Tattoo101

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I love tattoos and I love my own tattoos.  I do, however, come from a very conservative Christian family, so there were a lot hurdles I encountered when I began my body art journey (and still do).  This post is just a little summary of my experience thus far and the important lessons I’ve learnt along the way. 

Lesson #1: Don’t jump the gun

I was 19 when I got my first tattoo.  Yes, I got a butterfly, yes, it was a rash decision, no, I did not intend for it to have a tribal vibe, and no, I do not regret it entirely.  I got my next two tattoos only 8 years later, when I was 27, and my most recent this year. 

Tattoos are expensive and painful, but tattoo removal is even more expensive and even more painful.  You need to be 100% certain that what you are having done is something you will love as much in 60 years time as you do the day you have it done. 

My personal advice to anyone who asks is “never get a tattoo in your teens or early 20’s”.  This obviously would not apply to every person, but I personally feel that my best decisions have been made since I turned 27.  Like I said, I don’t regret getting my butterfly when I was 19, but I also wish that I’d waited a little longer and given the design more thought. 

Lesson #2: Do your research

This, again, is a lesson from my first tattoo.  I basically waltzed into a tattoo shop, picked a butterfly from a flip file on the counter and waited for my tattoo artist to finish eating her pie before she worked on me. 

I’m not saying you won’t get the design you want from a sample book in a tattoo shop, but realistically, whatever you have in your head is always going to be quite different to something else on paper (unless you saw it somewhere else). 

If you have a specific idea in mind, spend some time online.  If there are plenty ideas that are similar, don’t be afraid to ask your artist to tweak the designs to make it perfect.  

Also, research your artists.  Don’t expect a tattoo artist who specialises in Japanese designs to be able to pull off a life-like portrait of your grandmother on your arm (I’m not saying that they can’t do it – I’m just saying you should check that they can). 

More importantly, be aware of the price.  When it comes to tattoos, you get what you pay for.  Tattoo artists spend hundreds of hours as apprentices, practising their craft before they bring a needle anywhere near human skin.  They are within their rights to charge upwards of R3500 for large pieces, because of the amount of time and effort they have invested in their career.  Don’t be a cheap ass.

Lesson #3: Trust your artist

Like I said, your tattoo artist has (ideally) spent hundreds of hours practising, so he/she knows a lot more than you do.  If you ask for a design and they tell you that certain elements cannot be done, it’s because it won’t work.  Arguing with them is kind of like you telling your doctor what medication you require.  You are not qualified.  Either adapt to the compromise that any decent artist will offer you or ask your second cousin to tattoo you in your garage and be sorry in a month. 

Lesson #4: Aftercare is everything

It’s no good finding a tattoo artist who can give you the most amazing art on skin and then you don’t follow the aftercare instructions. 

My artist recently told me about a guy who had work done on his forearm and walked out of the shop, took off his wrap and went straight to a bar, where he spent the night leaning on the bar and had the tattoo slapped twice.  Needless to say, he got a bacterial infection and now the tattoo is ruined. 

Aftercare instructions differ slightly between tattoo artists but there are some golden rules:

1. Keep your tattoo wrap on for the first few hours after.  You have just had your skin repeatedly pierced with a needle.  Any unnecessary exposure to unsterile conditions is risky and dumb. 
2. Keep your tattoo clean.  Like I said, you’ve just stabbed yourself with a needle a million times.  Wash the area thoroughly with soap and hot water to prevent any infection.  I use a face cloth that I don’t use for any other purpose and wash my tattoo with soapy fingers, dabbing the area with the face cloth to rinse it.  Just make sure your hands are clean. 
3. Keep your tattoo moisturised.  Your tattoo is only going to look as good as the skin it’s on.  Also, dry skin can result in your new tattoo scabbing and cracking, which can damage the quality of the tattoo if they are picked off before they’re ready, and it’s going to be very difficult to not scratch them off because dry skin is itchy.  You can use any fragrance-free cream or special tattoo aftercare cream.  I personally prefer Bennett’s Baby Bum Creme because it’s fragrance-free, ultra-moisturising and contains zinc oxide, which promotes skin healing. 

Lesson #5: It’s your body

Like I said, I come from a very conservative home so making the choice to celebrate art on my body was heavily frowned upon (but my cousin has his ex-girlfriend’s initial on his neck, so at least I’m not that bad).  At the end of the day, though, it’s my body and I think what I’ve put on it is absolutely beautiful.  I really don’t care what anyone else thinks of it (though it’s always nice for it to be appreciated). 

