5 Secrets to Maintaining Beautiful Hair Extensions

Hair extensions make your hair thicker, fuller, longer.  I've been having them for years, I got my first set in 2005! Wow time flies.  They become quite addictive actually! A bit like getting your nails done, they just make everything look better!

The hairdresser tells you a couple of tips and may even give you a care packet but nothing prepares you for extensions like talking to somebody who has had them for years. 

With this in mind I know how hard it is when you first get them done and you don't really know how to look after them, they are not cheap after all so you want to make them last as long as possible.

Here are my secrets to keeping your hair extensions in great condition and making them last as long as possible! 

1. Always dry your roots.

This is where the bonds will be so whenever you wash your hair make sure that you take a couple of minutes to blow dry your bonds using COLD air.  I would use the hot setting on my blow dryer and they would get all warm and soft which is the opposite of what we want. So always use the cold setting. 

2. Wash less

It's a good idea to wash your hair as little as possible to keep your bonds in tact.  Dry shampoo is a lifesaver for this.  Extensions tend to hold styles and curls a lot better so why wash it if you don't need to? You can also do a top wash.  Section your hair in half, making sure all the extensions and bonds are neatly tied in a bun at the nape of your neck out of the way, leaving your natural hair free at the top of your head. Put your head upside down over the bath and do a shampoo and condition on the loose/top part of your hair. I do this once per week between washes. 

3. Serum and mask

It's likely that the ends of your extensions will get dry because they are not attached to your head they are not getting any oil to them.  To combat this I use an all natural hair serum by arbonne on my ends everyday, it keeps them shiny.  

4. Shampoo sans SLS

One of the main reasons my extensions often last 6 months is because I only use shampoo with out nasties like sodium laurel sulphate and silicones. SLS is a foaming agent which strips away the colour and moisture of your hair.  Best to avoid these ingredients to promote longevity of your extensions. I use Arbonne FC5 shampoo and conditioner.

5. Brush gently

I know this sounds simple but it really makes such a difference.  Brush your hair very gently and hold on to the top part of your hair while you run a soft bristled brush from near your hand to the bottom of your hair.  Braiding your hair at night to keep it from getting tangled over night is a great idea too!

Feel free to share your tips on keeping your hair extensions in great condition…

Love Ashly xx

No Oil Oil and a Dry Shampoo that doesn't make your hair white!

Hi all. Today I wanted to tell you about 2 products that I have been absolutely loving.  They are literally helping my hair routine out imensely!

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo | £1.50 Tesco
I love love love this stuff. Hands up if you have tried a dry shampoo thinking it would be your savour to greasy hair and found out it left you looking more granny than groovy? I can not be doing with all that white shiz. Luckily I found this beauty which does not leave any powder or white residue at all.  It really is superb.  I use it on my roots to give my hair some volume too.  The only downside is the really perfumey smell. For £1.50 are you prepared to give it a go?

Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil | £14 Percy & Reed
I got this sample free with a magazine in the summer, pretty sure it was Marie Claire, let me know if you remember. Anyway it is fabulous and absolutely lives up to its name of 'no oil' Oil because it doesn't leave my hair feeling the slightest bit greasy or weighed down, unlike it feels with other hair oils.  I put it through the ends of my hair when it is straight or curled and it makes it gleam with healthy shine.  I also apply it to style my hair if I want a slick pony tail or have any stray hairs that need tamed, it works a treat. I am not sure how volumous it makes my hair, but it certainly makes it look fab!

Have you tried any of these beauties?

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Long Hair Don't Care | Hot Hair Fishtail Plait Review*

I have used hair extensions for years and even made my own clip in ones, before you could buy them easily in the shops.  The Halo is one of my favourites which I recently reviewed here.  But recently I have been trying out the Fishtail Plait from Hot Hair (£19.20).

The braid itself comes in 10 colours so the chances are you will find one to match your own hair.   The colour I went for was 'Strawberry' which has quite a few different colours through it. Although the hair is sythetic in my opinion it looks as real as it can do.  By messing up the plait it looks even more realistic because then it doesn't look too 'perfect'.

