The Secret to Great Looking Summer Hairstyles!

Summer Hair Style

How to wear your summer hair:

It's a glorious summer here in England, we're not quite sure why but were faced with a whole lot of new hairstyle options. It's time for summer hair styling and like many of you I like to keep it simple. Owing very much to it's practicality the up-do is a timeless classic that will always increase in popularity over the summer months and that certainly isn't about to change this year. Come on ladies... Who's got time for styling when you just want to be outside in the sunshine anyway!?

Photo: Maegan Tintari

Whether you're heading to and from the beach, reading by the pool, having fun at a festival and out socialising of a balmy evening my advice to you is to keep it simple with an easy updo! I'm talking, buns, pony's, plaits and braid's. 

A loose pony is great for keeping hair up out of your face and from your neck and whats more it will accentuate your cheekbones. I prefer a pony with plenty of volume at the crown. Pulling a pony too tight puts the hair under stress by stretching the hair and in some cases snapping it, so go easy. Use No inhibition 12 wonders to ensure your hair's elasticity is at its' greatest. A fantastic hair beauty product that does what it says on the tin, it'll even help protect your colour. 12 benefits, 1 product, what's not to love!?

The fishtail is a fantastic updo that can be worn tightly woven or with some sections gently teased out for a more laid back approach. They always look very sophisticated and elegantly elaborate yet with a little practice the fishtail is relatively simple to pull off...
Have a look to see how... click here!

Photo: Maegan Tintari

Dress it up and wear it out OR wear it low and loose, pull out a few pieces around your face to soften the overall look and feel of your hair. At this point a good volumising spray always comes in handy. I personally would recommend one with UV protection, on this occasion try: Montibello volumising root spray. Or you could always try the brand new No inhibition Matt volumising powder if you want the same medium to long-lasting hold with versatile flexibility in powder form.

Wear your updo with a silk scarf covering the tops of the ears, it is a perfect look for the summer with a nod to the 60's bohemian lifestyle and the French Riviera. Click here to be amazed by these beautiful reworked antique silk saris by a talented young Indian designer that will definitely catch your eye! Or... if you're embracing the return of the nineties then you could always go for a scrunchy!? 

Dress up or dress down a simple updo this Summer whether it is a Fishtail, a Messy bun or a classic Pony... you will be bang on trend.

Extending the (hair)style: 

Once you're ready to take the ponytail or braid out, start by pulling your hair apart and gently mess the braids up with your fingers whilst enhancing the loose strands of hair with an iron. Wear them down in loose beachy waves and finish with a light to medium hold hairspray: Milkshake lifestyling Open Air Hairspray 500ml  Open Air Hairspray offers a light and manageable hold, it is good for your hair and is conscious of the environment. When pulling apart the braids, take care to avoid creating knots, easier said than done, I know. Try using Macadamia Healing oil Argan infused comb that's great for detangling and fighting frizz, which works wonders when used alongside Macadamia Healing Oil Spray to replenish the vitality and moisture lost whilst you were having fun in the sun and the sea.

Repair Your Hair

Are you suffering from dry and damaged hair? Well, you're not alone! So many of us damage our hair with over colouring, overuse of heat appliances, too much time in the sun, too much time in the swimming pool, and so on. With the right actions and the right products this damage can be repaired!

Are you tired of trying out supermarket brand or semi-professional products aimed at 'dry and damaged hair' and not getting the results you want? Well now's the time to perhaps spend and research a little more and get the professional products which really will repair your hair! To make this task a little easier for you, we have done the research oursleves. So here are a few of the products we found:

Shampoo:

• Keratin Complex Care Shampoo is specifically aimed at dry and damaged hair and succeeds in giving salon results. This shampoo will gently cleanse your hair and therefore leave behind all the natural nutrients in your hair. Rather than strip your hair of its natural moisture and nutrients, this product works with them to restore your hair to full health. This shampoo will leave your hair naturally healthy, soft and easy to manage.

