HAIR

HOTD: 20th January, 2024

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Hair Of The Day: just took a notion.

Mainly because I took delivery of my new Revlon Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumiser on Friday. My brother and sister-in-law gifted me one last Christmas and to say I am obsessed does not do it justice.

Obsessed = buying one for euro use as the gift is US-plug oriented and won’t work here. Or not for long: I bought a hot flat brush thingie ages ago, can’t even recall the brand, and used an adaptor, and blew it out in a month or so.

Obsessed = speaking of, I got the Revlon version of an air-drying flat brush and was not wowed. So I waited until the finances settled post-holidays and got one of the proper, full brush oval deals. LOVE.

Image of my hair, having used the products that will be listed below
Yikes, that’s long. Ends need tidying.

Here’s hoping you’re all viewing this on mobile/cell because I spent a ridic amount of time on the above image and it is t i n y. Ugh.

1} If you take nothing from this post, take Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub. Scalp health! It is important! Imagine not exfoliating your face! That is a teeny tiny 75ml pot of scrubby excellence, and using it once a month, it lasts… at least eight? A scoop on two fingers is plenty. Apply before shampooing. So good.

2} Bumble & Bumble Illuminated Color Shampoo and its matching 1-Minute Vibrancy Treatment: I used the latter ‘cos I ran out of the conditioner, which I will say I found that touch too thick. I prefer these two working in combination. Not for going out-out hair, perfectly respectable any-old-day shampoo + treatment.

3} Smooth Me Now Thermal Spray from Eleven: really, really good, works even better with a fancier shampoo + conditioner. This is my gateway into the brand, with which I am not familiar; will likely investigate further, watch this space.

I alwaysssssss use something before I dry, and recommend you do too. I have a top five I might do on that score.

4} QUEEN. Okay if you take a second thing from this post, take this. I will say it works better if you let your hair air dry a lil bit before using this, but it is so effective it’s worth an extra five minutes or so of brushing this glorious hot air conveying device through your locks. And with the amount of feckin’ acreage I have to dry (really time for a trim), if your hair is shorter, you will defo go faster. LOVE THIS THING, SO GREAT.

ALSO! When I opened the box and a packaged Allen wrench/Philips head screwdriver fell into my lap I was like: why. Well. You can unscrew the back of the plug and upon removal, the UK prongs reveal Euro prongs, so lets go to France and have perfect hair!

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Interested in paranormal Regency Era Romance? Visit susannaallenwriter.com and give us a follow there, too <3

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I Used It All Up: Julien Farel Vitamin Restore

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I finally used up the last of this lil’ beaut: Julien Farel Vitamin Restore. It’s the first low shampoo I ever tried, and liking it so much I hoarded it for-basically-ever. It’s got hyaluronic acid in, as well as echinacea stem cells, and vitamins B, C and E, and triples as a cleanse, treat and condition formula.

Everything about it is neutral in the best sense: zero fragrance, no lather, and yet its effect is shiny, healthy, bouncy hair.

I wondered: exactly how many years has this been perched on the lip of the tub, waiting for an outing? How long had I kept in reserves for those days when I wanted a guaranteed Good Hair Day™ or I was simply not arsed to do the whole shampoo/shampoo/condition thang?

I thought about doing a search on my hard drive and went: Nah. Cannot be arsed to do that, either.

I did want to find more of it, so I googled it, and lo and behold. It is alive! My past self was there all this time, hidden in The Herald website, which deigned not to give me credit, but does at least still keep a record of my tried and tested days.

Upshot: I hoarded this stuff for three years. Is that nothing or is that mad? I am not that impressed, tbqh. Maybe next time I’ll do better.

(Just fell down the Julien Farel rabbit-hole: a haircut with the man himself is $1000. FYI.) (Buying this internationally may be a ‘no’; I think I’ll pick some up in NYC at Christmas.)

