Empties: June

Hello Lovelies! 

It is already June and finally we all can enjoy a real summer without too much rain and lots of sunshine! I can't believe how many products I have used up this month, I hope I will have some products for July because all my skin and hair care products just finished at the same time :o) . Here we go. I know it's a lot :) I just might be a little obsessed with beauty products. Oh my :p

Empties June - Avene Mousse Nettoyante, La Roche-Posay Micellar Solution, Lavera Lavender Shower Gel, Khadi Amla Hair Oil, Giovanni 2chic Avocado Conditioner, Alterra Feuchtigkeitsshampoo, Yves Rocher Natuerelle, Nivea Make-Up Remover Wipes

Giovanni 2chic Avocado & Olive Oil Ultra-Moist Conditioner (325ml/12 Euro) I really liked this conditioner. I will have a review up on this one as well. It contains avocado and olive oils as well as aloe vera juice which is always great. The consistency was very thick but I still needed a lot of conditioner. On a care level I would say it is in the medium range, it would be a good conditioner for fine to normal hair that needs a little body against fly-aways. Repurchase? Yes.

Alterra - Feuchtigkeits-Shampoo Granatapfel & Aloe Vera(200ml/2 Euro) The Alterra Moisture Pomegrate and Aloe Vera series is a really good line that works well for multiple hair types from very coarse and dry like my hair to fine and straight hair like my friend Lenja's. I have used up multiple bottles of both conditioner and shampoo and they always work well. It has a sweet fresh smell that can be a little annoying over time but has the best combination of drugstore friendly price - ingredients and effect in my opinion. A great series for newbies regarding organic hair care. Repurchase? Yes.

La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream in light (40ml/15Euro) Like I said in my previous empties post I do like la roche-posay which is a french pharmacy brand because their products all work on my hypo-allergenic skin. The brand is not organic and the incis are not the best but until I find a reasonable proved organic brand I do think I will stick with it. The baby cream has a SPF of 20, gives you a slight lovely glow and is great on dry skin. Fragrance free and no itchiness or redness and no break-outs. Repurchase? Yes.

Khadi Herbal Hair Oil Amla (210ml/14Euro) I simply love Khadi Oils. I think they are among the best quality oils that you can use for your body and hair and I loved every single drop of this oil. I also used it on my scalp, normally I only use my hair oils on lengths and ends, but this one contains Amla exctract and was also beneficial against hair loss. Full review here. My next oil is the rose oil and I am excited to start using that one :) . Repurchase? Definitely! 

Yves Rocher- Naturelle Perfume (75ml /20Euro) I even finished my perfume this month ^^ . I am a big fan of fresh flowery fragrances and I love D&G light blue perfume. Yves Rochers is a very good dupe and for a fraction of the price. It smells like cedar trees, lemon and jasmine. My new perfume was a gift from my mum and is very different from what I would normally use and buy but I love the smell - it was such a surprise! My new perfume is Chanel Allure Sensuelle which contains jasmine, rose, iris, candied fruits and vetiver with vanilla and patchouli as a base note. I always use only one perfume at a time. Repurchase? Maybe once I was light blue back. 

Avene - mattierender Reinigungsschaum (150ml/15Euro) I think this one is Europe exclusive? No allergic reaction, it did a good job getting make-up of and has a very nice system with a little pump that automatically foams the cleanser. It did dry my skin out though. Repurchase? No, I need something that is better for my extremely dry skin.

La-Roche Posay - physiological micellar solution (200ml/15Euro) Micellar Solutions are basically cleansing waters that can clean your skin, remove make up and be a toner at the same time. I love the idea of this product and this cleanser was amazing in removing eye-make up and purifying the skin. It did not burn a little bit and had a good effect on my skin as well. I really loved this product! Similar ones are the Bioderma water and nano solution from Avene. Repurchase? Yes.

Lavera - Organic Lavender Showergel (150 ml/4Euro) It is a lovely shower gel that lathers up well, foams nicely and leaves the skin hydrated and fresh. I love lavender so the smell here was definitely a plus. Repurchase? Yes.

Nivea - Make-Up Remover Singles for sensitive Skin. (4Euro) These were terrible. They burned while using them, dried out fast and had too much perfume. I used them later as little wet towels for my hands. I wish there would be good product as face wipes because I love the idea! I have tried Alterra's and Alverdes's but they gave me itchiness - I guess because of the fragrance. Has anyone a good recommendation? Repurchase? No.

Do you know any of the products I have used up? How was your experience? Am I the only one who finishes everything at the same time ^^ ?

