I’ve always found that no matter which home hair colouring pack you use, the conditioner enclosed in the box always makes your hair feel fantastic.

In fact, many times I’ve wondered why these conditioners aren’t sold separately for use between colourings.

Well, it appears someone was eavesdropping on my inane internal monologues about hair care, because Clairol has apparently done just that. Clairol Nice ‘n Easy ColourSeal Gloss intensive conditioner can now be purchased at most chemists and supermarkets for the very reasonable price of approximately $6 a tube.

I am absolutely in love with the stuff. I have very dry hair, and while this conditioner hasn’t solved the problem entirely, it does seem to have helped a great deal.

The packaging says each tube contains three applications, but I think you can get more out of it as you don’t need much (unless you’ve got very long, thick hair). You should use this once or twice a week as an intensive treatment - I wouldn’t recommend using it every day (then again, I also wouldn’t recommend washing your hair every day. Full stop).

By Caroline Warnes

Perhaps I’ve been living under a rock in recent times, but I had no idea that Palmers had a hair care range.

Now I have always been a big fan of the Palmers Cocoa Butter skincare products, for a multitude of reasons - they smell great (like a chocolate shop), they’re inexpensive and they work very well for dry skin.

So when I stumbled across Palmers Cocoa Butter Conditioner at my local Cincotta Chemist yesterday, I had to buy it. And it was lucky for me that it only costs $6.50, because otherwise I would have been forced to choose between buying the conditioner and buying dinner.

Anyhow, I gave it a go this morning and I am so impressed. I have naturally very dry hair (so dry that some days it feels like I have bundles of hay taped to my head) and this stuff seems to have worked better than the more expensive salon brand of conditioner I was using before. It feels soft and somewhat moisturised, plus it has a faint chocolatey aroma.

If cocoa butter isn’t your thing, Palmers also makes shampoos and conditioners with coconut oil or olive oil for the same price.

By Caroline Warnes

Just a quick note to let you know that Cincotta Chemist is having free shipping on all Australian offers for today only.

So if you need to stock up on any beauty, skincare, haircare or other pharmacy-type products, do it today. Cincotta Chemist is one of the cheapest around, so when you take away the shipping, you’ll definitely be saving money.

Cincotta Chemist stocks Neostrata skincare very cheaply so if, like me, you’re a devotee, get in quick today. Plus there are some other great offers - 50% off the entire Dove range, 50% off all Heinz baby food jars and a buy one get one free offer on the new Berocca Twist and Go drinks.

By Caroline Warnes

I was browsing the new Price Attack catalogue this morning and came across some great offers to save money.

The first one gives you 50% off foils with a style cut and blowdry and is valid until the end of March. It can only be used Monday through Wednesday so you’ve only got this week and next to take advantage of it.

The second one isn’t valid until April 5, so save it for after Easter. You can get a free haircut with any colour service over $65, which really is great value. Once again, it’s only valid Monday through Wednesday until April 14.

By Caroline Warnes

I was literally just at my beautician when I discovered the subject of today’s blog.

This was a most fortunate event as I have to confess that up until that point, I had no clue as to what I was going to blog about today.

No, this isn’t something you can eat, although you’d be forgiven for thinking that. Milkshake Sugar Frosting is actually a brand new Australian product for concealing hair regrowth (yes, including greys!) between salon visits.

Milkshake isn’t an actual hair dye you can apply at home. It’s a loose powder that can be applied using the included brush to any areas that need it. Once you powder it will last between 8 and 20 hours, and according to my beautician, a tin will last around six months if you’re using it fairly regularly (of course, you don’t need to use it on days when your hair is freshly coloured or if you’re lounging around at home and no one is going to see you). Just think of it as foundation for the roots of your hair.

Bonus: it’s also a dry shampoo and absorbs oil at the roots in-between washes.

The “flavour” names themselves are enough to make you drool: vanilla cupcake blonde, milk chocolate brunette, raspberry creme redhead and boysenberry black. I had a smell of the brunette flavour and it smells like sweet cocoa powder.

A tin of Milkshake Sugar Frosting costs $60. It’s available at selected hair salons and name stores around Australia. If you’re around the north side of Sydney, I can tell you that it is definitely stocked at Blonde & Beyond in Neutral Bay.

By Caroline Warnes

Let me start this article by making it clear that I absolutely DO NOT have any greys and my hair is as colourful and glossy as it ever was.

But purely in the name of research, I gave Schwarzkopf Essential Color (that’s the product’s official name but because we are in Australia I will be using the word colour from now on) a go on weekend - one of the first permanent home hair dyes on the market that doesn’t use ammonia.

Using products with ammonia on your hair is very, very bad for it - you’ll basically ruin your tresses and make them as dry as anything. This is why most experts recommend using semi-permanent colours at home. For the last few years I’ve been using L’Oreal Casting Creme Gloss and while I’m generally pretty happy with it, it does have a few downfalls, including the fact that the colour ALWAYS comes out darker than it says on the box.

I’m actually really happy with the results of Schwarzkopf Essential Colour:

* I used the shade medium brown, and it actually came out medium brown.
* This consistency is firmer than many other home colours so less mess to clean up in the shower.
* However because the consistency is firmer, make sure you comb the colour through properly for even distribution.
* The smell is gorgeous - thanks to the inclusion of ingredients such as lychee and white tea.
* Grey coverage is excellent. So Schwarzkopf claims. I can’t really comment on this as I don’t have any.

