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)