My Winter Hair Care Routine: How I Keep Dry Hair Hydrated

Press Sample I Bought This


In the Winter months dryness is the biggest issue for me when it comes to my hair, ESPECIALLY living in inland California, closer to the high desert areas... It is DRY, DRY, DRY and using the central heating on top of that. Also the tendency to not wash my hair for days (it's cold!) and ball it up in a bun adds tangles and rough texture to the equation. So, what to do when your hair looks like the rat's nest from hell and it's so dry that you can practically hear it crackle? You (or er.. more specifically *I*) start adopting a moisture-filled hair care routine which incorporates a range of hydrating products. One thing I have to be careful of is using products that leave my fine hair feeling greasy and heavy and these ones (when used the way I use them) leave my hair feeling soft and smooth, without the added grease.


1. nuNAAT Garlic Magic shampoo and conditioner

Use: Every 2/3 days

I've reviewed these before, and they've become my regular shampoo and conditioner. I just love the way they leave my hair feeling clean and soft and get rid of any oil or product build up without being too harsh.


2. Coconut Oil

Use: Once a week

You may have seen my Ombre Hair post where I use Coconut Oil to protect my hair from being fried by bleach. As well as being a wonderful protectant, it's also a great deep conditioning treatment. I usually saturate my hair until it's well coated, but not dripping, wrap it in saran wrap and either leave it in overnight or leave it in for a few hours and hit it with my hairdryer so that it really penetrates. Then I wash it out thoroughly with shampoo and conditioner.


3. Parnevu Hair Mayonnaise

Use: Once or twice a week

This is a beautifully thick and creamy product that I use as a mask or deep conditioning leave-in treatment. The main ingredients are Olive Oil, Egg Protein and African Herbs and you can see the little bits of herbs in there. This is a heavier treatment, so I try not to put too much on at once. I leave it in for a few hours and wash it out, or use a little bit as a leave in treatment on damp hair. It gives my hair that extra boost of moisture during the week.


4. Parnevu Extra Dry Leave In Conditioner for Normal Hair

Use: Daily

I use this leave in for every day styling, I put a little bit in damp hair and comb it through before applying heat or letting it air dry. It detangles, gets rid of frizz and my hair feels soft and smooth. I've noticed less hair in my comb when using this, so I do believe it helps with breakage. I also use this when I dye my hair, I mix it with the dye and apply it to my hair. It locks in the colour, gives me an extra conditioning treatment without being too heavy.


These are the products I've been using regularly throughout the Winter and they've helped my hair stay in good condition, shiny and soft even through all the dry weather, indoor heating, bleaching and dyeing!

Do you switch up your hair routine in Winter? What are some of the products you prefer to use in the colder motnhs?

PSA: Get the January Beauty Box 5 Free!

Press Sample

Just to let you know, you can get the January Beauty Box 5 (which I reviewed here) for free this month! If you sign up before 1/31 for the February box, they will send you the January box free. This is a nice bonus if you were thinking of signing up :) You can subscribe monthly ($12), quarterly ($30) or yearly ($99).

Let me know if you do sign up and what you think of the box!

Beauty Box 5 January Subscription Box Review

Press Sample

This month's Beauty Box 5 was a little less appealing to me than the previous months. I'm not huge on all skincare sample boxes and it seemed like the full-size products were of a lower value than the previous boxes.That being said though, I think that all the products are great for the dry winter weather. This box has you covered from head to toe, with body wash, moisturiser, exfoliating gloves, Nubar cuticle oil and coconut hemp lip balm.

I am extremely IN LOVE with both the lip balm and the cuticle oil and have been using them on the daily. I would have liked a full size cuticle oil and skipped the exfoliating gloves, but I'm happy that I got to try it anyway. I tend to not really use loofahs or scrubbing brushes in the shower, but I will give the exfoliating gloves a try because they seem like they'd be easier to use. I am interested in trying the body wash, the combination of red algae and aloe extract sounds like a lush mix for your skin. Overall, a nice skincare pamper pack for Winter and it couldn't have come at a better time. My skin is drying up like crackly dead leaf ;_; I need moisture, stat!

New Year, New Hair: Twilight Sparkle Hair

I Bought This

In my neverending quest for unicorn hair, I used some of my leftover Special Effects Blue Haired Freak and a little Atomic Pink and ended up with My Little Pony hair....

I think (and my husband thinks so too... is he a Brony?) that it's reminiscent of Twilight Sparkle's pink and purple streaks, granted my hair is more blue than hers... but anyway....

Basically, when I was about to dye my hair I sectioned off two small pieces on each side and left them untouched while I applied Blue Haired Freak to the rest of my hair. I then Applied Atomic Pink to the two undyed sections and separated them with claw clips, making sure the blue and pink didn't touch while processing. Both dyes I diluted slightly with a bit of conditioner. I feel that this helps the colour to soak in and lock onto the hair shaft, while also giving your hair a nice little deep conditioning treatment. I left the dye in for about 4 hours and then washed it out with cool water.

I'm really loving the contrast between the rich blue and the bright pop of pink, the bit of purple on the other side. It looks magical! 

I am super in love with my new hair and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it fades a bit! I am sooooo surprised that the two bottles of Special Effects dye have lasted this long. I have used them on my hair and my friend Desiree's hair about 6 or 7 times now and they're only just down to the last little bit in the bottle. I don't think I can go back to any other dye now... It also lasts really long and fades evenly to a nice pastel colour. I bought mine from ebay seller 'Fayngz' but they seem to only have a few shades in stock right now. I have seen them on Amazon as well, but that seller had the best price and they were shipped super fast.

I want to try some of their other shades as well, have you used any of the Special Effects dyes? Let me know if there are any you recommend.