Lee Stafford Argan Oil - Nourishing Miracle Oil

About 2-3 years ago, brands discovered argan oil and it started hitting our shelves in one form or another.  Now the dust has settled, some really great brands are beginning to emerge with their blends of argan oil - this is where Lee Stafford comes in.

The Lee Stafford Nourishing Miracle Oil is part of a series that's been released, embracing the goodness that's in argan oil.  In Lee Staffords offering, you get 50ml of product for £11.99* - it comes packaged in a box, and the bottled has a pump dispenser.  What I like about the dispenser is that for me (long hair) 1 pump gives me the perfect amount for my hair - so often these give too much (but never too little!) - and with something like this, less is more, since it's an oil!

Argan oil has great healing properties for hair, as it does for the skin, making it a great everyday treatment.  What I love about this is the feeling and finish it gives my hair, it's like... you know when you go to the salon, and after they've finished with your hair it feels lightweight and flyaway, but with a weight to it and bounce?  Well, it does that to my hair, makes it feel light, but with weight to it. It also smells really good - probably the best smelling argan oil I've tried.

Price-wise it compares to a lot of high street brands, maybe slightly more than some, but then in my opinion, it's nicer than your typical jump-on-the-bandwagon brands - this actually feels like it's a treatment for my hair and leaves it feeling lovely.  I can't speak about what the other Lee Stafford products are like in this range, as this is the first Lee Stafford product I've ever tried - but based on this I'll definitely be trying more - the shampoo & conditioner from this argan oil range is now firmly on my wishlist :)

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*This post contains PR samples

Macadamia Flawless

Please, please excuse the terrible quality of this photo! Every time I used Flawless, we had terrible grey weather and I couldn't get a good pic, this was as I was getting ready for work, just before I left the house.  Hopefully you can still see the lovely sheen my hair has after using it :)

I've been using this product for about 4-6 weeks now, certainly long enough to decide if I like it or not.

This first popped onto my radar when Fleur de Force did a bathroom tour and mentioned it.  She really liked it and was a little confused as it claims to be so many products in one, and it's in a can.  When Beauty Bay had a big sale on their Macadamia products, I snapped up another tub of the masque and I thought I'd give Flawless a try.

It claims to cleanse, condition, refine and perfect, so as well as being a conditioner, it's a bit of a treatment too.  You get 250ml of product in the can which is pretty decent.  The consistency is similar to a mousse, but a lot thicker and doesn't expand much at all (only after you've put the cap on!).  And just as you'd expect, it uses macadamia and argan oil.

The first couple of times I used this, I did get quite a burning sensation on my scalp which made me really nervous as I've had a full blown chemical burn (a few years ago) from a well known hair salon. However, we figured out what it was.  Remember my experience with the Yes to Cucumber face wipes?  Well, the eczema that gave me worked its way backwards into my hair (yeah... that was fun). So my scalp was sore and sensitive (I probably shouldn't have used this then).  I rinsed it immediately (as soon as the burning started) and my scalp felt fine.  I left it a couple of weeks until my scalp had recovered (from Yes to Cucumbers, not this) and tried it again.  This time it was fine.

In fact, every time since it has been fine :)  The thing I can't get past about this, is how amazing it makes my hair feel every time I use it.  You know when you get your hair done, and after your hair feels really light and breezy, but it has a nice weight to it and feels really silky?  That's what this does to my hair. Every single time I use it, I become obsessed with feeling my hair!  It feels amazing! So soft and healthy.  I don't use it every time I wash my hair, perhaps 1-2 times a week, but that's enough, I don't want my hair to get to used to it, otherwise it won't feel this awesome every time I use it :)

I really didn't think this is something I'd be looking to re-purchase, and you know what, when the baby comes I won't have the money to do that, so I'll be stocking up before hand so I have enough to last me a while ;)

What's also nice, it's paraben free.  The can I bought is the biggest one they sell, and retails (on Beauty Bay) for just over £16, I honestly think it's worth every last penny :)  It might just be my all time favourite hair care product.

 

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L'Oreal Ever Pure

A few weeks ago I popped into Superdrug in search of the L'Oreal Ever Pure shampoo & conditioner. I'd been using the TRESemme shine shampoo & conditioner for a while and found it was making my hair really greasy due to the amount of silicone in it :(

What attracted me to these was the fact they have no sulphates, and I'm pretty sure I've heard popular YouTubers talking about these.  They were on offer at the time with a bit of money off, so I picked up the intensive conditioner treatment too.

