Dear readers, I have not written for over a month now and I want to apologise for my absence.
I have been busy at work in the salon and I took a little holiday to Spain looking for inspiration and to take a bit of time away from the screen. 

So without further a due let this week's blog commences...

Now I am not sure if you realised but Christmas is quickly approaching and the new year is just out of sight but before you, no a new year will be here. 

Now for some of us, it's Christmas doos and party,s and that chance to impress someone special or just an amazing pic for your Instagram #Amazing. On the other hand, it could be secret Santa block not knowing what to get for a staff member, so here's my survival guide this year.

Straight, Curly, Up, Down what options do you have and what will suit me. Well, let us get straight to it. 

1. Hair length is your hair past your shoulders ??? or is it sitting in a neat bob ??? 
its time to change it up you might think I can't be bothered but I think its the only time of year where you show the best bit of you and show you, not just a workaholic or recluse. 

he's my top 5 looks for this years Christmas party survival guide.

2. Style. 

I love a curly bob with the tuck behind the ear very easy to execute and a good way to show off a cracking pair of earings. 

I love the sleek look but the 70s is back so get your flick-on. Think about your face shape if you have a square-shaped face then maybe 70s flick is for you. If you have a heart shaped face go for the sleek classy look.

For you, long hair girls go big or go home in my eyes if you have got it to use it get them rollers out and them tongs on. but if you're always big then make it sleek like Jennifer and get out there with your friends Lol.

Ok so the offices have dished out the names and you have no idea what to get. Personally, I love an invisible bobble and Morrocan oil goes a long way don't forget vita pointe is only £2.50 and a great present for more pieces of information click the box below and head over to that blog.

Lets first answer the question at hand what is a hair serum? The answer is a lightweight durable product that has an oil or cream-like feel. This will be used to protect your hair from environmental damage such as dust and pollution as well as a great protector from the sun. Serum has the ability to speed up your drying time as most serums are oil-based this repeals water off the hair shaft in return speeding up your drying time. The three Fs fluffiness Frizzyness and flyaways. So after drying before any styling products apply 2 pumps of your desired serum to your hand massage in your hands like a hand cream then apply to hair, this will polish your style and get rid of the above. Remember less is more. 
​
Hair Serum so what do we no about them. well after 2 weeks researching and reading the types of benefits you can get from hair serum, I got so confused.

Marketing these days have you hooked on every single word but ​then when you start to scratch the surface of these products they all look and sound the same but which one do I bye ?????

So when you are buying a serum you need to know what hair type you are and of course what type of serum you want for example. 

If you have Fine Hair and you are looking to Get a serum for Dry Damaged Hair then you need to think about a nourishing, hydrating, repairing serum. Top tip if you have fine hair and wash every day you properly need a hair cream rather than a hair serum which will properly be oil-based and if not applied correctly this will make your hair greasy and unmanageable. 

Tip / When applying a serum it is so important to work from the ends of the hair up to mid-lengths and then if you feel that you need it on the roots. An easy way to remember is the tip to roots not root to tips.

The ingredients / Well as you can imagine serums are full of vitamins as well as glycerin and words you probably can't pronounce, unfortunately, some serums have good and bad elements just like your shampoo and conditioners look out for ingredients such as DEA (diethanolamine) MEA (monoethanolamine) Aluminum, PEG (Polyethylene glycol) basically plastic.

Yes look out for Parabens and sulphates but normally these are water-soluble and as soon as you have washed the product out there is no longer a build-up. 

So remember the following. 

​1. A serum can illuminate the three fs Fluffness frizziness & flyaways.

2. A serum can polish and add shine to your finished style. 

3. A serum can speed up your drying time.

4. Protect your hair from the environment.

5. Helps to replenish and repair damaged hair. 

So this Autumn when looking for a new hair serum remember what I have told you and remember if you have any question just email me or message me on Instagram @knowyourhair 

So at this time of the year we can expect to find our self sitting soaking up the rays blinded by the golden beacon we call the (SUN) but what is this sun exposer doing to our hair? 
​
So over the last few weeks I have been researching the affects of sun exposer and as we all can guess this is not good for your hair and here is why.

I first want to bring it to the attention that this year we have already had some record breaking temperatures but it seems as the temperature rises the more risk we are exposed to. 

The Risks 

You may think that because the sun’s rays are natural, the lightening effect that they have on your hair isn’t damaging. However, it’s actually just as detrimental as applying bleach, and as with bleach, the effects aren’t just confined to colour changes. The sun weakens your hair’s structure,
it suck out the moisture like a straw and reduces elasticity so your hair breaks more easily. Not so dissimular to a perished rubber band over time it snaps with too much overuse .

The Care

As we no we must cover our skin to protect it ,but we don't want to be applying heavy creams to our hair making our hair grease and unmanageable. 

Quick fact about shampoos that claim to have uv protection.

Now these shampoos have uv prodection in them of causes they doo however as soon as we wash out the shampoo we also wash away the protection just like washing off your sun screen.

