#reviewsdaytuesday: Herbal Essences Naked Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

Recently, Herbal Essences (my current go to brand) brought out a range of 'Naked' hair products. 'Naked' here means it is free of silicone, parabens and colourant - and I haven't done any research to check out why these things are bad for you or your hair, but I'm assuming that the fewer artificial chemicals the better. As you saw in my empties post, I ran out of my shampoo and conditioner and needed a new one, so I thought I'd give this one a go.

As far as a moisture giving product, it does a decent job. I don't think its any more moisturising than other herbal essences products (in fact, I think the Beautiful Ends and Tousle Me Softly products are actually more moisturing) but equally for me it doesn't need to be. As long as its not drying my hair out, I'm good with it!

This product is meant to have a minty smell, and it almost does. It smells a lot like a neutral men's shower gel (if that makes sense), so the mint isn't fresh and crisp but dull and ... I want to say itchy? It doesn't 'burn' like other mint products do, its a much more muted scent.

My biggest criticism is the packaging - and this is more of a criticism of all Herbal Essences products rather than just this specific one. I love that both the conditioner and the shampoo are in see-through (or at least transluscent) containers, but the shape of the containers themselves are awful. I get that they are meant to be sexy and curvy, but having a top heavy product means its always falling over. I used to stack shelves at a supermarket and hated doing the Herbal Essences products. Its also really hard to get any of the conditioner out of the bottle (I've found this more of a problem with this specific product). I've started taking the cap off and shaking it like a glass ketchup bottle rather than squeezing it, which is slightly inconvenient.

All in all, its a pretty decent product. I won't be rushing to buy it again, but it does the job.

As an aside, I am aware that Herbal Essences aren't cruelty free. I am still looking for an affordable, high quality, cruelty free shampoo and conditioner. I'm going to write a more expansive post about my relationship to cruelty free and my hair care, so look out for that later in the month!

If you have any suggestions for affordable cruelty free hair care then tweet me @VickiMaitland or leave a comment below. Also, let me know what you think if you've tried this product. My next blog post will be part of my University series - this time on home hygiene.

Empties #1

I've been saving up these bottles and bits for so long - almost since I came back from Austria - and I think I've finally got enough to make a decent empties post.

E.L.F Pressed Powder in Buff. I loved this product so much not only did I re-purchase it but I also got it in a lighter shade so I could wear it all year round! It applies really well using a brush (for lighter coverage). The application pad that it comes with gives much heavier coverage and isn't as easy to use. I wore this product almost daily over summer, as it gives a really natural matte finish.

Another E.L.F product which I've re-purchased is their Liquid Eyeliner in Black. It applies pretty well, doesn't sting or burn like other cheap eyeliners I've used, and is generally good value for money.

You might remember me saying how excited I was for this product back before summer. It's Superdrug's Uplifting Red Cherry and Fig Conditioner. This product was pretty 'meh' for me. It wasn't as moiturising as I'd have liked it to be and I had to use a pretty big palmful to get the results I was after. I will try a different Superdrug conditioner though, as I'm determined to find good, cruelty free hair products, but I won't be buying this one again. I'm still working through the shampoo in the same scent.

I've used this Simple Kind To Eyes Nourishing Eye Make-up Remover Cream for years! Clearly I really like it. It feels like you're doing something nice to your face by taking off your makeup, rather than putting chemicals on it to burn off other chemicals. When this one ran out I didn't have a chance to re-purchase it, but I'm definitely going to go back to it as soon as I can. My only problem with this product is the packaging - the lid almost always breaks, making it awkward to store.

Another Simple product that I've been using is this Kind To Skin Smoothing Facial Scrub. My mum got this for me on a two for one deal thinking it would be good to take travelling etc and I hadn't thought much of it till my other exfoliator ran out and I began using this everyday. It gives good results and, as it's pretty moisturising, it feels nice on your skin too. I've got a small stock pile of these, so I'll keep working my way through them, but I'm looking to switch to a more environmentally sustainable exfoliant. I will say that this does use rice granules rather than micro-beads, which is better but still not fabulous. 

Another product that I've used for years is this Shockwaves Curls and Waves Mousse. I use it everyday and I love it. I'm so gutted it isn't cruelty free though, and I am looking to switch, so if you've got any suggestions leave a comment and let me know!

