Beach waves...

Hello and how's your hair today? Mine is doing great - I recently did a hot oil treatment with castor oil on it, and it feels so soft and nourished it's unbelievable. I recently came back from a two month holiday (lucky me!) and my topic of discussion today will be protecting your hair from the elements, mainly sea water.

I spent one month in the U.S. and one month in Jamaica visiting family. We went swimming in the sea every other day (and if not the sea, a river) and it was paradise. Unfortunately for my hair, constant sea water isn't good for it and I had to take extra good care of it to stop it drying out and breaking. Here are the methods I used.

1) Soaking hair in fresh water before entering the sea - it's not an incredible method, but it does limit the amount of salt water that gets into your strands for a little while. Salt dries your hair out, so give it a bit of work to do before it can get to your precious shafts!

2) Combing conditioner through hair - I would wet my hair, then spread my favourite conditioner through it (currently Aunt Jackie's girls) and combing through to get an even distribution. It creates a barrier between your hair and the sea water until it gets properly washed off (after about an hour of splashing around)

3) Swimming cap - Not the most fashionable accessory but it does a good job. My sister used one and it actually kept her hair quite dry. I couldn't fathom the look though.

4) Rinse hair out - As soon as there was a shower near by, I would rinse out the salt water even if I had no conditioner with me. This limits the damage the salt water does.

5) Deep condition - I deep conditioned every single time we went swimming (so every two days). I went through a lot of conditioner but my hair is grateful for it.

The sea can be good for your hair too. It clears a multitude of scalp problems and I found that my hair was thicker after sea swimming. It can also lighten your hair (combination of the salt and sun). As long as you condition, salt water is great!

I really miss the island and my family there so hopefully I can go back soon! Due to internet problems, I didn't have any way to post. Here are some pictures I took though!

Travel me out...

Hello and how's your hair today? I recently came back from a trip around Europe with my best mates and I have to say it was one of the best experiences of my life. One thing I had to think about was my hair (obviously). Because we were travelling to many places we had those over sized backpack things to carry all our stuff, and as a result I couldn't carry all my hair tools that I normally use. Essentially all I had was shampoo, conditioner and leave in.
That's it.

I didn't struggle however, and let my hair do as it pleased during the course of the trip and it was quite refreshing to just have my natural hair with no braids or twists of any kind. I do have some advice however on travelling with hair that needs constant management or even hair that is easy to deal with.

1) Wash your hair the day before you travel. Obviously this lengthens the amount of time you have before you have to wash it again without all your accessories.

2) Buy empty mini containers. One thing I wish I did, was go to my local drugstore and buy those sets of tiny empty bottles and tubs so I could put hair gel and moisturizer with me. I had to bring my entire tub of leave in when I could have just dished a small amount into a container with me. Also I could have had other products with me.

3) Bring hair bands. You wouldn't believe how many times I've forgotten mine.

4) Keep your styles as simple as possible. You won't have all the stuff you normally use with you, and you're probably going to be busy with the wonderful place you're visiting. You don't want to be wasting time with your hair.

5) Take a hat! Hats will hide any bad hair day on your trip and also help tame your locks. I forgot I had brought mine and almost cried with relief when I saw it halfway through the trip.

I didn't have a terrible time as I went to cities mostly, (apart from Switzerland) so the humidity didn't get me. However, I am travelling to hot countries in the summer and so shall be prepared this time!

Love y'all
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)
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Straighten me out... [Mixed chicks straightening serum]

Hello and how's your hair today? I must admit my hair is feeling very happy these days from the new deep conditioners I bought and have been using for the past few weeks. They were especially helpful when after taking out my braids as they softened the tangled mass that was my hair and made combing easier. More on that later!

