I am always on the hunt for new hair products that help my mane look – and more importantly, feel – like a million bucks. Recently, I have discovered a host of great products, some by popular brands and others that are equally great but from lesser known brands. As someone who knows the struggle of finding great haircare products, I thought I would share my recent finds with you, in the hopes that they will work as well for you as they did for me!
The first brand I want to talk about is Sexy Hair – a very apt name because that’s exactly how your hair looks and feels after you’ve used their products. They are known for their hairspray, which comes in the iconic red can (in fact, they sell a can of hairspray every 4 seconds!) but have many more products beyond that.
I’m a fan of their Weatherproof Humidity Resistant Spray from the Big Sexy Hair product line, which is the ultimate weatherproof spray that works all year round. I love that it shields that hair against humidity and heat, and keeps styles in place for longer than normal without that awful crispy feeling that many sprays have. It’s such a saviour during the summertime! I also love the So You Want It All Leave-In Treatment from the Healthy Sexy Hair line, which (as the name suggests) does everything you want it to and more. From detangling messy hair to nourishing, soothing and moisturising damaged hair, while adding shine and elasticity to your tresses, this is definitely a must-have product in your hair care arsenal. Finally, the Support Me 450° Heat Protection Setting Hairspray from the Hot Sexy Hair collection is essential for anyone who uses heat on their hair. Not only does it protect your locks from being damaged by the heat; it also helps in holding curls and other styles for a longer duration of time. As you can tell, I am so happy about my discovery of this brand, and I can’t wait to try more products from their many, many lines.
Now, Toni & Guy is an oldie but a goodie when it comes to haircare brands. I recently tried out their Style Fix Waver, which is a professional styling tool that is perfectly sized – it can fit into your handbag! You can create many styles with this – my personal favourite is the big, beachy waves. One thing I absolutely love about this product is that my hair feels shiny and healthy after using it, and never has any unwanted frizz. As with all heat style tools, I would recommend using a heat protection product, like the one mentioned above, for extra protection.
Another great find for creating everything from beachy waves to big curls is the Professional 24k Gold Curl Bar 32mm by Hot Tools. Rest assured that the unique design is not just for the heck of it – the designs ensure that this tool is very ergonomic and easier to hold and use than most traditional curling tools. Along with that, it comes with many useful features, including temperature controls to ensure that your hair does not burn, and curl timers that you can set in advance to achieve the exact type of curl that you are looking for.
Finally, I’m absolutely loving the 3 Minute Miracle Line by The Aussie. As the name suggests, this product line is dedicated to providing your hair with the TLC that it needs – in 3 minutes, flat! That makes it perfect for busy girls on the go who want their hair to look great, but don’t have hours to spend in salons. These deep conditioning treatments will transform your hair – and trust me, the results last. The best part is that there is a wide range of products to choose from – Moisture, Colour Matte, Shine, Nourish, Frizz Fixer and Beach Mate, to name a few – so you can pick the one that suits your haircare needs the most. What more does a girl need?
While I am usually quite good at planning and scheduling my wax appointments, last year, I had to attend a last-minute event – and instead of wearing a gorgeous dress that I had hanging in my wardrobe, that would be perfect for the event, I ended up having to wear jeans instead, because my legs weren’t as smooth as I would have liked them to be. Personally, I feel a lot more confident when I have smooth skin, and I just didn’t think I could look and feel 100% in a dress that evening. Now, if I had had my hands on Smooth Skin’s latest product at that point – it would have been a different story!
Although I had heard a lot about the IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) technology and treatment, I had never thought about trying it, because rumour had it that IPL does not work on darker skin tones. And then, I heard about the SmoothSkin Muse. After doing some research, I learned that this product does, in fact, work on darker skin tones, and decided to give it a whirl. This life-changing product uses IPL technology for hair removal, using the energy of light to break the growth cycle of hair, and prevent regrowth. Having used it for a short amount of time, I have seen some excellent results so I wanted to share my experiences and tips with all of you as well.
As I said, the best part about this product is the fact that in comparison to many other IPL solutions, it works on a wider variety of skin tones. I have relatively darker skin and yet, I can already see the results – there are fewer and finer hairs on my legs. And as if the results weren’t great enough – the product is very easy to use as well! The great thing is that it scans your skin before every flash, and sets the intensity to the right level, to ensure safety as well as efficiency. What more does a girl need? The safety aspect means that you can not only use it on your arms and legs but also more sensitive parts of your body like your bikini line, underarms and face as well. When you start off, it’s best to do one session per week for about 12 weeks, after which you can reduce the frequency to one session every 4 to 8 weeks, depending on your needs.
The Unisex Healthy Glow Tinted Moisturizer is a great product that will appeal to people who prefer the au naturel look. It leaves the skin supple and glowing, but without a greasy or cakey finish. Being a tinted moisturizer, it certainly doesn’t provide the same degree of coverage as a foundation would, but it does even out the skin tone in my experience. It has SPF which makes it a great summer product, especially for casual wear and morning dos. Best part it, both men and women can benefit from its hydrating goodness, and it makes perfect for spring and summer season when you want your skin to be free of heavy foundations soaking up the sun.
How To Use:
That’s when I came across Skinade which is essentially a collagen drink – yeah you heard me right! – a drink that claims to boost the natural production of collagen and hyaluronic acid in one’s body. Skin begins to show signs of ageing when these very compounds are no longer produced in ample amounts as when one was young. Now, I’m no expert, but the fact that Skinade has a fine balance of active ingredients that can naturally aid your body’s ability to renew itself, seems like a sure-shot fix for fine-lines, dull skin, dark patches and so on.
The drink itself isn’t exactly delicious, but it has a natural peach and mangosteen flavour, so I don’t mind the taste really. I was advised to take it with breakfast because that is when absorption of ingredients is highest. The best part is, it’s very convenient to have these little bottles of anti-ageing elixir because with the 30 day course, I even got a travel pouch. So even when I’m running late and take my breakfast to go, my daily dose can be easily carried alongside.
I would recommend that women above 30 consume Skinade every 1 to 2 months on a cyclical basis to maintain good skin quality. And those over 40 could even take it regularly for that’s when skin retardation really begins to set in. Fortunately, the product is well-priced with the 30 day course costing £99.00. You can buy it online 
There are a million techniques you can adopt for hair removal like laser, waxing, epilators and IPL is one of them. So far, I feel that using an at home IPL device is a cost effective and painless way for hair removal or hair reduction. There are a lot of IPL devices available in the market and I chose to go for SmoothSkin Gold due to the features it had. SmoothSkin Gold is a hand held device with an automatic skin tone selection feature which supports the skin tone from 1 -5. The speed time between the shots is 0.9 to 1.9 seconds and the device has a lamp life time of 200,000 and 300,000 flashes.
Tips for better results: