John Frieda Full Repair Range

I was recently given the opportunity to try out John Frieda's relatively new Full Repair* range. I have the shampoo, conditioner and deep infusion. The range is designed to 'revive overworked hair' with Inca Inchi extract. As I don't use heat on my hair very often and I never colour it I wouldn't describe my hair as 'overworked' so I enlisted the help of my friend to help me with this review.

The shampoo was my favourite product of the three; I've used it all up! The description of this shampoo sounds quite similar to the Osmo Berber Oil and Macadamia Natural Oil shampoos which are both favourites of mine so that might explain why I liked this product. It's a fairly standard shampoo; it smells inoffensive and lathers up nicely. I sometimes struggle with shampoos irritating my scalp and this one didn't which is a huge plus for me. It didn't leave my hair looking limp so I'd say that it somewhat delivers on its 'full body' claim but it's not a miracle product in that sense. Emma, my reviewing friend, also thought that the shampoo wasn't really anything special but that it worked nicely.

Before I even tried the conditioner I knew I probably wouldn't like it because I never use a traditional conditioner like this. Like the shampoo it's what you'd expect from a standard high street conditioner. I found it to be far too conditioning for my hair so only used it a few times. Again, Emma didn't think this product was anything special. 

I've been trying out is the Perfect Ends Deep Infusion which is the interesting product in the range. Its purpose is similar to a hair oil or serum but the consistency is really odd. It looks like water or a light oil but it comes in a pump bottle so it's quite tricky to use. I'm not sure why they didn't package it in a spray bottle because that would have been much more convenient. You only need to use a really small amount of this product; I overdid it the first time and my hair was horribly greasy within a few hours. I used this before blow drying my hair and did find that it made the ends look smoother. I don't think it'll be replacing my hair oils or my beloved Aussie leave in conditioner spray, though. Emma didn't particularly rate this product either.

This review probably sounds quite negative but on the whole the products aren't bad, they just don't work particularly well on my hair type. If I were to repurchase anything from the range it would be the shampoo. With prices starting at £5.89 the products are worth a try if you have colour treated hair or heat styled hair.

Have you tried anything from this range?

Stace xx

*PR Samples

Budget Beauty Essential: Tresemme Volumising Dry Shampoo

This week's budget beauty essential post is going to be about my favourite dry shampoo. Last week's was about baby shampoo but I promise that next week's product won't be hair-related! 

I've purchased countless cans of the Tresemme Instant Refresh Volumising dry shampoo over the past four or five years. It's the one I always come back to. I find that come of the cheaper ones (hi, Batiste, I'm talking about you) leave too much of a white cast in my dark hair but this one doesn't at all. I also really like the smell of the Tresemme dry shampoos in comparison to others at a similar or lower price point. This dry shampoo is £4.79 but it's often part of a 3 for 2 or buy two for £5 offer in Boots or Superdrug so I usually stock up then.

I'm a big fan of dry shampoos in general because my roots become greasy fairly quickly and they also tend to look a little flat. This product helps to eradicate greasiness and gives me some volume. I realise that most dry shampoos provide this volumising effect but I've noticed that the results disappear much more quickly than they do with this volumising version. 

So, if you've got hair like mine and are looking for a nice dry shampoo, try this one!

Stace xx

Budget Beauty Essential: Baby Shampoo

This is the second post in my little budget beauty essentials series. The first one was about a bargainous Clean & Clear moisturiser which is excellent at dealing with blemishes but today's post is about something I think every beauty addict needs to own. 

It's baby shampoo. Yes, I know, it's not very glamorous but I'd definitely class it as an essential and it's usually relatively cheap. I use it primarily for cleaning my brushes. I find that it's just as effective as any brush cleaner from other brands I feel as though it's gentle enough not to damage the bristles. A large bottle of baby shampoo can easily last me six months if I only use it to wash my brushes.

However, baby shampoo isn't just a brush cleaner for me. I have naturally straight hair which can get greasy quite quickly. I find that quite a lot of the mid-range shampoos out there leave build up in my hair which makes it even more grease prone. I have quite a sensitive scalp so if I only use clarifying shampoos I find that it begins to feel tight and irritated. Since I always have a bottle on hand for brush cleaning, I sometimes find myself reaching for baby shampoo to wash my hair too and it works really nicely for me. I just use a little Macadamia Natural Oil or Aussie Leave In conditioner afterwards and my hair looks just as shiny as it does when I use anything else. 

I only discovered how much I liked using baby shampoo in my hair when I caught chicken pox two years ago (at the grand old age of 21 - it was horrible) but I've been using it fairly regularly since. A friend of mine told me that her hairdresser recommended it to her because she has very fine hair, too. 

Do you have a bottle of baby shampoo lying around? 

Stace xx

PS - On the topic of bargains, have you had a look at my blog sale? I've added more new items today!

Osmo Berber Oil Collection

When I was offered the opportunity to try out the Osmo Berber Oil range I jumped at the chance. I've been a fan of the Macadamia Natural Oil range since the beginning of the year and wanted to see how the Osmo range compared. I was sent the Rejuvenating Cleanser shampoo, the Hair Treatment oil and the Restoration Therapy mask.* 

All three products are generous travel sizes; I got between 15-20 washes from the 75ml shampoo (and I have very long hair), I've used the 75ml mask four times and still have lots left and I used the 10ml oil each time I washed my hair. These will definitely get you through a fortnight in the sun! 