At the same time, you do need to be mindful of placement.  As much as society is warming up to free expression of individuals in the workplace, you’re probably not going to be hired with a face tattoo (unless you’re a tattoo artist, maybe).  I work in HR and enforce policy, including dress code, so even though I love my art, I need to wear sleeves to work and tuck my septum piercing up before meetings.  The line between professionalism and creativity is very thin, however, in recent times but I’m not sure corporate is ready for septum rings and neck tattoos. 

If you’re looking to get a tattoo, I really hope this article helped you in your decision.  Tattoos require a large amount of thought and consideration, as well as objective information.  

On a subjective note, I would  recommend my tattoo artist, Mike, at Cyberskin in Randpark Ridge, if you are keen to get some work done and you live in the Johannesburg area.  I trust Mike entirely (not only because he went to school with my mom and knows she'll break his knees) with my skin and have never been disappointed by any of his work.  

Wishing you love and light until next time ♡♡♡

PS.  Not all of these images are my own.  I've used photos from Google image search.  If any of these photos are yours, please send me a private message on my socials and I'll credit you.  

A.Fox Studio

I was lucky enough to be invited by Tammi and Thabiso from Establishd to the media launch of A.Fox Studio in Fairmount, Johannesburg this past Saturday and while I obviously did some research on the place beforehand, I was just not prepared for what I encountered. 

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of my visit, I just want to start by saying that Alina Kuzmenko, the owner of A.Fox Studio, is one of the loveliest humans I’ve ever encountered and has such an inspirational story about the founding of her studio.  Alina came to South Africa from the Ukraine around 4 years ago, after Russia invaded the country.  She packed up her family and settled here, where she started working at other salons as a nail technician. 

Eventually, Alina found a way to open her own salon – with all the bells, whistles and standards of an Eastern European salon in sunny SA.  She told me how the landlords of the space that she had wanted for her salon (which she is currently in) had denied her proposal on the basis that the centre already had a nail salon.  Alina described how she had barged in on a board meeting with her proposal and samples of her work, declaring loudly that she is an artist not a nail technician and she knew her business would be a success. 

And here we are. 

First of all, can we talk about how luxurious this nail salon is?  The navy and royal blues with metallic accents spoke to my actual soul and I was instantly in awe.  I absolutely love that Alina thought of the little capes with the ribbons because she works with machines to buff nails and she didn’t want to ruin outfits. 

One wall is adorned with trophies and others with nail art on another level to anything I’ve seen in Johannesburg (Muffins, the self-proclaimed expert :’D). 

On the counter, in a glass case like a Fabreges egg, are tiny acrylic sculptures that Alina created for competitions.  Alina has 96 first place prizes for nail design competitions around the world.  It was probably at this stage that I realised that I was fairly out of my depth as a beauty blogger. 

As the first person to arrive, Alina gave me a personal tour of the salon.  She explained to me that her studio is a cut above the rest for two reasons: firstly, her nail design is unique in South Africa and secondly, she invested thousands into a sterilisation room for all her instruments.  Coming from the Kiev, Ukraine, around 3 years ago, Alina found that South African salons did not have the same sterile standards as those of Eastern Europe.  So when she opened her salon, she made it a priority. 

I should probably interject at this point with a shameful admission: I took photos of everything except the sterilisation room and then my battery died.  So I can’t show you, but I can tell you.  All instruments are sterilised three times before they are individually sealed for each customer.  This way, your nail artist opens sterile instruments in front of you each time you go.  Nail files are disposed of or given to the customer.  Alina will only keep your file if you are a regular customer and she will only use it on you.  As someone with obsessive compulsive behaviours, this part of the salon spoke to me on a truly spiritual level. 

Other services provided by the salon included nail art design and other courses, as well as permanent makeup and lash extensions.  

Alina did my nails personally during my visit.  I told her I like blush pink, navy blue, glamourous things and evil eyes/religious iconography.  I told Alina to show me what she could do.  Well, ladies (and gentlemen, erm, Mark), Alina went for the kill and gave me the nails of my dreams. 

First of all, Alina uses a machine to buff your nails and painlessly lift your cuticles.  I personally cringe when I see that little wooden stick coming out at a nail salon.  This was completely pain free. 

Secondly, she doesn’t use tips and sculpts the acrylic by hand, like you see in Instagram videos.  Every singly nail on my hand was individually sculpted by Alina and her little brush. 