Flechtwerk - Leave In Recipes for long hair

Hello Lovelies! 

I hope you are all enjoying the sunlight and having a wonderful Summer. I have been swimming for the last couple of days and really enjoyed the amazing weather :) I have to apologize, I am having trouble with my Laptop so this post is coming to you through my Blogger App and I can't link my recipes yet and not load all the pics I want. Bear with me I will fix that problem soon. 

Back to our topic! 

I am a big fan of Leave In's! I really always and forever have some kind of hair oil or hair cream in my ends and lengths. It protects your ends from split ends and nourishes between washes. My hair is naturally extremely dry and I do benefit a lot from Leave In Treatments ! Here my braid with a happy cat on the beach, the picture is just a phone pic but it is just too cute. Don't know why some people don't like cats! Currently there is lots of Alverde Hair Oil in my braid :D I know it does take some effort to use a leave in on a daily basis - but don't let me come over here - you do want super long and healthy hair right? So be good and just do it. 

Alverde Hair Oil

Since I am really big on leave in's there are lots of recipes already on my blog!

 Recipes:

• Sheabutter Hair Balm - my favourite during Winter time ❄️
• Rosewater-leave in , lovely scent and refreshens curls!
• Coc-aloe (50%aloe vera juice & coconut oil) extra moisture! Great for hairstyling and my go to in the morning - Post should be coming soon as well.
• Hair oil ( I do love my Serum the most I have to say. I do admit that it is very expensive so why don't you check out - Argan Oil as well ? My hair just soaks it right up! Then pure coconut or infused oil and almond oil) 

Long red hair & ginger cat :)

Leave In Routine 

I wash my hair every 5-7 days and add a Leave In twice a day! Every morning I usually use some coc-aloe after I comb my hair and then braid or bun it. Every night as Part of my nighttime routine I use a heavier hair oil on dry hair, I use a small tablespoon and start at my ends working up to my shoulders. Then I braid my hair and by the next morning - voila ! Oil is soaked up and my hair is nourished and shiny! By the end of the week at wash day my hair is pretty full of Leave in! That's why I use plain high quality organic oil - you don't want Patene Chemicals or Silicone based hair oil build up for a week in your hair! 

When it does not work for you..

What can I do if I do look like a little grease ball after a Leave In?

• First of all you might be doing what we all did once we discovered hair care and the magic of oils! Quantity is not always everything you might be over doing it. My hair is coarse up to my tighs and curly so I do use a tablespoon of hair oil but for normal haired gals a few drops are enough! It is about doing it regularly - not over doing it. Then happened to me too we all ended up as a little grease ball from time to time. Just braid it and no one will see your oil party.
• You might not find the right oil yet. Not every hair likes coconut oil. Some girls hair react with crunchiness! You need to try a few different oils. Look at my article about the top 5 best hair oils for some inspiration! Link is here. 
• Your hair might want a different consistency. Try Aloe Vera Gel, Pure Sheabutter or Cocoabutter. 

I hope my little tips helped you a little, See the girls post under these links, I am so excited because our hair types could not have been more different! Our next topic will be multi braids! Yay! I wear braids 90% of the time so I am really glad to mix things up a little.

wuscheline

Heike

Nessa

Bobby

Lenja

Empties : May

Hello Lovelies,

I have always liked Empties reviews about used up products and their final verdict. A friend just told me latey that there is not too much beauty content on my blog - so why not change it a little and start a new category. I will incorporate all beauty products not just hair products because I tend to use a product for a long time. I think you will never get a better review than one of a finished product. Please let me know if you would like to read more of these monthly posts :). 

Bionike Proxera Body Emulsion for very dry skin. (20 Euro/200ml) Fragrance free, parabene free, nickel free. I did like the body lotion because it did not give me any allergic reaction like red dots and itchiness. My skin is extremely dry and this body lotion really hydrates all your skin layers without feeling sticky. It is one of the most moisturising lotions I have used so far. It does take a little time to soak in though. It is a little pricy and finishes quickly. It had no fragrance but a slight metallic smell that did bother me though. Repurchase? Maybe.

Balea Ultra Sensitive Intensive cream for very dry skin. (5Euro/50ml) This product is as well formulated for very dry allergic skin. It is very oily and does not moisturise well. Unlike most of my beauty products I was very glad when I used up the tiny tube. It is fragrance free and very neutral. After application of the product my skin felt as if there was a film on top - I have to say I did not like the product at all. I noticed more blemishes as well. Repurchase? Definitely no. 

