Long Lasting Hair Colour

I am absolutely in love with my hair colour being this Purple Pink. I started out wanting an InTheFrow Lilac Pastel colour, however I decided to try my luck with this colour and I prefer it 100%. In the above photo the colour is at its brightest, and in the below photo it's a few washes in; so you can see it washes out quite quickly.

My solution to this is using only conditioner as the sulphate in shampoo washes out the colour. You can use a non sulphate shampoo but they are hard to come by as the sulphate makes the shampoo froth up and lather. The conditioner will wash your hair just as well but it could start to make your roots greasy. I have not experienced this but it can be a side effect. I was unaware that this is actually a thing, its called CO-WASHING and people do it for all different reasons. Two things are for certain, my hair colour lasts a long time and my hair feels more silky smooth than has before.

I don't use a special conditioner, I just use the Tresemme Colour Revitalise Colour Fade Protection Conditioner.  It retails at £5.24 and can be purchased on the highstreet and in your local Super Stores. I know Asda often do 2 for £5 and as they are 900ml they do tend to last a long time.

If you have coloured hair and are fed up with it fading everytime you wash it then try this, it might work for you.

Katy xoxo 

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ROOT TOUCH UP AT HOME | UNDER £5.00

As my hair is naturally blonde I have to darken my roots quite often so this needs to be quick, effortless and cheap. I use the Clairol Root Touch Up in the shade Dark Brown. It comes with gloves, a root brush, a small container and two solutions that you mix together, it is very self explanatory. It is the perfect amount of product for thick hair like mine as it's goes a long way, and at £4.69 it is a brilliant price considering a salon would probably charge 5 × that amount.

I do like to wear an old T-shirt, lay an old towel on the floor as my carpet is cream and keep some face wipes close by. You can apply Vaseline around the hairline before you apply the dye and that will protect the skin. 

Once I have prepped my space I only use two things, a comb and a clip which most girls have anyway. This is to split the hair into sections and clip the rest of the hair up whilst you focus on applying the dye to the chosen section.

You can only see my roots slightly due to the lighting but my hair is naturally brighter in person. I can get away with my roots for sometime as the colour blends into my parting but this only works for so long.

When dying your roots you need to ensure you are not going past the line where your root ends otherwise it's going to dye the other hair darker and this will start to look a bit strange.

ROOT DYE ROUTINE

1. Apply the hair dye to the parting 

2. Use the pointy side of the comb to pull up a thin section of hair, approximately a fingers width

3. Carry on this routine throughout the hair 

You may need some help the first few times at the back of the head but I have learnt to use my fingers on my left hand as a reference point and apply the dye with my right hand. This will get easier the more you do this.

Wash and blow dry your hair, you can see in the photo above that my roots look a lot darker and it all blends in with the rest of my hair.

I hope you like this short budget root touch up tutorial on how to dye your roots at home.

Katy xoxo 

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DIY Pink Ombre Hair at Home | Under £10.00

I am head over heels in love with the rainbow and pastel hair colours at the moment. After not dying my hair for 2 years to let it recuperate I decided I was going to go for a bright bold purple. I was returning home to Sheffield and I always tend to get my hair done when I'm up north as its significantly cheaper. When I had my hair coloured at the salon it was a very deep dark grey purple and I did like it but it was nothing like I wanted. A part of me felt like I had just wasted £70 on getting something done which I didn't go in for, its like when you buy an expensive product and its rubbish. It did start to wash out after a few weeks and eventually I was left with this Grey/Blonde Ombre with hint of lilac. I really started to hate it as it looked like a really dirty colour, I asked a friend who is a hairdresser if she could get it purple for me but she was booked up for 8 weeks; I definitely wasn't waiting that long!

I made the decision to take the plunge and experiment with a box dye. The dye I chose is a very vivid and beautiful colour, it is the Schwarzkopf Live Color XXL HD Ultra Brights in 94 Purple Punk. At first I was very nervous as I have been told Schwarzkopf colours are quite hard to get out of your hair. At this point my hair was quite light so I thought it would lay on my hair easily. Myself and my friend Helen who volunteer to help me, mixed the colour with quite a lot of condition to dilute the colour so it didn't come out super bright. Helen applied the dye to my hair and then I washed and then blow it, we were both very disappointed with the colour. The purple did not taken at all, we put it down to too much condition and my hair needed to be lighter.

At that point we made a plan to dip dye it blonde and then apply the purple with a small amount of conditioner. So a few days later we did just that, the blonde ombre was the L'Oreal Paris Feria Extreme Ombre in the Shade E02 Extreme Platinum Blonde. This is your normal box dye that you have to mix yourself and this set comes with what they call the Expert Brush. I am 100% in love with this thing, its the perfect brush for ombre hair dyes; it just combs the product through the hair creating a perfect gradient. 

