colored hair care

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask – Rose

Swati · May 14, 2019 · 3 Comments

My friend is on her trip to US and I was browsing through Sephora to order a few things which my friend would bring back from her trip. That was when I came across the sephora hair sleeping mask range. Anything which promises to condition my hair, grow my hair or make it beautiful is always on top of my list.

In US, it is available at 5$ a piece but before ordering it in bulk, I thought I would give it a try. That was when I made the trip to Sephora Hyderabad for the first time. I picked up the sephora hair sleeping mask and their hand mask gloves. That was around 15 days back. And, now, I am back with a review for it. Was it worth it?

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask – Rose

Price : Rs 450 per piece

Availability : Sephora Online or Stores

My Review

I got the rose variant but I think I should have tried the coconut. It is far more moisturizing though I though rose would be a treat to the senses. I am happy to say the fragrance does not even bother or linger beyond a few seconds. Sephora hair sleeping mask is not a product which will make your headache right when you open the packet.

The sephora hair sleeping mask comes in a single pouch divided into conditioner and hair cap. Well, I love the hair cap. It is cute, made of cloth so very soft and washable and very light weight. You do not feel that you have put on anything on your head while sleeping which is extremely important for a good sleep.

Coming to the conditioner, the quantity is very less. No, for me, it lasted two uses but my hair length and volume are extremely low. If you have a good volume of mid waist length, sephora hair sleeping mask would probably cover the lower half of your hair. So, yes, for the price, the quantity is extremely insufficient. You might as well buy a hair mask and a cloth hair cap separately.

Anyways, getting back to the review, after combing my hair, I smoothened the conditioner on the lengths of my hair and I applied scalp treatment by Kaya. After securing the hair on top of my head so it does not get in the way of sleep, I put on the hair cap. As I mentioned earlier, it is extremely light weight and you would not feel it is there.

The problem with the hair cap is that it is small in size. For those with a good volume, the cap would cover only the bun of your hair and not the entire scalp defeating the purpose of letting the body heat allow for deeper hair conditioning overnight. It also does not stay at one place so I used a scarf to make sure no conditioner gets on my pillow.

Another disadvantage with the hair cap is the elastic, even though it is very soft, will dig into your hair line or forehead eventually by next morning which makes it inconvenient to use. The good thing about sephora hair sleeping mask is that its conditioner dries off in about 30 minutes so it does not really stick to the skin or clothes. But, I would definitely suggest a scarf over it.

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask - Rose, hair cap, sephora hair cap, cloth hair cap, how my hair looked — My hair is glossy and extremely soft to touch. Though it has turned greasy now after two days, the softness is just the same. The frizz was definitely less and volume at the crown was awesome! That lasted a day.

The next morning, you can shampoo and condition your hair as you do. My hair was bouncy and voluminous with defined curls. The ends were not looking that nourished but then I need a hair cut badly. My hair was shiny and glossy. The results were consistent for both uses and lasted for two days before they got greasy.

Now, please note that my hair is very fine even though it is dry so any deep conditioning would weigh it down eventually. And, it is very hot here so the scalp also gets greasy sooner. But, with regular use of the hair sleeping mask, I think hair would get more manageable and shinier in the long run. It is almost like getting a hair spa.

So, was the sephora hair sleeping mask worth it? Well, the idea is to allow those people who do not have much time to keep the conditioner on their hair for as long as possible. But, did you know that any product stops working on your hair after 2-3 hours? Same goes for this product as well.

Hair Sleeping Mask DIY

In fact, this is a good idea to nourish your hair once a week. Apply any of your favorite hair mask, not conditioner, on slightly damp hair or dry hair and let it dry for 30 minutes. Cover with the hair cap or a scarf whichever you prefer and go to sleep. Wash and style as usual the next day. It saves time, gets your hair spa-ready and the results are mind blowing.

Have you used any hair sleeping mask?

Have you heard about skin sleeping masks? My favorite is Laniege. Similar to the idea, I think hair sleeping masks are a great way to give yourself a hair spa and nourish your hair. The trick is to find the right hair mask. What do you think?

Protein for Hair : Why You Need It and When You Do Not?

Nayantara Karnik · December 7, 2016 · 11 Comments

Most of us know the importance of deep conditioning and moisture for our hair. We oil our hair on a regular basis and try to take good care of it, yet sometimes no matter what we do, it continues to be problematic. Assuming that you have no medical or health problems, your diet is reasonably good, you exercise regularly and try to stay healthy, it can be puzzling as to why these problems persist. In that case I’m here to tell you it could be because of a not-very-well-understood hair ingredient – protein for hair. Is your hair getting too much of it or not enough?

Who Needs Protein for Hair?

Our hair is made up of about 91% protein, including keratin which we often see in the hair product ingredients. It is also one of the major hair straightening treatments.

Now, what are proteins? Going back to school chemistry, proteins are larger molecules composed of chains of smaller amino acids.