• Milkshake Intensive Conditioning Shampoo. This is a cheaper option but will also give wonderful results for damaged hair. Perhaps use this product for less severly damaged hair as it will help hair maintain its natural moisture and gently cleanse hair. This shampoo uses all natural ingredients and is perfect for daily use in the Summer. Our hair naturally suffers more in the Summer months so use this Milkshake shampoo to restore any moisture you may have lost during those long Summer days.

Conditioner:

• Joico Hair Moisture Recovery Conditioner For Dry Hair. This conditioner, made using sea kelp and marine captured ingredients, will hydrate your hair after only a few uses. A great conditioner for regular use to maintain moisture. Perfect for hair that is constantly dry and difficult to brush and style. This product will add the right amount of moisture to leave hair soft, manageable, and beautifully bouncy!

• Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner. A miracle conditioner for dry/damaged hair!! Well worth the money for hair that really is in need of a quick, moisture-filled fix. Give your hair a real treat with this wonderfully fragrant and nourishing conditioner. You'll be amazed!

Bonus Product:

Milkshake Active Milk Treatment Mask. Give your hair a glorious shine with this Milkshake treatment! Designed to bring dry, damaged and lifeless hair back to life. If you're hair is really suffering, replenish it with Milkshake's Treatment Mask which uses natural ingredients such as milk proteins, vitamins, rice and avocado oils.



Give it a go!



Picture by Lucas Lopez on Flickr, used gratefully under a Creative Commons Licence!

How to Get the Beach Hair Look - 5 Amazing Tips!

Create your very own beach look hair!

Ever wished you could hang on to those beach moments for a little longer? -Well now you can with our handy tips and versatile products.

We all know how great our hair looks after a dip in the sea and as straightforward as this sounds,  we are all not blessed with homes on the coast and we can't all afford a trip to the sea every few days. So, we need a simple alternative.

Photo: Ian Norman

In this entry I'm going to suggest some very simple tips and some great hair products to help create that surfer-style hair.
Holiday hair?! We can even turn this expression into a positive one... say goodbye to frizzy holiday hair and say hello to beautiful beach-look hair...

• Tip number 1: Use an uplifting shampoo
  Why not try Montibello Densi Volume Shampoo. This fantastic product is designed to give your hair a lift. Densi volume is a redensifying volume shampoo that reinforces and moisturises the hair fibre providing your hair with more body and volume. If you want to give your hair a boost, this is the shampoo for you!


Another great shampoo which would be perfect for your beach-look hair is Milkshake No Frizz Glistening Shampoo Oil. Apply this every day use shampoo for frizz free hair. The natural ingredients used in this product nourish your hair with vitamins A, D and E. So if you want hair that's prepared to fight the humidity of long Summer days, use this nourishing shampoo.



• Tip number 2: Condition your hair
  Try Montibello Densi Volume Conditioner to further boost that volume. This wonderful conditioner is designed to give a weightless lift to your hair, making it easy to style and even preventing it from being weighed down by the Summer's relentless moisture and humidity. So for lively, bouncy hair, use Montibello Densi Volume Conditioner!



• Tip number 3: Restore your hair
  If you suffer from dry or damaged hair, be sure to restore it before hitting the Summer heat! Milkshake Argan Oil Deep Treatment promises to fully hydrate your hair, leaving it lusciously soft, healthy and ready for styling. This hair treatment is as easy to use as any regular conditioner but manages to restore your hair and protect it against any harsh weather all in just 3-5 minutes!



• Tip number 4: Protect your hair
  Don't neglect coloured hair! Coloured hair is especially vulnerable in the Summer months so protect it with Macadamia Nourishing Leave-In Hair Protectant. This product is perfect if you're in a rush in the morning, simply apply to your hair style and leave in for lasting hold and protection.



• Tip number 5: Complete your beach-look hair
  One simple step to create the wavy look everybody seeks in the Summer...
  Apply Montibello Densi Volume Treatment Hair Mousse This Re-densifying restructuring foam reinforces, moisturises and gives hair volume and body. Apply to damp hair and scrunch chunks of your hair with your hands.Do not rinse off. Smooth out, gently brush or re-apply for your own personal look!