She copied the evil eye design from a photo I found on Pinterest freehand as well. 

If you die for those nail art videos on Instagram and Facebook, A.Fox Studio is definitely where you need to be getting your nails done.  I’ll be real about the price: they are not what you could call a budget salon, but at the end of the day, Alina and her ladies are not your run-of-the-mill nail technicians.  They are well-trained artists who cater to a very specific type of client.  If you’re looking for your typical gel-mani, I can recommend other places.  If you’re looking for a stand-out, one-of-a-kind, totally unique and supremely luxurious mani, look no further than A.Fox Studio. 

You can contact the studio on 0606040300 and find them in the Genesis Centre in Fairmount, just off George Avenue.  

Also, be sure to follow Alina on Facebook (@A.foxnails, @AlinaFoxacademy and @AlinaFoxArt) and Instagram (@a.fox_studio and @alina_foxsa).  

Wishing you love and light until next time ♡♡♡

I am a Feminist Pt3

I’m sure that any person listening to the mainstream media will have heard the terms “institutionalised” or “internalised” misogyny at some point.  In essence, we’re just putting names to problems before we’re addressing the actual problems.  Let’s have a look at what institutionalised and internalised misogyny actually are, so we can recognise them more easily and fix the issues directly. 

“Institutionalised” misogyny is where there are legal and societal barriers barring women from the same access to certain facilities and care that are accessible to men.  I must make it clear that this type of misogyny is not necessarily intentional and therefore, despite its adverse affects on women, is not always created with the sole purpose to suppress women. 

An example of unintentional “institutionalised” misogyny is the luxury tax applied to women’s menstrual products.  This is not a problem specific to South Africa but to most of the world.  Basically, sanitary pads and tampons are VAT applicable and therefore we pay an elevated price on a bodily function that we have no control over.  Conversely, male condoms are handed out like pamphlets at a robot for free, while sex is actually optional and you can actually not do it.  I don’t believe equity was a vague consideration because the distribution of condoms was in response to the alarming increase in HIV diagnoses and was done so to prevent the spread further, which was in the interests of all genders. 

I am pleased to announce, however, that Shoprite has pre-emptively deducted VAT from all its sanitary products, as per the Business Insider article (see it here).  Women’s menstrual health has been at the forefront of many initiatives recently, like during June/July 2018 at Dischem where it was possible to add packets of sanitary pads at cost to be donated to underprivileged schools. 

On the other hand, an example of intentional “institutionalised” misogyny would be Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal for women to drive cars or dress freely.  I am keenly aware that these countries operate on the principals of Islam and that their laws correlate with the Quran.  I am also aware that the majority of women in these countries are devout Muslims and are happy to submit to such laws.  It is only my personal view that these women should be legally able to do as they wished.  I accept that from a religious point of view, these women may have no need for the laws to be changed.  

“Internalised” misogyny is much more difficult subject to broach because to recognise it in yourself often requires a lot of introspect and self-discipline.  Internalised misogyny is enacted on an individual level, where a woman may undermine or discriminate against other women.  We’ve all done it: “OMG, Becky, look at her butt” or “you hit like a girl”.  Basically, it’s girl hate. 

While it may be difficult to recognise internalised misogyny because of the deep level of introspection required, it is easy to fix once we have come to terms with it.  It’s quite simple: don’t be an asshole. 

I hope this series has helped you in your feminist journey, wherever you may find yourself.  I am, however, very excited to get back to writing about some beauty and fashion fluff.  This women’s month has been quite heavy with all the research I’ve been doing into feminism for the series.  As important as it is, my soul needs a brief respite. 

Wishing you love and light until next time ♡♡♡

I am a Feminist Pt 2

Nothing irritates me quite as much as any person (regardless of gender) says “I’m not a feminist”, because taking into account the truest definition of the word “feminist”, they are basically saying “I don’t support equal rights for all genders”.  This post is how to respond to these haters and educate them appropriately because women’s rights are human rights.

source

“I’m not a feminist because I love men”

This is my absolute worst to the extent that I could eye roll myself into another dimension when someone says something as ridiculous as this.  Feminism is not about hating any one or disadvantaging any other group in favour of another.  As per my previous post (how’s that passive aggression), feminism is about removing barriers in society that disadvantage only one section in terms of gender.  It’s not about choosing to hire a woman because of her gender instead of a man with equal qualifications.  It’s about examining the applications without consideration of the applicants’ genders and making the exact same offer to the successful candidate.   

