How To | Grow your hair up to 3 inches in 1 week

Hey Guys,

Firstly, A Sorry in advance for the Maximum Essay with Minimum Pictures!

Today I thought I would do a post about Hair Growth, The length of my hair is something I have been obsessing over since I was in year 9 in school, As long as possible has been my aim. However, In school, we never listen to the good advise we are given and always think we know best, so I went against every good tip to grow my hair and keep in good condition and went it lone soldier! And of course, all the way through school, up until 2 years ago when I was just turning 17 My hair didn't grow whatsoever! So, When I was 17 I went for the Frankie Sandford look, cut all my hair off, and shaved on one side, and decided to look after my hair from there on out. I don't reccommend just cutting it all off, but for me, this was good and a clean streak, I cut off all the dead hair with split end and allows new, soft hair to begin it's life :P And now, 1 and half years later, after doing all the below, my hair is just on the underwire line of my bra!

This post is to tell you about the tips I have used to grow my hair, up to now, to achieve maximum growth, including one method which can help your hair grow from 1 inches to 4 in just one week! Just a little disclaimer before hand, this is a method that has worked for me (and many other people online) but it may not work for you, depending on your and your hair type!

This method is at the very bottom, don't worry! ;)

1) Washing Your Hair

The first thing is about washing your hair and how many times you do so, many people seem to think that by shampooing your hair every day or even two times a day and keeping it ridiculously clean and conditioning every day to keep it extra soft is the solution to growing your hair long. This is not the case I believe, yes your hair is clean, and soft, but just like your skin your hair needs to breath. 

I wash my hair every 3 days, unless I am going somewhere special and am in desperate need of de-greasing. 3 days may be too long for you, so you could start off by trying every two days and seeing how you get on! Your probably all thinking, but my hair will get really greasy and gross... yes, it most probably will, but this is actually good for you hair! Greasy hair is simply the natural oils in your hair coming out, your hair needs these natural oils, but to an extent, too much isn't good either. So basically, I would recommend not washing your hair more than 3 times a week! If you feel you really need to de grease, try rinsing your hair, rather than doing the full shabang and washing and conditioning.

So, Washing every day is bad for your hair (LET IT BREATH!), Wash your hair every every 2-3 days, Trying not to wash it more than 3 times a week, Hair Grease = Natural Hair Oils = Good for your hair... but not too much! 

2) Shampoo & Conditioners

There are 2 Shampoo & Conditioners that I would recommend and that I use every time I was my hair, alternating between them! The first is The Original, Mane n' Tail Shampoo & Condtioner: These products are actually Horse Shampoo & Conditioner, But have become very popular for the use of girls wanting to grow their hair long, This stuff is a god send! It is very rich, and makes your hair very very soft and feel well-moisturised. You use as normal shampoo and conditioner on a normal day, however, I don't use it if I am going somewhere just after, where I want to style my hair, your hair becomes so soft, shiny and smooth, that my hair would refuse to backcomb or stay in any form of style, it would just almost immediately drop! Since using this stuff I have noticed a dramatic change in the condition of my hair, so healthy, looking and feeling and just in general, and therefore healthier hair means more hair growth! 

The next I use is FAST Shampoo, it pretty much says it in the name, it is a shampoo and conditioner for making your hair grow 'Maximum Length in Minimum Time', the slogan pretty much sold it for me, but of course, I looked at many reviews before I bought, and most.. nearly all, were good! FAST Is used just like normal Shampoo and Conditioner, However, you leave them on longer on your hair, to allow the FAST product to do it's magic. I use this shampoo and conditioner less that Mane n' Tail, as I really don't feel it smells nice, and by using it too much, although my hair growth sped up raipidly (Crazy fast) it left my hair quite dry, which is why I don't use this product all the time; sometimes I will even just put the product on my roots to avoid any potential drying of my ends, which are quite fragile anyway! 

Both I would highly reccomend, however, they are quite very different price ranges, You can buy the Mane n' Tail from ebay, with the link I provided, for £6.49 for 12oz bottles of both the Shampoo and the Conditoner, and the FAST product is around £22.50 for 360ml (12.6oz) bottles of both the Shampoo and Conditioner.