The purple was next but unfortunately my camera battery died, I really do need to purchase a spare one. This means I was unable to film Helen putting the purple into my hair but it is the same process of how Helen applied the blonde in my hair. When Helen had finished the colour had been on my hair for 20 minutes or so, but I wanted to give it another 20 minutes to really soak in.

I was so happy when I dried and styled my hair, the gradient was flawless and a lot people I know made it clear that it looked better than what a professional salon did. That was quite a nice thing to hear as it was completely an experiment. I didn't really know how it was going to come out or if I would like it at all.

The Purple Punk is now £3.50 and the Extreme Ombre is £6.49, both from Boots. That is a total price of £9.99 for a statement hair colour.

The Purple Punk is 100% a type of Pink, I would never call it purple but it does have some tones of purple in. I think it all depends on the shades of your blonde before you put the colour on.

Please watch the step by step tutorial on my channel for my new Pink Ombre Hair.

If you like this hair colour and DIY please Rate, and Subscribe to my Channel for more videos.

Katy xoxo

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Greasy To Glamorous | 5 Hairstyles for Dirty Hair

This video is for those days that your hair is too dirty to leave down and you loose patience with it so you stick it up in a boring ponytail. There are numerous hairstyles you can do to make your hair look great, but here are 5 that I usually opt for when I don't have enough time to wash my hair. These hairstyles will take you from feeling uncomfortable and disgusting to down right beautiful.

If you like this video! Please RATE and SUBSCRIBE to stay upto date with my Channel. If you like these hairstyles then make sure you leave your comments below and tag me in your photos. 

Instagram @katyeharmston 

Twitter | @katyharmston

Katy xoxo

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Purple Hair

I have been wanting to dye my hair recently, I have dyed my hair before brown, black, cherry and purple but I left my hair to breath and ventured back to blonde for 2 years. However recently I became increasing bored with my blonde locks and I really wanted the bright purple/lilac pastel tones. I was told by my hairdresser that the only problem with the pastel colours is that they don't last,  and you will find you will have to re-dye your hair quite often which I didn't like the idea of.

We decided it would look more natural to dye my roots dark and mix a grey toner with a purple colour so when the colour starts to wash out it will develop that pastel pink/lavender colour. If I wanted to dye my hair brighter I could do that at the time. I like the idea of jumping in but not if isn't going to come out looking anything like the results I am looking for. 

Al absolutely hated the idea of me dying my hair bright purple but I think you need to do what you want to do, don't ever let anyone tell you how to be, how to dress or compromise anything you want to do whether thats pressure from your family, friends or boyfriend. I believe if you do this there will come a time where you will become unhappy with yourself because your not being true to yourself. Its only going to end badly, don't ever let anyone dictate who you want to be, if they love you enough, they will love you either way!

STAGE ONE: DARK ROOTS & HIGHLIGHTS

The first step was to darken my roots with a dark brown dye and add a few highlights to add different tones for the purple to be applied. I didn't want one block colour, I wanted different tones to shine through.

STAGE TWO: PURPLE & GREY TONER

Like most dyes they look a different colour and develop as they are on your hair, the purple and grey looked more like a red but then developed into a dark purple. It was then left on my hair for 30 - 40 minutes.

The purple and grey toner came out darker than I wanted but it was really nice to see lilac, grey and purple tones as I moved around. I knew it would only get lighter as I washed it over time. 

It did come out a lot darker in some pictures, I think it was all due to the lighting at the time.

 In the previous pictures it does look more red but the picture below shows more of a purple tone which is how it actually look. The dark brown roots with an iced dark lilac ombre.

I hope you like it! :)

Chat Soon Lovelies
Katy
XXX

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Floral Vamp

I have been in love with this two piece since I bought it! It is a pink embroidery Bra-let and Midi 60's inspired Skirt. It is one of my favourite outfits that I have in my wardrobe. The material is so beautiful and the embroidery is stitched to perfection, although it is a little heavy but that it to be expected with this much detail. The purple, pink, blue and green metallic detail contrasts incredibly from the plain black background, it reminds me of what a magical garden on the planet of Pandora (Avatar) would look like. 

The Bra-let is very low cut which I am not use to wearing, I did start to feel like my boobs were trying to escape, but I was at a bar all night and there was no accidents. I would advise to wear a Bra-let like this around people you trust or attach a button or clip of some sort. Unfortunately I experienced this the hard way when some idiot thought it would be a clever idea to unzip it in the middle of a town centre. It wasn't my brightest moment but we live and we learn, not to be friends with arseholes that it! It is perfectly comfortable and I am able to wear this without a bra so the support is very important.

