THE AVEDA HAIR EXPERIENCE

Last weekend I was very kindly invited to try out the plant based, cruelty-free hair treatments at a gorgeous Aveda Hair Salon in Lancashire. The lovely Dominique, Director of the beautiful salon, The Blonde & The Bears booked me in for my blow dry, and needless to say I was pretty darn excited to treat my hair to some TLC!

The salon itself is based in the lovely Cedar Farm on the outskirts of Preston, where you can find lots of little shops and units selling handmade gifts and food that's been locally produced. We actually ended up spending a good few hours there, eating a yummy lunch in the cafe, sampling the handmade chocolates and feeding the goats on the farm! If you're in Lancashire I'd definitely recommend a visit.

Now back to the hair! When I arrived at the salon (which has the most Instagram-able decor!) I was settled in my chair and asked to choose from a number of Aveda Chakra cards to determine which body mist would be used to start off the treatment. Each card represented a different feeling, and I had to select the one which I was most drawn to at that moment in time. I chose the 'grounded' card, which matched up to Chakra number 1. People who choose this particular card tend to feel 'lethargy, resistance to change and the need to slow down' which are all things I've definitely felt lately! 

The mist was sprayed over my hair and body from above, and as I inhaled the oh-so-relaxing scent of olibanum (frankincense), organic patchouli and vetiver, I was treated to an amazing head and shoulder massage which left me feeling super relaxed.

The next stage of the treatment was to wash the hair with the Aveda Damage Remedy Shampoo which is great for lightened hair, then once this was all rinsed out, the Aveda Damage Remedy Botanicals Treatment was used. The treatment is made of lots of natural ingredients such as quinoa, and designed to put plenty of protein back in to damaged hair. I had a hot towel placed over my hair, (which was an amazing experience in itself!) to open the hair cuticles and allow the treatment to soak in, all whilst enjoying a lovely hand massage. Bliss!

The wash was then finished with a cool rinse to close the hair cuticles back up and lock all the goodness in to my locks, and I can quite honestly say that was the best and most relaxing experience I've ever had at a back-wash! The time and care that's put in to the treatments is amazing, and all the products smelt incredible.

         


The next step was obviously the blow dry, and this is always my favourite part as I love to see how my hair is styled in the hope that one day I'll get some coordination in my hands and I'll be able to do it myself at home! Dominique chatted to me about the kind of style I usually go for, and after adding some of the Aveda Confixor Gel, which is designed to hold a curl without weighing the hair down, she got to work on drying.


I decided to go for my favourite style - relaxed, natural waves parted off to one side and with plenty of volume, and that's exactly what I got! The look was then finished off with a few extra waves created with a curling wand, texture was added with the Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo and everything was set with the Air Control Hairspray, which again all smelt SO GOOD!

Et voila! Here's the finished look! I was so pleased with the results and couldn't get over how lightweight my hair felt after the whole experience, and the waves held up the next day too. I must admit, I have never really given vegan hair products a second thought, but having my hair feel this good has made me seriously consider investing in some of my own Aveda hair products. 

Thank you SO much to Dominique and her team at The Blonde & The Bears for such a lovely afternoon. I came away feeling completely and utterly pampered and so well looked after. I'd definitely recommend giving the salon a visit (I'm told you can even take your dog in with you, so what's not to love?!) especially if your hair is in need of some TLC! I'm hoping to return again in the near future, for sure.

C x