Tag Archives: Hair treatment

Sunday Spa Feature – Argan Oil, Aloe Vera, Sweet Orange and Sea Salt hair styling spray

Posted in beauty, hair treatment, spa treatment, Wellbeing by

Hair Styling spray with Argan oil, Sweet Orange and Aloe Vera I debated about whether to post this, given the sombre mood this weekend. I’ve decided to keep with the British Bull Dog Spirit and to keep calm and carry on.

This Post is the regular Sunday Spa Feature for an Argan Oil, Aloe Vera with Sweet Orange and Sea Salt hair styling spray.

It is a very simple to create a styling spray that give you plenty of volume and hold for your hair.

The spray consists of  Dead Sea Salt which will provide the volume and hold. If you don’t have Dead Sea Salt, you can substitute this for Sea Salt, or Sugar, though I am not keen on the idea of using Sugar in my hair in case, well, it might attract bugs!

For moisture, since I have some Argan Oil this will protect hair from heat styling and keep your hair smooth and shiny. I’ve also included some Aloe Vera gel, also known for its mosturising properties.Hair Styling spray with Argan oil and Aloe Vera (6)

To scent the spray, I’ve added a few drops of Sweet Orange Essential Oil, you can of course choose something else. I like the scent of Oranges and since using the spray, I’ve found that the Essential Oil gives my hair added shine, it’s great to combine it with the Argan Oil.

That’s basically, it. Just spray into your hair and style as usual, you can use it for adding volume or texture (spray and leave to dry, as this will add natural definition and texture to your hair).

Not bad for a few ingredients found around the home and best of all, not a single man-made chemical or preservative went into this spray, which means better, healthier hair.

All you need are the following ingredients:

100ml spray bottle

65 ml hot water

35 ml Dead Sea Salt or Sea Salt (about 2 level tablespoons)

1 teaspoon aloe vera gel

1 teaspoon vodka

1 teaspoon argan oil

Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Simply combine all the ingredients into the Spray Bottle. It’s easier if you have a small funnel. To make sure the oil mixes in with the other ingredients, I have added a small amount of vodka (you can substitute this for Surgical Spirit or rubbing alcohol but I find that this has a strong scent and I just prefer vodka because it’s scent free).

Just shake to combine the ingredients before each use.

Enjoy!

Beauty Haul – 3 high-street finds for hair and skin

Posted in At home, lifestyle, Skin Care, Skincare, Wellbeing by

L'Oreal EverRiche Exilir for Hair1. EverRiche Perfect Elixir Mask Spray

Boots and other leading chemists.

Last weekend, I went shopping to replace a few skincare and haircare items that I’d run out of.

My hair, has become dry and lost some of its shine. Perhaps it’s my season of life, perhaps it is also the change in the light, the change in weather as Autumn slips slowly into Winter.

We’ve also had a whole week of dreary rain and my hair looks and feels tired and brittle, no doubt from blow drying and styling it with a hot hair dryer.

I’ve been using the shampoo and conditioner by L’Oreal, which is sulphate free, in my search for hair care products that don’t strip hair and scalp of natural oils.

If you have dry itchy scalp as I once had, switch to a shampoo and conditioner without Sulphates.  It is the best thing you can do for your hair and scalp.

After getting the shampoo and conditioner, the 3 for 2 offer in Boots was just too hard to resist. This meant the EverRiche Perfect Elixir Mask Spray for dry hair was added to my basket. I must admit it is a pleasure to use both in terms of the way it smells (It reminds me of almonds and vanilla) and the softness of my hair.

It also keep the hair smelling fresh.  In terms of shine though it is only a little improved.

2.Jojoba OilHolland & Barrett Jojoba Oil

Holland & Barrett

Looking around the high street, in both high-end department stores and pharmacies, I am overwhelmed by the amount of products on display. There are so many, each boasting of their abilities to add moisture, tighten skin, reduce wrinkles or cellulite and more, the claims seem so enticing.

To get everything, would involve a major dent in my budget, not to mention the trouble fitting everything into my bathroom.

One thing struck me though was a lot of the products on display were oils – for face, body and hair.

In Holland & Barrett, I came across pure Jojoba Oil, not listed as an ingredient in a product, but simply the pure oil. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend.

However, as it is a multipurpose oil that is so close to the natural oil produced by our own skin – Sebum, I decided that this would be a good investment as an oil that would be multi-tasking for skincare as well as hair care remedies, from stretch marks to cuticles.

