MyPure Choice – Naturtint – Permanent Hair Colorant

To be honest I have never thought about environmentally “green” hair colorant before. For some reason I was under the impression that they simply didn’t exist. Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant is the closest you can get to having natural hair colorant. The Naturtint Permanent Hair Dyes contain no parabens, phthalates, ammonia or resorcinol. The only chemical present in the mix is the minimum amount of ppd (p-phenylenediamine) necessary to make them work well and cover grey hair permanently. So you can have a permanent hair colorant with a minimum of ppd or if you prefer none at all you can pick the Naturtint Semi-permanent Hair Dyes.

I went with the permanent option. The Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant comes in a selection of 30 shades. I picked Fireland and Fire Red. The first shade to be tested was Fire Red 🙂

Let’s start with what’s in the box:

• – Naturtint Colorant
• – Naturtint Nutrideep, which is a conditioner
• – Naturtint Shampoo
• – Colour Developer
• – Protective gloves
• – Instruction leaflet

So basically you get, more or less, the same things as what most other hair colorants offer. The shampoo was a first for me as I’ve never had a hair colorant with a shampoo before, so one difference from my usual. There was also something else I liked about the contents – the active colorant comes in an actual bottle and not in a tube like every other hair dye I’ve used before. This is a huge plus for me – it makes the mixing process much easier and you don’t have to worry about getting every last drop out of the tube, which is on most occasions virtually impossible.

In use thoughts:

The first thing which you may notice (after you mixed everything and shaken it) is the lack of smell. You actually have to want to smell it and stick the product under your nose in order to do so; otherwise weirdly the smell seems not to be there. If you get a brief “whiff” of it, it smells very herbal, almost medicinal like, but you actually have to want to smell it. The consistency of the mixture is jelly jam like – it is quite thick but still spreads with ease. I actually made much less mess using it then I normally do. My hair is quite long at the moment (at least for me) as they are just past shoulder in length and I had no problem with the amount of mixture – it was more then enough to cover all my hair.

Once the time was up and I started rinsing it my hair felt quite nice. The use of the provided shampoo made them worse, meaning they felt really rough and lifeless, but once the conditioner went on everything changed. Even during putting the conditioner on you can feel your hair getting smoother and softer; after two minutes, this feeling just gets stronger and stronger. After rinsing my hair for the final time I was left with smooth and silky feeling hair.

So what about the colour itself?

I don’t know you tell me… do you like it?

Naturtint Permanent Hair Colorant is priced at £9.99 (currently you can buy it at £8.99), which is actually only a few pounds more than most superstore brands. For these extra few pounds you get a natural product (or at least as close to natural as possible) which is cruelty free and can be used by both vegetarians and vegans. I would rate it 5 out of 5. It is rare for me to find a product which I actually like completely, most of the time I can always pick something to change or that bugs me, but this time I didn’t, not a single thing.

Did you ever try Naturtint?

What’s your favourite hair colorant?

* Products featured in this post were provided for free by MyPure for review purpose.

Typical Causes of Hair Loss

No one is immune to hair loss and it can take place when you are having your morning shower, when you are drying your hair with a blow dryer or even when you give your hair that daily brush or comb. On average, a person disposes of between fifty and hundred hairs each day! Fortunately, for most of us what we lose is soon replaced. This is not always the case and sometimes hair loss is not natural but due to other issues which include telogen effluvium and hereditary hair loss such as androgenetic alopecia an alopecia areata.

Baldness caused by unnatural stress

Telogen effluvium takes place following pregnancy, after major surgery, after substantial weight loss, or as a result of undue stress. In any of these four situations a large amount of hair may be lost, especially whilst shampooing, brushing or styling. In certain circumstances it can be due to an after effect of particular medications which include antidepressants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and beta-blockers.
When inflicted with telogen effluvium, the hair moves faster than it usually does from its growing stage to what is called its “resting” stage, before it begins to fall out. This condition generally affects women more than men. Hair loss begins 6 weeks to about 3 months following a stressful event. When it is at its peak, handfuls of hair maybe lost.

