Stress related hair loss

It’s embarrassing, revealing and contributes to low self esteem. Its a horrible cycle of stress leads to negative side effects such as hair loss and hair loss leads to more stress. It can affect hair loss everywhere, from eye lashes to your head. As for me it is my head hair and It comes to no surprise to me anymore when I run my hands through my hair I will be greeted with a handful of lose hair. I would often avoid washing my hair as this shows up the extent to which its falling out and would only wind me up more. With all the stress currently going on in your life and all the negative impacts of that, hair loss is the last thing you should be worrying about.

So here are some ways I try to combat stress related hair loss…

Vitamins – The key ones are Vit C and Zinc. Chances are if you are stressed about something you aren’t eating properly and your body isn’t getting what it needs to function to its maximum capacity meaning your hair isn’t getting what it needs to be strong and healthy!

Don’t towel dry – This can be a really effective and quick way to dry your hair, but its also a very rough way to treat your hair and when it is already weak it does not need that kind of treatment! I just let mine dry naturally and brush it through as little as possible.

Don’t use heat – and if you absolutely have to make sure you use a heat protective spray!

Only use products when necessary – So I have now switched to a 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner. By only having to repeat the wash and rinse cycle once you are minimising the trauma to your hair. As for hairsprays etc, it is best to let your hair breath and not to coat it in products that are going to damage or weaken it.

Follow a healthy diet – Eating healthily gives your body more energy, enabling it to better cope with stress. Diet also contributes to the strength of hair, making it less likely to fall out.

All of these steps will help, and if nothing else it’s giving you back a little bit of control that you feel you may have lost during a difficult time. From what I have read and been told, if the hair loss is stress related there is no reason it will not regrow once your stress levels have settled.

Much love,

Joanna x

Berry Smoothie

This is perfect for a quick fix if you’re craving sweetness!

• Larger handful of frozen berries
• One large banana
• Coconut milk

And of course I use my trusty active blend to make it for me 🙂

This is a super simple smoothie but is so tasty and leaves me full until tea time if I have it slowly throughout the morning. I work in an office and so it is perfect, I do not have to pay for my lunches, I do not have wonder up stairs with my co workers and make boring idol chit chat. I just get to sit at my desk and drink my delicious smoothie!

Much love,

Joanna x

Yummy Green Juice

Here is my quick go to green juice. I use my active blend everyday and I just wouldn’t be without it.

• One large mango
• One banana
• A good handful of spinach
• A good glug of coconut water

This is absolutely delicious and leaves me full until mid afternoon when I have a small snack. Highly recommend this recipe!

Much Love,

Joanna x

The worst brow product award goes to…

Sorry Barry M but for once I will not be singing your praises.

After running out of my sleek pencil (this has been reviewed a while ago on my blog)  I thought I would change it up a little and try another brow product. I nipped into a small Boots and their range wasn’t massive so I came out with this little thing…

(The Barry M Brow Pen in ‘Dark Brown’ not the daffodil) Packaging wise, yes this is really it. It looks just like a white board marker doesn’t it. And that it pretty much the consistency of the product to. As you can see the nib is a felt tip pen and although I knew that was what I would be working with on my brows I was not prepared for it drying up every few strokes. So there I was one eye brow done and desperately trying to wet the nib so I could at least finish my eyebrows. After this battle had commenced and I had won (Just!) my brows were left looking very ‘drawn on’ and although this is an effect I know some love, this just really does not suit my face and it is not a look I enjoy sporting. 

The nib ment it was really difficult to do fine strokes to mimic hair and really all I could do with it was literally colour in my brows. What was worse was although I didn’t like the product I kept it on for the day just to see the lasting power it had. 3 hours in and I noticed the pen was starting to run and the skin round my brows was starting to become tinged brown. Needless to say I was not a happy bunny. You can see on the swatch below even after a few seconds on the skin the product had started to run.

This product went straight in the bin and that is where it will be staying. Sorry Barry M!

Much love,

Joanna x

Coconut oil – hair mask *****

So you may or may not have seen but I recently did a trial of coconut pulling (see previous post). Anyway, the outcome of that meant I had some coconut oil spare so looked up other tricks I could do with it. After reading a few recipes that are good using coconut oil i stumbled across using coconut oil as a hair mask. So I have think damaged hair at the moment, it is quite long and has been for a while now so as I am sure you can understand or even sympathise the ends of my hair aren’t the best they could be. Now I am not at a stage where I am willing to chop it all off so have been purchasing strengthening shampoo and condition, using leave in conditioner and heat protective spray when I blow dry. Basically I am trying anything to save the lengths of my hair from looking dull and dead. So I thought why not try the hair mask trick. So I waited till my hair was three days un washed (usually what I go between washes). Like how i had with the oil pulling I spooned a table spoons worth of coconut oil into a pyrex glass and microwaved for a short time – just long enough to melt it to a completely liquid form. Then over the sink I dipped my fingers in and then just ran through the lengths of my hair till it was all in there. I would recommend you use the right amount of oil for your hair, so less oil for shorter thiner hair and more oil for longer thicker hair. I concentrated the oil on the lengths as opposed to the routes as I wanted to avoid excess grease the next day. Once it was all in I just put my hair up in a high bun and slept on it. (I did have to change the bed sheets the next day as the pillows got rather oily!) But was it worth the oily pillow case?! YES YES YES! My goodness yes. I woke up, washed and conditioned my hair like I normally would and blow dried it. My hair has literally NEVER looked this shiny and healthy. It is honestly unbelievable what 12 hours with coconut oil on your hair can do to it. My hair is not greasy or oily in anyway, it somehow feels thicker and the shine is amazing. I am not one to overreact and give credit to something that is not worth it, but I can honestly say I will be doing this once as week now  (the day before I change the bedsheets!). Although coconut oil is expensive I will only be doing it once as week and think the jar will last. Some blogs I have read say to leave the mask on for a couple of hours but because I have had such a good result from the 12 hour trick I will be keeping this up.

Much love,

Joanna x

Oil pulling – ten day trial

I first heard about oil pulling when reading around the benefits of coconut oil, you know, that product that is everywhere these days!

I’ve recently become more aware of staining on the backs of my teeth and so was willing to try anything, and if the reviews I was reading were true this ancient practice was going to have all kinds of positive side effects. Including; overall improved oral health, whiter teeth and fresher breath. The oil can be any oil but I knew for a fact I the only one I could bare swirling around in my mouth for 20 minutes would be coconut oil as in my opinions is the best tasting oil out there.

The process…

This is the oil I used, mainly because it was refined (which means no nasty extras! and all natural) it was also on offer in Tesco and with coconut being a pricy product I was all for saving some pennies. This is a 283ml jar and it was reduced to £5. I have had a look online and can’t seem to find it any cheaper ANYWHERE.

I’ve read in some places this process is best done on an empty stomach and others deny it makes a difference but for arguments sake I would do it on an empty stomach. Usually as soon as I got home from work, so having not eaten since lunch time.

Spoon one healthy sized table spoon of the oil into a small Pyrex glass. You will not need anymore than this as over the 20 minutes of swirling around the oil will double in size in your mouth. Pop the glass in the microwave and heat just enough to melt the oil until it has returned to its liquid form. Only 20-30 seconds is necessary and you do not want to overheat it because you will be swirling it around in your mouth straight after.

So this is the least glamorous part of oil pulling. I tried to do it when no one else was around so no one would try and talk to me or make me laugh! It is just a case at the point of sitting their with the TV on and just swirling it around your mouth, making sure you force it through the gaps in your teeth and just keeping it on the move for 20 minutes. You won’t want to be too forceful as 20 minutes is longer than you think and your jaw will start to ache.

Once the twenty minutes is up don’t put the oil down the drain! it is only going to clog it, so I pour it back into the glass, wait for it to set again and put it in the bin. I then floss like crazy, brush my teeth and rinse with water. You wont be able to feel the oil on your teeth after this you might just have a lingering taste of coconut, which isn’t such a bad thing! I then try and leave it as long as I can before eating. Drinking water (which is all I am drinking at the moment anyway) is absolutely fine.

The Review…

Overall yes I have noticed a small difference after just ten days, the stains and plaque on the back of my teeth are slowly but surely disappearing. My teeth are not sensitive like they can be after using unnatural teeth whitening products. However, my biggest issue was with the price. This is a very pricey method of oral healthcare and with having to do a session of pulling everyday to notice a difference it will not be something I keep up. I intend on buying one more jar (mainly because it is still on offer in Tesco!), using that up and then look at cheaper home remedies for whiter and healthier teeth. Not just the price but the process is a lot to think about, which regards to having to time your meals and think about when you can eat. It just really does not suit my lifestyle.

