Pantene Clarifying Shampoo: Review

If you didn't already know, a clarifying shampoo is a product which is designed to cleanse the hair and remove product and oil build-up.

I have extremely irritating hair, it can be dry through the ends but sometimes my roots can feel oily almost as soon as I've washed my hair.

I used to wash my hair every single day as I honestly couldn't have left the house without doing it.

It was so greasy looking you could have fried chips on it! even although I had only washed it the day before.

Washing your hair every day is really not ideal 

It can take up a lot of precious time, which lets be honest could be spent in bed! 

Plus my hair does not dry well naturally, so washing daily also means blow drying daily

and constant heat is never good for your hair.

This shampoo has been part of my haircare routine for about a year now

and I have noticed a massive difference in my hair 

I try and keep my product use to a minimum throughout the week 

The weekend is a totally different story though. My poor hair goes through the mill 

I basically pile on anything that claims to give me 'BIG' hair 

Come Monday morning, my tresses are in a sorry state 

That's when I whip this out

You only have to use it around once a week to see the effects 

Any more than that and you could be stripping your hair of colour and healthy oils that it needs to keep it nourished.

My hair never feels cleaner than it does after using this and I have found that I now only have to wash my hair every couple of days, which makes such a difference. 

Also don't be scared to use this on dry/damaged hair, although it gets rid of the product it won't leave your hair feeling straw like and dried out just lovely, light and clean.

There are many clarifying shampoos on the market, but this is definitely one of the most budget friendly 

Less than £4 for a whopping 400ml

and what's more they are on BOGOF in Boots just now!

Have you used this before?

Do you regularly use a clarifying shampoo?

Jen <3 

The Lazy Girls Guide To: Washing and Drying Your Clip In Hair Extensions!

I am still on my never ending quest to grow my own short, thin hair 

So when I feel like adding some length and volume clip in extensions are the perfect solution

I've been using them on and off for years 

and although you don't need to wash them often

It is one of these tasks that us poor girls have to do that is essentially a pain in the ass.

However, I think I have finally mastered a quick and easy method of washing and drying them

Hopefully you will pick up a few tips! 

So here we go The Lazy Girls Guide to Washing and Drying your clip ins

Before we start it's important to know what kind of extensions you have

Not all extensions are suitable for washing or can be damaged easily with heat

Most synthetic extensions will frazzle as soon as heat is applied so please make sure you know before you start that they are human hair or at least part human hair and are suitable for washing and styling!

So now that you know your hair is fine to wash

You are ready to go! 

I've found that this little trick seriously makes life sooo much easier when it comes to washing your extensions

Instead of washing each weft individually,

wrap your extensions together and secure with a hair tie.

Now you are left with a long ponytail

It takes much less time and effort to wash them like this 

and they are actually far less likely to get damaged as they are less fragile when they are all together 

rather than in individual strips.

Now rinse the hair in warm water 

and pick whatever shampoo you like

I went for Aussie Take The Heat Shampoo

always try and massage the shampoo in from the top of the hair downward 

if you start from the bottom and work your way up the hair will knot 

Make sure you rinse out all the shampoo thoroughly 

You need to look after your extensions as you would your own hair 

So I always like to put a conditioning treatment in mine

This is the lazy girls guide though 

So a 3 minute treat will do!

I went for the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Luscious Long Deep Treatment

When the 3 minutes is up rinse all the conditioner out of the hair 

To keep your extensions looking as good as you can for as long as you can 

The best way to dry them is to let them dry naturally

Give them a quick towel dry, remember to be really gentle

Now I find that hanging the hair speeds up the drying process 

you can hang them over a clothes horse or a radiator 

but I have came up with something else 

Now I know this might seem a little bit strange

and maybe avoid doing it if you are expecting guests

(because they will almost definitely think you are a weirdo)

but if you get a trouser hanger and put the wefts through the middle 

it is a really good way to let your extensions air dry 

You might need more than one hanger depending how many wefts you have 

just hang them on a door handle and leave until dry 

One thing to remember

most human hair extensions will dry with a wave in them 

personally I like mine to be straight when I first wash them

Once my extensions are around 80% dry 

I like to give them a quick blow dry to give them a sleek, finished look 

Now unless you are a magician or have three hands 

you will find it extremely awkward and difficult to blow dry them properly

as you really need one hand to hold the weft, one to hold a brush, and one to hold the hair dryer 

I've got a tool that makes this process loads easier

The Babyliss Big Hair is a rotating brush that blows out hot air 

using this means you are able to blowdry and brush the hair with one hand 

leaving your other hand free to hold the weft

As you would with your own hair you should always apply a heat protectant to the hair 

before using a hot styling tool 

I used this one by TRESemme

and that ladies is pretty much it! 

