Follow me at eleanorjadore.com

Hey everyone!

Just letting you know that I’m now blogging at eleanorjadore.com so if you’re not already, please continue to follow my posts over there.

Love and hugs all around,

Eleanor

How to style 2-strand twists

If you follow me on my other social media platforms you’ll know that I actually published this tutorial on my channel a couple of weeks ago. Why am I only posting it here now? Well, life I guess!

Nevertheless, I’m very excited to be bringing you this video today if you haven’t seen it already. I show my 3 favourite ways that I like to style my 2-strand twists. Go have a look and let me know which one is your favourite.

Have a fabulous week and remember to love your curls

Natural Hair in Cape Town – A rapidly growing movement

I’ve just returned from a very inspiring trip to Cape Town, my hometown,  where I not only holidayed for 10 days, but where I also co-hosted the type of event I have thus far only dreamed of being involved in. I am a natural you see. What does that mean? Well, it means I wear my hair the way it grows from my scalp – curly. Sometimes it decides to act kinky and other times it decides to act coily. However it wants to be a certain day, that’s just how I wear it.

There are others akin me. Up until a few years ago I honestly didn’t think there were. But just like me, there have been a number of women and men who have been growing weary of the constant societal pressures of manipulating their hair to look a certain way, or to fit in somewhere. In other words, the pressure to straighten, relax, perm, blow dry, flat iron or any other method of unnaturally achieving straight hair have become highly questionable to them too.

Little did I know that they were getting just as fed up as I had been for a long time, especially in Cape Town. So when the time came for me to join forces with Kasuba and Chantal from Rockin Naturals and with Mandy from The Mandy Expedition two years ago to form an online group to empower individuals with information that was going to help them along on  a path to self acceptance through healthier hair practices, I jumped at the opportunity.

Our Facebook group is called Cape Town Naturally, which inevitably led to our first ever meet-up over drinks, suitably dubbed Curls & Cocktails. Mandy’s post over here and Rockin Naturals’ post over here will give you all the event details and photos.  Of course we’d been aware of the growing interest in natural hair care in Cape Town, but I suppose the huge turnout did, in fact, take us by surprise. And what a testament that turnout was to the growing movement as women are hungry for information and resources. Of course I was conscious of this, which is in part why I started this blog. But perhaps none of us realised what impact this group would have in terms of empowering natural hair expression.

Honestly, sometimes I’m just amazed at how far our group has come. I mean, we’ve just hit over 400 members! Would it even have been possible a few short years ago? I just hope that the reach of the group continues to grow as the support and knowledge sharing remain absolutely amazing.

I did this shoot with Roger Williams right before the event as I was totally feeling my look and wanted to celebrate my birthday, which happened to be on the same day, with some awesome pictures. Even though I’ve been wearing my hair this way for a number of years, I honestly don’t know if I would have had the confidence to do a shoot like this back when I first started my healthy hair journey. So for me this shoot is further evidence of how far I’ve come personally.

But back to Cape Town Naturally: My dream is that the group carries on growing and that it inspires more and more women to return to their natural state, until wearing their hair naturally is the natural choice.

As always, love your curls

My Deep Conditioning Routine with Bounce Essential Hair

There’s a new deep conditioning routine on my YouTube channel. In it I feature a deep conditioning heat cap from Bounce Essential Hair. I really enjoyed working on this one so I hope you enjoy watching it too. Go watch and subscribe right now.

Love your curls,

Renew my skin with Vichy LiftActiv – Final Update

It’s been a month since I started subjecting my skin to a new moisturising routine with Vichy LiftActiv in collaboration with Beauty Bulletin. And oh my word, my skin is now definitely thanking me for it!

Let’s recap quickly. I was sent the following products to try out: LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme, LiftActiv Supreme Day, LiftActiv Night Supreme and the LiftActiv Advanced Filler. Areas on my face that I wanted to address were dark circles around the eyes, fine lines, signs of fatigue and possible dehydration.

My routine comprises washing and toning my face, after which I proceed to apply one drop of the Serum 10 Supreme and lightly massage it into my skin. I follow this by applying a little of the Advanced Filler, concentrating it around my eyes. Lastly I apply the Supreme Day cream and massage it into my skin. At night I follow the same routine except that I finish it off with the Night Supreme Creme.

How has my skin fared?

Here are the results:

Before / Immediate use results

2 week results

1 month final update

With regards to addressing dehydration, I’m giving this new routine a 10/10. I don’t think my skin has ever felt this moisturised using any other products. My skin stays hydrated throughout the day as well as when I wake up in the morning and it never feels tight. In addition my skin is definitely brighter, which fights any signs of fatigue. I don’t have any fine lines around my eyes yet, but I’ll continue to use the the products, especially the filler and I’ll keep an eye (pun intended) on that sensitive area. My skin also feels much firmer.

Generally, I love the fact that friends and family have commented on my rather youthful glow of late.

Okay, I know I’m wearing makeup in the final update pictures, but I wanted to end of this series of posts looking absolutely fabulous and I do think the results are entirely visible, even through the makeup.

