NEW IN: Lee Stafford Releases

When it comes to maintaining bleached blonde tresses, it's a tough deal. If I ever did get three wishes in life, being a natural blonde would be one of them. Somewhere in between a Malibu beach house and an endless supply of make-up, anyway. In my experience, eating heaps of spinach and using as little heat on your hair as possible are the keys to healthy hair and growth. But there are definitely products that help along the way, and Lee Stafford just gets it when it comes to haircare. So here are my first impressions of the new additions to the Bleach Blondes and Argan Oil range...

Tone Correcting Conditioning Spray* - Purple shampoo is my life saviour - so purple shampoo in a spray on bottle sounds pretty ingenious to me! This product is supposed to condition and moisturise whilst balancing out those orangey highlights to icy blonde shades. At first I wasn't convinced that this spray would really do the trick but I have definitely noticed that my hair looks more ashy than normal.

Nourishing Miracle Mist* - Argan oil really is a miracle in a bottle. I'm loving this so far as it gives my hair the glossiness which it lacks naturally. Plus, it genuinely is lightweight unlike a lot of sprays and doesn't weigh your hair down.

Argan Night Repair Serum* - Products that get to work whilst we sleep are always great for giving our hair the love it needs whilst being great time-savers. I haven't got around to using this yet but it smells like heaven and I'll be incorporating it into my weekend pampers.

Golden Girl Oil* - Oils are a daily part of my hair care routine as they can transform the mid lengths of your hair. This little bottle amplifies shine whilst neutralising brassy tones which is everything blondes need. I love applying this when my hair is still damp as it helps to keep my hair looking smooth and shiny.

Are you a fan of Lee Stafford?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

       TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 

PS Enter my giveaway to win tickets to The Clothes Show here 

Things I Wish I Knew About Hair Loss (Before It Fell Out)

We've had some rough times, my hair and I. When my hair started to thin dramatically, I did a huge amount of things wrong. So these are the things I wish I knew about hair loss, before it all fell out...

Dramatic weight loss can be a factor 
It took me a long time to make the connection between dramatic weightloss and undereating with why my hair was thinning. Dramatic weightloss can be a "shock" to the body and cause physical trauma that may cause your hair to thin. Not only did I lose about two stone, but I had quite an unhealthy relationship with food and was undereating. Of course this might not be the case for everyone, but if you are looking to lose weight, eating enough to nourish your body and doing it slowly is always the best way.

Smothering your hair in products is not the answer
So your hair is falling out, what do you do? If you're anything like me, when desperation strikes, online shopping calls. I spent a ridiculous amount of money on deep conditioners and moisturising products which weighed my hair down. I always thought that the more expensive or more products I used, the better my hair would be. WRONG. Before even blow drying, I would go through a detangler, hair oil, smoothing cream, a volumising product, heat spray and sometimes even a leave in conditioner, then once dry there would be even oils! If this sounds like you, then stop now. The best thing you can do for thin, lack-lustre hair is to use as little products as possible. A few months ago I discovered WEN which has absolutely changed my life and which I will be reviewing more in depth very soon. It's a cleansing shampoo which doesn't lather and has stripped my hair of all the built up residue, leaving it feeling and looking more like my old hair. Besides a heat protector and some moroccan oil I use nothing on my hair and it's the best condition it's been in a long time.

You're going to have to find a way to make it work, without heat
Hair loss is extremely upsetting, but you have to find a way to make it work.  Daily heat is never the answer and there are plenty of hair styles you can try so that you don't have to style it. Whilst investing in a good set of hair extensions helped my confidence, I wore them everyday which of course did my hair no good. My answer was a beanie all winter and wearing my hair in a messy bun and trying to only style my hair when either totally necessary or if I was going out. It'll take a few months but your hair will thank you for it.

Being unhappy won't make it grow back faster - in fact, it'll do the opposite
How our hair looks has a huge impact on our self confidence. I allowed it to completely consume my life, damage my self-esteem and limit my happiness. Focusing on your mental and physical health is extremely important if you're losing your hair. You can't always minimise stress, but you can find ways to manage it. I was so unhappy that I found it hard to get into a routine or stay on top of daily life, which of course, makes you more stressed and more unhappy.  Don't allow your hair loss to take over your life or be another stress factor that may contribute to it falling out in the first place. The best thing I did was buy an agenda, get organised, and start going to the gym. Focus your energy on doing the things that make you happy and know that it will grow back with some time and patience.

Have you ever lost your hair?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a Nicky Clarke Hair Straightener!

