Hair Growth with Lee Stafford.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that last summer I cut off about 15 inches of my hair and emerged from the salon with a relatively short A line bob, which I absolutely loved. It's was short, it was light and it was quick to dry. This was a major relief after having hair past my waist that was long and thick and would just take ages to do anything with.

A year on, the moment of "I miss my long hair" has finally hit and the time to re-grow my locks is upon me. I'm the kind of person that goes from loving something to loathing it really quickly...Which means that I'm also quite impatient, so I'm doing everything I can to grow my hair out as quickly as possible. I should mention that my hair has actually already grown a fair bit. It's somewhere between my shoulders and my boobs, so it's already long, just no where near long enough.

That where the Lee Stafford Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length comes in.

Here is a picture of my hair before I started using the treatment:

I will do an update post when I've finished the treatment, so you can see the full extent of the growth, but for now I can report that it seems to be working!

The treatment itself retails for between £8 and £9 but I managed to pick up two for £10 at Boots, so keep an eye on their offers. I've already used up one tub, and got about 7-8 applications out of it. I used a palm full of the product, worked it all around my hairline, massaged it into my scalp and then worked what was left down the mid-shaft and ends of my hair. I then leave the product on for 5 minutes and rinse out. I should add, you do this step after shampooing and before conditioning.

Like I said earlier I have already noticed a difference, but I'm going to continue with the treatment and see how much progress has occurred once I finish up the second tub.

Do you know of any great hair growth products?

Current Hair Care Routine

Recently I've been playing around with the colour of my hair. Until recently I've never dyed my hair so it was a new experience for me and my hair, which has never been subject to real damage just a little bit of straightener over use in my early teens. So with my newly coloured hair I had to devise a new hair care routine that would keep my hair smooth and manageable and always optimise my colour and care for it maintaining it's vibrancy and colour. I've been trying out loads and loads of hair products in the last 6 months or so, and I'm finally happy with the products I'm currently using. So here they are!

Shampoo& Conditioner

This is going to sound majorly excessive, but I'm currently using three different shampoos and conditioners. I now...crazy. I currently only wash my hair about every four days...First day I'll wear it down and straight, second day will be wavy (using a no-heat method), third day and fourth day will be worn in a bun with a heck of a lot of dry shampoo. I do this to allow my hair to repair itself after the ordeal of being coloured. I've also noticed that my hair is growing VERY quickly as a result of not washing it too much! So, back to the shampoos and conditioners.

The one for coloured hair: TRESemme Colour Vibrance Protection Shampoo and Conditioner. This really conditions and nourishes the hair, as well as reaaally washing it. I grab this one when my hair is exceptionally greasy.

The one for dry hair: Dove Advanced Hair Series Pure Care Dry Oil Shampoo and Conditioner. This is a lovely range, and also very gentle on the hair. Probably more suited to hair that is washed every other day, or every three days, as this might have difficulty pushing through serious grease. It leaves a really rich, luxurious scent on the hair and cleanses it really nicely. This one is also great for restoring shine.

The one to give you texture:John Frieda Beach Blonde Cool Dip Purifying Shampoo and Smooth Seas Detangling Conditioner. This is a proper summer combo, great for beachy hair. It smells of mint which is really fresh and tingly on the scalp, clarifies the hair but still gives you great manageability. This one is also great for those times when you want to style first day hair, as it gives you a bit of grit and beachy texture for the style to hold on to.

The one for brassiness: John Frieda Colour Renew Tone Correcting Shampoo. This is a little extra, for any colour treated blondes out there. Every now and again when I feel like I need a bit of toning, I do one rinse of this shampoo as it just clears out any brassiness that is sitting on the hair. It also cleans the hair really well, which purple shampoos don't really tend to do.

Masks& Treatments

I think it's really important to treat your hair now and again, just to give it an extra boost of something. Think about it, you'd use face masks and olis and serums to nourish your face, so why not do the same for your hair? I have a few masks that I currently use for my hair and a couple of oils too. First up is the John Frieda Go Blonder Deep Conditoner. This won't actually change the colour of your hair, it's just part of their Go Blonder range, which is infused with camomile, a natural blonde optimiser. So, you can either use this one on wet hair, in place of your regular conditioner, or use it on dry hair (which is what I tend to do). About 20 minutes before I wash my hair, I cover my lengths and ends in this conditioner and let it sit on the hair. I then rinse it out, and continue washing as normal. It really makes a noticable difference to the condition of my hair, making it stronger and smoother. Other products that are great for this are the conditioners that come with box dyes. They are super nourishing, and usually smell pretty darn good too!

A further step I take to nourish my hair is putting a little bit of a an oil through my lengths before bed. I brush my hair hair, take about a pump of a hair oil, work it through the hair then pop it in a braid or a bun. This ensures that your ends get nourished, as the oils from the scalp don't often get down to the very ends. Two oils I really like are the L'Oreal Professionnel Mythic Oil and the more budget friendly Schwarzkopf Got2B Oil-licious Styling Oil.

Styling Products and Tools

Using thin layers of different products really helps to protect your hair from all sorts of damage. I start my spritzing the Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance all through my lengths, the I comb my hair through with a wide tooth comb. I then use some sort of styling lotion, at the moment I'm switching between the Galvin&Galvin Oh! Organic Head Heat Defence & Shine Spray and the Schwarzkopf Got2B Mind Blowing Xpress Dry Styling Spray. Both of these protect the hair from heat, restore shine and do a bit of extra detangling if you need it.

If I'm really treating my hair, I'll also pop a little bit of oil through the ends, pre-blow dry.

Finishing Products

I'd class something as a finishing product when it's used on dry hair that's just been styled. So here are my favourites: The VO5 Smoothly Does It Tame & Shine Spray. This is a really light mist that gives you hair a subtle sheen. Great for finishing off up-dos! The Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray- the affordable Oribe Dry Texturising Spray dupe, with even better lasting power. Lee Stafford's Messed Up putty is great for short to shoulder length hair for really ruffling up curls and choppy layers to give you even more texture and volume. My hair spray of choice at the moment is the TRESemme Ultimate Hold Salon Touchable Ultra Fine Hairspray. Does what it says on the tin....it's super light weight, brushes straight out, but really holds your style in place. And finally....my dry shampoo of choice (because every girl has to have one) is the Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Blush fragrance. It leaves my hair feeling clean and refreshed, and doesn't break the bank.

Extra Tips

Finally, I thought I'd leave you with a couple of tips that I've learn along the way for healthy hair.

Get a trim every six to eight weeks.

Use nourishing treatments.

Sleep with your hair down, or in a loose style. Anything too tight stops your hair from growing and can cause breakage.

Wash your hair as little as possible. If you wash every day, try washing every other day. If you can go two, try going three days without!

Leave you hair in a towel for at least 15 minutes after washing. This allows a lot of the moisture to be soaked up and means that your hair won't get so damaged when you comb in through.

Use a wide tooth comb on wet hair. Wet hair stretches, the wider the comb, the less chance of damage!

And there you have my mammoth post all about my hair care routine. It really isn't as long winded as it sounds and in time you'll find yourself fitting it to your own routine, depending on what suits you and your hair type.

What are you favourite hair products? Do you have any helpful hair tips?

Purple Shampoo- Why YOU should be using it.

So we've all heard of it, but what is purple shampoo, why is it purple, and what does it actually do? Purple shampoo is quite literally a shampoo that is purple, that is used on blonde hair to removes brassy and yellowy hues. But how? It all comes down to science. If you look at a colour wheel you'll find that purple sits exactly opposite to yellow. When you put purple on blonde hair the hair absorbs some of the purple pigment which cools the shade of blonde. This does NOT mean that it will turn your hair purple, it simply deposits enough tint to neutralise the brassy shades and banish them from your gorgeous blonde locks.  

Okay, but how do I use it?

Well, its far easier than getting your hair toned at a salon. Simply jump in the shower, saturate your hair with water, lather and rinse. Only repeat if you feel like you've got a really deep brassy yellow tone in the hair. If you like to shampoo twice, go once with the purple shampoo and follow up with your regular shampoo. Continue with conditioner.

How often should I use it?

This all depends on how much toning your hair needs. For super brassy hair I'd suggest using a couple of times a week, but obviously this depends on how often you wash your hair. As a bit of a guide Id say use your purple shampoo every other wash. 

What about purple conditioner?

In my opinion, purple conditioner isn't necessary. You don't need to tone your hair twice in one go, plus, the warmer tones usually show more at the roots, and you don't want to be putting conditioner on your roots! 

Do I have to spend a lot of money on purple shampoo?

Not at all. Obviously the more expensive products that you find in salons do have a better ingredients list, but there are still some great purple shampoos that you can find for a great price. My personal favourite is the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Tone Correcting Shampoo, which retails for about £5.99 in Boots but is often on a 3-4-2.

There you have purple shampoo explained. Obviously I'm not a trained professional in the hair world but any questions that you have I'd be happy to answer as best as I can!

Talk soon...