If you have short hair it is really easy to apply,  just pop your hair in a ponytail, wrap the top of the braid around it and secure with kirby grips.  It did take me a little while to figue out how to actually use the hair piece myself because my hair is past my shoulders and quite thick (I will do a tutorial on this shortly).  Once I had it in I was really impressed, it looked fab.  Filling up my car with petrol at the garage the female attendend commented how great my hair looked and asked how I did it! Did I give away my secret? Of course not!!

I think it will take me a little longer to perfect using this plait and working it in to other styles which I am excited about because it adds a little wow factor to your doo.

For £20 I definitely recommend this especially for those with short hair.

I would love to know if you have tried any products like this and how you style them?

How to Apply your Halo Hair Extensions

A couple of days a go I did a review on my Halo Hair Extension, which I love by the way.  Today I wanted to show you how easy and quick it is to put in.  It literally takes abut 3 minutes!

Place your halo on your head, gently pull in to place so that it sits a couple of inches from the front of your head and lower down at the back.  Use your 'Halo' comb (which comes with the extensions) or any tail comb, to begin pulling out the hair from under the Halo wire.  Once pulled on top of the Halo comb down the hair and ensure the Halo is fully covered.

And that is it! Your are ready to go!!

What do you think about 'The Halo' or flip in hair extenions? Have you or would you try them?

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Review | Halo Hair Extensions The Halo 20 inch in Chestnut*

Hi all!! The weather is crisp and the winter sun is begining to shine.. so what about this storm? Think we missed it up in Scotland.  Today I am reviewing Halo Hair extensions 'The Halo'.  A pretty hyped product, so lets see if this little beauty lives up to it.

"Every girl deserves a Halo"

Before ordering my Halo I wasn't sure which colour to go for, there are 25 to choose from, so I emailed over a picture to the folks at Halo.  They were so helpful and picked the perfect colour for me.  In the end I went for 20" Halo in Chestnut.  A couple of months down the line I dip dyed my own hair pink and wanted my Halo to match, so they got the pink treatment to.  (Let me know if you would like me to do a post on how to dye your Halo hair extensions).  I have been using my Halo now for about 5 months so feel like I have a pretty good idea of what this little baby is about.  

When my Halo first arrived I was so excited, I filmed my first ever youtube video unboxing it here.  My initial views were that is felt super soft, thick and great quality.  I also did a blog post with lots of pictures of the lovely packaging and extras it comes with here.

The Halo is by the Halo Hair extensions brand who do all sorts of extensions like clip ins, but the Halo is something a bit different.  It doesn't come with clips and instead is one strip of hair attached to a thin clear nylon wire, which looks like the shape of a 'Halo'.  The wire is fully adjustable to fit any head shape and size.  Some people might know this type of extension as a 'flip in'.

Having worn clip in extensions for nearly 10 years I was very unsure about this little wire... I mean how could it stay in my hair all day? Won't it fall out?  I have to admit I was pretty scared when I first wore it and pictured myself looking like a badger was stuck to my shoulder if it fell out.

There really was no need for me to worry, once in, the Halo is very secure.  It does feel different to clip in extensions and may take some time to get used to.  I for one was use to the slightly sore feeling of the clips digging in to my head so when I didn't feel that I thought something was wrong! Ha ha but the truth is the Halo is just a lot more comfortable.

The most important thing for me when choosing hair extensions is the quality of the hair.  The halo is 100% Indian Remy Human hair and is very high quality.  It feels thick, soft, silky and luxurious.  It states on the website the Halo should last for about 4 months, but I have had my halo for 5 months now and the hair looks exactly the same as the day I got it, no fall out or breakage at all.  I have only washed my Halo once and that was due to dying it.  It really doesn't need much upkeep at all.

