The Healthy Hair Diary: hair care

Garnier Ultimate Blends Nourishing Repair Hair Care - Shampoo, Conditioner & Repair Balm

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

About 1-2 years ago when I was a serious hair junkie, I picked up the Garnier Ultimate Blends Avocado and Shea Butter 1 minute Nourishing Repair Conditioner. I think I used it once and as I had so many other products in use, put it down and forgot about it.

About 2 months ago I decided to go through my hair product stash to see what was worth keeping and what needed to go. I came across the Garnier Avocado & Shea Butter Nourishing 1 minute Repair conditioner and decided to give it another try. I used it to co-wash and also as a rinse out conditioner when deep conditioning on dry hair and my hair was left feeling soft like velvet each time.

My staple shampoo and conditioner was starting to run low so I decided to take the plunge and purchase the Garnier Whole Blends Avocado & Shea Butter Extracts shampoo, conditioner and hair balm to see how they'd work on my hair.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Nourishing Repair Hair Care with Avocado Oil & Shea Butter Extracts

If you have dry damaged hair you need more than a shampoo, you need Garnier Ultimate Blends; The Nourishing Repairer. Enriched with an ultimate blend of Avocado Oil and Shea Butter to reinforce the hair's natural barrier, it provides parched, damaged hair with an intense moisture surge from root to tip.

Nourishing Shampoo

A sumptuously rich, creamy blend with European Avocado Oil, and Shea Butter gathered from the African Karite tree.

Our luxurious, creamy shampoo blended with European Avocado Oil and African Shea Butter, leaves hair feeling super-soft yet non-greasy. Use with The Nourishing Repairer Conditioner for hair that feels weightlessly smooth and soft, and looks transformed.

Ingredients:

Aqua / Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycerin, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Chloride, CI 15985 / Yellow 6, CI 19140 / Yellow 5, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Polyquaternium-10, Salicylic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / Shea Butter, Citric Acid, Hexylene Glycol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum / Fragrance, Please check back of pack for up to date ingredients.

Nourishing Conditioner

Our lavish, creamy conditioner blended with European Avocado Oil and African Shea Butter, replenishes parched hair by leaving it feeling sumptuously soft and supple. Use with The Nourishing Repairer shampoo for hair that feels weightlessly smooth and soft, and looks transformed.

Ingredients

Aqua / Water,Cetearyl Alcohol,Elaeis Guineensis Oil / Palm Oil,Behentrimonium Chloride,CI 15985 / Yellow 6,CI 19140 / Yellow 5,Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine,Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride,Isopropyl Alcohol,Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil,Citric Acid,Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / Shea Butter,Hexyl Cinnamal,Glycerin,Parfum / Fragrance,Please check back of pack for up to date ingredients.

The Nourishing Repairer Balm

Intense care for very dry, damaged hair.

Instantly rescue very dry, damaged hair with Garnier Ultimate Blends Nourishing Repairer Balm. Blended with Avocado Oil and Shea Butter, our rich formula in a creamy balm texture is tailor made to intensely nourish parched hair, leaving it feeling soft to the touch.

Use once a week as a replacement for your normal conditioner for a boost of hydration for your hair. For dry hair in need of more intense treatment, you can use more often and leave on for longer before washing off.

Ingredients:

Aqua /Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cetyl Esters, Amodimethicone, CI 19140 / Yellow 5, CI 15985 / Yellow 6, Trideceth-6, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Isopropyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil, Methylparaben, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / Shea Butter, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum / Fragrance, (F.I.L. C161481/2) (1025163 B), Please check back of pack for up to date ingredients.

I have been using these products for the last 8 - 10 weeks in replacement of my Crème of Nature Staples and am really pleased with the results. My hair is always moist, very easy to detangle, full of shine and so soft and fluffy. I am definitely a fan of this line and my whole family can use this.

The shampoo and conditioner are a medium to thick consistency, when washing my hair with the shampoo; there is instant lather and my hair does not feel stripped or dry considering this is a sulfate shampoo, my hair is left feeling clean, detangled and moist. Prior to shampooing my hair, I always do a pre-shampoo treatment with oils and conditioner, however, to see the true results of this shampoo, I washed my hair with this shampoo without doing a pre-poo and my hair was still left feeling moist and easy to detangle. As I am trying to recover from a setback, I have been oiling my scalp every night so I'm alternating each wash day between sulfate and sulfate free shampoos so that I can be sure I am not left with any build up on my scalp or hair.

Following up with the rinse out conditioner, it gives my hair a nice moisture boost and is also a great conditioner to co-wash with and mixed with oils can be used to deep condition your hair with great results.

The hair balm is so thick it's unreal; a little goes a long way and you can literally turn the tub upside down and the product will not move. I love to use this to deep condition on dry /slightly damp hair then follow up with the shampoo and rinse out conditioner.

