Comments Off on KeraCare Curlessence Moisturizing Co-Wash Review
hi hi everyone, I hope all is well with you.
Do you still co-wash your hair? I remember when co-washing was the latest trend in the natural hair community and all the brands were coming out with their co-washes. I was hesitant to try it, until I tried the As I am Coconut co-wash then I was on board with the co-wash crew lol. I don’t really co wash my hair anymore but I still, from time to time will co wash my curly hair wigs which is why I bought the Keracare Curlessence moisturising co wash. I’ve used the co wash on both wigs and my natural hair for some time and now I’m ready to share my full thoughts on it
I absolutely love KeraCare, they have some amazing products and the moisturising co wash is one of them. This is part of their curlessence range targeting type 3-4 natural hair. This product is ph balanced, sulfate free and promises gentle cleansing and hydration
Expereince
I’ve used this as a co-wash for both wigs and my hair but more recently(I’ve had this product for a while, I’m talking at least 1 year) I’ve been using it as a pre shampoo detangler. It has amazing slip and it really works well to soften my hair allowing me to detangle that much easier. My tangle teazer glides through my hair with minimal breakage. In terms of cleansing power, I haven’t used it as a co wash for a while however I only ever use cowashes when my hair is dry with minimal buildup, only a shampoo can give a thorough clean
It smells great has a thick spreadable texture that is very easy to smooth onto the hair and finger comb through, exactly what you would expect from a co-wash. it does lather up but not as much as a shampoo.
Verdict
This is a really nice product. I’ve come to see co washes as a multi-use product so if you still love to co wash your hair this works well as that for dry to minimal build up.. It also works very well as a detangler because of the amazing slip it has. You could also use it as a pre shampoo softening treatment if you have extra dry hair as its very softening. I definitely recommend this.
oh yeah I dyed my hair lmao and I’ve been testing out using gloves when washing my hair and omg it is a GAME changer!
Keracare Curlessence cowash is available from Lookfantasic for £8.95 (currently on sale)
Comments Off on K18 Leave-in molecular repair hair mask Review
hey hey! I hope all is well. today I’m sharing my thoughts on the very popular K18 leave in mask
Since its launch in 2021, the K18 leave in mask has been EVERYWHERE. Everybody and their mama and best friend in the hair community has tried K18 by now so when it finally appeared in one of the advent calendars I was so excited.
K18 is a peptide leave in mask that promises to work in just 4 mins on all hair types and textures reversing damage from heat, chemical services and bleaching/coloring. You are directed to use it 4-6 times consecutively for progressive results then switch to maintenance use
Experience
I used K18 as directed for the 1st time back in 2024 and I HATED it! I hated it so much that I didn’t use it again until March 2026- LMAO. It left my hair so dry and CRUSTY and it felt weird not rinsing it out or not using a conditioner. I think I have PTSD lol because how can still remember this almost 2 years later LOL
Anyways this year I was really determined to finish and give it another chance so I did a bit more research on 4c hair use and a lot of people use as directed but follow up with a mask for hydration so I thought to try that. So in March I used it 4 times consecutively, leave it in for 4 mins before following with a mask, I used the Amika hydrorush mask left on for additional 20 mins before washing it out. I took a break in April as it was then time for my usual Olapex treatments- I didn’t want to use them together in the same wash day. I also then had a wig on for holiday. I used the last bit last week.
Usage is pretty easy: after washing and towel drying my hair, I split my hair into 4 sections, use a pump and a bit per section and cover with a shower cap. The texture is lightweight and feels like a lotion so it spreads well. it is not slippery so I didnt even try to detangle with it
Results
In total K18 lasted about 5 wash days. 1st time in 2024, in March 26- 4 weekly washes then final use last week but there was only a little left and it did half my head
Honestly I don’t know if it did anything to my hair. I was sure to pair it with masks I was already familiar with so I could tell if there was any additional benefits. My hair didn’t feel any different in March after using it weekly. I had my routine trim in April and I was told I have a few travelling split ends and some damage and I immediately thought but I’ve been using k18? I don’t think they explicitly say it repairs split ends but I feel my damage might be from heat? back in feb I got the wavy talk thermal brush and I may have abused it on my fine hair lol so if k18 repairs heat damage then shouldn’t my hair app have gone differently?
Verdict
I don’t know. I don’t feel like my hair is any different after k18 use. I have now finished the bottle, I had the 50ml size. I might have been heavy handed as it lasted 5 washes. I wont buy this again, I think for now I will stick to Olapex as my standard bonding treatment.
Comments Off on Solo Diaries: Peter Harrison Planetarium & Lunch
Hey hey everyone, I hope all is well.