3) Deep Mask

Once a week, on one of your hair washing days, try to apply a Deep hair mask onto your hair. Hair Masks are basically a really deep and intense conditioner, which you apply after you have used your normal conditioner. These are very good for your hair, and always keep my hair looking nice and shiny, as long as you keep up with using it once a week. Hair Masks are available everywhere, in anywhere like Boots, any hair Salon, or of course, online, And most of them will do their job, However, ones I have fell particularly in love with, are ANY Aussie Mask, (they have a few and are available at boots!) but they are all so good, keep your hair really soft and the best thing about them... the smell, oh my god... it is so damn beautiful. All of their products smell incredible and most of you will probably already know as they are a very popular brand! Another, more pricey one, is the Moroccan Oil Restorative hair mask, It's a little more pricey, at around £31.00, but it is just incredible, very good quality, smells great and leaves your hair looking great, I was recommended this by my hair dresser, and I am an avid user of the brands Moroccan Hair Oil any way, so I thought that It must be good, and of course, it was!

4) Heat 

Applying a lot of heat to your hair, as you know, is one of the main things that damages it. Curlers, Straighteners, Hair Dryers and Even Really Hot Water! Try to minimize using heat products as much as possible, I have literally gone 2 years having horrible hair, shoving it up in a loose ponytail, looking gross and very unglamorous to achieve the hair growth I have, but you don't have to go quite to that extent. 

If your not going out or seeing anyone you particularly want to impress, don't do anything to your hair! If this is the case with me, I don't even blow dry my hair, I towel dry it and shove it up in a wet bun with some leave in conditioner and Moroccan Oil! If you don't want to walk around with wet hair, Blow dry your hair on the medium speed and on a cold heat. Trying not to constantly brush your hair as your doing it, use your fingers, or go through your hair once at the beginning with a tangle teaser or paddle brush and just use the hair dryer. And then of course, don't straighten it or curl it, shove it up in a messy bun or high pony! 

If you are going out, repeat the Hair drying process above, it's always best! but try and do a style that doesn't involve much heat styling products, or any at all! If you do it right, messy bed hair, messy buns, sleek back ponies and smooth little top knots can actually look really great! I looked through endless Youtube tutorials, and eventually found various ways and styles I could use, that look great but involved no or minimal heat styling products!

So, Blow Dry on SLOW and COLD Heat, and Minimal Heat Styling Products. Or Keep Wet and put it off your face if your not going anywhere! and Go for styles that involve no or little styling at all!

5) Brushing & Cutting

Like I used to, many of you may think that brushing your hair constantly is good, for removing the tangles and making it look nice and smooth. But it circanly is not! I used to brush my hair ALL the time, the moment I had any sign of my hair being out of place or starting to clump into bigger sections, I would Brush Brush Brush. But by doing this, every time you brush your hair through, your splitting the hair, and creating more split end, almost like ripping it apart when you brush through the tangles and knots. As well as this, each time your brush through, all of the tiny split ends of hair on each strand are falling off, causing your hair to become, and look thinner and thinner the more you brush it. And of the course, the solution to long hair, is the root (not the ends)  keeping the ends nice, and avoiding split ends, will mean your hair will look thicker and fuller from root to tip, giving the look of thicker, richer and more beautiful hair. This is why people say to trim your ends regularly... This doesn't help your hair grow per say, it simply keeps it looking neater, thicker and in good nick! So don't go cutting your ends once a month, I haven't trimmed my hair since I cut it all off, (which I don't nessesarily recommend either, bit naughty ;P) But maybe get your hair trimmed every 3-4 months.

6) Finally | The Inversion Method!

This is a method, that I have used myself and have researched into, and it seems has worked for many many people! It's a method that quite frankly seems mad, and seems like a load of rubbish, but from personal experience, it worked for me. I cannot guarantee it will work for you, but It definitely worked for me, and what seems to be, many other girls. I have done this once a month, for 2 months now, and each time my hair has grown 2 inches! Apparently, you can't use this method every week, as your body will get used it, and begin to adapt and no longer work to the full extent! But anyways, here we go!

