HAIR: how to remove product build up in your hair

HERE is my hair (excuse the cringey selfie). I've loosely straightened it here, because it adds shine. My hair gets quite dry (I bleach it) so I'm forever obsessed with finding products and secrets that can restore shine and gloss. This means I use a lot of products. E.g. leave-in conditioner, heat protection serum, hair spray, shine spray, overnight rescue leave in conditioner, general serums, volume powder, etc... I love trying products! (Hence the blog).  Even shampoo and conditioner can cause build up. Unhappy face.

Product build up can create limp, dull, lifeless, heavy hair and even cause the dreaded split ends (don't get me started).

So how do we get rid of this build up? Obviously, deep cleansing shampoo. But I said before, I have really dry and treated hair and don't want to damage it anymore. Look for "clarifying" shampoo if you don't mind this method, but try not to use more than once a week. Normal shampoo does get rid of some build up but I try not to wash my hair every day for the same reason (more on this later).

Apple cider vinegar
If you've heard of "No-poo" many nature-loving beauty girls use this stuff instead of conditioner (I tried it for a while too).
How? use 1tbs apple cider vinegar (I use more as I find it more effective, so experiment with your own hair) in 1 cup of water to rinse (I do this after my conditioner instead of instead as I've found this has better results for dry hair).
+ve - gets rid of build up (not as effectively as baking soda, see below)
+ve - makes hair shiny too (closes the cuticle)
-ve- my hair does smell slightly too much on vinegar right now, maybe I used too much?

Baking soda
This stuff is the best way to get rid of build up. Although it's really alkaline so it's a bit harsher on the hair than apple cider vinegar. Use it once a week. Thing is I'd use this if my hair wasn't super dry but it strips the natural oils from your hair too (shampoo does this too, but not so much). If this isn't a problem for you, simply mix 1tbs of baking soda with your shampoo in a cup before shampooing your hair. I recommended balancing out the PH of your hair with an apple cider rinse (see above) when you choose this method. It actually really helps the dry-ness after baking soda is used.

The great thing about apple cider vinegar and baking soda compared to clarifying shampoos is that they're way more natural and don't contain the harsh chemicals found in clarifying shampoo.

Do you guys find product build-up a problem? What do you use? Have you tried anything mentioned above? Let me know! xD

I've done quite a lot of research on this and tried different methods so If I've rushed it through or you have any questions, just ask me!

 


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Just one word TAG

Where is your cell phone?

bag?

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Teddy

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Curly

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LOVE

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working

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blanket

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bad

Your favorite drink?

coffee

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mini-cooper

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living

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friend

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dark

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Happy

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teddy

What are you not?

unkind

What did you do last night?

bath

What's the last thing you did before this?

facebook

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dress

Your favorite book?

Littlewoman (the book has 2 words?!)

The last thing you ate?

cookie

Your life?

happy :)

Your mood?

tired

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fun

What are you thinking about right now?

brownies 

What are you doing now?

Blogging

Your summer?

ending!

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nothing

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today

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today

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UNI

What are you listening to?

Music

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friends

Dream job?

POPSTAR

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HP

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Garden

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Ew

Mexican food?

crisps

Winter?

coats

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silly

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need

On your bed?

teddies

Love?

family

MAC REVIEW: Hot Tahiti

I walked into selfridges and the MAC section was absolutely PACKED. So I thought, meh, I'll leave it to quiet down and check the other ranges. After over an hour I returned back to MAC, still having to shove my way to the lipstick section.

I absolutely love red lipstick. Trouble is, I think with blonde hair you have to be careful with make up. You can't have too much/go too bright on or you risk looking like a barbie doll! So instead, I was looking for a berry-red colour. I was just about to give up when the sales assistant asked me if I wanted help and I explained my predicament. She picked up HOT TAHITI for me to try.

Do not be fooled by it's dark appearance. It was exactly what I was looking for! She wiped the lipstick and gave it to me to try- I knew I had to have it!

Anyway, this is how it looked on (so you know what I mean- it doesn't look too dark. And it is still a red without being that bright red that really doesn't suit me).

