My hair care staple

I have yet to even try the widely celebrated Argan “miracle ingredient” Oil that burst onto the hair care scene a little while ago. Truth be told, when it comes to hair treatment I have used the same product for years, and it hasn’t let me down.

source

Deemed “natures golden elixir” by founder Denis Simioni who discovered the 500-year-old beauty secret of the Miskito Indians or Tawira, deep in the Central American tropical rainforest; Ojon oil is obtained from the nut of the Ojon tree native to the area and is still extracted using ancient eco-friendly methods.

The restorative treatment contains no water, preservatives or silicones and exists naturally in solid form and quickly melts upon contact with warmth from your hands, allowing you to massage the chocolate-y coffee scented oil into your scalp through to the ends of your hair. The treatment does have a very distinctive, instantly recognisable, rich smell, as described above, which may not be to everybody’s taste but I don’t find it at all unpleasant. If anything I think this adds to the comfort of the treatment.  

My hair has a tendency to be fine and limp, even though there is a lot of it, so I exercise my use of hair products with caution and usually stay away from the “leave in conditioner/ serum” kind. I use this treatment once or twice a week overnight and shampoo and condition my hair as normal in the morning. I have fairly long hair, and I don’t like getting it cut very often (slap my wrists) so I have to keep on top of it to stop it resembling horse-hay! This does the trick. The ends are nourished and the lengths of my hair appear conditioned and more supple, also with a nice healthy shine that lasts so when I *do* make those few and far between trips to the hairdresser, I receive compliments on the condition of my hair. I have also noticed that I suffer less breakage and frizz which is always a plus when trying to keep your hair at a longer length.

Ojon restorative hair treatment retails at £32.50 for 100ml (83g) tub, but it lasts for months and months. Available from Ojon , QVC uk, John Lewis and House of Fraser.

*purchased with my own pennies*

The Cridford Inn and Vanilla Pod Restaurant, Devon.

A couple of weeks ago I was a very lucky lady and whisked off to Trusham in Devon for a meal and night away at the Cridford Inn. The bar area, restaurant and accommodation are all set within an old Devon longhouse believed to date back to the 14^th Century and the whole place oozes luxury and character. There is a perfect partnership between stylish interiors and finishing touches and the character of the old building with exceptional original features, slate floors, roaring fires and so much charm. We are always on the look out for hidden gems and this ticked all the boxes.

We stayed over as part of the winter stay and dine offer (£49.95pp) which included dinner, bed & breakfast. From the moment we arrived the staff we encountered were friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. Our bedroom (the Dart room) was cosy and warm but en trend with modern neutral décor sympathetic to the age and style of the building, as was the theme throughout. You know you’ve fallen in love with somewhere you are staying when you are taking inspiration to use in your own house! Another bonus (for me more than fiancé) was that the Inn is only a 15-20minute drive from Exeter… so a bit of shopping to complete the pampering experience.

We ate in the bar area which still allowed for intimate uninterrupted dining that you would expect from an exclusive restaurant and may not always get from a pub, and the set menu included ample variation and choice with meals comprised of locally sourced ingredients, cooked to order and executed superbly. (A “perfect steak", which is praise indeed from my steak-obsessed fiancé!). Ian’s famous desserts were also amazing.

The service was prompt and the staff attentive throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing but exciting dining experience in perfect ambiance which continued through, after a peaceful and very comfortable night’s sleep, to breakfast the next morning. Local produce cooked well, fab surroundings and lovely staff who appear to genuinely care and take pride in customer service and high standards. The Cridford has also recently launched a takeaway menu offering a taste of their gorgeous traditional food to go. If we were local, we would definitely be taking advantage. But then, if we were local, we would probably just take up permanent residence in front of one of the lovely wood-burning stoves. I am already trying to plan our next visit.

For more information you can visit their website.

Elemis sp@home pro-radiance hand and nail cream

I am a hand cream fiend.

It doesn’t matter what time of year it is my hands seem to crave almost constant moisture, add to this the abuse they receive from continuous hand-washing and alcohol cleansing (occupational hazard of nursing) and you have some very needy paws. I often have several different hand creams on the go, spread across various bags, the car, and different rooms in the house but at the moment these are being overlooked in favour of just one.

Step up: Elemis pro-radiance hand and nail cream.

 

Launched in February this year as the latest addition to the Elemis Sp@home anti-ageing range this luxurious hand cream combines a blend of natural actives and powerful antioxidants avellana seed oil, omega 7, macadamia, camellia, virgin plum and milk protein with Elemis’ revolutionary skincare technology to provide a moisturising, silky, silicone-free barrier without a greasy finish and my hands have loved it! This has been an instant remedy to the usual dryness and general lack-lustre appearance my hands can have, which make my 25 years appear double that. Since using this hand cream my hands have not suffered their usual chapping and the skin, especially on the backs of the hands, appears conditioned and plump. It has also been great around stubborn dry cuticles. I have applied this hand cream as needed throughout the day, it soaks in quickly with no residue, but I have one on my bedside table to apply very generously before bed as an overnight treatment which works wonders. All of this with that lovely Elemis fragrance of white flowers magnolia and jasmine. An all round treat.

At £22 for 100ml tube, this may be considered steep for a hand cream but the lush formula delivers results and that 100ml goes a looong way.

Available from Elemis spas, John Lewis, Debenhams (online and in selected stores) and timetospa


*Small print: I purchased this myself as part of a set, all views expressed in this review are my own.*