Overall I've really enjoyed using these, I've found them to leave my hair soft and not weighed down. However, if you use them regularly, like a lot of shampoos & conditioners you'll find that your hair gets used to it and the effect wears off.  I've found this is best used about once a week, alternating it with other products.  

The intensive conditioner treatment is great, for the price it really compares to high end masks like the macadamia one (but the macadamia one is better, but much more expensive).  These are only £5.99 each (currently on offer for £3.99), the intense mask is £6.99, so slightly more expensive but in my opinion it's worth it.

If you're looking for an affordable mask, I'd really recommend the L'Oreal EverPure, it's thick, creamy and rich, and leaves your hair feeling lovely.  The shampoo & conditioner are good too, I just wouldn't use them every day otherwise you won't feel the benefit of them quite so much :)  Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention, the conditioner has a minty scent, how bizarre!

This months Biggest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Ash from A Beauty Moment

 

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John Frieda frizz ease

There are many things my parents blessed me with when they had me, high cheekbones from my late mother, blue eyes from my father and nice hands from my mother again.  There are however, some less desirable qualities they passed on, and in this case that was frizzy hair.  Mum always suffered from the frizz and never really found a way to tame it.  Now, my hair isn't quite as bad as hers was, but if I don't straighten it, it's still quite frizzy.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been trialing some John Frieda products to help control my frizz, I've been using hair oil for curly hair (I know mine isn't curly!) and their smooth start hydrating shampoo and conditioner.

First off, the shampoo and conditioner.  When I'm actually using these in the shower the shampoo does make my hair feel a little dry, but that's ok because when I follow it up with the conditioner my hair feels lovely and soft, but at this point it's still wet so a bit early to tell just how it performs.  Then I towel dry it a little, and wrap it up on my head.  I spend a while doing my makeup and then go to dry my hair. This is where the hair oil comes in - it's separated in two parts so you need to give it a good shake first, you place 10 drops of it in your hands and work it through your hair.  This certainly didn't curl my hair which I was relieved about.

After drying after the first time I used these my hair felt amazing, it was soft, sleek, less frizzy and had a nice weight and sheen to it.  It wasn't greasy at all and felt lovely.  After a couple of weeks of use I think it's best placed not as an everyday shampoo, but one for weekends or for days when you want your hair to look really lovely.  I found if I used it every other day some of the benefit was lost, so using it less often makes it more effective, that's at least what I found with my hair.

If you're interested, until the 28th Oct (2013) they have a Facebook competition running to win lots of John Frieda prizes too.

You can pick these up at good high street stores like Boots and Superdrug for just under £6* each.

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jess from Coffee Cosmetics

 

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Taking care of your hair

Now the weather has changed our hair goes through the elements and is really put through it's paces, so I thought it would be a good idea to put a post together with some good hair care tips.  As a disclaimer, I'm not a trained professional, I'm just talking about what works for me.

A good shampoo & conditioner

It starts with a good shampoo and conditioner, if you have coloured hair be sure to pick appropriately as they'll improve the longevity of your colour, otherwise pick for your hair type (i.e dry, oily etc). Personally, I don't really care so much about brands, but what's in it.  Try to use shampoo that's free of SLS and silicone as neither are good for you or your hair.  One of my favourite shampoos & conditioners is the Happy Hair Days range which I usually pick up at my local supermarket (Sainsburys), they're about £5 each and always make my hair feel lovely.  Their marshmallow & coconut ones are great, and their new argan oil ones are just as lovely, even if they don't smell as amazing!

Masks

Once a week I always use a hair mask.  Which one you use really depends on your hair type, but I like to think of it as giving my hair a drink and a moisturise.  The one I find myself reaching for over the others is the Macadamia deep repair masque.  It smells lovely and makes my hair feel amazing afterwards, really soft and silky and feeling different from when I use conditioner.  You don't want to apply it too often or your hair will get used to it, and it gets a bit expensive!  It's just like wearing your coat indoors when it's cold out, you won't feel the benefit of it when you go outside :)

Hair oils

When you're ready to dry your hair you might want to try a hair oil.  Now, these really confused me for a long time.  I have oily hair, so why would I want to add oil to it?  But it doesn't quite work like that, it nourishes and protects your hair.  As much as I love argan oil for my hair, my favourite hair oil product has to be the DGJ Organics berruti oil.  It actually leaves my hair feeling softer than argan oil and even if I've used a bit of a rubbish shampoo and conditioner, this helps my hair feel great.

