Bleach Blonde Haircare

With bleach blonde hair, I can't afford to be sloppy when it comes to my haircare routine.  I use products both in and out of the shower that help to keep my tresses in the best condition possible after the strain I put it through with heat styling and regular bleaching.  Here's how I keep my goldilocks healthy, with a few tips and tricks thrown in for good measure.  

I wash my hair every two to three days as it's quite porous and will become dry and frazzled if I wash it everyday, plus I find that thanks to the bleach my mane doesn't get greasy too fast. Before washing, I always brush through my hair to get rid of any tangles.  I have a choice of two shampoo's depending on what my locks needs.  The first is L'Oreal's EverPure Colour Care and Moisture shampoo which helps to lock in moisture and prep my hair for conditioner.  The second is a tone correcting purple shampoo by John Freida, which helps to keep brassy yellow tones at bay.  I only use the John Frieda once a week as overuse can end up leaving a purple tinge to the hair.  I then follow up with a slathering of conditioner, which I comb through before washing out, to ensure the product is evenly distributed.  My favourite at the moment is also from the EverPure range.  Once a week I will go ahead and apply the EverPure Reinforcing Intense Mask, concentrating on my mid-lengths and most importantly, my ends.  It says to leave on for 3-5 minutes but for an intense treatment I leave it on for about an hour.  This is a great time to have a bath and read a good book.  

Fresh out of the shower I then brush through my tresses with a Tangle Teezer.  I think I would have a lot less hair if I hadn't had invested in this product.  It glides through my hair effortlessly, even without a detangling spray and it doesn't pull or snag, creating unwanted breakages.  If I'm going to blow dry my hair I will then go ahead and spritz some heat protection spray throughout, right now I'm using the EverSleek spray but I also like the TreSemme one too.  Another heat protection treatment I use is Kerastase Ciment Thermique, which actually requires heat to work.  This treatment helps reconstruct damaged hair and also acts as a heat protectant that needs to be replenished every five days.  Most times that I wash my locks, I like to leave them to dry naturally, so I will just use Moroccan Oil Light and get on with whatever I'm doing.  

Before I go to bed, I'll brush my hair and plait (braid) it, as it prevents any tangles forming through the night. Plus, if you're feeling lazy the next day, it's an easy, heat free way to get soft waves.  I hope some of you found this post helpful and picked up a few tips. My hair stylist is happy with the condition of my hair, so I must be doing something right! 

What's your holy grail haircare product or tip?

Full product reviews: L'Oreal Ever Pure Colour Care and Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner; L'Oreal Ever Pure Reinforcing Intense Mask

Final Preparations

It's no secret that I'm leaving on a jet plane for Spain on Tuesday. It's given me an excuse to shop (not that I need one) so I went out yesterday to try and get the final things together and I think I've managed it.  After tweeting about a few things I bought, I was requested to do a haul. Whilst compiling it, I realised there were a few other things I had picked up over the last few weeks which I hadn't yet hauled - so please don't think I went out on a mad shopping spree! 

BEAUTY

In H&M I picked up a wash bag to put the majority of my toiletries in.  It's a really cute turquoise pattern with gold zip detailing and inside has side compartments which will come in handy - a real bargain at £4.99 and comes in two different patterns (nearly picked up the second). I will probably use this as a make up bag for all of my high end bits when I come home.  

I had my roots done on Wednesday and decided to pick up some of the new L'Oreal Ever Pure shampoo and conditioner which is sulphate free. I'm planning on using them tonight and if they are any good I will let you know! They were £5.99 per bottle. 

I picked up a bottle of TreSemme heat defence as I was running low and will need it on holiday. I've used this one before and it was pretty good from what I can remember - I'm not fussy when it comes to heat defence products, so long as they do their job!

I popped into Space NK just to browse and came out with two NARS products.  I picked up the 'Larger Than Life' lipgloss in Place Vendome which is a gorgeous raspberry shade which will look nice once I start tanning. I also bought up the 'Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Primer'. If I wear any eyeshadow on holiday, I want to be sure it will stay. I have tried the Urban Decay Primer Potion but found it doesn't work for me. Fingers crossed the NARS one will.  

Before I go away I need to add a bit of colour to my skin, I wouldn't want to blind anyone with my pasty British skin.  I decided I wanted a mousse tanner and St Tropez seemed to be the best.  Luckily, I was given this bottle to try as someone didn't want it anymore (score!) so I just bought a mit in Boots to apply it with.  I've tried it out on my legs and it gives a nice colour - I'll try it all over my body and let you know how it is.  

The last thing I picked up was the new Bourjois 1 Second Magic Nail Polish Remover that seems to be hitting the blogosphere.  Although I'm getting acrylics put on in Spain when I arrive, I will be able to apply and take off nail colour with this as it's acetone free. I was also running low on nail polish remover.  

FASHION

All of my clothes are from H&M - I had a lucky streak in there!

Possibly my most favourite thing I've bought for the holiday.  At £12.99 it was a right bargain and when I saw there were only two left, I pleaded with the H&M rail that one of them be in my size. The odds were definitely in my favour.  

I needed a lightweight blazer to take on holiday, just to throw over my shoulders should it get a bit chilly in the evenings.  This was £24.99 and feels lovely on.  

Just a plain white tank top at a bargain price of £3.99. 

This top is gorgeous.  I bought it to wear over my black bodycon dress for a quick and simple evening look.  This was £7.99 from the trend section.  

Talk of the devil.  I bought another black bodycon from the basics section in H&M as I wear my other one to death. You can never have enough bodycons!

This seems to be quite a popular print in H&M at the moment. I've seen dresses, skirts, shorts and tops in it.  I picked up these shorts to throw on when we are walking to and from the beach or even to lunch.  These were £7.99 and are extremely comfortable.  

A new pair of sandals as my feet kept falling out of my old ones (not a good look).  These were £26 from Next and I love them!  I picked up a hat from H&M as I will need to keep the sun off my head at times as it's bleach blonde and I don't want to burn my scalp.  This was £9.99 and comes in two colours - I thought the minty colour would go nicely with my bikini's.  The clutch is from New Look and was £14.99.  I plan to use this in the evening when we go out to dinner or to a cocktail bar.  

RANDOM

My two guilty pleasures of the moment - Nerds and The Kardashians. 

If I haven't got everything for the holiday now, I don't know when I will! Are you off on holiday soon?