Duck & Dry Hair Styling Products

April 15, 2016October 17, 2016 - Vicki 1 Comment

Duck & Dry is a beautiful hair salon on the Kings Road which first opened its doors back in 2014. It specialises in Blow Dry Styles and Updo Looks, they offer a simple menu of 8 signature blow dries and 8 up-dos so you can get your hair spruced whilst you relax and sip Prosecco. With the success of the salon Duck & Dry have released a range of luxurious styling products which enable you to achieve that salon look at home.

‘Staying British to the core, their innovative formulas are dreamt up in London and masterfully crafted in Somerset using natural active ingredients fused with modern science that deliver real results whilst being kind to the hair, all of which are paraben and sulphate free. The initial two products of the six part series introduce Blow Dry in a Bottle, to create blow dry finished locks from your home, and Instant TLC, a magical leave-in conditioner to wave goodbye to straggly manes. Packed with Duck & Dry’s signature fragrance, expect touches of Wild English Meadows to dance on the hair.’

Duck & Dry Instant TLC Leave in Weightless Conditioner £18.00

If you like your hair to look healthy, glossy and smooth then this product is for you. I spray it on the the length of my hair whilst damp and it not only smells incredible but it also hydrates, nourishes, strengthens and adds shine. I really notice the difference when I use this product, my hair is naturally wavy and this tames my frizz, makes my normally dry hair look very healthy and bouncy. Its a lightweight formula and once your hair is dry you can’t feel the product at all.

Duck and Dry have added so many wonderful natural ingredients to this conditioner including, Honey, Shea Butter, Vitamin B and Coconut Oil these help hydrate, improve growth, ad softness, elasticity and strength. It is also paraben and sulphate free.

**Duck & Dry Bow Dry in a Bottle Mega Volume Spray* £18.00**

If you like your hair to look voluminous, sleek and glossy then you will love this. You spray it on to damp hair and blow dry for the full effect. It gave my hair body in the roots and so much volume and texture through the length. For days my hair had so much va va voom but without the dreaded frizz, I was pretty damn impressed. The scent is sophisticated and luxurious and you can smell it on your hair throughout the day (which I really liked).

As with the Leave in Conditioner it has so many lovely natural ingredients including, Honey Locust, White Nettle, Ginseng and Essential Oils to help give volume, natural root lift, add texture and deliver nourishment, health and sheen.

I don’t wash my hair everyday and when I use these Duck and Dry products my hair stays looking clean, volumised and glossy for at least 3 days. I have been enjoying using them so much and even convinced my husband to use them too (don’t tell anyone thats a secret). I just can’t tell you how lovely these make my hair look and feel (and smell). I 100% recommend them and I will be purchasing back ups so I’m never without them. I think for the quality of these they’re so well priced, I don’t really get excited about haircare but these have been working their magic with my barnet & making me look like I have made maximum effort.

I really like the packaging too, its simple, sleek and the product dispenses in a nice even mist on to your hair. You don’t get too much product so your hair isn’t left feeling greasy or weighted down. I think Duck & Dry are a brand to keep an eye on, I’m excited to see what other hair treats they will release and if I am ever in London I will pop into the Salon

Duck & Dry

335-337 King’s Road

London

SW3 5ES

*PR Sample

SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Haircare

March 11, 2016May 31, 2025 - Vicki 1 Comment

I was introduced to this brand earlier this year & I have really been enjoying trying out their haircare. In case you’re not familiar with Shea Moisture their story started back in 1912 in Sierra Leone,

Sofi Tucker started selling Shea Nuts at the village market in Bonthe, Sierra Leone in 1912. By age 19, the widowed mother of four was selling Shea Butter, African Black Soap and her homemade hair and skin preparations all over the countryside. Sofi Tucker was the Grandmother, and Shea Moisture is her legacy. With this purchase, you help empower disadvantaged women to realize a brighter, healthier future.

Their ranges have won quite a few awards over the years, including an Allure Reader’s Choice Award 2015 and it’s now available in Boots stores.

