After being very cruel to my hair a whole summer, with all the bleaching, teasing and what not i finally managed to sort myself out and go to a hairdresser. Although i might have deviated unsuccessfully with other salons, i went to my exceptionally good Peter Mark in Dundrum Shopping Center to avail of their 20% off promotion.

After a couple of minutes of mop assessment, Amanda decided to give me a straight cut with layers in the front that will make my hair look more polished and chop about 5 inches off. Must say it was so refreshing to see someone professional to give me solutions and to know exactly what i need to work on, instead of the usual ‘i don’t know, what do you think?/maybe just a trim to be safe’.

She used the Kerastase Volume Active range while washing, gave me a 5 minute intensive treatment and then proceeded with the cut and blow dry. We went for sleek to show off my cut better.

Although i still have to sort out my color (have some dark brown patches in areas), i promised to myself i will give my hair a break. My scalp has become very sensitive and dry because of all my messing and my hair is shedding like mad, so i promised Amanda i wont be a shampoo wh$&% and stick to a medicated one like Kerastase Biotic or even brands like Eucerin Dry Scalp Shampoo.

Also, apparently when you have fine hair like mine, its safe to skip conditioner after wash and use instead a leave in product on the ends (have my Redken Extreme Anti-Snap) . I should also stay away from all the cream and oil based formulas, to avoid having my hair weighted down.

So happy with how light and shiny it feels again!

NB. this is not a sponsored post, im not affiliated with Peter Mark nor i was contacted by them. Just a happy customer.

Before i venture into a review about this current haircare routine, i feel the need to disclaim myself: im a product junkie! Currently have about 15 shampoos, conditioners, miracle treatments and what not on rotation depending on my mood or state of my hair. And quite a state my hair is.

This year i made a real ball of it: colored darkest brown in January (my color for the last 4 years), decided i want lighter by February (blame the four fabulous blondes im working with) and used Color B4 a couple times. This resulted in sensitive scalp and broken strands. THEN, i went for balyage in proper salon. Left unhappy with the service, took matter in my own hands and bleached my hair for ombre effect.

In May, figured ombre is not for me and have it colored dark brown once again (read black!) and swear not to mess with it. By July, i was stripping my hair with bleach (!!!) and had my ombre redone for summer holidays.

Last night slapped a Casting color in Chocolate all over and solemnly sworn to never bleach ever again. Lets face it, i will never be a blonde…don’t even feel like myself with light hair.

All of this, left my once healthy, bouncy and quite admired hair in a state of chaos. Its dry, brakes like no ones business and its a frizz ball. Its a total tragedy!

So this is me trying to reboot and start again with a whole new recovery attitude:

Redken Body Full Shampoo and Conditioner – although my hair is damaged, i cant use any of the super duper heavy shampoos/conditioner without leaving my hair flat and dull. The Body Full range is light weight, removes any buildup and leaves the hair bouncy. Got them in a set from FeelUnique’s sale,  a bargain for €24 with a blow drying volume lotion included.

L’Oreal Professional Absolut Repair Hair Mask with Lactic Acid – an intensive treatment mask that re-builds the hair from inside out. Dont know how true this is, but im loving the results so far: shiny, soft and less frizzy looking hair.

Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave-In Conditioner – had massive hopes for this product to prevent my hair from breaking. Used it for the last 4-5 washes, already i can see it vanishing before my eyes and not sure if i can tell any improvement or not. Maybe its too much hyped and was expecting miracles, but so far not very impressed.

Vo5 Heat Protection – amazing smell and such a great packaging. Very easy to use, doesn’t wet your hair but instead has a great mist that reaches everything. Protects against heat, prevents frizz and smells amazing.

John Frieda 3 day straight – Ive reviewed this product before and im still very much in love with it. The easiest way to get and keep poker straight hair.

Any recommendations on how to get my hair healthy again?

Really i shouldn’t be left with too much time on my hand. I mean three whole days off in a row?! I’m bound to do something naughty .

This time it involved a box of hair bleach.

Wanted the ombre hair for a very long time, i even went to a proper salon to get it done (balyage) but left completely disappointed. Got the deal from Groupon for Revive hair salon, which is very close to where i live. It turned out to be a very bad choice, the staff wasn’t very friendly and the results unsatisfactory. Had a consultation before hand and a patch test to establish what i want, all went well so when i went for the real deal, was very surprised to be told that my hair is very dark and couldn’t possibly do much on it. I mean, you could’ve told me this at the consultation!

Anyway, today i took matters in my own hands and these are the results:

NB. My ends are not damaged at all, its frizzy because is still wet. I’m going to let my hair air dry to prevent more damage.

How i did it?

1. got a box of Wella Hair Streaking Kit (blue box, old fashioned photo on display).

2. painted the ends of my hair with the mixture, using a brush.

3. covered the strands in aluminum foil, heated with the hair dryer.

4. left it for aprox 30 min. I checked it several times during the process, i advise to do so.

5. washed and repeated for a second time, skipping the foil part. Left it for aprox 20 min.

6. washed and conditioned heavily. Left to air dry in a bun, hence is curly and frizzy .

That’s it! I should’ve done this from the start, it would’ve saved me €100 . I will top it up in a few weeks time, but i want to leave my hair recover.

I am not a hairdresser by any means, i advice everyone to do a patch test first to check for any sensitivity. If you have very dark hair, be very cautions as it can turn orange.

Because of my whole ‘hair growing program’ i bought the latest L’Oreal haircare range meant to promote hair grow and help keep hold of the existing one, by making it more resistant. I went all out and got the entire range, for maximum benefits.

Shampoo, conditioner, mask and scalp spray.

I waited until i finished the whole shampoo and conditioner before ill make a review about it, so here it is:

I don’t like it!

In the past Ive used tons of Loreal hair products, don’t mind a bit the sea of silicone in their products – my hair tolerates them quite well. Actually if im not using silicone my hair becomes a frizzy hair ball, tangled and unmanageable. Used with success the red line (colored hair, my favorite ever), pink (shine), royal jelly and the multivitamin one (2in1). Every time it was fine, grand even.

And then ‘Triple Resist’ appeared in Boots. On Sale. TV and magazine inserts with the beautiful Jennifer Lopez swishing her Rapunzel pony tale. It was a sign!

First week was ok, was using every second day the shampoo and conditioner and the spray every night. The mask was  saved for Sunday treats.

Then it came second and third week.

a) the build up was unbelievable. And not that shiny, soft buildup….no, it was my hair was looking ‘dirty’ even if it was freshly washed.

b) the spray ruined my scalp. It has become so sore to touch, that it brought tears in my eye when brushing. Obviosly ive stopped using it.

The spray contains the highest concentration of Arginine, which strenghtens the hair from the root. It also contains the highest concentration of alcohol.

c) the frizz! oh my goodness the frizz of it all, due to the alcohol applied every night, my hair was frizzy from the root. Combined with the buildup, i was a true vision. A vision of yuck.

Im cracking out my Shu Uemura shampoo to re-store sense and health to my hair, hope its not too late.