I love 60's inspired Midi Skirts like this one. I just think they are so feminine and elegant, perfect for any shape or size. This one is a size 8 and I do think if I was any bigger I may die from suffocation. I am normally a size 10 but my waist is a size 8 or smaller so it does get a bit difficult when buying clothes that sit on my waist. Buying high-waisted jeans or a bikini is a like having a fight with myself. 

CURVY PROBLEMS!

With this two piece being so vibrant and decorative I needed my accessories to tone it down so I went with a simple pair of black Sandals and a black Bum Bag. This Bum Bag is probably on of my favourite things at the moment. Yes it is small so I couldn't take everything out with me however not having to carry anything on a night out is a like dream. It goes with everything, whether you want to go casual or smart, its just the perfect little bag especially to have on holiday.

I decided to go for a very dark vampy look with my makeup. This dark purple lip and the smokey eyes just add an ounce of depth and an almost gothic-like edge to this look. I think it all work so perfectly especially with those loose natural waves.

Two Piece Set - Miss Guided | Black Bum Bag - Primark | Black Sandals - New Look | 

Purple Lipstick - Rimmel

I hope you like this look!

Don't forget to leave your comments below! 

Chat Soon!

Katy

XXX

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Curly Hair Care Haul and First Impressions

I have been looking for the best product's for curly hair for quite a while now. My method is a mixture of my natural curls and Curling Tongs, however I was starting to notice that my hair was starting to look frizzy. To find the perfect product you can continually research to look for reviews, but everyone's hair is different so just because it works for someone it doesn't necessarily mean its going to be the perfect product for you. Trial and Era is my method of finding products that work for me.

On my way home I stopped by Boots to find some good products for my curly hair. I was looking for some Hair Spray, Curling Crème, Definition Curling Spray and Shampoo and Conditioner. After mooching around Boots for as long as I could before they shut I bought the products listed below and used them the very same evening.

 

 

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hair Spray So Sleek Extra Strength 400ml (£6.70)

 

L’Oréal is one of my favourite high-street brands and I have seen this hair spray all over the TV and advertisements. I bought the biggest can you can purchase as it was three for two so I thought I might as well. It feels really lightweight on your hair, not sticky but provides a good hold. It keeps my curls in for a while before they start to drop which will eventually happen due to the length and weight of my hair. The only thing I didn’t think about when buying this can size is that I have quite small hands, so it does get a bit difficult when spraying my hair and holding the can with the same hand. I sometimes have to move to both hands which starts to look a little weird. Its a nice lightweight product with a firm hold and non sticky so I completely understand why this hairspray is one of the more popular choices.

 

John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls Styling Spray 200ml (£5.99)

This spray I absolutely love, it defines my curls perfectly. I spray it on my newly washed hair when its damp, along with the Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Crème and it smells lovely. Perfect for ringlet curls or wavy hair. I did slowly blow-dry my hair upside down and it made my hair feel thicker and gave it more body. So if you have thin hair it might be worth trying this product to add some body and volume into your hair.

Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Natural Styling Crème (£6.00)

This crème feels like a moisturiser, it is very thin in consistency and doesn’t feel sticky at all. I decided to try this as the sales assistant in Boots advised me that her mum uses this range for her curly hair and swears by this cream. It smells lovely and just glides through your hair. This product combined with the John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls Styling Spray gave my hair instant volume. Even if your hair isn’t curly but you like a full body head of hair I would 100% advise you to try this combination.

Umberto Giannini Pure Curl Friends Detangling Shampoo (£6.00)

This shampoo isn’t the best shampoo I have ever tried. I had to use quite lot for it to even cover all of my hair. Yes I have a lot of hair but it didn’t even make my hair feel nice. As I was rubbing the shampoo into my hair I noticed straight away that it made my hair feel so dry, almost straw like. I think the packaging is beautiful and instantly gives it a high quality product appearance, but in my opinion this shampoo does not work for me. I think I get better results with my original Tremsemme Shampoo, even if this shampoo was to be amazing for curls I cannot get around how it makes my hair feel. I would not recommend this shampoo but if you love then please leave your comments below.

Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Smooth Curls Intensive Conditioner (£6.00)

As I said above the packaging for this Hair Care range is just too beautiful. The pink packaging just instantly caught my attention. The conditioner made my hair feel so much smoother after applying the dreaded shampoo, however I wouldn’t necessarily buy it again. I didn’t notice any drastic difference to non-curling conditioners I have used.