I also decided to buy mixed chicks straightening serum to test out if it was beneficial to my straightening routine. I have heard many reviews on it and thought why not! I applied to clean, damp, deep conditioned hair and blow dried out with a Denman ceramic brush, so my hair was quite straight before a pressed it.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. It doesn't smell bad, but sort of clinically (if that's suitable?) but I thought they could have made it smell better. The texture is also quite odd, a tiny bit on the gooey side, but it melts away in your hands when you rub it together. Its good as a heat protectant and a little bit goes a long way with this product. It didn't make my hair greasy and it felt lovely and smooth and soft :)
I think it did aid with keeping my hair straight for longer (it snowed but my hair didn't go crazy), so I definitely like it. It is a bit on the pricey side but as I said a little goes a long way and mixed chicks are famous for their less chemically harsh products that are kinder to hair.

Also, I found a way of keeping my hair straighter for longer depending on how I sleep, so more on that later.

Love y'all!
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)
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Happy New Year!

Hello and how's your hair today? It has been a very long while, and I do apologise. I've been so busy in university and various other life changing things that I havent had the time to update. But cutting to the chase - it's a new year, I've made some resolutions and keeping this up is one of them. So without further ado, here is my blog post!

Currently, I have my hair in long single twist braids, that look like something like this:

They're in braids mostly because I have exams and so its so much easier to maintain so I don't have to worry about my hair at all. Also, doing braids every now and then cause the hair grow because the strands are protected and there is so much less breakage (as long as you don't pull on the front as it will break those hairs).

As part of my new years resolutions I am growing my hair out down to elbow length, which I know will be no easy feat (especially as my hair is curly), but it's a challenge I've set myself for the next few years. I'm going to be testing out which products are best for hair growth (I already have my eye on mixed chicks' product range), and I really don't want to give up on this!

Since I have braids I thought I would post some pics of a few braids which I thought were lovely. (I don't own any of these pictures!)

Love her!

Enjoy!

Love

MOSAS 

(make others stop and stare)

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Vo5 me part 2

Hello and how's your hair today? This is the second post on my favourite Vo5 products, and this next one is probably my absolute favourite. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I've struck up a balance in being curly and straight and Vo5's 'Smoothly Does It Curl Defining Mousse' is my go to product for either style. It smells nice, is really light and doesn't make my hair crunchy when applied, yet still controls and defines my curls, or help keep my hair nice and straight.

 

How I apply

 

After washing my hair, I moisturise and apply my serum to damp hair (not dripping wet), and apply this product last. This helps to trap all the goodness, and the mousse also has heat defence so it protects my hair. If I'm going curly, I just leave it in and only put on about half a handful of mousse.

 

If I'm going straight however, I apply more (about a handful) and spread it as evenly as I can through my strands. If I have time, I use big rollers and set my hair under the dryer or let it air dry (which is very rarely to be honest, I'm always busy), or if I'm in a hurry, I use my hairdryer with the comb attachment to dry and comb at the same time. My hair also comes out straighter than letting it air dry, so straightening is an easier job.

 

I never apply mousse to dry hair (unless I'm going to blow-dry it out) because it makes it crunchy and it doesn't really work well for me - everyone's hair is different so you have to know what works for you.

 

I'll be back with my last favourite Vo5 product next week, and maybe you guys might try some of these products out!

 

Love y'all

MOSAS

(make others stop and stare)

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Vo5 me...

Hello and how's your hair today? I have to admit, I've become such a Vo5 junkie over the past months, and I want to share the products which I liked and will continue to use. I've struck up a nice balance between being curly and straight, and I'm even thinking of buying a new pair of straighteners of really good quality, that will be better for my hair. I'll let you know which ones I choose.

Back to the original topic, I used to use Vo5's shampoo and conditioner pair, 'Smoothly does it' and it was so good, my hair loved it. Then the shampoo started becoming more scarce in stores, until it was discontinued completely (so typical of a product that I like -_-), and the conditioner is becoming more scarce too.

So in my sadness I turned to another shampoo and conditioner pair of Vo5's, because I had come to trust the brand. 'Give me moisture' is a nice couple which my hair likes, but I think is slightly more concerned with moisturising quickly (5 minutes in the shower y'know). However the only let down with the conditioner is that it doesn't smell that great - not horrible but it could be a lot better.

Just really plain.