So what are we going to do to ensure that sun exposer is not running our strands 

1. Re moistures 
Now this is where shopping for the right hair treatment need to be tailored to your hair type texture and nature. For example fine hair. Your not going to bye a treatment for thick hair or you might feel constantly frustrated with your hair getting lank just hours after applying that treatment again we need to make sure we are purchaseing the right product. There is a list below of treatment I would recommend. 
2. Brush your hair less offern 
This is only if your a constant brusher because research has shown that the sun makes your hair dry and brittle weakening the hair structure. Constant pulling will result in more split ends and more breakages so just the daily morning brush whilst that sun is soaring.

3.shampoo and condition daily.
Now I am not a daily washer so this is Allen to me but as research has proved that as we constantly perspire our pores become blocked affecting natural hair activity. Blocked pores can also lead to ingrown hairs and blemisshes on our scalp,s so while the sunny months are in full swing so will my daily wash continue.  
4. Hydrate 
Its simple drink more water and ensure that you are taking advantage of fresh salads and mouth watering summer fruits  
5. wear a hat.
Its simple wear a hat as we all no keeping the sun off our head helps us to stay cool but also protect your hair as the uv rays are not able to penetrate through many different fabrics and in-fact even lighter fabrics have the ability to soak up them unwanted rays.

So enjoy the summer remember my five golden summer rules and be safe in the sun I have added links to five on the high-street brands that can help protect you from them rays. 

#hair #beauty #hairdresser #style #people #haircare #sun #summer #protection

1. BEAUTY KUBES.
Beauty Kubes Conditioning Mask is an organic water-free hair conditioner combining Pink Clay with Jojoba Oil.Formulated with natural and organic ingredients to hydrate and protect the hair leaving it super-soft and shiny.
This plastic free conditioner compared to a conventional 250ml plastic bottle of liquid conditioners, offers a more than 50% reduction in volume and weight which equals a lower carbon footprint.
Can be used after every wash for extra dry hair or once a week for normal hair types.

The most inportant element to this product is it will leave your hair moisturised and that is a key element
​
amazing for all you festival gowers and eco lovers for more info just click above or below and this will take you to where you need to be.

2. Sun protection spray. So what do we no about sprays well like your suntan lotion you can top up while you are bye the poolside. This product created by L'Oreal is my 2nd recommendation as the reviews for this product have been amazing at raising awareness to sun exposer and why its important to protect and prevent sun damage I am not sold on the shampoo as research has shown that shampoos and conditioner do help to keep in the moisture but the UV is washed out so I feel as a professional that a leave-in is the best option.​
For more about #solarsublime please click the link below.


​​https://www.lorealprofessionnel.co.uk/hair-care/solar-sublime/leave-in-spray

3. Another big brand next on my list is Aveda but this brand has me questioning the protection and as Aveda did not contact me back I had to do some investigation. So in my search and after reviewing this product I was impressed with the smell and feel but left me questioning how much protection I would get. So I went on a hunt for reviews and as I expected many upset customers were leaving similar reviews.
("Very disappointed with this product. Use other Aveda products & love them but this was not good. Used it on holiday recently & my colour faded considerably, despite regular application. Possibly it’s ok to prevent sun damage if your hair isn’t coloured. On my last sun holiday, I used the Philip Kingsley sun/swim protect spray (now discontinued) & that was infinitely better. Will buy the PK swim hair mask next time.")
Aveda products are normally top of my list but have missed the mark with there sun protection range and with that I will leave my review there.​
For more information and review information click the link 
Aveda sun care

4. PS... Sun Protector for hair and scalp. So this was a find I found in #Primark I was just browsing through the haircare range when I found this I was surprised I like to find affordable products and this will do the trick on a limited bases only. 
Why at a limited bases only.?  
Well as you can properly guess with an affordable price tag comes a couple of ingredient flaws such a Cyctopentasiloxme. This is an ingredient you want to stay away from this is why because this crazy Latin word stands for silicone. Now we all should know that silicone is to provide slip and shine and is rubber and/or plastic element. This will build up in the hair and as a result, will only cause your hair to become brittle and break so its a complete circle. But this product rated number 4 on my list will provide you with a temporary solution for a 2 week holiday when used with a moisturising shampoo and conditioner.  ​

So I leave you with my Favourite spray in and protect. I am a believer in honesty is the best policy and this brand living proof ticks the boxes for me the price may be a little premium but worth the protection. The product I reviewed was Restore Repair leave-in now this is what living proof provides.
A corrective leave-in powered by our patented Healthy Hair Molecule (OFPMA) and infused with silk proteins, makes hair soft, silky and strong. It transforms hair to look, act and feel like it was not damaged at all. Restore Repair Leave-In:​

• helps to prevent up to 93% of new split ends typically caused by styling 
• strengthens hair leaving it 15x stronger after just 1 use
• protects against the damaging effects of UV rays

My only negative about this product is my hair was almost too soft so would recommend styling after and if chilling bye the pool well chill knowing you are protected.

For more info you no what to do.

​http://www.livingproof.co.uk/buy/restore-instant-repair

I would first like to thank all my readers over the past 4 years there has been slow progress but know your hair has now been rated out of thousands of hair care blogs and has been rated 34th and is now in The Top 40 Hair care blogs thanks to Feedspot.

https://blog.feedspot.com/hair_care_blogs/

This has been a busy 4 years I am excited to share much more wonderful post my next post date will be the 4th of august 2019 I look forward to any comments.