avocado oil

Friday Favourites - Hair Masks

Well, it’s finally Friday and time for another of our Friday Favourites! Have any fun weekend plans that require you to look radiant? Maybe a date night? Or just finally having some time for a bit of self-care? At the Amazing Blog, we like to take time out to apply a weekly hair mask. Whether it’s lying in the bath relaxing with a glass of something chilled, or feet up on the sofa watching Netflix - all are ideal moments for allowing a hair mask to work its magic. Today we have three of our favourite hair masks to introduce, they are hair mask and treatments that will not only leave your hair shiner and more nourished but also help to moisturise your much-neglected scalp too.

Let’s start with the 72 Hair Intense Replenishing Mask. 72 Hair was started by the Greens, a family of hairdressers with over 40 years of combined experience. With three generations of hairdressers, Gary has salons in Miami and London, while Matt is one of London’s go-to colourists. Johnny is 72’s ingredients expert, hand-selecting the finest ingredients to make up the formulas; while Nick is passionate about communicating 72 Hair’s philosophy to clients. As a joint effort, they decided to come together with their experience and knowledge and create an exclusive range product for both their salons and clients.

Winner of the 2018 Hair Awards the 72 Hair Mask is an ideal way to show your hair some love. We recommend using this alone or with the full range for 72 hair. We used it once a week, waiting 10-15 minutes before rinsing for best results, although it can be used more often on damaged hair. Infused with avocado and wheatgerm oil, your hair will be shinier, stronger and more nourished as It penetrates to de-frizz and is suitable for all hair types. It certainly left our hair smooth and tangle-free. To buy your 72 Intensive Replenish Mask for 250ml at £25, see here.

Lore Originals was started with the mission to create a simplified, unisex haircare range that provides integrity and health no matter your gender. A joint-effort between acclaimed stylists, clients, British chemists and perfumers, Lore Originals is suitable for all hair types. With Lore Originals, ‘his and hers’ products are a thing of the past. They are meant to be minimal and the products are all multi-use and versatile.

Packed with natural oils, essential acids, advanced scientific compounds and marine plant cultures the Legend Dry Mask provides complex levels of conditioning and strengthening. The Legend Dry Mask is pre-shampoo mask, and unique because it must be applied to dry hair for concentrated absorption. Volcanic marine bio cultures assist in prevention of heat-induced environmental stress and scalp dehydration, something that most people have. Not to mention, the scientific actives target the core elasticity of the hair which helps to speed up the drying time, great for those of us on the go! As mentioned, it works best on dry hair leaving where you leave mask ‘to set’ for a minimum of 15 minutes in surrounding temperatures of 25 to 40 degrees, which gave us the perfect excuse to have a bath or sauna (make sure to keep the hair dry). Free from parabens, sulphates, triclosan and MIT; with key ingredients including cystine co-polymer, green tea extract, kaolin, shea butter, sunflower and grapeseed oils. This was the best smelling hair mask, we loved the subtle green tea fragrance, that left our hair smelling simply divine. If you would like to purchase the Lore Legend Dry Hair Mask, it can be purchased here in a pack of 6 individual packets of 30ml each for £38. Ideal for travelling or taking on holiday.

Zenz Organics is a Nordic professional beauty and hair care company founded by Anne-Sophie Skjødt Villumsen who also founded the first green hair salon in Denmark back in 1999. After developing allergies towards chemical-based hair products during her apprenticeship as a hairdresser, Anne-Sophie was inspired to create her own line of organic and vegan hair care products. That’s where Zenz Organics was born.

The Zenz Organic Treatment Pure No. 03 Hair Mask is perfect for every member of the family. Made from only organic ingredients and without synthetic perfumes, it leaves the hair silky and soft without weighing it down. We love how it uses organic cold-pressed avocado oil and purified aloe vera to strengthen the hair from scalp to end. It coats each strand with a protective film to maintain the intensity of salon coloured hair, making it ideal for those who use dye. It is meant to be applied on freshly washed hair once a week but can also be used as both a rinse-out and a leave-in treatment. One of us here, has a very sensitive scalp and she said that this is the first EVER hair mask that hasn’t irritated her scalp. So it gets a big thumbs up from us. We’re very excited to have made the discovery of this brand and look forward to trying more from their range. The Zenz Organic Treatment Pure No. 3 Hair Mask 250ml can be purchased here for £28.27.

