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What to do when your hair is falling out

Truth be told, this isn’t actually an all-male problem. Sure, us ladies don’t have a very common gene for pattern baldness, but there are many of us out there and lots of reasons why we silently struggle with hair loss. My mum has suffered for years with cyclical hair loss, and it’s very recently happened to me. Mine is definitely a post-partum hair loss which many women go through after birth. I have found that it’s one of those issues (like piles) that you just don’t talk about. Well, I want to… here’s what to do when your hair is falling out.

I’ve always had super fine hair, and going back to my school days I always had issues styling my hair. Scrunchies would simply fall out no matter how many times I looped it round, and once I remember being teased for having such little hair in secondary school. I’ve always wanted thicker and different hair, so when I was 16 I had a perm to help with the flatness. It was great for a while until I ended up with straight roots and suddenly curly hair 6 months later so I didn’t do it again.

As I grew into adulthood, I started experimenting with colour, and by the age of 25 I was really happy as I learnt how to style my hair better. Loose waves added body which I just couldn’t achieve as a teen and I definitely got a lot better at french plaiting. I’m going to show you my hair journey over the past two years, and what to do when your hair is falling out…

Here is my hair pre-wedding, pre-baby back in early 2016. It was long, full of life and just great to manage.

I then decided to go grey in October 2016 for the wedding, and this is by far the best my hair has ever looked and been.

Now this was how my hair looked at the end of my pregnancy, no more grey but still really manageable, stylish and bouncy after a few curls.

Fast forward to earlier on in the year, I decided to have a ‘mummy chop’ as Alice was constantly trying to grab it when it fell over my shoulders and was around my boob area- just no! So I cut it short, also to get rid of the blonde and even the tones out more. I was really happy with the result…

Now we’re heading into tougher territory as the six month post-partum hormones hit. In May, my body definitely told itself ‘you’re not pregnant anymore so stop over-producing all those lovely vitamins and minerals’, and thus my hair started falling out big time…

I wash my hair every three-four days on average, and every time I do this is what comes out. So twice a week, I have this massive ball left after I shower and gently comb through my hair with a conditioning treatment. I’m using the best tangle teezer brushes which deals with any knots, and I always let my hair dry naturally under a towel.

I also have to deal with a day of shedding on the day I wash my hair, my clothes get covered as the strands keep falling..

If left unstyled, my hair is flat, thin and clings to my face…

So, what to do when your hair is falling out? There are several ways I manage my hair loss on a day to day basis. Of course I can’t style my hair every day, but when I do I love using my Hot Tools Curl Bar.

I wear extensions to make my hair seem thicker and longer- all temporary so no rings, loops or glue required!

I love braiding my hair and having it out of the way where necessary. This lasts much longer than a regular ponytail and even though I can’t help noticeable gaps in my hair, it makes my hair feel thicker in a braid and I’m glad Alice can’t pull it out this way!

If you are suffering from hair loss, take a look at what the Harley Street Hair Clinic have to offer. They are one of Britain’s leading clinics for men and women and have helped the likes of Wayne Rooney to restore his head of hair! Feel free to reach out to me on social media to talk more, it’s a subject we shouldn’t ignore or suffer in silence with.

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading, head over to see my latest husband takeover post about five ways to look sharp here!

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Alternative gift ideas for difficult recipients

I think we can all relate to that horrible time of year when it seems that every single family member has a birthday all in the same month. And every year, it’s even more of a struggle to figure out what to get them. Be it an Auntie, Grandad, or even a sibling that you just can’t seem to rack your brain and come up with a super-duper presie. So, I’ve got a few alternative gift ideas for difficult recipients that might just save your bacon…

No bake recipe in a jar


You probably guessed from my Instagram feed and stories that I am a huge fan of gluten free baking. Being a coeliac has pushed me to try new recipes and get in the kitchen, and you cannot go wrong with a no bake recipe in a jar. I discovered this vegan/gf recipe recently and it was so yum! To give this as a gift you will need:
1 mason jar
Ground hazlenuts and almonds
Dates
Cacao powder
A pinch of salt

All the recipient needs to do is empty the jar into a bowl, add 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil, mix with an electric whisk for 1 minute and flatten into a dish to put into the fridge to set. Voila!

