Hair | A Fresh Do

Hi lovelies! I got a hair cut today. It wasn't anything drastic, just a badly needed trim, but now that my hair has grown out I have been thinking what I want to do with it colour wise. I think I'm definitely going to head down the ombre route. 

Hair | Straightening with the InStyler

Hi lovelies! So my hair has changed quite a bit over the course of this blog. From very short, to blue, to pink, I am a floozy when it comes to styles. Now that my hair's a little longer I've really been enjoying wearing it straight. What I've been using for this is an InStyler. 

Hair | Crown Braid

Hello lovelies! So after having short hair for quite some time I have really been enjoying being able to play around with plaited hairstyles. I learnt to braid by playing hair dresser to my younger sister. I've been loving this hairstyle to keep my hair out of my face during long uni days. And you don't have to worry about any tension headaches. 

Hair | DIY Hair Mask

Hi lovelies! Just a quick and simple DIY beauty post today. With the cold weather we've been having recently my hair has been feeling pretty dry. I've started to try and avoid using silicones in my hair, so the majority of hair masks are out. 

DIY | Pink Party

Fudge Paintbox in Pretty Flamingo (available here)

Hi lovelies! So the big reveal! After teasing you with mention of it in the last few posts here is my pink hair in all its glory. The only reason I didn't post this tutorial is that I wanted to get an idea of how the colour would wash and if I'd notice any fading. 

I'm pretty happy with the results so I thought I would should you how I did it, as well as giving some tips I figured out for when I re-dye it. I didn't want the colour super intense all over, so I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 

I used a semi-permanent dye from Fudge and sadly it has washed out very, very quickly. If you're wanting to achieve a similar look in your own hair, I would advise pre-bleached hair to put the colour over. Personally I'm not brave enough to bleach my own hair so I choose to get mine done professionally and then pop the colour over the top. 

The look I was going for was a kind of pink ombre effect. In order to get this I mixed about a third of the bottle in with some conditioner (any kind will work) and covered all my hair with this. The directions on the bottle recommend leaving the dye on for 30 minutes, however as it is a semi-permanent dye it's fine to leave it on for longer. I left this initial colour on for 1 hour. 

Rather than rinsing out the colour I then took some dye undiluted and ran it through the ends of my hair. After leaving the colour on for another 30 minutes I rinsed everything out. 

You can see the end result up above. For a first attempt I'm pretty happy with how everything turned out. As I mentioned though the colour has faded very quickly. Next time I dye my hair I will be leaving the colour to develop for an even longer time. 

Besides the quick fade time I am loving have brightly coloured hair. My only problem is deciding on what colour to dye next? I'm looking into Manic Panic as they have fantastic reviews, but if you're looking for a cheap and quick colour fix the fudge dyes are excellent. 

What colour should I try next? 

Jess xx

The Mix | Seasalt Sprays

From L to R: Fudge Sea Salt Spray, Lee Stafford Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray, Frederick Fekkai Marine Summer Hair

I went through a phase in my teenage years of desperately trying to get my hair to go against its natural state. I spent several years trying to achieve sleek, smooth, shiny hair that was just never meant to be. Perhaps it was the alliteration that attracted me to the concept? Or perhaps it was watching numerous girls getting weaves on America's Next Top Model?

Hair Obsessions

Miracle Hair Treatment, ELEVEN Australia - Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair, Cedel - Purse Size Radial Brush and Super Hold Elastic Headband in Brown, Lady Jayne

About a year ago I had my long curly locks cut off and replaced with a cute bob and block fringe (or bangs). I've not had a fringe in my life since I was about 5 years old (forgetting that very very brief period in year 10) and I wanted a drastic change. I've never been one for obsessive styling of my hair either and so going from the easiness of long hair to short hair and a fringe required a change in hair products and styling techniques. Thankfully, as the owner of naturally curly hair, I am no stranger to the straightening iron or blow drier but I have come to appreciate the use of better hair care products. Here are a few of the products I have come to rely on to make me feel less like a shaggy dog and more like a shiny princess. 

ELEVEN Australia's Miracle Hair Treatment - $24.95: this product promised to deliver 'eleven benefits your hair will love'. When I saw it sitting there on my hair dresser's shelf and read the description I couldn't help myself. I can rarely be bothered applying any product and so one that offered the benefits of so many appealed to me like the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Its benefits include (yes, I'm quoting the website, so sue me): adding shine, smoothness and softness, controlling frizz and fly aways, moisturising, strengthening fragile hair, preventing split ends, detangling and creating manageability, protecting from heat styling, enhancing natural body, protecting hair colours from UV lights, and protecting chlorine and sun damage. 

I will admit I don't really need all of those benefits but protection from heat stylers (which I use almost everyday), preventing split ends, added softness, and controlling frizz are important to me. I've been using this product for about two months now, after a vital reshape of my style cut, and will definitely be repurchasing this product. It's super easy to apply. Just a few pumps worked through my washed hair before I blow dry and straighten. 

CEDEL's Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair - $6.69: having never tried a dry shampoo before, I thought I should go for a smaller and cheaper option. So far, I must say I'm quite a fan. I had heard that dark brunettes should definitely go for the dark hair alternatives and I'm glad I did. This isn't a product I use everyday but with oily skin and short hair the amount of wear I can get from one wash is definitely cut in half compared to my old long locks. Having a fringe also makes managing my hair's body and style between washes difficult. I find this product useful on the second or third day of my wash cycle when my fringe has found its own path (very different from mine). 

I only use this when I know I won't be fussy about my hair's appearance for long or at all because if I play with it too much after use, the oil returns pretty quickly. It is definitely handy at the end of the day when I'm changing clothes or makeup and need a little more bounce in my fringe. 

I haven't had a good look around the market for other dark hair dry shampoos but when this runs out I may or may not return to this product. It works well enough but I might look harder next time I'm in need. 

The last products I'm going to feature in today's post are more 'tools' than 'products' but they're helpful for my 'new-ish' hair style nonetheless. 

Lady Jayne Purse size Radial Brush and Super Hold Elastic Headband in brown - $3.99 and $6.79 respectively. For the first few months of my adventure into the world of fringes (bangs) I was using my ordinary hair brush to blow dry them after a wash. This was working only averagely and thought that a smaller round brush would be more beneficial. This brush might look like cheap plastic crap but it has a very small job to do and works perfectly well. Only if I lose it or if it breaks will I be purchasing anything more substantial to roll my fringe. 

The second item I've chosen is a girl-with-a-fringe's best friend. There are times when having your fringe off your face and out of your mind is very important - exercise and cleaning anyone? My head is fairly pressure sensitive and so I went about choosing a headband for this role very carefully. I've found these headbands to be big enough for my enormous head but not so big that they slide off. They also have this handy strip of plastic around the inside that holds it in place.  I do require the use of bobby pins in conjunction with this item but thats a given with short hair, right? 

So those are my current can't-live-without hair products. I'm quite happy with how my haircut frames my face and adds a small amount my maturity to my style and persona. If you know of any products that do the same but BETTER than any of these, let me know. That is, for anything but the Miracle Hair Treatment because I'm too in love with it (oh, and it smells amazingly coconutty) to change for quite awhile. Even if my hair was longer and didn't require styling. 

Thats it for now, Erin xx