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meditating-dog-lover · 3 years ago

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Hair care routine + products used

So I love my hair. It's long, thick, and wavy (like in the photo above). However, it's extremely difficult to take care of as it can get frizzy and tangly very easily. It might look nice too, but it is very prone to getting messy and disheveled. But thankfully my hair is still healthy and thick with no signs of grayness, loss, or serious damage. So here are the steps I follow to take care of them from the second I step in the shower:

IN SHOWER

1. Shampoo. I use 2 shampoos - 1 regular and 1 for dandruff. I use Head & Shoulders for dandruff treatment. As the second shampoo, I'll use either the Loreal Elvive Dream Lengths or Garnier Whole Blends shampoo (I don't have a preference but I like both)

2. Conditioner. I'll use either the Loreal Elvive Dream Lengths or Garnier Whole Blends conditioner.

OUT OF SHOWER/WET HAIR

3. Leave-in conditioner. I'll use either the Loreal Elvive Dream Lengths No Haircut Cream or the Garnier Whole Blends Smoothing Leave-In Conditioner. I'll apply this to my hair without touching my scalp.

4. Serum. I'll use either the Loreal Elvive Dream Lengths Frizz Killer or the Garnier Sleek and Shine Moroccan Oil.

5. Hairbrush. I'll brush my hair and make sure I have zero knots and tangles. I use this brush: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0723HS457/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

DRY HAIR

I'll never brush my hair when it is dry, but I will finger brush it to remove any tangles that have formed and will tie it in a bun to smooth everything out. Right now my hair is nice and smooth, but the ends are not that curly/wavy and I have wave bumps near my scalp. So after that, I'll style my hair with heat.

6. Heat protectant spray. This is so important! I use the Loreal Advanced Hairstyle Sleek It Iron Straight Heat Spray.

7. I will curl my ends and straighten the wave bumps with a flat iron. I use this one: https://www.kipozi.com/products/137-rosepink

8. I will apply hairspray to keep my hair in place. I don't know how necessary this step is as I'm not a huge fan of hairspray, but I use the Loreal Advanced Hairstyle Lock It Bold Control Hairspray.

And this is pretty much what I do. I'll also trim my hair every 1-2 months. I like to layer it, but I'm not sure if I am following the best method as the layers I make tend to be choppy rather than flowy. So I'll have to figure out the best way to cut my layers. Also, my ends are very prone to splitting so I need to figure out how to prevent this from happening. I also use a hair gel when my hair is wet along with the leave-in conditioner and serum, but I don't feel like it is very necessary to use. Plus it is a bit pricy. Once it runs out, I'll see how my hair looks without it. Then I'll determine if I do need a gel or not. And I need to get into the habit of using a cloth towel to dry my hair rather than a regular towel. And I love having long layered wavy hair. Short hair makes me look 10 lbs heavier, and long, straight hair without layers makes my face look long. I think my routine is good but has room for improvement. I hope these tips were somehow helpful.

#hair care #hair care routine #thick hair #wavy hair #shampoo #conditioner #leave-in conditioner #hairbrush #hair straightener #split ends #long hair #layered hair

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browneyedwolf · 7 years ago

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Bleaching my hair for the first time

For my whole life I’ve always had very dark hair, courtesy of my half-Italian heritage. While my mother and sister have almost black and quite thin curly hair, mine, through a weird batch of genetics, came out slightly lighter, thick and pretty damn straight. Below is how my hair sat when it was long and I let it air dry.

While I have experimented in the past with chopping my hair to various lengths, including one attempt at a pixie that my friend adored but I grew to hate, I had never gone to a hairdresser and asked to dye my hair. For a really long time I didn’t understand why people would spend ungodly amounts of money to change their hair colour for a few months… 23 years into having hair, I too came around to the idea that I wanted a change that a normal haircut, even a drastic one, couldn’t give me. I began pinterest boards filled with the length and different colours that I might have wanted to try. Ash blonde to copper to bright red, to ombres of various ridiculous colours. In the end, I walked into the hairdresser wanting copper balayage on the bottom of my hair, keeping my roots natural. Can I just say a massive THANK YOU to the hairdresser that saw me that day. Bless her kind heart, she didn’t do what I thought I wanted. She took the time to talk over my options, consult a senior stylist, and tweak the idea with me. We both, very happily, settled on a blonde balayage with copper tones in it (she was also thrilled that for once she didn’t have a client that hated the word ‘brassy’).

