Your tips on how to look more Groomed, Glamorous or Polished #13

[ThisIsMyDragName]

Does anyone take any supplements/vitamins that genuinely make a difference? If so, which ones?

I take an absolutely ungodly amount of supplements . But I have PCOS and am trying to get pregnant so my life revolves around swallowing pills, having sex and weeing on sticks. Only one of those things is any fun!

Is there a particular supplement you’re interested in or health aspect you’re trying to tackle?
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Rejuvacote sorted my nails out!

Ooh, hadn’t heard of this but I will look into it. Thank you!
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Moisturise your hands every night and pop a nail oil on before bed. Keep it in your bedside locker. My nails managed to survive chemo thanks to that routine!!

I did have a stage when I was using nail oil religiously. I am currently not so that’s a really timely reminder!

 

[avabella]

Zinc was the obvious one for me. The results were showing in 36 hours.

What results did you see?

 

[Chocolategoggler]

What results did you see?

My complexion became amazing. I thought people were taking the piss but they were right!. Years later I took zinc again and after a year was going to give up when I noticed they had cleared up a nail infection that nothing from the GP had solved (including antibiotics).
I'm not a very observant person so it does generally need someone else to tell me.

 

[uberoblique]

I’ve also been on so many supplements I rattled in a bid to get pregnant. For me the best were magnesium for sleep quality, iron which dealt with my foot cramps and a very expensive one called Tru Niagen which was NAD+ and amazing for mental clarity.

Apparently creatine is fantastic for women over 35. It’s cheap as chips too.

 

[avabella]

My complexion became amazing. I thought people were taking the piss but they were right!. Years later I took zinc again and after a year was going to give up when I noticed they had cleared up a nail infection that nothing from the GP had solved (including antibiotics).
I'm not a very observant person so it does generally need someone else to tell me.

Oh interesting! I take a multivitamin that has 20mg of zinc in, do you know the potency of your one?

 

[Happy35]

Thankyou - I have liked these in the past and have been recommended them by hairdressers, but the whole silicone/sulfate/paraben thing confuses the life out of me and I don't know which range has it and what ones don't. I get myself into a hyper focus then I absolutely overwhelm myself!

The one I use has none of them but some of the ranges do, I have dry curly bleached hair so use free from all of those. If you paste the ingredients into Cutlsbot it will tell you if they have any of them

 

[Chocolategoggler]

Oh interesting! I take a multivitamin that has 20mg of zinc in, do you know the potency of your one?

No, it was from Nature's Best.

 

[Libbylulu]

They say that parabens are bad. They are used to keep your stuff from going bad. There was one research paper that connected parabens with breast cancer and they suddenly got a bad rep. If you use them and you're itchy afterwards, then you are allergic and you should avoid them

Sulfates can dry out whatever they are in. They can dry out out your skin and hair. Thing is that they are cheap to use, that is why they are in a lot of cosmetics. The list of sulfates is very long. So you can avoid them but it then you have to check the ingredients of everything. And it is not guaranteed to dry out. Some people do not react to them and some people do. Imo you do not have to avoid all of these unless you notice that your shampoo or cream noticeably dry you out and that was not the case before you used it

Silicones lay a layer around your hair. It makes your hair smoother. Looks amazing but it also weights it down. If you don't have a lot of hair, this is not what you need. And off course avoid it if you are allergic. As long as it does not sting, burns or itches after you applied it, that is not the case

You also have silicones in moisturizer. That is why some face creams make your skin smooth and velvet like

First thing is knowing if you are allergic. If you are not, it is not necessary to avoid them. If they are actually that bad for you they would not allow them to be used and sold. If you do want to avoid them, google what they are and read ingrediënt lists. And don't forget that things like drinking water, using oil as a hairmask once in a while and sleeping in a silk pillowcover or using a bonnet can also do wonders for your hair

Thanks for taking the time to explain this, it’s very helpful. I’ve been having a lot of problems with my hair the last two years or so. Breakage, dryness and thinning. Some is to do with my age/hormones but mainly down to Olaplex and K8 that initially were good but then just dried my hair to a ball of frizz. I’m still trying to repair it. I’ve used Redken and Kerastase but find the Garnier food range also help. I’ve never had such a battle with my hair before.