Another great thing about the Halo is, because it sits lower on your head you don't need to worry about any unsightly clips showing giving away your gorgeous hair secret! This also makes it easier to use your Halo for up do's.

The only thing I would say is that because I have exceptionally full hair to my shoulder and with the Halo adding quite a few more inches sometimes I feel like I want to add a row of clip in extensions to blend it.  Next time I will probably go for the shorter 16" Halo to combat this.

Overall I think the Halo is great quality and a genius product.  It literally takes 2 minutes to put in and I really love it.  I have had so many compliments when wearing it.

Get your Halo from www.halohairextensions.com

What are your favourite type of hair extensions?

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How I Dip Dye my Own Hair

Today I am going to share with you how I go about dip dying my hair. It really is very quick and easy. I have some hair extensions in at the moment but it is the same method if your hair is all natural.

I am going to be using Schwarzcopf Live Color XXL Ultra Brights. This is a perfect hair dye for anybody who wants to experiment with colour. It washes out after 5-6 washes and causes no damage to your hair. You could also switch up the type of dye used and go for something more permanent. It looks to me like Sprinkle of Glitter has used a very similar colour to this one for her hair.

The first thing I do is make sure that I am wearing old clothes so I don't ruin anything. I also protect the area I am working in or go somewhere like the bathroom that is easier to clean. I prepare well by cutting out strips of tinfoil about 4 inches wide. Once this is done, I pop on my gloves and I am ready to go.

I gentle squeeze a palm sized amount of pink dye in to the mixing bowl. If you have shorter hair or are only doing a small section try a soup spoon sized amount. Depending on how bright I want my dip dye to be will help me decide how much conditioner I add to the bowl. Any conditioner will do. I start by squeezing in a small amount and giving it a good mix. The colour in the bowl is pretty much how it will turn out on your hair so I find it fairly easy to get the colour right. I keep adding conditioner until I get the right colour. Once I have the right shade of pink I also need a slightly lighter version to blend in the dip dye where it meets my natural hair colour. For this I simply add more conditioner to one side of the bowl and keep that separate.

It is time to apply.  I clip up half of my hair and work with one side at a time. Separating my hair in to small sections I take the first one and place the tin foil behind my hair. Carefully brushing the mixture on to my hair making sure that it is liberally covered. Because this is a dip dye, I don't want any straight lines at the join so I use the brush to create some uneven strokes with the lighter shade mixture at the top. Make sure you turn over your hair on the foil and coat the other side too.  I fold over the tinfoil and move on to the next section. I end up with 6 sections of tinfoil.

The dye grips very quickly so if you don't want it bright I only leave on for 10 minutes. This time I chose to leave it on for 20 minutes and briefly blasted some hot air on to the tinfoil strips with a hairdryer.

After removing the tinfoil I run the dyed parts of my hair under warm water until the water runs clear. I choose not to shampoo because I find that due to adding the conditioner during the dying process it makes my hair extra silky.

And here are the results...

What do you think? Do you fancy giving it a try yourself?

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How much is your Holiday Toiletries Bag Worth?

Hi-diddley-ho-there!

(Can I just say before I start this post. I am not nude in the picture above. Upon looking at it again after posting I look like a bloody nudist hippy! I can assure you that I am wearing a bikini top behind this large toiletries bag. Sort it out Ash, sheesh! Now on with the post)

This is an interesting one peoples. I love to take lots of toiletries on holiday because it is nice to have the comforts of home. Comforts meaning beautifying products. And I have many.

Yes it is heavy but I don't care... I NEED each and everyone of these products! So here we go...