About 4 hours later, which I used to read mostly (though my sister swears by knitting for long hair appointments), I had my new ‘do.

I’ll say right off the bat that while I loved that the stylist was so happy to discuss what I wanted and what we might be able to achieve, it took a good few days to get used to seeing myself in the mirror. It took a good few days to figure out if I LIKED how it looked. From a hairdressing viewpoint it was done very well, with the blonde melting into the brown, exactly how I wanted it. But it was so new, and so different, that it took a long while for me to make up my mind on how I felt.

After those few days I finally decided that I loved it. It was new, and completely different to anything that I had ever done before, and it was AMAZING. I was a blonde (if you’re being technical, half-brown, half coppery-blonde, BUT STILL). For the next few weeks, and honestly, I still catch myself a month on doing this, I was a giant narcissist. Every time I caught my reflection in something, I stared. No amount of time made this hair less wonderful to me. It was safe to say that I was obsessed. However, new hair that I loved definitely came with a price. I was used to two day hair being oily; I had never needed a moisturising conditioner in my life, and heat-protectent spray was something that gathered dust in my cupboard. I was in for a rude (and kind of expensive) awakening.

I got home with my new hair, and it dawned on me, that I had no clue how to take care of it. So with Google by my side, I read up. And I bought things. Lots of things.

This mass of things is currently what I’m using and testing to help keep my hair from snapping off or drying out, because, you know, bleach. I thought I’d give you my quick review of some of these things so if you decide to bleach your hair (which, honestly, I kind of recommend because I feel so great about mine), you might be a little bit smarter or more informed about your purchases. First up, ‘hydrating’ hair-anything is going to be your very best friend. Your hair texture is going to change, big time. I didn’t understand the comment about bleached hair being like hay until I came home with newly bleached hair. It feels really dry and brittle, even if it looks pretty in the mirror. You’re probably going to spend a few days obsessing over how you ruined your hair forever. It’s okay though, things will make it soft and feel semi-normal again.

Secondly, while some hair care products are definitely worth your money, some of them, are really not. I was, and still am, a firm believer in value for money in all things. But, considering my hair was new, and I was out of my depth, I made the poor decision to go into a hair specialist store and fork out lots of money for products that the assistant recommended to me. She was lovely, but I only really like one of the three products that she gave me, each of which were about $30. Currently, I’m in the market for cheap products that I’ll actually love.

A review of the expensive products I bought:

‘Make Protected Spray’ - It’s basically a spray to protect your hair from heat damage from styling or blow drying. In simple terms, I hate it. I’ve had other heat sprays before (my favourite being ‘ Tresemme Thermal Creations Protective Spray Heat Tamer’), and while this might actually do what it says it does, it leaves my hair feeling very crackly wherever I’ve used it. It does this no matter how much I use (a little or a lot). It’s a bother, and thats one of the primary reasons I only use it when I need to, but because it was so damn expensive you can betcha that I’m going to suffer my way through the whole bottle.

‘Juuce blonde treatment’ - I saw a lot of purple shampoos and conditioners on the market before I went into the specialist store and walked out with this one. While it didn’t seem like it did too much to my hair, it did make it soft (not as soft as some other things), but still. I’m going to persevere and see how it goes on the long run.

‘Aromas Aroma Oil’ - The Aroma oil is great, you only need a little bit and it smooths out your hair and helps keep away frizz, makes it shiny and has heat protecting properties. I use this most days, on dry hair or damp hair after I’ve washed it.

‘Keratin Complex Shampoo and Conditioner’ - A friend of mine recommended these to me because they were for dry/damaged hair, which mine could officially be classed as. So far, they’ve both been working well for me. At the very least, my hair doesn’t feel worse for using them, so I’m counting them as a win. Hopefully with some long-term use I can decide if it’s actually worth repurchasing or if I’m going to try something else.