Seasonal bucket lists


This is also a recent discovery for me, and one I am itching to get for myself. These are personalised bucket lists you can create and download/print for your wall and they are just magical. Imagine all the cute little autumn activities like soup night or pumpkin picking, check out Bellebucket on Instagram for more inspiration.

Adopt an animal


My mum frequently adopts animals for my nan on her birthday as she just loves monkeys. You can adopt all sorts of amazing creatures, just perfect for animal lovers and for those who ‘don’t want anything’ for their birthday!

Ultimate game/themed night


There’s nothing I love more than a themed event, so why not plan one for your bestie for their birthday?! Surprise them with a Harry Potter house sort or a zombie rave?!

Personalise and get creative

Personally, I can’t get enough of personalised gifts, especially when it’s me doing the personalisation! You’re set to have a unique, one off gift by painting a ceramic piece for your loved one. It will add the perfect touch to any kitchen and home.

A golden investment


If you’re after something really out there, why not look into giving a gift that will add value to the recipient much more than a note in a card? Golden Eagle Coin trades in precious coins and currency which you can guarantee your recipient won’t be expecting. Whether you are looking to splash out on a golden number, or perhaps silver or copper, this could be the gift of a lifetime. I searched for coins from my year of birth and found this amazing Chinese silver panda coin from 1990!

Whomever you need to buy for, I hope my alternative gift ideas for difficult recipients helped.

Saharasplash x

This is a sponsored post

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Alice’s Naming Ceremony

Alice’s Naming Ceremony was a day that I shall never forget. Mostly because the planning nearly finished me off, and there were so many obstacles to overcome before the day arrived. I’m an early planner, and this ceremony had been planned down to the final detail months beforehand, and yet with just days to go, a poorly Alice in my arms and I couldn’t get things done quickly enough. Here is an insight into Alice’s special day, which by the end of it I wanted a nice cup of tea and a very long nap!

The invites were beautifully designed and sent out all in good time, but other particulars such as live music we not ironed out until the week of. We had a three piece steel band on Alice’s gorgeous, sunny day which created the most uplifting atmosphere.

The theme was very colourful, pastel purples and pinks ran through from the balloons to our outfits. The decorations were supplied by Talking Tables, the best events company in the business who I just love working with. I wore River Island and I decided on changing my hair up with some help from Secret Extensions- just look at my luscious locks!

As guests arrived, they all greeted the star herself in her rainbow dress. I found this dress in T K Maxx and so the brand isn’t well known.  It fit her perfectly, and I chose a rainbow because of her middle name- Iris, which means rainbow in Greek and many other languages too.

As soon as the whole gathering had arrived, we started the ceremony, conducted by a local humanist. It was so personal and lovely, just like our wedding day.

Alice’s mentor Evie read out her wishes for Alice, and Harry stood in for our second mentor Hans who sadly couldn’t be there on the day, again like our wedding! He read a Dr Seuss poem which was just fab.

Here are a few of my favourite snaps from Alice’s Naming Ceremony, captured by my favourite photographer and friend Emma Shaw. She has a true gift for making magic happen through her lens and we were so grateful she could join us on the day.

Our guests were kept cool with Virtue Drinks, super tasty energy water which is sugar-free and went with the theme so well.

Beautiful cupcakes were made by Cupcake Kitchen, don’t these look too good to eat?!

Tea was served thanks to Ahmad tea, a wonderful addition to Alice’s special day bringing flavours such as Double Mint & Liquorice and Pear & Cinnamon to the table.

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

Guests could also satisfy their sweet tooth with amazing pink unicorn lollipops from Sparko Sweets.

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

Alice truly loved having a lick of these vanilla delights and being the centre of attention for the day.

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

Photo: Lauren Schaefer

I want to thank everyone involved, all our guests, family, friends and sponsors for the event for making Alice’s Naming Ceremony all that it could be- a magical day that I am so glad to have shared with you all. Also I have to give a massive thank you to my mum and Alice’s nana for hosting this event in her garden on the day which saw the end to our very long UK heatwave. It poured down just hours before things were due to start but the skies cleared and we had non stop sunshine for the ceremony, a true blessing!

Saharasplash and Alice x

Invitations designed by The Paper & Print Co.