Folliculitis

Folliculitis is an infection of the hair follicle. It can result in the temporary or permanent loss of hair in men and women. When the infection has been treated, if the hair does not grow back naturally, it may be because the hair follicles have been damaged too severely and hair transplants can be considered.

Inherited male pattern baldness

There is another reason for hair loss and that is androgenetic alopecia and this is due to an inherited gene originating from your mother. This type of baldness almost only affects men. It is quite possible for a woman to go bald as a result of inheriting the genes for baldness, but it is much rarer. She would have to inherit a gene from both her mother and her father. Also, the baldness is typically due to a sensitivity of the hair follicles to male sex hormone, which is much less common, although not absent, in women.
Temporary baldness can be caused when the immune system lets the body down
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition which can cause hair loss. Normally if an infection is present the immune system controls it is but with alopecia areata it causes damage to the hair follicles. Usually, this is not permanent but it can result in temporary hair loss. It is likely to be more common and permanent in people who already suffer from another type of autoimmune disorder.

Cancer treatment and baldness

Some types of cancer treatment may cause temporary or even permanent baldness. The loss of hair is not really the main worry for the cancer patient, but it can be an added negative change that can affect the patient emotionally as they struggle to cope with their affliction. Not all cancer treatment leads to hair loss. It may be more common with certain chemotherapy treatment. If the cancer is beaten, then the hair may grow back again naturally. Otherwise, hair transplants will be considered by the NHS for free surgery.

Find out more @anyclinics

* Guest post in collaboration with AnyClinics.

Review – Silicea Direct by Hübner – Beauty in the box

What is Silicea Direct?

Silicea is a food supplement that can help maintain healthy skin, hair and strong nails, preventing (to a degree) the signs of ageing and it keeps hair, skin and nails looking beautiful. It can also play a role in the maintenance of healthy muscles and bones.

What’s inside the pack?

Silicic Acid gel (90%), fruit mix from fruit concentrates: Grape, Elderberry, Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Raspberry; Fructose, Thickening agent; Pectin, Xanthan gum; Acidifier Malic acid, Natural Flavour, Selenium and Biotin.

This means that the product is 100% natural. Silicea contains silica, one of the body’s essential nutrients, which is used by all the connective tissue. Our body uses up silica on a daily basis as flakes of skin, hair and nails are discarded, so this is an easy and convenient way of replacing it. Silica is one of our most valuable minerals and one of the most important ‘beauty’ nutrients: it helps to support the formation of collagen and elastin which strengthens skin, hair and nails by encouraging the body to hold on to water and other vital nutrients.

And what’s inside the pack for real?

The answer is still the same; just as above 😉 It comes in the form of delicious red berry ‘smoothie’ shots that are providing mineral silica in a highly available form for better absorption. Hübner’s convenient silica shots provide a measured dosage in a sachet form and because they do not require refrigeration, are ideal for people on the move.

Suitability:

• 100% natural
• Dairy, lactose, wheat and gluten free
• No preservatives
• GM free
• Not tested on animals
• Suitable for vegetarians and vegans

Directions:

Take one sachet (15ml) daily between main meals.

Treatment Time:

The recommended treatment time is 3 months at least twice a year.

It might sound like a long term project, but one finger nail needs around 6 months until it is fully re-grown, skin needs around 28 days to regenerate and hair grows just over one centimetre per month… so no rush there…

Price:

£12.95 for 15 x 15ml sachets

Availability:

Hübner Silicea Direct is available to buy from health stores nationwide and at Healthy2U online.

My thoughts:

Interesting product, this was the first thought that came to my mind. I know there is a huge range of beauty supplements sold as pills or tablets or even a powder which you mix with water but I’ve never seen or tried anything in the form of a gel. If I had to describe the product in just one word it would be weird. You might ask if it is a good weird or a bad weird … Actually neither…it is just weird. The reason for this is the texture. It is a bit like watery jam, but what is the weirdest part is that not all of the shot has the same consistency; so some portions within one sachet are thicker than others. It really is quite surreal experience. Taste wise it is fruity and you can’t miss the berry flavour but it also has quite strong metallic taste. I guess this is how silica tastes 😉

As I received only one pack and used it for just over two weeks I can’t really comment as to the visible benefits of it.

