Hair Burst

In December I tried out Hair Burst which are vitamin tablets designed to increase the speed your hair grows at and make it healthier too. I got one month's supply which is £24.99 for those in the UK. The pills contain lots of different vitamins including zinc to keep hair follicles strong, collagen to battle dryness and brittleness, and folic acid to maintain the colour of your hair and promote faster hair growth.

The first thing I noticed when they arrived was the size of the capsules. They are about an inch long! You have to take two every morning (I did forget once or twice) and being someone who can barely swallow tiny painkillers, this was quite a challenge. It did become easier as the month went on though. 

The left of these two photos shows the length of my hair before I started taking the tablets and the photo on the right shows the length at the end of the 30 days. My hair care routine was the same throughout the time I was taking them as it was before - everything including shampoo, conditioner and any additional products I use. (I didn't dye my hair in between photos, the sun was setting in the second one which is why it looks more red!) You can see from these two photos that my hair did grow a bit, maybe 1/2 an inch to an inch. One major downside to these tablets that I found was that it broke my skin out majorly, I usually have quite good skin with the occasional spot but my skin was awful for the majority of the time I took the capsules which was not the best! Other than that I had no issues with them and they did seem to make my hair grow a bit more than it normally would. I can't say I noticed any difference in the health of my hair but then again I was only taking them for a month so maybe it makes more of a difference on the three month cycle. 

Overall I think that they are quite pricey and I wasn't happy with the fact they broke my skin out but other than that they would be perfect if you are trying to grow your hair out! I don't think I will be repurchasing them though as my hair is long enough now without them. 

Plaited Up-Do Hair Tutorial + Tangle Teezer Review

I have been loving wearing this plaited up-do during the summer. It's perfect for keeping you hair out of your face, especially in the warm weather.  It's really easy to do as well!

First, brush through your hair to make sure there are no knots in it.  I used my 'Salon Elite' tangle teezer which I love. Tangle teezers are perfect for brushing through your hair effortlessly with 0 pain.

Next, split your hair in half and tie one half out of the way.

Then take a small section from the front of your hair and start off a normal braid (left section over the middle one, right section over the middle etc.).  Keep on braiding adding a little more hair to each section every time you cross it over until you have no more hair to add in.

When you get to this point, plait normally until you reach the end of your hair and secure it with a small elastic. Repeat these steps on the other half of your hair that you tied out of the way earlier.  You should end up with two French braids.

Take one of the braids and wrap it around in a circle shape near the bottom of your head.  Secure it with as many bobby pins as you need.  (It doesn't need to look perfect!)

When that is as secure as you want it, wrap the other plait around the outside of the first one. Try and make sure that you cover both the ends of the plaits and that your bobby pins aren't too obvious! If you want to check that it will stay put, shake your head gently and if you feel it moving too much then just add some more pins :)

Spray with hairspray for extra security and you're done! Obviously the size of the finished style will vary depending on how long your hair is.  This hairstyle is good for both casual and more formal occasions, to make it look more casual you could pull out some small pieces of hair to give it a more messy look. You could also add a bow or flower or anything else you like. It would be a nice easy prom hairstyle too if you are planning on doing your own hair for it :)

Now onto the tangle teezers! I have built up quite a collection of them now and a lot of people were asking questions about them last time I posted a photo of some on Instagram so since this post is hair related, I thought it would be a perfect time to do a little review on them.

There are four varieties (and yes I have multiples of them all!) - the original, salon elite, aqua splash and compact styler.

The original is the perfect size and shape to fit comfortable in your hand as you brush your hair and it gets rid of all tangles with literally no pain.  You can also use all tangle teezers on wet hair without causing damage which is amazing. The fact that they glide through your hair so easily means you can also use them when wearing extensions without pulling on them.  The salon elite is slightly bigger and the brush itself is more curved so it sort of matches the curve of your head and brushes it well from the roots. The one I have shown in the picture is part of their 'sugared almonds' range which are pastels and I think are limited edition for the summer.

Then there is the 'aqua splash' range. I always use this in the shower as it's perfect for brushing through your hair when you're conditioning to make sure that the product is evenly distributed.  As you can see, it is also hollow which means you can stand it up and it will drain all the water out of it.

Finally, there are the 'compact stylers'. Before I started using these, I always used to have the problem with things like headphones getting tangled in the bristles of any brushes I had in my bag which is super annoying.  These compact stylers are small enough to take up little room in your bag and they also have a clip-on cover which means the bristles aren't exposed and nothing can get caught in them! I always have one in my bag as they are super handy and just as good at detangling as the larger ones :)

We actually bought my labradoodle his own tangle teezer and it works so well! He looks basically 90% poodle so he has quite thick, curly hair and when we brush him with this it makes him so soft :) He never used to like being brushed with regular dog brushes but he loves being brushed with his tangle teezer haha.

