Happy Hair Days

Three months after giving birth, my hair started falling out faster than you can say “hair loss”. I guess the hair Elliot’s scalp has been sprouting recently has had to come from somewhere 🙂

Previously I’d been using the Redken Extreme shampoo & conditioner in the hope that it’d work wonders on my hair. Well, it hasn’t. In fact I think it’s pretty crap, as I’ve spent every morning after the shower, desperately combing through my wet hair trying to detangle it before Elliot got bored of sitting in his bouncy chair.

So now I felt like treating my quickly receding hair line as gently and naturally as possible – no need to nuke the last remaining strands with parabens.

What I needed was a powerful de-frizzing shampoo and conditioner and when I spotted the Happy Hair Days products during my online shopping spree at Sainsburys I was intrigued. I love the quirky bottle designs and the fact that the products don’t contain parabens, SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) or SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate).

And the price, oooh the price is just fine: £3.99 per bottle. I chose the Blueberry & Pear smoothing shampoo & conditioner and it smells great. But there are many other cool combinations, like the Marshmallow & Coconut one for coloured hair, or the Rosemary & Mint thickening one.

I couldn’t find a website for the Happy Hair Days brand, but you can find them in Sainsbury’s and Boots.

Favourite product: Naked orange blossom shower gel

I was browsing the shelves at Boots yesterday, looking for a new and less expensive shower gel that could replace my now empty Weleda Wild Rose Shower Cream.

Boots don’t stock too many skin & eco-friendly natural products, but I already knew where I was heading: to the shelf with Naked body care products. All their products are 97% natural and free from parabens, SLS and  petrochemicals. And they’re very affordable.

I was just about to grab their Love Me Naked rose body wash, but then I smelled this one for sensitive skin called Take Care and had to buy it.

It’s scented with orange blossoms and the delicate smell instantly took me back in time to ages ago when I was working as an au-pair in Paris. When I prepared strawberries or crêpes or for the kids I would always sprinkle them with l’eau de fleur d’oranger – orange blossom water. Pure nostalgia. Price £3.99.

Naked make loads of other products (unfortunately most Boots only stock a small selection). So far I’ve only tried their shampoo + conditioner for coloured hair, which I didn’t exactly love. But the shower gels are great. The next thing I’m going to try out is their witch hazel toner.

Click here to check out Naked’s whole product range (they do free UK delivery on orders over £20.

My favourite toner: Neal’s Yard Rose Water

Let me introduce you to my favourite toner: this one from Neal’s Yard Remedies.

The British company, known for their lovely blue bottles, specialises in organic, herb-based products for face, hair, body, baby etc. They don’t believe in animal testing, synthetic colours, parabens etc. and their products are still quite affordable. They have shops all over London and you can find them here.

I use the rose water in the morning after the shower and in the evening after removing make-up. It also comes in a lavender version.

Neal’s Yard Rose water, £9.75. Buy it online here.

Favourite Product: DuWop Cheek Venom

Foto: Mette Bassett

Det lyder giftigt, men amerikanske DuWop’s Cheek Venom er, lige som deres legendariske Lip Venom, fri for skadelige tilsætningsstoffer og ikke testet på dyr. Jeg foretrækker creme-blushere, da de holder hele dagen og i selv den værste sommervarme, og da jeg også er fan af koral-farven (bl.a. i form af den fantastiske MAC lip conditioner) røg denne Lip Venom i farven “Diamondback” straks i kurven.

Jeg elsker den fine, lidt glimtende farve, og cremen dufter dejligt spearmint-agtigt, kildrer og køler lidt på kinderne, og skulle efter sigende både pleje og pifte dem op. Og så varer den simpelthen for evigt. Den fås også i farven Sidewinder, der er lidt mørkere og mere nude. Pris 24 dollars. Kan købes på nettet her eller på ASOS. Og sådan ser den ud “in action”:

English: I prefer cream blushers as they stay on the whole day, even in the worst humid summer heat. My absolute favourite is American Duwop’s Cheek Venom in the coral pink “Diamondback” (looking for a great coral colour for the lips to go with it? try this). DuWop are famous for their legendary lipglosses and plumpers called Lip Venoms. The products are, despite the dangerous name, free from any nasty additives and not tested on animals.

Last but not least, this product simply lasts forever – I bet you’ll have to throw it away not because it’s empty but because it’s getting to old. The blusher also comes in the colour “Sidewinder”, described as a “gorgeous nude flush”. Costs around 24 dollars. Buy it online here. Here’s how it looks on the skin:

Foto: Mette Bassett