All in all, I love this line and will definitely pick these up again, I picked them up in my local boots store on a 3 for 2 deal and they are currently on offer for £2.00 each.

Have you tried any of the Garnier line? if so, which is your favourite...

hair care

My Top 10 Winter Hair Care Tips for Relaxed Hair

Saturday, November 19, 2016

If you haven't already, it is time to start thinking about protecting our hair from the harsh elements this cold weather brings. Below are my top 10 winter hair care tips whether your hair is natural or relaxed.

Pre-Poo (Pre-Shampoo Treatment)
Pre-pooing your hair with natural oils like extra virgin coconut oil prior to shampooing can ensure that your hair is not left stripped and dry if you are not using a sulfate free shampoo. Extra virgin coconut oil also prevents add moisture to your scalp and hair and also prevents your hair from suffering from hygral fatigue which is when your hair strand is constantly absorbing water and swelling then contracting as it dries which in the long term can cause breakage.

Deep Condition weekly
With the cold settling in for the next few months, it is essential to give our hair as much moisture as possible to protect our hair from the harsh elements of the cold temperatures, wind and rain. Ideally you should be deep conditioning at least once a week but if that is too often for you, and then try bi-weekly. Mix oils with your deep conditioner to give your hair that extra goodness.

Moisturise and Seal daily
Moisturising and sealing is vital to keeping your hair moist and manageable. Moisturising with water based moisturiser and sealing with heavier oils than what you would use in the warmer months will ensure your hair is moist and less prone to breakage.

Hot oil treatments
As the cold weather can be so drying to our hair, why not try hot oil treatments to inject some moisture back into your hair on wash day. Heat your chosen oil preferably y not in the microwave and carefully distribute throughout your hair once shampooed or even after you have deep conditioned, cover with a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for 15-25 minutes. Your hair will thank you for it.

Hats
When the weather gets cold, I think majority of us run to dig out our woolly hat to keep in the warmth. Whilst it is common to believe we are protecting our hair under a hat, this could actually cause more damage than we think. Winter Hats are made to keep your head warm but the material of the hat can wreak havoc on your hair and hairline leaving it dry as it is robbed of moisture, not only that, hats can also cause breakage by the friction of rubbing on your edges and nape. If you aren't lucky enough to have a satin lined hat, try wearing a satin scarf under the hat so keep your hair soft, moist and damage free.

Knitwear, Winter Coats & Scarves
Here in the UK it seems as though we have skipped autumn and gone straight into winter. The chunky knits have been pulled out as well as the warm chunky scarves and coats. As warm as these may be, they are also made of materials which can pull and snag on our hair. Coats and scarves can rub on your nape area and when wearing our chunky knitwear, our hair can snag and get caught on the fabric, drying out your ends and causing breakage. Whilst there is no denying that we need to keep warm this winter, we would also like to save our hair from unnecessary stress.

Make sure your hair is always up in a low manipulation /protective hairstyle; basically any style that keeps your ends tucked away and prevents your nape/length of hair from rubbing on the harsher fabrics all day. Alternatively, you can use medium sized satin scarves to wrap around the collars of your winter coats to stop your hair from rubbing if you decide to wear your hair down.

Keep your hair protected at home.
When it's cold outside, the first we do is to crank up the central heating or plug in our electric heaters so we can be nice and snug in our homes. The heat is causing dry warm air which dried out our hair in our homes which can dry out your hair. When you're at home during the days or after work in the evenings cover your hair with a satin scarf or satin bonnet to keep the moisture in your hair. If your hair is dry anyway from being outdoors, you can moisturise your hair and then cover with a plastic cap to give your hair a DIY steaming session which will help to retain the moisture. This method is called the baggy method.

Protective/low manipulation hairstyles
The winter weather is cold and miserable and ideally it is best to keep your hair more importantly your ends tucked away from the harsh elements. This is the perfect weather for length retention as your ends are hidden away from the cold and harsh fabrics and the ends are being moisturised on a daily basis so there is less chance of breakage.

Dust / Trim your ends
It is important to ensure you are keeping up with both dusting and trimming your ends to maintain health ends and prevent split ends.

Limit your usage of heat
Winter is the ideal time for some ladies to flat iron their hair as there is no longer the worry of humidity in the air however with the additional of the cold air, heat can be very drying to your hair. As it is best to either have a protective or low manipulation hairstyle in colder weather, now is ample time to air-dry which is a much healthier option for your hair, alternatively try blow-drying your hair but only using cool/cold air.

Do you change your regime in the colder months?

hair care

Relaxer Touch Up - 11 Weeks Post

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Friday 1st May

Taking part in the castor oil challenge, I can definitely say I noticed thicker new growth. I had planned to relax my new growth at 12 weeks post and decided not to self relax but to get my mother in law to do it instead as I always end up with way more texture than my hair can cope with. My mother-in-Law had plans for the week after so I got my hair done at 11 weeks post.

