Invisibobble Hair Ties

Invisibobble Traceless Hair Rings - £5

Ever since the top layer of my hair broke off last year I've been trying really hard to take better care of it. Despite how damaging they can be to the hair follicles, I could never give up bleach or heat. Stupid, I know but I just love having blonde hair too much! However I have invested in tons of products in order to improve the condition of my locks & reduce the chances of it all breaking off again. One of my favourite purchases is a very simple one. I changed the hair bands I use & am now a devotee of the Invisibobble. I only wash my hair once or twice a week so it spends a great deal of time up in a ponytail. This can put a lot of stress on the hair & cause breakage without you noticing. You might not think that a new hair band could make much difference to your hair but you'd be surprised!

The innovative telephone cord design is what makes the Invisibobble so special. They have many benefits including being more gentle on the hair. You can get them in loads of different colours but I went for the limited edition clear glitter version because they reminded me of jelly shoes. I'm sure everyone struggles with unsightly kinks after putting their hair up in a ponytail all day but with the Invisibobble this can be a thing of the past. They are traceless which means that they won't leave any marks in your hair. As you wrap the band around your hair, it places uneven pressure on the ponytail. This gives your hair strands more space within the ponytail & allows for the hair to be held in place without needing to tie the band too tightly. It's great being able to put my hair up to wash my face & do my makeup without ruining the style when I want to wear it down again.

Invisibobbles are also more caring to the hair as they are completely snag-free. I gave up hair ties with metal in them a long time ago but these work even better than the bands I normally use which still pull out strands of my hair & put stress on my crown. When I take one of these out, it slides out easily & doesn't pull a single hair out with it. The rings look a bit stretched out after removal but they always return to their original shape. If you often get headaches from wearing your hair up then the Invisibobble also offers respite from this. As the weight of your hair is evenly distributed through the coiled ring, it doesn't pull on individual hairs or your scalp. This reduces the tension & makes the hair band comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. I always get a headache if I sleep with a hair band in but I can sleep perfectly fine with an Invisibobble. They can also be worn as a bracelet so you always have one handy but this looks a bit silly in my opinion. I'm happy enough with just wearing it in my hair! I honestly think that the Invisibobble is an amazing invention & I've not had as much hair loss or breakage since I started wearing them. The difference that this small change has made is unbelievable. I only wish I'd bought some sooner!

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Amie Spring Clean Deep Cleansing Mask

Amie Spring Clean Deep Cleansing Mask* - £5.95

The weekend is always an ideal time for some pampering. You can fit in all of the beauty maintenance that you sometimes just don't have time for during the week. I particularly look forward to tidying up my eyebrows, painting my nails & putting on a face mask. The mask I use depends on how well my skin has been behaving that week. More often than not I go for a clay mask as they help to draw out impurities & soak up excess oil. One of my most recent skincare discoveries is Amie's Spring Clean Deep Cleansing Mask. All of Amie's products are very affordable yet they boast many high quality natural ingredients. Their gentle formulas are perfect for those with young or sensitive skin. If you're consciously trying to avoid things like parabens, SLS & mineral oil in your skincare products then it's well worth taking a look at what they have to offer.

The Spring Clean mask is a thick minty cream with the same green colour as the packaging. I like to apply all of my face masks with a flat foundation brush & this one is meant to be left on for 10 minutes. It feels incredibly luxurious & instantly refreshes the skin. It doesn't dry up completely like some clay masks but it does set into place. With a harmonious blend of organic peppermint, white clay & lime butter, this mask helps to purify pores for a brighter, clearer complexion. It also features zinc which promotes skin healing and glycerin which softens & hydrates the skin. The minty fresh tingling sensation can feel quite intense & continues even after washing off the face mask. The first time I used it the tingling was so extreme that it kinda felt burning. However on subsequent applications it wasn't anywhere near as bad & just felt like it was cleaning out my skin. The mint didn't make my complexion look red or irritated at all so I persevered with the product & now I can really see the benefits. If you're sensitive to mint then this might not be for you, otherwise it's a delightfully cooling treat for the skin.

