Nails Hair Roots Dry shampoo

DIY beauty hacks to try yourself

It has been a case of batten down the hatches for the last few weeks and look after yourself at home with your beauty needs. Salons are closed but please, I urge you, not to reach for the box dye as in weeks to come you will regret it. The same can be said for reaching for the kitchen scissors to trim your fringe.

Down the tweezers too, because if I learned anything from my mother, it is that brows are best left to the experts.

 

Shellac nail polish manicures are long-lasting, but sometimes you need a change. Instead of making a trip to the salon, which now we can’t, you can remove your shellac nail polish right at home. Picking gel polish off is a big no-no, as it will leave your nails underneath weak and vulnerable to damage and liable to break.

Firstly, you need to assemble the right products. Get five cotton pads and split them in half, ten large tinfoil squares, acetone polish remover, cuticle oil and a nail file.

Apply cuticle oil to your cuticles. Rub cuticle oil into the skin around your nails. Applying it to your cuticles before removing the shellac nail polish will provide your skin with a protective layer against the harsh, drying acetone needed for this process.

Next, using your nail file, gently buff over the tops of your gel polish, that is to break the seal of the topcoat, then soak a piece of cotton wool in acetone and place onto the nail

Secure this on the nail by wrapping the foil square around it. Leave to soak for 15 minutes. By then your gel polish will have lifted from the nail bed

When removing the polish from your nails, you can very gently lift the polish off with manicure sticks. If it doesn’t lift off easily, you need to soak for longer, then rewrap and leave for another few minutes.

After removal you should buff the nail and apply cuticle oil for hydration. Then treat your hands to some hand cream.

If your hair has taken a turn for the worst, Platinum Hair Design is selling treatments and shampoos online. My hair is now a bit brassy, so I have used the Silver Solution Shampoo (€16.99), a super strength solution to target and eliminate brassy or yellow tones found in blonde hair. Ypu can achieve an incredible crisp clean shade with the powerful purple pigment. Please read the instructions carefully before using once a week to keep my colour fresh.

Follow on with the sweet-smelling rejuvenation mask. An exceptional treat for extensions, chemically treated or dry damaged hair. Achieve multi-faceted manageability, polish, depth and shine with the ultimate conditioning treatment. Generously coat from mid lengths to ends avoiding the bonds (if you have extensions) for super soft, sleek results. Hair heaven!

If your hair is dark and the grey is peeking through, then L’Oreal Root touch up is your friend (€13.95). The pinpoint micro-diffuser precisely targets greys and the rich colour pigments to give you perfectly blended coverage. Magic Retouch conceals greys and roots in just one quick spray - when, where and how you need it. It's just three seconds to flawless roots!

Klorane’s formula is composed of plant-based active ingredients (oat milk or nettle) and three gentle and natural powders with very high absorbency. It leaves hair clean and adds volume without the need for water. Klorane uses a range of botanical extracts to benefit all hair types - oat milk for its gentleness and nettle for purifying oily hair. Both are available in classic and tinted versions. The natural beige tint (non-colouring) is perfect for darker hair and doesn’t stain the scalp, hands or clothing. Klorane dry shampoos clean hair gently, without water, in two minutes, just as well as a liquid shampoo. In an instant, hair’s texture and volume is restored, saving water, time and your hairstyle. They retail at €11.50 and a little goes a long way.