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With lockdown 2.0 upon us, unless you were lucky enough to squeeze in an appointment, you may well need to get some essential treatments done at home.
Here are a few of the treatments I have tried, which in some cases will replace actually going to a salon for me even in the future!
Brazilian hair smoothing
Many people think that Brazilian hair treatments are all about straightening but this is not the case. I have very curly hair naturally, but even with these treatments I still keep a natural wave to my hair. Or if I wish to straighten it, it is much easier. The products are designed to mainly smooth and reduce frizz. My hair tends to go crazy when it’s humid. If you have ever seen the Friends episode with Monica on holiday, that is pretty much what mine does!
A salon treatment usually costs up to £200, sometimes more. This is mainly due to the time it takes rather than the cost. The OWow kit costs £39.90 for the basic smoothing treatment or £54.95 for the smoothing treatment plus shampoo and conditioner.
I initially went for the full kit, but have now reordered the basic kit. To use the treatment you will need straightening irons and sectioning clips of some sort.
I found the kit fairly easy to use, although the straightening part was quite tedious. To start off with you section your hair and saturate each section in the solution. Then you wait 40-50 minutes when you then rinse it off, before drying and straightening your hair. Each section of hair has to be straightened 6 times which is, to be honest, a bit of a pain. Some people post lockdown may want to pay the extra for someone else to do it. For me, I find the salon process a bit boring, so being able to do this while watching TV, listening to music or a book, makes it more enjoyable at home (and have a glass of wine!).
I found that it did not last quite as long as they suggested (3 months) but then it’s the same for me with professional treatments which I would normally get every 2 months.
Overall I would definitely recommend this in or out of lockdown. The product is effective and easy to apply if you follow instructions. It’s just a bit laborious and time-consuming.
You can find more information and purchase Owow with a 10% discount here.
Alternatively, if you use TopCashback you would get Owow with 24.75% cashback.
Hollywood Smoother dermaplaning
Prior to lockdown, I had regular dermaplaning treatments but I have now continued them at home. So what is dermaplaning? Dermaplaning uses a painless blade to scrape away facial hair and remove the build-up of dead skin cells. It gets rid of what most of us would call peach fuzz on the sides of your face, but it’s not ideal for areas you may usually wax such as the upper lip. It will remove the hair but effectively you are shaving it so it will come back feeling courser due to the blunt end and much quicker than waxing. You may find it best to wax a few days before instead. The treatment gives baby soft skin which absorbs products much better and looks less dull.
I tried the Hollywood Smoother which uses sonic technology as most of the home kits do. I was a little nervous given that salons use a sharp fine blade to scrape the skin. However, most treatments for the home have guards in place on the blades which make it very difficult to cut yourself.
I found that it was not nearly as effective as a salon treatment and I had to go over each area twice. However, you can do it every two weeks, unlike a salon where it is recommended every 4 weeks.
I actually can live with the less effective removal as it is very quick to do even with having to go over an area twice. The whole thing only takes around 15-20 minutes maximum and was very simple once you got the right angle of the blade.
I would now probably not go back to a salon for this due to the amount of time and money this device saves me. You can buy replacement blades easily on sites that sell the Hollywood Smoother. The device comes in a range of colours and costs around £49.95. My local salon charges £55 for one treatment although it does also include a short face mask treatment.
You can buy the Hollywood Smoother from Amazon or Look Fantastic.
Gel Nail kit
I often have gel nail colour treatments at my local salon and I have still continued to do this once lockdown has ended. In lockdown or other situations where you can’t get to a salon, it is very useful to have a gel system at home. The one I am using is called Red Carpet Manicure. I purchased the starter kit which comes with a huge amount in it:
Kit contains: Professional LED Light (with timer function). PURIFY Pre & Post Application Cleanser (59ml,) PREP Max Adhesion Sanitizer (9ml), STRUCTURE Base Coat Gel (9ml), BRILLIANCE Seal & Shine Top Coat Gel (9ml), ERASE Gel Nail Polish Remover (59ml) REVITALIZE Nourishing Cuticle Oil, LED Gel Polish (9ml) in Creme de la Creme, 20 Remover Wraps, 20 Lint Free Wipes, 5 Orange Wood Sticks, 1 Cuticle and Pro Buffing Stick .2 Adhesive Buffing Tap Strips and 1 Emery Board.
The kit has everything you need to do a manicure at home. Like the hair treatment, I find that manicures are quite time-consuming in a salon but with a home kit, I can do it in front of the TV.
It does take a couple of attempts to perfect the technique, but it is not really much harder than painting with normal polish. There are a lot of steps but most are extremely quick. I didn’t find it lasts as long as a salon, but it does normally last 7-10 days.
The Red Carpet brand have been going a long time. I have had my kit for at least 5 years so they are not likely to disappear meaning you can’t get more supplies. They have a huge range of colours, with new ones every season.
One of my favourite autumn/winter shades is this gorgeous deep burgundy shimmer called Glamspiration.
You can buy the starter kit, colours, and replacements for the other products direct from Red Carpet Manicure, and at the moment they have 30% off until the end of November 2020 with the code: NOV30.