The past year has been testing, to say the least - after emerging from the comforting cocoon of uni, the rumours about an overcrowded, competitive and frankly terrifying job market turned out to be quite accurate, actually.
But that wasn't the only conundrum I found myself facing. Last year, for reasons unknown (even after vociferous googling) my hair decided to reject every shampoo I ever applied, no matter how expensive or how many amazing results they promised. I say it rejected the shampoo, but if anything, what my hair started to do was quite the reverse; it guzzled it up, clinging to it for dear life and refusing to let it bugger off down the plug hole where it belonged.
What I was experiencing was the beauty nightmare that is 'build up' - where the shampoo accumulates, and your hair feels greasy no matter how regularly you wash it. Moaning as I was about this problem, I was greeted with some familiar explanations ('You're washing your hair too much!', 'Your hair's just gotten used to that shampoo!') that could very well be no more than urban beauty myths - I've never been sure quite how just much fact these claims are based on.
So I embarked on a journey - a particularly well scented one - in search of a miracle shampoo. Expensive, organic, ones with glowing reviews - I tried 'em all. But absolutely none of them worked - my hair still felt like I'd washed it in essence of chip fat. Until that is, I took a little trip into Lush.
I've always been a little skeptical of Lush - for no better reason than that walking past one of their shops practically sets off my gag reflex (that waft is PUNGENT, right?) - but as I was passing through Liverpool Street station with time to kill, decided to pop in.
This is where I include a little shout out to Bob - whose real name escapes me (sorry real Bob) - but who I explained my predicament to and who kindly (and oh so wisely) recommended a combination of their 'I Love Juicy' shampoo, and the 'Veganese' conditioner, to save my lank locks.
Bob explained that Lush hair products like these are not made up with any of the chemical crap (again, the technical name escapes me - I know, I'm rubbish) used to make the ingredients bond together in most other shampoos, including the deceiving 'organic' ones you find in health shops, and that are the primary cause for that infamous 'build up'.
So, newly purchased bottles in hand, I scurried home to try them out, and I can safely say after a month of use that I Love Juicy is categorically the BEST SHAMPOO IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD. Just the tiniest of drops translates to a lovely lather, so a little goes a long way, and, as an added bonus, it smells heavenly, thanks to its fruit cocktail of ingredients - pineapple, kiwi, mango, papaya - you name it, it's got it. It strips your hair of product without taking away the moisture, and your hair feels soft and bouncy and, finally for me, oh so CLEAN, without a hint of grease.
Veganese is a very lightweight conditioner (so no risk of that building up either), and although I'm not quite as keen on the lemony/lavender scent, it does have the sweet scent of being cruelty-free, if that's your kind of thing. Best of all, it reduces frizz and gives my hair a nice smoothness and sheen.
It's safe to say that I'm a certified Lush convert!