However, I like it when my hair smells good, especially when it's a curly mass and I shake my hair and the smell drifts out or when people stick their noses in and whatever. But I do compensate for the lack of nice smell with the moisturiser, serum and curl defining mousse I put in my hair whilst wet which all smell really good. They do the job, but could do it better.

I'll be back next week with the other Vo5 products I love, and perhaps a new pair of straighteners!

See ya,
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)
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Canyon Deep...

Hello and how's your hair today? Sorry I haven't been able to post, my laptops been down and a whole other load of complications. Today's post will be about this AMAZING deep conditioner that I discovered, and I want to share it with you all :)

So, it's called Olive Oil ORS (organic root stimulator) Replenishing Conditioner. I bought a little tester for less than a pound, its called the Replenshing Pak, and honestly, it was just fabulous.

FABULOUS.

I'll give a little instruction.

So I first washed my hair to rid it of any oil and dirt that might prevent the conditioner from reaching deep into my hair. I then squeezed out most of the water (about 70% - your hair shouldn't be dripping) and applied the conditioner to my hair.
The things liked about it was that it was thick - thin conditioners in my experience don't tend to perform well, and it also smelt lovely - citrus with a hint of floral.

After messaging it through, I then combed my hair to make sure there were no tangles and every strand was coated with the conditioner.
I got out my hand held hairdryer (I couldn't be bothered to set up the big one), and then proceeded to blast the warm air over my hair for about 15 minutes. If you don't have a hair dryer or don't want to use harsh heat, then you can just relax with the conditioner in your hair for about 45 minutes or wrap your hair in hot towels for 30 minutes.

I then washed out the condtioner with water as cold as I could bare, and the results were georgeous, shiny, bouncy, soft hair! I couldn't believe it! My hair felt deeply moisturized and without feeling heavy or greasy (which alot of products do) and I really loved it.

So I would definitely recommend, if you're not ready to take the plunge and buy a whole bottle, then buy one of the Replenishing Paks like I did and test it out :)

Lots of love,
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)

I'm back guys... :)

Hello, and how's your hair today? I must apologise, I haven't written a post in a while, and it was because of my crazy exam schedule. I do the International Baccalaureate (still don't know how to spell it) and those of you who do it or have heard of it, it's the most difficult, crazy, mind boggling pre-uni education ever. But anyway, since my exams are over (hallelujah) and summer has started (for us IB people anyway - a nice perk to doing the program), I'll be able to post at least once a week, or maybe even more often. I have even more styles, and will probably be expanding on my topics into more general beauty. I've learnt some much from procrastinating on my studies hehe... but I hope you guys a looking forward to it, I'm looking forward to sharing my knowledge and ideas :)

Love y'all
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)
p.s. missed this too much
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Broken Hearted Ends...

Hello and how's your hair today? I've good a really good post about something most of us suffer from...

Split. Ends.

And general frizzy ends. It irritates me sooooo much. When you look from the crown of your head, your hair is so sleek and straight... then BAM. Frizzy. Ends. I decided that in 2014 I wasn't going to allow my ends to take control, but I will take control of my ends! (sounds so dramatic). Anyway, I did my research, and did a little bit of testing, and I've got a really good routine that works really well for me. Everyone is different so you might find that you have alter some bits here or there.

Another thing, split ends can't be undone. However, to limit the damage, trim your hair regularly. I trim mine when I straighten my hair, inch by inch. That way I can be very accurate and my hair will be even. If you don't get them on time, the split will gradually work its way up the hair shaft, resulting in very unhealthy, very unhappy hair.

My routine

Pre-wash/wash
Before washing, I soak my hair in some warm oil (coconut is preferable, but olive oil is also nice) to give it some lovely moisture for about half an hour prior to washing. I then get in the shower, and start to wash my hair (I use Vo5 shampoo and conditioner, swear by it). The important thing is to apply the shampoo on your roots, not on your ends. We all know that shampoo makes hair clean, very clean, so clean that it can dry out your hair. So when I'm rinsing off, I allow the soap to run down my hair so it gets clean but not dried out, which is what your ends need, especially if you wash your hair more than three times a week.