I’m already benefitting  from just a few drops of Jojoba applied to my face before putting on a night cream. My skin feels softer, and pores seem more refined.

Because the composition of the oil is similar to natural sebum, it will regulate sebum production by tricking your skin into thinking it already has produced enough sebum.

Since I’ve always had a rather shiny T area, this is going to be helpful in reducing the shine. It involves just using a couple of drops rubbed in my palm to distribute it evenly across my forehead and around my nose.

WIlkinson Argan Oil3. Argan Oil

Wilkinson

My best find was the Argan Oil in Wilkinsons of all places! This bottle was just £2.50, and even though it’s plainly packaged, it is an oil that’s in a lot of trendy new products at the moment. With plenty of natural skin and benefits, I’ll be trying out a few skin and hair remedies with this oil.

Will share with you as soon as I’ve worked out how to include in a hair styling spray to replace the commercial one that I’ve been using.

Sunday Spa Feature – Hot Oil hair treatment for dark hair and healthy scalp

Posted in beauty, hair treatment, inspiration, spa treatment, Wellbeing by

Hot Oil Treatment for healthy hair and scalp

Lately my hair feels like straw. I think it must be the combination of feeling under the weather and the chlorine in the swimming pool on holiday.

In my teenage years, I came across VO5 hot oil treatment and would use this on my hair every Sunday as I was convinced by the marketing that it was necessary for long hair.

With all the natural ingredients I have in my cupboard however, it would be simple to make up a batch of hot oil treatment for my hair, without the hassle of having to go shopping.

To condition and put moisture back into my hair, I have chosen to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, well-known for its health benefits, full of antioxidants. It is also a great hair restorer, it contains vitamins A and E and works to treat damaged hair and promotes a healthier scalp.

Since I also have fresh Rosemary growing in the garden, I have taken a sprig of this herb to use with the Olive Oil. Rosemary tea and Oil is widely used in hair treatments and is known as a traditional treatment to darken hair and slow the appearance of grey hair. Since I now have a sprinkling of white showing through my black Chinese hair, this will be great to slow down the rate at which my hair is going grey. The herb is also great at regulating and re-balancing dry itchy scalps.Rosemary and Sage (1)

One of the most used essential oils I have is Tea Tree, this essential oil has fended off the dreaded head lice that most school kids come home with. Whenever, I receive a note from our kids schools advising of Head Lice, I make sure to add tea tree oil when my kids are washing their hair. In fact they now don’t need reminding to add a few drops into their shampoo.

The oil helps unclog pores that may be blocked due to use of shampoos and hair products that contain fillers and polymers. It’s also great at getting rid of dead skin cells, to help healthy new hair to grow.

Fresh Rosemary and Sage herbs to use in hot oil treatmentFinally, as I have fresh Sage growing in the garden also, I will combine this along with the fresh Rosemary and use it as a herb infusion in the olive oil. It is also known as a herb that helps to darken hair.

Making the hot hair treatment is very simple.

In a pan, gently heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Gently bruise the fresh rosemary and fresh sage with a pestle and mortar and add to the hot olive oil, leave to steep for as long as possible (overnight is preferable) but if you are stuck for time, you can use immediately.

I have simply heated the herbs through in the olive oil, then left to cool until it is comfortable to touch with my finger.

With the oil warmed through (be careful that it is not so hot that it will scald – you should be able to put your finger in the oil without it feeling uncomfortable to touch.)

Add 2-3 drops of tea tree essential oil.

If you also have Rosemary essential oil – 2-3 drops can also be added to the hot oil to give the properties of Rosemary an extra boost.

To apply the hot oil

In a bowl, using fingers massage the warm oil into your scalp in circular motion, until all your scalp has been massaged thoroughly, add the remaining oil and run through the entire length of your hair. (1 – 2 tablespoons should be plenty to cover shoulder length hair).

If you have a disposable shower cap, cover your hair and wrap in a towel so that the warm oil can penetrate your hair.

Leave for as long as possible.

Wash with your usual shampoo and condition as necessary.

Once dried, my hair, which felt dry and brittle, has regained some of its bounciness and shine.

Hmm definitely will need to do this on a regular basis.

If you have lighter coloured hair and want to try this hot oil treatment, try Calendula,  chamomile and lemon peel added to the olive oil, as I’ve read these herbs will help to lighten and add highlights to hair.