Help! I burnt my hair off!!

Last week my absolute nightmare happened, my hair burned/ singed/ died. Whatever you want to call it, it wasn't good!

It all started in my final week in England before coming home for Easter. I was curling my hair as usual with my strengtheners, being extra careful spraying on the heat defence spray so it wouldn't burn (oh the irony), when mid curl I heard loud sizzling. With a burning smell and sizzling hair, I told myself I must have sprayed a little too much heat defence, making my hair damp, thus, causing the sizzling. So I left my hair for the night, gave it a wash to get rid of the slight burning smell (which was still present days later), and put the issue to the back of my mind.

A few days later, as I was going out for dinner I grabbed my straighteners to create some lovely waves. Once again, it happened. But this time, 100x worse. I heard my hair frying with an almighty hiss, but what really made me panic was the burning smell. I have NEVER smelt anything like it. And no matter how many times I washed it, it was still present a week later and no amount of perfume could mask the stench. I put the straighteners down and examined my hair, as I looked through it, my heart sank. Now girls (or guys trying for the long haired look or man-bun), nothing pains you more when you've spent months looking after your hair with extra protective serums and argon oil to try and grow it, when suddenly your hair is so burnt, it's split ends galore. And at that moment, I knew, that the longer hair I had so looked forward to and had been trying to grow was not happening. It was soul destroying.

As I looked through my hair further, at the front of my head, I found one section which had completely frazzled. And by frazzled I mean...my hair was dead. And before I knew it, in panic, I picked up the scissors and cut off the bit of hair. To be honest, it looked OK. It was in my top layer, so it didn't take any off my overall length, it just made a section of my layer a bit shorter.

At this point, I fully knew, the problem was in my strengtheners. These were expensive but old straighteners. The protective coating on the ceramic had worn off, making my hair fully exposed to 300 degrees heat (no wonder it burnt)! Although expensive, and a very well known brand, if I'm honest these straighteners had served me well over the years and had done there time. But I just wished they could have not burnt my hair in their final days and died another way! 

As I got talking to my University flatmate, telling her about my hair dilemma, she informed me that cutting your own hair with kitchen scissors can in fact cause more split ends, that I needed a hairdresser (top tip!).

The road to recovery...

Firstly, I threw my scissors in the bin. I wasn't making that mistake again! 

Secondly, I booked an appointment at the hairdressers, explaining to her my situation and thankfully she said only 1.5 inches needed to be taken off the length to remove the burnt split ends (I say ONLY 1.5 but it feels so much shorter now, but so much healthier!)
I should also mention, that I have not used any straighteners or form of heat on my hair since the burning, one week ago, and do not plan to again until next week. I feel my hair just needs a break!

Thirdly, I popped down to my local Superdrug and hunted the shelves....


*And here it is, the perfect time to insert my product reviews.
I will be reviewing 2 products I used to recondition my hair, comparing them, and telling you the truth in if they actually helped my hair!

Follow me on twitter @thoseyoungyears, subscribe by email or follow me on Google+ to hear more of the story continued (all links to the right-hand side of this page).Expect the product reviews within the next week!

Until then, let me know if this has ever happened to you and if there are any straighteners you would recommend?

Keep living and learning,
x

P's. Good news, he product review has been done!! Read which products I love, and those not so much by clicking here!

Handling the exam Season!

stress, Stress AND MORE STRESS

Although its Easter and I've never been happier to see the sun and have a break from University, anyone who attends school, sixth form or uni will know, although it's the Easter holidays, there is a catch. Exam season is fast approaching.
From when I started secondary school, it felt like any holiday I had (apart from Summer), was ruined by the upcoming exams. Yes, it's amazing to have two weeks off, but, suddenly the happiness gets slowly sucked out of you when you have 3 homework's due and 8 exams to revise for. On the bright-side, every student in the world feels your pain.
I often found myself internally angry at the education system, how could they ruin our holidays like this? So I'd forget about work, and enjoy my time off (even though the mountain of work was always on the back of my mind), and before I knew it, school started in 3 days and I had done nothing. Nightmare!
As I grew older I realised exam season didn't have to be this stressful, the key to it all was having a clear mind and an organised work schedule and place...

Step 1: A clear mind
Putting off work for the whole holiday and being constantly worried at the back of my mind about the mountain-load which was not decreasing, does not create a clear mind.

After a term of school, yes, we are entitled to a break. However, I realised for me it was best to dedicate a few days at the start of my holiday to not worrying about my workload, and concentrating on relaxing, clearing my head and enjoying myself. Because let's face it, after a term of early mornings and too many homework's, your brain does feel like mashed potato (Irish problems). I found that when I did then start my work 4 days later, due to actively dedicating a few days to no work, I didn't feel guilty. Therefore I had a fresh, ready to go mind, which made me more motivated and work harder after the 4 days of rest.