Unfortunately the new regime has not done anything to improve the dark circles under my eyes, so I suppose I’ll have to come up with another solution to address this concern as it’s quite a big one.

I’m going to end off by saying that I really hoped you enjoyed coming along on this journey with me as much as I have.

The products are available at all Vichy counters in selected Dis-chem, Clicks, Red Square, Edgars, Woolworths, Foschini stores and selected pharmacies at the following price points:

• Vichy LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme – R560
• Vichy LiftActiv Supreme Day – R529
• Vichy LiftActiv Night Supreme – R529
• Vichy LiftActiv Advanced Filler – R490

You can have a look at what other bloggers have to say about the products on social media by searching for #MySerum10.

Love your skin,

Renew my skin with Vichy LiftActiv – 2 week update

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Vichy to put their LiftActiv Supreme skin care range to the test over the period of a month to see how much my skin can improve.  The products I’m putting to the test are: LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme, LiftActiv Supreme Day, LiftActiv Night Supreme and the LiftActiv Advanced Filler. Areas on my face that I wanted to address were dark circles around the eyes, fine lines, signs of fatigue and possible dehydration.

This is my routine

After washing and my toning my face I proceed to apply one drop of the Serum 10 Supreme and lightly massage it into my skin. I follow this by applying a little of the Advanced Filler, concentrating it around my eyes. Lastly I apply the Supreme Day cream and massage it into my skin. At night I follow the same routine except that I finish it off with the Night Supreme Creme.

Results

Before

2 week results

I have to say that am pleasantly surprised by new routine. Not only does my skin remain hydrated and moisturised, but it’s definitely firmer and smoother as well. What I love the most is how much brighter my skin is. Even my sister commented on how good my skin is looking lately, so I’m really happy that there’s been a marked difference.

As we move into Autumn the Johannesburg air is getting drier so I’m excited to be able to use these products at just the right time of year.

The products are available at all Vichy counters in selected Dis-chem, Clicks, Red Square, Edgars, Woolworths, Foschini stores and selected pharmacies at the following price points:

• Vichy LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme – R560
• Vichy LiftActiv Supreme Day – R529
• Vichy LiftActiv Night Supreme – R529
• Vichy LiftActiv Advanced Filler – R490

Planning to purchase your own Vichy LiftActiv product? Why not upload a picture to social media and use #MySerum10 to join in.

Renew my skin with Vichy LiftActiv (Video)

I have a new video out where I show you how I use four of Vichy’s LiftActiv skin care products as part of my new moisturising routine, in partnership with Beauty Bulletin. Please check it out and let me know what you think. And make sure you subscribe while you’re there if you haven’t already. Also check out #MySerum10 on social media for further updates.

Have a fabulous Friday!

Renew my skin with Vichy LiftActiv

Over the next month my skin’s moisturising routine is getting a complete overhaul as I’m collaborating with Beauty Bulletin and Vichy to put their LiftActiv Supreme skin care products to the test. It’s only recently that I was on the hunt for a new skin care regime so I was delighted when I was invited to try this range. Now usually I’m quite the naturalist when it comes to both skin and hair care, but after reading up a little about Vichy I was willing to temporarily put my minimalist clay and oil cleansing routine to the side and experiment to investigate some bold claims Vichy are making with LiftActiv Supreme.

In case you don’t know, Vichy is a premium French brand of skin care, body care, make-up and anti-ageing products and was founded in 1931. One of their unique features is that they only use thermal spa water from the hot springs of the town Vichy in France in their formulations, which is a bonus for someone like me who likes their products to contain at least a measure of natural ingredients.

One of their studies shows that women’s skin is not only affected by ageing in the long term, but day to day as well, referred to as over-day ageing. The study further shows that young skin needs 6 hours to relaunch its repair functions, while older skin needs 30 hours. The result of incomplete recovery for older skin could be the accumulation of the signs of ageing. The signs are: wrinkles, fine lines, firmness, elasticity, plumpness, dull complexion, uneven complexion, drawn features, signs of fatigue and dehydration. Also suitable for sensitive skin, LiftActiv Supreme was created to specifically combat both these immediate and long term signs of ageing.

Here are the 4 Vichy LiftActiv products I’ll be testing over the next month:

LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme

LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme targets 10 signs of ageing whilst accelerating surface skin cell renewal. Vichy has formulated two powerful ingredients to accelerate skin regeneration – Rhamnose of vegetal origin and Fragmented Hyaluronic Acid.The new Serum 10 Supreme formula allows twice as much Rhamnose to penetrate into the living layers of the skin, leaving it looking firmer and with reduced wrinkles.

LiftActiv Supreme Day

The signs of ageing can appear to intensify over the day and over time this can alter the skin’s youthful look. Vichy LiftActiv Supreme is Vichy’s everyday moisturiser with a unique formula to boost radiance, make wrinkles look smoother and skin feel firmer.