 

[Millais]

Has anyone tried vegan collagen? I’m suspicious that it won’t be collageny enough if it doesn’t contain bits of cow.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this, it’s very helpful. I’ve been having a lot of problems with my hair the last two years or so. Breakage, dryness and thinning. Some is to do with my age/hormones but mainly down to Olaplex and K8 that initially were good but then just dried my hair to a ball of frizz. I’m still trying to repair it. I’ve used Redken and Kerastase but find the Garnier food range also help. I’ve never had such a battle with my hair before.

Redken extreme shampoo and conditioner have been helpful for me. So has oiling my hair and scalp. On a WFH day I’ll stick loads of oil on and stick it up in a bun for the day, then when the day is over I’ll shampoo it out and condition and my hair definitely feels more nourished for it. I now tend to use an oil with rosemary oil in it on my scalp and something different on the mids and ends as rosemary oil is supposed to encourage hair growth and I could do with the help!

 

[IdeletedbutI'mbackagain]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this, it’s very helpful. I’ve been having a lot of problems with my hair the last two years or so. Breakage, dryness and thinning. Some is to do with my age/hormones but mainly down to Olaplex and K8 that initially were good but then just dried my hair to a ball of frizz. I’m still trying to repair it. I’ve used Redken and Kerastase but find the Garnier food range also help. I’ve never had such a battle with my hair before.

I used the Welda Rosemary oil hair tonic, it made my hair so soft and manageable. I bought the CHAMPO Pitta Growth Serum to replace it and I'm not loving it....

 

[avabella]

Can anyone recommend a good, non underwired, bra top?
I buy the cheapy ones from primark but the little padded inserts do my head in - do I need a one moulded piece? No idea - help a gal out

 

[MinnnieMouse]

Found some nice slim leg jeans yesterday but wondering if they look dated...thoughts?

 

[Johnson1901]

Found some nice slim leg jeans yesterday but wondering if they look dated...thoughts?

As long as you like them and feel comfortable in them, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

 

[Janinerielly]

With jeans (or any trousers really) I have realised that it’s much better to find out your body shape and stick to the jean styles that flatter it most. It just looks so much better and like you know how you’re dressing. To add trends I do it with my top (although again sticking to what shapes flatter me most) or through accessories.

 

[uberoblique]

Can anyone recommend a good, non underwired, bra top?
I buy the cheapy ones from primark but the little padded inserts do my head in - do I need a one moulded piece? No idea - help a gal out

I absolutely love Sloggi Zero Feel but I think they also have removable inserts. I don’t think I’ve come across a padded bra top that hasn’t but I might be wrong!

 

[Jellycat369]

Has anyone tried vegan collagen? I’m suspicious that it won’t be collageny enough if it doesn’t contain bits of cow.

Vegan collagen has a potentially higher potency. Animal or marine collagen will be broken down into the respective amino acids, vegan collagen is already at this building block stage. The body then takes these building blocks and makes whatever is required in the body, this isn't limited to just collagen, or is excreted out. In addition to the amino acids you'll also want vitamin c, zinc and copper to support the production process.

 

[DCICassieStuart]

Found some nice slim leg jeans yesterday but wondering if they look dated...thoughts?

You'll have to pry my skinnies off my cold dead legs!

 

[dee_mc]

You'll have to pry my skinnies off my cold dead legs!

Same! I bought a pair of slim leg jeans recently and they look fine, they fit fine, but they feel so strange on the legs
I'll stick with my skinnies. I'm short so they suit me better anyway.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

This is probably not the right thread (send me in the direction of a more appropriate one if you know of one!) but I want to upgrade my iron to a steam generator one and I’m wondering if anyone recommends a particular one? Every review website I’ve looked at of course says a £500 Philips one is the best but…. that feels like a mahooosive leap! I mostly iron cotton, linen and viscose items. I’m a freak who irons her bedsheets and of course I was dumb enough to get a superking bed so it’s a bloody marathon to do them. Any thoughts?