Humanist Ceremony performed by Karen Turnbull

Cakes made by Cupcake Kitchen

Decorations by Talking Tables

Photography by Emma Shaw (unless otherwise stated)

Drinks by Virtue Drinks

Tea by Ahmad Tea

Lollipops by Sparko Sweets

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What’s in our travel bags

You’re either two types of person: one who loves packing or one who hates it. After stressing out the day before for about half an hour, I’m generally ok and then I get into it. Although we have flown with Alice before to Ireland, I’m having to organise this one all by myself, so there’s a lot to do! I’d like to show you what’s in our travel bags as we head to Glasgow for the bank holiday weekend…

What’s in Alice’s bag

In Alice’s bag we have:

Mamia nappies and travel wipes from Aldi, we find these are the best value for money and the best quality too.

A few snack pouches for the journey just in case from Piccolo Foods and Aldi. Note that there are no restrictions on baby pouches in hand luggage even though they are technically a liquid, but airport security know that babies need the food!

A spare change of clothes, not that we have ever needed one but you can’t be too careful.

Sebamed diaper rash and baby cream, this stuff is the best in the business.

Nuby teether, as Alice’s top two teeth are now coming through. She bit my arm as I was packing!

Our baby bag is from Fact + Fiction. This bag is designed to look like a ladies handbag, but in fact is equipped with all the changing compartments and storage a baby bag needs. If you’re after a stylish way to travel with a baby, this is the one!

What’s in mummy’s bag

In my bag we have:

Sunglasses by Roberto Cavalli. These come with me on every trip and I don’t really use any other pair.

My trusty Tangle Teezer, as my hair constantly needs brushing and this size is a great one to travel with.

Sass and Belle notebook, in case I need to jot anything down quickly.

Nyx liquid lipstick in my favourite shade: satin ribbon.

Bag: Dune London. You may be thinking why take a white bag on such a journey, but this bag is seriously good quality. Any marks or dirt I get on it comes right off with a baby wipe, which I just so happen to always have on me! I picked this bag up from TK Maxx this Spring.

Living Proof dry shampoo, because lord knows by the end of the weekend I’ll be using it. This won’t be going in my hand luggage as it’s an aerosol but it will definitely be in our main suitcase.

Gluten free snacks, because I never leave home without something to nibble on. The hazelnut cholocate bars from Aldi are so handy and mess free.

Breast pads galore. For some reason I’ve gone back to spontaneously leaking and so to avoid any embarrassing moments, I’ve got a stash of them handy.

Mavala double lash treatment is also coming with me. A weekend trip is a great excuse to take some extra pampering tools along you wouldn’t normally use day to day. I’m giving my lashes a well-deserved treatment over the weekend.

Let’s not forget our Sky Baby, a clever travel mattress which can be used on flights and when travelling with babies. This is probably the last trip we will use it on as Alice approaches her first birthday in October. Look out for my insta uploads for the plane pics! See you on the other side ✈️

What’s on your travel bag essentials list? Let me know in the comments below!

Saharasplash x

PR samples included, all thoughts and views my own 

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Living in the body positivity age

You know me, I always like to accompany each blog post with a little bit of a story, words of wisdom or an insight into my real life. This blog post is all about how we are living in the body positivity age, so I’m going to keep it real for you. We all know what’s going on these days on the internet; we wake up and are faced with a million possibilities to scroll through our phones and look at images of other people. Why do we do it? Because it’s fun, habitual or perhaps a way to compare ourselves to others? Whatever your reason, be it a mostly positive or negative experience, we just can’t escape it if we are actively using social media. Living in the body positivity age can be hard if you’ve not got that ‘body positivity’ mindset about your own self. And like the famous saying goes, if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?

I am a very positive person, but I can also be stubborn, selfish and rude to those who know me well. Also never talk to me when I’m hungry or you may lose a finger. I love having my photo taken, and I also love seeing how others are getting creative in taking their photos too. Even though I am happy in my own skin and I get a lot of positive vibes from friends, family and readers on the way I look, I do have a voice in the back of my head just like you do. It’s impossible not to judge every single detail of a photo that catches your attention. This girl has gorgeous hair, flawless skin, the longest legs. But so many of us out there take these thoughts with us longer than we ought to.

I want to try and spread the word that living in  the body positivity age is doable and you can come out the other side of that phone time without feeling crap about yourself.