Here is how relaxer day went:

Oiled my scalp with my castor oil mix; Coconut oil & JBCO and then sectioned my hair into four. Applied olive oil to the length of each section up to and not including my new growth and then twisted from the demarcation line downwards. I set my timer for 22 minutes and starting with the two back sections, my mother-in-law went through and applied ORS Olive Oil Lye Normal relaxer to my new growth.

With the crème thoroughly rinsed out, I applied Aphogee 2 minute reconstructor to my hair root to tip and left on for 3-4 minutes whilst I mixed up my deep conditioner mix then rinsed and shampooed 5 times with ORS Creamy Aloe Shampoo. For the last lather, I left the shampoo in my hair for 15 minutes whilst on the phone then rinsed and towel dried for 5 minutes.

I deep conditioned with ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner and Avocado oil. I covered with a plastic cap and sat under the hood dryer for 45 minutes then rinsed once cool.

I t-shirt dried for 30 minutes and then sectioned my hair into four, before applying my leave ins; Root2Tip Honey Rain Juice Leave in and Detangler, Giovanni Direct Leave In, Creme of Nature Argan Oil and Organix Anti-Breakage Coconut Milk then detangled my hair.

I blow-dried my hair in the same sections using the tension method with cool air. Before bed, I moisturise and sealed my hair using the LCO method with Root2Tip Honey Rain Juice Leave in and Detangler, Root2Tip Triple M Moisture Milk and Avocado oil.

I decided to rock a half up half down style for the bank holiday weekend, it's a nice style for when I'm not at work, and makes a difference from my usual seven days a week bun.

hair care

Product Haul - November 2014

Saturday, December 06, 2014

Last Saturday I went hair product shopping with my cousins in London. There were quite a few requests for hair product hampers from the ladies in our family so we thought we we'd get the shopping done and out of the way. I had a list of my own of things to get and ended up with a few unexpected buys.

Here is what I have bought:

Creme of Nature Straight from Eden Detangling Leave-in Conditioner

This was not on my shopping list but I picked it up without a second thought as I have heard good things about the Straight from Eden line. I thought about trying the shampoo and conditioner as well but it’s a staple leave in that I am looking for so decided not to be greedy. I used it after relaxing my hair on Sunday and loved how it made my hair feel and how easy it was to detangle. I will continue to use this for the month before I post a review.

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Conditioner

This is a staple of mine and I love love love it.

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Shampoo

Standard replacement, love this shampoo and how my hair is left feeling.

Spandex Hair Wrap

I bought this wrap to use when air-drying my hair. I used it on Sunday and wish I had discovered this sooner.

Aunt Jackie's Moisturizing & Softening Conditioner

I have wanted to get this for a while so picked it up. I am excited to give this a try.

ORS HaiRepair Nourishing Conditioner

I love this conditioner and wish I bought two bottles as I go through a lot of this.

Rat Tail Comb

My last rat tail comb broke and I have missed using it to part my hair. I bought two this time to ensure I have a back up.

Detangling comb

I use this comb on wash days to detangle my hair once I have gone through and finger detangled my hair. I have had so many of these and they somehow walk...

Spray Bottle

I love to mix up mists and DIY leave ins so decided to pick up one of these.

Mist Spray Bottle
I love spitzing my hair and new growth with water and this is the perfect little mist bottle.

Root2Tip Triple M Miracle Moisture Milk
I bought a bottle of this online last week but as I love it so much and there was only one left on the shelf, I decided to grab another bottle whilst I had the chance as I’d only regret it once I got back home.

Root2Tip Heaven's Hair Milk

I love the adult version of this moisturizer for my own hair so decided to buy this for my son to try on his hair.

Root2Tip Honey Rain Juice Detangler / Leave-in
A few British ladies have used this product and I have heard good reviews, Root2Tip also promote this product quite often on Instagram so I decided to give it a try.

What have you purchased recently?

Coconut Oil

Hair Update: 2 Weeks Post - June 2014

Sunday, June 22, 2014

coffee rinse

Reduce Shedding with a Coffee Rinse!

Monday, April 28, 2014

I have been noticing shedding whilst detangling my hair and can only be mad at myself as I use to do tea rinses religiously on wash days but due to time constraints, I somehow got out of sync and haven't done a tea rinse in a good while.

I was discussing this with my mum and she asked why I wasn't using coffee for my rinses as it was caffeine which blocks the hormone DHT (dihydrotestosterone) which accounts for hair loss and not necessarily tea. I hadn't actually thought about this before and had just started tea rinsing after following those who had documented reduced shedding and so tried it and found it worked for me too. I hadn't considered the fact that coffee would contain more caffeine than tea. My mother is usually right and after a bit of research I found a bit of proof...