Step 2: The transition day- A day dedicated to preparation
It's the oldest trick of the book, taking a full day to write a revision timetable, to then realise you need the next day to buy stationary, then the day after you need to do this, this and this.... And before you know it, you've wasted 3 days on preparing to start, now your revision timetable is messed up and you're going to have to spend another day fixing it. Procrastination at its finest.
So instead, spend a morning writing a to do list for revision. One might look a bit like this;
*File block
*File dividers
*Coloured pens
*Highlighters
*Sticky notes
Then in the afternoon, go get all the stuff you need, write a revision timetable, then start your revision the next day. No excuses!

Step 3: The revision timetable 
Whether you organise your revision through time periods (2 hours of Biology revision), or topics (Finish topic 1 of Biology), find the method which suits you best in the time frame you have! Revision timetables are fun to make, and can be quite motivating. So make sure you are realistic in your goals, and I always find colour coding by subject helps!
Take breaks when you need to, there is no point revising for 3 hours straight but not being able to remember a thing because your brain is exhausted. And if you're like me, snack if it helps! Nothing makes me happier than a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit whilst revising.

Step 4: Get revising
Turn off all distractions (Facebook, Twitter etc), until

your revision is finished or you have earned a well deserved break. Drink lots of water and get cracking!
Being prepared and dedicating a few hours a day to revising means you can still do fun stuff throughout your holiday, it doesn't have to be stressful.  So good luck, and if the beautiful, shirtless photo of Ryan Gosling doesn't motivate you, I don't know what will!

Are you stressed about exams? Have you any other revision tips?
Comment and let me know!

Keeping living and learning,
X  

p.s. I've just got Twitter! Everyone follow me at @thoseyoungyears, to find out more about everyday life and to interact with each other more!

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Looking on the bright side; The first day of Spring!

It's amazing what a bit of sunshine can do!
Having arrived back in Ireland for my 2 week Easter break, I was super excited to wake up to the sun and a bit of warmth ( its only 13 degrees, but for Ireland, that's hot!)
Although the first official day of Spring was the 20th of March, due to the first real break of sunshine through the clouds, I'm considering today the start of Spring.
Spring for me is the last sprint of the marathon (except a lot more enjoyable). Being a student, this is a time for me to hand in my final assignments, and prepare and take my examinations before all my hard work for the year has (hopefully) paid off! Then at the end of it all, we get a break from all the stress to focus on more of the important things in life: ice-cream, holidays, topping up our tan and making the most of the sunshine!
My goals for this Easter break is to complete my essays (4,500 words, help me!), spend time with my family, see old school friends, start revising and try to make a conscious effort in being healthier and looking after myself!

So in celebration, here is my top 5 reasons as to why I love Spring!

1.Daffodils- With yellow being my favourite colour I find daffodils like beautiful little sun beams!
2. The birth of baby lambs-  So Cute. Need I say more?
3. The sun makes a reappearance- even though I love Winter, the feeling of the sun hitting your face again is amazing! It's incredible how much it instantly improves your mood, making it easier to get out of bed and be more productive!
4. The build up to Summer- As soon as you feel the sun again, one of your first thoughts is it's getting close to summer. And that means only one thing...holidays!
5. Fashion- After months of being wrapped up like a real life snowman in your hat, scarf and gloves, yet still managing to feel the cold, being able to wear a dress or skirt again (even if it is with tights) feels so good! And after all, Spring means only one thing, FLORAL PRINTS AND PINK LIPSTICKS ARE BACK!

What is your plans for your Easter break and the reasons why you love Spring?
Comment below!

Keep living and learning,
x

About Me

'Life is beautiful; scary, but beautiful.'

You learn a lot within your teenage years, and as I approach the big 2-1, I can honestly say I have. Right now I feel I could write a small novel on the lessons of life to tell my 14 year old self, the scary thought is, I've still got a long way to go, as life is a journey in which you never stop learning from.

I am a 20 year old from Ireland studying towards a Business degree at a University in the South of England. Having a love of beauty, fashion, hair, food and travelling, expect to see a lot of these within the blog. Occasionally I also want to get a bit deeper learning more about you and your experiences which have shaped you as a person. And in return, I will share with you mine, uncovering experiences with friend, boys, and touching upon some of life's more harsher lessons.

I want to use this as a network for young people, looking at the honest reality of these issues and how it affects us (good and bad), but also have fun on product reviews. Known for my strong opinions, I am not a blogger who fakes their love of a product through sponsored PR, I understand the financial struggles of young people (trust me I'm a student), so you can trust me that when I recommend anything, I honestly do like it!

I guess I want this blog to be a real life agony aunt, actually, more of an agony friend. A community were you can turn to with your success and troubles and talk about them in a fun, truthful, loving environment.
I'm really excited for this blog, I feel it can be very therapeutic for everyone, and mainly a lot of fun!

Keep living and learning,
x