Caring for Natural Hair: How To Do It Without Looking Like A Hot Mess
Whether you’re a naturalista newb or you’ve been rocking your god-given locks for years, caring for natural hair is a journey en route to fabulous.
Whether you’re a naturalista newb or you’ve been rocking your god-given locks for years, caring for natural hair is a journey en route to fabulous.
I have been on my natural hair journey for about four years now and my hair has transformed dramatically.
Gone are my weird straight bits amid a sea of brittle frizz - hello hydrated waves and coils. I’ve tried oils, sulfates, no sulfates, shea butter, henna, gels, mousses, creams, co washing, not washing, washing frequently, washing with unconventional cleansers (spoiler: apple cider vinegar was an epic fail) - you name it - and I’m here to impart my findings. Brace yourselves.
For context, I have dark Caucasian 2b to 3a curly hair that is prone to dryness and breakage, and my oh my does it hate chemicals. And I mean, hates them. I learnt that the hard way dabbling with box dyes, bleach and non curly girl-friendly shampoos and conditioners.
While the process varies widely depending on the type of hair you have, the foundations are the same whether your hair is curly, straight or anything in between. I’m going to talk a lot about curly girl-friendly products in this, but really, I think everyone should be using those anyway. They’re free of drying alcohols, silicones, sulfates and harsh chemicals, so they basically suit any hair type.
Before we kick-start this this adventure together, I want to add that I’ve done a lot of research on caring for curly and natural hair over the years, but that doesn’t mean these are set rules - it’s just something to get your started. Whatever works for you, works - try it all out and see what happens!
Note: There are some affiliate links in this post, but I have tried and tested everything recommended and my reviews are 100% genuine.
What it really means to go natural
In a nutshell, having natural hair means you don’t use chemicals or heat to alter the texture, colour or pattern of your hair.
Relaxers, perms, dyes and heat tools weaken the hair shaft and make it dry, brittle and prone to breakage, but it they also impact the the overall shape and appearance of your hair. For example, if you have curly hair, your curl pattern might collapse a bit or cause your curls to jut out at weird angles. The more you use chemicals and heat, the higher the risk of damage.
By this point you might be thinking of someone you know with luscious tendrils who dyes or straightens their hair all the time, but odds are it’s because they just have naturally resilient hair. Some people also sun bake a lot and have no wrinkles, or eat a lot of junk and don’t put on weight - it’s all down to genetics in the end, and people with thicker strands tend to be able to put their hair through a lot. This doesn’t mean their hair is unaffected, it just means the damage isn’t as visible.
At the end of the day, you want to try and take care of your hair the way you take care of your body. Foods laden with natural ingredients are recommended for a healthy body, and it’s the same with your hair - the less you pump it full of chemicals, the healthier it will be.
One year in to my natural hair journey
Step 1: Restock your hair products
I’ve written quite a bit about the damage sulfates, silicones, alcohols and chemicals, so here’s a basic run down from a previous post:
The curly girl method states that washing your hair with regular shampoos is akin to washing your hair with dish soap. And when you look at the ingredients of each, they’re scarily similar.
Both contain an ingredient called ‘sodium laureth sulfate’ – a harsh detergent that strips away the oil on a fry pan, just as it strips away the natural oils on your head. You may wash your hair because it looks too oily, but you do need some oils to stick around – just like the natural oils on your skin, natural hair oils act as a natural moisturiser that your scalp and hair need to be healthy. Removing them completely strips your hair of its natural vitality and shine.
To combat the damage caused by the sulfates, generic conditioners contain silicone, which is kind of like plastic. There are all sorts of silicones in conditioners, and they’re used to coat your hair give it the illusion of shine, but in actual fact silicone is coating your hair your hair so it’s impenetrable by anything except sulfate. This means your hair looks shiny, but can’t absorb any moisture.
To get the best natural hair results, you want to eliminate all that from your hair products. A really easy way to do this is by finding the ingredients of your favourite products online and pasting them to Curlsbot - an amazing and free product ingredients analyser that will instantly tell you if your products are clean or not.
At the minimum, you want a shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioner. If you usually use styling products, you might also want to grab a couple of those (recommendations below!)
Step 2: Purge your hair of chemicals
You kind of have to start your natural hair journey with a clean slate, which means ridding your hair of anything unnatural where possible. If you have relaxers or permanent dyes, you're in it for the long haul and will have to wait until they more or less grow out to see the best results, but you can still absolutely start your natural journey while you’re waiting - it means your regrowth will be healthy af.
When I started, I used a cleanser to strip silicones out of my hair, but any shampoo heavy with sulfates will do the trick.
Re-hydrate your hair using a curly girl-friendly deep conditioner. I recommend anything by Shea Moisture, Garnier Hair Food, or I’m actually loving Function of Beauty at the moment so would definitely recommend that too (click here for 25% off).
Your hair won’t be looking its best after this first wash, but stay with me, patience is key.
Still want to dye your hair? Henna is a great natural alternative! Check out my reviews below.
Step 3: Find your new routine
With your natural hair journey comes new products and a whole new routine, so play around and see what works for you.
Every wash after your final sulfate wash should be with a sulfate-free and curly girl-friendly shampoo. No matter what product I’m using, I will always work shampoo into my roots only. When I rinse it out, the shampoo washed through the rest of my hair to keep it nice and clean. I find that shampooing the ends just makes them dry, but that might not be the case you you so try it out and see what works.
I then use a regular conditioner or a deep conditioner, depending on how tangled my hair is, and detangle as much as possible with my fingers, before moving on to a gentle brush. This is because brushes can break your hair, which leads to frizz. You don’t necessarily notice when a brush hits a snag, but you do noticed when the knot is between your fingers, so it does prevent quite a lot of breakage.
My curly hair routine is just an example - by no means did I figure this out overnight. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
These photos were taken two years apart. In this one, my hair is dry, brittle, frizzy, and my curl pattern was all over the place.
There is still bleach in my hair from when I dyed my hair purple, but after two years’ on my natural hair journey, this was the result.
Step 4: Stop Using Heat
We all like to blow-dry or straighten our hair from time to time, myself included, but doing it every day, or even every week, is going to impact your natural hair goals. No matter what kind of hair you have, heat is damaging your hair - whether you can tell or not.
When I get out of the shower, I wrap my hair in a microfiber towel (a gym towel, in other words) or cotton t-shirt for about 20 minutes, or until the drip is gone. I then tip my head upside down, scrunch the hair up removing any excess drip, part it and let it air dry. It can take a while to dry this way, but I did find the health of my hair dramatically improved when I stopped using a blow-dryer.
I also completely understand that some people live in very cold parts of the world and stepping outside with wet hair isn’t really an option - I lived in Canada when I first started my curly hair journey, and the struggle is real.
What you can do is dry your hair on the ‘cool’ setting (though this will take a lot longer), start washing your hair when you get home from work in the evening so it’s dry by the morning, or line up hair washing day with a weekend or a day where you won’t be leaving the house.
I know those aren’t necessarily possibilities for everyone, so don’t beat yourself up if you have to use heat - just try to make sure you don’t have you device set to ‘high’.
Step 5: Be Patient
Your hair will not look phenomenal overnight. In fact, it might not look good at all for a while and you kind of have to be okay with that. It might be a struggle in the beginning, but it really is worth it in the long run when you have flowing locks of naturally detangled hair that looks and feels healthy. Even if the length of your hair is damaged, your roots will be reaping the benefits of all the natural products you’re using. If you get regular trims, eventually the healthy hair will take over and your hair will be living its best life.
My hair was dry and breaking from being bleached and dyed a thousand times. During the transition to natural hair, it was an awkward length, the curl pattern was fine on top but down the length it was brittle and weirdly straight. I resisted the urge to dye it, and four years later, it has never looked or felt healthier.
Things to keep in mind
No two people are the same, and no two people will have the same reaction to the same product. A lot of people will oil their scalp before washing to keep the skin nice and healthy. A healthy scalp means healthier hair, but there’s not a one size fits all.
Then there are all sorts of things like protein treatments, oil treatments, scalp cleansers, co-washing, no poo to go in to, but that’s for another time.
I will do a post detailing my curly hair routine soon with my favourite products, but until then, I wish you all the luck in the world with your natural hair journey.
Let me know how you go in the comments below!
