ASP Kitoko Oil Treatment for Hair

£5.50, 10ml
One time when I’d just had my roots re-done and the rest of my hair highlighted, my hairdresser used a product on my which I instantly asked about purely because of the smell. It was the most unusual smell, not sweet or fruity like most treatments. It was more earthy like coffee or vanilla. Anyway, cookery class aside. She showed me what it was and how to use it and I purchased a small bottle from the salon that day. It is an oil, which is something quite unusual for hair and not something I’d thought about using before.

You must be thinking, why would you want to put oil onto your hair? Well, each Kitoko product is a combination of natural African plant extracts, selected for their rejuvenating and restoring qualities. The ultra-gentle formulas are completely free from sulphates, parabens, mineral oils and waxes which are all proven to have resounding negative affects on your hair. The Oil treatment is a blend of Karite and Argan oils, Vitamins E & E and a natural UV filter. It does exactly what it is made for, smooths frizz and ends while nourishing and strengthening.

I would use this oil often after blowdrying, particularly if I didn’t have time to run my straighteners over to reduce frizz. 

You only need to start with a small amount in your palm and though it does make your hands oily, it is a true test of how dry your hair really is. If you find that once you’ve worked it through with your fingers (mid to roots), most of the oil has been asborbed, you know your hair was probably very dry and soaked it all up. I would then add a little more, especially if I’d only gotten round half of my hair.

It’s only a small bottle for £5.50 but if used correctly it can go a long way. I’ll be buying another bottle once I’ve run out for those particulary frizzy or rushed mornings. The benefits also being that you apply to dry hair and it’s small enough to fit into the tiniest of handbags for quick fixes during the day. Plus, it really does smell amazing.

Tresemme Split Remedy Leave In Treatment and Split Remedy Masque

£5.75, 125ml / £5.75, 300ml

I’ve never been the biggest fan of Tresemme products, though their stuff always smells amazing. I saw the advert for the Split Remedy range on telly and decided against buying the shampoo and conditioner, purely because I’ve tried and tested Tresemme washes in the past and not been thrilled with the results, comparing to what it was supposed to do (especially for the money). So I gave the leave-in treatment and hair masque a go as I didn’t own any other products similar to these at the time.
So what does it claim to do? According to Tresemme, the Split Remedy system moisturises and while using their Reconstructing Complex, binds split ends. With continued use, your hair is supposed to appear nourished and the ends freshly cut. 

The leave in treatment is recommended for use on damp hair, which is primarily how I used it. It does say you can use a smaller amount on dry hair to tame frizz, which I have also done, but not as often. The masque is recommended for use on wet hair after shampooing. I find it hard to use for the full 5 minutes as instructed as I only have a shower, so slapping it on in the bath would probably be more beneficial. But, I use these treatments daily and I think I will continue to buy until they stop making them. Depending on your hair, you might not need the 2-3 pumps of treatment as recommended, I didn’t and it has lasted me for ages. Tresemme say you should see results within 3 washes (when combined with other treatments from this range – not really in my case). I can definitely say that I could notice an improvement almost immediately. The masque leaves your hair feeling so soft and I do really feel like the treatment binds and nourishes the ends of my hair, they even feel thicker. The only negative I can find is that the masque is only available in a tub, as pictured. This makes using it in the shower pretty awkward without running out of hands or dropping some of the product or the lid, or filling the tub up with water. 

L’oreal Elvive Fibrology Shampoo and Conditioner

£2.99 per 250ml – Boots

I’ve had quite fine hair all my life but when I was younger I left it naturally curly so the appearance was never an issue. It wasn’t until I started messing around with heated styling products and dye that my hair started to look particulary limp and fine. I am currently in the process of trying to get my long, bouncy curls back (I’ve just had about 2 inches chopped off the ends because it was in such bad condition). I know there are many companies out there that describe their products as creating a thicker, more volumtuous look, but the L’oreal Elvive Fibrology range particulary caught my eye as this was their main selling point. 

So, what does it claim to do? The Fibrology range has been developed using Filloxane and is designed to bond the shampoo and conditioner together to thicken the hair fibres and nourish the hair deeply. Consumers should notice a visible difference with more body and bounce wash after wash.

I only used the shampoo and conditioner, 3 times a week for 3 weeks, though they do have a booster serum and hair masque also available in the range. Unfortunately, I can’t say I noticed a great deal of difference in my hair over those three weeks. The conditioner bottle is almost empty – I like to make sure my hair gets enough coverage and I think a bottle-amount of something is enough time/opportunity for something to start having an effect. 

The only positive outcome I noticed was that there seemed to be less ‘shedding’ (excuse the horrible term) of hair when in the shower. I probably won’t be buying the products again as other than the above, I felt like there was no difference, and I may come across another duo that have better effects as well as keeping the folicles attached to my scalp. 

Bleach London Super Cool Colours Rose Pink (plus Bleach Purple Shampoo and Washing Out Liquid)

£5, 150ml, Boots.com

A few months back, I was blonde and wanting to experiment with fun wash-in wash-out dyes when I heard about Bleach London via Instagram. It didn’t take much convincing but I had to decide between pink or purple. At the time, Bleach were selling a dark purple shade which eventually got recalled due to it dying hair a yucky greeny colour. So glad I decided against that and went for Rose pink. 