I hope you picked up a few tips along the way

I love the feeling of my extensions when they are just washed

Just make sure you don't do it too often 

as over washing and styling can cause breaking and fall out!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend lovelies 

Jen <3 

TRESemme Liquid Gold - Review

I am on a mission to make my hair as healthy as possible! 

As you may know I recently dyed my hair from my usual peroxide blonde to a more natural dirty blonde

It looked a lot healthier almost instantly but since then I've been trying everything to get my locks back to a nourished looking state.

Argan oil is everywhere at the moment 

with every brand bringing out their own version

 from the market leader Morrocan Oil to Primark's own version

Tresemme's offering is probably somewhere in the middle

First of all I really like the packaging 

It will look classy on any dressing table, and the name instantly makes it luxurious

The product itself is really lightweight

which is extremely important for me 

I suffer badly with product build-up in my hair and often have to use a clarifying shampoo

but this feels so light and fresh in my hair and doesn't weigh it down.

My hair can tend to be oily at the roots but very dry at the ends 

so I only use this product from mid lengths to the ends

TRESemme recommend applying one pump of the product to damp hair 

I feel that two pumps works best for me and I have pretty short hair 

So I would maybe recommend three to four pumps on longer hair 

Since I've started using this my hair feels so much more nourished

I can definitely see a big difference in the ends

basically my hair doesn't resemble a bale of hay anymore

which is always good! 

I would definitely repurchase this product  

and it is a great purse friendly alternative to Morrocan Oil

TRESemme Liquid Gold is available now in Superdrug for the better than half price of £3.45

Have you tried this oil?

Do you have any similar recommendations?

Jen <3 

My Latest Hair Up's

Now that my 6 week "Long Hair Up" course at college has finished 

I thought I would share with you a few of the hairstyles I have created recently

This is my friends little sister

She was competing in a dancing competition and needed to have her hair back from her face

I used serum to make sure we had a really sleek high pony tail 

then with the help of a MASSIVE donut and a lot of back brushing and kirby grips 

I created this massive bun! 

She was really happy with the result 

and said it stayed in place all day!

Buns seem to be my most requested hairstyle 

I done this one in my friends hair for a recent night out 

This isn't as sleek as the first look

I was going for a more relaxed look 

I left some pieces down in the front and back brushed the crown to create volume

As her hair is darker underneath I added some twists at the sides to prevent the lines looking to harsh! 

The different colours in the bun look really nice!

This is a more intricate style

which would probably be better suited to a wedding

\I didn't use any heat to create this look 

I back combed sections which I then made into loops 

and pinned them in place.

This was another formal style 

I made it really sleek at the top 

then used some padding and tonged small sections of hair to create the curls at the bottom

I'm so sad my course has finished! 

I really enjoyed doing it

I'm looking at some more lifestyle courses to try now that it's over

I'm thinking a makeup one would be fun! 

What do you think of my hairstyles?

Jen <3

P.S I hope you all know you can also follow me on Bloglovin! 

Just incase GFC decides to leave us!! 

http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3516858/the-big-burd

Time for a change

Evening :) 

Hope you are all having a lovely day! 

I've spent the day lunching with my family for mothers day 

My mum was very happy with her present

The new summer Oh Lola by Marc Jacobs perfume 

she has spent all day sniffing herself! lol 

So I have decided to do something drastic over the weekend

and completely change my hair!

I've had a blonde bob since I was 17

which is longer ago than I care to remember!!! 

so I decided to try something a bit different

I dyed my hair a dark blonde/light brown shade 

and when it is my usual length it looks ombre 

but I also decided to buy clip in extensions to change it up a bit! 

I've curled them here using my GHD's 

I got 3 strips of dark blonde

and 3 strips of mixed blonde

I decided to go for the 14 inch length which is the shortest that the shop sold 

as my hair has always been so short I thought this would look better 

as it's a bit more subtle than 20 inch ones!

I was unsure about it at first 

but it is such a massive change for me that I think it will just take me a while to get used to it

It is growing on me! 