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Solid Toiletries for Travel: Vegan Beauty Products for the Carry-On Backpacker
Sick of pouring all your liquids in to a series of 100ml bottles and hoping they didn’t run out? What if I said you never had to do that again! Here’s a fail-safe list of vegan solid toiletries for travel that won’t get confiscated at the carry-on x-ray machine.
Before discovering solid toiletries for travel, pouring my liquids into 100ml bottles every time I jumped on a plane was something I hated.
Not only because getting thicker liquids in to tiny bottles is a pain (looking at you, sunscreen), but it means you run out of your favourite products quickly and have to find replacements in foreign countries, and it doesn't always work out for the best... I once had to find exfoliator in Thailand. I’m a paste-queen, and all I could find were whitening products. It was not ok.
But then I discovered solid toiletries, my world transformed, and yours can too!
Before we go on this travel-friendly beauty journey together, you’ll need to detach yourself from the mainstream beauty companies. I know. I too used to love Tarte, Palmers, Dove, and a bunch of others, but sadly, they don’t actually care about your skin. They care about whether you’re buying more product.
I used to buy products for skin smoothing, toning, reducing redness, acne, and moisturising, and sure, they worked for a while, but my skin would always get used to the products and I’d be back to square one. Every. Single. Time.
It wasn’t until I started looking for natural products that I began to realise there are actually natural, fail-safe ways of looking after your skin without walking in to Sephora or the drug store.
The best part? Most of these products aren't liquids, so you can shove them in to your carry-on without having them confiscated at the x-ray machine.
Win!
*Note: There are some affiliate product links in this post (not all links, just some). Clicking on them won't cost you anything extra, it just means there's some super-karma coming your way :)
1. Cleansing: African Black Soap
This stuff has been handmade in Africa for a long, long time. It's 100-percent natural with no chemicals, it's cruelty-free and vegan, keeps acne at bay, and it lasts forever.
Well, maybe not forever, but to wash your face you only need to pinch off the tiniest bit (don’t submerge the whole thing – it’ll turn to mush), so one block can last a year .
The one I have is below, but if you’re looking elsewhere, make sure it contains plantain skin, shea butter and ash. It should look brown, chunky, and generally unappealing. There are a lot of knock-offs, and a lot of beauty companies have tried to make it look pretty, buuut that isn't the real stuff. Real African black soap looks like something you don't want to touch.
NOTE: African black soap traditionally contains palm oil, so it's important to choose one that uses sustainable palm oil, or none at all. The product below doesn't contain palm oil at all.
2. Toning: Lemon, Rose Water, and Apple Cider vinegar
I hate to think about what Clearasil toner did to my skin. It always smelled so alcoholic and left my face feeling so, so dry. And it’s not only Clearasil – a lot of toners are full of alcohol because it’s an antiseptic and ‘treats’ acne, but alcohol is really harsh on your skin, and will affect your complexion negatively in the long run.
The options below are natural ways of achieving the same results, but actually good for your skin, they're at a fraction of the cost, and they're traveller-friendly.
Lemon: This one's for people with light skin. I literally get a lemon, cut out a wedge, rub it on my face, let it dry, then rinse it off after a few minutes.
I know some of you are probably screaming on the inside, but wait for it...
I use lemon because I have very pale skin, which means even the slightest hyper-pigmentation on my skin is really visible when I’m not wearing makeup. Lemon is a natural bleach and helps to smooth out my skin tone.
It’s also full of Vitamin C, which is excellent for your skin, and it's highly acidic, which can help balance out your skin’s Ph levels. But in any case, I find my skin is a lot brighter and smoother after toning with lemon.
There are a lot of videos and articles that say not to put lemon directly on your face because it irritates the skin, but I find it only irritates the skin under the eye, so I don’t apply it there. If you find it too acidic for your skin, you can dilute the lemon juice with a bit of water.
Customs officials may not be happy to find a few lemons in your carry-on, but you should be able to find a lemon at your destination.
Rose Water: Rose water on its own is excellent for unclogging pores, getting rid of redness, evening out skin tone, and it smells amazing! Put a little bit on a piece of cloth/towel/cotton and rub it all over your face, the way you'd use any toner.
You should be able to pick it up from a supermarket or a Middle Eastern grocer, but failing that I have a link below. I know this is a liquid, but you really don't need to use much – 100ml should last you a long time.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This is good for balancing your skin's Ph levels, evening our skin tone, and unclogging pores. Rather than putting straight apple cider vinegar on my skin, I fill 1/3 of a 100ml spray bottle with acv, top it up green tea, and add a few drops of lavender, or any essential oil I have lying around. As with the rose water, use it as you'd use any toner, and a little bit goes a long way.
3. Face Moisturizing: Coconut Oil
I know coconut oil was all-the-rage in 2013 and most people probably think that ship has sailed, but coconut oil is the only thing I’ve found that consistently leaves my skin feeling moisturised, hydrated, and fresh. Every. Single. Time.
After cleansing and toning, get a really small amount of coconut oil (enough to coat your thumbnail) and rub it into your face. You need just enough to very thinly cover your face – if you feel like you don’t have enough to go the distance, that’s probably enough. If your skin feels really oily afterwards, you’ve used too much.
I know this one has to go in a 100ml bottle, but a little bit goes a long way, so that amount should last you a long time.
Use cold-pressed oil for the best results – the less it’s been processed, the better. It should still smell like coconuts. You can usually find it at your local supermarket or health food store.
4. Exfoliating: Baiden Mitten
This thing is Amazing. Hands-down amazing. I will never use anything else again. Ever. It’s transforming my skin into its best self.
The Baiden Mitten kind of acts like microdermabrasion, which is a cosmetic process that involves scrubbing off the top dead layers of skin to reveal the bright, new skin underneath. It also forces the body to send blood to the treated areas, which heals the skin and causes new, healthy skin cells to replace the old ones. Microdermabrasion works, but it’s recommended that you get this done regularly to see results. For the rest of your life. The cost adds up.
Cue Baiden Mitten. It’s a mitten made from tree fibres in Hungary (I know what you’re thinking – wait for it) that literally removes the top dead layers of skin while you’re in the shower. It doesn’t hurt, pull out your hair, or cause any damage – it just does what a microdermabrasion session does, but it only costs $50 and lasts for two-years.
It also helps keep acne at bay, gets rid of fine lines, shrinks pores, evens out your skin tone, and smooths your skin so much you won’t be able to keep your hands off it. The mitten itself is extremely light-weight and will fit in the tiniest corner of your bag.
5. Whole Body Moisturising: Shea Butter
Not the fancy kind you find in a tub that smells like cocoa pods, I mean a real chunk of shea butter from a shea tree.
Packed with Vitamin E and fatty acids that help your hydrate your skin and repair damage, shea butter can reduce skin inflammation, relieve sunburn, reduce stretch marks, has a host of anti-ageing properties, and has a very mild UV filter. You can also melt it down and use it as a deep conditioner for your hair, and mix it with essential oils to make a lip balm. The only thing you shouldn’t do is put it on your face – it’s quite thick and will clog your pores.
Real shea butter doesn’t smell like much, comes in a large block, and has one ingredient: shea butter. When I travel, I cut a bar-sized rectangle of butter, put it in a soap container, and throw it in my bag. It’s a solid, so security won’t take it from you.
6. Shampoo: Bars
I used to use commercial shampoo with loads of alcohols and sulphates, and hair was so dry and damaged it was ridiculous. I couldn’t figure out why, until I looked in to it and realised I was washing my hair with detergent. After I switched to more natural products, my hair transformed.
I have curly hair, so I carry around two kinds of shampoo bars – one is curly girl method-friendly, the other is a largely-natural shampoo bar from Lush, because my hair does need to be washed with sulphate from time to time.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Lush shampoo bars contain sulphate, which is a detergent. The kind you’d wash your dishes with. It’s what causes the lather in most shampoos, and it’s very drying for your hair. When used too much, it can cause split ends, breakage, and weaker, more brittle hair overall. Curly hair is more prone to dryness and breakage, which is why sulphate is basically forbidden in the curly girl method. Having said that, washing your hair with sulphate all the time probably isn’t good for anyone’s hair. If you hair’s perpetually dry, consider switching it up!
Did you know you can get more than 100 washes out of a single shampoo bar? If you washed your hair twice a week, one bar would almost last you a full year <gasp>.
It’s about a million times better than a bottle of liquid that might last you a few months, or a 100ml bottle that might last you a week.