Pro-Voke Touch Of Silver Silver Shine Weekly Shampoo (£3.19)

It was not my plan to buy this shampoo but I am so glad I did. I know a lot of people who use the silver shampoo to instantly brighten their hair instead of constantly colouring their natural blonde. I did not think I would see an instant difference as it says use twice a week on the bottle but this stuff is incredible. I noticed that my hair was so much brighter and trust me when I say, a small amount goes a long way. A small amount of this shampoo covered my whole head of thick hair and as I kept rubbing it into my hair the lather of the shampoo just got thicker and thicker. I would 100% advise that you try this if you want to brighten your hair.  

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this Blog Post!

If you would like to see a tutorial of these curls then please leave your comments below. 

 

 

Katy
xxx

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Highlights At Home

Do you ever get tired of paying the price to have a bit of dye put into your hair. I think highlights have got to be one of the most annoying factors of having slightly darker hair than you would like. My hair has darkened over the years, mainly because I dyed my hair from a very light blonde to the darkest brown there is. Although I have not dyed my hair for quite some time and recently I have had an urge to do something with it. I get very bored very easily, I like to change up my look. The thought of dying it brown had crossed my mind or to try an ashey pink but for my profession its probably not wise. I made the decision to lighten my hair but instead of going to a salon which yes sounds like a more easier option, I wanted to test if I could dye my hair at home myself. I have dyed my hair so many times with a box dye, however they are a block colour and I wanted a bit more texture in my hair. I have a golden caramel colour going on at the moment and wanted to lighten my hair but keep them caramel tones. 

There are two ways to do highlights at home, use foils or a hair cap. I think a hair cap would be the easiest option as you just put the cap on and pull pieces of hair through the holes in the cap; and then you just apply the dye on to the cap. Sounds pretty easy right. Although I had one problem, I didn't have a cap and couldn't find one anywhere. I think they only sell them in professional beauty stores like Sally's. However I did have foil, who doesn't in their kitchen. This is something I have never tried before, but how hard could it be. I am the type of person to try different things and with a box dye it seemed very self explanatory. So I had everything I needed to highlight my hair, majority of the tools are easily found somewhere in your house. The only thing you need is your dye, I chose a box dye kit as they are super easy to use and everything is done for you. All you have to do is mix the solution and your good to go.

You will need

A Box Hair Dye 

Foil

Scissors

A Comb

A Hair Clip

A Towel 

Face Wipes

Shampoo/Conditioner

Please checkout the video tutorial now live on my Youtube Channel for an in-depth look into how I brightened up my hair for under £10, better than your average salon price of £30-£100. If you like this tutorial and my other videos please rate and subscribe and leave any comments below.

If you follow this tutorial and use this method for your own hair then please tweet me @katyharmston or Instagram me with the ♯katyeharmston.

See You Soon!
XO

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Natural Curly Hair Routine

My hair has changed so much over the years, its become more curly as I have grown up. It was more a less straight when I was very young and it started to get thicker and curlier in my teens. However until recently I didn't really know what to do with it as I didn't really experiment with my hair texture. I don't have naturally perfect curls, so for some time now I have experimented with different routines and products to make my curly hair look natural.  

My routine consists of the tips and tricks that will define the curls and avoid the frizz. All of our hair is different, that is something that needs to be remembered, so this may work perfectly for you but not for the next person. However you have to try different routines and products in order to find the best routine for yourself and your hair. That is the only way that I found that this routine works for myself.

You will Need:

Water Spray Bottle
Towel

Styling Gel 

Spray Hairspray (Non Aerosol)

Hair Dryer 

Hair Curlers

The products I use are the Chunky Texturing Glaze by Charles Worthington and the Tresemme Spray Hairspray, however these have now discontinued so if you use any good curling products then make sure you leave them in the comments below. I would avoid aerosol hairspray and mouse as in my experience they make your curls go frizzy and leave a wet look which doesn't look natural.

The curlers I have loved for so long are the Andrew Collinge Pro-Z Curling Tong but they are now broken. There was nothing wrong with the curlers however the wires became exposed and my mum forced me to throw them away as they were a hazard. That was a very sad moment and it got worse when I realised I couldn't buy them again as they are also discontinued. These curling tongs give you the most natural curl as they are not a round barrel, so if you want natural curls then definitely try the flat shape curling tong. If you know of a quality flat curling tong then leave that below as I will need to buy a replacement.

This routine takes me no longer than 15 minutes in the morning, its actually a lot quicker than drying my hair and it will stay in for 3-5 days. I do tend to top it up on a daily basis, so if you have naturally curly or wavy hair then it is a low maintenance hair style.

Please watch my 'Natural Curly Hair Routine' video now live on my channel to try this routine and see whether it works for you. If you do try this then make sure to leave your comments below to your conclusion.

If you have any request, suggestions or any comments at all then please leave them below.

See you soon!

XO

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