If you have any oil pulling stories please let me know, there are so many mixed reviews out there! it is really is a try it for yourself and see if it works for you process by looking around at everyone else’s experiences.

Love

Joanna x

GHD Rose Gold Straighteners Review

After my GHD IV styler decided to pack in after a trusty 6 years I decided to stick with what I know and go GHD once more. I can’t lie, I did barely any research around the different models, I went onto feelunique.com and saw there in all their glory on the homepage the GHD Rose Golds on sale. Now you’re probably thinking it was the sale part that got me… think again. If you do not already know by now, I LOVE anything and everything rose gold. So without a second thought I ordered them there and then.

GHD did not skimp on the packaging of these and carry the rose gold theme though, from the box they come in, to the detailing on the heat resistant roll bag. The straighteners themselves are all lovely and rose gold with the exception of the plates which I was so excited to see little sprinkles of rose gold in them (it’s the little things in life right?).

The product comes with a few little extra bits and bobs I was very happy to find in my box. And the straighteners also have a few little bonus features:

☆ Heat resistant rose gold roll bag
☆ Protective plate guard
☆ 2 x sectioning clips
☆ Smoother plates than previous GHD models
☆ Lighter body
☆ Automatic sleep mode

Now, to the important bit. Yes they are beautiful, yes the packaging is to die for but are they worth £130?!

In my opinion and as long as they are as long lasting as my last pair of GHDs YES! I use these for both curling and straightening and I have yet to find a style I can not create with these. The automatic sleep mode which kicks in after 30 mins has saved our house on more than one occasion and the lightness is perfect for me as I do a lot of travelling. Whether it is because my IV stylers were old I am not sure but unlike them, these plates just glide over my hair without that horrible pull of hair when you reach the end. The only qualm I have is that I have burnt myself on a few occasions, I have yet to work out if this is a design fault or me just getting used to the shape of my new straighteners. I am more inclined to go with the latter as I am a very accident prone person!

I bought mine from feelunique and I have just seen they are still in the sale, as these are limited edition and if this review has helped you decide on what to do -http://www.feelunique.com/p/ghd-limited-edition-rose-gold-styler-set DO IT! (not that I’m a bad influence or anything)

Happy straightening

Much Love,

Joanna x

Maca powder – 5*

I’ve been incorporating Maca powder into my diet for around six months now, after i had a very bad spell of lacking in energy. Now this wasn’t only due to my diet but also external factors. But when I psychically struggled to get out of bed every morning i looked for alternatives to energy drinks and caffeine. I wanted something that did not make my body hate itself. So introducing…..

I read a lot about Maca on the internet before i decided to try it out, lots of positive reviews but also lots of negative and neutral reviews. Everyones body is different and I think thats very important to keep in mind when reading reviews, what might be great for some might be something your body reacts badly to and vice verser. At the desperate stage i was willing to try anything to pick up my energy levels and stabilise my moods though. As recommended I started on half teaspoon daily, I would usually put this in my morning porridge or in a smoothie. In my naivety I thought I could get swallow the powder straight, soon after opening my first packet I realised this was never going to happen! I have loved every second of trying different recipes out to include Maca. After around 3 months I upped this to 1 tablespoon of powder on a daily basis. I read that taking in too much can lead to horrible effects on your hormones especially as a women but i must admit myself or anyone close to me has not noticed any negative differences in my moods or behaviour since using Maca.

Energy 

It did take a few weeks to notice a difference but after my around 3 weeks of half a teaspoon daily getting out of bed and being out and about became far less of a struggle. Before maca I was not able to go out shopping for more than a few hours before having to get home for a nap! Yes some may say I am lazy and I understand i am opening myself up for criticise here but try not to judge without knowing the full picture! So to raise you energy levels I would definitely recommend incorporate Maca into your diet.

Hormones 

Another reasons I started using Maca in my diet was to stabilise my moods, It was a point in my life that was very truculent anyway and because of this my moods were all over the place. Made a lot worse by being female … at very certain times of the months.

Overall, I do not think Maca fixed all of this but it certainly elevated some symptoms and made life easier for myself and the people around me! woo hoo!

Skin

I have read that Maca can help with skin problems, specifically acne. Now I have never been too prone to spots so I can’t comment on this but i can certainly say it did not have a negative effect on my skin.

I hope anyone thinking about trying Maca out has found this helpful, any questions feel free to contact me. For any recipes i use to get Maca in me please ask and I will post some 🙂

Much love,

Joanna xxx