The Cheap Hair Products I bought:

‘Batiste Dry Shampoo’ - I have been a fan of Batiste dry shampoo for years, with my long oily brown hair it saved me many mornings when I slept in too long to be able to wash my hair before work. And currently, it’s still saving me. Bleaching your hair requires you to change your washing schedule; I couldn’t wash my hair every two days as I was used to anymore lest I strip it of the natural oils that it so desperately needed. Suddenly, I had to wait 4 days. This dry shampoo is a life saver, and as an added bonus, it smells great and gives my hair a nice volume lift.

‘Dove Intensive Repair Treatment Mask’ - I’ll be honest, this was on sale for 4 dollars, and I was in the market for a hair mask so I bought it. And so far, I kind of love it. I’m crediting this mask for getting my hair back to a somewhat soft texture again. It feels so soft and hydrated right after I use this mask that I think I’m going to keep buying it even if it’s not on sale.

‘L’Oreal Elvive Total Repair Cica Cream’ - I only got this one recently but right after you put this in you won’t be able to stop touching your hair, or smelling it. It feels so soft and light again! Again, it was a steal for only a few dollars, so I really wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do. It can also be used on wet or dry hair, so I have a feeling I’m going to be reaching for this often.

‘Schwarzkopf Colour Protect and Shine Express-Repair-Conditioner’ - Surprise, surprise, it was on sale for $5 and I bought it. I knew I needed a leave in conditioner, and I thought I’d give it a go. Honestly, I don’t really notice much of a difference with this product. It seems a little smoother and softer, I think, but when it’s so cheap, I’m probably going to keep using it just on the off chance its helping something.

So, that’s currently how I’m going with products with my new blonder hair. I’m also starting to realise why people say they’re addicted to being blonde; a month in and I’m feeling very similarly. If anyone has any hair product recommendations for me, I’d LOVE to hear them. I’m currently umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether I should fork out the money and give some of the Lush hair care products a try (because cruelty-free products sounds lovely to me). Thanks for reading!

#blonde #bleach #bleached hair #haircare #haircut #products for bleached hair #hair recommendation #short hair #short hair don't care #balayage #copper hair #hair products #hair protection #dry hair #review #hair review #hair product review

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lionofglass-archived · 8 years ago

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Tagged by: @mrunitedstates Tagging: none, my dash is filled with this so I think everyone has done it.

GENERAL

Name: Solo Birthday: 09/10 Age: 18 Sexual Orientation: Ace Bi School Status: Last year of hell.

YES/NO

Drink?: Yes. Smoke?: No Eat cake?: Can’t, lactose intolerant. Believe in true love?: When the hell freezes over. Afraid of the dark?: No Cat person?: Yes

FAVORITES

Shampoo: L’oreal elvive/ Old Spice Disney song: Hunchback of Notre Dame - Hellfire, Heaven’s light Also Aladdin - friend like me and one jump ahead. Actress/Actor: My teather teacher, she’s amazing actress. Car: Tractors because I am a terrible driver and how badly I can fuck up a tractor? Person: Strawberry Frappe girl right here @mrunitedstates Type of Weather: Mist 90s Sitcom: The Simpsons

QUESTIONS

What is your special talent/skill as a roleplayer

Nothing I’m garbage. I haven’t found anything that makes me special as a roleplayer.

What is your favourite type of roleplay genre, and why?

Dark, historical, horror.

Why did you pick your muse?

I was picking between America, Russia and England and one night I got drunk and made England rp blog.

If you could write any other muse - but know you don’t have the muse for him/her - who would it be? In general, I would love to play a bad guy, villain or something. I could pull off those pretty good. Also, I would love to play Ronald Knox from black butler.

What is one thing you think you need to work on as a partner

Replying faster. Also my ideas are a big kick in the face sometimes because I sometimes overwhelm people.

What would be your warning label to other roleplayers?

‘Yikes’

What is your favourite episode/scene of your muse?

None because he acts like a school girl.

What crack!ships do you have for your muse?

UK X UK , just Arthur having a date with himself because no one has the same level of standards like you do.

What is your senpai blog?

None at the moment.

#ooc #solo answers #thank you for tagging me

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thepapermixtape · 6 years ago

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How to Save Money and the Planet at the Same Time: SHOWER EDITION

By: Ingrid Sorensen

Low-waste beauty alternatives are a great and easy way to make a change in your environmental impact! These tips will save you money, provide you with more natural solutions, and reduce the amount of waste your shower routine creates.

