My Drugstore Hair Routine

So I guess this isn't exactly a review, and nobody asked for this... But I'm going to run through my hair care routine using all drugstore products - therefore it is very affordable!

I am in no way saying my hair is in good condition; unfortunately years of highlighting and dying have taken its toll, but I am taking steps to restore it and give it some TLC!

SO, I suppose the best place to start is with washing! I don't wash my hair everyday, mainly because I don't need to and also because I feel like it dries my hair out really quickly. So I will wash it every couple of days, unless I'm going out or going to work and want it to look fresher. For oily days, I generally just use dry shampoo, but I tend to try and avoid using this too often because its chalky/talcy consistency really dries my hair out! For dry shampoo, I use Boots' own in "Paradise Island", found here for just £1.50 at the moment!

For shampoos I am not too particular; I tend to get whatever smells good and whatever is cheap. There is a Poundland right around the corner from my flat which is perfect for me, so I can get a bottle of shampoo and a couple of conditioners (because let's face it, who really finishes their shampoo and conditioner at the same time?) for just a few pounds. I do tend to go for shampoos specifically designed for dry/damaged hair, just because I feel that I get more moisture out of them.

A new product I have just recently started using is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle deep treatment mousse, found here, which is actually on offer at Superdrug for £3.50. This is an in-shower mousse that you rinse out after your shampoo/conditioner and I think I may do a separate review on this, because it really is lovely! It leaves my hair super soft and light, and of course smells divine.

So that's all the junk I put on my hair in the shower, so after that I just tend to blow dry it straight. I don't really use heat protection (although I should) because I just haven't found one that doesn't weigh my hair down or leave it kind of tacky. But if you have a heat spray that works for you, definitely use it before putting any heat on your hair. (Also, recommendations would not go amiss!)

When my hair is dry, all I do is brush it through and get rid of tangles. Then I use another of my Aussie products, which is the Miracle Recharge lightweight conditioning spray for coloured hair. This is a leave-in spray conditioner that you can use on wet or dry hair. I love to use it on dry hair by spraying it liberally on the ends of my hair - which are always the driest - then brushing it in and leaving it to dry. It leaves the ends of my hair so silky and makes any splits less noticeable. You can spray it all over your hair though!

And that's really it! I rarely use any other heat products on my hair which I think is probably a good thing, as it really doesn't need any more damage! My downfall is my dying habits, which I am trying to cut down on by going back to my natural hair colour. Lightening my hair definitely dries it out beyond belief. But these cheap little products have definitely done wonders for my hair and I think it's the only reason it isn't falling out!

*Note, any discounted offers mentioned were accurate at the time of posting. Boots and Superdrug are really cheap anyway, though!

"Crazy Color" Hair Dye by Renbow

So since dip-dye stopped being cool (sorry gang) and I let my beloved pink tips fade into the abyss, I've wanted to hop on that pastel hair colour bandwagon and go fully bubblegum pink.

For some reason, because my hair is weird, I haven't found a dye that actually takes to my hair no matter how long I leave it in.

A few weeks ago I picked up a few bottles of this "Crazy Color" hair dye in no.65 Candy Floss:

I originally picked up three bottles because my hair is fairly long and the bottles didn't look like they had much in them. I got them for £3.49 each at a Duty Free shop in Manchester, but I'm aware you can get this brand all places online for similar prices I think.

I had no gloves or anything so thought I would come out of this with rosacea of the hands, but it turns out this dye is actually really creamy and doesn't stain skin at all, even though it says it will.

I only needed one bottle to cover my whole head which was pleasantly surprising. It actually goes a long way.

It has a weird overly creamy texture and I found that it almost lathered in my hands when I was rubbing it in, turning it sort of white. I'm really not sure if that's meant to happen but it happened the second time I used it as well. So I just went with it.

Pretty much straight away you can see the colour on the hair - note: I started this process having re-lightened my hair a few days before - so I was impressed to begin with. However, this product's only downfall was the fact that it just would not take to some parts of my hair.

After covering my whole head and leaving it to settle for the suggested 15-30 minutes (took that long to put it all on, but whatever) it became apparent that some parts of my hair, particularly the very top, had taken to the dye very well whereas I was still very blonde towards the ends.

I left it longer than they suggested on the bottle just for good measure then washed it out. It wasn't messy because it practically ran clear, albeit a little soapy. The bottle said just to rinse it but I shampoo and conditioned it anyway.

I dried it pretty much expecting a patchy job which is what it was (honesty here, people). Don't get me wrong- it was all pink, just varying shades throughout.

I didn't take a picture of the initial results but the top of my head was quite a vibrant pink and it gradually got blonder as you went down. Kind of like reverse ombré (lame). 

I went over it again the next day to try and even the colour out, using probably a quarter of a second bottle to slap on the ends and hope they matched. It helped a little bit and washing my hair again made the top fade ever so slightly but there was still a noticeable difference in colour, as all my flatmates liked to point out.

One advantage, though, is that because the dye is so creamy, it left my hair weirdly really soft. So that's nice.

Terrible lighting aside, you can tell none of it matches. But here's a tip, kids: if you act like it's meant to look that way, everyone thinks you're just super quirky and loves it. It's great.

TO CONCLUDE:

Price: 3.5/10

Quality: 3/10

Bonus points: it's available in A LOT of colours and does wash out really quickly, so even if it looks like crap, it's gone in a few washes.

Preface

Let's be honest- I'm a student, I'm poor as hell and who can ACTUALLY afford MAC...?!

Thus this blog was born and thrust into cyberspace for me to give my opinion (a hobby of mine) on stuff I use on a day-to-day basis that, generally, is very cheap or else I wouldn't buy it.

Behold the wonders that await you, young grasshopper.