Teen daughter and I love nothing more than to poke around a Chemists or beauty department on a Saturday afternoon. We love searching out the hero products that are relatively unknown, usually cheap and have the potential to change our lives!
Our favourite shop is Paks, which was established over 27 years ago, as a destination for African and Afro Caribbean hair and beauty products. A treasure trove of hair extensions and professional hair products, there are hidden gems piled high on every shelf, usually at a fraction of the price of more “designed” beauty stores.
One of my favourite products is Mane and Tail, which I have to admit I was initially drawn to by the name, as I was curious to find out why one would buy shampoo for a horse in Dalston. Of course it’s for humans and is a rather lush combination of natural essential oils which sort my mane out a treat!
If you dont live near a Paks (poor you) you can order it online for £2.99, or from Liberty for £7.00 – what’s that about Liberty?
My second favourite unkown hair product is this tiny little bad boy from Superdrug. While shopping in York (why are provincial chemists so much more exciting than those in London?) I came across this conditioning shampoo for £1.49 and thought it would be rude not to try it at that price.
I was at that in between colour phase, when the grey roots were popping though again and it seemed like I had only just handed over £100+ to have my colour done. In an attempt to hold out for a few more weeks, I gave the Rich Red a try.
I used it like a shampoo and left it on for a few more minutes than usual, and lo and behold my colour was instantly revived!! It has lasted me for over a month, as I use it every third wash to pep up my colour, it doesn’t make my hair look dyed, just more tonal and less grey. I can’t vouch for the other colours, but at £1.49, you can afford to give it a go.
I also bought an own brand hydrating face mask, which is also rather fabulous, but I can’t seem to find it on the Superdrug website.
Who needs Space NK……
The conditioning shampoo is fab, I ignored the instructions not to use on grey hair and have been using it for years, told all my friends so our local Superdrug is always running out especially of the red gold colour, which is great for fading redheads.
IMHO there really is a gap in the market for more cheap and cheerful conditioning colour that doesnt damage your hair.
Mane ‘n’ Tail was a horse shampoo, we used to use it on the ponies in the 80s. There’s also a hoof conditioner called Cornucrescine which used to work wonders on human nails…
Mane n Tail was all the rage in the US, and I was so excited to find it in Brixton (alongside hair products made of placenta, which my mother who has wild frizzy hair, claims works wonders!). Mane n Tail was my favourite joke present for a while but everyone I gave it to said it works really well! The instructions on the back say “Wet coat first”….as far as I can remember