Which one will you choose?

Aussie Bronze - Body Bronzer

Getting a tan in the UK is almost impossible. When it’s not raining it’s overcast, and of course when the sun shines, it’s midweek and we’re all inside working at our desks! At The Amazing Blog we wistfully long for that healthy looking tan, however with the erratic weather here, it’s highly unlikely we’ll get one. So, our search for summer sunless tanning products began. We recently met and got chatting to instant tanning brand Aussie Bronze at the NOPE exhibition, and couldn’t wait to try their Body Bronzer.

Aussie Bronze as the name suggests, hails from Australia. Sacha Roberts the founder, has developed a high-quality, toxin and DHA free instant organic fake tan. She couldn’t find any good safe chemical-free instant tanning products for her daughter’s young skin. Thus, the journey began and she set about creating her own instant tan. Aussie Bronze will guarantee you a natural glow and adapts to any skin tone. All made with water, sunflower oil, avocado oil, almond oil, vitamin E, Shea butter, titanium oxide, and other organic ingredients. We particularly liked the way it applies with the ease of a tinted moisturiser and is gentle enough for both face and body. This is definitely one of the better instant tans that we’ve used and will keep using! What better way to get a quick tan and avoiding all the drama and downtime waiting for one to develop.

We love that it is an ‘instant tan’, it’s just perfect for quickly applying to legs or face just when the sun comes out - this bank holiday weekend?. The product is vegan, and also cruelty, paraben, sulphate, petrochemical and PEGs free, keeping our skin healthy from the inside out. Aussie Bronze is 100% Australian and made with only natural ingredients.  All you have to do is shake the bottle, apply the product smoothing it over your body. Best of all is that it washes off at the end of the day.  Get your Aussie Bronze here 125ml for just £34.95.

SLIXIR - Hand & Polish Cream

We love treating ourselves to an hour of timeout at the nail bar or just putting on the radio and doing a quick home mani pedi. At The Amazing Blog our biggest gripe with regular nail polish is that it always seems to chip after only a few days of wear. That’s why we were thrilled to try the Hand & Polish Cream from SLIXIR that we heard makes nail polish last longer, nourishes cuticles, and acts as an anti-ageing hand cream.

Helen Gilmore founded the British brand after having worked in the nail industry since 2002. She was previously the UK and ROI Head of Marketing for CND (Creative Nail Design, Inc), the company that made the popular gel manicure CND Shellac. Having had experience with consumers all over the world in nails and nail care, Gilmore found that the general feedback and biggest moan was about wanting a long-lasting nail polish. Having seen a niche in the market, she began her journey in creating a unique hand and nail product, Helen commented:  “Each day I focus on creating effective and luxurious ways to make this happen; solutions that fit easily into women’s lives and make great hands and nails a readily understood science.”

What stood out to us about SLIXIR is that it eliminates the need for both a hand cream and a cuticle oil with its unique blend of natural plant oils while improving the appearance of your nails and nail polish. We love multi-taskers! It doesn’t make your hands feel greasy and leaves them feeling heavenly soft. Honestly? Our hands felt smooth and hydrated, almost as though we ‘d put a primer on. For this kind of hydration, the formula includes avocado oil and jojoba oil as well as copper active, which specifically soothes and targets the nail beds. Colloidal oats further protects your hands from dryness and environmental stresses.

We cannot emphasise enough about the importance of giving your hands extra care. This is because the dermal layers are thinner, more exposed to the elements, which in turn reveals ageing faster than the face. SLIXIR is one step ahead and equipped with anti-ageing ingredients. This cream is packed full of  antioxidants and multivitamins which neutralise free radicals, helping to hold back visible age-related changes on your hands such as wrinkles and lack of elasticity. We also like that this cream doesn’t have any parabens, mineral oils, or animal cruelty. You can use it on all skin types and nail polishes and they recommend applying it twice a day, paying careful attention to nails. SLIXIR Hand & Polish Cream (75ml) is available here for £21.95 and offers free shipping within the UK. This all-in-one cream now has pride of place by our desks!

