Hair Revival

I’ve been planning this post for a while now, as my hair has been through quite the drama, but after much love and care, I’ve nursed it back to health. But before I share with you how I did that, I need to tell you how it got damaged in the first place.

Prepare yourself for an emotional anecdote . . .

Ok, so back in October 2013, I decided I was going to dye my hair slightly darker for Halloween, as I dressed up as Elphaba from Wicked (The Wicked Witch of the West). But when I went to the drugstore, they didn’t have my usual darkest-brown colour, so I was forced to switch brands (heaven forbid!) and go with another ‘Dark Brown’.

Let’s just say it ended badly.

My hair went black. Yes black. Dull and lifeless. It just killed my hair. You know when you normally dye your hair and it’s left feeling smooth and silky, yeah? Well it was nothing like that. It was a nightmare.

Serves me right for trying to do it myself eh?

So, a few days later after many tears and several shampooing attempts, I went to my trusty hairdresser and begged her to fix me. She said that the only way to get rid of the black was to put a bold colour into it. She suggested red or purple. So I went with the red and hoped for the best.

A few days later, I went back to become a redhead, and you can imagine my expression when she brought out tomato-red coloured dye! But fortunately, it turned out well, and my hair was a little more hydrated – but it was definitely an improvement from the black.

After only a few washes, the red dye began to wash out really badly, and I was left with 6 inch ORANGE roots. Yes orange. So again, I went back to my hairdresser, who touched up the red. It was ok. I mean, she did an amazing job getting rid of the black, but because I have such pale skin I think the red just made me look quite ill. And by February, I was bored of red hair.

So, February half term rolled around and I decided to dye it again myself, but this time with my normal colour and brand – and it worked out fine, although it was more of a lighter brown than I’d wished for!

By late March, my roots began to grow back and the red reappeared, this was not fun. And in the light, my hair looked about a zillion different colours.

All I wanted was my natural hair back – why did I ever dye it in the first place?

Then the week before last, I went to my hairdresser for the last time who kindly dyed my hair back to my natural colour (just in time for prom!) using an amazing INOA dye – which I absolutely love!

In my opinion, Brunettes should stay brunette and I definitely will be doing for the next 50 years or so, or until I learn to be more careful.

But all in all, the quality of my hair is absolutely lovely now, and it’s never been shinier, so I thought I’d share with you my top three Hair revival products:

1.         Kérastase Resistance – Ciment Thermique £15.60

This product is basically like a heat-protecting top seal for your hair. But not only that, it reconstructs damaged hair particularly the ends, and it leaves it smelling and feeling absolutely divine. I first tried this out in a salon and paid £30 for it up front – and it lasted me and my mum 4 months between the two of us. And then, recently I found it online at Look Fantastic for only £15.60, and they sent me lots of offers so I got it for something like £11 – which I was over the moon with.

I’d recommend this product to anyone who regularly uses straighteners or curlers on their hair, because this is by-far the best heat protection product I’ve used, and it really works!

2.         L’oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil £9.99

For any of you that use hair oil, you will appreciate this product. It works on all hair types and it incredibly weightless. I’ve tried a few that leave your hair quite greasy and knotty – which totally defies the point of hair oil. But this one is to die for. It’s also super versatile. You can use it before you shower, after on damp hair and even when your hair is dry as it blends in really quickly leaving your hair luxuriously nourished. And to top it all off, it even has up to 230°c heat protection!

3.         Dove Hair Therapy Express Treatment Conditioner £3.99

Last but not least: my go-to miracle treatment. This conditioner is an express treatment, meaning it gets to work super-fast giving instant results. I only have use this conditioner about once a fortnight, because it’s just so good and lasts that long. Basically, you replace your regular conditioner with this, and leave it on for about a minute, then wash it out. And instantly you will feel the difference. And on top of all its reviving qualities – the smell is to die for!

The one I have is for Extra-Dry to frizzy hair, but you can get different ones for each hair type. This is such a lovely product and it leaves my hair feeling healthy and soft. I’ll definitely be repurchasing this one again soon!

Note: I wouldn’t suggest that you use all three of these products together at the same time as your bobbles may very well just slide out of your hair all together purely because these products work so darn well. So, use with care! I hope this post has helped some of you discover new products to try out, as these three have worked wonders for me!

I hope you’re all enjoying the break, and not working too hard,

Love Roseanne

xx