“I’m not a feminist because I’ve always known that the genders are equal”

This may shock a lot of people but, much like the rest of the world, it’s not about you.  You may be a strong, independent woman who has never experienced discrimination based on your gender because of your strong personality and/or your economic status and/or your race.  If you match this description, you are truly one of the luckiest women in the world.  That doesn’t mean, however, that such discrimination does not exist.  Being a feminist doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an equal rights activist and getting arrested during violent protests (heaven forbid).  Being a feminist means you make yourself aware of the discrimination that exists so that you can address it in whatever capacity suits you, whether it is joining a protest or just simply calling out inappropriate misogynistic “jokes” in your friend circle.  I am aware that women are as powerful as men in society but that doesn’t mean I will give up on all the women who have yet to firstly realise this and secondly establish this in their communities. 

“I’m not a feminist because I don’t believe that the women’s social issues of today, such as slut-shaming and cat-calling, are as legitimate as those of the first and second waves of feminism where it related to voting and having high-powered jobs”

Think of it this way: you go for a medical check up and the doctor finds that you have a cancerous tumour.  Does it matter if the tumour is the size of a jelly bean or an egg?  No, you still have cancer.  The same applies for women’s social issues: whether women are not able to vote or are sexualised by a man shouting “hey baby” across the street, their rights are still being infringed on (Please note, if you are a woman who is not offended by cat-calling, who appreciates the attention and can accept it as a compliment, you are fully entitled to do so and I certainly do not think any less of you; this is for the women who feel violated and uncomfortable, which they are also entitled to). 

In the few instances where I have been cat-called (I consider myself very fortunate to only have limited experience), I have felt very uncomfortable and undermined as a human being.  On one occasion, I was walking out of a shop and a man, in the middle of his group of friends, grabbed my arm to stop me to talk to me.  Did this man intend to make me feel violated and uncomfortable?  Probably not – he probably only wanted to talk to me.  However, his desire to engage with me and his action of forcing me to stop to talk to him undermined my right to not respond to him because of my discomfort of the situation I found myself in and I did not have the option to leave freely without potential conflict. Regardless of the severity of the infringement, my rights were still infringed upon.  Therefore, I am strongly of the view that cat-calling is still a legitimate social issue. 

This leads me to the next argument...

“I’m not a feminist because women are equally capable and/or responsible of infringing on the rights of men and/or other genders.”

Yes.

Women are assholes too.  Surprise, surprise. 

Get a grip.  Remember, women’s rights are human rights.  If a woman sexually harasses a man, if she sexually harasses a woman, or any other person of another gender, if she tells a rape joke, if she slut-shames another person, if she does anything to undermine the value and/or rights of another human being, she is guilty of anti-feminist behaviour. 

Being a feminist is not about targeting men.  It’s about addressing any discrimination, regardless of who is discriminating. 

I could go on for quite a while, because there are countless websites and articles online about why (mostly women sadly) are not feminists.  It’s so disheartening to see how people cannot reconcile themselves with feminism because of either their misunderstanding of feminism or the overshadowing of feminist values by their other views.

At the end of this all, I believe that the best response to someone who rejects feminism is simply this quote by Lena Dunham (who I actually don’t like in general), but it summarises the notion entirely:

Feminism is about every person’s autonomy to make their own decisions for themselves, to participate positively in society and to live freely however they choose, provided that they do not infringe on the rights of another person.  The only reason to ever argue with someone offering the arguments above is when said person is denying someone else their rights.  At worst, abandon the title ‘feminist’ for ‘humanist’, even though they are essentially synonyms. 

My next post is going to address institutionalised and internalised misogyny, aspects I feel are facets of feminism that are commonly misunderstood and misinterpreted in the application of feminist theory. 

I hope this series is helping you in your feminist journey, this Women’s Month.  In preparation of my posts, I have had numerous discussions and debates with the people around me and I have been burning my feminist torch brightly. 

Wishing you infinite love and light until next time ♡♡♡

I am a Feminist Pt1

Ah, August, the month South Africa goes women crazy and there is strict divide amongst my Facebook feed: those who don’t care, the radicals and the so-called but absolutely dreaded “meninists”.  This post is about why you should be in the fourth category: you should be a feminist. 

What is feminism?  

Feminism is equal treatment for all genders that extend far beyond the “male” and “female” categories. 