• The inversion method involves, tipping your head upside down for 4-5 minutes, whilst massaging warm oil into your scalp for that time period. (I know -.-)
• Start by warming Olive oil, or any Hair oil, in the microwave, Put a generous amount in a microwavable bowl, and heat for 30 seconds, feel the oil, and repeat until the oil is at the nice more than warm temperature. You can heat the oil more or less depending on your preference and how much you feel your scalp can take comfortably.
• Brush your hair through with a tangle teaser, and sit on a sofa or the side of the bed. Bed your head down so that your facing the floor. Take your oil and with your fingers, put through the hair from root to tip (not too much and only briefly)
• Next put more oil on your finger tips and massage the warm oil into your scalp covering your whole head. When their is no more oil on your finger tips, dip in, and apply more. After the 4-5 minutes are up, come up slowly, as otherwise you will feel dizzy and lightheaded (which is why you do it for no more and no less than this time limit)
• The massaging of the scalp and tipping your head upside down caused the blood to flow to your scalp and got the blood to flow evenly around your head. (Apparently this is needed for good hair growth - I didn't question it, I just kinda did it :P )
• Next, brush your hair through once, and put your hair in a tight pony tail, and leave on for 1 hour, This doesn't really matter, but if I have no immidiate plans, I do this at night, and leave it in over night, and then wash out with luke warm water in the shower, or sink in the morning.
• Do this every day for 7 days (measuring your hair before the 7 days and after) and see if it worked for you, and if so, how many inches your hair grew!)
• Finally, do not simultaneously do this every week, do it once a month or every 2 months!

If this didn't work for you, then I'm sorry that your time was waisted, as it may not work for everyone! But I can only go off my own experience. If it did work, then great!

I hope these tips helped with your path to Long and Luxurious Locks!

Have a lovely day xoxo

Mac Pigment | 15 Ways To Use

Hello Lovely People!

So it wasn't until recently that I purchased and used MAC Pigment for the first time, (I know, crazy), And when I purchased Mac Pigment I was under the impression that it was simply an eyeshadow, but I couldn't have been more wrong! I discovered that there are in fact 15 ways to use it after a little but of experimenting and searching the Internet.

Mac Pigment is very simply, a coloured loose powder. Which most people use as an eyeshadow, However, many of you may not know the many other uses it has, which is almost anything by the way! That's why I wanted to do this blog post to tell you about the many other uses for Pigment so that you can make the most of yours!

1) Eye Shadow

Firstly, Is the very simple way which most people use MAC Pigment for, which is just using the loose powder, as is, as an eyeshadow. It comes in a very wide selection of colours, and finishes, including matte, frost metal and pearl, of which are matte, sparkle and sheen finishes meaning it is perfect for using as an eyeshadow and making some very beautiful eye looks. To use in this way you would simply dab your choice of brush into your chosen pigment, shake to remove any excess unneeded amount of Pigment, as you don't need very much, and then apply to the eye, Depending on what brush you choose to use you could apply the Pigment in a very feathered way or very concentrated way.

2) Applied Wet For Metallic Eye Shadow

Another way to use Pigment is, again, as an eyeshadow, but more as a cream based eyeshadow, similar to the Mac Paint Pot. To do this, I would mix in some of the pigment with simple water or if you have it available, Mac Fix & Spray. Then, simply grab your desired brush and apply to the eye. You will notice that the colour from the Pigment with really pop and stand out and in fact some finer colours that you may not quite see when in powder form, really come out when you apply in creamy form.

3) Blush

Using Pigment as blush is another great way you can use this product, Here you would use the product, as is, like in one, but using your desired blush or large puffy powder brush, and apply to the cheeks, depending on your preference, you could use any colour from the options, you never know, you could be quite wild and daring and want blue blusher! But Peachy, Pinks, Oranges, Reds, Corals, and Possibly Purple colours are the best options to create a realistic looking blush. As mentioned before, you could go for a very matt blush or could go for a satin finish blush with a slight sheen, depending on the finish you choose from the colour options. Depending on how strong you want you blush to be, you only need to use a tiny amount of the Pigment here, it is very highly concentrated and a little bit goes a really long way!

4) Bronzer

Very much like above, use the pigment, as is, in the darker colours that resemble bronzer colours, such as Tan and Naked Deep Dark, and apply to the areas you want to be bronzed!

5) Eye liner

Again, the same as you would do with step 1) Mix the pigment with water or Mac Fix & Spray. Once you have mixed you would use a thin eyeliner brush and simply apply whatever colour you wish as an eyeliner. You could use a black and go for a typical eyeliner or you could use golds and bright neon colours for some really great editorial look thats really stand out!

6) Coloured Mascara

There are two ways you can do this, I discovered online, you can dip an empty disposable Mascara Wand into your Mix of Pigment and Water or Mac Fix & Spray and apply to the lashes as normal, or you can simply use a clear Mascara, dip into the powder of your choice and apply to the lashes.