I have tried the Super fruit complex range and thought it was wonderful at taming frizz and adding shine to my locks. So how did I get on with the Raw Shea Butter Shampoo and Conditioner?

Both products are organic and are free of sulphates, parabens, paraffin, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, phthalates, propylene glycol, synthetic colour.

SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Moisture Retention Shampoo*

This shampoo wasn’t the best at giving my hair a glossy finish (I found the super fruit range was better for shine) but that said it was incredible at making my hair feel soft and deeply moisturised. As with most sulphate free shampoos, it doesn’t lather up too much, but it does feel lightweight and is easy to rinse out. This shampoo contains some great natural ingredients,

Sea Kelp – Mineral rich nutrition seals and smoothes hair cuticles
Argan Oil – Restores shine while helping promote hair elasticity
Shea Butter – Deeply moisturises while conditioning hair and scalp

It’s unusual to see shea butter in haircare, but I guess it’s so hydrating and great for repairing skin, so why not use it on our hair for the same results. If you use heat on your hair or have naturally corse, dry hair, you will see and feel a big difference in how soft and healthy your hair feels after using this range. I liked that the product adds a little volume and bounce to my hair without it feeling weighed down or greasy.

SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner

This is a leave in or rinse out conditioner and I have not been brave enough to leave it in because my hair goes greasy so quickly I daren’t do it. So I always wash this out, and it works very well like that for me, if you’re pushed for time leave this in for up to 3 minutes but if you are able to leave it in for 15 minutes for a really deep treatment.

Sea Kelp – Mineral rich nutrition seals and smoothes hair cuticles
Argan Oil – Restores shine while helping promote hair elasticity
Shea Butter – Deeply moisturises while conditioning hair and scalp

This is quite lightweight, and I like to massage it in to my scalp and then comb it through wet hair from root to tip. This conditioner revives dry, damaged, frizzy hair. It gives a boost of hydration and leaves it feeling smooth, soft and detangled. I have to say I am impressed with this brand and it’s nice to see organic, natural haircare that’s affordable and effective.

I highly recommend checking out SheaMoisture they have quite a wide selection of haircare products now available in larger Boots store & online at Amazon

*PR Sample and affilite links

Aldi Lacura Argan Oil Beauty Range

February 11, 2016October 16, 2016 - Vicki 4 Comments

Aldi is quite well know for their affordable skincare so I was excited to try four products from their new Argan Oil Range which is released on February 21st. All the products in this line are under £5.

Lacura Argan Oil Nurturing Shower Gel*

This comes out a lovely rich golden colour, I like that its not a cream formula but very much like an oil. This is lovely to massage all over you skin and gently rinse off. You’re left with soft skin that feels nourished, the scent of this shower gel is really nice too, its quite warming, rich and relaxing. You get a really generous 300ml of product in a shower friendly squeeze style bottle.

Lacura Argan Oil Anti Ageing Body Lotion*

This body lotion is a lightweight cream and is 95% natural. It promises to help tighten skin, moisturise and protect from the first signs of ageing. Bold claims, from testing this over the past couple of weeks I would say that its hydrating and my skin feels smooth and nourished after applying this morning & night but as for anti ageing & skin tightening I’m not 100% sure (yet). I think applying moisturising lotion to your body is a great way to keep your skin looking healthy, radiant and stops it from drying out which in the long run helps to keep your skin looking its best. I will continue to use this lotion & let you know if I see any improvement in skin tightness.

Carino Professional Oil Treatment*

This is an exciting product, its a hair oil that you can use as an Leave in Conditioner, Finishing Product or an Overnight Treatment. It comes packaged in a really sweet glass bottle so it feels luxurious. I have used this as a leave in conditioner and a finishing product and was very very impressed. This oil treatment is fantastic at helping eliminate frizz, adding shine and improving the condition of your hair. I have dark curly hair thats is prone to being dull & frizzing (i also use a lot of heat) so this bottle of oil has been a god send. I will be trying it as an overnight treatment this week & I’m excited for the results. The oil is lightweight & you need only a small amount, the scent is quite sweet and rich.

