Coco & Eve Like A Virgin Hair Masque

I first came across Coco and Eve’s hair mask on Instagram after seeing a flurry if posts about this apparent ‘miracle’ worker.

Women with thick, long or damaged hair were raving about it in their droves, claiming it had restored vitality, health and shine to their locks.

As the owner of long, damaged hair myself I was intrigued and despite its fairly hefty price tag, I decided that the testimonials were too hard to ignore and that I just HAD to try it for myself.

I promptly ordered a pot of their Like A Virgin Hair Masque which comes beautifully presented in a cute little box along with a free, matching 2 tiered bristle brush.

At £34.90 it was an expensive treat but as it is designed to be used just once or twice a week for oily  hair like mine I thought it would last some time and the results would be worth the initial investment.

Marketed as a 5 in 1 treatment it claims to restore dry damaged hair, improve your hairs texture and shine, hydrate and deeply condition, treat split ends and tames frizz and transform your hair in only 10 minutes.

Formulate with raw virgin coconuts from Bali, the mask claims to add shine and softness to the hair while strengthening and repairing to preventing hair breakage and split ends. The coconut penetrates deep into your hair follicles to help promote a healthy scalp and prevent problems such as dandruff.

Essence of fig and shea butter work to moisturise and help detangle the hair without making it heavy or weighing it down, Linseed improves the gloss and texture so it’s silky soft to the touch and Argan Oil treats split ends and tames frizziness, to make your hair more manageable, adding gloss and shine to give hair vitality.

The mask itself smells as incredible as you may expect. Think of a sweet, tropical breeze with notes of fig and coconut. It’s just a gorgeous, soft, mellow scent and I couldn’t wait to have hair that smelt so delicious!

Thick, creamy and rich in texture, the mask is almost the consistency of a body butter. Indeed, when 

applying the mask to my hair it felt like I was putting a moisturiser on my hair!

Applied to the lengths of my hair avoiding my scalp, I applied a generous dollop and used the accompanying brush to gently distribute the product evenly through my hair. Truthfully, almost immediately after applying it I could feel a difference in my hair.

I usually try not to brush my hair when wet for fear of causing breakages or damaging it further, but once the mask was in my hair the brush pretty much effortlessly glided through my hair, probably in part thanks to the brush’s 2 tiered bristle technology which aids detangling with minimal breakage, but I could definitely already feel an improvement.

I left the mask on for 10 minutes as stated then rinsed and oh my I knew I was in for a treat. Even while still wet I could feel the difference to the texture of my hair.

Once blow dried I noticed that my split ends which usually would feel coarse now felt silky and smooth and even before I used my straighteners my hair shone.

Once straightened I was the proud owner of rejuvenated, silky, shiny and gorgeous hair that smelt as good as it looked.

As promised the mask hadn’t weighed my hair down but had left it feeling the healthiest it had felt it years and looking just as impressive.

I was genuinely really, really impressed.

This wonder mask is easily as good as any intensive treatment you may have in a hair salon, only you have the pleasure of being able to use it from the comfort of your own home and I cannot impress upon you more how gorgeous it leaves your hair smelling.

I did find however, that my hair may have become slightly greasier quicker than usual. I initially put this down to the product however I soon realise that it had more to do with the sheer amount of time I spent brushing and caressing my silky new locks than the mask!

If you have long, damaged, coarse or frizzy hair and long for silky, soft hair that shines with radiance then honestly you need to try Coco and Eve’s Like a Virgin Hair Masque. 

No, its not cheap but unlike many other products out there with impressive claims and no substance, this lovely genuinely works.

Coco and Eve’s Like a Virgin Hair Masque is available now from their website.

Go Bananas for The New Body Shop Range

Go Bananas for The Body Shop’s 100% vegan new special edition range.

I literally couldn’t be more excited about this new collection. I LOVE the scent of bananas and for YEARS I’ve loved their banana shampoo and conditioner so I was elated when I heard that they were expanding the banana range!

As you know I’m sucker for all things fruity and sweet so it’ll come as no surprise that I can’t get enough of the addictive aroma of ripe banana, sweet banana leaves and creamy, woody coconut that this collection features.

You can now experience the delectable aroma in the form of a Body Yoghurt (£8.50), a Shower Cream (£5), Body Butter (£15), two fab gift sets and of course the old faithful Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner (£6.50 each) along with the Intensive Hair Mask (£12).

Each product in the range has been enriched with community fair trade organic banana puree from Ecuador and the collection truly does smell good enough to eat and unlike many other banana scented products which can smell quite synthetic and chemically, these bad boys smells uh-mazing!

I’m addicted to the rich, creamy, frothy shower cream which leaves your bathroom smelling incredible after a hot shower! It gently cleanses your skin while leaving behind a sweet, bananary aroma!

At a fiver it’s a steal too!

