Tag: how to look after curls

Curlsmith Hair Products

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Disclaimer: we received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.


Like many people with curly hair, I’ve spent years straightening and blow drying it and it’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve ditched the straighteners and started to embrace my curls. They are currently quite dry and unruly and it’s taken a lot of trial and error (and more money than I care to admit) to find a routine that really works. I’m always on the look out for new products to try and Curlsmith has been on my radar for a while, so I was delighted when a parcel of their products arrived for me to try.

The Full Body Weightless Cleanser (RRP £22) lathers beautifully and smells gorgeous – a lovely light, flowery fragrance that makes me want to keep smelling my hair all day long! The Full Body Milk Conditioner (RRP £22), with its handy pump dispenser, is easy to work through my hair and I found I didn’t need much to hydrate my curls. I leave it on for the suggested couple of minutes before scrunching and rinsing. My curls love the hydration and it leave sthem soft, bouncy, and far less frizzy. Even after a couple of days, they still look smooth and defined, which never normally happens with my hair!

Ordinarily, unless I spend ages carefully drying my hair, I end up with a halo of frizz. But since I started using these products I’ve found my curls spring back to life with no frizz in sight and once dry are defined, bouncy and look amazing.

The Frizz Rescue Finishing Serum (RRP £25) is enriched with sweet almond oil and argan oil has really helped banish the frizz. I’ve been using a blob about the size of a 5p which I warm in my hands before smoothing over my curls, concentrating on the top where the frizz is usually the worst. It instantly tames flyaways and is also great for defining individual curls. It does take a bit of trial and error to judge the right amount so start with a small amount and build up, otherwise you may end up with greasy looking curls.

Refreshing curls has always been the hardest part of my curly journey so I was curious to see how the Shake & Shine would perform. The lightweight mist sprays easily, locking moisture into the hair – in fact in Curlsmith tests it provided up to a 41% increase in moisture. It’s been a real game changer for my curls – a few sprays, a quick scrunch, and suddenly my curls bounce back, looking defined and revived with almost no effort.

Curlsmith products are vegan, cruelty-free, and packed with natural ingredients. I’m really impressed with these four products and the results speak for themselves. My curls are shinier, smoother, and, on most days, even cooperative. Every so often they do their own thing, but that’s curls for you!  

ALTERNA Caviar Anti-Ageing Hair Products

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Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Eureka moment!! You know when you find a product that transforms your hair and you can’t imagine using anything else – this is how I feel about the Caviar Anti-Aging range from Alterna. When the box of haircare products arrived, I had been struggling with my shoulder length curly hair, which in the last year has become incredibly dry and frizzy. Despite spending a small fortune on new hair products nothing seemed to be helping and I had almost given up hope on finding a product that could transform my frizzy mop back into smooth curls again.

Alterna isn’t a brand I had come across before despite being around since 1997. They wanted to create a range of luxury hair products based on the science of skincare and developed products for professionals using natural eco-certified ingredients with no sulfates or parabens in sight.  

I received the Caviar Anti-Ageing range which is designed to nourish and protect hair and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that help to strengthen and hydrate your hair. The vibrant purple bottles looked stunning, and I couldn’t wait to see if they would help my frizzy locks.  

The shampoo and conditioner are very easy to work through hair and rinsed out easily. The shampoo lathered nicely, creating a rich foam that cleansed my hair and smelt gorgeous. The conditioner left my hair feeling hydrated, soft and manageable and helped bring back my bouncy curls.

The Priming Leave in Conditioner was nice and light on my hair and didn’t weigh it down like thicker products tend to do. It removed the tangles effortlessly adding some much needed moisture to my hair.

The Shampoo/Conditioner cost £39.90 each for a 250ml bottle and the Priming Leave in Conditioner is £34.70 for 147ml.

The Caviar Replenishing Moisture Intensive Ceramide Shots (RRP £52.10) are a potent ceramide concentrate in individual capsules that hydrate, reduces breakage and strengthen hair. It is easy to twist the capsule open and then apply to damp hair. I used them after the leave in conditioner and before the CC cream.

I’ve used CC Cream on my face but not on hair before so this was a new step for me. The cream feels like a conditioner and smells amazing and is applied to towel dried hair. This miracle leave in product and styling cream delivers 10 benefits in one easy step – Moisture, Shine, Smoothness, Softness, UV Protection, Manageability, Strength, Anti-Breakage, Heat Protection & Light Hold. It is suitable for all types of hair and once applied all you need to do leave it to work it’s magic. RRP £35.85

These products have really helped hydrate my curls and after only a couple of washes my hair was smoother and the dreaded frizz was gone. Thanks to this range I now love my curls again, my hair looks fantastic – shiny, smooth and nourished from the scalp to the ends – what more can a girl ask for?

Available from the Alterna website they also have smaller sizes which are perfect for travelling or if you are trying the products for the first time.