Craig said it's like having a new girlfriend lol!

Me and my mum ready to go out for lunch!

In other news

I got a new camera! 

My beautiful Canon arrived during the week 

so hopefully my photo's will get better and better

I'm having so much fun learning how to use it! 

So what do you all think of the new hair?

Jen <3 

A Look Inside My Hair Kit - The Tools

So as you may be aware if you follow me on twitter 

@thebigburdblog

I have recently started doing a 'hair up' course at college 

It's an evening course and I don't get a qualification at the end of it 

but hair styling is always something I have been really interested in 

and I seem to be quite good at it 

If you missed my post about some of the styles I've been trying out then you can see it HERE

I have been doing my friends and families hair for events for quite a while now 

So I thought that this course would be a good way to perfect my skills 

Since I've become more confident in my skills I decided to share a few photos of my styles on my Facebook page and they have got a really great response.

Since then I've been asked to do peoples hair for lots of different events such as 

dancing displays, proms and weddings

I decided that If I'm going to really get serious about this I had to invest in a hair styling kit!

So here is a look inside my little kit so far

 I'm going to split this post into two parts

 The Tools & The Products 

So here is Part 1 

The Tools

Electrical

GHD's

RRP: £99

I have always been a big fan of these straighteners, They reach 220 degrees so are perfect for styling even the most stubborn hair! (but ALWAYS use a heat protectant!!!) They are really versatile and can be used to straighten and curl hair. I opted for the slimmer version as they are suited to most hair lengths. The thicker version of this styler doesn't work very well on shorter hair lengths.

Mark Hill Raw Hairdryer

RRP: £59.99

(The zebra print version is on offer in Boots right now for £29.99)

Basically I picked this purely for the AMAZING animal print! 

but it really is a great hairdryer, it's really powerful which makes for quick drying time.

It has 3 heat settings and a cool button for setting your style in place.

It also comes with 3 different attachments depending on the look you want to create.

Babyliss PRO Conical Wand (16-9mm)

£26 from Sallys (excl, VAT)

I had never used a wand before buying this and after testing it out I don't think I could go back to a normal tong. The results achieved from this are amazing! 

It has 25 heat settings and a salon length wire which is brilliant.

I opted for the really slim version but they are available in a variety of sizes so I think I'll be investing in a few more! 

Essentials

Sectioning Clips

Sallys -£1.79 (excl VAT)

Pretty self explanatory. These are a must when putting hair up 

Grip and Pin Session Kit

Sallys - £6.99 (excl VAT)

This is a great little set which includes black brunette and blonde kirby grips and pins which is really handy especially if you are doing hair for a group of people with all different hair colours 

Donuts

Primark - Large £1.50

Small £1

Buns are MASSIVE right now 

nearly every hair up that I have done recently has been a bun of some sort.

and these little beauties give that extra padding to make them look amazing!

You can buy these in loads of shops but there is no point spending a lot of money on them because they all do the same thing! and these ones from Primark are a bargain.

Brushes

Head Jog Tail Comb

Sallys - £1.79 (excl VAT)

Teasing Comb 

Pauls Hair World - £2.99

Prostylista Paddle Brush 

TK MAXX - £6.99

So that's the start of my little kit

I still have a long way to go to get all the things that I need but it will take time to pick all these things up along the way.

Can you think of anything else I might need?

Keep your eyes peeled for part two The Products! 

Jen <3

Short Hair - Don't Care

No your eyes do not deceive you

I'm BACKKK

So after a month off from my lovely blog 

I'm here to bore you with my ramblings again! 

As you all know I love playing with hair 

but unfortunately I'm not blessed with flowing locks 

So I went on e-bay and bought myself a Sally Doll 

I must admit she is a bit creepy so I've had to hide her on top of my wardrobe

but I had the day off work today so I took her down and decided to try out a few looks with her

and thought I would share them with you all.

Upside Down Plaited Ballerina Bun 

French Plaited and Rolled Up At The Back 

With Summer Flower Clip 

Rock-a-billy Style Up Do 

with Oversized Bow 

High Bow 

Sophisticated Updo 

With Leopard Bow 

So that was my productive day :)

I actually had so much fun trying out these looks

If you want to request any other looks for me to try feel free to ask!

you can tweet me @thebigburdblog

Also if you want to see a full tutorial for any of these looks let me know in the comments !

Ciao
Jen x