I should point out that the Osmo range is, on the whole, more affordable than the Macadamia range I was using. The smaller sized items I'm reviewing are priced at £3.59 for the shampoo, £3.99 for the mask and £5.90 for the oil. The full sized products are £7.99 for the shampoo and mask (250ml each) and £17.60 for 100ml of the oil. The biggest difference in price is between the masks; the Macadamia Deep repair mask is £20.35 for 250 ml. I also find the packaging of the Osmo range to be a bit more travel friendly and easier to use in general compared with the bottles and jars the Macadamia products come in. 

I have to admit I didn't think this range would be as good as the Macadamia products I love but I've been so impressed by the Osmo Berber Oil range that I actually prefer a couple of the products to the equivalents from Macadamia. I should probably tell you a bit about the products now, shouldn't I?

The first thing I noticed about the Rejuvenating Cleanser shampoo was the scent; it's spicy and fruity and delicious! It is quite thick in consistency which made it a bit more difficult for me to work it through my hair but I generally stick to shampooing the roots anyway. Aside from cleansing the hair this shampoo aims to hydrate the hair and leave it looking radiant. I'd say that it does deliver on those claims for me but I don't have particularly dry or damaged hair. In the past I've found that shampoos which claim to 'hydrate' hair usually just make mine look greasy but this one didn't, thankfully! If you're in the market for a new shampoo, I'd definitely recommend this one if you don't have any major hair issues; this is my favourite product from the range. 

The Restoration Therapy mask is the product I've used the least because I can only use it once a week. I find if I use a hair mask any more than that, my hair gets greasy and limp. I could only use the Macadamia mask once every ten days because it was so thick and hydrating but this mask from the Osmo Berber Oil collection is a little more lightweight. I apply it to damp hair after shampooing, leave it on for five minutes and rinse out. It leaves the ends of my hair looking smooth (despite the fact I'm in desperate need of a hair cut). The lighter texture of this product means I can use it a little more often and if I was on holiday in the sun I'd probably use it every couple of days without worrying about it weighing my hair down. If you do have quite dry or damaged hair, you would probably prefer the Macadamia mask but if you've got normal/oily hair, I'd recommend this one instead.

The Hair Treatment oil is the third product I tried. I used this through the ends of my hair after washing it and whilst I did like it, I get better results from my Macadamia equivalent. This oil is a bit thinner in consistency but leaves my hair feeling a little weighed down with product even when I only use a tiny bit. It does make my hair look smooth and shiny, though. It's not a terrible product, I just found it to be a bit too nourishing for me.

All the products mentioned in this post are available on FeelUnique.com (link)  

Have you tried this range or anything similar?

Stace xx

My Hair Care Routine

I had a few requests to do a post about my hair care routine recently and I have to say, I was pretty surprised. I do very little with my hair which is why I don't talk about hair products very often. 

My hair is long and very straight. It's naturally quite shiny and is therefore prone to getting greasy very quickly. I hardly ever use heat on my hair and if I do it's just a quick blast of the hair dryer before I head out the door. I've been using the same line of products since the start of this year but prior to that I had a very simple routine so I've kept it that way!

I currently use four different products on a regular basis, three of which are from the Macadamia Natural Oil line. 

For shampoo I use the Macadamia Natural Oil Rejuvenating Shampoo (£12.00 for 300ml link). I'm on my second full sized bottle of this. This shampoo is sulphate free which is great for me as it doesn't leave any horrible build up in my hair. It is very runny so if you do try this, don't let that alarm you and be careful not to use too much. I know someone who got a trial size set and they said the 100ml shampoo only lasted them 3 washes! That size lasted me at least a month; around 20 washes. I really like this shampoo but it is pretty pricey and I have a bottle of Aussie Mega shampoo so I'll probably use that before repurchasing another bottle of this.

After I get out of the shower, I run a little of the Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Treatment (£22.75 for 125ml link) through the ends of my hair. I find it keeps my hair looking shiny and healthy. On the few occasions when I've skipped using this, I've noticed a difference. I really like that this has a pump; I usually use one full pump but if you've got shorter hair and need less product, it's easy to control. I've been using this for almost three months now and the bottle is still about 85% full so whilst this may seem pricey initially, it's worth the investment. 

Every ten days or so, I use the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque (£19.50 for 250ml link.) The instructions state you should use this once or twice a week but I found it to be too conditioning to use so often. I expect anyone with very dry hair will love this. 

Finally, if I'm going to blow dry my hair, I spritz in some of the KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry (£8.75 for 200ml link). I received a sample of this in a previous Carmine box and I liked it so I picked up the full size. This does speed up my blow drying time but it also leaves my hair feeling really soft. I've sprayed this in my hair a few times and not blow dried it but it still gives me the lovely soft feeling.

I should point out that due to my grease-prone hair, I do use dry shampoo but I'm not overly picky with which brand I use. I don't like Batiste because it leaves too much white residue in my dark hair. Tresemme is my favourite brand for dry shampoo but I find it to be a bit overpriced so I usually just go for whatever's on offer at the time.

Also, if you keep an eye on Buyapowa.com, they often offer co-buys on Macadamia Natural Oil products or sets. 

Phew! I hope that was useful to some of you!

Stace xx