Condition
After, shampooing, I apply conditioner. It's important to apply it to your ends, and be generous. If you have problems with volume on your roots, then don't condition your roots. The moisture will make your roots flat from the weight, and your hair naturally secretes oils from your scalp which will reach your roots first (obviously). This will also make your hair look not greasy for longer. I comb my hair with the conditioner in and I leave my conditioner on for 3-5 minutes (essentially while I lather and rinse my body), then turn the water as cold as I can bear it and rinse my hair off. This is because the cold water will make your hair shaft close, locking in all the good moisture within it.

After Shower
I use my hands and squeeze out the water, then use a towel and squeeze. You don't want to ruffle the towel because this will create frizz and probably break your hair. When my hair is still damp (about 75% dry), I apply about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to my hair. This is because olive oil is more of a protector against the wind and cold than coconut oil, which I use in the summer, and it keeps my hair soft in the harsh weather conditions. I also put a pea sized amount of serum in my hair (Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Anti-Breakage Serum, lovely stuff, smells soooo good!) which keeps down frizz and acts as a sealant. This amount of oil may be too much for some, I am mixed race which means my hair needs more oil than others.

Heat
I like to let my hair dry naturally, but if I'm in a hurry, I blow dry with a brush on the lowest heat. I then blow dry with a brush on the cold setting to once again to seal the hair shafts, which will close and lie flat, reducing frizz. This will then make straightening a lot easier and quicker. I also straighten on 200 degrees Celsius (392 Fahrenheit for everyone else) and make sure the path is smooth so avoid creases. NEVER, straighten wet hair. You will FRY your ends like popcorn.

Oh yeah, and I discovered this top coat - Rimmel London 3D Plumping Top Coat. Its amazing!!!! It's thick but not gloopy, and dries really quickly, about 3-5 minutes, which is surprising for a thick top coat. It is a good protector, just apply every 3 days or so and it was only £4 as well!! *swoons*

Hope this helps!
Much love,
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)

Epilate my hairs...

Hello and how's your hair today? I hope you all have had a fantasic Christmas! As you may have been able to tell by the title of the post, today's post is about epilation :D. (That shouldn't be a smiley face actually).

So, for Christmas I asked for an epilator (amongst other things), and I didn't want an expensive one to start with in case I really didn't like it. I got a Remington corded one, and it's quite cute, very lightweight, inexpensive etc. I like the fact that its corded, because it means that it won't slow down making the sensation more painful as it as has constant power. Also, its small, and easy to hold, making it better for moving against the curves of your legs, etc. However you can't use it in the bathroom if there are no plugs (this is common in England).

My experience

Right, onto the actual plucking. Epilators have lots of little tweezers that pull out the hairs as it goes around, and so as you can imagine, is quite painful for the first time. When I did it, boy did my eyes water. Mine has two settings so if you want it to go even faster to lessen to time, you can. I can't lie, the first time was really painful, but as you epilate over again, its supposed to get better.

I shaved half my legs and let the rest grow long so I could see whether it would work better with short or long hair. I found that the long hairs were easily plucked out, whereas the machine found it harder to grip and pluck out the shorter hairs, and missed most of them (even though the instructions said it could pluck 0.5mm hairs).

All in all it was worth the pain, my legs were silky smooth but were a bit red after. My advice would be to do it the night before or a day before the first few times till your skin gets used to it. Also have a cool cloth nearby to place on your skin because it might need cooling down.

After I have gotten used to epilating with no hitches, I will probably invest in a more expensive one like Bruans, but until then, I will make do. Also, have cream or light oil for after epilating, but not something too thick or it will clog the holes that your hair is supposed to go through. Something like coconut oil or olive oil is good because they are easily absorbed and light.

