What I Use On My Birds Nest

OK first things first. If you have stumbled across this post expecting something other than haircare, there’s the door. I don’t know what crazies google these days on their hunt for internet ladies.

Since I was a child my hair has been a complete pain in the ass. I wish I was joking. My mum refused to let me grow it past my shoulders as it became, as she calls it, ‘rats tails’. At the grand old age of 23 and now deemed responsible for the care of my hair I can confirm that it does indeed evolve into a rat tail state. Currently it is the longest it has been for at least 2 years reaching almost to the bottom of my shoulder blades. It is fine and thin. Until recently I had a very real fear that I was balding, and as I have mentioned before my hair is routinely tortured within an inch of it’s life in the form of highlights. Add to this flyaways and a touch of frizziness in some areas and you are somewhat close to the nightmare that is my barnet. I could do away with the highlights but they make me look alive. Not alive as in more vivacious or anything, actually alive. With dark hair I look like a zombie, highlights brighten me up a bit. In an effort to tame the flyaways and frizzies I try and avoid heat, blow drying maybe once or twice a week and straightening or curling if I’m going out and wearing my hair down and wash it every two days, less if I can help it.

Until recently around 75% of my hair was one big knot. No exaggeration. I could rarely get a brush through it and even when I did 40 seconds later it would be tangled all over again. No matter what I did the underneath of my hair would be matted within minutes. Notice at the beginning of the paragraph I said until recently……

As part of Operation Sort My Life Out the hair needed to sort it’s life out too. I picked up a few things and already had a few things that I liked but weren’t enough alone.

First up is L’Oreal’s Elvive Full Restore Conditioning Replenish Spray

I have had this badboy since around Christmas time when the winter frizzies were really getting on my nerves. It’s pretty light and the nozzle disperses a fine spray so you can be a little slapdash and not worry about greasy patches. After every wash when I have just taken the towel off my head I spritz this all over my hair and leave for a few seconds before attempting to brush it gently. If I don’t sort my fringe out straight away my cowlick dominates and I look like I’m 9 all over again.

You can’t really see in this picture but I have used this every time I have washed my hair since I got it and sometimes in between and I have over another third of the bottle left to go!

I got this from Boots for around £4 or so though I can’t see it on the website at the moment so I’m not exactly sure. I love this and can’t recommend it enough for a quick burst of lightweight moisture. The only thing is as you know I’m really trying not to use products by companies that test on animals and L’Oreal do. Sadface over here.

This is Phil Smith’s Xrated Shine Serum. I have seen a few Phil Smith products doing the rounds lately but I can’t remember if I saw this. I got it from Sainsbury’s a few months ago when I was running out of serum and this was on offer, it is currently £4.09. After spritzing my hair with the L’Oreal spray I use a pump of this on the ends of my hair. I used to use it without even thinking about it and it was only when I stopped for a few washes that I realised how annoying fluffy ends are! My hair is unruly without something holding down the ends!

This is billed as a shine serum. I’m not sure about that, my hair rarely looks shiny but my hairdresser does comment on it’s good condition and I don’t get split ends, I’d like to think this helps with that. One thing though, one pump is enough, My hair feels lank and greasy with more and I could use even less than one pump if used on dry hair.

I am sure you’ve seen this cropping up lately. VO5’s Miracle Concentrate found its way into my basket in Superdrug a few weeks ago before I had seen any posts about it. I have used it probably every other time I have washed my hair, running 3 to 4 drops through the lengths and ends of my hair. Wow. This makes my hair feel so smooth that I actually sat on the sofa one night stroking my it and making everyone else stroke it too. It was softer than the rabbit and I want to wear him as a scarf (in a nice cuddly way!) so that is saying something. I have used this at least 6 or 7 times and you can see hardly any is gone. There is a dropper in there but be warned, you don’t have to squeeze the pipette for it to come out, it is a dripper!

Finally the star of the show. I have had my eye on a Tangle Teezer for a while and was saving my Boots points for one but then I was skint and in desperate need of a face scrub so they went. As soon as loan time arrived I got one of these badboys! I got it out of the packet and was instantly disappointed, £10 for what feels like I could of knocked it up in a shed in 6 minutes? Then I brushed. What the hell. Within a minute my birds nest had disappeared! AND STAYED AWAY!!!!! Words can’t describe how ecstatic I am that I have this and I will be snapping up the handbag version (which is more expensive?!?!?!) as soon as I have the disposable income!

This routine has been working really well for me in recent weeks and I honestly just thought my hair was not meant to be this soft and shiny and manageable. I didn’t think it was capable. But I have been proved wrong and I have these products to thank!

Have you tried any of these? Or do you have any recommendations? I’d love to hear, I really didn’t used to care about my hair figuring there was no point but now I’m all ears!

P.S. Sorry for the essay. I wish I could write a dissertation on haircare.