Moral of the story, I'd say defo don't rule out reds if you think they don't suit you at first. You can go bold without sticking to the same colour. There are so many different shades to experiment with. If you think a pinkish red or orangey red doesn't suit you, try going with berry shades :)

I figured this is a perfect shade for Autumn (is it me, or did summer disappear overnight? :'( )

Ignore the missing back of my phone! ;)

Are you changing your lipstick colour for Autumn?

Best Lipstick Award: MAC

Just a quick review to confirm the mac lipstick range definitely wins my support. I spent about two hours wandering around selfridges trying absolutely everything looking for a lipstick that is pigmented AND shiny. I hate dry lipsticks as they make my lips chapped, but all the shiny ones seem to be hardly pigmented at all?

can popping a pill make you more beautiful..?

Friday after work I took a trip to selfridges in Oxford Street. Little did I know I would be buying £60 pills claiming to make my skin glowing, hair shiny and nails strong. Okay so I worked out it would cost me £1.50 a day, the equivalent of half a Starbucks... justified? I did get home and gulp a little when I looked at my receipt along with several mac products...oops.

The Organic Pharmacy captured my attention as soon as I charged along towards the make up. The marketing is definitely great. In fact, as I'm typing I am hoping I haven't been ripped off by the excellent doctor-style packaging and catchy name. It didn't help that I am a sucker for organic food, and my interest in health dates way back. I was doomed.

My health-guru and organic partner in crime (my mother) oood and ahhhed at the selection. I ended up buying this "immune tonic" and also this "detox supplement" for my mum. Just 'cos I'm a great daughter, obvs.

THIS is the big one. My sixty pound 150 capsule bottle of promised radiance.

Have I made a massive mistake? Should I have just opted for Clinique's new super primer?! (check 'em out!) Or does beauty really start from within?

What do you guys think?

P.s. I am a poor student

Avon clearskin blemish clearing mask: Review

I'm soooo super duper excited about my products that came through the post today! I will review them as I try them. Anyway, so far I've tried this and unfortunately I'm not that happy :( I guess it's better to buy in shops than order online unless you know exactly what you want?

Clearskin Blemish Clearing Peel Off Mask- Avon
Price: £4.00 (on offer, bought for £2.50

As you can see by the price I paid, I wasn't really expecting much. I do like peel off masks but this didn't seem to dry to be pealed at once. It's clear which makes it difficult to see where it's going so maybe I put more on some bits of my face than others. It also didn't smell of anything. I know I shouldn't care about the smell, just the results, but I like to feel pampered! (I'm a massive lush fan). I can't tell you if it's cleared my skin up or not because I've just taken it off! But so far, I'd definitely say it's probably better to pay a bit more and get something a bit more luxurious.

What do you think? Does smell and colour matter or is it simply about results?

Much Love! x




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TRESemme: Keratin smooth hair masque- GREAT for dry hair

Ok so my first proper post is going to be about THIS product. I have super dry hair. Why? Because I bleach it over and over, throw in some brown dye occasionally and also can't take leaving the house without straightening it AND putting curls on top (more on my hair routine later, however unhealthy it is). When you have dry hair, it seems the only way to manage it is to dry it out even more. It really sucks.

For this reason over the years I have obsessed over various products which say they'll stop my split ends (which I compulsively cut for hours) and dry hair. I tried going natural during my hippy (ish) phase (also during the time when I only ate bananas, but again, that's another story). I used coconut oil all over my hair. It made my hair mega greasy. As healthy as it is, I would stick to frying foods with it rather than using it as a hair product. 

THIS is the best product I've tried yet. It doesn't make your hair greasy, but I have very dry hair so I wouldn't use this if you didn't. What it does do is make your hair super shiny and gets rid of those annoying whispy bits. It's also really good value for money! I would 100% recommend this to anyone who has bleached or used too much heat on their hair. I am very much a fan of TRESemme shampoo and conditioner too for dry hair. 

Thanks for reading xD xx 

Ms Sassy Sparkle

Eeeek, this is my first post of my beauty blog xD

So, maybe we should start off with the obvious and I should say that I love beauty and feeling good. I love trying new products, testing them out, and repeating the process all over again! I believe beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin and having fun :)

Thanks for reading! (Which probably nobody is right now....oops xP) Follow my blog with Bloglovin