IT'S OFFICIALLY AUTUMN!!!Since Summer, my hair has been a little bit in need of some TLC. The warm weather and contant top knots eventually take their toll on your hair and scalp, so as we've moved into Autumn, I've found a few products to help nourish your locks.
Andrew Collinge is a brand I have used off and on since I was in my early twenties - Who else remembers their styling tools from back in the day? - they've obviously re-branded and completely overhauled the range since then.
ARGAN OIL
Arriving in my blogger mail box last month was the Co by Andrew Collinge Argan Oil and Co by Andrew Collinge Hair Moisturiser. My hair was still in the topknot phase (#sweatyheadproblems) so I waited a few weeks before really putting these to the test to see how they would perform on my sun and bobble damaged hair.
Having long hair means I need to use a good detangling brush when it's wet just to get the knots out without making me wince, but seeing as these Andrew Collinge products claim to be detangling, I used them instead of my Tangle Angel. I would say that whilst they do detangle your hair, a good amount is needed to really help (particularly at the back) which can obviously then weigh the hair down the higher to the root you go.
The argan oil was a real 'saviour' in terms of adding moisture to the ends of my hair and a small amount worked really well for me.
HAIR MOISTURISER
The Co by Andrew Collinge Hair Moisturiser surprised me the most. This is a spray. I was expecting this to be a balm or a serum but actually, I quite liked using this as a spray.
I like to use this on my hair when it's almost dry. This is a good heat protectant and definitely has a 'no product' feel which I like.
JOICO K-PAK RECONSTRUCTOR
Joico is a brand I haven't used since I first started blogging. For some reason, I just wasn't seeing anything from the brand that was really making me want to buy them but recently a couple of their products arrived in the post for me to try at just the right time and so I was all too happy to give them a go.
The press release describes the Joico K-Pak Reconstructor as "The award-winning Deep Penetrating Reconstructor is a powerful combination of amino acids, which rebuild and re-fortifie stressed hair strands, returning hair to its former glory in a single application."
I've only used this a few times and have mixed feelings on it. I definitely feel like my hair has a protective silky barrier over each strand after I've used it and it was really de-tangling thanks to it's slippyness. I found that when I used it, my hair felt healthier but found the minute I stopped using it, it didn't really have any lasting effect on my hair and it's overall health, It just kind of went back to how it was prior to use. The answer of course is to continue using it but this is a 'reconstructor' and whilst I like the product, I'm not sure I'd agree that it's a reconstructor.
JOICO K-PAK COLOR THERAPY LUSTER LOCK
The press release for this says "The K–Pak Color Therapy Luster Lock rescues hair, leaving color treated locks 9 x stronger and glowing, as well as adding breath taking shine."
To be honest I actually agree with most of this. I haven't coloured my hair in about two years since the whole hairloss-from-psoriasis thing happened, but I do still have some color in my hair from a balayage I had done 2 years ago which makes the bottom third of my hair a bit lighter than the rest of it.
Despite being quite light, it was pretty dull. I used the luster lock one night when I was doing a face mask and shaved my legs (I wasn't going on a date, I was just in a pamper mood!) and let my hair dry about 60% before blowdrying it.
The color in my hair was still the same as it was, but looked like it was new hair, like I had grown the color myself and it was gleaming! This definitely packed a punch in the shine department and made my hair really smooth.
If there is any downside, I would say that it is quite heavy which is to be expected from something so intense. I'd definitely make sure not to use this too often to avoid build up and be careful not to put it in the root unless you want to have flat, borderline oily hair.
Of all the products, I'd say this one was the most impressive.
What products have you been using to repair your hair from Summer? Let me know!
H x