Contrary to popular belief tea does not contain more caffeine than coffee, it actually contains about half the amount compared to instant coffee and a third of filter coffee. United Kingdom Tea Council.

I decided to give it a try and incorporated it in my last wash day.

How I coffee rinsed:

I pre-pooed my hair and as I was making my morning cup of coffee anyway I made two instead but with the coffee for my hair; I used a coffee travel mug to get that little bit extra and of course I didn't add sugar...
I shampooed and rinsed my hair and then blotted with a towel so that my hair wasn't dripping wet.
Placing a bathroom bowl in the bath so that it caught the coffee running from my hair, I poured the cool coffee over my hair whilst bending over the bath. I poured the coffee caught in the bowl back into the coffee cup and rinsed my hair repeating this method three times.
I covered my hair with a shower cap for 15 minutes whilst I cleaned my bathroom and then rinsed.
I deep conditioned and carried on with my usual wash day routine.

I didn't really know what to expect when I first rinsed my hair with the coffee but surprisingly I noticed very quickly that my hair wasn't feeling rough and dry like it does when I do a black tea rinse so coffee rinses were already winning points with me but I decided to wait until detangling my hair to get too excited. After applying my leave-ins and then detangling my hair, I was sold. There was definitely a decrease in shedding of hairs whilst detangling my hair and I will also say I achieved better results with this coffee rinse than I have with tea rinses. I will still do tea rinses occasionally but Coffee Rinsing is now part of my wash day regime if not weekly then bi-weekly.

For more information on the effects of caffeine on hair, have a browse at this article by Livestrong.com.

Have you tried coffee rinsing before? Did it reduce your shedding?

De'Onne x

avocado oil

My Favourite Oils: Avocado Oil

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

When I started my hair journey, I unintentionally became a product junkie and have found myself accumulating a lot of oils. Some have become staples whilst others I mix with other oils and mix with deep conditioners I'm also not won over by and am using up never to buy again.

I use my favourite oils to moisturise my skin, pre-poo my hair, mix with deep conditioners, as a hot oil treatment and also in my homemade hair mists.

Oil's have the ability to soften and condition and when used on your hair provides a hydrating effect. Different oils are best used for different things when used on your hair depending on the needs of your hair. It's always good to remember that with oil, less is more to avoid making your hair feel and look greasy.

Avocado Oil

Avocado oil is one of if not my ultimate favourite oils to use on my relaxed hair.

Avocado oil is an edible oil pressed from the fruit avocado which is pretty much self explanatory. It is an excellent oil to use on natural and relaxed hair as it contains a high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids. Avocado oil is said to contain higher fatty acids than other oils like Coconut and Grapeseed oil. It is a great oil to use in your quest to fight breakage. As well as it's higher fatty acids, avocado oil is also rich in amino acids and vitamins. Using avocado oil can improve the strength of your hair as well as making your hair shiny and more resistant to breakage.

How do I use it?

I use avocado oil mixed with other oils as a pre-poo for my hair before going on to shampoo or cowash my hair

I don't know the last time I used a deep conditioner without the addition of an oil and more often that not it's avocado oil which I predominantly use.

I mix avocado oil, olive oil and castor oil and use as my scalp oil mix, I have been using

this mix to oil my scalp for the last 4-6 months and my scalp loves it. It's also excellent for my new growth to keep it soft and manageable.

I also use avocado oil to seal my hair after moisturising and I love the way this oil makes my hair feel. I usually moisturise and seal my hair in four sections and as a little avocado oil goes a long way I just add two drops of oil for each section to avoid my hair feeling weighed down or greasy.

All in all, I love this oil and I can't see it ever not being one of my staple products.

The first time I bought avocado oil was in a hair shop and I bought it for £4.99. Once I finished that bottle, I couldn't find it in any of the hair shops so had to buy it from a health store in the UK called Holland & Barrett for £6.79 which I wasn't best pleased about. However, whilst browsing the website for another oil this morning, I have just seen that their Penny sale is back. What does this mean? For a limited time, you can buy an oil and get another one for 1p. I have just ordered two Avocado oils from their website for £6.80 instead of £13.58. Check out their website here. Bargain I say....

Do you use avocado oil?

De'Onne x

Egg Treatment

Wash Day Diary - Hard Protein Treatment with Egg . 4 Wks Post

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Bloglovin

Garnier Ultimate Blends Nourishing Repair Hair Care - Shampoo, Conditioner & Repair Balm

My Top 10 Winter Hair Care Tips for Relaxed Hair

Relaxer Touch Up - 11 Weeks Post

Product Haul - November 2014

Hair Update: 2 Weeks Post - June 2014

Reduce Shedding with a Coffee Rinse!

My Favourite Oils: Avocado Oil

Wash Day Diary - Hard Protein Treatment with Egg . 4 Wks Post

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