7. Conditioner: DevaCurl, Sukin, Bars
When travelling to a different country, it’s always good to bring a regular conditioner for weekly use, and a deep conditioner for monthly use. This helps keep any damage caused by excessive sun exposure, humidity, hard or polluted water, or anything else you might get in your hair while backpacking in a foreign country.
I didn’t bring any kind of deep conditioner with me to Asia where there’s hard water, and my hairdresser was horrified when I got back. Now I always bring a small bottle of deep conditioner. I use Deva Curl Deep Sea Repair.
When buying conditioner, you want to watch out for alcohols, sulphates, and silicones. Alcohols and sulphates are drying, and silicone is like a plastic that coats your hair. It makes your hair shiny, but it also builds up in your hair and makes it lifeless, and stops moisture from getting into the hair shaft. When I was using silicone conditioners, my hair was dull, lifeless, dry, my curls were flat, and nothing I did moisturised it properly. As soon as I started using natural products, my hair bounced back to life. The transformation has been amazing.
The only thing that removes silicone is sulphate, but then silicone is used to treat sulphate-damaged hair… You see where I’m going with this – it’s a vicious cycle. Just avoid it altogether.
Solid conditioners haven’t really caught on yet so, unfortunately, there's only really one I'd recommend. If you're not keen on that, you might have to divide your liquid in to separate bottles for this one. Lush do make solid conditioner bars, but they have very mixed reviews and, for whatever reason, the bars contain sulphate (why would conditioner – something that’s supposed to heal any damage – contain the very thing that causes damage?), so Lush get a big FAIL for that one, and they appear to have dominated the market.
There is a company in Tasmania, Australia that make solid conditioner bars (you can find them here). I haven’t tried their products because they contain honey and I’m vegan, but they have great reviews.
8. Toothpaste: Toothy Tabs and Powders
Traditional tubes of toothpaste can last a long time, but the ingredients definitely aren’t natural, and you can never get it all out of the tube…
Lush Toothy Tabs are a great alternative. Pop one in your mouth, chew it a little, start brushing your teeth, and boom! It foams and cleans your teeth, just the pasty kind of tooth cleanser. You get around 40 in a pack, so it’s easy to buy as many as you need before your trip.
Simply Sooney is a powder that you dip your toothbrush in. I haven't tried that one, but they have excellent reviews.
9. Deodorant: Salt Sticks
Get a stick of salt-based deodorant. It’ll last forever, and change your life.
I find most deodorants wear off at the end of the day, but not this one! It lasts all day (even after 90-minutes of hot yoga), has no scent whatsoever, and all you need to do to activate it is add water and use it on clean skin.
They’re SO much better for you and the planet than aerosols and commercial roll-on brands, and they actually work.
10. Sunscreen: Natural, ocean-safe Bars
As someone who burns ridiculously easy, sunscreen has been a staple in my bag for the last 10 years, but realistically, everyone should take up this practice because the sun damages your skin, and it’s your largest organ! You need to look after it.
The problem is that sunscreen tends to come in liquid form, and contain loads of chemicals that can also damage your skin (and the ocean, if you go swimming) so I’ve been looking at natural products that are waterproof or resistant, natural, cruelty-free, and ocean-safe, and came across sunscreen bars.
I haven’t used them yet, but they have great reviews, and I will definitely be using them as I venture around the world.
11. Insect Repellant
This is a must if you’re going anywhere hot or tropical – you don’t want anything carrying a disease to bite you.
Finding a solid vegan insect repellant was a challenge. Sam's Natural Campn' Stick has a lot of promise but no reviews, Kosmatology has mixed reviews, and Badger Anti-Bug Balm has great reviews but contains beeswax so I can't try it... In any case, they all contain natural, organic ingredients, and they're cruelty-free.
So there you have it!
I hope these natural products do wonders for your hair and skin, like many of them have done for me, and help you pack more consciously for your next trip.
Have you used any of these, or do you have any suggestions to add? Let me know in the comments below!
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I Tried DevaCurl to Fix Damaged Curly Hair. Here's What Happened.
Struggling to manage your curly hair while travelling? You’re not alone! Curly hair gets all kinds of dry, frizzy, and knotted while on the road, so I tried the holy grail of curly hair products to see if it’s really worth the hype. Here’s my DevaCurl review.
Struggling to manage your curly hair? You’re not alone! My curly hair was so dry, frizzy, and knotted after years of travel and chemical damage, so I tried the holy grail of curly hair products to see if it’s really worth the hype. Here’s my DevaCurl review.
UPDATE: DevaCurl has recently been accused of putting a bunch of nasty chemicals in their products. You can find out more about it here. I am not affiliated with DevaCurl - this is an authentic review with my honest opinion but, if the accusations end up being true, I will stop endorsing them. I haven’t used them for a while because, well, given the allegations I’m a bit concerned. But if you’re interested in reading my original review, I’ve left it below.
Endorsed by a slew of Instagram and YouTube Curly Girl Method devotees, DevaCurl is said to be the cream of the crop when it comes to curly hair.
Based on the theory that curly hair is more porous than straight hair, the Curly Girl (CG) Method states that washing your hair with regular shampoos is akin to washing your hair with dish soap. And when you look at the ingredients of each, they’re scarily similar.
Both contain an ingredient called ‘sodium laureth sulfate’ – a harsh detergent that strips away the oil on a fry pan, just as it strips away the natural oils on your head. You may wash your hair because it looks too oily, but you do need some oils to stick around – just like the natural oils on your skin, natural hair oils act as a natural moisturiser that your scalp and hair need to be healthy. Removing them completely strips your hair of its natural vitality and shine.
To combat the damage caused by the sulfates, generic conditioners contain silicone, which is kind of like plastic. There are all sorts of silicones in conditioners, and they’re used to coat your hair give it the illusion of shine, but in actual fact silicone is coating your hair your hair so it’s impenetrable by anything except sulfate. This means your hair looks shiny, but can’t absorb any moisture.
As you’ve probably guessed, DevaCurl is completely void of all those chemicals, along with most alcohols and parabens. Instead, it contains natural oils and botanicals that supposedly leave your hair moisturised and healthy, while encouraging your natural waves or curls to spring in to shape.
As someone with a head of moderately traumatised curls induced by travel, bleach, box dye, a lack of nutrition, cheap products, and intense brushing, DevaCurl looked like the holy grail and the solution to all my problems.
(Note: There are some affiliate links in this post, but clicking on them won’t cost you anything extra, and you’ll just get some extra karmic points :) This is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own. Read more about that here.)
DevaCurl: A Review
Before
I have a lot of hair with natural volume, but the strands themselves are quite thin (I believe the technical word is fine). It tends to be quite curly underneath and, when it’s healthy, the curls are more ringlety. Before starting my curly hair journey, it was so, so dry and damaged, with weird straight bits that weren’t straight when I was younger.
Poor nutrition, years of dumping chemical-riddled box dyes in my hair, and two rounds of bleach bleach killed my natural curls, leaving a dry and stringy mess after every wash.
On top of that, my hair freaks out every time it’s introduced to a new climate. It really, really didn’t like the hard and highly-chlorinated water in England, just as it hated the cold in Canada. My curls were gone.
No amount of keratin treatments or deep conditioners made a difference, and I felt at a loss. As a last resort, I took to Google, stumbled across the Curly Girl Method, and decided I had nothing to lose.
After gawping at the cost of each product on devacurl.com, I jumped on Amazon and ordered the DevaCurl Miracle Workers kit, which included:
No-Poo Original
(moisturizing, non-lathering formula that stimulates and cleans the scalp without stripping your hair)
One Condition Original
(rich, creamy conditioner that delivers softness and hydration)
Buildup Buster
(powerful cleanser using micellar technology to gently remove buildup from the hair and scalp without stripping)
Melt In To Moisture Mask
(nourishing mask that melts weightlessly into every strand, infusing hair with moisturizing matcha green tea butter, vitamin-packed sweet almond oil and protective beet root extract)
Deep Sea Repair Mask
(reviving mask that transforms damaged hair with restorative seaweed, a strengthening blend of rice, soy and wheat proteins, as well as moisturizing sea lavender)
I was so excited I couldn’t move.
Pre-wash
The first thing you need to do is remove all the silicone from your hair so it can absorb moisture again. As silicone is not water-soluble, the only thing that will get it out is sulfate, or a good clarifier.
This means you can use a regular shampoo with sulfates before moving on to a CG-friendly conditioner, but I didn’t want to risk doing even more damage to my hair, so I opted for Buildup Buster. According to DevaCurl, Buildup Buster is a strong enough clarifier to remove silicone.