Lacura Argan Oil Anti Ageing Handcream*

I use hand cream so often throughout the day so its nice to have them strategically placed about my house, handbag and car so I never have dry hands. This Lacura one is quite a thick cream formula but it doesn’t stay greasy on your hands. So after applying it you’re ready to type, drive or just crack on with your day, no waiting for the product to sink in or feeling tacky on your skin. The scent isn’t as strong as the body lotion but it still smells nice. It contains no parabens, silicones, mineral oils or colourants and is 95% natural.

So all in all some great releases from Aldi coming your way on February 21st. If there was one product I’d say you had to try it would be the treatment oil, I think out of the four products its the one you see the best results from.

Lacura Argan Oil Range is available exclusively in Aldi from February 21st 2016

* PR Samples

SheaMoisture Superfruit Complex

February 6, 2016May 31, 2025 - Vicki 3 Comments

If you’re a beauty addict (like me) then trying new brands is always exciting. I had never heard of SheaMoisture before, but when I did a little research into the brand I realised that it’s extremely popular over in the States and has been sold since 1912. Their ranges have won quite a few awards over the years, including an Allure Reader’s Choice Award 2015. So, let’s see if it lives up to the hype.

SheaMoisture products are natural, organic and sustainably-produced. Made with love for you and your body. Pioneering fair trade through Community Commerce at home and abroad. We strive to be sulfate free, paraben free, and more, whenever possible. Tested on our family for four generations. Never on animals’.

I was excited to try three products from the Superfruit Complex range which promises 10 in 1 benefits, and they are,

Age-defy
Nourish
Anti-stress
Revive body
Colour protect
Shine
Hydrate
Strengthen
Manageability
Soften

Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Multi Benefit Shampoo*

Because this shampoo contains no sulphates it doesn’t lather up, which is great for your hair, but it took me a few washes to get to grips with it. I initially used far too much which weighed down my hair, so you need very little product. I like to spend a minute or so massaging the product in to my hair, letting all the wonderful ingredients work their magic before rinsing it out. It’s a great first step to silky smooth hair & I like that this shampoo felt lightweight, and it was easy to rinse out. I haven’t used it alone, I always follow with the conditioner.

Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Conditioner*

This is great at giving hair a boost of hydration and restoring that glossy shine. I love that this bottle has a pump and wish that the shampoo came with one too! I use two pumps of this and work it in to my roots and use my wide toothed come to brush it through the ends, I leave it on for a couple of minutes then rinse. It leaves my hair feeling healthy, smooth and bouncy (I have naturally curly hair). When I style my hair after using this duo, it’s glossy, manageable, and it smoothes those pesky flyaways.

Superfruit Complex Multi Benefit Hair Masque*

I love using leave in conditioner treatment and this one is really pampering for your hair. I leave it on for as long as I can, usually about 30 minutes. The product is a lot thicker than the conditioner, so I tend to use this masque once a week, make sure to use a very small amount and take time to massage it in to your scalp. Once I rinse this off, my hair instantly feels silky smooth and healthy. It’s a great masque if you have dry, dull hair because this will bring back the shine. I think the masque is my favourite of the three products, but I am very impressed with all of them.

All three products contain some really lovely ingredients,

Superfruit–a blend of red raspberry, ketones, goji, acai and guava extracts rich in anti-ageing antioxidants
Marula oil–contains natural plant peptides that help support hair’s elasticity
Biotin–nourishes individual strands for thicker, stronger hair
Shea butter–deeply moisturises while conditioning hair and scalp

Some of the benefits you can’t say are having an effect after one month of use, such as anti-ageing, anti stress or strengthening. I can say my hair is more manageable, hydrated, soft, shiny, nourished and has more body. So I guess this trio more than lives up to the hype. I now want to try a lot more from this brand, their selection is quite extensive, and I have spied on the US site that they also have a makeup line. Now that excites me.

SheaMoisture Superfruit Complex is available at Amazon

*PR Sample and affiliate links

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