New vlog all about looking after your hair in the colder months, hope you enjoy!! x
Favourite body and hair products for my summer holidays…
Skincare and beauty comes a close second to my love of fashion. I’m less experimental with skincare – the first twenty years of my life were ruled by eczema so I am acutely aware of what suits my skin and hair and what does not.
Living in London – pollution and cold weather are definitely high on the list of criteria I consider when choosing products – along with trying to slow down the inevitable ageing process (!)
However, for me, going on my summer holiday means a much simpler beauty regime. Everything I use on my skin and hair focuses on hydration and nourishment and that’s about it.
Whilst I have never been one to bake in the sun, it is hard to stay completely in the shade and I adore feeling the heat on my body. So when away, I like to balance my need for vitamin D and looking after my skin and hair.
With that in mind, here’s my list of favourite products for my summer holiday:
Body lotion: My favourite holiday pick is John Masters blood orange and vanilla body milk (https://johnmasters.com). John Masters is a great organic brand and this lotion is light but nourishing. It also has aloe vera in it – which is anti-inflammatory and incredibly soothing. A key ingredient for me in the summer months. If I need a little extra oomph I add dry body oil. Something like Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse (https://uk.nuxe.com) or the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse D’Or - the gold shimmer version, if like me, you like a bit of a shimmery glow on your body.
2. Sunscreen: Being naturally tanned I have had a longstanding issue with sunscreens. Historically, most are thick and white - which means they take ages to rub in and afterwards you can look slightly grey. So I was delighted when I discovered spray/mist sunscreens, a while ago. My favourite is Hampton Sun sunscreen (http://www.hamptonsuncare.com). This stuff is expensive; but as I only buy sunscreen once a year and one can goes a very along way I don’t mind splashing out on this. SPFs range from 15 to SPF70 (!!). These products are not only effective UVA/UVB broad spectrum sunscreens, they contain aloe vera and a multi-vitamin complex that nourish and hydrate your skin. Hampton Sun sunscreens also contain a compound called Polycrylene, which is said to increase the product's water resistance and filters more UVA rays than the "average" sunscreen. This is definitely a high tech option. There are cheaper versions on the market. I have used an ultra mist sunscreen from Banana Boat (http://www.bananaboat.co.uk) which, whilst not as luxurious, works.
3. Body scrubs: I don’t know if you are a body scrub fan or not – I am and even more so on a hot summer holiday – alternating between sun and sea is wonderful but can be quite drying on your skin. So a body scrub really makes a difference to skin tone by getting rid of dead skin cells. My personal fave at the moment is Prismologie’s Ruby and Cedarwood foaming scrub (https://www.prismologie.com). A little goes a long way and it is on sale at Space NK right now (Spacenk.co.uk).
4. Hair: As I have said before, I am a “wash your hair once a week” kinda girl. But on a hot summer holiday I wash my hair every day. For a few years now I have been using Intelligent Nutrients’ harmonic shampoo and conditioner (http://www.intelligentnutrients.co.uk) - simply gorgeous minty freshness. They balance cleansing and moisturising perfectly in my opinion. The shampoo can also double as a body wash. These products are described as anti-aging, antioxidant rich, volumizing and nourishing. The ingredients are food grade, and the products are formulated without sulphates, parabens, silicones, ethoxylates, PEG, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. Pretty perfect if like me, you like natural hair care solutions.
As for hair styling products on holiday – I tend not to bother, other than maybe some of the dry oil I use for my body.
I take all my usual face products with me, but go minimal. Similarly, with make up. I find a little bit of primer, eyeliner, mascara and lip-gloss is all I want after a day at the beach.
I’d love to know what your favourite summer products are, let me know…
How I survive holiday hair
Ahhh. So here I finally am with this post, I had intended to write this on my recent holiday to Portugal - but we all know how holidays go…Hair, and how to look after it is something I am quite vociferous about. I am a fan of organic, natural shampoos and conditioners and minimal washing and “producting” - but on a hot summer holiday normal rules do not apply.
Whenever I ‘m somewhere hot, my hair just behaves differently; it gets bigger, fluffier and frizzier, even the natural wave doesn’t do its usual thing but I have learned to go with it.
So this is how I survive holiday hair:1. The biggest difference on holiday is I wash my hair everyday. I would NEVER do this in real life. I am very much a once a week washer (of hair!) maybe twice if there was a special occasion to go to. But I find with the heat, sunscreen, sweat and swimming I just want my hair to feel clean and fresh at the end of every day.
My favourite holiday shampoo and conditioner combo are John Masters Evening Primrose Shampoo and their Citrus and Neroli Detangler. These are gorgeous organic products that clean my hair without stripping it of any natural oils. 2. As I said I am not a fan of mousses and sprays. I am however a fan of moisturising, conditioning and oils. So when my hair is damp I mix together a little blob of leave-in conditioner and a hair oil of some kind.
My current favs are: Intelligent Nutrients Leave In conditioner and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Or Dry Oil Golden Shimmer. Actually, I use these whatever the temperature. They do enough, without making my hair feel like there is “stuff” in it. 3. As far as drying goes I like to let my hair dry naturally – but if I don’t want to go out looking like my hair is completely wet (as it takes a long time to dry naturally) I will blast it under the hairdryer for a few minutes - five tops.
Then just give it a brush to get rid of any knots. Hands down the best tip for hair I have learned, especially if you have layers like me, is twist your hair into a bun and clip it.
By the time I get ready and I let my hair down and the layers and waves do their own thing. Certainly not polished a look but I’m on holiday - different rules apply.4. Maybe unsurprisingly, I am not a fan of hairsprays either but I have recently discovered Oribe products - very expensive, but very luxurious. This holiday I tried the Oribe Après Beach Wave and Shine Spray. My lord, it does what it says on the container. Just before I go out I spray a little over my hair, it is really light so your hair doesn’t feel sticky or heavy, then I give my head a good shake and hopefully my hair looks tousled and shiny. My other big tip for hair after a holiday would be when I get home the first full day I am back I will spend a day with my hair doused in oil. Being Indian, I have been brought up with coconut oil. I know it is very en vogue at the moment, but I have been putting coconut oil in my hair since I was about 6 - but I’m pretty sure any oil would do though.
Regardless of holidays, I do the oil in hair thing once a month and I’m sure my hair appreciates it. If there were one thing I would love my daughter to do with her gorgeous head of hair, it would be this!
Anyway, apologies to my male mates for this girly post - but looking after hair is a very serious matter in my book! If you have any tips that work for you, I'd love to hear them.