When my local Aveda salon closed in October I was forced to find a new hairdressers to keep my not-a-natural-redhead secret. I had read a piece by Imelda Burke (founder of natural store Content Beauty) in the Telegraph of the best natural … Continue reading
I don’t normally post bad reviews – I usually just relegate the fails to the bathroom bin and move on. But the Lush shampoos and conditioners are so bad that I feel compelled to get word out there. About a … Continue reading
It’s a bit outside the remit of what I’d normally review but this is such a great product that I’m making an exception.
The Tangle Teezer has been around for a while but since I only tackle my mop when I wash it the craze sort of passed me by. But now Tangle Teezer has released Aqua Splash, designed for the shower. I’ve never used a brush like it; it (mostly) glided through my knots in a fraction of the time a standard comb or brush would take. Use it with your conditioner and you’ll feel like you’ve had a treatment. It could be a coincidence, but I also lost less hair than usual.
Tangle Teezer Aqua Splash: from £10.25-£13.99
Available from: The cheapest one I found was on Amazon (search for Tangle Teezer Aqua Splash) but Boots, Tangle Teezer and Feel Unique are all stockists.
OK, so I’m just going to come straight out with it. The other night I cheated. On my hairdresser…
I’ve been using L’Oreal’s INOA hair dyes for years, brazenly masquerading as a red-head when I am, in fact, a mousey brunette. I thought that INOA’s ammonia-free colour was about as gentle as permanent salon colour could get. But after my last colour treatment I had a really bad reaction. I’ve always suffered discomfort both during and after hair colouring, but this was even more intense than usual and I spent most of the night rubbing oil into my scalp desperately trying to calm it down. My titian days were numbered.
Or so I thought…I remembered a friend who had raved about Aveda so I did a bit of research and discovered that Aveda’s permanent hair colour uses plant-based dyes and is 97% natural. I can live with a measly 3% ‘unnatural’ if it keeps my roots at bay so I trotted along to my local Gina Conway Aveda salon on the King’s Road. Obligatory patch test successfully completed and sold on the Aveda hair colour philosophy I waited for my appointment to come around.
The colouring session started with a relaxing massage and a cup of Aveda’s own ayurvedic tea. So far, so good. As the colour went on I smelt the overpowering whiff of ammonia. Technically, ammonia is a natural ingredient, but I still felt a bit duped. And a familiar tingle spread across my scalp…
BUT after a moment the discomfort passed (apparently this is normal) and the rest of the session was tingle-free! And the colour was fantastic.
Shiny happy hair!
That night my scalp and I slept happily. I didn’t even feel like I’d had colour put on. Never had my head felt so comfortable after salon colouring. All these years I thought ammonia was the enemy but it was the other chemical nasties. Hoorah!
My best friend, Inma, followed my lead and had her colour done at Gina Conway in Westbourne Grove. She too was thrilled with the results, “It’s soooo shiny!”
Thanks to all the uber friendly staff at Gina Conway Aveda salon on the King’s Road for the fabulous treatment.
Joli Naturellement 