The difference between CG-friendly shampoos and regular shampoos is, because CG products don’t contain sulfates, they usually don’t foam up. The Buildup Buster was a little like using regular shampoo, but of course it didn’t foam. It actually didn’t feel like it was doing anything, but I scrubbed it all over my head hoped for the best, before moving on to the No-Poo.
Wash 1
After clarifying with Buildup Buster, I squeezed a pile of No Poo in to my hand, and the first thing I noticed was how thick it was. It has the consistency of conditioner, which isn’t really something you expect from a shampoo.
DevaCurl recommend using your fingertips to rub the No-Poo into your scalp, rather than lathering all your hair in to a giant ball like you would with a regular shampoo, so that’s what I did. It’s pretty weird using something that doesn’t lather and I did wonder whether it was actually cleaning my scalp, buuut hundreds of reviews suggested it was, so I stopped thinking about it and pressed on.
I could feel my hair start to detangle immediately. It was kind of amazing, and it literally smelled like a bunch of flowers.
After rinsing, I coated the ends in One Condition and detangled with my fingers, which was surprisingly easy. My fingers slipped through my damaged hair more effortlessly than they had in years. left it in for a few minutes, then rinsed it out.
Using a microfibre sports towel (also recommended by the CG method), I scrunched the water out of my hair, then wrapped it up and left it in the towel for 15 minutes.
Drying
After taking my hair out of the town and letting it fall naturally, I immediately noticed a difference.
Even when it was wet, my hair was 1000-times curlier than it had been in years. As it dried, the curls only enhanced. It actually felt mousturised rather dry, limp, and lifeless, and retained it’s shape. Even the bleached ends had twisted up in to tight coils, bouncing when I pulled them, and looking shinier and healthier than ever.
I was kind of floored.
Result
The end result of my DevaCurl experiment was pretty surprising.
The curls were defined, bouncy, and felt healthier than they had been in years. It really highlighted for me why my hair had been such a disaster for so long – sulfates make a massive difference to the overall health of your hair, drying it out of the course of years.
The ends of my hair were so damaged (the lighter/coppery parts in the photo above) that I found the One Condition wasn’t quite enough, so I alternated between different deep conditioners every time I washed it. Melt In To Moisture was a go-to because, according to the directions, it doesn’t need to be in your hair for as long, but ultimately I found the Deep Sea Repair was better.
Even though keeping the Deep Sea Repair in for 20-mins is recommended, I found it made a difference almost on contact. My fingers were literally gliding through my hair when I used this products, and I could feel the difference in my hair afterwards. It took longer to get knotty, and held it’s curl for much longer.
Ultimately, you can’t ‘heal’ chemical-damaged hair – you just have to chop it off – but if you’re like me and want to avoid having super-short hair, DevaCurl helps you maintain your hair until it’s long enough to chop. The ends always looked rubbish again the day after wash day (dry, stringy, lifeless), but no product could have fixed that in the long-term so, all things considered, DevaCurl did a pretty remarkable job at keeping the damage at bay.
After the first week I decided I would 100% buy it again.
Pros
After finally chopping all the damage off, I noticed a huge difference in the overall health of my hair.
For the first time ever (including when was a teenager with healthy hair), I had no split ends whatsoever. The curls held their shape for days, I could get away with not washing it for a week and it didn’t get all knotty and dry, and it looked about 1000-times better.
The Deep Sea Repair also acts as a protein treatment, which is a huge bonus, and the products are cruelty-free, vegan, very high-quality, and actually enhance your curls. It’s kind of incredible. The No Poo is also so moisturising that you could probably get away with only using it as an all-in-one product, without conditioner.
Cons
DevaCurl is pricey.
You can get it a little cheaper on Amazon and at some online retailers, but it’s still around $25-35 per bottle, and they don’t ship to Australia. BIG thumbs down.
The only other issue I have with DevaCurl is it’s very heavy and weighs my hair down enormously.
Since it’s largely developed for people with African-style curls that can handle a lot of extra moisture, my fine hair couldn’t really deal with the No Poo or Low Poo (the lighter alternative for wavy hair). It ended up feeling greasy, all my natural volume was gone, and it took an additional three hours (five hours in total) to dry due to the extra moisture. Not a deal-breaker, but I did look in to alternative shampoo options.
The Verdict
Despite the price and the fact that the shampoo is too heavy for my hair, I would absolutely recommend DevaCurl to anyone struggling with their curls or waves, while travelling or in every day life.
It adds an incredible amount of moisture and shine, and really does help your hair maintain its curl for much longer.
On top of that, the ingredients are great for your hair! DevaCurl doesn’t contain any sulfates or drying alcohols, and you really can tell the difference. This whole process taught me to look at what’s in hair products and think about what I’m putting in my hair, and even though DevaCurl shampoos are too heavy, I still use the One Condition and Deep Sea Repair because they make such a difference to the overall health of my hair. It’s kind of amazing.
While it’s not carry-on friendly for travellers, it’s still worth a shot if you’re really looking to improve the heath of your curls or waves. Having said that, there are sulfate-free carry-on options if that’s what you’re in to, and you can check them out here.
Interested in trying DevaCurl? You can get it on Amazon or NaturallyCurly, and let me know how it goes in the comments!
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The Best Gym Quotes On The Internet: Motivate Yourself To Workout When You Don't Want To
Gym quotes can be a bit hit and miss, but sometimes they’re just the thing you need to get you moving so I’ve compiled the best ones I could find on the internet. Feast your eyes!
Gym quotes can be a bit hit and miss, but sometimes they’re just the thing you need to get you moving so I’ve compiled the best ones I could find on the internet.
I find some gym quotes a bit self-deprecating, like they’re telling you that you’re a massive failure for stopping or something, and I truly disagree with that. If you stop working out, it’s because you haven’t found something that works for you yet, but you will <3
So to get you going, I’ve compiled a list of quotes that I have found both genuinely motivational, ground-breakingly correct, and worthy of a good chuckle.
Feat your eyes!
Oh, you’re sore from working out? But did you die?
I work out because I know I would’ve been the first to die in the Hunger Games.
I plan on having such an awesome run Morgan Freeman should narrate it.
<narrows eyes>
Skin is waterproof. No excuses. Run!
It’s only cold if you’re standing still.
SWEAT: It’s just your fat crying.
When I exercise, I wear black. It’s like I’m going to a funeral… For my fat.
If Forest Gump can run for over three years, you can get your ass on a 30-minute run this morning.
Run like there’s a hit guy in front of you and a creepy one behind you.
No matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping everyone on the couch.
I’ve got 99 problems but I’m going running to ignore them all for an hour.
30-60 minutes of being uncomfortable is better than being uncomfortable your entire life.
You’re closer than you were yesterday.
Zombies hate fast food.
Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind that you have to convince.
Cardio is so much better when your active wear is on point.
Gwyneth motivation…
‘The reason that I can be 38 and have two kids and wear a bikini is because I work my ******* ass off. It’s not an accident. It’s not luck. It’s not good genes. It’s killing myself for an hour and a half five days a week, but what I get out of it is relative to what I put into it. That’s what I try and do in all areas of my life.’
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Aveda Damage Remedy Review: How I fixed dry and damaged curly hair
I’ve struggled with trying to find the balance between hydrating and weighing my hair down, but I never used thick or leave-in conditioners because I thought they’d weigh my hair down and flatten my curls…until I discovered Aveda’s conditioner range. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them now. This is why.
I never used thick or leave-in conditioners because I thought they’d weigh my hair down and flatten my curls…until I discovered Aveda’s conditioner range. Now, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it. This is why.
I’ve struggled to find the balance between hydration and flat curls. I have really fine hair that goes limp easily if it’s overloaded with conditioner, but also knots easily and takes forever to detangle. During my last cut, the hairdresser said, ‘these ends! I comb them and they instantly turn to knots’. She then suggested sending me home with some leave-in conditioner. I was resistant because my hair does flatten really easily with heavy products, but she convinced me the one she was recommending (Baby Got Bounce, by Evo) was really light but effective.
She was right — it was light and it really did stop my hair from turning into a giant, tangled mess after a couple of days. I was more than surprised.
Life = changed.
Why did I resist this for so long? The downside was that Evo isn’t curly girl-friendly — full of silicones which would eventually leave my hair brittle and dry. I liked the results so much that I kept using it, but resolved to find a decent leave-in that was CG-friendly before too long.