Nature's Response Organic Foot Spray | £5.95

Eucerin Aquaphor Ointment | £8.50

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Toning Mist | £17

Aveda Shampure | £13

Aveda dry Remedy Conditioner | £22.50

Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser | £4.99

Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Body Creme 85g | £12.32

Utan Deluxe Gradual Tan Miami Beach | £6

Dove Beauty Finish Anti-Perspirant | £2.49

Ren BB Cream 15ml* | £7.80

Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask 15ml* | £9

Ren Hydra Calm Day Cream | £27

Macleans Whitening Toothpaste | £1

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream | £31

La Roche Posay Effeclar Duo | £13

Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Perfume | £12.45

Vaseline Rosy Lips | £1.99

Wilkinson Sword Extra 2 Beauty Razors | £2.50

Oral B Professional Care 1000 | £35.99 

Total £234.48

Wow that total is quite staggering. Perhaps we should be getting our toiletry bags insured when we go on holiday as well as our luggage! 

What do you think? Is this excessive or not enough products?

I would love to hear what you think comment below!

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Serious Hair Envy!

Hi-diddle-ho-there!

Today is a little post about some major hair envy I have going on. I mean we all get it right? Surely it is not just me (eeep I hope not). It is that feeling when you spot another gals hair and you get a twinge in your stomach and your mind goes "ahhh that bi***, she has better hair than me"...

Anyhooo after some serious pinning I have come up with a couple of hair inspo boards, here and here. I love to pin ideas of hair that I would love to have one day (or maybe never) but they just makes me go ahhhh ooooh wow! You know the kind of hair I mean? 

So here is a wee collection of what you can find on my pinterest. Feel free to pop on over and have a browse. Also if you are a pinner winner like me then leave you username in the comments section below!!

Well there is not really much else to say peepers so I will leave you with these dreamy hair do's, enjoy the rest of your weekend oh gorgeous ones!

What hair do is your fave?

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I'm Going to a Wedding | Get ready with me!!!

Hi all, so this weekend I went to my cousins fantabulous wedding! 

It was so lovely to see all my cousins and I have A LOT! We are pretty lucky and tend to have a reunion about every 5 years which I always look forward to.

This year things haven't been too great for me so far (minus the blog and new friends) it has been a little tricky shall we say. A few months a go I was actually sure I wasn't going to go to the wedding I thought it would all be a bit much for me with all the people and the travelling (it was in Newcastle). 

But as the time got closer I knew if I didn't go I would feel so crap about myself and I really didn't want to be the one who misses out on a family occasion yet again (I feel like I have missed so many already in my life). So I made the decision to pack my wee case get Poppi ready and off we went on the long drive to Newc. 

I have to say the first few hours for me were NOT pleasant if I could have jumped out the car and run away I definitely would have but I stuck it through and managed to relax. 

In the end I had the best time. I am so so so so so so proud of myself for going. It really has raised my confidence so much. 

With all the excitement I managed to take a whole host of pictures thinking I would do one blog about it all. But as it happens there is just too many pics for one post!! Soooo I have decided I will do a 'getting ready with me' type post and then one on the venue and the actual wedding (a wedding review if you will... ha ha not really I wouldn't do that to my cousin and his beautiful bride).

So without further a do I will shut my gob and get posting piccies for you....

First thing was first.  It was time to make use of the wonderfully gorgeous bath in my room. The room treats were all Molton Brown, which is fab. So I used the lovely bath foam which smelt relaxing and helped to chill me out before the pandemonium of getting ready began!

I decided to half do my hair then started doing my make up because as usual I was running out of time. I was also assisting my mum with beautifying herself, while giving her a little eyeshadow tutorial along the way. I love doing my mum's make up :-)

So I had decided to do my hair in a classic 'Hollywood icon' look with 60's curls and a flower on one side. I made sure I took plenty of product with me. I find Styling mousse and hairspray together hold my hair very well in place. The curls ended up lasting for 2 days.

Makeup, I had my heart set on bright red lips so it was more of a muted eye with a semi winger eyeliner look. I am not great at using black liquid eyeliner to create this looks so I played it quite safe using a dark eyeshadow with a thin angled brush to create the same type of look. Of course I needed some powder to keep it all in place as weddings are quite a long day. So I chose my trusty Mac Studio Fix which I find amazing. I reapplied it once half way through the day as I was getting a little shiny after dinner.

On to the dress...

