Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm

If you've picked up a copy of  Elle's April issue you'll no doubt have also gotten your mitts on a tube of Percy & Reed's new Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm. It's so new in fact that it was initially exclusive only to Elle (released to the wider world on 15th March), so not bad as freebies go! I'm a big fan of Percy & Reed's Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish, especially if I've curled or waved my hair, as it's a lovely lightweight cream which moisturises while giving flexible hold and definition. Plus it smells ah-mazing! So naturally I was pretty curious to try this new potion.

Wonder Balm is described as basically a primer for hair, a leave-in balm which gives moisture, shine, smoothness, definition, softness, light hold, high humidity protection and manageability. Phew! Can one product really do all that, and be suitable for all hair types? Well I can't vouch for all of those claims, but after using it a couple of times I and my dry, colour-treated, heat tortured hair do quite like it.

I've added his into my post wash styling routine as an extra step between oil and styling products - literally where you would add a primer into your makeup routine - and simply work a splodge inTo the ends and then up to about an inch below my roots. In and of itself it doesn't seem to do much except make my hair smell yummy (yup, it has that fragrance I love so much in the Finishing Polish). Where it does make a difference is in how the other products I apply work on top of it - they seem to work that little bit better so I end up with my usual style but a slightly improved version. Straightened hair looks a bit healthier and swingier and stays straight for longer, requiring only a brief touch-up come morning. Similarly, curled hair has a little more bounce and takes longer to drop.

Although the concept of a hair primer might be something new I do think there's something in it, and even if you don't style your hair as such I think this product would still add a little su'thing su'thing to an all natural do. Even if it's just that yummy scent!

Have you got your hands on this yet?

The Chop

If you saw my aims for 2014 the other week then you'll know that one of the things I said I wanted to do was sort out my overly long hair. Well guess what? We're not even half way through January and I can check that particular aim off already!

In a fit of early January blues I rang the hairdresser to at least schedule an appointment only to find they had one the following day. So, less than 24hrs later, I found myself draped in one of those sexy capes with soggy hair and feeling supremely confident nervous (gulp!). Before I reveal how brave I was here's a before picture to give you an idea of what my poor hairdresser had to deal with:

Excuse the terrible selfie - hopefully you get the idea!

And here's the masterpiece she created after chopping 10 inches (yes, 10 whole inches) off my locks:

I am absolutely delighted with it! It feels so light and short and I can't wait to start playing with it. Sleek and straight, texture, waves, curls - I want it all! I may have gone on a mini spending spree in the hair section of Boots to celebrate afterwards. Just a little one, but of course entirely necessary. New hair needs new products, right?

My hair was trimmed and tamed by the lovely and very talented Tasha at Andrew Smith Salon in Gosport.

Do's and Don'ts of Dying

Don't worry, I'm not getting all morbid on you now that the festive season is over - I am of course talking about hair dye. I've been dying my hair for almost half my life now (I'm actually a natural blonde!) so here are some of the tips and tricks I've picked up over the years:

Do:

• Apply a layer of Vaseline around your hairline, on top of and behind your ears to avoid weird looking stains.
• Wipe away any splashes onto unprotected skin straight away with a strongly alcoholic toner (be gentle though)
• Set up a mirror both behind and in front of you to get a 360° view and spot any missed patches
• Buy decent gloves as the ones you get are usually useless and can't easily be reused (these are probably the best as they're latex free)
• Use products for colour treated hair once you've dyed it to keep that colour looking luscious for longer, especially a UV protection spray.

Don't:

• Sit in a steamy bathroom while your dye is developing - you'll get drips and the dye won't take as well.
• Skip using the included conditioner as it's designed to seal in your colour as well as add a boost of moisture. Otherwise it's fadesville for you!
• Use hair dye on eyebrows. The results are generally not pretty! (I speak from experience here)
• Forget to set a timer for however long your dye takes to develop. If it needs 30 minutes give it 30 minutes, no more or less, or you might not get the colour you were hoping for.
• Do your dying right before a big event, just in case! Although you might be ok with a root touch up.

I would also suggest that if you're going for a big change in colour get it done professionally as your hairdresser can tailor the colour to suit your colouring and hair type, especially if you're going lighter. Playing with bleach at home may be ok for ombré styles but going platinum blonde in your bathroom? Your hair will probably never forgive you!

How do you ensure a perfect at-home dye job?

TRESemmé Platinum Strength

No matter how often I'm tempted away by other brands, I usually end up coming back to try out TRESemmé's latest offering and I usually end up wondering why I was ever tempted away. Guess what...it's happened again! I picked up the Platinum Strength shampoo and conditioner after becoming disillusioned with L'Oreal's Hair Expert EverPure offering which, although sulphate free, frankly left my hair feeling rough, bushy and as dry as ever. 

Platinum Strength promises to repair up to 2yrs' worth of damage, which is a tall order on long hair that is subjected to some form of heat based torture on a daily basis and is in desperate need of a good trim. Split-endorama! However, I must admit it's definitely doing something right. My hair is smoother, softer and shinier than it has been in a rather long time and I swear the ends don't look as scraggly as they used to. 

The shampoo is luxuriously thick (it's actually thicker than the conditioner, which surprised me) and lathers well. It leaves my hair feeling lovely and clean but not stripped and rinses out easily. The conditioner smells lovely and although it's a bit runny it soaks into my hair nicely. After leaving it in for a bit while finishing the rest of my shower routine it too rinses out easily. The result is clean, fresh smelling hair which combs through in one go without extra detangling spray (very impressive) and which is so shiny and soft even Mr P commented on it. 

It takes a few washes for the damage repairing effects to start to show but after 3 weeks I'm very pleased. I doubt it will completely fix my split ends - only giving them the chop will do that - but it's certainly helping. Of course  TRESemmé is good value and you can almost always find it on offer somewhere. Superdrug currently have a better than half price offer on the range so you can pick both up for less than a fiver! Result!!

I'm off to treat my locks to the deep conditioning masque - take that split ends!