I would definitely recommend getting your hands on a tangle teezer.  Hope you enjoyed this post and will try out the hair style :) x

Ombré curls {with VP Fashion extensions}

My hair is already quite long so I don't need extensions for length but I got these ombré extensions from VP Fashion and they're so gorgeous! They are the longest length (24 inches) which is about the same length as my real hair but they give an ombré effect without having to dye your natural hair which is amazing.  If you are like me and have previously had ombréd hair then you will probably know how hard it is to cover up but that is not a problem with these as they are only clip-ins so you can just remove them :) They are real human hair too, so they are really soft and good quality and you can do anything you would to your normal hair to them! Also, you can get them dyed to your specifications and they won't be sent off until you are 100% happy with them :)

To put them in, I start off by separating my hair horizontally at ear level. I clip the top section out of the way and then attach one of the 3-clip pieces (there are  2 x 3-clip, 2 x 4-clip and 4 x 1-clip pieces in the set that I got).  Then I section my hair about an inch up and clip in one of the 4-clip pieces and repeat this step again.  I use the 1-clip pieces at the sides. I've found that this is the best way to use the pieces for me :)

While the extensions do look nice on straight hair too, I've found that curling it gives a more natural look to the ombré and I generally prefer it so I used my Nicky Clarke straighteners and Babyliss curling wand to curl my hair.

This is the finished result!

If you want to get some VP Fashion Extensions for yourself, the lovely people there have been kind enough to give a discount code for you all.  Just use the code 'tierneyellen13672' to get $10 off your purchase :)

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and check out VP fashion extensions*! x

Hair - before and after!

For the past 3 years I have been growing my hair out, occasionally getting the ends trimmed but nothing more than that. However I fancied a change fringe-wise so headed off to the hairdresser for the usual trim and also to get a full fringe cut in!  I haven't had a full fringe since I was about 13 so it will take some time to get used to it but I think I like it haha :)

left - before // right - after

I got about an inch taken off the bottom of my hair and I think it makes such a difference getting the wispy ends cut off, it makes your hair look thicker and healthier :)

As you can see from the photos, my hair was blow dried and straightened at the hairdresser, it's not naturally like that! :(

Thanks for reading! x

Hair care routine

About three years ago I had my hair cut to my shoulders and I hated it so ever since then I've been growing it out.  It's now pretty long and I think it's in quite good condition haha so I thought I'd share my hair care routine :)  I don't use many products as I find it weighs my hair down and most of them are unnecessary anyway.

I wash my hair every other day and usually use shampoo/conditioner for dry/damaged hair.  Even though mine isn't dry or damaged, it has been bleached and dyed a lot in the past so it's good for the added moisture that these types of shampoo give your hair.  At the moment I'm using Herbal Essences 'Hello Hydration'.  If you flip your hair upside down and massage it into the scalp it is supposed to stimulate your hair follicles and make it grow faster.  I only apply the conditioner to the bottom 2/3 of my hair to avoid it building up at the roots and making my hair look greasy.

About once a week (when I remember) I use this organic moroccan argan oil restorative treatment which is basically a deep conditioner that you leave on for 5 minutes and then wash out.  It makes my hair super soft and I love it but I am forever forgetting to use it haha.

After I've washed my hair, I brush it through with a wide toothed comb.  Your hair is easily damaged when it's wet which is why it's best to use a wide toothed comb rather than a regular brush.  Also, brush starting from the bottom and work your way up to prevent knots forming. I then spray Tresemmé heat protection spray all over and brush through again to evenly distribute it through my hair.

Another product I use after this is moroccan argan oil.  This is a miracle product, it makes my hair feel so soft and look really healthy.  I apply a small amount to the bottom half of my hair, focusing on the ends.

If I know I will be styling my hair properly when I'm going out somewhere nice for example, I will apply the Bumble and Bumble thickening spray although my hair is quite thick already so I don't usually bother with this step on an everyday basis.

I try not to use too much heat on my hair so I usually wash my hair at night to avoid blow drying it.  Since my hair is thick it takes quite a while to dry though so I occasionally have to blow dry it slightly to get rid of the worst of the moisture.  Then I'll either leave it loose or put it in a loose plait to keep it out of the way overnight.  And that's my hair care routine! I am not an expert in any of this it's just what's worked for me :) Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed :)

Also sorry for the lighting in the photos, the weather was awful today! x

The Body Shop hair chalk

Hi! I have being doing quite a lot of shopping recently, and on my last trip I picked up this blue hair chalk from The Body Shop.  It is £5 but it is on an introductory offer of buy one get one half price at the minute, and as me and my friend both bought one we only paid £3.75 each.  There are two colours, this blue one and also a pink one.  I found that the pink didn't show up as well on my hair as the blue one which is why I chose to get this one instead :)

I have dyed my hair a lot but recently my school became strict about hair colour and now we are only allowed 'natural' coloured hair.  This obviously rules out blue then haha.  This chalk washes out with just one wash though so it is perfect for weekends as it will be gone by the time school starts again.

To show you how I used it, I straightened my hair and brought a section forward since it is more manageable to work in smaller sections.  It recommends you put a towel around you shoulders too but I skipped that step, oops.

Then all you have to do to use it is place the piece of hair you want to colour between your thumb and the chalk and move the chalk down your hair.

This photo shows how pigmented the chalk is after just one stroke on the hair, it becomes a lot brighter if you repeat the steps multiple times on the same section of hair.

Spray with hairspray and it should last a few hours! Since it is super pigmented, it works on brown hair as well as blonde, I would recommend trying it out in store before you buy it if you have quite dark hair though just to make sure it shows up :)

Thanks for reading! x