Then I found Aveda — a range of natural, cruelty-free, organic hair products that my hair LOVES.
Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner
After cleansing my scalp with Curlsmith Core Strength Shampoo, I reached for Aveda for the first time. The reviews said it was really hydrating, but that it would weigh hair down if it went too close to the scalp. I never put conditioner near my scalp anyway, but — to me — this meant it was a really heavy product with a tendency to flatten curls. I was hesitant, but the moment I started smoothing it through my hair, I was hooked.
I detangle with my fingers before using a detangling brush to make sure my hair is completely smooth and knot-free. It’s significantly more time-consuming than just going in with a brush, but it stops a lot of breakage because you can feel the resistance with your fingers. If you’re only using a brush, you can’t feel that resistance and will likely brush right through the knot — breaking strands as you go. What I look for in a conditioner is how easily I can detangle the majority of my hair using only my fingers.
Aveda passed the test with flying colours.
It detangled So. Easily.
Totally floored.
What usually takes me 20 very painful minutes in the shower took me 10 — Aveda saved me half the time detangling my unruly tendrils. Pretty sure I almost cried with relief. I used a fair bit, but I didn’t care — I could feel my hair softening as I raked the thick and creamy product through.
I left it in for a few minutes, before rinsing it out.
Aveda botanical repair strengthening leave-in treatment
Once the conditioner was rinsed out, I reached for the leave-in. Again, super resistant because I knew I’d just conditioned with a really thick and hydrating product — surely a leave-in from the same brand would stretch out my curls and leave everything in one flat mess…?
Needless to say, that did not happen.
I used a smaller amount of this one because my hair was already tangle-free — probably the size of a bottle top, used my fingers to rake it through the ends of my hair, before using a detangling brush to make sure it was evening distributed. It felt smooth on my hair and brushed through really easily.
I followed with Sashapure curl cream and a gel, wrapped it in a microfibre towel for about 15 minutes, scrunched it, then let it air dry.
The results
My hair hasn’t felt that hydrated for a really, really long time. The curls are thick, full, and hang really nicely around my shoulders. Normally the ends are a tangle of frizz my day two, but that doesn’t happen with Aveda. My hair holds on to the moisture for days and feels soft for days. It’s incredible. And something I honestly didn’t think was possible.
I’ve been using these two products together for about two months now, and I’ve just bought my second bottle of conditioner.
price
The only downside is the price point is quite high. Both products cost between $48 and $52 each, and they’re not large bottles. I find I need to use a fair bit of the conditioner, which means I go through it really quickly, but it’s honestly worth it for me — I save so much time, and my hair feels so much healthier. But I do think these are luxury products and not everyone will be able to budget for them. If that’s the situation you’re in, check out my Shea Moisture review :)
Have you tried Aveda, or is there another brand you use? Let me know in the comments below!
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Ultra Violette Sunscreen: An Honest Review
Looking for a vegan and cruelty-free face sunscreen that is actually good for your skin? I tried Ultra Violette aaand it’s the bomb. Here’s why.
Looking for a vegan and cruelty-free face sunscreen that is actually good for your skin? I tried Ultra Violette aaand it’s the bomb. Here’s why.
(this post contains affiliate links, which just means I’ll get a small commission if you use them. Don’t worry, it won’t cost you anything extra :)
As someone whose great, great grandparents lived in all places cold, my Frosty The Snowman-esque skin is unable to deal with the harsh Australian rays.
I get burnt. Easily. I once got burnt in the window seat on a plane. It’s real sunny up there and no one was more surprised than me, so now I always wear sunscreen on airplane…and just about everywhere else since I was 19 because, yo, the sun can be great in small doses but over time it ages you and makes you look all leathery and gives you cancer and, as someone who can see the damage it has done, I just think everyone should be wearing sunscreen.
I’ve been on a quest it find a really good one vegan sunscreen for my face for while. I used to use a brand I will not name with SPF 30, which was really quite good for a long time, but I had no idea if it was cruelty-free or vegan, and I eventually realized I was putting it on my face with absolutely no idea what was in it. For all I knew, it could have been aging my skin more than the sun.
I was in Sephora one day and told my boyfriend what I was looking for. He went off looking and came back with Ultra Violette Queen Screen, which I had somehow missed while scanning the store. I looked it up and not only was it vegan and cruelty-free, it was SPF 50 and made by a small Australian company - and if anyone knows how to make good sunscreen, it’s Australians.
I was sold.
I’ve now been using it for about six months and I believe I’ve found the holy grail.
Ultra Violette Vegan Sunscreen
When I look for a face sunscreen, I need something light and non-greasy that will go smoothly and undetected under a full face of foundation.
Not only does Ultra Violette protect your skin from UV rays - according to the bottle - the product is full of antioxidants and will actually help your skin live its best life.
The company has a few different kinds of sunscreen, and I do want to try the waterproof ones, but for now I want to stress that I am only reviewing the Luminising Sun Serum. This is largely because it’s the one Chris found on the day, it had this cool eye-dropper thing and promised to ‘illuminate’ my skin. I would like to try the Supreme Screen Hydrating Facial Sunscreen, but we’re sticking with the serum for today.
Review
The Ultra Violette Queen Screen Luminising Sun Serum comes in a blue glass bottle with a white eye-dropper lid. It’s aesthetically pleasing, the glass means it’s not really light in weight - you wouldn’t just chuck it in your bag, the eye-dropper is smooth and rubbery and everything it should be - it’s quite soft and easy to squeeze and doesn’t feel like it’s going to crack. You can also see the product through the bottle and there is a light sparkle to the serum that shines through. Getting the product out is as easy filling the eye-dropper by squeezing it in the bottle, and then again on to your hand. I don’t know how easy that will be once I start nearing the end, but it’s been about six months and I’m only about halfway through, so I still have quite some time before that happens.
The product is white and it does appear to have tiny flecks of sparkle in it, which I guess is the ‘luminising’ property. I wasn’t crazy about that part because, while it can look great when you’re 19, as you age sparkles like that can make you look older, so I really hoped it would not be too visible under make up.
ingredients
You know how I said earlier that Ultra Violette has ingredients that benefit your skin more than just shielding it from the sun? Well, here it is.
Kakadu Plum: This Australian plum has 50 times more vitamin C in it than an orange and has generally been hailed as an all-round excellent thing to put on your skin. It’s in a bunch of really fancy skin serums and I was kind of stoked to find it was in my sunscreen.
Dragosine Plus: This one apparently keeps your skin feeling bouncy and protects it from the entire solar spectrum. It’s also a powerful anti-aging agent.
There is also a lot of hydrating glycerine to make sure your skin doesn’t dry out. Winner.
Application
The sunscreen feels very smooth to touch and glides easily over skin, spreading smoothly and quickly. Ultra Violette says you should use three eye-droppers worth of product with each application. THREE. I mean, sure, but about half an eye-dropper was more than enough to coat my face…so…that’s a thing.
The serum has a rose scent which you immediately notice, but it doesn’t smell like sunscreen which is excellent. Chris put it on once and said, ‘oh, I smell botanical’ - I think that’s the best way to describe it. Botanical, rose-like, but not overpoweringly so.
Appearance
You are left with a light sparkle to you face after application. It’s not like OMG MY FACE IS COVERED IN GLITTER, but it’s definitely there. Again, not crazy about that part.
When I put make up on, I could not see the sparkle anymore - which is what I wanted. It does mean that if went make up-free I would have a sparkle to my face, buuut I guess that’s fine for now.
The other thing I want to mention is that people of colour often have problems with sunscreens leaving a white cast over their skin. I can’t speak on that issue personally, but from everything I’ve seen and read, apparently Ultra Violette does not leave a white cast, and there seem to be quite a few people with darker skin tones who use the product.
Sooo shimmery
My hand doesn’t usually glow like that
does it work?
Yes! I have not been burnt on my face since using Ultra Violette, besides that one time I went to the beach. Guys, it’s not waterproof. But it doesn’t pretend to be so that was my own fault. I mean, I didn’t use three eye-droppers full that day either, but actually in that instance maybe I should have. The company does have a waterproof sunscreen - the Extreme Screen which is water resistant for 4 hours - and that’s really what I should have used when going to the beach. For everyday use, under make up when not in the water, Queen Screen shields you from the UV rays.