Trade shampoo bottles for solid shampoo

Lush solid shampoos lather fantastically—much more than a liquid shampoo with a smaller quantity. They last 80-100 washes which means they last 3 months for daily users and 6 months for every other day users. I use Seanik, which costs 11.95$ and store it in a metal tin (also from Lush) that cost me $3.95. This means, a year’s worth of shampoo costs me between $23.90 and $47.80. In contrast, a 12.6oz bottle of L’Oreal Elvive Total Repair Shampoo retails for $4.99. An average consumer uses between 0.75-1.2 ounces for each wash. This means that this one bottle only lasts 11-17 washes, which means one bottle lasts between half a month and two months. That means, an average user will purchase between six and twenty-four bottles a year, for an annual cost of $29.94 -$119.76. Based on your use, swapping solid shampoos for liquid ones can save you between $6.04 and $71.96. That is a lot of money—in ONE year!

If you make this change, you can save hundreds to thousands of dollars over your lifetime alone! Lush has a range of solid shampoos that work for a variety of hair types—I would recommend looking at online reviews or asking a salesperson to find the right one for you. Other companies also manufacture solid shampoo bars, but I am wary of recommending a product I have not personally tested, so do a quick google search if you want more options!

Trade conditioner bottles for solid conditioner

Solid conditioner bars are a great method of cutting down your waste while reducing your spending! Rub a bar between your hands to warm it up and melt the oils then apply it into your hair. I must admit that, in my experience, conditioner bars have been harder to get used to because, depending on the bar you have, it can take a while to get enough conditioner for longer, thick hair like mine. I’ve tried Lush’s Big conditioner provides more moisture. I have heard good things about Bar None’s conditioner which can be found at Ulta.

Trade body wash bottles for solid bars

Bar soap is a classic staple in the bathroom, oftentimes associated with hotel room amenities. Nowadays, however; these bars are better than ever and hydrate, exfoliate, and soothe the skin. You can find bar soaps practically everywhere, but I would recommend Lush, where you can buy chunks of soap as some would buy cheese, wrapped in paper and priced by weight. They have so many different bars and soap alternatives, that I would just recommend visiting a local store. I’ve found that Milky Bar is a nice smooth soap, Outback Mate is great for waking up in the morning, and Lavender Vida Loca is great before bed.

Trade disposable razors for a safety razor

Have you ever gotten annoyed at how expensive and wasteful shaving is? Whether you purchase blades encased in plastic or bags of disposable razors, we can all agree that this is a wasteful practice, not to mention expensive. Trade your wasteful, and expensive razors for a sleeker, more efficient option. Rather than having to deal with switching out blades, or buying more disposable razors, invest in a safety razor. These are made of stainless steel, so they won't rust and various manufacturers have recycling programs for dull, older blades. Package Free Shop sells a good one by Albatross Designs, who will accept your old blades, regardless the brand, in order to recycle them. These can also be found on amazon and many other online retailers. In addition to being more cost and environmentally friendly, safety razors deliver a closer shave, with a lower probability of shaving nicks.

If you purchase 1x the Albatross Classic Safety Razor, it will cost you 25$. The body can be used indefinitely and you can buy a 10-pack of replacement blades for 3$. This comes out to 28$ total for the first year or so of use, then the cost would drop to 3$, 6$, 9$, etc. depending on how many blades you go through annually. In comparison, a Gillette razor head with one blade will cost you 12.32$ and a pack of 8 blade refills will cost you 22.67$. Clearly, safety razors are a better bargain, both in short term and long-term use.

Trade Shaving cream for solid alternatives

I do not use shaving cream, but I know it can be a popular shower product, so here are some options that produce less waste than pressurized cans of foam. If you have 20 minutes to spare and are willing to buy shea butter, coconut oil, and aloe vera gel, here is the DIY for you. If you’d rather just purchase something premade, Package Free Shop sells a shaving soap bar for 11$ that has great ingredients. This is one case in which the cost difference is quite minimal between options. A six pack of Gillette Shave Foam Cans costs 17.35$ in comparison. However; these cans are not always accepted at recycling facilities, because the aerosol could harm workers. If they are accepted, they must have been thoroughly cleaned inside and out, a job which falls on consumers. Save yourself the hassle by opting for a zero waste version instead!