As food supplements go, I like the idea of this one. I think helping our skin, hair and nails from the inside are important. I will get myself a bigger pack for a longer test but I think I will try the capsule version. Yes, they have it in a capsule version too.

Did you ever try Silicea Direct or any silica based products?

* I received one pack of Silicea Direct for free for review purpose. All opinions about the product are honest and my own.

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How to take control of your damaged hair

There are 100s of different reasons why our hair is not in perfect condition.  Dry air, air conditioned rooms, too high temperature (especially if we use a blow drier or hair straighteners often), too many hair salon visit, too often a change of colour, too tight hair bands, going to sleep with wet hair, etc etc… The list can go on and on… If you hair is starting to look matt, to dry and kind of lifeless, bad hair days are becoming the norm or it just doesn’t want to form a perfect hair style preferring to just hung down with no purpose… then our hair is probably damaged and need some TLC.

There are a few easy steps you can undertake in order to bring some life back into your hair.

1. Find the reason your hair is damaged

I know that this task might not always be easy and there will be conditions overlapping, but ideally we should get rid of all “bad” habits and replace them with hair friendly one.  If you blow dry your hair every morning, try getting up earlier and letting your hair dry naturally or invest in a hair dryer with a cold air stream option. If you plan on going to sleep with wet hair, don’t; let them dry as much as possible before going to bed in order to avoid further damage. Finding the reason your hair isn’t happy should be your main priority. Your hair deserves better so find out what is hurting it and fix it.

2. Visit the hair salon and cut your hair, at least a little bit

If you hair is damaged, dry and dull a trim will do wonders for its health. You will need to have the ends of each hair follicle cut off. This is the part of the hair which is most likely un-fixable. I don’t suggest you get a short hair cut unless that is desired, all though this would be ideal as short hair is so much easier to keep in good health. Just have a trim and remove the split ends.

        3. Brush your hair

Many of us forget about brushing our hair… I know I do.  Brushing your hair is very important as it helps with oil distribution, the most essential part of glossy healthy hair. Also make sure you have a good hair brush preferably or a comb if all else fails. Do not brush your hair whilst it is wet… yes, I know it is easier to brush when wet but it is also much easier for your hair to get damaged, which we want to avoid at all cost. The only exception to this is the old Chinese method of combing using a piece of silk. Place the silk over your hands like a tea cloth and then run your hair between your hands gently, it takes an hour and its very boring but it does work wonders.

           4. Dry your hair in a reasonable way

We have already covered the fact that letting your hair dry naturally is a much better way than using a blow dryer. But there is also a second, very important component of drying… that is happening straight after your bath or shower. When using your towel be gentle. Do not rub your hair too much, do not press and move to quickly from left to right. Ideally just gentle place the towel over your head in order to collect excess water through gentle patting… Alternatively why not invest in a hair turban, which will protect you from dripping water and will soak up all the unnecessary moisture.

5.      5. Change the way you wash your hair

What is important is the way you wash your hair believe it or not. Try doing it slowly; use only your fingertips to gently massage the skin on your head. Do not rush, do not use very hot water and do not forget about the conditioner!

Invest in good quality product for damaged hair – The “Full Repair” collection from John Frieda is a great choice. They offer a Hydrate + Rescue Shampoo plus a Conditioner plus a Repair Oil Elixir which will help with your damaged hair in no time. I have been using these products for the last 4 weeks and I can really see the difference. My hair is much softer and has a healthy shine. No more do I have dull looking, matt hair.

Hopefully with these tips you will be able to get your hair back under control. It worked for me and I am sure it can work for you too.

Do you have any other tips about how to deal with damaged hair?

* I was provided with a selection of John Frieda Full Repair products so I can try them out.