These photos below represent me, my aura, my motherhood and all the things you don’t really see unless you get to know me. And this is the point… you don’t know the person in the photo, so why do you want to be jealous of them? That long-legged gazelle may have the worst breath in the world, and how could you tell from a photo?

So, here’s some of my late night musings I’d love for all my readers to take away: try and be positive (daily) about your style, your voice and most importantly your body. Don’t abuse it or be cruel to it. Love it as if you were looking into the mirror for one very last time. What would you tell yourself if you could never see yourself in a reflection again?

I’ve written down a few things that you won’t be able to judge from just these pictures, and all sporting one very cool bikini from UK Swimwear…

I love swimming but hate getting my hair wet

I am one lucky lady for being able to bring my daughter up surrounded by loving family members

I will always be a sassy babe at heart, but will never be able to tan so dialling up the saturation on these images!

I am willing to lay on a cold, hard wooden floor for that perfect insta shot, a determined gal that’s for sure!

The Piha Palm Fever Bikini is available from UK Swimwear 

Be real, be you, and remember you can’t judge a person from a few photos.

Saharasplash x

Thanks for reading living in the body positivity age. If you are after more trends and style, head on over to this post featuring Femme Luxe Finery next.

PR Samples included, all thoughts and views my own

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Alice’s weaning journey update

This post has taken me a long time to put together. Mainly because a weaning journey is something that is constantly changing and updating as much as your child grows and learns. Alice’s weaning journey has been a very successful experience in my opinion, and although I haven’t had much to go on being my first time, I think I’ve been incredibly lucky with how Alice has done. She took her first taste of purée at around four months. I felt she was ready, and by the way she started to grab the spoon and feed herself almost immediately I’d say that was a great indication. I’ve listed three categories below to help break things down, and hopefully you will get a good insight into Alice’s weaning journey update.

The tools Alice uses

It’s a little bit daunting when you first enter a baby aisle and see the huge array of products and feeding tools on display. The most important thing to remember is that there isn’t a right or wrong way to approach feeding your baby. Choose what you like, and if it doesn’t work out, that’s ok. We went through quite a few bottles before we found one that Alice liked, so trial and error is your friend!

Here are some really handy NUK tools by Annabel Karmel. Alice just loves the spoons, fruitsicle lolly holders and also the stackable pots below. It’s so easy to fill them with different snacks when out and about rather than taking a whole packet and then having to deal with a half open bag after lunch. These store fruit, crackers, whatever your baby is munching on at the time.

The bibs Alice wears

We are such a fan of the Bibetta bib range. Their neoprene like material make them sturdy, pliable and super easy to wash and clean. We didn’t get on with hard plastic bibs, the paper travel bibs lasted about two seconds before she ripped them off, so these are the ones that fit just right, as Goldilocks would say!

I must also give a quick mention on our clever Bamboo plate, which sticks to our high chair and makes for rather cute insta snaps too!

The food Alice loves

So, we started out with purées and pouches to begin with, and we found that Alice loved this selection from Babease the most. Each pouch has an amazing mix of ingredients which has definitely inspired me in my own kitchen too.

We moved onto things like wafers and soft fruit pieces by the time she was five months. By six months Alice had learnt how to drink through a straw, and so much preferred to suck on a pouch rather than be spoon fed from it. In fact, from about six months she didn’t want to be spoon fed at all. Hand her a chip or slice of pear and she was happy!

We have been doing three meals a day plus snacks for quite a while, she loves anything I give her including marmite covered crumpets!

Here’s one new discovery we have been enjoying recently… they are frozen baby cubes from Lickalix (available at Waitrose + Ocado).

These handy frozen cubes are perfect for adding into any meal to boost fruit/veg portions. Mix the broccoli spinach cubes into some mash, or add the strawberry mango cube into a plain yoghurt. They’re a lot of fun, and Alice is a big fan!

One last group of products I must mention on Alice’s weaning journey update are Piccolo Foods. This Mediterranean inspired brand produces the finest range of meals with flavoursome tastes, and we are loving the new Piccolo squares as well! Harder and larger than the regular baby cracker, these are great for teething tots and keeping them occupied a little while longer I have found!

Tell me all about your weaning journey if you are weaning right now. Pop a comment below or feel free to message me on Twitter too 🙂

Saharasplash x

Fancy some more baby-related blog posts? Then head to my Aldi Baby and Toddler post next!

PR Samples included, all thoughts and views my own 

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