7) Highlighter

One of my favourite ways to use pigment is as a highlighter, You could do this in two different ways. The first way is very simple, you would simply use a brush or your finger and apply the Pigment, as is, to the desired area you want to highlight, light colours are recommended of course and you are trying to brighten these areas, However, there are many different choices, the most popular, and the colour that I purchased, is in colour Vanilla, although there are many other white, cream and in fact gold colours for the perfect highlight. Another way is like in many of the steps above, mix your pigment in with water or Fix & Spray by MAC or possible with any face creams you have, or possible with a cream based highlighter you are already using if you wish, and apply to the face as a cream based highlighter. When I used pigments as a highlighter I highlight my tear duct, which is the skin right by the inside of your eye by your nose, my cupids bow, which is the area just above your lips, and then in the standard places, like my nose, my t-zone, the tops of my cheeks, and just under and above my eye brow.

8) Illuminator

This is very easy to do, mix the colour Pigment you would like to illuminate your skin, such as a simple highlighter colour such as pure white or Vanilla, or a colour you would like a tint of in the skin, such as any golds or pinks, in with your foundation when you go to put it on. When mixed well this will illuminate your skin nicely and give a nice highlight and hint of the pigment colour you mixed. Buying illuminators in shops can be quite expensive so this is a great use of the MAC Pigment.

9) Nail Varnish

This seems a little crazy, but yes, you can actually use MAC Pigment to create your own custom nail varnish colour, You simply mix in your pigment(s) in with a clear nail varnish, or a coloured nail varnish if you want to see what interesting outcomes you can make with different pigments and nail varnish colours, and then apply to the nail with your nail varnish brush, the colours, like when mixing the colours in the above options, really pop and are really vibrant.

10) Lipstick / Gloss

A lot of lipsticks that are long lasting or have really vibrant and pigmented colours tend to really dry out your lips, However, if you use MAC Pigment as a lipstick you can get a really vibrant pop of colour lipstick that is really soft on the lips, all you do, is mix in your pigment with a clear lipgloss or a lipbalm (if you want really soft lips), and apply to your lip with a lipstick brush or your finger. It create a really beautiful and bright lipstick, with a matte, sparkle or sheen effect depending on your choice of colour and finish!

11) Eye Brows

Here all you do, is choose a pigment colours that is 1-2 shades lighter than your natural hair coulour and apply directly to the eyebrows to fill them in, using an angled brush is best as these are easiest to use when filling in your brows, these angled brushes are what you will find most of the time in brow kits! Here you could mix your pigment for you brows in with a tiny bit of water oR Fix & Spray if you prefer to use a creamier type substance when filling in your brows to make them stay and wax them down, but it is completely up to you!

12) Body Shimmer

There are two ways to use this as a body shimmer, of which, I have tried and it works really well as! The easy way is to get a really big puffy powder brush, dab it ever so slightly into your chosen powder and sweep over the areas of your body that would naturally hit the light, such as your collar bone and shoulders. Depending on the look you want you could use golds, pinks or the selection of white based colours.

Another way, for a more subtle finish, is by mixing your Pigment into your Body lotion (Preferably not body butters or cream as they are difficult to blend), and then massaging your Body lotion and Pigment mix into the skin. This created for the perfect body shimmer that is really subtle and gives a lovely glow.

13) Body Contouring

Like above, if you want to contour areas of your body, use darker MAC Pigments in colours like gold and silver, and mix them in with your body lotion. Once you have done this, simply apply to the areas you want to contour (areas that are naturally shadowed) such as on the knees and up the sides of your legs, on your chest in your cleavage area, and under your collar bones, and it will make you look beautifully toned. You could apply this with a large flat foundation brush, your hands or in fact any brush you like that has quite a large surface area and is quite generally BIG, as you are applying to a much larger area unlike your face. You will get better coverage with a larger brush.

14) Hair

If you want a hint of pigment in your hair, whether it be for colour, sparkle, or highlight, all you have to do, is mix in your Pigment with the product you are using for your hair, whether it be Gel, Moose, Cream, Heat Protection cream or any other product, and then apply the product mix through your hair and then go about your normal hair routine like usual. And then voila! Depending on the product you are using and whether your product is used when you have damp or dry hair you will achieve different effects, and of course it depends on how much pigment you used! 

15) Custom Colours

One of the greatest things about pigments is that fact that you can mix 2 colours or even 3 or more and create your own personal colours! For example you could mix blue and green to create a lovely turquoise colour. You can mix your personal colours and then use them in any of the ways above!

So, I really hope that you, like me, can now make the most of your MAC Pigment!

Have a lovely day!

xoxo