Another very important thing is to exfoliate regularly (wait at least a day after epilating) so you don't get ingrown hairs (when the hair doesn't go through the hole and instead curls under the skin surface - causes red bumps). This is to clear dead skin and old creams that might be blocking the pores, so the hair can grow straight out. An advantage is that the hairs will take a good while to grow back, maybe 2-4 weeks and after a long time even stop growing back.

Hope you enjoy! (the pain *evil laugh hehehe*)

MOSAS

(make others stop and stare)

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#NoPainNoGain
#BeautyIsPain

Missing the straight...

Hi, and how's your hair today? I must be totally honest, I'm missing my straight hair. I love my natural curls, but I've been no heat since late August and I miss my straighteners. I've had loads of support from friends ("If you straighten your hair, I'll cut it all off!") and I even gave my straighteners to one of my friends to resist the temptation, ("Give me your straighteners, you're not seeing them till prom!") so until late May, when our prom is, I will be curly wurly. However, to keep myself happy, I've dyed my hair various colours (red, brown, etc) and after my last dye mishap, [see last post here] I've resorted to using a brand that I know works.

This is the box -

(yes I have black curtains)

As you can see, it's a nice red/auburn colour, Red Hot Rhythm but the brand Soft Sheen Carson has got hydrogen peroxide in it. Some people have issues with using dye that has peroxide in it, but it's only a problem if you dye your hair alot.

Which I don't.

However, peroxide means that the dye will actually penetrate your hair and stay there, because the hair shaft is opened up and the colour is deposited. Which is why 'permanent' dyes that don't have hydrogen peroxide in them don't work with hair that isn't blonde unless you bleach your hair first (with hydrogen peroxide - see the irony?). So it's best to just use dyes with peroxide because you're subjecting your hair to the chemicals only once.

See my logic?

Anyway, I thought I'd make this post longer by putting up some hair styles that have straight hair. Since I miss my straight hair so much. *le sigh*.

Until next time, love y'all!!!

MOSAS

(make others stop and stare)

Corn them rows...

Hello and how's your hair today? As you could probably decipher, this post is about braids, and more specifically cornrows. I was inspired by the four cute half cornrows on the side of my head my mum did on my hair to compliment my curls :)

(kind of like this excpet smaller and my curls are tighter, and red)

My mum was inspired by Alicia Keys -

Who is just beautiful... Anyway, I decided to dig up some styles that involved braids and show them to you :*

Have a good day :***

MOSAS

(make others stop and stare)

Dying It Curl Crazy....

Hello, and how's your hair today? I must apologise for my absence, I have been so busy since the start of school (I do the International Baccalaureate, if you don't know about it Google it, and then come crying back to me), and life has been pretty hectic. I have made a few decisions about my hair, and have gone for a completely different look. Sooo.....

First of all...

I dyed it all red. Like cherry red. I used Garnier Fructis something something... All I can say that the dye brand is not good. It was a permanent colour, and I was going from a blacky/browny/blond (I had it highlighted various colours) and on the box it said I would definitely go red. The application was easy, the instructions clear, and a lot came in the bottle - I only needed one and I have THICK long hair. Then it starts to go downhill...

 1) The colour took forever to wash out when I first dyed it, I was crouched over for a good 10 minutes just rinsing the dye out.

2) The parts where my hair was black did not dye at all. Which meant my roots were only tinted red (and that really annoyed me because it said on the box that going from black to red was fine).

3) In the shower when I washed my hair afterwards, the colour kept running - permanent dyes aren't supposed to do that, when you wash it out first time that's it. This especially irked me because it meant I couldn't go swimming without Vaseline smothered in hair to stop the colour running (not a good look).

4) As a result of the colour running, the parts where hair was blond before I dyed it are now ginger/orange. Some parts look chestnut, some parts are still cherry red, some parts are purple. However when I stand in direct sunlight, it looks like a vibrant red on all of the parts. So yeah.

Even though it looks nice, it wasn't what I paid for and the actual dye didn't do well. What annoys me even more is the fact that my friend dyed his hair exactly the same colour using Schwarzkopf from very dark brown to cherry red and it came out BEAUTIFUL. He dyed his the beginning of summer and up til now the colour has not changed at ALL and it's just aaahhh.