Yves Rocher Jardins du Monde, California Almond (3Euro/100ml) This showergel has a creamy formula and lathers up very well. It did not cause any allergic reaction and has a very slight fresh smell with a little hint of marzipan. It did not dry out my skin and was very mild. Repurchase? Yes, i already got the Organic Aloe Vera Version ! :)

White Camellia Shampoo (15Euro/11oz) Review here. I simply love the white Camelia Series. The shampoo is very rich so I like to use it when my hair feels especially dry - on the beach or during winter time. I have now switched to a lighter shampoo but I love to have a bottle around whenever I need lots of moisture in my hair. Repurchase? Yes.

GBP Conditioner (15Euro/11oz) Review here. I am still in love with the GBP Series. It is heaven for dry ends and an itchy scalp and the herbal scent is great during summer. The only downside of the series is that it is so rich in protein that you need to alternate every few washes otherwise you will have an protein overload which results in dry ends and straw-like hair. Repurchase? Yes, I think this is my 3rd bottle.

Do you have any recommendations for a good face cream for dry itchy allergy-prone skin? As you can see I am still on the hunt :( .

Flechtwerk: 4-strand Ribbon Braids

Hello Lovelies! 

Today's post is about incorporating romantic ribbons into your hair! Long before Regency Up-Do's as seen in Jane Austen movies, Ribbons habe been used as hair jewellery. They will not damage your hair and can be worn in a lot of different styles. I absolutely love to use them because I tend to wear my hair 90% of the time in a braid and even a 4, 5 strand braid can get boring if you wear it all the time. Ribbons can add a pop of a lovely colour as well as an interesting effect. The most popular braid is the 4-strand braid that you will see me wearing as well. I have lots of ribbons, in blue, emerald green, peach, lavender and gold. You will need to use twice the length of your hair and I do use them doubled as well. Learn here how to braid a 4 strand braid. Have a look at the girl's posts,  Heike, Nessa, Bobby, Wuscheline, Lenja. 

I could not get the entire me on the picture because my braid ends now near my lower hips :D . Once you have learned how to braid with 4 strands it is easy! Place the ribbon on the 2nd or 3rd place, it will replace your 4th strand. I separated my strands, you can not see it too clearly because my hair is too thick so I numbered the strands for you. Once you start to braid it will change place as 2/3 and you will see the ribbon throughout the middle of your braid. And that's it - looks fancy but is easy! 

Do you like to wear Ribbons? Which way is your favourite? Headband, braid or bow?

Toxic Thursday : Parabenes & Health Risks

Hello Lovelies!

Parabens have long been in the discussion of toxicity and being carcinogen.  A good topic for toxic thursday! A few beauty companies have picked up on that and are actually marketing their products as paraben-free. All natural and organic companies are not allowed to use parabens and their derivates. But first of all,

What are parabenes and why are they used?

Parabens are parahydroxybenzoates or esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid and a widely used preservative in cosmetics. They do prevent bacterial, microorganism and fungi growth very effectively in cosmetics and food and are very cost efficient and cheap. 

However, there are some controversial aspects.

• Parabens mimicry estrogene, a female hormone and have thus been in the discussion of enhancing breat cancer. There is no direct link but amounts of parabens have been found in breast cancer biopsies. 
• Estrogene-like molecules have also been linked to an early start of puberty in teenage girls . 

• Allergic reactions. Just like many cosmetic agents parabens have also been linked to allergic reactions. Cases of contact dermatitis and Rosacea have been reported.

• Sun damage. Contact with UV light might damage DNA and cause cell ageing.

Good to know!

• Propyl and butylparaben is banned in Denmark in children's products. 

• Do not use parabens if you are pregnant, in your sunscreen or on any products for your kids. 

• There are alternatives! Products can be made safe with botanical alcoholic extracts most commonly found in organic cosmetics.  

Safe Companies, Paraben-free:

• Yves Rocher! Most of their product lines are free of parabens as well as silicone free. Please check the Incis nevertheless. I am currently testing their hair care line, so stay tuned for products reviews the upcoming weeks :) And I do like their products a lot so far. Their deodorants are also aluminium free. 

• All organic companies! Yiha! My favourite is Aubrey Organics as you all know ^^ ! Also safe, John Masters, Melvita, Weleda, Lavera, Alverde, Alterra, Sante.

• Some of Garnier Ultra Beauty Conditioners.

What do you think about parabens? I am not completely parabene free now but slowly switching my products because I do think that I don't want parabens near my lymphatic system (thus parable free deo!) Do you know more companies that are paraben free? Leave some Info in the comments!

Sources:

Read more on Campaign for Safe Cosmetics & Wikipedia.