In the modern world, our hair is exposed to styling, treatment and environmental damage or other stress which cause the hair structure to degrade beyond what our ancestors ever faced. Even though getting protein for hair from inside-out is the key and it should be sufficiently present in your diet, that may not be enough for your hair to remain in a healthy state.

How to take care of your post coloured dry hair? – My Hair Diary

Swati · February 29, 2016 · 11 Comments

cysteine infusion reviews and hair color — My Red Hair – way back in August

It has been 6 months since I got my dry hair coloured. The reds are the worst as they fade the fastest. That is how Katrina Kaif managed to spend 55L on the Chinar-esque shade she got which I absolutely fell in love with. My red lasted for 3 months and since then my hair is chocolate brown which is not too bad if I can say so.

In the long run, I can also claim that my dry hair is doing pretty well after the intensive chemical treatment it went through. But, yes, the post coloured dry hair care is an intensive process. You can let it go for even a week. I do slip off quite a many times and make up for it by getting a hair spa! Anyways, let me share what I did and did not do which you should do.

How to take care of your post coloured dry hair?

Shampoo less but not too Less

I have noticed in the past one year that my hair behaves best when washed on alternate days. The more I go without washing, more hair falls. Find out the optimum time your hair behaves well without shampoo and stick to that. Two should be good if you have normal hair but three is good for both oily and dry hair.

My Hair Diary – December 2015

Swati · January 6, 2016 · 3 Comments

When I was young, I remember my mum used to be very particular of not getting me a hair cut except from her own hands and needless to say she was not a hair stylist. I am not sure what is with old mindsets that there is something in the hands of the stylist which lends character to your hair.

What will you say about a person whose hand suited you first and later did not? Well, the same thing happened to me. The stylist I was so gaga about a few months ago is now on my hit list because of the most awful hair cut he gave me this month. Let me go in detail here.

my hair this month — As you can see, the color has faded off leaving a rich brown color in the hair. The roots have started showing long back. Before taking this pic, I had treated my hair with Schwarzkopf hair mask for around 15-25 minutes.

Highlights of the Post

November Hair Diary
December Hair Diary
How to choose your Hair Oil?
How to start Healthy Hair Growth?

My Hair Diary – November 2015

How is my hair doing?

So, this month was decent on my hair. I have to say that if you are chemically processing your hair but not really planning to take care of it, it is best to skip such treatments. The uncared hair grows even more frizzier and drier which is absolutely not recommended. And, can also be subjected to hair fall.

Cysteine Review

If you invest some time and energy into your hair care regimen, you can get as good hair as you would from Cysteine and then it would last for years together and not some few months!

And, as I said, I did not really take much care of my hair in fact. So, obviously, my hair did not do really well unless I did hair spa at home. But, doing hair spa (applying deep conditioner and leaving for 30 minutes after a shampoo) every time is really not feasible because of time issue and weather issue. It is not possible to sit with a wet head for that long, even in Hyderabad winters!

Pre-Wash Conditioning

So, I need to find a better way to deal with this issue this time. A pre-wash conditioner or mask which does not need water and does not create mess and also does not need washed hair. There is this Banjara’s hair mask, right? Do you have any other recommendations for me? I would love to get some so go ahead and let me know in the comments below.

My Hair Diary – October 2015

Swati · November 2, 2015 · 9 Comments

Wow. We are two months to a brand new year and we will all be one more year older! I think with age people do come to appreciate life more. This year has been very enlightening in that way. And, I can proudly say I shall be entering my 30’s. Now, I can relate to why people say 30’s are very liberating. You appreciate yourself, your thinking changes and you become evolved more than ever!

Anyways, coming back to the post, I did not write about how my hair did last month because by the time I was settled and ready to click pics, it was almost mid-October. The whole of October just went off in the anticipation of Mr. P’s cousin’s wedding and the chronic fatigue becoming a part of life again. It is funny how one can just go on continuously ignoring their health and advising others to not do the same!!

All the travels I have been doing since August has been taking toll on my hair. I have avoided washing my hair except just one place. I think Delhi has hard water because my hair never does well over there! So, the first thing I always do after coming back from lots of travelling is, no not getting a hair spa (I am sure that would be quite lovely and quite expensive as well!), getting a hair spa at home. This has been my routine for the past couple of months, precisely June since it is when I started taking care of myself again! And, it really works for me!!

Hair Spa

Aah..it is nothing special. Just shampoo, rinse twice. No vinegar this time because it would ruin the hair color, if you have any! I have to make sure to wash my hair once every 3-4 days. No, I am not really that diligent. I do get lazy. But, not washing my hair for 4-5 days in a row makes my hair fall because of the dirt so I try not to do it.

After the hair wash, I apply a generous quantity of Schwarzkopf Color Freeze Hair Therapy hair mask. And, sit for anywhere between 15-30 minutes.