Drying, Straightening and curling

Not all of these will help look after your hair in the Autumn/Winter (straightening and curling), but using a good hairdryer will help.  Ideally you don't want to use a setting that's too high, but one with high wattage that can dry your hair quickly without burning it.  There's a few decent hair dryers out there, like the Echim blow dryers.  High wattage which means they're more powerful, different heat settings including a 'coldshot' setting and at a respectable price.  If you're straightening or curling your hair, make sure to use a heat protector before you apply heat - my friend always raves about the Tresemme argan oil heat protector :)

So they're my tips for keeping your hair in good condition this Autumn/Winter, why don't you share your tips below in the comments :)

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Jess from Coffee Cosmetics

 

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Moroccanoil hair treatment

I really like hair oils and over the last year, I've built up quite a collection, which now includes Morrocanoil.  I've sampled Macadamia, Happy Hair Day's argan oil, DGJ Organics and more.  But over the last couple of weeks I've been using a different one.

** Can you see the tiny sparkles in the oil? **

The Morrocanoil treatment is a golden brown oil with a soft gentle sparkle going through it (this doesn't translate to the hair).  You only need to use a pea sized amount, just warm it between your hands and run through the mid length of your hair to the ends.  My favourite bit?  The scent, it smells so good and leaves your hair smelling lovely.  It leaves my hair feeling soft, nourished and healthy.

What I do wish is that it was in a better dispenser, I really wish it had a pump, the problem with oil in a bottle is that it's far too easy to pour out too much and overdo it, but that's pretty much all I'd change. The price is quite fair considering the quality of the product and the fact that hair oils do go a long way, so unless you're a hairdresser you wouldn't ever really need a big bottle.  The bottle I have is a 25ml bottle (travel size) and I've been using it each time I wash my hair (every other day), and it's only gone down a tiny bit, not bad.

All in all I really like this product and will definitely replace it when it runs out.  It's actually lovely to be writing a positive review today after nearly a week of writing quite negative ones :)

You can pick up this size bottle of Moroccanoil treatment for £12.95*.

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Karen from Liverpool Lashes

 

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Feature: 5 Homemade hair treatments

Having great hair usually means having great products and styling tools, but those things can quickly add up and before you know it you're broke (but at least your hair looks great, right?). Skip the store and leave your wallet at home, cause you can keep your wallet full and have great hair by making your own! In fact, you probably already have all of the ingredients you need living in your pantry! So save your money for great haircuts like the ones at Rush Kingston and leave the rest to your kitchen. Check em out!

Hair Repair Treatment:
A hair repair treatment is great if you're hair looking a little dry, dull or damaged. It's also great to do after a long winter or summer season. Give your hair some life with this recipe:

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Honey

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Apply directly to dry hair by starting at the roots and working your way down. Leave in your hair for thirty minutes, then rinse it out with water. Wash your hair with your favorite shampoo and conditioner.


Sea Salt Spray:
Sea Salt spray is a great way to give yourself that "just left the beach" look without ever coming close the ocean. The problem is, the good bottles tend to be fairly expensive. But luckily, there's no reason to break the bank when you can make a just as good spray at home.

Ingredients:

8 Ounces of Hot Water
4 or 5 drops of essential coconut oil
2 Teaspoons of Coarse Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon of Hair Gel

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients into a spray bottle. Shake until the salt has dissolved. Then spray into damp hair and scrunch it dry or apply to dry hair to give it that messy look.


Homemade Shampoo and Conditioner:
Using homemade conditioner and shampoo is a great way to save money and protect your hair from products that actually strip your hair of it's essential oils. Restore your hair's glory with these recipes.

Ingredients:
Shampoo:
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
8 Ounces of Water

Conditioner:
1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
8 Ounces of Water

Directions:
Shampoo:
Pour into a new or clean empty shampoo bottle. Mix well. Apply to hair and massage into scalp for a minute or so. Shake well before each use. Follow with homemade conditioner.

Conditioner:
Pour both ingredients into a squirt or spray bottle. Mix well. Apply to hair and massage into scalp for a minute or so. Shake well before each use.


Heat Protectant Spray:
You should definitely consider using heat protectant spray if you use a lot of styling products like hair straighteners, curling wands and blow dryers, It not only makes styling your hair easier, it also protects it from heat damage!