This B. Undereye Concealer in Light/Medium has been great, and I repurchased it a while back. I use it everyday and think it really brightens up my eyes.

Olay Complete Care SPF 15 Daily Fluid for Normal/Oily Skin. I inherited my love of this product from my mum, who has used it everyday since I can remember. It soaks in really quickly and sits really lightly on your face - you only need a tiny bit to go a long way. Plus it has SPF 15 in it, which is a huge moisturiser must for me. When my new one runs out, I am going to switch to Superdrug's own brand version as I really want a cruelty free moisturiser, but I'll be sad to see this one go!

Last but not least, Vaseline Active Fresh 48h Protection Pro Derma Anti-perspirant-deodorant. I love this deodorant. It applies really well and doesn't take ages to soak in and dry which is my main issue with most other deodorants. I really want a deodorant which doesn't have anti-perspirant in it, but until that day I will keep using this product.

I hope that post was helpful - let me know which products you can't help but re-purchase in the comments, or tweet me @VickiMaitland.ski

Beauty: Hair Care Routine May 2014

I have an unusual hair type. I have ringlet curls, with very fine, very thin hair. But, I figure I can't be the only one with this kind of annoying hair, so I thought I'd make a post to share my method of getting the most out of my hair!

Like most curlies, I cannot go a day without washing my hair. This is partly because curly hair prevents any oils from the top of your head working their way down to the ends throughout the day, and partly because as soon as I brush my hair it looses 80% of the curl as I separate all the hair strands. Because I've also got very fine, thin hair this also means it doesn't have the weight to obey gravity*, and turns into a frizzy mess. So every morning I start by washing my hair (I tie this in with my daily shower).

When I was at home I would almost always use Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light in both the shampoo and conditioner. This was mostly because Mum had always used Pantene and this was the product which worked best for me out of their range. However, since moving to Uni, I've almost exclusively used Herbal Essences and my hair seems to love it! I'm sure it’s been softer and less dry since I've been using it. My only complaint is the wavy bottle - the cap is way too awkward to squeeze all the product out off when it's running low and hard to remove (especially with wet, soapy hands!). Luckily for me, they still have a couple of their products in traditional flip-top bottles, so I rotate between those (the Silk 'n' Shine or Moisture Balance). Both products work really well, I just find rotating between bottles keeps my hair rejuvenated as it stops it from getting too familiar with one. Not sure if there's a scientific reason behind it, but I always feel like my hair becomes lack lustre if I keep using the same type of product for a couple of bottles.

I start, as one would expect, with the shampoo, and just massage it into my scalp before rinsing. Then I apply the conditioner – which is where things get a little bit more technical (or as technical as you can get washing hair). I start by evenly distributing the conditioner through the lower ¼ of my hair. This is the cancel out the problem of dry ends I explained previously. I then get a hair brush and brush the product through the entirety of my hair. Curly hair sheds just as much as any other hair type, but because the hair gets trapped in the curls it tends to sit in my hair rather than falling out during the day. Brushing it not only gets rid of all the dead hair, but also makes sure the product is evenly distributed through my hair. I’ll usually leave this to sit in my hair whilst  do all my other shower bits and bobs so it can soak right in.

Out of the shower I towel ‘dry’ my hair. Heat on my hair kills it, not to mention gives volume I don’t really need. I brush it through again (it’s still pretty damp at this stage, but not dripping) and style it for the day. Once my hair is how I want it, I squirt Wella Shockwaves: Curls and Waves Mousse into my palm and scrunch it through my hair. This weighs down my hair, giving it a better curl and stops fly-aways too.

Then I just hope that my hair does what it’s told for the rest of the day!

If I really want to pamper my hair, and if I’ve got the time, I’ll apply a hair mask. I apply castor oil into the roots of my hair, then brush it through. Then, I’ll apply coconut oil to the bottom half of my hair. If I can, I’ll sit with a warn towel over my head for a couple of hours, but half an hour will do, then take my normal shower. This is by no means a daily routine! I try to do it a couple of times a month if I can, though.

Are you curly like me? Let me know any tips and tricks you might have either in the comments or by tweeting me @VickiMaitland.

*Not scientific fact.