Now, I always have one question – How much quantity of conditioner and hair mask is enough? I asked my stylist the same and he actually said a 5 rupee coin sized dollop which I can easily say is not that generous. Then, he added we can add an extra of another half dollop and that would be perfect.

I did try to follow his advise in the beginning and then I started getting bored of the products. So, started scooping a bit more. On second thoughts, I realize now that I am wasting the product unnecessarily and they do not come cheap! So, in case you have the same doubt, you can try this method and see if it works for you.

My Hair Diary – July 2015

Swati · August 7, 2015 · 20 Comments

So, I have already shared that I got my hair colored (though I have to say that the pic was blurred)! Let us see how my hair is doing after that.

And, yes, you should definitely check out Drishyam movie if you have still not! I have not seen the regional version of it but of course such characters are just written for Ajay Devgan in hindi movies and he has nailed it again 🙂 As usual, Tabu is a treat to watch!

Cysteine Treatment

So, it has been two months since my cysteine treatment. Okay, let me confess here. I did once did a set back on my hair by using another shampoo than the one prescribed to me and it DID spoil my hair. So, when I went back to using the regular deFab products which I have already reviewed, my hair went back to normal and was no longer bad!

And, then, a week later, I found time to visit my stylist and got my hair colored and scheduled an organic hair spa with Moroccan Oil products. Honestly, I am not very sure about the hair spa because I have not seen a dramatic difference for the price I paid! So, it was a bummer for me but then I have prepaid for 3 sessions and two more are left so I am kind of stuck with it.

Anyways, coming back to the cysteine, the hair spa and going back to the prescribed products made my hair as soft and silky and frizz free as it was in the starting days of the treatment. And, yes, you do have to take care of your hair even then. The only thing you can not do is oiling otherwise you can apply hair masks and wash it regularly and keep it gorgeous which takes a little maintenance.

And, even after two months, my hair is doing fairly well and I have not noticed any difference. Only I probably have to say that hair colouring might have dried up the hair a bit which means more conditioning or more maintenance.

Do I recommend it?

Honestly, only after 2 months is a little too early for me to recommend because the treatment is supposed to stay for at least 4-6 months which I am not yet sure. But, looking at the results right now, I am more likely to recommend it. I will say bear with me for 6 more months and I shall deliver my verdict 🙂

How to use Henna and Indigo to naturally darken brown Hair?

Nayantara Karnik · July 22, 2015 · 48 Comments

Since I hit my 30s, I’ve been noticing greys creeping up one by one. Maybe not 50 shades, but enough to be noticeable! Sadly, most of them turn up around the crown of my head and end up being very visible. Ever since I decided to grow out my hair, I’ve been trying to take care of it better and part of that was to stop using chemical dyes on it.

I just got tired of the whole cycle of getting damaged and split ends, cutting it then wondering why I wasn’t able to grow it out. So around 3-4 years ago I decided to start using henna. My henna of choice is the one by Shahnaz Hussain, and I’ve been happy with it. I actually like the smell and love the way it conditions my hair.

But, from 8-10 greys or so, I now have loads more…sigh, the perils of ageing!! And, I really detest those bright orangey-red threads running though my hair. I literally had nightmares of my whole head turning a ghastly orange. After the usual internet research, I found there were 2 options to naturally colour hair dark-brown to black, though it doesn’t seem to be used commonly in India. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Both these methods involve the use of indigo, and as fate would have it, when I happened to step into the local organic store a few days later, I spotted it on the shelf, so picked up a pack. This is the one that I’m using, and it’s available on flipkart and amazon, probably other sites too. Since then I’ve used it twice, and I did get better results the 2nd time I used it. Just like plain henna, it builds up colour with each use.

By the way this is the same indigo used to dye denim, and it can’t be used on it’s own, it’s always used in combination with henna. So, if you would like to know how to use it, read on ladies (and gents)!

So, the thing about the indigo molecule is that it literally needs the henna to hold onto the hair shaft and they are used together either as a 1-step or 2-step process. In a 2-step process, you get a deep blue-black colour, which I understand colours even lighter toned hair and the 1-step gives you a deep auburn to dark-brown shade.

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask – Rose

Sephora Hair Sleeping Mask – Rose

Price : Rs 450 per piece

Availability : Sephora Online or Stores

My Review

Hair Sleeping Mask DIY

Have you used any hair sleeping mask?

Related Posts:

Protein for Hair : Why You Need It and When You Do Not?

Who Needs Protein for Hair?

Related Posts:

How to take care of your post coloured dry hair? – My Hair Diary

How to take care of your post coloured dry hair?

Shampoo less but not too Less

Related Posts:

My Hair Diary – December 2015

My Hair Diary – November 2015

How is my hair doing?

Cysteine Review

Pre-Wash Conditioning

Related Posts:

My Hair Diary – October 2015

Hair Spa

Related Posts:

My Hair Diary – July 2015

Cysteine Treatment

Do I recommend it?

Related Posts:

How to use Henna and Indigo to naturally darken brown Hair?

Related Posts: