Oils, hair-care routine.. & Favourites! ❤

Weekly Routine

"How do you have the time to do all of this?". 

It does not take up a lot of time at all.. You get out what you put in.. ❤ 

I do 1 deep conditioning treatment a week using my favourite carrier oil. At the moment I am using 100% Cold Pressed Sweet Almond Oil but there are all kinds of carrier oils around. I also loveeee Grapeseed oil & (occasionally) Castor & Extra Virgin Olive oil. It really depends on your own hair and what works best for you... Shop around first, maybe get some testers and see what works best for you & your hair! Each carrier oil has different nutrients and benefits for all different hair types!

Carrier oils are extremely beneficial when used in a hair care routine; they are amazing moisturisers, strengtheners and are extremely nourishing for all types of hair. Carrier oils are ordinarily a base oil or vegetable oil and are usually derived from seeds or nuts. Carrier oils are best used in their most natural and untouched form. 

I begin by putting (some of) my carrier oil into a small bottle, make sure there is enough to cover your hair from scalp to ends, it doesn't matter if any is leftover - this can be reused! I then mix 4 drops of Rosemary essential oil into my carrier (almond/grapeseed) oil. - My hair LOVES rosemary - It has worked absolute wonders for my hair length and thickness! - I give the bottle a shake and place it into a bowl of hot water and wait a few minutes for it to heat up.. Test a small drop of the oil on the palm of your hand to see if its warm, if its warm enough - begin massaging it through and onto your scalp! Keep the bottle in the water whilst doing this, this will obviously keep it warm. Massage your scalp slowly - through to your hair and eventually to your ends. You don't need to completely drench your hair in the oil - but just enough that its saturated and evenly spread! You can then wrap your hair in a warm towel or just put it into a plait/bun - I tend to just plait my hair. Leave it for an hour+, (or overnight if you have the time! Which I usually do.) and then wash it out! I promise your hair will feel amaazing!
(You may want to shampoo twice to ensure that all of the oil is out, there is nothing worse than drying your hair to find that it is still greasy from the oil.) 

I found that it helps to run hot water through my hair for a few minutes before shampooing - this lifts the oil and removes it faster with the running of the water. Shampoo (twice) and condition as normal! Preferably using a SLS/Paraben free shampoo and conditioner.
(My blog on SLS, parabens & healthier hair washing)

On the days that I am not doing a deep condition, I wash my hair typically every 3 days with a quick Rosemary spray all over when washed and still wet. This takes five minutes, literally. For this you will only need a spray bottle or a normal sized bowl, warm water and Rosemary Essential Oil (Or any essential oil of your choice.) I use a spray bottle as I find it is a lot easier to work with. I begin by filling a quarter of the bottle with warm water and then add 5 drops of Rosemary essential oil - give the bottle a shake and then spray all over wet hair and massage it into the scalp and ends! Comb your hair gently (if necessary) starting from the ends and work your way up. Do not pull or tug at your hair when brushing whilst wet as this is when your hair is at its weakest.

Essential oils are beneficial for a healthier scalp. They promote stronger hair, reduce hair dryness and hair loss. There are many different essential oils. My favourite being Rosemary - which is used for faster growth and promotes thickness. Essential oils should be used sparingly due to being so concentrated. I always dilute mine with water.

On days when I am not washing nor deep conditioning, I put sweet almond oil onto the ends of my hair. Sweet almond oil contains a high concentration of proteins and vitamins A, B and E. These will leave your hair looking shinier and prevent dryness and dullness. Almond oil also contains fatty acids that will help maintain healthier and stronger hair, preventing breakage and split ends. Almond oil will not get rid of split ends, nothing will apart from having a trim, but the oil will hold the moisture in your hair for longer periods of time which will fight against split ends.

There are many different carrier oils and essential oils, each oil has its own benefits and nutrients. They can be mixed together and used as often as you want - but ensure that they are 100% pure before purchasing!

I hope this works as well for you as it has for me!

Emma xo

Hair Growth: 1 inch in 1 week?!

Now this method may not work for everyone, but it worked for me.. and if you haven't tried it before, why not? Not only is it meant to promote hair growth because of the blood circulation,  it has also been known to improve overall health and posture. The reason for this is because you are inverting your body almost upside down. This method consists of naturally stretching the spine which may help with growth of the spine along with improving any spinal pains.

When I first came across this method online, I laughed.. I generally laughed. Right up until I actually read into it and it began to make sense...

For hair growth, the inversion method works by stimulating the scalp with a heated up natural oil. It then includes turning your head upside down for 3-4 minutes, this is said to promote hair growth by changing and increasing the blood flow to the head which is meant to be extremely helpful for new hair growth.

There are different ways to perform the inversion method. There is actually an inversion table which you can buy, but I don't know too much about that...

I am going to explain how I used this method :-)

You can use any favourite oil of your choice. I chose to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil because this is the most preferred and popular oil used for this method. I started by heating the oil up, you can do this in the microwave BUT I believe this can actually strip the oil of its nutrients, so I would recommend heating the oil by pouring some into a heat proof bottle and dipping it into hot water for a few minutes until you can feel that it has heated up. (You don't want it boiling, just warm.) Pour some into your hands and massage your scalp all-over, slowly, for as long as you like!

Once your scalp is fully saturated in the oil, sit up right on a chair and slowly begin to lean your body forward, eventually ending with your head upside down. (You can go to a 90 degree angle if you want.) Set a timer on your phone for 3-4 minutes, and just.. sit there! Once you are done, rise up slowly. That's it! Repeat this for 7 days and 7 days only, otherwise you wont notice a difference. It will mean having greasy hair for a week, but if it works for you then it will be worth it. During my inversion method week, I washed my hair about 4 times using Dr Organics Argan Oil shampoo (Sulfate and Paraben free and can be found at Holland and Barrett.) Although I had to shampoo 3 times whilst in the shower to make sure all of the oil was out, it was worth it. It is an absolute nightmare to get out of your hair, but if you have patience (like me), then you wont mind!

Before-and-after the inversion method.

The photo on the left is the day I had my hair trimmed and began the first day of the inversion method. On the right is the day after I finished the inversion treatment. 

I was actually meant to measure my hair before and after but I totally forgot! Sorry. 

You can definitely see a difference, especially as the picture on the left has been straightened, and the picture on the right has only been roughly blow-dried. 

If you have any of the conditions below then please do not try the inversion method...

• If you are or may be pregnant
• Spinal or back injury
• Heart problems
• Recent stroke
• High or low blood pressure
• Hernia
• Glaucoma or detached retina
• Obesity
• Any kind of bone injuries

Emma xo