Soap Folk- Natural Soaps

We like brands with good ethics and philosophies here at The Amazing Blog, especially those that attach great importance to the provenance of the ingredients used in their products. Soap Folk is one of these British brands that make it a priority to create their products with only the purest and finest ingredients. They were kind enough to send us a set of their four artisan soaps which include: Lavender and Oatmilk, Milk and Honey, Peppermint and Rose Geranium. We couldn’t wait to take them home and try them.

These soaps pamper and protect the skin, all being natural, handmade and kind to the body. A few of the common ingredients to each are olive, sweet almond and shea butter which means that they're all intensely nourishing. The Lavender and Oatmilk soap is formulated to calm and ease skin, while the scent helps to relax the mind. The Milk and Honey soap is designed specifically for sensitive skin that needs extra care. Honey and goat milk are added to the formula to provide extra-hydration, soothe and gently cleanse skin.  The Rose Geranium soap has a more floral scent; which is delightful. The essential oils infused in the formula protect and rejuvenate skin. Those of you looking for a refreshing boost, you're going to love the Peppermint soap. Its minty and fresh fragrance awakens your senses and uplifts the spirits. Enriched with peppermint and avocado oil and rosemary extracts this soap leaves skin refreshed and cooled, making it our favourite.

What makes these soaps extra special is their packaging. We love the charming handmade and hand stamped designs on the wrappers, all wonderfully illustrated by Susie Hetherington. We think that this set of four make a fabulous and afforable gift. You can purchase the Soap Folk soaps here for £4.95 each.

Face Oils by Essentialle

At The Amazing Blog, we particularly love and support brands that give great importance to the quality of ingredients incorporated into their products. Our face is one of the most delicate and fragile parts of our body. Therefore we like to know exactly what we're applying on it! Essentialle, is a British natural skincare brand that has everything we prize and respect with their ethos, philosophy and expertise. We particularly like the high-quality plant oils and active botanical ingredients used in these three face oils, each formulated to target specific skin type needs. The founder Karina Krishtaleva's inspiration stems from her childhood in Russia, where her Grandmother used region therapeutic botanicals and herbs. This sparked a voyage of discovery as Karina travelled the world learning about other native botanicals which led her to create her own skincare brand. 

The Remedy Multi-Active Re-Balancing Face Oil is created to purify, detoxify and improve the appearance of oily or problem skin. The product is enriched with plantago leaf, manuka and lavender oils, rose absolute and calendula extracts, chamomile, apricot and coconut oils. It's the blend of all these natural ingredients that give the product its multi-action benefits. Indeed not only is the face oil deeply nourishing but it also boosts collagen production, regulates sebum secretion, calms skin and promotes a suppler, more refined and brighter complexion. Everything that you need in a bottle, as the skin is left nourished, smoother and more revitalised.

The Revival Nectar Nourishing Face Oil is specially designed for dry or lack-lustre skin. Infused with a cocktail of oils including pomegranate, rose geranium, rosehip, avocado, patchouli and mandarin as well as Siberian ginseng and Gingko biloba extracts this oil rejuvenates, plumps and hydrates dry skin. Pomegranate, rose geranium and rosehip oil work for a smoother and younger looking complexion while avocado oil provides deep nourishment. This rich elixir is the ultimate skincare treatment that fortifies, replenishes, firms, protects and softens skin.

For those with dehydrated complexions, looking for that little extra boost in their face oil, the brand’s Elasticity Boost Toning Face Oil is just what is needed. Like the others face oils the product is packed with a blend of precious and conditioning oils and extracts. Abyssinian, radish seed and shea butter provide deep hydration to all layers of skin while meadowfoam seed, may chang, safflower, sweet orange oil and camelina seed oils restructure skin suppleness, stimulate collagen production and improve skin elasticity and firmness. Olive oil is added to the formula to protect and repair skin from external damages. This was our favourite face oil as it left our skin  hydrated, velvety soft, and healthy-looking.

What’s more all the face oils are free from parabens, mineral oils, microbeads, silicones, sulphates, artificial colours, fragrances and are vegan friendly. To purchase the Remedy Multi-Active face oil here for £62, the Revival Nectar face oil  here for £70 and the Elasticity Boost face oil here for £65.