Trade your Toothbrush for a Bamboo Version

Some people like to brush their teeth in the shower. Others think that is a disgusting habit. Both groups of people should think about switching from plastic toothbrushes to bamboo ones! Bamboo toothbrushes are compostable once you are down with them—they came from the earth and will go back to it afterwards! You can purchase 8 toothbrushes for 12$ on Amazon, compared to paying 13.84$ for 8 Oral B plastic toothbrushes. Another great thing about this switch is that you do not have to worry about swallowing plastic bristles; these brushes use compostable materials for their bristles.

As you can see, these swaps are pretty easy to make and there are plenty of options in products to choose from. Ultimately, eco-friendly living is not about being perfect or creating zero-waste. It is about doing what you can to make a difference. Going zero waste is an amazing feat; however, waste reduction makes a bigger change when practiced imperfectly by a larger group rather than perfectly by a select few. You cannot do everything the earth needs, but the earth needs everything you CAN do!

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nerdandlace · 7 years ago

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After seeing Amika’s insta-stories on their Polished Perfection Straightening Brush, I HAD to get it. And my biffle Silvia (who entirely loves me way too much) gifted me one.

In the insta-stories they did a demo on a model with coarse curly hair and it straighten it like silk. I was beyond impressed. So I had to try it for myself. I visited the Amika booth during IBSNY 2018 and my hair looked amazing after! She even curled my ends.

So I decided to do a demo for you. I am taking the brush on vacation, to try and keep my crazy hair tamed in Florida weather.

I started with cleaned/washed hair. While my hair was still wet (not damped), I applied L’oreal ELVIVE Total Repair 5 Protein Recharge Treatment and for the integrity of this demo and review, I let it air dry. I didn’t want any heat to touch my hair before hand. And it is suggested that you use the brush with dry hair.

If you live the long/thick hair life, then you know it took an entire day for it dry. ’tis long hair life.

This brush goes up to 450 degrees. So it’s important to use a heat protector before use. So I went section by section and sprayed on CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protecting Spray.

The brush gets really hot, and so does your hair. BUT it doesn’t burn at all. And while, again yes it’s hot, the bristles will not burn you. I actually hand my hand over them holding some sections down and it did not burn me in the least.

Before

I have read reviews for other heated brushes were people complain of hair getting tangled or pulled. But I am not the best person to discuss this point since I shed like a dog. I didn’t notice any hair left on the brush that didn’t seem normal. But I can guarantee that it did not get tangled nor stuck on my crazy locks.

Normally when I blow out my hair it takes me hours. My hair is down to my waist after all. This took me 30 minutes, and it was so darn easy! Yes, I am a fan.

My best advice, when brushing each section, do it slowly. Oddly enough, it goes by faster, and it looks silky smooth after.

Now you may be wondering how much this baby is? Retail price $120.00 USD but sadly, it’s currently out of stock. So if you’re interested, make sure you sign up to get notified when it’s back on sale right here. I have the pink Holiday edition. The regular brush is black with gold details. It’s really pretty and sleek.

Word to the wise, this is not meant to be a flat iron. So if you want pin straight hair, this is not the tool for you. What it does in my case, is help me keep my hair under control, because it’s crazy and does whatever it wants.

I really love how it left my hair. Normally after I blow it out, it looks dry and damage. But it doesn’t, and I am really happy with the results.

Hope everyone is having a good time. I should be in Disney today. Can’t wait to take a selfie with Ariel!

Have you tried the Amika’s Polished Perfection Straightening Brush? What did you think?

Amika Polished Perfection Straightening Brush Review & Demo After seeing Amika's insta-stories on their Polished Perfection Straightening Brush, I HAD to get it. And my biffle Silvia (who entirely loves me way too much) gifted me one.

#Amika #CHI #Demo #Hair #Hair Tools #Heated Brush #Loreal #Love Amika #Review

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thestyleparcel · 7 years ago

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Fine hair is beyond annoying. For those of us who have the flimsy, flyaway strands, sprouting from our scalp, know that too much product is a no no but too little is also a big no. So how do you find a happy medium and have those voluminous locks you’ve always wished for?