LiftActiv Night Supreme

Vichy LiftActiv Night Supreme is for women who want complete action against even the deepest wrinkles. It reduces the appearance of wrinkles and helps to boost skin’s firmness and restores youthfulness as you sleep. I love the sound of that: it will just do the work while I sleep!

LiftActiv Advanced Filler

Vichy combines two powerful active ingredients renowned for their anti-wrinkle action: Pure Retinol and LR2412, to improve the appearance of wrinkles. Suitable for all skin types, it promises that skin will appear smoother and facial features will look refreshed.

My areas of concern

Being in my 30’s, I have definitely noticed some of the signs of ageing. My specific areas of concern are wrinkles and dark circles around the eyes, fine lines, signs of fatigue and possible dehydration. So I’m really hoping the Vichy LiftActiv products will address these problems for me.

Initial Thoughts

This is my skin having used the products for only a couple of days. Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll regularly take photos and compare my skin’s (hopeful) progress to this one.

I’ve been using all four products for the last couple of days and although I haven’t noticed visible signs of improvement yet, my skin definitely does feel extremely moisturised and nourished from morning to night without ever feeling oily or greasy. When it wake up in the morning my skin doesn’t feel as dry as it often does. I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, but it does feel slightly firmer as well. In fact I just want to keep on touching my face and I have to remind myself not to do it. I also love how easily the products absorb into my skin, while leaving a brightening effect.

Make sure to check back over the next few weeks to see how my skin fares.

The products are available at all Vichy counters in selected Dis-chem, Clicks, Red Square, Edgars, Woolworths, Foschini stores and selected pharmacies at the following price points:

• Vichy LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme – R560
• Vichy LiftActiv Supreme Day – R529
• Vichy LiftActiv Night Supreme – R529
• Vichy LiftActiv Advanced Filler – R490

Planning to purchase your own Vichy LiftActiv product? Why not upload a picture to social media and use #MySerum10 to join in.

Is natural hair hard work?

A couple of weeks ago I met a lovely woman with relaxed hair who told me that as much as she enjoys watching and learning from women with natural hair, she’ll probably never go natural. Why? Because natural hair is “too much hard work,” she said.

So it got me thinking. Is it really?

I mean it definitely can be, with so many steps that can be involved: Prepooing, co-washing, clarifying, tea rinsing, deep conditioning, oil rinsing, moisturising with the LCO / LOC method, finger detangling, protective styling, retwisting / rebraiding at night, sleeping on silk pillowcases etc. The list of steps can seem never-ending and in fact quite daunting, especially if you are newly natural. And if you’re contemplating going natural it can probably put someone off completely just listening to all these terms.

But for me the stand-out message is: The more effort and care you put into your hair, the better off your hair will be. I’m not saying you should incorporate all these steps, but listening to your hair and giving it exactly what it needs, will stand you in good stead. It stands to reason if your hair is dry and prone to breakage, regular deep conditioning sessions and responsible protective styling will trap moisture and help you to retain length.

So it’s all relative – what may be hard work to one may be a walk in the park for someone else.

Although I agree that natural hair can be hard work, it doesn’t have to be. A very simple regime can consist out of the following steps: wash, deep condition and style by applying a leave-in conditioner and sealing with an oil or butter, followed by regular moisturising until the next wash day. Easy right? What’s so hard about that? But it seems that the term “natural” equates “unmanageable”  for some. It really doesn’t have to be that way. In a nutshell, all it takes is learning as much about your hair as possible. Find out what it likes and dislikes. For example,  detangling sessions do not have to take over your entire Saturday. If your hair tangles easily, wear it in a way that enables an easier wash day, such as in twists or in a bun.

When I was relaxed, I personally didn’t take as much care of my hair as I do now. I didn’t even know the term “deep conditioning” existed and didn’t bat an eyelid every time I would pull a comb through my hair and  heaps of it would come out. Now I’m meticulous in looking at how much hair I lose every single time I detangle and I make sure to distinguish between breakage and shed hair. So I think why it often seems like hard work to some is because of the new awareness that comes with caring for natural hair. You’re aware that you have to be extra gentle; you’re aware that if you don’t moisturise often, your hair will probably snap off due to dryness, and you’re aware that if you don’t trim those split ends, it can cause more irreparable damage.

Once you know how to handle your hair it’s really not hard work. Simply learn as much about your strands so that it becomes manageable.

What do you think Girls? Please weigh in by commenting below.

Love your curls,

Natural Hair Q & A

I’m so excited to announce that I’ve recorded my first ever question and answer video. In it I answer some of your natural hair questions and concerns. I’ve decided to record this type of video every now and again, so if I didn’t get to answer your question this time, I’ll include it in the next video. Make sure you keep an eye out on my social media when I announce the recording of the next video so that you can submit your questions on time.

So please go check it out, especially if you submitted a question. You never know, an answer to someone else’s question may also help you. And while you’re at it, please share it with someone who might find it useful. Thanks so much for watching and do remember to like, leave me a comment and subscribe. Much appreciated.

Love your curls,