But anyway.

I have also decided to stop using my straighteners, until prom (JUNE PEOPLE, JUNE), which means I am a curly red head. And loving it. It's fun to change up your style once in a while and my head is just full of red/chestnut/ginger/(purple, according my dad and sister) curls. I guess it turned out okay, but dying can go so wrong if you don't use a trusted brand.

Moral of the story?
Change your look, go curly, and check your hair dye. Properly.

Much love,
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)
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Keeping it COCONUTY...

Hello, and how's your hair today? I'm sorry I haven't able to post in a while, school has been pretty busy with university open days, a trip to the Alps (it was sweltering!!!!), and MASSES of coursework. However, unusually for England, the weather has been consistently warm for past couple of weeks and you know what that means....

SHORTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I get a bit over excited. But finally the time has come to whip your legs out, get your tan on, and enjoy the sunshine.

I'm also doing a post on COCONUT OIL. From my past experiences, coconut oil and I haven't been friends. I first used it during winter to protect my hair from the harsh effects of the cold and wind. I knew it was a good natural resource for hair because of it's properties - it's light, and when used in small amounts doesn't look greasy. It's gives your hair lovely natural shine, and is good for taming frizzy, dry locks.

However, this only happens in the SUMMER.

Obviously, coconut oil is solid at room temperature but it doesn't take a lot for it to melt. So, I melted some in my hands, spread it through my hair (which looked lovely and shiny) and went outside to go meet my friends. LITERALLY TWO SECONDS after I stepped outside my hair... looked hard and STIFF. I was so shocked! (And very worried, I wanted to scream but I was on the bus and it's weird to scream on a bus in England). When I got home, I washed my hair (with Vo5 shampoo and conditioner) and put the container of oil at the back of my drawers - to be touched never again.

(This is the brand I use, it's also edible!)

However - it's summer now and I happened to notice the coconut oil had melted in the heat of my room, and since my hair was looking a little dry, I decided to dip my fingers in. I was quite astonished to find that my hair looked and felt so silky and healthy afterward (especially after my previous experiences) that even my mum asked me what I did to my hair. I was ecstatic! Then I realised that this was happening because the weather was so hot, and that the coconut oil would stay melted and liquidy (I know that's not a word) in my hair, resulting in it being so nice.

So, I've decided to keep using it for the duration of the summer, (it makes a good heat protection oil too). Although you can't use too much or hair will look greasy/wet and no one wants that!

Love y'all xxxxxxxxx
MOSAS
(make others stop and stare)

IB studying...

Hello and how's your hair today? I'm back from my trip to Belgium and I must say it was soooo good! I'm going to miss my exchange partner and all the others but we're definitely going back in the summer the to see them again :) The reason for my title is because I do the IB (International Baccalaureate, look it up) and we have our exams in April, which is next month. I'm going to do a post on styles which are creative enough but not too jazzy for school. Enjoy!

Unfortunately due to these exams, I will have to take a short break from my blog. I will be back in April but if I have spare time I'll do a short blog or two ;) 

LOVE Y'ALL AND DON'T MISS ME TOO MUCH XXXXXXXX

MOSAS

(make others stop and stare)

I am a TrendStartr...

Hello and how's your hair today? Mine has been doing absolutely fabulously since I did the keratin treatment on it and I'm so happy. It doesn't go curly or frizzy in the rain and wind, and I don't have to straighten it everyday which I'm so happy about!

Today's post is about this new social platform I found which is called 'TrendStartr' and it seems really cool. I was scouted out by the company as it is quite new still so get in whilst it's still young and fresh! Here's the link [click here] to my profile if you would like to check it out and follow me :)

Here are some pictures of new braid styles that I found -

(This one is so amazing!)

I also got some buff braids...

(so cute)

(she reminds me of a mermaid)

Also my exchange partner is going to be here tomorrow which is really exciting and we'll be going up to London town to see what fabulous things there are :)

I'll post pics!

MOSAS

(make others stop and stare)

xxx