After using this mask my skin is left feeling really clean & fresh. My complexion looks brighter, more radiant & less tired. The formula helps to regulate oil production so everything is better balanced. My T-Zone is less oily & my cheeks feel much softer. It tightens up the skin & makes my pores look practically invisible. This mask definitely delivers on it's deep cleansing claims. It has a huge impact upon the appearance of my nose & chin. Those areas are left looking super smooth without a sebaceous filament in sight! I also like to use the Spring Clean mask as a spot treatment. It helps to keep blemishes at bay as the combination of white clay with zinc oxide reduces redness & inflammation whilst unclogging pores. This lovely clay mask from Amie can work wonders on congested skin & at less than £6 per tube, it won't stretch your purse strings too far either!

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Jerome Russell Bblonde Silver Maximum Colour Toner

Jerome Russell Bblonde Silver Maximum Colour Toner* - £4.49

A few weeks ago I made the mistake of getting my roots done on my regular hairdresser's day off. I've been going to Cutting Room Creative in Leeds for the last five years & overall I've had really good experiences with them. Things seem to have gone downhill lately though after they shut down their city centre salon & relocated all their staff to the Chapel Allerton branch. My last visit was a complete nightmare. The colourist didn't sufficiently lift my roots before toning them. Then they had to cleanse out the toner & bleach it again before toning it again. I had asked for the same deep grey hair colour that I had back in January & I left with my hair looking more yellow than when I had arrived at the salon. So it was left up to me to tone my hair the colour that I actually wanted it to be. Luckily Jerome Russell had sent me their Bblonde Silver Maximum Colour Toner & I'm really happy with the results!

If you have pre-lightened or naturally blonde hair you can use one of Bblonde's five different toners to refresh your colour & improve the condition of your hair. I was quite tempted to try their Pink Maximum Colour Toner but as I was craving granny hair again I went with the silver one instead. I loved the look of the colour on the box & it seemed very easy to apply. The toner is ready to use straight out of the bottle plus this product doesn't contain any ammonia or peroxide so it is safe & gentle on the hair. I simply washed my hair with a clarifying shampoo, sectioned my hair & applied the toner with a tint brush. You get 75ml of the dark purple liquid in each bottle & I found that it was the perfect amount for me. I have just had my hair cut to shoulder length though so if your hair is much longer than mine I would suggest getting two bottles. The toner goes on nicely & lathers up a bit so you can really massage it into your hair for an even application. Then I piled my hair on top of my head, popped a plastic cap on top & blasted the cap with my hairdryer for five minutes. Bleached hair can be very dry & porous so development time will vary depending on the condition of your hair. Bblonde recommend leaving it on anywhere between 10-30 minutes. I didn't bother to do a strand test & just went for the middle ground of twenty minutes.

The toner helps to condition the hair so you don't need to apply any extra conditioner afterwards. I rinsed my hair until the water ran clear & styled it as usual. Although the colour doesn't quite match up with the picture on the box, I still think it looks fab! The overall tone is much ashier than it was & I love the fresh silvery shade. I normally use a purple shampoo to keep my tone looking icy but they can be very drying & I have to use them every time I wash or those yellow tones start to creep in again. What I like about this toner is that it feels very conditioning & the results last much longer. It should last about eight washes before you need to top up your colour. Obviously bleaching your hair is very damaging so using a toner like this without ammonia or peroxide will make your hair look a lot healthier. The price can't be beaten either. This BBlonde toner costs less than a fiver & it's totally transformed the colour of my hair. Whether you have a full head of bleach like me or just a few highlights, this stuff can take you from brassy blonde to silver goddess in half an hour. Grey hair is so on trend right now & the Jerome Russell Bblonde silver toner is such a brilliant way to get the look at home.

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