For those of us who fritter away our money, the idea of forking out for a luxury leave-in hair treatment is just well, a little too grown-up to get our head around. Because, in all honesty, who's got the spare cash at the end of the month to buy a swanky hair mask when you're pretending you're passing up the pub in favour of a 'pampering night' but actually you're concerned your card will bounce if you try and order more than a pint of Diet Coke.
Enter stage left, East London's coolest hairy god mother, Alex Brownsell of Bleach London. Nobody knows bleach better than Alex so we asked her to go a little bit Delia for us and share her best find-it-in-your-kitchen hair masks to make at home. Which makes sense considering Bleach basically started in Alex's kitchen, before she moved a few chairs into Sharmadean Reid's nail salon WAH on Kingsland Road in Dalston after teaming up with long-time pal, Sam Teasdale. And so Bleach was born.
The buzz surrounding Bleach, named after Nirvana’s debut, was so huge, that the salon had already achieved cult status before it had even set up home in the basement of Topshop Oxford Circus. Since 2010, the duo have put an end to mundane hair and have had us all reaching for colour and dye. From split ends and dull hair to heat-damagaged locks, it's time to hand it over to the follicle oracle, Alex...
N.B. Where possible Alex recommends using organic locally sourced products for all of these concoctions.
Lager Than Life Hair Tonic
To add strength and volume to fine and flat hair.
Ingredients:
1/2 Bottle of Beer
1/2 Bottle of Rose Water
Recipe:
For easy application pour the beer and rose water into a spray bottle. Shampoo and condition your hair as normal, and spray the mixture on to towel dried hair and comb through. Blow-dry in.
Beer contains proteins that strengthen and fortify hair and yeast that thickens it, the rose water hydrates hair and adds a fresh fragrance. Although this may smell like a delish cocktail, I would avoid drinking.
Photo: Getty
Beet n Blue Colour Rinse
Add a mauve hue to your blonde hair, without any chemicals, parabens or oxidants (or glutens lol)
Ingredients:
2 Beetroots
2 handfuls of blackberries
4 tbsps of rainwater
Recipe:
Juice the beetroots and blackberries, and 4 tbsps of rainwater. Apply generously, wearing gloves to shampoo and condition hair (to avoid purple alien hands) and cover with a shower cap. Leave this for an hour and rinse.
The beetroot and blackberries will naturally stain your hair a pink/purple colour, the rainwater will dilute the mixture and is softer on the hair than tap water which will leave it soft. Lush.
Photo: Getty
Egg Mayo and Avocado Sandwich
Hydration for dry and chemically processed hair.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 an avocado
4 tbsps of mayo
Recipe:
Mash the avocado, whisk the eggs and pour in, add 4 spoons of mayo and mix together. Apply liberally to pre shampooed hair as a conditioner and cover with a shower cap. Leave for approx 30 mins. Rinse well with lukewarm water.
The protein in the eggs will hydrate your hair, whilst the the vinegar, soybean oil and lemon juice in Mayo adds shine and locks in moisture. The fatty acids in avocados also hydrate your hair, and are rich with vitamins and nutrients. Delish!
Photo: Getty
Golden Showers
Naturally lighten your hair
Ingredients:
1 Chamomile tea bag
4 Lemons
Recipe:
Boil enough water for one cup of tea and brew the camomile tea bag for approx 15 mins or until cool. Remove the teabag, and add the juice from 4 squeezed lemons. For easy application pour this into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto dry hair and comb through before sitting in the sun. Shampoo and condition your hair afterwards.
The citric acid in the lemon juice is an oxidiser and will slowly lighten your hair, as does the chamomile tea. Have a sip if you get thirsty out in the sun too.
Photo: GettyLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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