Maybe it’s my dark sense of humour but I absolutely love the irony of the word “feminism”, i.e. relating to females, the word used for the inclusion of all genders when the word itself excludes all but one.  The word was coined as far back as 1837 by Charles Fourier, a French Utopian Socialist and philosopher, at the beginning of what is called the first-wave of feminism where women began demanding suffrage.  We can discuss semantics another time though. 

What is a “meninist”? 

Meninists are men who hate feminism because they believe it to be the promotion of all other genders above that of their own.  Something to remember, if you ever have the misfortune of finding yourself in a debate with one of these people, is that these people perceive feminism to be a form of affirmative action or equity where previously disadvantaged people (let’s just stick to women for this post because race is another level that requires more attention on its own) are given more resources or favour due to their previous state of disadvantage. 

Feminism is about removing the barriers entirely that hindered certain groups from participating or benefiting.  For example, in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries during the first wave of feminism when women began demanding the right to vote, the barrier was the law that only permitted land-owning men to vote.  There was no disadvantage to men by allowing women to vote. 

How do you “do” feminism?  

The best part of feminism is that you can enjoy your own personal brand of feminism to suit you provided, of course, that your choices do not harm another human being.  You can be a feminist and stand for the rights of women escaping domestic servitude, and you can also be a housewife who raises children and cooks her husband dinner every evening.  You can wear bras all you want and still be a feminist. 

What you can’t do is hate on other people who have a different brand of feminism to yours.  It’s ok if you are the type of feminist who rejects make-up and beauty practices because of the unrealistic expectations it places on women and the consequent negative impact it has on their self-images.  It’s not ok for you to hate on a feminist who does want to wear make-up and do their hair and shave their arms.  You know, just for an example. 

What about the radicals?  

Unfortunately, as with any idea, there will always be those who take it one step further than necessary.  We live in a very unstable society, where one wrong word can cause endless grief for the person (although sometimes that’s a lesson some people need to learn – I’m looking at you, Vicky Momberg). 

I get particularly irritated with feminists who go on CNN and say they want words in the English language to be changed, like removing “son” from the word “person” or “men/man” from “women/woman”.  I get that words hold a lot of power and that in certain cases, changes have a positive impact (like street name changes honouring Apartheid freedom fighters).  

My problem though is that these women are fighting over words when there are girls in rural areas missing school and falling pregnant because they do not have access to the appropriate hygiene products and sexual healthcare.  They are fighting over words when every 26 seconds in South Africa, a woman is raped.  Theory is important but theory will not save the wife of an abusive husband or the victims of sexual trafficking.     

That being said, it is not my business how a person adopts and promotes feminism.  Yes, I think you’re a dummy for not using a platform like CNN to raise awareness for a more pressing cause, but you do you, honey boo boo.  

#notsarcasm #isitthough #whyamigivingpeopleadvice

In my next few posts, I want to explore different aspects of feminism.  In particular, my next post will focus on arguments that people have for not being feminists and how to respond appropriately.  I’d love to hear your opinions on this, so be sure to follow me on my socials below. 

PS.  Not you, Mark. 

Wishing you love and light, until next time ♡♡♡

L'Oreal Paris Longwear Shaping Stick Review

Maybe I’ve been a little withdrawn from the game, but I think that I’ve finally found a drugstore/pharmacy stick foundation for the South African market.  I recently discovered the L’Oreal Infallible Longwear Shaping Sticks at Edgars Mall of the South and let me just tell you, I have discovered a love for cream contouring. 

Packaging

The foundations come in 10cm long plastic tubes, holding 9g of product.  The design is exactly that of just an oversized lipstick tube that twists up. 

Formula

Obviously the formula of this foundation is going to be thick to be able to be set as a wind-up tube.  It requires a fair of amount of blending to achieve an even look. 

Coverage

Despite the other Infallible foundations providing a high degree of coverage, this foundation seems to fall a little short in comparison.  That being said, it is dependent on the amount of foundation you use and I have not been using a large amount of any makeup lately. 

Finish

This formula is also quite matte, but it’s not as extreme as the bottled formulae because obviously it has to be able to glide on the skin.  This also allows it to blend out like an absolute dream. 

Just be wary when setting it as it is quite thick and tends to settle in fine lines, but this is easily remedied by baking and then tapping your skin lightly with a beauty blender after spraying a setting spray.

Longevity

I am super impressed with the longevity of this foundation.  I wore this from Friday morning, around 7.30am, to Saturday morning, about 1.30am, and I was not disappointed.  The coverage was not perfect by late in the evening, but after dark, you get away with much more, so I’m calling this a definite win. 

Shade range

I’m always a little dubious of giving my opinion of shade ranges because I’m a fairly pale person, so it’s not difficult for me to find my own shade in any makeup collection.  However, from what I saw on the shelves, there were a number of different shades of varying tones and the L’Oreal Paris website shows a number of deeper tones too.  So I would say that the shade range is slightly above average, in terms of European foundation brands.  (Please tell me if I’m wrong on this – I’m fully aware that I’m very inexperienced when it comes to shade ranges). 

Price

I bought my foundation sticks for R144.95 each at Edgars, which I feel did not break the bank for me. 

Verdict

I would definitely recommend these if you’re on the hunt for a product that will make cream contouring a little easier.  I bought the shade 140 Natural Rosé and 210 Cappucino to contour with.  I use my beauty sponge to blend, but I’m sure a brush would work just as well. 

In the past, I have avoided cream contouring at all costs because of the previous products I used – I just found it too difficult to apply some of the cream products with a brush to my face.  It was either too little or too much. 

This stick has made it so much easier.  I can use the flat top for my forehead and jawline and then the thin edge of the product for my cheekbones and nose.  It’s also easy to apply more where necessary because it’s just a tiny dab of product and you’re good to go. 

Wishing you love and light until next time ♡♡♡

Dove One Wash Challenge and Trial with Friends with Beauty Bulletin

Now that life is back to normal, I can finally upload my review of some Dove products in conjunction with BeautyBulletin.  The whole purpose of the exercise was to try it out with a group of your friends because of the different hair types the products in the box were designed for and to also document the effects after just one wash.  I, however, do not like that many people and also love my mommy, which meant I was able to try all the products and give my own opinion on all of them. 

Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Shampoo and Dove Nutritive Solutions Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner

This was my first pick from my box of treasures because as a bleachy-blonde, I require as much moisture as I can add for my poor traumatised strands. 

My first wash included the Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Treatment Mask with these products and I was absolutely stunned.  In the almost 10 years of me bleaching my hair, my hair has never felt so soft.  It looked healthier and more natural than it has for the last 9 years. 

I then packed just the shampoo and conditioner for my recent trip away in the Drakensberg.  The containers are perfect for travel, because they’re fairly small and compact (though this does give rise to the adversity of the shampoo only having 250ml and the conditioner 180ml) and they were perfect for the dry winter air and quick, brushless blowdries. 

The only negative thing I could possibly say about these is that it does very little to protect my colour and keep brassiness at bay.  The only way I could regularly use the shampoo is if I follow it with a rinse of purple shampoo for my colour.

Dove Advanced Hair Series Oxygen Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner

While I did use these products, it didn’t really add that much volume to my hair since I have so much hair and it’s already weighed down a lot by the sheer quantity of it.  I gave these products to my mommy and my sister, both of whom struggle with fine, flat hair. 

Both reported that while the shampoo and conditioner gave them an initial boost in volume, it didn’t last very long at all.  I think my mom’s exact words were “my hair is pap in an hour”, which says a lot because my mom styled her hair exactly as she normally does, with a full blow wave, curlers and 3 litres of hair spray. 

Dove Nutritive Solutions Nourishing Oil Care Treatment Mask

If you have thick hair (or any kind of length in your hair), you know what a nightmare spider tangles are.  When my hair was at its longest, I was cutting these knots out because I just could not deal. 

Thanks to the review of another blogger on Instagram, I discovered that this mask doubles as a detangler, which is great at the end of a winter day when my spider knots are the worst after the underside of hair has rubbed along my scarf all day. 

Dove Nutritive Solutions Intensive Repair Treatment Mask

I found that this mask differed very little from the effect that the other two masks in the box had.  After using this mask, my hair was soft and sporting a healthy shine, just as the other masks.  I imagine that it contains other ingredients that would strengthen damaged hair (as the name suggests) but after using all the other masks, this one seemed a little redundant. 

That, of course, is a totally subjective opinion.  There is nothing wrong with the product itself, it provided exactly what it claimed to, but my hair has been ultra-conditioned now and the difference was unremarkable because of that. 

The last few weeks have been super busy and thankfully I had the opportunity to withdraw from the madness for a week and spend some time in the Drakensberg.  I’m not a travel blogger, but you can message me on Instagram (@justcallmemuffins) or comment down below if you’d like an attempt at a blog post on my trip.  

Wishing you love and light until next time ♡♡♡