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As regards the rest of that link: I quickly fell out of love with the Dermalogica‘s Ultimate Buffing Cloth. The length got on my nerves. I fondly recall both the Vaseline Spray and Go Body Moisturiser and Garnier‘s BB Cream + Blur — might be time for a run to the chemists…

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I Try Before You Buy: Lush Tangled Hot Oil Treatment

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Hmmm. I wasn’t sure that Lush’s venture into deep conditioning hair care was gonna work — way to keep an open mind! I do like the brand’s Jumping Juniper Shampoo Bar {and while I was checking, I see that there’s a Karma-scented bar, must try!} but also remember a foray into a solid conditioner that did not work.

Our friends at Lush are never afraid to take a risk on innovation, so holding fast to my own courage, I went for it.

Hot oil on a stick?
01 treat on a stick

The instructions said to go boil the kettle, get a suitable container, and prepare to swish. Okay!
02 in the mug

The swishing began. Adding enough to cover the solid… stuff, I swished and swished, keeping in mind that it was suggested that increments of hot water be added. A timeframe of five minutes was offered; as an impatient person, five minutes of swishing felt like five hours. Due to this impatience, I definitely jumped the gun; I applied some, and then realised that I could in fact get more out of it. Given how much hair I have, I immediately thought I’d ruined the whole undertaking. I added more water, swished a bit, created more, but less creamy, product — I make these mistakes so you don’t have to. Be patient! This process really does work!
03 mixing it up

Even with my inability to do what the packaging told me to do, there was plenty of this to go round. Having learned my lesson, I waited the requisite 20 minutes.
04 doing its job

TANGLED LUSH
Woweeeee: shiny! Also: soft, beautifully scented with ylang ylang and rosewood, silky, touchable — an amazing result. I wanted to do it all over again — with less impatient swishing — as soon as possible. There’s also one called Damaged, chock full of almond, avocado and extra virgin olive oils, if your hair has got the wintery weather blues. Take a chance on either one — it’s worth it.

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€8.95/£6.20

Speaking of Hair: Zeba Salon Fundraising Event

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When am I not speaking about hair?

I had an amazing session at Zeba Hairdressing in South William Street, and it wasn’t all about me getting a beautiful cut and new highlights — although, of course, I have to be able to say with conviction that the services provided are top notch, right? Well, they are, and what’s more, the stylists and colourists at the salon are not only good with their hands, they are good with their hearts.

On Sunday, 15 April, Zeba are hosting a ‘Treat Yourself and Help the Children’ fundraising day in aid of Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, with proceeds going to the Cleft Lip & Palate Department. Owners Paul and Angie Drumgoole have a particular attachment to this department, as it has provided necessary, and exemplary, care for their youngest son Christian, who was born with a cleft palate.

All proceeds from the day go to the hospital, and all staff at work during the 11 am to 5pm time slot are working for free.

Treatments on offer are:
>A cut and blowdry for €50
>Colour, cut and blowdry for just €100
>Highlights and a cut and blowdry for €150
>Nail treatments in the salon on the day for €10.

And you get a  L’Oreal goody bag to take home with you. Bonus!

The salon is top-grade, and amongst the many pleasures — expert colour consultation with Laura, thorough discussion with Paul as to exactly how much hair was going to end up on the floor, and how to get more bang for my highlighting buck — the seats at the sinks are massage chairs, and oh! if only I was sitting here now, blogging away, in a massage chair… I would be asleep and would never publish this a’tall.

Paul speaks quite movingly about how Temple Street have been there for Christian every step of the way, and it is really quite exceptional that his staff are donating their talents gratis. The vibe in the place was very buzzy the day I went in, and it wasn’t just from busy-ness: it was clear, from the warm reception through the great attention paid during my session, that the people that work there not only like working there, but they like each other, too.

There’s more info at zeba.ie — check out the raffle prizes! Hampers of haircare products! Jewellery! A Trocadero restaurant voucher! How much better can this actually get?

To make an appointment, ring Zeba on (01) 671 6444. Pictured: a gorgeous result.