We don’t all have time for a Kardashian hair care routine every morning, nor do we have their trusty stylist on hand. So I’ve pulled together my go to products, along with tips and tricks from the best in the industry, to get you through the winter months and let your hair stand out (in a good way) this party season. Because from one fine haired girl to another, I feel your pain.

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WASHING

I know I’m guilty of washing my hair too much but, I can’t escape that cycle of washing my hair pretty much every morning. Yes, it destroys the natural oils in your hair and makes fine hair even finer, but sometimes dry shampoo just doesn’t cut the mustard.

My fellow fine haired friends will understand the lack of volume we have, so to conquer that I use the budget friendly L’Oréal Elvive Fibrology Air range. I’m yet to find a better product on the high street, that gives real volume, without weighing hair down. A top tip from L’Oréal Professional UK editorial ambassador, Adam Reed, recommends blasting your hair with cold water after rinsing your conditioner out to give it an extra boost.

I also tend to only condition the ends of my hair and stay clear of the scalp as that can really make fine hair dull and greasy. Jen Atkin (does she even need introducing) tells her clients to dry their hair with an old cotton t-shirt instead of a towel after they shower, as wet strands are much more fragile and prone to breakage, and the harsh fibers of a towel can be too aggressive. I can’t live without my Tangle Teezer (I have four) and haven’t found a better alternative for matted hair, I use one in the shower to make sure it doesn’t snap of when I try to brush it dry.

The best conditioning hair mask I have found so far is the sensational Roots and Rituals Ultra-Hydrating Mask. It’s so creamy, leaves your hair smelling yummy all day and seals split ends.

WHAT TO USE IN THE SHOWER FOR FINE HAIR

L’Oréal Elvive Fibrology Air Shampoo | Tangle Teezer | Roots and Rituals Mask

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AT THE SALON

Ask for blunt cut, with minimal layers to avoid losing weight and depth, think a long bob (lob) a la Olivia Culpo. I love that feeling of chunky ends when you leave the hair dressers chair!

If you’re blond like me, when getting colour, ask for a mixture of highlights and lowlights to avoid a one dimensional all over colour that can look dull and flat, giving no movement to our poor fine hair. Balayage can work really well but make sure the highlights are fine to keep your hair looking natural.

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STYLING

I’m in love with the Aveda Pure Abundance Volume Booster, it’s designed to thicken fine hair with a botanical blend and gives limp strands the hold they need for body that lasts all day. I apply this sparingly to the roots and through the ends then rough dry my hair, upside down, with my favourite Panasonic Nanoe Hair Dryer, with the diffuser attached.

Finish your styling prep, by applying the lightweight oil from Roots and Rituals to the ends, for sleek, frizz-free and smooth hair all day

HOW TO STYLE FINE HAIR

Aveda Volume Booster | Panasonic Nanoe Hair Dryer | Roots and Ritual Hair Oil

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SUPPLEMENTS

We all know good skin starts from within and if you aren’t eating well, a breakout is the first sign that your body isn’t happy with you. So why would the rules be any different for your hair? Iron and Zinc found in legumes, nuts, seeds, oats and fish, are great sources to improve the overall health of your hair. I also take a fish oil capsule daily, as I think they keep my hair glossy and strong and I’d recommend the following supplements.

SUPPLEMENTS THAT BOOST HAIR GROWTH

Hair Finity | Phillip Kingsley | Sea Kelp

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How are you looking after your hair this winter? Let me know in the comments below or share with me on social.

Check out how to look after your fine hair this winter. Fine hair is beyond annoying. For those of us who have the flimsy, flyaway strands, sprouting from our scalp, know that too much product is a no no but too little is also a big no.

#balayage #blonde balayage #blonde hair #blonde highlights #fine hair #fine hair care #jen atkins #kardashian hair care #volume for fine hair #volume products for fine hair #winter hair care

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nobuckingway · 7 years ago

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Recently Dante & I attended our first ever proper show! Yes, you heard that right me & Dante went show jumping! For anyone who has followed Dante’s progress from when I bought him in October, I honestly thought this day would NEVER come!!!

He was quite the problem horse to say the least, but it just goes to show that sticking at something and working hard really does show results. We are still not perfect, far from it! These last few weeks I feel like we are both progressing well together, but now as a team.

Have a read below, find out how our practice day went two days before the big show itself, find out how I got him washed & prepared! It feels like a lifetime since I have done it all!

