I stopped dying my hair for a year and this happened...

At new years I was challenged to avoid dying my hair for a year. I accepted the challenge, and took the opportunity on new years eve to dye my hair one last time. Now, over a year on, I have successfully avoided hair dye.

I have been tempted to break the challenge...every time I see a hair dye aisle in a shop I go and stare longingly at all of the different colours. To anyone who has seen me doing this I must look very strange! I do feel like I want to dye my hair, but at the same time I'm enjoying not having to worry about keeping my hair colour vibrant and fresh, and there is the added bonus of no longer spending money on hair dyes every month!

I was worried about my roots coming through and really hating the way they look, but it hasn't been too bad. A part of me quite enjoys being able to see my roots - it's like a progress tracker. I am all about visual progress trackers! My hair hasn't grown as much as I thought it would, but I can see that it is getting healthier. The more it's grown out, the more it looked like I had dyed it ombre - especially when the brown colour I dyed it at new years faded to show the blonde underneath again.

I like how it looks, I have my curls back and I like having fresh smelling hair. No more chemical-smelling hair for me! Following that thought, no more stained towels, smelly bathroom, or stained fingers either...bonuses all around.

So here we go - I got pics with my hair straight so you have an easier time seeing the colour and length.

You can see in the 2016 picture that the ends of my hair are blonder - this is where the brown dye faded adn the blonde underneath came through. my roots however, are all my own colour. From roots to around my ears I should say - I don't think it's just my roots anymore!

I was originally going to dye my hair as soon as possible, however, I decided to keep going and make it 2 years without dying my hair. I am curious to see what the colour ooks like when it's all my own...plus I have my wedding to think about, so I want my hair to be in the best condition possible.

PS...apologies for the crazy smile, I had to replicate the frist pic sooo there it is again.

The Empties Challenge! January Edition

New year, a new month of empties! Though to be honest, I haven't got through quite as many products as I expected to...

1: Tresemme Karatin Smooth: 7 Day Smooth System Conditioner

I bought the whole set of the 7 day smooth set - the shampoo, conditioner, and the heat activated serum. I've made my way through the conditioner the quickest - no surprises there. I dont know many poeple who use shampoo faster than condtioner! I can't comment on the efectiveness of this product without mentioning the other products it was made to be used with. Using the conditioner alongside the other related products is meant to keep your hair smooth for 7 days - even if you get your hair wet in that time frame. You may be aware that I rarely straighten my hair, but when I do, I used these products. I got pretty amazing results with them, my hair looked like I had used GHD's on it - and I don't own GHDs. It was sleek, smooth, neat, and stayed that way while in humid conditions. It lasted a few days with me sleeping on it, only needing a brush and quick top-up straighten until I washed it again. I was really pleased with the results - way back when I used to straighten my hair all the time, everyday it would be a challenge to restraighten it after it curled up again or got any moisture near it! Big change from back then - I was able to do my hair in 10 minutes or less. However, there is a downside of these products - it leaves residue in your hair - like a coating of karatin. This made brushing my hair very difficult as I would have to very carfully brush through the product buildup.
I have used the shampoo and conditioner without straighteneing my hair afterwards - I was left with smooth non-frizzy hair that I left to curl naturally. I still ended up with product build up though, so my curls got a bit snaggley and tangled, especially overnight after sleeping on them. I reverted to only using one or the other, alongside a different shampoo, and this moreor less solved the issue. no product build up, and slightly smoother hair for a couple of days. Honestly, I think 7 days is pushing it, but perhaps this would work better on someone who doesn't have curly hair?

2: Sure Maximum Protection Deodorant

I bought this after it was recommended on another blog that I read (Hello TooFatToRun!). It was also on offer, and deodorant on offer is basically how I decide which one I'll be using... I haven't ever used a deodorant that you twist at the bottom to get the product out before, so this was a new experience for me. At first I found it a bit odd to smear product over my underarms, but actually I think I prefer it to roll on deodorant now. In terms of the functionality of the product, it did stop me from feeling so sweaty and smelly, even after a workout (obviously I was sweating everywhere else, but I didn't have to worry about having smelly pits!). It has a pleasant smell, and does the job it says it should do - you'll hear no complaints from me on the product itself. However, I haven't re-bought this product because the price of it is a little more than what I would usually spend on deodorant. whenever it's on offer htough, you can be sure I'll be stocking up on it! PS - let me know if you see this on offer anywhere? K, thnx.

That's it from me this month, but did you know that I'm on facebook? you can like my page for some more updates and anecdotes here

Happy February!