Verdict
At $47 for 50ml, it’s on the pricy end. The company’s suggestion to use three eye-droppers of the stuff every day would definitely mean you’d go through product a lot faster than I do using half an eye-dropper (I’ve had mine for six months and I’m barely halfway through), but I also think it’s for the overall health of your skin so it’s worth it in that respect. The product is also vegan and cruelty-free and Australian-made, so I do think it’s worth supporting a company that values those things.
Along with bonus properties, like Kakadu plum, that help your skin, I think Ultra Violette is actually committed to making quality products.
What’s your favorite sunscreen? Let me know in the comments below!
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What Is The Curly Girl Method?
Want to tame frizz, define your curls and get smoother, shiner and tangle-free hair? You’ve come to the right place!
Want to tame frizz, define your curls and get smoother, shiner and tangle-free hair? You’ve come to the right place!
The curly girl method originally came from a book called Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey, and it basically replaces habits that damage hair with habits that repair and enhance hair. It helps anyone with all kinds of curly hair, from slight waves to tight coils, live their knot-free curly hair dreams.
I’ve been using the curly girl method for about four years now and I’ve honestly never looked back - it really has helped take my hair from a damaged mess to the wondrous mane it is today. Frizz is significantly reduced, my curls are defined and mainly knot-free, and I less hair falls out on wash day.
The curly girl method is a set of do’s and don’ts and ingredients to pick and avoid to give you hair the best possible chance of falling into its natural curl pattern. A lot of people start with wavy hair and realise their hair is actually really curly - that’s how effective it is, and how unfriendly generic products are towards curly hair.
Feast you eyes!
The Curly Girl Method
At first glance, this is a hectic list of rules, but don’t be deterred - it’s really a lifestyle change, but it’s worth it. Once you see results you won’t want to go back.
The thing to remember is that it’s a guideline and not everything will work for everyone, so see what you like and make modifications. For example, washing hair with conditioner (not shampoo) is recommended, buuuut my hair hates being washed with conditioner. I use shampoo without sulfates (find out what those are below). The method also says not to use a brush ever, but I just cannot get the knots out without one, soooo I use a gentle brush.
Have a gander below and see what works for you.
Curly Girl Don’ts
Shampoo: The traditional curly girl method states not to use shampoo. It recommends washing with conditioner, known as ‘co-washing’. This is because sulfates dry out and make it brittle. Conditioner alone does leave hair nice and clean, believe it or not. For my hair, I choose sulfate-free shampoos. It just means I still get a nice foam and my roots aren’t weighed down by all the moisture conditioner provides - my hair is too fine for that.
Heat tools: Heat is pretty bad for hair. It damages the cuticle and makes it brittle, damaging your curl pattern (click here to find your curl pattern). A lot of people have destroyed their curl patterns with straightening irons and hair dryers - to get it back, they either have to cut it off or wait for it to grow out. Best not use them at all. If you have to use heat because you live in a freezing place, dry it slowly with the heat level down low.
About eight months in to my curly girl journey
Combs and brushes: The idea behind this one is that your fingers are more intuitive. You can rip right through a knot with a brush, but this will break the hair and cause frizz. You’re pretty unlikely to rip through a knot with your bare hands, so the method states to detangle slowly with fingers when the hair is covered in conditioner. I can’t detangle mine properly with my fingers, so I use a gentle tangle-teaser and it’s great.
Scents: Fragrances in beauty products are a massive cause of dandruff and allergic reactions. They’re strong and abrasive and you wouldn’t think it, but they can damage your hair quite substantially because they’re so strong. If you like scents, choose gentle and natural ones. I have used eucalyptus and nothing terrible has happened.
Silicones: Silicones are a major ingredient in a lot of non-curly girl friendly conditioners. They’re a little like plastic - they’ll coat each strand in a layer of plastic that moisture cannot penetrate. The are insoluble to everything except sulfates. Over time, silicones build up on each strand. They dry it out because moisture can’t get in, and weigh it down. In time, this will stretch curls until they disappear. I never use silicones.
Alcohols: Again, these are in most products but they’re very drying, and strip the hair of moisture. You wouldn’t put alcohol all over your face - same thing goes for your scalp and hair. I avoid as many alcohols as I can.
Terrycloth towels: Sounds like a weird one, but using a regular towel to dry your hair will make it frizz up so hard you won’t know what’s going on. They’ll disrupt your natural curl pattern fiercely. Instead, opt for a cotton T-shirt or microfiber towel. I use a small gym towel.
Dyes: You hair can only live its best life when it is in its natural form. This means no dyes. Having said that, a lot of people use more natural dyes with no problems. I have used Lush henna and Rainbow henna with no problems because they’re a stain, not a dye.
Want to know if your products are CG-friendly? Find the ingredients online and paste them into Curlsbot (link below!) and you’ll find out instantly.
Curly Girl Do’s
Use a co-wash: As mentioned above, I don’t use a co-wash because they’re too thick for my hair - I can’t even put regular conditioner in up above my ears because it all just goes lifeless and flat, so I stick to curly girl-approved (CG) shampoos. If you’re hair is thick or super dooper curly, a co-wash might be right for you. It has cleansing elements and is a little thinner than a regular conditioner to leave your hair clean and nourished.
Only cleanse your scalp: There’s really no need to douse the length of your hair in shampoo. Believe it or not, if you focus on your scalp alone, the shampoo will coat the length as it rinses out under the shower and cleanse it that way. Putting shampoo directly on the ends - the most sensitive part of the cuticle - will likely result in dryness.
Deep condition: This one is really important to ensure your hair is getting the right amount of proteins and moisture. Proteins (products with avocado, wheat and soy, for example) will strengthen the cuticle and enhance the curl pattern, while natural moisturisers (aloe vera, flax seed, coconut) ensure it’s soft and shiny. I’m in between deep conditioners at the moment, but I like the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil deep conditioner.
Scrunch in products: I always scrunch my deep conditioner and styling products in to my hair to ensure it really sinks in, and it actually works. I basically tip my head upside down, put conditioner in, make sure it’s all detangled and squish the hair up, encouraging the curl pattern. When the conditioner is rinsed out, I do the same thing with my styling products ( Not Your Mother’s Kinky Moves Curl Defining Hair Cream) and squish it up between each fist to encourage the curl pattern. Then I use a microfibre towel to squish it up again, and wrap my head in it for about 15 to 30 mins.
Let you hair air dry: I know this may be hard for people in cold places, or for people who need to dry their hair early for work - it’s more of a guideline, but reducing heat where you can does make a difference.
What now?
Now that you know the curly girl method, what happens? Well, I’m building a list of posts to help you get to the next stage, but in the meantime take a look at ways to embrace your natural hair and figure out your curly hair type to determine what products will work in your hair.
Those are the basic rules, but I said it before and I’l say it again - do what works for you. If something doesn’t work, scrap it and test something else out. I find YouTube is a pretty good resource - specifically Penny Tovar because she’s just so informative and hilarious and she’s taught me a lot about how to use products properly. Ayesha Malik also has the greatest hair I’ve ever seen, probably because she takes her hair super seriously and spends hours on it - I don’t really see myself taking my hair as seriously as she does, but I’d be interested to try it and see the results - but I guess the pay-off is spectacular hair.
Started the curly girl method? Let me know in comments below!
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How To Travel With Makeup: Maximising Space While Looking Amazing
Want to know how to travel with makeup without forcing a thousand tiny bottles, applicators, and powders in to your suitcase? We’ve got a few handy tips and tricks so you can still take everything you need to look amazing on the road, without needing an extra bag to carry it all.
Travelling with makeup is something I’ve always done.
Even when I backpacked through India, I had a small stash of cosmetic basics that I whipped out on a daily basis. I wouldn’t have had it any other way, but I did feel like there was a bit of judgment around it because, well, when you have a small amount of space to carry all your travel gear, vanity feels unnecessary.
Whether you’re travelling for three days or three months, every corner of your bag matters – especially if you’re backpacking – and if loved ones are helping you pack for your trip, they can be a bit judgy about what you choose to pack, asking why you’re bringing three bottles of foundation instead of an extra pair of flip flops. Suddenly the decision you made to fill one corner of your bag with makeup feels almost as though you’re prioritising vanity over practicality.
Fun fact: You’re not.
Makeup is often seen as non-essential – something people use to look different, or ‘better’, and many people assume that wearing makeup all about ego and aesthetics, but realistically people choose to wear makeup for a range of different reasons. If you’re someone who feels happier and more confident with makeup, then good for you! The decision to travel with makeup is yours, and should be a guilt-free experience.