Practice Round

To give a quick explanation of what was going on, the yard I had previously been at run an annual jumping event against a neighbouring yard . where they both compete teams & individuals for a chance to win the winning cup. With the show being on Monday, the Friday previous a practice course was set up, for all teams & individuals competing on Monday. As Dante has never done a proper show or jumped a proper course I thought it was best to bring him here first, that way I could decide from his behaviour if he was ready to partake on Monday.

OMgod I was so nervous. I really did not know what to expect from him. As we arrived at our previous yard Dante was on his toes. There was a lot going on, horses & people everywhere but I was very surprised by his relaxed behaviour besides the few looks here & there. I popped him into a stable to let him settle down, as I had a quick catch up with everyone, and to have a quick learn the course!

I lunged Dante at home before I brought him over, it helps to get rid of that bit of extra spice in him & so that I didn’t have to spend the guts of an hour warming him up trying to get him relaxed. So with that I walked him into the practice arena & hopped right up on him.

It was so weird. I kind of feel like the two of us were walking around the arena for the guts of 5 minutes thinking what the hell are we getting ourselves into. I had a quick trot & canter on both reins and jumped the two practice fences set up, with that I headed down to wait for my turn to jump.

I was absolutely shitting it as they called us into the arena but the minute we walked in, it was as if the two of us turned our game faces on. The nerves were suddenly gone and before I knew it I was cantering into fence number 1. Dante was amazing to say the least, he kept a steady rhythm in his canter through out the full course. He was disunited quite a good bit and did keep changing legs in between fences but as long as I kept pushing him on through it we were flying. I have zero faults in his performance, I was delighted with him, besides a few knocked poles everything he done was a step forward in the right direction.

Delighted with his performance, I decided it was time to take the plunge and finally start entering shows with him and that I did. Myself & Dante put our names down for Monday, unaware if we were going to be on a team or as an individual but either way I didn’t really care as I was so happy with the way he worked around the course we had just completed.

Preparations

After arriving home ecstatic about our performance, A day later I received a text to be told Dante & I had been selected to jump as an individual & as part of a team. That nervous feeling crept back in again, but I suppose you have to power on and get over these fears if you want to get anywhere!!

So I began prepping & getting him ready for our very first show. He needed to be plaited, washed, groomed & our tack needed a little bit of a sprucing up! You may think I am mad, but I have began using hair masks for Dante for his mane & tail as it is very coarse & fluffy! (I needed something to tame it!) With a glass of wine, and a bucket of warm soapy water I began my mission to scrub Dante until he was sparkling!

With baby shampoo & warm water I simply began to sponge him down scrubbing the visible dirt away, he’s a bay horse, so he is quite clean besides his 3 white socks, (I didn’t wash the bottoms of his legs until the morning of the show as he is not the cleanest horse when it comes to standing in his stable!!) Once his body had been hosed of, I used my Elvive hair mask. I simply rub it through his mane & tail, on the package it says to leave it in for 5-10 minutes but I leave it in for 15 minutes & rinse out. After all the scrubbing was complete, I threw Dante on the walker to dry, leaving him in his stable with his cooler on! At least that way I had a good chance of keeping him clean!

Before every show, I plait the mane the night before, and bud them up the morning off. I can’t imagine it being too comfortable with rosebuds in over night. Regarding his tail, I don’t really tend to plait it, he likes flicking it and swishing it around the place & he keeps it relatively clean, so I did not see the need to!

Show Day

As mentioned above, the morning of the show I washed his four socks (legs) before loading him up into the box, using a whitener shampoo to try keep them white, sealing them with a bit of baby powder to keep the colour vibrant! After all of this was done, I threw on his travel boots, his cooler & loaded him up into the horse box and we set off to the venue!

Driving into the venue I was half expecting Dante to start kicking and jumping around the box in excitement, but needless to say he was lovely and calm. There was so much going on, horses walking and trotting by the box people everywhere, after 20minutes of him standing around in the box he began to get quite anxious.

To be fair to him he could hear everything going in but couldn’t exactly see anything, so I don’t blame him! I took him out of the box, let him have a stretch and put him into a stable to let him properly relax before getting him tacked up & ready!

