Tips and Tricks for Fine Hair

Like many women across the world, my hair isn't nearly as thick and lustrous as anything from a TV advertisement. I have inherited the same fine hair as my mum, and spend hours on end each week styling and fixing up my hair to give it the volume that I feel like it needs. In the past this has proven to be quite a challenge, but having fine hair certainly isn't the end of the world - not by a long shot!

It's only over the past six months or so that I have really started to make a conscious effort with the way in which I style my hair, paying attention to the latest styling brands on the market whilst at the same time taking time out to watch hair tutorials and advice on youtube. Personally I think the accessibility of such things on youtube is fantastic because it proves that there's no need to be an expert in hair and beauty to achieve the results that you want - it can all be done from the comfort of your own home. I am lucky, and very thankful, to have healthy hair which I have always kept in good condition, so I have always been a little apprehensive about buying products to use in my hair. One downfall is that my hair becomes greasy very easily, and I have always thought that using a thousand and one products to keep it styled the way I want it would create a lot of build up.

However, I have come across a few tips, tricks and products that I think are working for me. Styling mousse is first on my list. My friend Mia recommended the VO5 Plump It Up Whipped Mousse, and on a recent trip to Boots on our lunch break I decided to try it out. The first time I used it I will admit that I did use too much, but after working out how much was a good amount to use on my hair I could see a noticeable change after simply drying it. I've also noticed that my hair is less prone to looking greasy, and is far easier to style in the morning before I go to work. 

Another VO5 product that I have been using is the Plump It Up Volumising Spritz, a spray that provides much lighter hold on my hair whilst still having a similar effect as the mousse. It is much easier to use, and smells gorgeous. I would probably say if you're not used to using mousse, or don't like the stickiness it can leave on your hands, then the spritz is more suited to you. Lately I have been leaning more towards it simply because it's easier and faster to use.

As for tips and tricks when it comes to styling, I find that the following seem to work in giving my hair that little, extra boost that it needs:

1. If you have a side/sweeping fringe, use a round brush to blow dry it in the opposite direction that you want it to fall to.
2. To create volume from the roots of your hair, try blow drying it upside down for a few minutes, making sure to use a round brush to dry from the roots upwards after you have given it a quick blast upside down.
3. Avoid straightening your hair too much - I tend to only use my straighteners on the ends of my hair because straightening from the root can make it look flat.
4. Always use hairspray - if your hair is fine, like mine, then it may struggle to hold most hairstyles so it's always best to have the hairspray handy.

Finally, I feel like the following products should get an honourable mention because I tend to use them every now and again and I think they're great:

1. L'Oreal Paris Studio Line TXT Volume Supersizing Spray
2. L'Oreal Paris Studio Line TXT Wave Creating Spray
3. L'Oreal Paris Studio Line Matt & Messy Shine-Free Salt Spray

Obviously I must really like L'Oreal products!

I hope some of this blog post was useful, and as I said it did take me quite a while to find out what worked best for me. I'm in no way an expert when it comes to hair and beauty, just a normal twenty-something girl who has an avid interest in both, and wants to share her thoughts and advice with the lovely people of the internet :)

Ciao for now!

~ C xxx   

Reader's Block

Lately I've been trying to get back into reading a lot more after suffering from a severe case of reader's block. Since finishing University last year I, shamefully, haven't read nearly half as much as I used to. The course I studied was incredibly literature heavy - obviously, considering that it was an English Literature course - and I feel like the amount of required reading knocked me for six. I became so accustomed to powering through almost a book a week, and after graduating I felt as though I deserved some sort of break. But that break should definitely be over now.

The last book I finished was John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, on holiday last July, and it really was an amazing book. I knew there was a lot of hype around it before I picked it up, and it definitely lived up to said hype for me. I can't wait until the film comes out this year! :) However, since then, I haven't managed to pick up a book that has really grasped my attention. Above you can see part of the reading list that I've created for myself, and I am determined to get through at least these two piles by the end of the year. Most of these books are ones that I've picked up in charity shops or the book stand that is often set up in my local shopping centre. If anyone has read any of these, I'd be interested to know what you thought of them.

I have always been told that a good reader makes a good writer, and I firmly believe that. The more you expand your literary horizons, the more you open up your mind to so many different, amazing and unique pieces of writing, and I always feel so much more inspired to put pen to paper, or tap my fingertips on the keyboard whenever I'm reading a good book. Reading really gets your creative juices flowing, and I'm planning on fitting in a little time each day to just relax and read for a shirt while, and now that the days are longer and summer is closer I'll be able to make the most of time outside instead of being cooped up indoors. 

I would be interested to know if anyone has any book recommendations. There is still a considerable list of books that I want to buy, but I'm determined to push myself through the unread ones in my bookcase first. 

I'm excited to re-immerse myself in as many different stories as I can and, who knows, maybe it will give me some inspiration to start writing something a lot bigger myself :)

~ C xxx