My Brazillian blow-dry from Groupon

Gillian — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:49:23 +0000

Me, circa the 80s, with very curly hair Hair confession time; mine is actually very curly (think along the lines of Orphan Annie and Bonnie Langford). My life was changed dramatically by the purchase of GHD’s in my 20s, and on the rare occasions I don’t do anything to it now, it feels very un-done and not at all like me. But straightening it takes a while, and as I have a lot less time on my hands I really need a hairstyle that doesn’t take forever. So when Groupon* got in touch to offer a voucher to review something from the site for free, I knew exactly what I would pick. I’ve been meaning to get a Brazilian blow-dry** hair straightening treatment for ages as I’d heard amazing things about it but you can’t have one during pregnancy due to the harsh chemicals involved. Groupon has a variety of different daily deals, and as this treatment comes up fairly frequently I waited until I saw one in a more local salon, on the south London-specific page. The site is really easy to use – you just buy and pay for the treatment via Groupon, they email you a voucher, and then you arrange an appointment with the particular salon. I went to the Agua hair salon in Balham to have mine done. It’s a fairly simple treatment and only took an hour – my hair was washed but not conditioned, the Keratin lotion was applied and my hair was then blow-dried and then ironed straight. (Some words of warning – you can’t wash your hair for three days after, or clip or tie it back – and it will feel like a hat of fuzzy felt on your head. And when it does come to washing time, if you’ve had a Keratin treatment you have to use sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner but you can get this from normal supermarkets). So…what did I think? It’s marginally quicker to straighten now, and if I do a proper straightening job it stays less wavy for for longer. When it’s straight it feels pretty swishy and is much less frizzy. But it’s not a dramatic difference, and if I’d paid the full price for the treatment I’d probably be a bit…disappointed. I wasn’t expecting it to change my life*** and it really hasn’t. But then surely this is the good thing about sites like Groupon – you do pay less, so it’s easy to try out new things or get things done you’re not sure about. Have you tried either Groupon or a Brazillian blow-dry…if so, what did you think? Thanks Groupon for the review opp – and here’s my disclosure policy. *For those of you who don’t know, Groupon is a group buying site that offers reduced-price deals on various products and services. **And for those of you who aren’t obsessed with hair, a Brazillian blow-dry is a Keratin hair treatment – for your head! – that should make your hair smoother and easier to straighten. *** OK, I TOTALLY was.

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Unusual Pregnancy Symptoms – The Ones No-One Ever Tells You About!

Gillian — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:19:31 +0000

Here Are Five Unusual Pregnancy Symptoms What are the really unusual pregnancy symptoms that people never tell you, especially about when you’re in the first trimester of pregnancy? It occurred to me last night, as I lay awake in bed at 5am*, that there’s an awful lot of unusual pregnancy symptoms I hadn’t known about. If you’re not sure if you’re pregnant, read my list of early pregnancy symptoms and how to keep your early pregnancy secret. The Obvious Pregnancy Symptoms Sure, there’s the pretty obvious usual pregnancy symptoms – morning sickness, tiredness, cravings and so on – but there’s a whole load of others that have come as a surprise along the way… …such as the following. Here Are Five Of The More Unusual Pregnancy Symptoms Your Hair Doesn’t Fall Out My hair doesn’t fall out any more: pre-pregnancy, it used to fall out all the time. Despite the fact I still had so much of it, I’d constantly lose lots of it; strands on my hairbrush, in the plughole, even on the floor. And now it doesn’t. This is common, according to my hairdresser, and is often followed by most of it falling out post-birth. So that’s something to look forward to then! But for now, I’m ignoring that and am happily making the most of having lots of thick hair Agonising Leg Cramps Af ew nights ago I was woken up by the agonising pain of my calf seizing up. Luckily, my husband woke up to help – by sniggering loudly from the bed as I hopped around the room trying to make it feel better Being Really, Really Thirsty: I’ve always drunk lots of water (and beer, and wine, and cocktails) but since getting pregnant I’m really thirsty, all the time. Dehydration Headache And no matter how much water I drink the day before, I’ll always wake up with a desert-dry mouth, and dull, throbbing headaches later on if I don’t drink enough of it that morning Vivid Dreams And Disturbed Sleep I’ve been having incredibly vivid dreams and nightmares – the type where you have to claw your way back to consciousness, out of breath, and then you remain convinced they’re ever-so-slightly real for ages after. I knew that growing a little person makes you tired: in the first trimester I’d want to go back to sleep as soon I’d woken up, and would often be in bed by 9.30 (unheard of for me). But even now I’m happily on my way towards the fifth month, no matter how tired I am I’ll wake up in the night and then won’t be able to go back to sleep for at least an hour. It’s annoying and frustrating – but hey, I suspect it’s a just a sign of what’s to come later on Have to say though that I’m thankful these strange pregnancy symptoms are only minor irritants, and I’m loving pregnancy so far and I’m lucky that apart from a couple of additional medical factors which mean I’m at various clinics at the hospital every week or so, it’s been pretty stress free. I’m sure there’s more to come though; any unusual pregnancy symptoms you’d like to share? If you liked my post on unusual pregnancy symptoms, here’s my pregnancy week by week, a snuzpod bedside crib review and a Greentom Upp stroller review Follow me on Pinterest

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My Brazillian blow-dry from Groupon

Unusual Pregnancy Symptoms – The Ones No-One Ever Tells You About!