Hair To Stay

 Hair To Stay

Hair is something that someone holds precious to them. Some can spend years and years growing hair down their backs, and some choose to shave it off. Whatever your style, colour or hair type, I have some products that can save your hair, and spring it back into life. 

Since my hair has changed so much over time, I have quite a bit of knowledge about different hair types. I've been a blonde, a red head and a brunette, and my hair has recently changed from naturally straight to naturally curly. Hopefully, I've got you covered with the following products and tips, for both real and synthetic hair. 

Types of hair-

Oily/greasy hair: Oil is naturally produced by your body, and although it's perfectly natural and good for your hair, it doesn't feel great on everyone. Any shampoo with fruit in can really help with a greasy scalp. Since fruit contains active enzymes, these help to break down the oil on the scalp faster than the body would try to, leaving oil free hair. Citrus fruits are particularly good for this, plus they smell amazing!

My personal recommendation- Lush I Love Juicy shampoo (Cruelty free, available here and in store) 

Dry scalp/ dandruff: Some people might tell you to stick to an anti dandruff shampoo when dealing with dandruff, but these sometimes smell disgusting and they make the rest of your hair coated with what feels like wax. Luckily, the remedy for a dry or itchy scalp is all natural. Coconut oil is a product that has been a well kept beauty secret for many years, but it is now being recognised as a miracle worker. All you have to do is:

•Take some of the coconut oil out of the jar with your hands- you probably don't need as much as you think!

•Let it melt from the solid in your hands, being careful not to let it drip everywhere. 

•Rub it into your scalp when it's melted enough. 

•Leave it on for about 20 minutes, then wash with any shampoo, making sure you fully get the oil out of your hair. 

Photo credit- mamabee.com

Naturally straight hair, lacking in volume: Hairspray and backcombing just can't be done all the time since it's so damaging for your hair. Look for shampoos that have 'volume' or 'boost' written on them, and you'll be good to go!

My personal recommendation: The Body Shop Rainforest shampoo (Cruelty free, available here)

Naturally curly hair- For me, it isn't about what I wash my hair with, it's about how I wash my hair. After shampooing and conditioning, rinse your hair in cold water for 10 seconds. Trust me, your back is probably going to bend back more than it has done in your life to avoid touching the water, but it really does help. I then find that leaving my hair in low pigtails overnight separates the hair, and allows it to dry under control. 

COLOUR:

Bleached hair: I'm a bleach blonde, which is a hard colour to maintain since it can become brassy very quickly. Purple, blue and silver shampoos are vital when trying to keep a toned blonde, and Lush's Daddy O shampoo does everything. Not only does it smell like palma violets, but it changes the orange tones in hair to cool tones. (Cruelty free, available here)

Red: Dyed red hair can be gone in one wash if you don't use the right kind of products. Luckily, virtually any shampoo that has the words 'colour protect' on will do the right job for dyed red hair. A favourite of mine is the Timotei Vivid Colour shampoo. It smells amazing, and leaves your red hair bright and shiny. (Not cruelty free, available here) Dyed brown is basically the same, any colour protect is good but the Timotei one really helps to lock in colour.

Your natural hair colour: ANYTHING THAT SMELLS NICE! Lush do some amazing shampoos, conditioners and hair masks that can be used with any hair type. Enjoy having a natural colour, because keeping dyed hair takes effort.

HAIR DYES:

Semi permanent: Some people will swear by Directions by La Riche hair dye, but when me and my friends used it, nothing went to plan. My friend's was meant to be purple, but turned out a swampy green, and mine was also meant to be purple and came out a mix of yellow, pink, white and purple. However, semi permanent conditioning hair dyes will generally only take to certain types of hair, but I'm yet to discover what that type is.

Whoops, directions dark purple dye??

Some people worry about dye ruining their hair and being damaging. The golden rule is that if you have to mix anything, it's going to be at least slightly damaging to your hair. The least damaging bleach that I've ever used was the Schwarzkopf XXL Live Platinum dye. My hair was a mile off being platinum, but it was blonde and felt exactly the same as it did before I bleached it. Their dyes are also great. (Not cruelty free, available here)

DEEP CONDITIONING:

After dying or bleaching, you're going to want to but the wonder back into your new hair. The Bleach London Reincarnation Mask is by far the best thing I've ever used, but you can make masks at home.

• Coconut oil and banana- mash them together into a bowl or cup and smear it all over your hair, I'd avoid the roots if you don't want oily hair the next day. Leave it on for any time between 45 minutes and two hours, then wash it off using a cleansing shampoo and a tiny bit of conditioner.
• Olive oil and egg- this one doesn't sound great, but it's amazing! Just mix it in a cup and pour it over your head (I'd do it in the bath). Leave this one on for half an hour, and make sure that you use a good shampoo afterwards.

SYNTHETIC WIG CARE:

Synthetic wigs can be absolute hell. Finding a happy medium between the wig reflecting every bit of light ever and the wig being in a ball is hard. However, once you know how to sort it, you should be fine. 

Getting rid of shine: This solution always works when done well. Fill your basin with warm water (NOT hot, this is very important) and add 4 scoops of laundry powder. Mix it in with the water, then add the wig and swish it about for a bit. Depending on the length and style of the wig (the longer the wig, the longer the time) leave it for 8-12 minutes. Once you've let the wig sit, rinse it in COLD water and leave it to hang somewhere so it can dry.

Adding shine: 

Do the complete opposite of taking shine away. Add a tiny bit of conditioner to the water and follow all the same steps as getting rid of shine requires. Just rinse it in warm water instead of cold at the end.

Water temperatures for styling:

The warmer the water, the more styled the wig will get. If you want to straighten a curly wig, stand the wig up in the bath and pour boiling water over it, or use a steamer. If you want to curl a straight wig, put the hair into rollers (NOT electric ones!!!) and then pour the water or steam the shape. Wavy hair can be achieved by braiding the wig then steaming/boiling. Please do not use actual hair styling products on your synthetic wig, or I will personally come and take that wig away to cry over it. Seriously though, don't do it, the ends get fried and it looks like you've been dragged through a hedge. 

Hopefully, I've covered enough here! If you want any other recommendations, tweet us on the Ailurophelle twitter account @AILUROPHELLE