The only real thing you’ll want to consider is how to use as little bag space as possible, which means keeping your products to a minimum. Here are a few things to bear in mind.
(There are some affiliate links in this post, but clicking on them won’t cost you anything extra. Check my disclaimer for more info)
COMBINE PRODUCTS
If you’re someone who has separate containers of concealer, foundation and setting powder, consider looking for one single product that contains qualities of all those things.
You’re looking for something that applies as a liquid and it dries like a powder, giving you two products in one. Foundation-to-powder products have been around for decades with varying levels of quality, but these days, they’re actually pretty good, and all it means is that you save more space. Win!
My favourites are the Inika rage because they’re made with natural products, and they’re vegan, made in Australia, sold around the world, and they look great on your face!
BRING ONE APPLICATOR
Beauty companies and influencers have done a pretty good job at convincing humans of the world that they need an entire brush set and damp sponges to effectively do their makeup.
And sure, a smaller concealer brush will probably apply product under your eyes more effectively than a larger foundation brush, but when you’re travelling it’s not always possible to travel with a 20-piece brush set and sponges.
Think about what you actually need to get the job done – will your under eyes still look ok if you use a slightly larger brush to paint them? Your under-eyes may not look as flawless as you want them to, but they will probably be ok. The same goes for all brushes you normally use – think logically about what will get the job done.
And remember, you can always use your fingers. It’s technically frowned upon, but hey! You’re travelling and it’s you face – you can do what you want.
Hint: Depending on where you’re going, and the length of your trip, I highly recommend leaving the sponge or Beauty Blender at home. If the water in your destination isn’t good for drinking, you don’t want to put it on your face, and wetting your sponge everyday with clean water will use up a lot of bottled water. Regardless of the water quality, odds are you’ll also have to cram your damp sponge into your bag when it’s time to move on, which means the sponge will be in a dark, damp place for hours. Sponges are breeding grounds for bacteria as it is, and you might find you have to throw it out at some stage through out your trip.
PACK FOR LONGEVITY.
Do you have a tube of liquid brow filler or eyeliner? Consider bringing a pencil instead. Pencils can last years and remain sanitary because you can just keep sharpening them and shave off the used part after a while.
They’re also cheaper, they don’t leak or dry up, and where you might need a few tubes of liquid brow filler, you’ll probably only need one pencil. They’re also much less likely to sweat off, and you don’t have to wait for them to dry. I’ve been using a brow pencil with a smaller brush on the end, and it’s seriously the best!
PARE IT BACK
Think about what aspect of makeup is the most important to you. Maybe you have dark circles under your eyes, uneven skin tone, or hooded eyes – whatever element you feel the need to cover up is what you should focus on, and disregard the rest.
For example, I’ve always felt the need to cover up my uneven skin tone, so the most important aspect for me is foundation. Sure, I like highlighter, eye shadow and lipstick, but I’m ok without them – using those extra products doesn’t drastically change the way I feel about my appearance, so I priorities foundation above those other products.
If you feel good about yourself having covered up your dark circles, you’ll want to focus on those products before lipstick, bronzer, and eye shadow. That probably means a colour corrector and foundation before anything else – those are your essentials, and should be all you need.
YOU DON’T NEED A MAKEUP BAG
There, I said it.
Even if you get a small one, they’re still bulky and take up way more valuable space than necessary. Why try and cram a makeup bag in to your backpack or suitcase when you can fit an eye pencil and foundation bottle in to the tiniest spaces in your carry-on?
If you’re worried about the sanitation of your applicator, give it its own pouch in the form of a clean sock you’re not going to wear, or cut a rectangle of material from a shirt you don’t wear anymore and roll it up. There are a lot of options outside bulky makeup bags.
TRY MAKEUP ALTERNATIVES
Look at what makeup you’d like to bring, and see if you can replace it with something you’d be packing anyway. For example, if you’re packing fake tan, you can actually mix some in with your face mosituriser at night, and you’ll wake up in the morning looking like you have foundation on. True story!
You can also use clear lip balm as a highlighter, use a spool brush with some water on it to elongate your eyelashes, or use a CC cream or tinted moisturiser with SPF for an all-in-one moisturiser/sunscreen/foundation. There are loads of makeup hacks like this out there, and you can save so much space.
So there you have it! Makeup doesn’t have to take up a lot of room in your bag if you think a little outside the box and consider some alternatives :)
Do you have travelling with makeup hacks? Let me know in the comments below!
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I Tried the Frank And Oak Subscription Box. Here’s What Happened.
Is the Frank And Oak ‘Style Plan’ Subscription Box worth it? I gave a go and here’s what happened.
If you’re in North America and Facebook detects that you’re remotely interested in clothes, you’ve probably come across ads for the Frank And Oak monthly subscription box, and hovered over it, wondering if it’s really worth it.
There’s no subscription fee and you can opt out of a certain month, or unsubscribe completely at any time for no cost whatsoever. You can also return any items you don’t want within 30 days for a full refund (they’ll even pay shipping), and they’ll only keep a styling fee of $25 if you return everything. This means that if you received nine items and only keep one, they won’t charge the extra $25.
On top of that, all their materials are sustainable and ethically sourced from around the world, everything is recyclable (including the tags), and their clothes are very practical and made to last. Considering the horrid effects of the fast-fashion industry (looking at you, H&M), Frank And Oak know where it’s at.
Anyway, back to the box…
My personal style can be a little out there – I don’t hold back when it comes to glam makeup, fancy (thrifted) skirts, and giant platforms. This can (and has) resulted in some unwanted attention in the past, so when I move to a new city, I like to check out the fashion trends so I know what to expect. Knowing I was moving to Quebec in a matter of weeks, I decided to subscribe to the Montreal-based fashion box to see what French Canadian style was all about.
Here’s what happened.
Frank And Oak Style Plan: A Review
After drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid and clicking on a <gasp> Facebook ad, I arrived at a beautiful-looking website and was asked to pick from the men’s box or the women’s box, and place a range of style preferences (preferred patterns, whether I liked casual, classic, or creative styles, colours I’d never wear, sizes for different items of clothing) and what I would usually spend on shirts, dresses, pants, ect. I chose the cheapest in all areas.
Everything was very visual – I was asked to select a range of preferred outfits and items from images, and knew exactly what I was selecting at all times. It was an easy process and I felt confident about my choices.
Two days before the box is due to be dispatched, I would get an email to preview the box and confirm the items.
It should be noted that if you don’t confirm or decline the box for that month within two-days, the box is automatically confirmed, your credit card is billed, and the box is shipped.
Box 1
I was road-tripping around Jasper, Alberta with no internet, and had no idea the email for my first box had arrived. Three-days flew by and, low and behold, when I got back and realised more than $300 had been billed to my credit card for clothes I’d never seen before, I immediately contacted Frank And Oak to explain the situation.
Surprisingly, they were extremely accommodating. Since the box preview fell over a long weekend, they hadn’t shipped mine yet and happily gave me a refund.
Crisis averted, and I was looking forward to actually being able to preview the next month’s selection.
Box 2
I was living in Montreal by the time box two came around, so I was super-excited to take a look.
The previews come with nine stylist-selected items already in your box, with a price on the top right-hand corner of the page. You can thumbs-down any items you hate and never want to see again, then refresh to see new items in their place.
I wanted to see allll the options (maybe there were ones I’d like better if I kept going?), so I kept thumbs-downing things to see what else they had, and then eventually I ran out of options, the price dropped significantly, and I couldn’t go back and thumbs-up anything I rejected.
I used the chat function to ask a human if there were any more items, and some new ones popped up, though because I look terrible in pastel colours, I had to reject more and the number of items diminished again. I ran in to this problem a couple of times.
Eventually someone at Frank And Oak told me they might be adding more items later in the day, so I waited.
When I got back to the preview screen, most items I wanted were sold out and the cost of the box was hovering at around $200 for what I perceived as less items.
Since none of the items I really wanted were available, I decided to skip that month and wait for the next one.
Box 3
Third time lucky, right?
The email came, I previewed the box immediately and liked way more items than I had the previous month. Win! I thumbs-downed a few odd colours that would make me look like I had liver failure, but kept most of them, including some jeans, a scarf, a fluffy navy sweater, two black dresses, some 40s-style tweed pants, black boots, and a few other things.
For the first time in three-months, I hit ‘confirm’ and almost immediately got a receipt. It cost $224, but for nine items, it looked like a pretty good deal. So far so good! It wasn’t until I got the shipping notice that I realized what was actually going on.
You have to confirm the items you want to keep by clicking on the image. There’s no thumbs-up button to do this, you just have to know to double-click the items you want. I didn’t do this on any of the items, so the top three were automatically confirmed for me, and the shipping notice read that I was only receiving three items for $224, rather than nine.
One item was a $70 scarf (to put this in perspective, the last scarf I bought was $1 at a garage sale) and I tried really hard not to think about it.
Because I’m living in Montreal, impressively, the box arrived the next day. There were indeed three items in the box and, I have to say, they were beautifully folded and packaged.
what was in my box
The first item I picked up was the $70 scarf. It was a deep red, finely woven, and thick enough to withstand a Canadian winter, but not chunky. It was stunning. I was floored. The picture above doesn’t do it justice.
I’m a traveller so I usually thrift clothes, or buy cheaper ones, so wearing brand on the higher end of the scale was an experience I hadn’t had in a while.
The sheer quality of everything was a nice surprise – it’s something I didn’t even consider, but it made deciding what to keep astonishingly difficult. All items were extremely well-designed, and made from soft and wearable materials that had a nice weight to them – something fast-fashion labels just don’t have.
The black dress didn’t look all that remarkable from the outside – it looked like a few other dresses I’d seen on racks everywhere for years. It was shorter in length and sheer with small buttons down the front, but didn’t feel like it would blow everywhere in the wind or cling to my tights on cold days.
The sweater was thick and warm. I think I was imagining something slightly oversized when I saw the preview because I’m small and things usually look big on me, but it was surprisingly fitted with room underneath for layers, and sat just above my hips.
On top of that, everything fit perfectly.
Is It Worth It?
The thing with subscription boxes is that they’re meant to be great value. I’ve signed up to a few beauty boxes in the past, and have received quite a few items for a seemingly low cost, so I assumed this would be a similar thing.
While you do save around 20% on each item with the Frank And Oak Style Plan, for regular humans who work for a standard wage in Canada, it’s not cost-effective. What I didn’t realise upon signing up is the more you ‘confirm’ to your box, the higher the price goes. For example, I added a Thinsulate snow coat recently and, with three other items in the box, the cost of the whole box jacked up to more than $500. Sure, you’re getting a discount, but it’s not a huge one.
All in all, if you’re happy to spend a little more on quality, durable and sustainable attire that will last, then yes, the Frank And Oak Style Plan subscription box is totally worth it.
If you’ve been gawping at the cost and can’t fathom spending that much money on only a couple of items, then maybe it’s not for you, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Signing up is a risk-free process – you never pay for anything you don’t want, and if you proceed with the box and don’t like any items when it arrives, it’ll only cost you $25. If you can part with $25 or more for the sake of curiosity, then I’d give it a try.
At the end of the day, I probably wouldn’t have picked out any of the items I received from a rack in a store, which is kind of the point of investing in a stylist. In that capacity, it’s a fun and interesting thing to try.
Have you tried Frank And Oak, or another clothing subscription box? Tell me what you think in the comments below!
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Travelling Alone: How, Why, And What To Do If You're Anxious
I may have journeyed through Europe for four or five-months, met a heap of new people, stayed in dorms, and made lots of friends while travelling alone, but don’t be fooled – I am not an outgoing person.
I may have journeyed through Europe for four or five-months, met a heap of new people, stayed in dorms, and made lots of friends while travelling alone, but don’t be fooled – I am not an outgoing person.
The thought of meeting new people makes me really anxious, and I find myself saying really weird and awkward things in the heat of the moment, like the time I accidentally told my friend’s parents there was no recycling system in town (there was...).
I had no intention of lying, I just panicked, and I had this huge fear that a similar thing would happen if I went travelling alone, and that I'd never make friends.
How wrong I was.
I basically realised just how many solo travellers are out and about in the world as soon as I hopped off the first plane, which made striking up conversation really easy – some people even looked relieved when I started chatting to them because they were too anxious to approach someone themselves.
The thing to keep in mind is that when you're travelling alone is that no one knows who you are. They don't know how much courage it takes for you to get up and talk to them, they don't know if you're an anxious mess, if you lack confidence, suck at small talk, or if you're actually terrified of the city you're in and want to explore it with someone – all they know is what you communicate. If you feign confidence, smile, and ask them about their experiences, you'll most-likely make a friend.
Whether you're like me and have social anxiety or not, if you want to travel solo, you probably have a bunch of questions and concerns, so I’ve compiled a list:
1. I’m terrible at meeting people.
Lots of people who travel alone want to meet other travellers – travellers like you! You don’t have to be really outgoing to make friends on the road, all you have to do is sit somewhere social (like a backpacker bar, or a hostel common room), strike up conversation with someone, and it will probably work out.
Whether you’re in a hostel, on a tour, or sightseeing, approaching someone and saying ‘ hi’ is almost always welcome. I did a lot of Free Walking Tours (everyone should get in to those!), and I never came away from them without a new friend. And I say that as someone with social anxiety – if you're like me, I guarantee talking to random people is nowhere near as hard as you think it is, and the rewards far outweigh any consequences.
TIP: If you want to meet new people, the best thing you can do is download the Couchsurfing app to your phone. You don't even have to couchsurf, all you have to do is go to the dashboard, click 'hangout now', type in what kind of hangout you want to have (eg: have a beer; explore the city; go hiking; have coffee), and you'll have access to a range of people in the area who want to do what you want to do. I used it a few times, and recommend it to anyone.
2. Don’t you get lonely?
Short answer: No. Long answer: It depends on the kind of trip you’re doing, but if you’re ok with the idea of approaching people and starting a conversation, you won’t get lonely. Travelling alone is great because you can be socially active when you want to be, and plug in your headphones and watch a movie in bed when you don’t feel like it.
If you’re a social animal, try and stay in hotels/hostels with common rooms – I can almost guarantee there will be others there ready and willing to meet someone amazing like you (hint: the probability increases if the common room has a bar).
3. Did you ever wish you were travelling with someone?
If you’ve ever travelled with someone, you’ll understand that it can be really trying – everything is suddenly a negotiation, and even deciding where to eat can take hours, let alone deciding where to travel, and how to get there.
The wonderful thing about travelling alone is that everything is up to you – you don’t want to stop to eat until four in the afternoon? You don’t have to. You want to forget about your budget and travel on a first class train one time? No one is stopping you. You want to cancel your trip to a castle because the Sunday sesh pub-crawl sounds better? Great idea! No one is there to make you feel bad for not doing touristy things. It’s liberating.
4. Is travelling alone as a female dangerous?
If you’re as cautious as you would be at home, then no, no it’s not, but the media does a great job of making it sound dangerous. For example, there’s one ‘travel’ site that lists 50 (!!) places women shouldn’t travel alone (many of which I’ve been to), while another of their articles lists the best destinations for single men. Some places in each list are exactly the same.
I’m not saying women don’t have to exercise more caution, but the idea that solo travel is really dangerous for women is incorrect, and unfair. Of course there are some places where women have to be wary, but those places are generally a little more risky for men as well. Do your research, don’t follow strange people down dark alleyways, and you should be ok.
6. Is eating alone awkward?
Not at all! I ate out a lot in Eastern Europe and had the best time – you can eat what you want, when you want, in the quantity you want, look at your phone the whole time, read a book, or people-watch to your hearts content, without being rude, having to negotiate, or being judged because you ordered half the menu.
It only got a bit weird for me when I wanted wine or something because I don’t like drinking alone (I turn in to a conversation machine), but I had a glass or two a couple of times, and it was fine. If you look around, lots of people are dining alone as well, so it’s really not weird, and no one is judging you.
7. Is accommodation more expensive?
It can be, but it depends on what you’re looking for. A private rooms will almost always be more expensive than a dorm bed, and a lot of places will charge you a flat-rate whether you’re travelling solo or with another person because you’re still taking up a double bed, but having said that, other places have lower rates for solo travellers – look around online and find a deal that works for you.
My go-to site is booking.com because they have a range of hostels and hotels (as opposed to Hostel Bookers or something where they only show hostels), but it’s worth using Expedia or Trip Advisor as a search engine to find the best deal.
Did you have an amazing experience travelling solo? Tell me all about it and get published!
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