The thick, decadent body butter is just a joy to use. Formulated for normal to dry skin (though definitely suitable for all) this creamy butter melts into your skin leaving even the driest patches feeling soft and nourished while imparting its signature scent that linger on the skin for hours.

My kids love coming for cuddles when I’m smothered in this bad boy!

An oldie but a goodie is the Truly Nourishing Hair Mask. This mask actually feels like you’re applying pureed bananas to your hair on account of its rich, thick texture. 

Formulated without mineral oils or silicones, this weekly treatments features a blend of Community Trade natural-origin ingredients including organic banana puree and Brazil nut oil from Peru.

Enriched with Brazilian cupuaçu this decadent treatment instantly nourishes hair from root to tip, helping to calm frizzyness and impart a healthy shine without weighing it down.

I love using this as a weekly treat as my locks are left smelling delicious for at least an entire day after use!

Also new to this collection are two cute and playful gift sets, including this Banana Pop Special Edition Selection Pouch (£20).

  

This banana-rific set features a Banana Shower Cream, Banana Body Butter and an exclusive Shower Cap all housed within the most awesome banana pouch! 

A must have for all Body Shop Banana fans like me, the pouch and cap are adorned with the same colourful, playful prints as the rest of the collection and just screams ‘fun’!

So, if like me you are bonkers for bananas then you need to head over to The Body Shop now and stock up before its too late!

Meet SheaMoisture

You may not have heard of a brand called SheaMoisture so please allow me the pleasure of introducing you to it.

This U.S. natural beauty brand create beauty products that are organic, sulfate free, paraben free and cruelty free.

They contain no paraffin or mineral oils and are made with love while pioneering fair trade through community commerce at home and abroad.

Sounds good huh? Well they’ve just launched four collection from their award winning hair care range in Boots so I figured I ought to give them a try!

I tried out the Raw Shea Butter Extra Moisture Retention Shampoo (£10.99), Raw Shea Butter Restorative Conditioner (£10.99) and the Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Multi Benefit Hair Masque (£12.99).

I expected both the shampoo and conditioner to have a rich, sweet scent to them, I’ve no idea why but I was surprised to discover that they barely had any scent at all, which was fine by the way it just surprised me.

Despite being designed for damaged hair the shampoo is surprisingly light, not heavy at all and gently lathers leaving your hair feeling clean and soft without being stripped and squeaky.

It contains trace minerals from Sea Kelp help to detoxify and remove impurities and residue and argan oil  with shea butter to nourish your scalp and hair.

The conditioner reminded me of a body lotion, not just because of its pump dispenser but in texture too which worried me to begin with!

It is rich, thick and creamy and features the same nourishing ingredients as the shampoo. I applied it through the ends of my hair sparingly, left it for a few mins then rinsed off.

One of the things I noticed immediately after using both products was how soft my hair felt. I always struggle to get a brush through my damp hair to some extent but I actually found it somewhat easier after using this duo.

Once my hair was dry it DEFINITELY felt softer, particularly at the ends which can often be a tad fried and frizzy.

I normally enjoy heavily scented haircare products but I found myself enjoying the clean and fresh scent that this shampoo and conditioner gave me instead. 

After using both products for a week or so I also noticed that while I don’t suffer with dandruff I do occasionally get some dry, flaky patches on my scalp. Well I’m pleased to say that these were far less noticeable, undoubtedly helped by the gentle formula and nourishing ingredients within the shampoo and conditioner, which I think is pretty impressive.

Now, the crazily long named Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Multi Benefit Hair Masque is a BIG winner in my home now and has quickly become one of my must have beauty products, which surprised me because I normally don’t bother with hair masks.

This intensive, antioxidant-rich treatment has been designed to help with an array of haircare issues.

It is designed ultimately to treat damaged hair while providing anti-aging benefits, color protection, hydration, nourishment, rejuvenation, strength, anti-stress, deep conditioning, softness and shine. 

Anti ageing for your hair? Who knew! It is meant to be able to counteract the signs of aging by nourishing your scalp with a Superfruit Complex and infusing your hair with ultra-moisturizing Marula Oil and Biotin.

The mask contains a fruit complex blend of Red Raspberry Ketone, Goji, Acai and Guava Extracts rich in anti-aging antioxidants. It also contains Marula Oil with its natural plant peptides to help support hair’s elasticity and Biotin to nourish individual strands for thicker, stronger hair.

Now this product does have a fragrance and it is beautifully light, fresh and fruity, everything I like!

It is creamy and thick and easy to use- just apply to the length of your hair, leave for 5 mins then rinse off.

My hair was left feeling beautifully soft and nourished and once dried, shiny, sleek and not at all weighed down.

It is a real pleasure to use and I’ve been dipping in once a week to a give my hair a bit of a boost.

So, if you enjoy natural products free from nasties and exploring new brands then head over to Boots now to take a look at this trio long with the rest of the collection.