One final suggestion for home or holidays: Milkshake Summer Pleasure Oil for Hair and Skin! This product replenishes your hair, scalp and skin after a day in the sun. Use this product for soft and moisturised hair and skin.

Now you and your hair can enjoy the sun!

On Trend Hair Style - The Wet Look

So summer is here and all you want to do is enjoy the sunshine, so do we (becasue you don't know how long it is going to last!). So, with that in mind, we in the Specialist Hair office have decided it is worth finding out how some great summer hair ideas in order to make your hair look great without having to spend hours and hours doing it.

With a trawl around our favourite magazines, websites, and even having a chat amongst outselves, we came across this wonderful little article from Hello Magazine! So impressed, we were, by all of the wonderful advice from, Hello that we have decided to talk you through each step with a guide to the products that will work best for the wet look hairstyle.

The Wet Look Hair Style

So, summer is a time when you are in the sun, you are in and out of the sea/swimming pool and on the beach as much as possible. With all of this sun worshiping going on, your hair can be left looking a little lost for ideas. Well, that is why the wet look is so good for this time of year. Not only will your hair look great, but to maintain it is easier than you may think. This is also a versatile style that works equally as well on long hair and short hair styles.

Washing Your Hair

Normally the first thing we would do when going through a new hair care tip is tell you what to use to wash your hair. Well, as Hello Magazine rightly say, this is one of the only times where it is probably better not to wash your hair to achieve the desired effect.

Having said that, all hair has its limits, and so when you do wash, make sure you use something that is going to gently rinse away any build up but leave your hair in a good natural condition. A shampoo made using natural oils is easily the best option for the summer wet look hair style and so we would recommend you use Macadamia Hair Products; Rejuvenating Shampoo. The Rejuvenating Shampoo is made using natural Macadamia Oil, found in the South Pacific. The girls in our office (and some of the men!) have been converted to Macadamia shampoo ever since it arrived, and because it is natural it cleanses your hair gently, perfect for restoring your hair's natural beauty after a long day in the sun.

*Hair Care Tip* Just use a little of the Macadamia Natural Moisturising Shampoo every few days and you will be cleansing your hair, but leaving it ready for the wet look hair styling method.

Smoothing Time!

Hello Magazine say dampen your hair, so, if you haven't done so already, do that now! Now is the time to apply a smoothing gel to your hair. Now, don't worry, we aren't going to tell you to go and get one of those awful tubs of 'wet style gel' you find in the supermarkets, we wouldn't even dream of it!

Thankfully, there a much, much better products out there for achieving a beautiful smooth, wet hair style. When it comes to hair styling, there is one special range of hair products that we like to put in our 'best kept secrets' folder, as a wonderful range that only the salon experts know about.

That range of amazing hair styling products is called Urban Tribe Hair Products. Part of the Z:One concept range of hair products, and regular contributor to our hair care blogs, Urban Tribe have a wonderful array of hair styling products that not only smell beautiful, but work wonders!

For the wet look, we recommend you use Montibello HDs Wet effect Gel. Montibello Wet Effect is an amazing quality hair smoothing gel that will apply easily to your hair and won't make it feel sticky or dirty. Simply apply it from root to tip and then comb through your hair with a fine tooth comb, using your other hand to smooth and flatten the hair, you can use a few invisible clips to hold your hair down if you need to, and you can even apply a touch more gel to set your hair in place! The Wet effect Gel contains a UVA-UVB filter that offers protection from the damaging effect of the Sun's radiation whilst moisturising and strengthening the hair.

That's It!

Yes, I can't believe it either, possibly one of the most simple hair styling guides I have ever written. All you need to do is put some hair gel in! But wait, never underestimate the power of your hair products. The reason this hair style will look so great is because of the quality of the hair products that make it. The Montibello gel contains the ingredients to make your hair style shine, and the Macadamia shampoo will keep your hair healthy, even in the most harsh summer conditions! So, go on and have a go at this super easy hair style and please send us in some summer hair pictures, we would love to see how you get on! Why not subscribe to our newsletter, because it's great!

See you again next time hair lovers!