• Gray, J (2008). State of the Evidence: The Connection between Breast Cancer and the Environment. San Francisco, CA: The Breast Cancer Fund. 
• Daubre PD, Aljarrah A, Miller WR, Coldham NG, Sauer MJ, Pope GS (2004). Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumours. Journal of Applied Toxicology 24:5-13. 
• Rastogi SC, Schouten A, Dekruijf N, Weijland JW (1995). Contents of methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben in cosmetic products. Contact Dermatits 32: 28-30. 
• Ye X, Bishop AM, Reidy JA, Needham LL, Calafat AM (2006). Parabens as urinary biomarkers of exposure in humans. Environmental Health Perspectives114: 1843-1846.
• Calafat, A. M., Ye, X., Wong, L.-Y., Bishop, A. M., & Needham, L. L. (2010). Urinary concentrations of four parabens in the U.S. Population: NHANES 2005-2006. Environ Health Persp, 118(5), 679–685.
• Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel Meeting (2012). Parabens. http://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/paraben_build.pdf

Sunny Sunday's Favourites : Sand & Sun

Hello Lovelies!

It is May and here in Istanbul the weather finally started to get warm and the sky was a vibrant blue for the last couple of days! I have been very busy at work that's why my little blog was quieter but now I am hoping to pick up again on a lot of different topics :) I love to sit outside with friends and drink lemonade and just walk for hours through the city.

Favourite Quote (via Mermaidperfume)

Favourite Colours (via 9thelm.hardpin.com)

Favourite Laugh 

Favourite Heel (via polyvore Lindy)

Favourite Snack Idea (Chia Pudding by Kitchen Konfidence)

How to grow out Henna

Hello Lovelies!

I love henna, I love the vibrant colours and the durability and nothing will make your hair as shiny and strong as henna. Unfortunately there might be a time you want to go back to your original hair colour. I always believe that true beauty lies in everything natural. So going back to my chestnut hair colour was always somewhere in the back of my mind. The last time I coloured my hair red was January 2012! It has been two years! My hair grows about 2 cm every month, which means my natural hair colour is about shoulder length now. It is a looong way to go! And it is easy to get frustrated and fed up on the way and relapse & colour your hair again. Here are some tips that helped me a lot on my way back to my natural hair colour.

1. Love your colour. 

Yes, that's true - you need to be ok with your hair colour no matter what colour you have. Do you have ashy brown hair? Light blonde hair? Mousy brown or dark brown? Go to Pinterest (I love it!) and build an inspirational colour board. Every colour that grows out against a vibrant henna shade is bound to look mousy, grey boring and yes somehow not taken care of and oily. You need to be brave and trust that your own hair colour will look beautiful once it has grown a little more and you can see it's beautiful colour shades. Every time you want to run to the drugstore and grab that bottle of hair die or mix your favourite henna recipe - be brave and look at your hair style inspiration board. You might be surprised to see how beautiful your colour is once it is visible. It also helps if you give a way your henna box and hair dyes to friends and family. It's just less temptation to go back on a weak moment.

2. It is ok to cheat a little.

The first 10 cm are the hardest. You don't know why you have to look like a little skunk and anyway natural hair colour is overrated?! So it is ok if you do cheat once in a while. Go and buy rinsable colour mousse, one time colour enhancer, whatever you want. Just make sure that they are 100% rinsable to prevent resulting night mares! All the hair dyes I have used are 100% rinsable on my medium brown hair, but if your own hair colour is very light be aware that there might be a slight colour tinge left. I will list down my favourite products.

3. Go for a slight fading

Embrace the ombre look :) We are very fashionable right now. If your own contrast is very strong you might want to think about dying your hair with less red tones until you have a smooth fading colour that will not bother you too much. If you are using dark red henna, use medium red the next time, and the a brownish henna with red undertones until you are close enough to your own colour.

4. The 2 weeks rule

Everytime you really want to go back to henna ir hair dye - take a break! Think about it for 2 weeks and if you are still strongly feeling about going back to red again then do it after two weeks. Chances are that you will change your mind soon and the regret any impulse decisions you might have done.

Help - need a smoother fading?

Try these rinsable colour mousses:

• Feuermohn - accent , lasts about 3-4 weeks very vibrant and beautiful. You can see the colour here on me : 
• Revlon - Copper Nutri Colour 740 , creamy and just a slight reddish hint, washes out in two washes. 
• Wella Colour Fresh Dark Copper, lasts about 4 washes, very natural orange tinge.

What do you think about the natural hair colour debate? Do your wear you own hair colour or prefer another colour?

