GROWING LONG AND HEALTHY HAIR

This post has three great tips on products which promote hair growth and how you can get healthy hair in the matter of weeks!

As you might know, I love a good hair care post. I've done many current hair care routines and I've tried every product under the sun to help turn my hair from a damaged and brittle wreck into healthy and long, like mine used to be about 18 months ago. Why did it turn into a damaged and brittle wreck? I won't go into detail (check my other hair posts which explains more!) but it was because I used heat on my hair every day without heat protection AND I used extensions for volume. It wrecked my hair so much that it completely ripped out my hair from the roots in some places (luckily not noticeable but nevertheless, it left me regretting the day I ever started using extensions or extensive heat use).

So I've got three of my current top products for boosting hair growth whilst replenishing your dry and damaged locks. I have to say, my hair has never felt healthier now that I've been using these products and I've noticed a huge amount of hair growth on the area of my scalp in which the extensions ripped out.


We've all heard of Alpecin, right? Their shampoo is one of my absolute favourites for stimulating the hair follicles and I always notice hair growth when using the shampoo everytime I wash my hair (after a couple of weeks obviously! Not in a Rapunzel kind of way!)

So when I went to buy another bottle of the shampoo, I decided to pick up the Alpecin Caffeine Liquid Hair Energizer (£7.49). It's like a hair tonic and it's the same texture as water, so it just feels like you're pouring water on your scalp. I really should have taken a picture without the lid on so you could see the nozzle but my camera was running out of battery and I had to quickly take the pictures before it died as I've currently "misplaced" (lost) the charger. Basically it is like a nozzle which lets you directly apply the product to your scalp. I then turn my head upside down and massage my scalp just to help the process!

The next product is for turning your dry and damaged locks (which look all splitty at the end) into soft, glossy and repaired strands and it's the OGX Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil. I've tried and tested countless oils, the majority with some form of argan oil ingredient in them but all to no avail. I don't particularly like spray ones (even though I've tried those too) because they don't seem to be very thick in consistency and if you've got badly damaged hair, you'll need a thicker consistency. I've tried pouring out ones (I'm sure there's a better name for that but I've got my Saturday brain on), and they aren't thick enough either but this one is just right. It's thick (but not unmanageable!) and it's super easy to apply and it also doesn't dry into your hair straight away (no matter how dry your hair is), which I love because it sits on my hair for awhile without immediately drying in and making you feel like you've got to apply more!

Finally, we have the miracle of all three. Castor Oil. Yep, this is for sure a miracle. Remember earlier when I said I noticed a huge amount of hair regrowth in the area the extensions pulled out? That is down to this bottle of goodness. Beware, it's difficult to work with, it's thick, sticky and smells a bit odd but it's definitely worth it for the results. I have a little trick to make it a bit more manageable and to make it smell a bit nicer...mix it with a little bit of the oil I mentioned previously and you've got a great balance! I've noticed a good inch and a bit growth in the area the extensions yanked out. You can also use this on eyelashes and your eyebrows if you wanted to! I got this from Holland and Barrett for £9 odd but I think you can get it cheaper on the internet! 

There we have it! My 3 miracle products to get that swoosh-worthy hair!

What products do you find helpful to promote hair growth and length?

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Twitter: @ChloesConcept / @TBWYCampaign 

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Chloe x

HAIR CARE THIS PARTY SEASON

So as Christmas is rapidly approaching, (where did November go!?) it's not to be forgotten that it's also the party season with work do's and nights out with friends and family! During these dressy occasions, it's important to treat your hair with respect whilst your teasing, curling, straightening and goodness knows doing what else to your hair!

Firstly, a great product to use during the washing and drying process is 'Umberto Giannini: Mend My Hair Rehab Salon Smooth Damage Repair Keratin Spray'. This is a fantastic product to use to repair and mend broken and strained hair which is already damaged to prevent further damage. It possesses Keratin and grapeseed oil; both of which targeting damaged hair in order to repair it. In case you didn't know, Keratin is a protein which we have in our hair so providing extra Keratin within this product gives you an extra boost of protein which is great for repairing and growing your hair as well as strengthening it and restoring it's condition. This product is only £6.99 and is one I really love and feel it's doing it's job of strengthening and repairing my hair!

 

The next product I have for you is the Tresemme Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Shine Spray. This is obviously for use during the blow-drying process or when you're hair is dry and you're about to use heat on it. With the party season upon us, we all love a curling tong and straightening iron to give more of a polished look so it's crucial to use a heat protection spray! 

Again, with this product being from the Keratin range of Tresemme, it provides your hair with the protein it's stripped of when heat is applied to it. Due to the Keratin in it, it also reduces frizz and is gentle enough to use on colour treated hair which is great because with events coming up; if you're touching up the colour of your hair, you don't want to colour to be damaged by the products you use! I really love this heat protection spray because it does what it says - protects your hair against heat whilst leaving a lovely sheen in the process! 

If you haven't already, check out my Extreme Hair Growth Revolution post, where I talk about a product that has FINALLY made my hair grow!