I’ve never been any good at self-dying and have had ‘vegetable dyes’ which I’ve found to be very messy in the past (Directions, Manic Panic etc). So I was very glad to see that this was more of a conditioner consistency which made applying very easy. 

I tipped the dye in a plastic bowl, bit by bit, which made it easier to ‘scoop’ up (you definitely want to wear gloves as it doesn’t seem like it would cause much skin staining but believe me it does). I parted my hair into three layers and just worked the dye through with my fingers. Once I was happy with the coverage I let the next layer down and did the same. Once it was covered I checked that there were no spots that looked thin with dye and left it to dry. It goes quite ‘crunchy’ as it dries and can leave a pink ‘dust’ if it rubs on anything. It also goes very vibrant, a couple of shades brighter than it actually is when washed off. 

It’s recommended you leave on for 15 minutes but because it contains no bleach or damaging ingredients I would leave it on for anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes. Just so I knew it had all ‘hardened off’. 

After then, I would simply rinse off as normal. I didn’t have to condition my hair as a) I would only apply it on clean hair (so after I’d washed and dried it) and b) it left my hair feeling incredibly soft and smooth. 

It says it lasts between 2-10 washes. I wash my hair 3 times a week and I’d say the colour had almost completely gone within 3 weeks. It depends on how obvious/pink you want it. I found myself re-dying after 10 days or so if I knew I wanted it for several occasions. But as a one-off, it would work just as well. (I have heard that blue/green shades are not as easy to fade or get rid of totally). I also heard that adding dye to your conditioner and applying it every time could sustain the colour for longer. So I mixed some Hot Pink Crazy Colour with a white conditioner (TRESemme Repair). However, I didn’t really feel like this had much effect. It turns out now that Bleach actually sell a shampoo and conditioner to coincide with their Rose Pink dye. If only they had thought of that when I was using their products.. 

My hair between dying, at the awkward pink/peach/blonde                         stage (and plenty of root regrowth).

So, how can you make your Super Cool Colour fade if you’ve had enough? Bleach London Washing Out Liquid (£5, 500ml, Boots) is how. I purchased a bottle of this encase I seriously hated my decision but have to say I only used it twice, when I was in the awkward strawberry-blonde phase and I had events coming up that I wanted ‘normal’ hair for. It’s a very strange consitency, very thick and glue-like. But as it’s not designed to be an everyday shampoo, it’s not a problem. And it really works. Don’t expect immediate results but using every other wash (as well as normal shampoo – well I did), the colour does eventually fade. 

And finally, to add my to my personal Bleach London review, I’d like to add the Bleach London Silver shampoo and conditioner (£5, 250ml, Boots). I used these before using the Rose Pink when I was trying to get my hair less brassy so the pink didn’t go too peachy. I have to say, I think I used them two or three times as I just hated what they did to my hair, especially the shampoo as you can tell by the amount left in the bottle. I know silver shampoos can dry your hair out as I’ve used others in the past but my hair felt so wirey, even before I’d dried it. Unfortunately, I can’t really comment on their effects because of this. 

Having a look around, I now see that Bleach have released many more products since I used their dye; from dry shampoos, hair masks, split end serums and colour protect washes. I struggle to see past the ‘fun’ element of their products and therefore I’m not sure if I’ll totally invest in their hair-care range, but will quite possibly experiment with their colours again in the future.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Unwind Curls Calming Creme vs. Trevor Sorbie Beautiful Curls Creme

£5.89 (150ml) vs £5.40 (150ml)

My Mum (who has much curlier hair than I do) has used the Frizz-Ease products for as long as they have been making them. I wanted to buy a creme designed to add definition to natural curls. Not quite as much as a mousse would, but just a softer, subtle difference for looser curls. Because Mum swears by Frizz-Ease (and it genuinely works for her) I picked the Unwind Curls and as I had never tried a Trevor Sorbie product, I went for the Beautiful Curls creme, both very similar in price. 

I have to say I would pick the Trevor Sorbie creme over the John Frieda creme any day. So much so, the Frizz-Ease has been demoted to my cupboard of backups and emergencies and Mr Sorbie travels with me whenever I stay away from home. The Unwind Curls, for a start, comes out very quick, which I learnt the hard way. It is a very sticky creme and using just a tiny bit too much results in gooey, moussed-like hair. Not the desired look. However, the Beautiful Curls creme is much softer and definitely kinder on the sense of smell too. I haven’t found a ‘too much’ amount yet and it definitely makes my curls softer and more defined. A bonus being it also contains UV filters and heat protection if I were to be tempted to pick up the straighteners. Since I purchased both cremes, the Trevor Sorbie range has undergone a rebrand and the Beautiful Curls Creme is now called Trevor Sorbie Hold Curl Creme, which you can purchase in either ‘soft’ or ‘firm’. I’m not too sure how the strength of Beautiful Curls compares, but I will find out when I run out and have to buy some more. I imagine the ‘soft’ hold will be suitable for myself.