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons of Water
1 Tablespoon of Conditioner
2 Teaspoons of Hair Spray

Directions:
Mix all ingredients into a small spray bottle. Apply to hair before using any heat styling products. Use afterwards to help tame flyaways.


Shiny Hair Mask:
While some people are born with naturally shiny hair, most of us aren't, but that doesn't mean we can't fake it. Make a Shiny Hair Mask and watch as your hair glistens even when it's overcast.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions:
Mix both ingredients together in a bowl. Apply to dry hair and let it sit for 15 minutes. Wash it out with cool water (to avoid cooking the egg!) and then shampoo and condition as you usually would.

Melissa is a Rush Hairstylist and active do-it yourselfer, who's always looking for the next best recipe.

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Stacie from Life is worth the fight

 

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Hair care haul

That's right, two hauls in one week!  This is the danger of me going food shopping with the hubby.  No danger of buying too much food, nope, the danger is me walking down the hair care isle and the makeup isle.  Luckily my local Sainsburys doesn't stock much makeup and what's there is too often used or wrecked.  They do however, have a great hair care selection.

I've been a fan of the Happy Hair day people for a long time - my favourite being their marshmallow & coconut shampoo and conditioner, it makes my hair so so soft and without any parabens or SLS.  When browsing the hair care isle tonight (by tonight, I mean Thursday evening when I'm writing this) I saw that they'd launched an argan oil shampoo & conditioner, and they were on offer (2 for £4.99 - basically half price).  It would have been rude not to buy them right?

It was actually the argan oil serum that I found first, but it was in the wrong place, when I found where it came from I saw the shampoo & conditioner too, after that stroke of luck I had to buy all three!  I already had in my paws the Aussie 3 min miricle conditioner, I haven't tried the one for coloured hair yet though, so I'm keen to see what that'll be like.

Fear not though my friends, I'll be reviewing all of these over the next few weeks once I've given them a proper road test, so watch this space :)

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Stacie from Life is worth the fight

 

Written by Georgina Kent

Feature - Festival hair

You’re going away to a festival for the weekend and you want to look your best, but a decent shower is hard to find at a festival, and there’s much better things to be doing than washing your hair anyway! So here are some top tips in order to make sure your hair still looks great the whole weekend:

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The night before you leave, give your hair a wash using intense moisturising conditioner, tong your hair in order to build volume and shape and try to leave your hair as big as possible without using too many products- it will naturally settle and become more manageable over the next few days. You could also try some temporary pastel dip dying to make your hair really stand out over the weekend.

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Whilst at the festival, plait your hair before going to sleep to keep a curl and avoid frizz. In the morning, turn your hair upside down and spray salt spray or hairspray at the roots. Shake your hair through, toss it back and you'll have naturally looking wavy hair for the rest of the day.

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The number one product you're going to need over your festival weekend is dry shampoo- it adds texture and builds volume at the roots, disguising any greasiness. But be careful not to use too much! If for some reason all the shelves are clear of dry shampoo, then talcum powder will also do the job. You're also probably going to need a tangle teezer to help sort your hair out in the mornings! Avoid using any oil based hair products, your hair will have plenty of natural oils secreting anyway so you don't want to add to it. You also want to try not to touch your hair throughout the day, as all the dirt on your hands will be passed to your hair, making it greasier even quicker.

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To help draw attention away from greasy hair, accessories are a must. The top festival hair accessory is of course the floral headband- it can act as a focal point so as to distract from your roots, and can be paired with plaits, such as a loose fishtail, to give you a whole new hairstyle. Other top festival hair accessories are hats (to hide your entire head of hair, if it really gets too much), bows (to hide problem areas of greasiness) and head scarves (to tie into your hair, keeping it half hidden, whilst still looking good).

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On the very last day you can put your hair up into a fashionable messy bun, using hair grips and a hair doughnut- this will ensure you can enjoy your last day at the festival without worrying about how greasy and lifeless your hair is looking. Of course, the most valuable piece of advice is watch out for any drinks (or any other more questionable liquids) being thrown over your head, if they land in your hair then there’s not a whole lot you can do to fix it!

Author Bio:
Milly O’Sullivan is a hairdresser and blogger from England. Her interests include fashion and dance music. For all your hair styling needs, Milly recommends The Chapel. 

What's your favourite way to wear your hair at a festival?

This months Bigest-Pixi3 advertiser is the lovely Stacie from Life is worth the fight

 

Written by Georgina Kent