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Christophe Robin Cleansing Volumizing Paste

When it comes to unexpected favourites, Christophe Robin’s Cleansing Volumizing Paste is right up there for me. I had received a mini pot of the stuff as a gift with purchase a year or two ago, and it had languished at the back of my travel bag ever since. I wasn’t convinced that a clay shampoo would be a good idea, but in the midst of lockdown with nothing to lose I gave it a go. And I fell completely in love.

Probably one of the French hairdresser’s most iconic products, the paste is like no shampoo I’d ever tried. A gritty brown paste which smells 100 times better than it looks, you only need the tiniest finger full to enjoy the best results. Applied to wet hair, it foams up like a dream, and it smells deeply of roses. It’s such an unexpected change from what you see in the jar, and once it’s on my hair I leave it on for a few minutes, to let the formula work its magic. Then after showering out and following up with a conditioner, I blow dry and style my hair as normal. I can’t tell you the difference using the Volumizing Paste (alongside a handful of other Christophe Robin products). Silicon and sulphate free, my hair hasn’t felt this healthy in years, and it’s so much softer and smoother than it was before. My hair feels like it’s got so much more bounce when I’m using it.

Christophe Robin’s Cleansing Volumizing Paste is priced at £40 and is available here (UK) and here (US)

Ouai Haircare Memory Mist*

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When it comes to my hair, the less I fuss with it, the better it looks. I’m not one of these people that can sport intricate ‘dos’ on a daily basis, an instead, I tend to wash, straighten and go. Naturally I’ve got wavy hair that’s prone to frizz, so living in Scotland means I have to figure out ways of keeping hair looking smooth all day long. I use all the regular products – blow dry sprays, serums and oils, but for days when humidity is high, I need to bring in the big guns!

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That’s where Ouai’s Memory Mist comes in. Unlike most hairsprays I’ve tried in the past, Ouai’s offering is completely weightless, and doesn’t leave hair looking or feeling dried out or sticky. If I’m wearing my hair down, once it’s styled, I give it a quick blast of the Memory Mist, brush through and go. The weightless formula gives hair a boost of volume and shine, yet doesn’t feel crisp or sticky. On days I’ve used it, my hair just feels great all day – there is no frizz by 4pm, instead it looks just done all day long!

Ouai Haircaire Memory Mist is priced at £25 and is available from Panache Cosmetics here.

MoroccanOil Blow Dry Concentrate*

As someone who blow dries their hair on a daily basis, you’d think I’d be a bit better at it by now. But no matter what, I’ve never been able to really pull off that salon-fresh look. I wrestle with round brushes, boar bristle brushes, the lot, but I never get the smooth and shiny effect I’m really after, until I got my hands on MorrocanOil’s Blow-Dry Concentrate.

When I say that the Blow-Dry Concentrate is a game changer, I’m not exaggerating. It’s done what brushes, straighteners and countless serums have failed, and smoothed my hair in a manner which nothing else really has done before. It’s designed for very coarse and unruly hair, and although mine isn’t too thick or too out of control, it has a propensity for frizzing at the smallest sign of heat, humidity or moisture, so the concentrate sounded perfect.

The Blow-Dry concentrate comes packaged in a sturdy pump-top glass bottle, which means using the product could not be easier. When I come out the shower and squeeze out the excess water from my ends, I use about less than a quarter of a pump of the Concentrate, and apply it to my ends. The concentrate itself is quite thick and viscus, so anything more would leave my hair overwhelmed.

So, using the tiniest amount allows the Concentrate to smooth into hair, and then I blow it dry as usual. The difference that the Blow Dry Concentrate makes to hair is insane. Even just using a blow dryer, my hair is softer and smoother, but once I seal everything with the straighteners – it’s where the magic happens! My hair feels silky and thicker than usual, and it’s shinier than normal too! No matter what I get up to during the day, my hair stays looking pretty much exactly the same – it’s magical! I’ve tested this on rainy days, gym days and those hideous hot and sticky days, and the Blow-Dry Concentrate wins every time.

In the run-up to summer, this needs to be in your hair kit!

MoroccanOil Blow-Dry Concentrate is priced at £17.35 and is available here (UK) and here (US)

Michael Van Clarke 3”’ More Inches Pre-Wash Treatment*

As a not-so-natural blonde, I put my hair through an absolute tonne. Every eight weeks I get my roots covered up, which involves a good whack of bleach and a few hours, and on a daily basis I blow dry and straighten my hair into tidy oblivion. It’s not exactly a routine which inspires great hair health, so I’m big into trying to undo the damage! My newest acquisition is Michael Van Clarke’s 3”’ Pre-Shampoo Treatment – I’ve tried and loved the shampoo and conditioner from the range, and this treatment is really something special!

Using the Pre-Shampoo treatment really couldn’t be easier – just brush your hair and then apply a generous squeeze of the treatment onto your lengths and ends. I also like to concentrate a little of it on my front layers which can tend to get a little dry and whispy if I’ve overdone it with the straighteners. Depending on your level of damage, you can leave the treatment on for anything from an hour to overnight. Once per week I like to go for the overnight option – applying it to my hair, throwing it up in a top knot, then shampooing it out the following morning.

For such an intensive moisture treatment, it has such a lovely lightweight feeling, and hair does feel weighed down, sticky or greasy the next day either. The formula contains cashmere proteins and amino blends which promise to slow down the ageing process of hair, and gives hair a whole lot of bounce and shine. It’s such a handy little product, and it’s perfect if you’re after a little TLC for your hair.

Michael Van Clarke 3”’ Pre-Shampoo Treatment is priced at £9.00 and is available here.

Kerastase Bain Satin 1

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I’m not sure about you, but there are a few products which I’ve used for absolutely years, and I can’t be without. When I say I’ve had a bottle of Kerastase’s Bain Satin 1 in my closet since childhood, it’s no lie – my mother used to send me to swim class with a bottle of it in my gym bag! Having thick, wavy hair before straighteners were such a big thing meant that frizz was (and still is) the enemy so using a product which really nourished ends was a must have!

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Now, with ends which have been all too damaged by bleach and heat styling, every third or so wash, I find myself reaching for the familiar ivory and orange bottle. The formula is incredibly rich and nourishing, and it foams beautifully. I only need a 10p sized blob to thoroughly wash my hair. I then follow up with a Kerastase hair masque. It’s an integral part of my haircare routine, and I can’t see that changing any time soon!

Kerastase Bain Satin is priced at £17.90 and is available here (UK) and here (US)

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