Today’s post will be the start of my new series: solo diaries! This year, I set myself a goal to do 2 solo outings and so far I have crossed one of these off! Actually, I did 2 things in 1 outing but it still counts as 1 haha.
Dear diary
For my first solo outing, I went to the Peter Harrison Planetarium which has been on my list for so long! This place reminds me of Raj from Bang Bang Theory lmao. I went for the meet the neighbours show, a show about our solar system. It was much too short but very interesting, and I think I will go back for the sky tonight show.
So how did I feel doing this? I felt a bit awkward at first but not lonely but this feeling quickly disappeared as I reminded myself why I was doing this. After the show I went for a solo lunch at Miller and Carter, the lunch set menu is amazing btw! 3 courses including a steak for £23! I thought lunch would be a bit more of a challenge but girl I never thought I would enjoy it so much. I enjoyed my steak, watched a show, then some random man walked by and said hello? LOL. I enjoyed it so much Ive booked another solo lunch at a place that’s been on my list for at least 4 years!
Tbh even though I set these goals for myself at the start of the year I never really took steps to doing them. I am used to going out alone mostly for makeup windowing shopping etc but not to do an actual activity( my last solo activity was 2023? I think!) anyway what prompted me to book this was Tracee Ellis Ross talking about her solo travel experiences. It just reminded me of my first solo trip years ago which lead to so many wonderful experiences and meeting lovely people, I don’t know what happened along the road for me to loose that and become dependent on going out with friends. Anyways I glad Tracee’s video came on my fyp because it’s reignited my passion for solo experiences again.
The planetarium was great, and it seemed really popular for families and kids. You then after Greenwich Park right outside so you can easily have a walk or picnic afterwards. Parking is abundant close and very cheap. Well, cheaper than what I thought it would be!
Im really glad I did this and looking forward to my next solo outings! As much as I love planning things with friends, it was so freeing to juts decided what I want to do and went and simply GO. I can finally start to cross items of my list and not feel guilty adding new places lool.
Sorry its been a while since my last post, work got incredibly busy and I inadvertently had to take a break from blogging! But now that its now back to the normal busy pace I can get back to doing things I love again and I have a few exciting posts coming your way!
To kick things off I have a healthy hair check in and I went to a new salon! Whilst I love my usual salon, its far from me, the parking is too expensive and I spend too much time waiting around! I decided to go to Snm hair salon which is only a few minutes from me. I have heard of this salon and been following them for a while, so it wasn’t completely new to me. I decided to book a wash, treatment & blow dry with a clip in install as my new clip ins arrived!
I had a late appointment simply because I could as the salon is very close to me – a huge plus and because it was after 5, parking was free- another huge win for me! After waiting for a few minutes, I was asked about what style I wanted for the clip ins and it was then we came to the conclusion that I needed to book a silk press package not the blow-dry and because it was close to closing time, I couldn’t unfortunately change the booking. I was a bit disappointed as I really wanted to get my clips in done but it was understandable. We couldn’t agree on a suitable day and time so I just decided to go ahead with my service without the clip ins.
At the shampoo bowl, the lady mentioned my hair was dry to touch which I found somewhat surprising. My salon appointment was on a Thursday and I had washed my hair on Monday albeit I did use more of a strengthening conditioner plus K18 ( I have lots of thoughts but I will use it a few more times before sharing). Anyway she proceeded to wash my hair 3 times which I absolutely loved and quiet frankly I had never had any salon do that. After washing she mentioned my hair was quiet dry and whilst I booked a moisture treatment I would benefit from a more intense steam treatment which would be £5 extra and I agreed to. After applying the treatment, I went under the steamer for about 20 minutes. I haven’t had a steam hair treatment before and my hair felt incredible after but it was also a really warm day so I was so hot under there hahaha
My hair was detangled again before it was rinsed out then we proceeded to blow dry in sections. I was familar with the 2 keracare products she used prior to blowdrying then finished off the service with my 2 plaits.
Thoughts on the service
I arrived very early for my appointment but it didn’t take too long before we started discussing my service and the lady really did try to find me another time but we just couldn’t find a suitable time. The clip in service was promptly cancelled and taken off my final bill which I liked. I loved how my hair was handled during the shampoo process: she really focused my massaging my scalp making sure it was clean and shampooing 3 times to ensure build up is effectively removed. I wish my hair was detangled more after she applied the treatment but my hair wasn’t that tangled anyway as I had only washed and blowdried my hair 3 days prior so maybe I didnt need it. She did detangle in small sections.
After the steam treatment I did have to wait about 10-15 mins before I was seen, infact I had to go around and mention it was finished before I was seen again. This isn’t that unusual as I have had to had in between services at my usual salon however I did feel slightly more forgotten here because I was in a different room and because there was only one other customer there with all the staff in the next room I did feel forgotten. The other staff that rinsed out the conditioner and blow dried my hair did seem younger but I think she did a good job. She used the Keracare leave in conditioner & the silken seal liquid before the blow dry. These 2 products do contain heat protection but I would have preferred a dedicated heat protectant too. She blowdried in larger sections using the tension method but went in smaller sections with the paddle brush. Again I would have preferred she fully stretched out the hair in smaller sections using tension before going in with the paddle brush as I have 4c fine hair prone to breakage. The blow dry did turn out great so I’m not too bothered by this. She said my ends were a bit tangly and mentioned it could be because my last trim(last month) didn’t quite catch all my split ends however I don’t think its down to that but the way she stretched my hair prior to going in with the paddle brush. My last trim was pretty much a hair cut because I neglected my trim routine( more on this later in another post!) and also because she was drying my hair in larger sections which for my 4c fine hair mean tangles.
I didn’t appreciate taking a personal call with the other staff member whilst she was doing my hair but I will put this down to her been younger as I thought that was unprofessional.
Verdict
Will i go to Snm salon again. Yes simply because it much much closer to me and the service wasn’t particularly bad. I loved the shampoo and blow dry and my hair felt incredible after the steam treatment, I just didn’t like a few bits. I am debating if I go back there for the silk press or somewhere else. But I will definitely go back there for a wash, treatment and blowdry when I don’t feel like doing my hair
This year I do want to try out other salons especially if they are closer to me. Maison style will always be my go to but I think its time to start experimenting again.
My service: wash, blowdry and intensive steam moisture treatment came up to £65 which is what I usually pay. It would have been £60 without the extra £5 for the intensive moisture treatment. It was pretty easy to book online via their website which is a huge plus. The salon is in Croydon.
Comments Off on Polynucleotide Eyes with Faded Skin Part 1
hey hey everyone! How you doing? We are officially more than half way through March already and I cant believe it! Still next month is my birthday month so the countdown is real!
Today’s post will an update on my under eye treatment journey! If you havent checked out my previous post detailing my plans and concerns, you can check it out here
So I decided to start my journey with polynucleotide eyes. I had 3 consultations in feb with different clinics and all 3 recommended this treatment. I decided to get them had at Faded Skin as this place is based in south London and I had seen all good reviews. Tashana the owner is qualified too.
I also decided to start with 2 sessions, take a break to see any benefits at all before I did any more. I know they recommend 3 or 4 to start with but there are also suggestions that you can see results after 1 treatment. I didn’t want to go through 3-4 sessions without proof of benefits from at least 2 sessions! The issue with polynucleotides though is that it takes a few weeks before you see any results so I had already prepared myself mentally for this.
At the time of writing this post, Im actually 2 weeks post 1st session but by the time this is published I would have done my 2nd session.
TW- bloody pictures!
Prep for 1st session
The prep for the 1st session is very simple, no eye cream/ makeup 48 hours prior, but I gave myself an extra day just incase. My 1st session was on 22nd Feb. After arrival, numbing cream was applied and waited about 10 mins for it to work. I’m sorry but that numbing cream did absolutely NOTHING! NADA LOL. I would say my pain tolerance level is medium maybe a 5.5/10 but I found this painful! I would rate this a 7.9/10 personally but the treatment is done in about 10-15 mins so at least it was quick!
Post treatment
The tiny bumps and swelling started to reduce and after 2 hours by at least 85% . I didn’t feel any stinging and I didn’t have any reaction afterwards. Aftercare is pretty simple, I didn’t touch/let water around my eye area for 24 hours because of the open wounds. Didn’t sleep on my face or wear any makeup/ eye cream. By day 3 though I was able to go back to my usual routine. I did have some bruising on one eye, this was still present by day 10 but since then it fully healed.
Ive been taking progress pictures and looking at my eye area now I really dont see much of a difference! Im writing this post after 2 weeks of my 1st treatment but I’m aware that polynucleotides do take a while before you see results, some people see results right away but others have to wait weeks. By the time this post goes up, I would have had my 2nd treatment. I’m looking forward to that and I will come up with an update after that too.
I have worn makeup since my treatment and whilst my under eye area looked much better, I don’t know if its all down to the treatment because I also used the Bobbi Brown under eye primer for the 1st time (I LOVE the face base). I’m looking forward to my next treatment and hopefully I start to see some results
You can read up on polynucleotides for more info on the exact treatment if you’re interest. This treatment isn’t new on the scene, its been around for some time.