The Warm up

There warm up arena, which is an indoor arena, it is quite small & uneven so I decided it was best to give him a quick warm up out in the field before hand. Dante was taking everything in, no bold behaviour, but he was looking at everything and had that real spring in his step. As I began to trot him he was really using himself, I could feel the power in him! This quickly came to an end as a few kids from the yard kept cantering up & down the field with their ponies and this was really beginning to set Dante off. I felt as if I had lost his concentration completely as he was way too focused on what was going on around him to bother listening to me. So as I pretty much brought everything with me just in case, I decided to throw my draw reins on him so I had slightly more control & I headed into the indoor arena to try get a good warm up done before our first round.

To be fair to everyone, they were so accommodating towards us when we went into the indoor, they gave us the space we needed to get a proper warm up. He was working so well, in trot & canter he was a bundle of energy, but it was controllable so it gave me a good ground to work with. He was very responsive to everything I was asking him to do, which did surprise me. He can be quite a difficult horse at time in terms of keeping him from getting flustered. So with this I acted quick, took the draw reins off and I popped him over two or three jumps before we headed into the arena for our first round.

Tip: I highly recommend not over jumping a horse too much before entering your round. Working on transitions and making sure your horse is listening to you is far more beneficial. I would keep my jumping at a max of 4 times, unless you run into major problems or really sloppy jumping.

Round 1 – Midi

I was left to wait 5-10 minutes outside the gate before I entered the arena. My nerves were totally forgot about at this stage as Dante literally would not stand still. The tables had turned, I am pretty sure Dante began to gain more nerves than me at this stage. So with a few reassuring pats on the neck & talking to him trying to relax him he settled as we walked into the arena.

The crowd was huge. There were people talking, shouting, microphones being spoke into & Dante didn’t bat an eyelid. I was amazed, we were both in our happy place, back jumping!! Dante awaited instructions from me and instead of flapping around, I got straight into it, I heard the bell and I began to approach the first fence.

He was fantastic. He came back to me in between fences when I asked and didn’t rush or take off unannounced. He did have a good look at a big red sign hanging up on one of their fences, but as I ignored it and rode him on he began to ignore it too. I wont lie, our jumping was slightly sloppy. We knocked around 4/5 poles, not to blame Dante but he wasn’t really lifting his legs over the fences, he wasn’t appreciating the height of them one bit, they were 70-80cm!

Overall I was delighted with his first round, knocking poles didn’t really bother me one bit, as I was more focused on how he behaved over anything else. This was all a brand new scene to him so keeping him relaxed was key. Beside it was more like a warm up for our team event coming up next!

Round 2 – Maxi

He was yet again taking everything in his stride, the crowds, the noises. As we entered the arena for our Maxi round, I could feel him a lot more relaxed underneath me. With the first round out of the way he knew what he had to do & we both knew the course.

Again, we got straight into it, once the bell sounded we started approaching our first fence. I will admit his strides are so hard to read at the moment! But that will take time as we both have only started jumping properly!

Once over the first fence, he did knock it, but as we approached the second fence, I pushed him. I pushed him for the big stride and he met the fence perfect. The next 4-5 fences I kept pushing him for the longer stride and he met everything spot on.

I was delighted with him, but when it comes to our jumping at the minute we both just need time to adjust to each other more & get used to each other. His jump can be huge at times, I am just about getting to grips with staying in the saddle!! But jumping the bigger fences seemed to be a lot more comfortable for both me & him.

We finished the course with 8 faults possibly 12, but again I didn’t really care about the knocks, his behaviour was all I was worried about for his first show out! That and well we had no refusals either! So overall I was delighted with his performance.

We ended up placing 3rd in our Midi round & 4th in our Maxi round, so with these results I was delighted! But like I keep saying, I was mostly concerned about his behaviour over his performance, bringing him to this show has really opened my eyes to how far we both have come!

When I first bought him back in October bringing Dante to this show was my goal, and I am still fairly shocked that we reached it, considering how much trouble I had with him up until 2 months ago!

So for everyone reading this, if I can do it ANYONE can do it!!!

Onwards & upwards from here!

#NeighNSlay

Darielle

Our First Show – Reaching That Goal Recently Dante & I attended our first ever proper show! Yes, you heard that right me & Dante went show jumping!

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