All that remains to be seen now is how the colour pans out in the long run. But if it has any sort of longevity, I think I’ll be making a permanent switch to Schwarzkopf Essential Colour.

RRP is $15 at selected supermarkets and pharmacies.

By Caroline Warnes

Sometimes those discount cards or programs you pay to be a member of can be a false economy - I’ve joined a couple in the past and then have totally forgotten to use most of the offers.

However a new program for beauty and hair services around Sydney could be worth a go - the Platinum Beauty Card will only set you back $34.95 and it’s for a good cause (the company is a fundraising partner of the National Breast Cancer Foundation).

There are some pretty good discounts on offer, too - especially if you are a regular salon-goer. I like the look of 50% off facial treatments and 20% off Dermalogica products at Ella Rouge salons, plus lots of discounts at hair salons, sorted by suburb.

Members will also get invites to VIP beauty events as well as the card’s launch party.

If you’re a busy person and tend to neglect yourself, this could be great motivation to treat yourself once in a while. Personally, I think I will buy one because I don’t think I spend nearly enough time talking or thinking about myself at the moment.

By Caroline Warnes

Despite big-noting myself for the last two years about no longer needing shampoo and conditioner, I have to confess that in recent times I have been considering reverting.

I am sick of the looks of pity and disgust that cross people’s faces when I reveal my hair is au naturel, and when it comes to demanding people smell or touch your hair - forget about it, most people won’t do it, and if they do they act like they’re in a petting zoo or humouring a sideshow freak. What’s up with that?

I’ve heard some good things about Nature’s Organics, a local manufacturer of skincare, haircare and bodycare products that don’t cost the earth (in more ways than one).

The company is committed to making products that help the environment rather than hinder it - sustainable solutions and all that hoo-ha.

And this stuff is dirt cheap. I mean it’s literally the cheapest stuff on the shelf at my local supermarket. I already use the vanilla berry body wash, which was around $3. The shampoo and conditioner is also around the same price and comes in some droolworthy flavours such as wild berry and peach delight.

My next purchase for the shower will be the creme brulee shower milk, pictured here.

By Caroline Warnes

Back in the days when I used shampoo and conditioner regularly on my hair, I was never a huge fan of Pantene products.

There’s no doubt that your hair feels great when you first start using them, but after a while I noticed my hair snapping and breaking. Apparently this has something to do with the silicon content of the product - it coats the strands of hair, leaving them soft and shiny, but after a while it weakens the hair shaft, leading to breakage and hence frizz.

However I’d heard a few things about a newish product from Pantene Pro V, called 3 Minute Miracle. It’s a hair treatment designed to be used once weekly, left in for three minutes (duh) then washed out. I decided to give it a go after quickly scanning the ingredients at the supermarket and duly noting that nothing resembling the word “silicon” in any of its scientific forms could be found on the packet.

I gave it a go last night and I have to say that for a supermarket treatment product it does actually leave your hair much softer and helps alleviate dryness (which my hair eternally suffers from). For around $8 you get three individual treatment tubes, which will last you for three weeks.

By Caroline Warnes

Trying to blow your last $20 before pay day? I advise investing your money in one of these smart beauty buys…

1. Maybelline XXL Curl Power mascara, $15.99 at Chemist Warehouse: As mentioned earlier this week, the new Maybelline mascara looks to be a beauty - and it’s already on sale at various discount pharmacies. Save $4 at your nearest Chemist Warehouse.

2. Dove Summer Glow body lotion, $5.75 at Cincotta Chemist: This body lotion-cum-gradual tanner will give you soft skin as well as gradually add a touch of natural-looking tan to your skin. The fragrance is quite pleasant, too.

3. Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers EDT, $12.99 at My Chemist: It may not be quite in the same calibre as Chanel or Dior fragrances, but at $12.99 you can’t go wrong with this sweet-smelling fragrance for everyday use.

4. Hamilton Everyday Face SPF 30+ moisturiser, $9.99 at Amcal: This is a great price for this combined tinted moisturiser and sunscreen, which is light and non-greasy on delicate facial skin.

5. Vaseline Treatment hand cream, $3.95 at Cincotta Chemist: If it was good enough for our mothers to cure dry skin on the hands, then it’s good enough for me. And so cheap. I use it every night before bed.

6. Organic coconut oil, under $20 at health food stores: Organic coconut oil is a miracle product that I use to moisturise dry hair and skin, though there are thousands of others uses as well. One tub will last you forever as you don’t need much of it to get results.

7. Fish oil capsules, $12.99 at Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist: A couple of fish oil capsules a day will supply all kinds of oily fish goodness to your skin and hair, as well as help with aches and pains in the joints. I already have arthritis, no joke, and this helps.

8. Bio-Oil, $11.99 at Amcal: Many women swear by this inexpensive beauty buy for fading scars and stretchmarks, as well as for its general moisturising properties.

9. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, under $10 at most pharmacies: An inexpensive moisturiser for the body that has the added bonus of making you smell like a mug of hot chocolate, if that’s your thing.

10. Simmons Paw Paw salve, under $10 at most health food stores: My all time favourite beauty product. This can be used for everything from dry elbows to dry feet to nappy rash… well, I can’t swear by the nappy rash thing but I’ve heard this is the case from a lot of mums. I prefer the Simmons brand of paw paw ointment as it contains no petroleum.

By Caroline Warnes