Oil Rinsing

Oil rinsing is adding oil to your hair after you shampoo either before or after you condition. I oil rinsed after I shampooed because to me it makes more logical sense. If shampoo has just stripped my hair of moisture it makes more sense to oil rinse after I've restored the moisture through deep conditioning. It's simple all you need is your favourite oil/oils.

Benefits

Moisture Retention

Soft, Smooth Hair 

Easier Detangling

Natural Shine

Reduction of Frizz

I used: 

Hairveda CoCasta Shikakai Oil

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Jamaican Black Castor Oil

Peppermint Oil

(I used what I had. Remember to use coconut oil in its liquid form)

Verdict

I tried oil rinsing for the first time last night and I LOVED it. My hair felt amazing as soon as I applied the oil. I rinsed the excess oil out with a mild acv rinse and t-shirt dried as usual. My hair felt so good that I was tempted not to apply my leave-in conditioner. My hair was soft, moisturised, more defined and had a natural shine. Why hadn't I tried it sooner? If I'm honest the reason I hadn't tried it sooner is because I was being cheap... I didn't want to use my oils to rinse my hair *covers face*. I shall definitely be adding this to my wash routine and I encourage you to do so also. If you lose a lot of moisture when washing your hair, this is for you! The recommended oils are Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Olive Oil and Avocado Oil. You can use one oil or multiple oils, play around and see what works for you. There's a before and after photo below... the proof is in the pudding.

Before (left) and After (Right)
This is the same coil of hair, it's easy to find because
it's one of the few pieces I've snipped during my transition

Have you tried oil rinsing before?

Birthday Outfit

Coat - Zara // Vest - H&M // Jeans - Gap // Boots - Kurt Geiger 

Black Jeans have become my new staple. They're easy to dress up and dress down and pretty much go with everything in your wardrobe. I think my next purchase may be a white pair of jeans.... I haven't owned a pair since secondary school, mainly out of my fear of having a VPL (visible panty line) and getting them dirty.

This was the outfit I wore on my birthday for my unofficial birthday meal. The faux fur coat and boots are both new purchases, I saved them especially for my birthday... am I the only one who saves new items for a special event? I decided to wear all black and add suede wine boots from KG for effect. The blue lining of the coat is somewhat annoying to me but not to worry. Can you believe I got these boots for £29 down for £160, bargain or what? The current sale price is £75 on the KG website.

A faux fur coat is a wardrobe staple in my opinion!! You can recycle your coat year after year after year. You can wear it on date night with the hubby or to a casual lunch with the girls. If you live in England or a country with similar weather, you can even wear it practically all year round because Summer fails to exist.

What are your favourite items in your wardrobe ?

ps. I'm currently merging all elements of my blog onto the main page. Let me know what you think, all feedback welcome :).

D.I.Y Perm Rod Set

Last weekend I attempted my first perm rod set for my birthday dinner. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but I decided whatever the outcome I would work with it.

You will need:

Perm Rods - I used 59 in two different sizes

Moisturiser

Oil- for shine

Gel/Mouse/Setting Lotion - a product that will help the curls to set

Time- preferably over night

Instructions

1) Part the hair, starting from the back
2) With each section moisturise and seal, apply some oil and a little bit of gel
3) Wrap the hair around the perm rod from the bottom up making sure your ends are smooth
4) Roll the rod upwards until at the scalp and secure
5) Once completed wait until your hair drys
6) Once dry apply oil to your hair and take rods down and style

I did mine on freshly co-washed hair to help my hair set

Sorry about the quality of my photos these were taken on my phone.

At first I wasn't sure about the results but after I played around with it I loved it. In the end I opted for an updo created with hair slides and bobby pins. I'm not sure why I haven't tried a rod set before. I'm hoping the more I practice the better they'll become. I paid 99p for each pack of 12 perm rods in my local beauty supply store.... It's a good investment if you ask me.

What do you think? Have you tried a perm rod set before?

Review: TRESemmé Naturals Vibrantly Smooth Conditioner

Promise: TRESemmé Naturals Vibrantly Smooth Conditioner with certified organic coconut and jojoba extracts smooths away frizz leaving hair feeling noticeably soft and silky. With our silicone free formula for lightweight conditioning, hair looks shiny and incredibly healthy looking. Discover 10x stronger hair after just one use.* Formulated without parabens and also hypoallergenic, it is suitable and gentle enough for use on colour treated hair.


Directions:
Step 1: Always start with TRESemmé Naturals Vibrantly Smooth Shampoo
Step 2: Apply an adequate amount of conditioner from mid-shaft to ends first. Work anything that's left through the roots.
Step 3: Leave in for 2-3 minutes and then rinse thoroughly
Step 4: Finishing your look with TRESemmé Naturals Weightless Volumising Mousse and Non-aerosol Hairspray.
(I don't follow these directions on the bottle, they're just included for the purpose of the review)

Ingredients:
Aqua (water), Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Stearamidropyl Dimethylamine, Lauroyl Lysine, Aspartic Acid, Cocus Nucifera (coconut) oil, Simmondsia Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Ethyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Parfum (fragrance)

Verdict:
I had to update my review on this conditioner. At first I was only using it to co-wash but it makes an amazing deep conditioner. This leaves my hair buttery soft, this is definitely a staple of mine. I can comfortably say this is one of the best conditioners I have ever used.

Consistency of the conditioner

This is also a great inexpensive product if you want to co-wash your hair with a conditioner which does not have silicones. Silicones are a synthetic compound common in hair products that tend to cover the hair with a waterproof coating. Some silicones are water soluble the majority used in hair products are not and require sulphate or  Cocamidopropyl Betaine to remove. I have a post where I spoke a little about Cocamidopropyl Betaine. I tend to co-wash more than I shampoo therefore it is important for me to use products that are water soluble so that I don't get product buildup on my strands/scalp. I definitely notice the difference with cowashing with a silicone free conditioner, my hair definitely doesn't feel as weighed down and it is more effective at cleaning my hair. This conditioner feels great in my hair and it has sufficient slip, although once my hair dries it is not as soft as it could be. I paid £4.99 for 750 ml from either Superdrug or Boots which is a decent size for the price. The ingredients are okay, don't let the 'naturals' in the name fool you into thinking that this is an organic product because it's not... it just has a few natural ingredients. The ingredients do not bother me. Would I purchase again, definitely! The TRESemmé Naturals Vibrantly Smooth Conditioner gets a 5/5 stars.

Have you used this conditioner?
What are your favourite conditioners for co-washing?

Quick Hair Update

Hey Guys, I know I've been M.I.A or as we say in London, I know I've been ghost. Studies are getting the better of me. 3 more months until I finish university, can I get a whoop whoop? lol. I'll be 22 months post relaxer tomorrow, which is actually my birthday and guess what... I'll be 22! I feel so blessed to have made it this far, both with my journey to natural and in this journey called LIFE. Just 4-5 months before I do the snip... eeek. Excitement is not the word... hopefully by then I'll feel ready. I guess I'll savour these last few months with my relaxed ends because once this time has passed it's gone forever. As a whole my hair is definitely looking healthier, I'm not sure what i've been doing differently. Below is a picture that I took earlier this week, had I not taken the picture myself I would not have believed that that was my hair. I looked at this picture and thought 'wow my hair has really grown'. I strongly recommend taking pictures to record your progress. Whenever you feel defeated you can look back to see how far you've come... this can apply not only to hair but to life in general.

How have you been recording your progress with your hair journey?

ps. I'll be doing some product reviews this month so keep an eye out.