I really HATE drying my hair. I know it's necessary but the noise just puts my teeth on edge. There also seems to be a time limit on when you can use one as well, as post ten o'clock and you're being rude to the neighbours.
This may all change with news of the Philips Hush hairdryer, which is being sold as the quietest hairdryer IN THE WORLD! I like the sound of that. They haven't skimped on the wattage as I'd suspected, as the dryer has a full 2000 watts, as well as six heat settings, a cool shot and a diffuser. Watch this space for a review.
£34.99 from Philips here.
Every time I go to a salon I suffer an ecstasy of indecision regarding the tipping process. How much do I tip- and to who? Do I have to tip if I hate my hair? Often I end up not tipping (shame on me) as I simply don't know what to do, so I've decided to clarify this by asking top hairdressers to tell me what they think. A good rule of thumb (in my opinion) is to always carry cash, and try and tip the juniors rather than the salon owner, as they're on less money.
I asked top UK hairdressers: What do you think is an appropriate tip in salon, and who should you tip?
Dom-Creative Stylist for Sebastian Professional
As with restaurants I would recommend 10%. It may be worth asking the receptionist how your Salons tip system works, it may be shared evenly amongst the team. Its great if you can tip whom ever had direct contact with you.
Adrian Allen
I don't believe in tipping for bad service and I like clients to actually give my team their tips so that the team member knows they have done a great job and can thank the client. I personally don't expect tips but I think a fair tip is around ten percent but only if you have had amazing service. It's interesting how a team member can start to wonder what they haven't done so well when they don't get tipped!
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Blowdrying my hair has always been a bit hit or miss. I remember the joy when the first affordable hair straighteners came on the market over 12 years ago (anyone else have the Babyliss Steam and Shine?) and the disappointment when it wasn't all I thought it would be. I simply HATE hairdrying, I hate the noise, the heat, the time, and how no matter how hard I try it just doesn't look that good. Most of the time I tend to let it dry wet and then straighten it the next day, but this *might* all be about to change, as I've just had a masterclass in how to do a sleek blowdry at home from the delightful Ben Cooke of the salon Lockenego.
The lesson was courtesy of Herbal Essences who have just released a new range called 'Seductively Straight', and my hair was first washed with these products before the styling commenced. Remeber- this was all me, as apart from directions, it was my hands holding the (heavy) hairdryer, and my hands twisting the brush in order to focus the heat down the shaft of the hair.
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I hate my hair. That's probably a familiar refrain for most of the women in the world, as my hair simply never does what I want it to do. I wish for long blonde silky smooth tresses, and what do I get? Mid length mousy brown with a wave that's almost impossible to eradicate. Sure, GHD's and hair dye help, but my days of Cheryl Cole style lustrous hair will sadly never be- unless I've splashed out majorly on extensions that month.
When I first heard of Bumpits I was initially very sceptical, mainly to do with their hilarious infomercial, as seriously, some American products are advertised sooo oddly. When they made the move across the sea I stated to be a little curious, and when I was offered some to try I happily jumped at the chance.
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Like many people I know, I seem to become more sensitive to chemicals as I get older. While I'd merrily slap on every potion claiming to work wonders on my hair in my early twenties, I'm now pretty careful about what I put on my body and several brands of shampoo are blacklisted as I know they'll 'set me off'.
Charles Worthington's new sensitive range is geared towards people with these sort of issues, and I was curious to know if it would work as well as their other products. Read on over the jump for my verdict.
£4.39 at Boots
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Welcome to a new series here on KissandMakeup, Detoxing Beauty for Baby. That's right, I am expecting a baby in August and have been flabbergasted by how it's affected my beauty routine. I figure if I've been surprised and confused, other expectant women are too.
Plus, this series will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn about natural alternatives to the often chemical-laden products we keep in our showers, medicine cabinets and makeup bags. Most of the products will not be specific to pregnant women.
Such as my first product review - Depth Body body washes and hair care. Shampoo and conditioner are some of the most basic beauty products women really don't want to give up, but at the same time they are some of the hardest to find in super safe versions. If you're looking to avoid sulfates, parabens and synthetic fragrances - which I think everyone should be - it is very difficult to find a shampoo. Especially in the drug store or super market.
Depth Hair Care shampoo and conditioner are free of these dangerous ingredients, as well as being hypo-allergenic, 70% Certified Organic, and 100% vegan. To determine safety, I run all the ingredients in a product through the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database hoping to avoid high hazard ratings. Depth Body is one of the first shampoos I submitted to this barometer that passed. But how do the products work?
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Root regrowth is the bane of blondes worldwide as around the three week mark we start to notice darkness creeping into our parting. Unless we're made of money, we generally wait around 3 weeks more before addressing them, but imagine if there was an in between solution? A magical formula that gently lightened your roots but didn't affect your highlights and meant you could stave off the visit to the salon for a couple more weeks?
It doesn't sound possible does it, but this has actually just become a reality. Goldwell has created an in salon treatment called 'New Blonde' which addresses your roots at that mid stage point. Their top secret formula is liberally applied to the scalp, and somehow the ingredients on it make it only work on the virgin regrowth, leaving the dyed hair and your highlights untouched.
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