Classic Hair Length

Hello Lovelies!

One of my lovely readers just pointed out that I did not post my classic length hair picture yet :) So here we go, this picture is 1 month old, but as y'all know - nothing much is changing. I now have red/brown ombre :p ! Thanks to the sunlight the henna really shows up again. I think that's it I will not grow my hair longer. But who knows I might add some face framing layers or change the colour a little bit. Lately I feel like I need more self-confidence and going red is my power colour, like some blondes like to go blonder and blonder and blonder. Will be rinsable again I think though :o) 

Review: Aubrey Organic's White Camellia Shampoo

Hello Lovelies,

If your hair is as dry as my hair and curly or wavy it is like a special quest to find a shampoo that is not drying out your hair and causing frizz. Aubrey Organic's is my favourite hair care brand and the White Camellia series is especially formulated for very dry hair. I had the conditioner as well and it is for sure one of my favourite conditioners! But be warned that this series is really only something for very dry hair - I don't have european fine hair, my hair is coarse and very thick. This series would be a good choice for women of colour as well, my roommate uses my shampoo on her shoulder length afro from time to time! I like to alternate White Camellia with the GPB Series (one of my favourite's as well! But causes a protein overkill from time to time so you need to alternate anyway). I usually dilute my shampoo, but White Camellia needs to be used pure otherwise my hair does not get clean.

INCI: Aqua, glycerin, decyl glucoside, sodium cocoyl hydrolyzed soy protein, oryza sativa extract*, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil*, camellia japonica seed oil*, glucose, xanthan gum, simmondsia chinensis seed oil*, rosa rubiginosa seed oil*, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl linolenate, citric acid, tocopheryl acetate, pelargonium graveolens flower oil*, lavandula angustifolia flower oil*, macadamia ternifolia seed oil*, citrus grandis extract, glycine soja oil, glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase, ascorbic acid, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, alcohol denat., (38b, lavender*), hamamelis viginiana water, daucus carota sativa root extract, beta-carotene.

Ingredients

Lots of almond oil, soy protein and camellia oil! Camellia oil was especially used in Japan and is a famous though very expensive hair care oil. 

Fragrance

Like all AO products the fragrances are all natural and without artificial components. Which makes them pleasant for me but it is not the soapy dove smell that comes with regular drugstore products. White Camellia does not smell floral but more herbal/mossy and it has definitely some eucalyptus like fragrance. My favourite AO smell is honeysuckle rose which is a very sweet flowery smell btw! 

Effect

My hair is heavy and takes much longer to dry. The curls and waves are defined. If I do not rinse it well it leaves an oily residue. And it is an absolute frizz killer!

Did you try any of AO Products? Did you like them or do you prefer another brand for organic hair care? 

Flechtwerk- Flower Power Spring Up-Do's

Hello Lovelies!

I hope all of you are enjoying spring time and spending as much time as possible outside! I am so excited for today's post - flower power hairstyles! I love a simple braid or bun with pin in flowers. I think it is always a cute and romantic look without overdoing the bling. While taking the pictures I noticed that you can see my natural hair colour very well - I got a new camera for my birthday last week! I am still working on the manual focus sorry for the blurriness. I am excited how the girl's hairstyles will look like! My bun is a messy wrap around bun with a dutch lace braid to soften the look. Have a look at the girl's posts,  Heike, Nessa, Bobby, Wuscheline, Lenja. I just pinned in red poppy/bobby pins. I love the colour combination red, blue and white during summer! Reminds me of the sea and sailors somehow :) . You can get flower clips at H&M, Claire's or do them on your own, like Rachel does here on this tutorial.

dutch lace braid

flower up do

messy bun

Natural Hair Colour

And here is my natural hair colour! My own colour has  grown up to armpit length/ bra length depending on which layer you are looking. It is medium brown with lots of golden and red streaks in it! Who could have known that my own colour would be so nice! It was quite a surprise for me for sure ^^ I do miss my vibrant red henna though. But I always think that nothing is a beautiful as natural beauty. I am looking forward to go back to occasionally red tones with rinsable colourmousses. I really want to post a review about non-permanent red hair dyes which will help you also while you are growing out your colour. Hopefully in a few weeks :)

growing out henna

Stress & Life

Hello Lovelies,

I just wanted to keep you updated that the blog will take a little break due to stress. I will do the monthly Flechtwerk Posts of course :) I hope you will not mind! I have been reading all your comments and was very happy about the feedback but I could not answer yet. I hope you all are doing fine and growing looong hair in the meantime.