The Hair Life

Just before Christmas last year I was in London and, on an unidentifiable whim, bought a pair of hair straighteners. They were the Nicky Clarke Hair Therapy Ceramic hair straighteners and for a few months I loved them. Then one of the plates stopped working (the plate basically decided not to heat up anymore). So I exchanged them for a second pair in early April.

Two days ago, the second pair practically exploded as I was doing my hair. I assumed they must have overheated internally. Now, I am usually a calm person and I like to give second chances, but, considering that the guarantee for these hair straighteners is 1 year and both died after just a few months, I had had enough.

In a panic, I researched different products and eventually decided to buy the ghd IV Styler, which arrived on next day delivery today. Although I have only used them a few times (my hair dresser uses them and I borrowed the same pair of a friend for a while), I can honestly say that the difference is astonishing. My hair is a lot shinier and I don't have to do anything to it for at least two - three days, which saves me so much time.


While I was reading up about different hair straighteners however, I realised that a lot of you don't really seem to know what products are best for your hair to minimise heat damage. So I thought I would let you take a little look inside my beauty-cupboard:

1 -  I honestly don't think that enough emphasis is put on how important the right shampoo is. We damage our hair most if we just use the shampoo that's closest to our shower on the shelf... and trust me - we've all done it. Personally, I prefer the L'Oreal Elvive Triple Resist because it contains protein, which is essential when growing hair out.

2 - Conditioner is almost as important as shampoo. In fact, I would say that you should use conditioner with every wash. Again, I prefer L'Oreal for this and because my hair is pretty prone to frizz and is hard to smooth I use the L'Oreal Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Conditioner.

3 - Because my hair is dyed and I straighten it fairly regularly, it can get a bit tired looking and lacks moisture. The best deep treatment mask I have found for this is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor. Not only does it smell amazing, it also does exactly what it says on the tin. PLUS, even though it costs £5, compared to other products it doesn't break the bank.

4 - Straightening and any kind of heat really can be very bad for your hair. So I always make sure to use a heat protection spray before blow-drying or straightening my hair. I really like the L'Oreal Studio Line Silk & Gloss Hot Straight Spray, which protects the hair up to 230 degrees.

5 - Although I have stayed true to the L'Oreal Studio heat protection spray for quite a while now, I have recently fallen in love with the GHD Heat Protect Spray, which also happens to smell
amaaazing.

6 - Without exception, I like to finish my hair care routine by applying the L'Oreal Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Serum. This product is fantastic as it does exactly what it promises to do. It's not too intense either, so you don't feel like you've got product in your hair, but it leaves the hair feeling and looking smooth and glossy.


Comment to let me know what your favourite hair products are...

S.

My Top 10 Best Workout Songs

In an ideal world I would have a number of excuses to account for my recent absence from this blog: "my computer died on me," (perhaps the most unconvincing of the lot) "preparing for exams meant I had no time for anything else" or even "I was going through a period of emotional crises."

Photo courtesy of techlicious.com

But let's face reality (because at the end of the day you can't escape the truth) - if there is any reason, it is that my brain was having a weird kind of time-out from everything. A sort of "stressy period" (and we've all experienced those before...) So eventually I had to sit myself down and sort it out.

However, it is not just in life we need a bit of motivation; when it comes to doing exercise we all require a kick in the butt. The way I see it is that with a good beat in the ears, you can achieve anything.

So, after extensive research, I have put together this playlist for you:

1. I usually like to base my main exercise around running. It is the perfect way to get fresh air, enjoy the outdoors and get fit at the same time. The first thing I do is start with a 5 minute warm-up: in my experience, dynamic warm-ups are the most effective, which is why I keep static warm-ups to a minimum (but hey - I'm no expert!).
Recently, I have really started to enjoy listening to Touch by Shift K3Y for my warm-up.

2. No matter how much you might enjoy exercise, starting the workout is the hardest part. Therefore, DJ Khaled's All I Do Is Win is the perfect song to get in the mood.

3. For a warm-up I personally think that a strong beat is perfect, but when I start to actually run I always find that a smooth, calm rhythm is more important, particularly as it helps to regulate my breathing and pace. One of the best songs for this (by far) is Deepest Blue by Deepest Blue...

4. Similar to Deepest Blue is the new #1 by Mr. Probz called Waves, which I have become absolutely obsessed with.

5. When you get to that stage in your workout where your legs seem to turn to steel-rods and you feel like you can't take another step, then Turn Me On by Kevin Lyttle is absolutely perfect.

6. Every time that Christina Aguilera blares Candyman in my ear, my pace quickens and I do a little victory dance in my head. I don't know what it is about this song, but it just seems to relieve every tension in my body - maybe it's the addictive beat or the fact that I can't help thinking about the fun and flirty 40s-inspired music video...

7. Another old-time favourite of mine (although I really only started to love and listen to this song after hearing it in the Coco Chanel Mademoiselle advert with Keira Knightley), is It's a Man's Man's World by Joss Stone. The mellow rhythm of this song always helps when my breathing starts to let me down.

8. In the last few minutes of my run, I like to really push myself as I always find that I feel so much better about myself afterwards if I do. Braveheart by Neon Jungle is the ideal song to motivate me to push on.

9. Similarly, Blu Cantrell's song Breathe is great to listen to when you're getting a little bit tired and fed up...

10. FINALLY, what better song to finish your run on than Maniac by Michael Sembello from the amazing film 'Flashdance'?

Now get out there and do it like a maniac!

S.