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Since my teens I’ve had a rather annoying habit of not being able to settle on a hair cut, colour or style. I’ve gone from layers to bob to highlights to brunette to pink to peach and back to highlights again. Even in its totally natural state, pre-bleaching and straightening, I’ve not been blessed with Victoria’s Secret Angel hair. It’s always been a murky blonde colour and pretty dry/outright unruly, which may be why I constantly feel the need to change style.
Anyway, on a recent trip to my hairdresser at the wonderful Glasshouse Salon, I had a last minute urge to mix things up and, rather than my usual highlights, opted for an allover, platinum blonde colour. Inspired by the PIxie Lotts, Holly Willoughbys and Jess-from-Made-in-Chelseas of this world, the bombshell look beckoned and I couldn’t resist. Two hours later and it was perhaps more Malfoy than Marilyn but, overall, I was pretty happy and it’s been generally well received.
(This long-winded story will eventually end up at an Alchemy Oils review, I promise…)
So although Glasshouse use Organic Colour Systems, a gentler way to colour the hair, I’d still had an allover lightening and the quality of my hair had been compromised. It’s now much drier and harder to control, tangles easily and doesn’t look as shiny. Complaining about this to my MUA on a recent shoot, she recommended Alchemy Oils.
Alchemy are “hair oil specialists, intent on creating effective, natural haircare solutions”. Exactly what I need. I opted to try the Grapefruit Hair Remedy as it promises to “improve the condition of and strengthen your hair from within” with a blend of coconut, avocado, almond, castor and grapefruit essential oils (and that’s it for ingredients actually, they keep it pretty simple).
First thing to say is that this stuff is heavy. Despite the fact that they use fractionated coconut oil, it’s still pretty thick and along with the castor and avocado it makes for a very rich treatment. I’d advise against anyone with light, thin or oily hair using this as it’ll just be too much. My crispy blonde locks however, absolutely loved it. I used it as an overnight treatment to start out with, thoroughly rinsing in the morning. It left my hair feeling thick, smooth and much more manageable. The grapefruit oil is also a lovely touch as it not only helps to stimulate hair growth but also smells divine.
I had a go at using the oil after washing as a serum on wet hair but unfortunately, due to the sheer weight of the stuff, it was too much and left my hair feeling greasy once dry. As an intense night treatment, however, it’s really great – particularly if you have super dry hair like me.
I also gave their Peppermint Brow Remedy a whirl. As a huge fan of a big brow, I was really excited about this one. With coconut, rosehip, argan and avocado to nourish, the real hero ingredient here is the peppermint essential oil that promotes growth by ‘stimulating the follicle of the hair’. Delevingne brows, here I come!
Applying liberally before bed each night, you can literally feel the peppermint working its magic. My brows were tingling. And after a couple of weeks, they do look healthier. Maybe not noticeably bigger as such, but the gappy areas from over-plucking have filled out and they look good. My only slight concern about the brow treatment is using peppermint essential oil this close to the eyes – you have to be very careful not to let anything drip down once applied.
Winter is coming – but we’re going to make sure you’re prepared for it! If you’re looking for a fantastic body oil, we’ve got four for you right here.
– Elsie Rutterford
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