry which I'm not a fan of. There was a faint scent lingering after I rinsed and dried my hair but it disappeared after a few hours. My hair was insanely shiny. OK, a misuse of the word "insanely" but I couldn't stop touching my hair and running my fingers through it. My hair was so soft and smooth. An amazing result for this cheap hair wash powder!

My hair was the softest I've ever felt and could only be compared with using a deep treatment conditioner with silicones. I'm pretty sure there are chemical additives besides surfactant because there was so much foam produced and my scalp felt itchy for days after. The ends of my hair felt dry (and formed ringlets-not sure what that means for the hair) so I'm sure the hair wash was stripping or maybe I used too much. There was a little dandruff but as promised by the product's claim online, I had less hairfall.

When I went to the gym and got warmed up, I noticed the curry scent returning. I was conscious of it. Thankfully after a wash with my own shikikai/alma/aritha/tulsi mix, the smell was gone for good.

I might have been mislead to believe that Meera powder is made with 100% natural ingredients. The list was prefaced with the word: "key ingredients" on the label. I added up the percentage of ingredients listed and there was a remaining 33% portion of unnamed ingredients. I tried looking for the official list of ingredients and could only find a list from an amazon review as:

Sodium dodecyl sulfate, Vigna Radiata, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Cyperus rotundus, Hedychium spicatum, Albizia amara, Vetiveria zizanioides, Madhuca longifolia, Acacia concinna, Ocimum sanctum, Guar hydroxy propyl tiammonium chloride, Hydrated aluminium silicate, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Eucalyptus globulus, Lippa nodiflora, Sapindus trifoliatus, Cinnamomum tamala, Hibiscua rosa sinnensis, Preciptated silica, Dimethicone, Glycerol.

So I've emailed the company to double check and will update this post when I receive a response. In the meantime I'll use 1 teaspoon of the powder once a week or two as a clarifying treatment. It certainly cleans and makes my hair super shiny and soft. Sulfates and dimethicone or not, it's still worth it if the itchiness goes away. I think it will also improve my hair loss. I'll just have to get over it's smell :P

Debunking The Hype On Mineral Foundations

I've had ID Bare Mineral Foundations in Light for years and when I say years, I've had a pot that's eight years old! I bought it before my high school reunion when I foolishly did a series of chemical peels. (So painful, I'd never do it again!) Mineral foundations were had been re-marketed at that point and seemed to be the answer to my skin woes.

Then I got more tanned and tried something new so I moved onto the BB cream. I'm not a big user of makeup but now that I've hit mid thirties, I've decided to 1) use up all the foundations I've bought 2) try to look younger than my years 3) protect my skin with a physical barrier to catch air pollution and shield against UV light.

My girl friend recently gave me a makeover and used mineral foundation on me. She swears by it because she thinks it actually improves her skin. Her foundation was orange on me but I realised that my skin could certainly look more even and smoother with mineral foundation. And I wouldn't have to get my fingers dirty putting it on. So out come the ID Bare Mineral as I'm starting to use it daily now.

As I was sold into the mineral foundation hype from many years ago, let me tell you some fast truths:

1) Mineral foundation is anything but natural. Check the full list of ingredients. There will certainly be some which are dug out of the ground so to speak, however makeup manufacturers will add a slew of other ingredients which have been heavily refined and not existing in nature like bismuth oxychloride. 

2) Bismuth Oxychloride is safe and non toxic for use in mineral foundations however it cause irritation to some people. However any ingredient can cause irritation. Fortunately I haven't had a reaction to ID Bare Minerals which contains it. Having used a colour which doesn't contain it verses one that does, I actually prefer it because it gives a silky finish. 

3) You could probably sleep with it on, but really why would you? You'll get makeup on your bedlinen and you don't need sun protection at that time of day. Best to let your skin breathe without a layer of powder on top. 

4) The concept of mineral foundation is not newer than loose face powder. You simply apply as much or as little as you like for coverage. Mineral foundations can contain so many additives you might as well be using an ordinary face powder. 

5) One truth into the hype is that as mineral foundation is in powder form, there is no need for preservatives. There are less ingredients than liquid foundations and arguably has a reduced risk of skin reactions. This is beneficial for those with sensitive skin and acne sufferers because bacteria is unlikely to grow in powder.

By all means try mineral foundation but the reality is that it's another face powder product that should contain less ingredients. Its benefits are dependant on your skin's needs and tolerance. It has it downsides as well because they tend to sit in wrinkles and make pores looks huge. I prefer BB creams for the finish and mineral foundation for its dry application method. 

Cowashing With Tresseme Naturals And That Phwoar Moment

I've been co-washing mostly for two weeks now and I'm liking it. And now I've found my go-to co wash conditioner:

I picked up a huge bottle for £2.49 since it was half off at Boots. As this conditioner replaces shampoo, I needed a lot of it and this one is silicone free. The first time I used it, I had mildly dirty hair. I rinsed it with warm water and massaged a generous amount all over my roots and down to the ends. Then I sat in a steam room (as I was at the gym) for ten minutes. I rinsed it out thoroughly with warm water and then gave it a cold rinse.

The result was frizz free, soft and shiny hair. Hair which I was supposed to have! This conditioner left my hair smelling good and feeling clean. It's so good that I've now converted to cowashing most times, using the shikakai powder once a week and if needed, a monthly clarifying shampoo. 

My hair feels moisturised but my ends are still dry. I smooth on a few drops of almond oil and put my hair in a bun. At the end of the day, I unfurled my hair and revealed this!

Now that's a "phwoar" moment!

Co-washing With Flex Conditioner - I've Converted!

Do you remember Revlon Flex, the ads with Cindy Crawford and how the tubular bottles used to be sold at the front of chemists? They were cheap as chips and suddenly they disappeared. 

When I wanted to use Flex again years later, I find out the brand had been discontinued. Why oh why Revlon? I loved Flex and now the original tube bottles are selling on Ebay for USD 25 each!

But luckily there are other kinds of Flex sold on Ebay and Amazon for a more reasonable price. This bottle comes from Spain and it's current stock (expiry is 2015) so it's not discontinued worldwide. I will certainly look for it and stockpile the next time I'm in Spain. I bought of these 650ml bottles for GBP 12 including shipping. The conditioner is exactly how I remembered it.

I'm a fan of Flex since high school. I love it's clean balsam scent. It's intoxicating and the conditioner really makes hair soft! 

As an alternative to shampooing with my usual shikakai powder, I decided to try co-washing since I go to the gym almost everyday and can't stand post workout hair. Not washing isn't an option and my hair is too fine to go without for a day.

So I wet my hair, massaged the amount I would normally use to condition the lengths of my hair, into my scalp. I added a bit of water to help spread it around and the conditioner foamed a little. I massaged the roots of my hair for a minute and it actually feels like my hair is getting cleaned.

I left it on for a few minutes and progressively added more water to loosen the conditioner up and eventually it rinsed out clean. 

After my hair dried, the results were good. My hair is soft, smooth and remarkably frizzless. It smells good and I lost less hair through washing. The downside is that my hair only looked clean for half a day and then it fell flat. It was greasy the next day so co washing with Flex is only good if you're planning to wash again the next day. 

The consecutive co wash was not better. Only the top layer of my hair looked clean and it was clumpy and greasy underneath. If the conditioner was cleaning, it was still leaving build up behind so I need to alternate. Co wash and then shampoo the next time. 

I'm still a follower of the co washing movement. I realised Flex contains a non water soluble silicone which was probably contributing towards the build up. I'm now on a hunt for the perfect co washing conditioner.