I actually had my heart set on a Lipsy Millie Macintosh dress which I managed to buy on ebay but when I tried it on I realised it was just too small for me.. boo hoo! So off I popped to town in a rush with the idea set in my head that I wanted a girly/prom type dress. Then I spotted this one and fell in love. I thought it was so classic and simple. The lace at the top is just lovely. And the best part? It was only £20 in the Topshop sale... seriously I couldn't believe my luck. Amazing!

With this style and length of dress I knew I needed a black court shoe and found these lovely ones for £19 in New Look. Not the most comfortable but I managed to keep them on all day and night!

So almost ready, on to the finishing touches...

 

My favourite perfume at the moment, Miller Harris Coeur de Fleur, which I reviewed here, a dollop of Laura Mercier body creme in Fig, and my jewellery. This ring I bought in the Primark sale for £1 and I love it's big bold design. The pearl earrings I borrowed from my mum as I felt pearls would finish off the 'Hollywood starlet' look perfectly.

So finally ready. I think it took me about an hour 20 minutes, not at all bad...

List of products used

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Benefit Erase Paste

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Bronze

Heaven & Earth MUA Eyeshadow Palette

Maybelline Superstay 24hr Lipstick in Red Passion

Mac Studio Fix Powder

Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush in Pink Rose

Urban Decay Supercurl Mascara

Bobbi Brown Nail Polish in Valentine Red

And the Final Look...

What do you think lovelies?

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Event | Bumble and Bumble Press Day at Tiffany's Hair and Beauty Salon Aberdeen

I was so very kindly invited to get a hair teatment of my choice at the newly refurbished Tiffany Hair and Beauty Salon in Aberdeen, Scotland in conjunction with Bumble and Bumble Hair products. I hummed and haad over what to get done to my hair as I have been thinking about ombre for summer but I settled on a good ol' fashioned cut and blowdry (my hair was definitely in need). I was so excited at the prospect of a little pampering. Plus I am looking for a new hairdresser so this was perfect timing.

When I arrived I was greeted by some very smiley and friendly reception staff. They took my jacket and kindly asked me to sit down, a minute later I was introduced to my hair stylist Elaine who was super duper lovely.

After getting in to the delightful (and attractive) black satin cape I was offered a cup of tea (yes please) and discussed with Elaine what I was looking for. I explained I like my hair to look thick, healthy and I wanted some sort of graduation at the front so I can wear my hair up a la Cheryl Cole in the Call my name Music Video. She really listened which made me feel like I was in safe hands :-)

Now it was time for a lovely shampoo and chat with the lovely lass who was going to wash my hair...

She told me a lot about the Bumble and Bumble products and was very helpful and friendly. Also she gave me a lovely head massage after shampooing (more of that please so relaxing).

The Lovely Laura (Laura Liparazzi I call her after her blog name) was sitting behind me and I was spying on her in the mirror while she received her hair treatment. Her hair is such a gorgeous blonde and so thick (very Jell). Visit her blog here to see for yourself.

During my hair cut Elaine told me all about each product she was using. I really enjoyed this part. Normally hair dressers just do a bit of this and that but don't explain any of it and I am a girl who likes to know stuff! 

I was also really interested in some of the hair treatments which Laura had too including the Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco hair mask. I might just have to get me some of that.

Now the Bumble & Bumble products look and smell lovely. Here are some pics and a run down of what was used on my mop...

 Products Used

Bumble & Bumble let it shine shampoo and conditioner

Bumble & Bumble Prep

Bumble & Bumble Thickening Spray

Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's invisible oil 

Bumble & Bumble Semisumo

  
So... 1 hour later I was feeling super fabulous! I liked everything about my experience from the lovely staff at Tiffany's hair and Beauty to the fab Bumble and Bumble products which have left my hair looking and feeling delightfully thick, bouncy and healthy! Even after 3 days!

So without futher a do I bring to you my before and after...

What do you think beauties? 

Have you used any of the Bumble & Bumble Products?

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