Beauty therapy: My new hair heroes
In all honesty, natural haircare is something I struggle with. Not that I have an issue with its existence, but I often have difficulty with its performance: it can leave my hair feeling heavy and lank. Mind you, mainstream hair products can be disappointing too.
Enter Yolanda Cooper of Northern Irish-based brand We Are Paradoxx. Yolanda used to work at the self-tanning brand Vita Liberata, where she fell in love with the beauty biz and started to care more about organic products. One day she had her lightbulb moment: ‘I was being so careful about what I put on my body then buying anything for my hair.’
![Secret Weapon 3-in-1 Conditioner](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/21/11/10093010-0-Secret_Weapon_3_in_1_Conditioner-a-13_1550748055171.jpg)
Super Natural Shampoo and Secret Weapon 3-in-1 Conditioner
She researched the natural haircare market and found the offering limited: products not luxe enough, packaging too twee and she felt there was too much compromise, so she set out to change that. In the space of a year she found a manufacturer and worked with a chemist to create organic products that performed on all fronts: no sulphates, no parabens, PEG-free, vegan and fragrance via essential oils. Irish ingredients run throughout, from hops (think beer rinsing to give your hair gloss) to carrageen moss to condition.
Eco and organic credentials aside, I love this stuff
She tried to be ‘clean’ in other areas, too. The packaging is all in recycled aluminium – ‘When I was about to place an order for my first 100,000 bottles I realised I couldn’t bring myself to do it in plastic,’ she says. She’s planning to launch non-plastic recyclable tube refills and will be donating one per cent of all revenue to 1% For The Planet, a global environmental organisation.
![Hangover Hair Elixir](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/21/11/10093012-0-Hangover_Hair_Elixir-m-24_1550748144570.jpg)
Hangover Hair Elixir
Eco and organic credentials aside, I love this stuff because it works. The Secret Weapon 3-in-1 Conditioner (£20) can be used as a mask and styling product. The Super Natural Shampoo (£18) still lathers but they both leave my hair feeling clean, looking shiny and in tiptop condition. My hair has a natural kink that most products weigh down, but not these and though more expensive than many off-the-shelf options, you don’t need a lot of it. The Hangover Hair Elixir (£30, all asos.com from Thursday), complete with Irish whiskey (the only alcohol in the range), is a top-notch hair oil, treatment and frizz-tamer.
Although Yolanda makes no claim about this, the products have also done wonders for the psychodermatitis (a bit like cradle cap) that I have developed in recent years.
Mad about the gel
![If you’re looking for a new squeeze on the shower gel front then Roger & Gallet’s Tuberose option (£9.50, feelunique.com) is a glorious-smelling pick-me-up that feels good to use too. There are four other new fragrances (including Neroli) but this is my favourite.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/21/11/10093038-6729101-image-m-26_1550748544225.jpg)
If you’re looking for a new squeeze on the shower gel front then Roger & Gallet’s Tuberose option (£9.50, feelunique.com) is a glorious-smelling pick-me-up that feels good to use too. There are four other new fragrances (including Neroli) but this is my favourite.
![Trinny London BFF Eye](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/21/11/10093020-6729101-Trinny_London_BFF_Eye-a-48_1550748708031.jpg)
Trinny London BFF Eye
High praise to Trinny London and not just because the woman herself is a columnist for this magazine. Her new BFF Eye (£26, trinnylondon.com) is a fab hybrid of a good coverage concealer that’s lightweight as it’s also part serum – with hyaluronic acid for moisture and peptides to depuff. It gives a natural finish and doesn’t leave the eye area feeling tight or dry. I also use it on my face if I don’t want full foundation but just need to touch up here and there.