Let me know if you've tried any of these products and what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Chloe x

EXTREME HAIR GROWTH REVOLUTION

Today I'm really excited to share this post I've been waiting to write for a very, very long time!

So I'll give you a little background into why I chose these products first of all. Basically, when I was on my journey home from America in September, whilst reading one of the many magazines I purchased to occupy me during the 9 hour flight, I came across an article in one of the magazines recommending this product. At first, I was excited to try it but the more I thought about it, the less I believed in it, because let's face it, there is no secret way to grow your hair faster than it naturally grows...or is there?

If you've read any of my other hair posts, you'll know all about my experience with going from really long, healthy hair to shoulder length, damaged, brittle and thin hair due to the strain I put on my hair through heat products (without protector - I know!) and general mistreating it through brushing it, back combing it etc.

So to say I've tried just about every hair product out there claiming to "boost hair growth" or "repair severely damaged hair" gives me a good enough reason to become reluctant to believe what this new product recommended in the magazine claims to do.

But, I thought, I've wasted more money on products that haven't lived up to their hype so why not bite the bullet and try this one? Admittedly, spending £30 on a shampoo and conditioner set could be seen as a little unnecessary or extreme, but I was determined to try every product until something worked, and guess what? It did.

This miracle of a product is called 'Fast'. I quite enjoy the name of as it does exactly what the name suggests, it makes your hair grow... and fast.

It says to use this product daily however I don't wash my hair every single day. Also, I only use this product once a week so I will use it and then when I wash my hair next, I will use a different product and then use this one a week later. I've done this in order to preserve the product due to it's cost however I've still noticed a massive difference in my hair length even only using it once a week. If you want to use it daily, give it a go, the results might be even better!

I've used this product for about 2 months now (a little goes a long way!) and so I refrained from writing this post until I gave it a good go and now that I have, I feel like I can give it an honest review.

Before using this product, my hair length was about 1-2 inches longer than my shoulders. As previously stated, I've used this product for about 2 months and unbelievably, the longest part of my hair is literally now halfway down my back. Due to the extreme damage and stress I put my hair under, unfortunately not all of it is the same length because other parts are more damaged than others (the sides for example). If all of my hair was the same length, it would be back to the length I used to have it which was very long!

Now for the science-y bit:

This product is also on the top of my list due to the fact it has NO Sulphates, Parabens or DEA. What does that mean?

Firstly, Sulphates are agents within the product's ingredients that create the foamy lather. Due to being inexpensive, the majority of hair products actually contain them. However, whilst we might love a lathery shampoo, Sulphates can cause extreme damage to your hair shaft, hair follicles and your scalp. Sulphates can cause dry hair and scalp due to them actually eating up all the natural oils your hair produces. It can also increase scalp irritations like eczema and worsen dandruff due to its drying agent, leaving your scalp feeling irritated and tight. Sulphates also severely damage your hair follicles, resulting in hair loss and also lack of hair growth as a result and this is worsened if you don't thoroughly wash out the shampoo! If you do colour your hair and you're not yet put off by using Sulphates, you might think again when purchasing your next shampoo which contains them as Sulphates aggressively strips the colour from your hair, leaving it dull and lifeless!

The most common Sulphates found in hair products are: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES), Ammonia Laureth Sulphate (ALS), TEA Lauryeth Sulfate (TEA) and Sodium Myreth Sulphate (SMS). 

Parabens are a type of chemical that is used as a preservative to keep products fresher for longer. They also are deemed to prevent bacteria growth. It's also used widely in beauty and hair products (as well as toothpastes in some cases!). However in recent years, increasing concerns surrounding this chemical has resulted in manufacturers steering away from using it in many of their products due to the possibilities that it has a connection with some forms of cancer.

The forms of Parabens that are included in some products are commonly known as: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and isobutylparaben. Keep a look out for some of these chemicals in the products you buy, you might want to see if there is a Paraben-free alternative!

Now for DEA: This, in it's full form is called Diethanolamine, which along with chemicals
like MEA (Monoethanolamine) and TEA (Triethanolamine) are hormone disrupting toxins which form nitrates and nitrosamines. These are extremely common in lots of products as well as hair products, including bubble bath, facial wash and soap. They have a nasty impact on drying your skin and hair as well as cause irritation to your eyes!

Know that you've read all that knowing that FAST doesn't contain these three elements, that in itself is a massive plus for me! I'm also not being sponsored or paid for this, I just wanted to share a product that has finally worked for me.

I purchased this product on the Boots website as you can't buy it in the store (at least not where I live!)

I hope this helps and you might consider trying this product and if you do, I hope it works for you too!

Let me know if you've tried this product and if you like it or if you're considering buying it!

Next week I'll be posting my favourite products to use alongside FAST to aid in the hair growth process, so please keep a look out for that! I always let you know through Twitter when I have a new post out so if you'd like to follow me on that, you can be first to know. Also, I have Bloglovin' so I'd love it if you'd follow me there too!

Thank you for reading this super long post and I hope it helped!

Chloe x