Hair Growth Tips That Actually Work

We all want the secret to mermaid hair, right? Well, I've learnt a great deal about hair loss and growth in the past year or so. 2014 was the year of the hair disaster for me. I think I spent about 3/4 of it wearing a hat and the other 1/4 without a hat worrying about how my hair looked. My hair has always been my comfort blanket - so after a period of stress where it came out in clumps, an over layered haircut and bad bleach job, it felt as though I didn't have any of my hair left. When I finally had inches taken off, it seemed that the hair Gods hadn't quite had their fun and threw me some more bad luck.
I made the mistake of leaving in a dry shampoo that was full of metallic salts before getting my roots done. Short version of a long story: the dye sped up, snapped off a huge chunk of the back and left section of my hair, and from there began my hair misery. I tried to joke about it by saying at least my fringe didn't drop off, but humour aside, it sucked. Like really, really, REALLY sucked. Moral of the story? DO NOT GET YOUR HAIR DYED WITH ANY PRODUCTS IN IT, EVER.
Fast forward 9 months, the growth has been excruciatingly slow and I've learnt the sad reality that there is no magic potion on the high street that is going to make your hair grow.
But don't lose faith yet! If I had known a few things beforehand, I would definitely have been able to speed up the process. There are a heap of things you can do to keep your hair in its best condition and encourage growth. Here's what I've learnt after 12 months of hair disasters...

Start With Your Nutrition
What we nourish ourselves with on the inside shows on the outside. If your nutrition isn't great, it will show through your hair. As someone who doesn't eat meat or dairy, it's easy to think you're being healthy whilst actually letting your iron, protein and calcium levels drop, but this can be true for meat eaters too! A lot of us are lacking in essential nutrients like iron or B12. These days I plan what I eat around getting enough iron because it's not only essential for healthy hair but the general running of your body.  I have a green smoothie in the morning with a huge handful of spinach or kale which is loaded with calcium, iron and B vitamins with a spoonful of chia seeds which is also really high in nutrients. I also eat healthy fats like avocados and nuts, use tahini for salad dressings and in hummus, and add cacao to porridge, smoothies and vegan desserts. Yep, that's chocolate that's good for your body and hair, say whaaat?!

Wash it Less and Avoid Using Heat
Okay, I'll let you in on my secret. My hair has never been in better condition than when I went 5 days a week without washing it or using any heat products and wearing a beanie everyday for a few months. Gross? Yep. But did it work? Massively.
Obviously not everyone can be the secret greaseball that I was, but if you want to get your hair back in condition, washing it everyday and loading it up with heavy products is NOT going to make that happen. When your hair is a damaged, using heat is a vicious cycle. You find yourself needing to blow dry it for the volume and heat style it to keep the frizz away. Embracing your natural hair is hard when 1) you already hate it and 2) the condition is making it look terrible. But if you're like me and find it really hard to let your hair dry naturally, a product I'd recommend is the OGX Biotin & Collagen Amplifying Lotion*. I apply this all over my hair and blow it upside down for about 2 minutes and then blow dry my fringe with a Lee Stafford Barrel Brush just to give volume whilst mostly avoiding heat.
If you struggle with frizzy and damaged ends which just call out 'straighten me' then it's really hard to stay away from heat. I've been loving the Lee Stafford's Ubuntu Oils range for smoothing out my hair so that I don't have to straighten out the frizz. My miracle product right now is the Lee Stafford Moisturising Blow Dry Smoothee*. Since using this post-wash I have noticed a huge difference in the overall look and feel of the ends of my hair. Although its designed as a blow dry product, it works miracles on your hair when you let it to dry naturally so that it doesn't frizz up. It seals the cuticles and is loaded with moisturising vitamins and really does work magic.

B12 / Iron / Vitamin D/  Biotin Supplements 
Going back to nutrition, if I could go back in time and hand myself a heap of supplements to take last year, I would. I've stuck to a routine of taking all of these vitamins and supplements everyday and over the past month and a half is when I've really noticed a change in my hair. B12, Iron and Vitamin D deficiencies can all contribute to hair loss, along with anxiety, fatigue, depression and a whole other heap of nasty stuff. As I've been taking Biotin along with all of these, it's hard to say whether it's Biotin that has been making the difference, but given the rave reviews I think it's worth giving a go.

General Haircare
I've come to the conclusion that there is not really a shampoo and conditioner combination on the market that I truly believe works wonders. But three products I always invest in are; a good intensive conditioner, detangling spray and hair oil. I've been going back to the Redken Deep Intensive Conditioner for years, it's loaded up with proteins to repair the hair cuticle and always leaves my hair feeling amazing. I only use it once a week, though, as too much protein sucks the moisture out of your hair and makes it more prone to breakage. My go-to detangler is currently the Breaking Hair Detangling Spray* by Lee Stafford - I just can't get enough of Lee Stafford at the moment and this makes brushing my hair when it's wet so much easier. I always use a tangle teezer and start from the bottoms of my hair and gently brush upwards. As for hair oils, I swear by the Keraste Elixir Ultime* which does everything you'd want from an oil, a pre-shampoo treatment for super coarse hair, a blow dry product to tame frizz and a finishing serum to smooth out dry ends. But of course, nothing beats Moroccan Oil, I love the Glimmer Shine Spray for finishing off my hair.

So there you have my main tips, but the main things I've learnt is eat heaps of spinach, use no heat and take your supplements! 

What are your tips for hair growth?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

       TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK