Lee Stafford is committed to providing consumers with products which are a cut above the rest. It is for this reason that they are my hair-care range of choice.

*Overview
I really can't be described as a morning person. Yes, there is the odd occasion where I am extremely organised and manage to drag myself out of bed with just enough time for a shower, but generally that isn't the case. This is largely to do with the fact that I am a very lazy person. If skipping a shower at night and convincing myself that I will get up extra early in order to accommodate a quick rinse in the morning means that I will get an extra hour in bed, then you can bet that I'm going to chose my bed over a shower any day. I may get an extra hour to recover from the previous day, but there is not doubt that my hair is going to have to pay. This is because I will not get up early in the morning, like I had promised myself and when I do manage to haul myself out of bed I will stare at myself in the mirror and feel thoroughly depressed by the state of my resultantly greasy hair. So my only option used to be to scrap back my hair, shove on a large hair band (preferably one covering the whole surface of my head) and hope that it will disguise my disgusting locks. And believe me when your hair contains as much product the previous day as mine normal does, this is no easy task. But Lee Stafford coined a perfect solution for my problem. The Original Lee Stafford Dry Shampoo. "We've all been there, our hair needs washing and there just isn't the time... Or your hair looks great but it's let down by horrible oily roots. Well my Original Dry Shampoo gives you more days from your blow-dry and between washes.
This little spray gives your hair a boost precisely when you need it.
It refreshes, it revitalises, it's clean hair again Baby!"

*About Lee Stafford
Lee Stafford is an Essex born hairdresser who first opened a salon in 1996 named The House That Built Hair. In 1997 he earned the coveted "Men's British Hairdresser of the Year" and it was from there that his career blossomed. His hairdressing skills have attained many awards such as:
~ National Hairdressing Federation Celebrity Hairdresser Of The Year
~ Hair Magazine Hairdresser Of The Year
~ Best British Hairdresser of 2004 - Fellowship of Hairdressers Awards
~ Most Influential Hairdresser of the Year 2001
~ Men's British Hairdresser of the Year 1997
He opened his second salon in London in 2000 which has also allowed him to achieve:
~ BHBA Business & Website Innovation of the year
~ The BHBA Salon Design Award 2005 for Brighton salon
~ Growing Business of the Year Award 2002
~ Training and Development Award 2002
~ Investors in People Award 2002
~ British Manager of the Year 1999 - 2000 (1 of 6 nominees)
~ British Salon of the Year 1999 - 2000 (1 of 6 nominees)

It was 2001 when the Lee Stafford range was introduced providing consumers with girly products presented with hot pink packaging and the sweetest of smells to cater for all their hair care needs. Lee Stafford states "I never decided to create a range of products, but when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it. I mean, to have my own products is a dream come true...
The products have given me the opportunity to develop what I've always wanted for me and my clients. Since we started, it's incredible the wish-list that we've been able to turn into reality." The wide range of products that are offered by Lee Stafford can be found at www.leestafford.com/uk/products/ and even from the format of the website you gain an insight into the style and creation behind the products. Their vast product range includes hair tools, fake tan, full-size hair care products as well as mini-sized products and also fragrances.

*What attracted me
My first experience of dry shampoo was many years ago when visiting a friend of a friend. We had been on a night out six days prior to visiting her and this was the current topic up for discussion. Somewhere in the conversation she slipped in the fact that she had not washed her hair since we had all been out. Everyone in the room was pretty shocked and confused, judging by the fact that her hair looked fine (in fact probably better than mine did at that point in time!) She explained that she had shampooed her hair, she just hadn't "washed it". I must admit that claiming she hadn't washed her hair was a bit of a misconception, but to be fair she certainly hadn't had to go through the hassle of blow drying it! She explained she has used a product which is now a must have in most girls bathroom cabinet - dry shampoo. The girl who we were talking to is a fan of all things designer, and she is not exactly strapped for cash.She has used Bumble and Bumble's Brown Hair Powder, a more expensive version of a product typically named "dry shampoo". After I went home I decided to research the product and found that it was priced at a pretty unreasonable £27.00 for 125g, and I'll be honest there is no way you would find me paying that! However I continued my research a bit further, and to my delight I found that a dry shampoo was available from my trusted Lee Stafford range at a far more affordable £4.99 for a 150ml bottle. So that had me sold and I quickly rushed to Boots to purchase it.

*Price/Availability
Boots are now charging £5.49 for 150 ml/5 fl. Oz of Poker Straight Conditioner. This is slightly more than I originally paid for it, however this was three years ago and dry shampoos are now far more popular so it seems pretty reasonable. As with all Lee Stafford products, you will find their Original Dry Shampoo either from the official Lee Stafford website (http://www.leestafford.com/uk/products/product.ph p?pi=20), through visiting Lee Stafford salons themselves or it is handily available at Boots stores. The range is exclusive to Boots so unfortunately you won't find it in other high street retailers - meaning that it can be slightly more difficult to find.

*Design
As with most of the products in the Lee Stafford range, the chosen colour is hot pink and the white writing and barcode theme stands out well upon its background. The dry shampoo comes in a pressurised can which when shook has a metal piece held within and helps to keep the product from sticking in the can. The can is lightweight and this means that it can easily be carried around in your handbag should you need it (and it is also offered in a handy travel size too!)

*Smell
I am always ranting about how good the Lee Stafford range smells and as usual this dry shampoo also has their gorgeous signature scent. It resembles the smell of the perfume Angel by Thierry Mugler, except it is far cheaper. This is something that I really like because the fact that it is scented means that it is another factor that will cause your hair to seem fresh and just washed.

*Usage
The way that dry shampoo works can be described in a fairly simple way. It resembles a fine talcum powder which subsequently absorbs the grease in your hair in order to give the appearance that you have just washed your hair, without the hassle of having to properly wash and blow dry. This also means that you are generally protecting the well being of your hair if you use a hairdryer, as you are managing to avoid some of the damaging heat which if you are anything like me, is constantly being aimed at your hair. Dry shampoo is often used by campers alike in order to clean their hair when they are unable or unwilling to wash it in the streams available to them. It also provides a benefit when attempting more complex styling with hair. Hair is less fine and less fluffy a couple of days after it has been washed and this means that generally styles will stay in place for longer. When using dry shampoo you are not washing it again and therefore it does not return to its fluffy state, perfect for adding volume and texture! You are directed to spray the dry shampoo onto the roots of your hair from about 16mm distance and then to vigorously rub your hair in order for the powder to be absorbed and disappear. You can use less or more of the product depending how much volume you wish your hair to hold. I would say that if you have brown hair try not too be too liberal with your use as it can cause your hair to look slightly paler and therefore it will become evident that you have used dry shampoo. Lee Stafford now offer a mid brown and dark brown variety of their dry shampoo for those people who wish to conceal their dry shampoo use that little bit more. The beauty of this product is the fact that although it gives brilliant results, it is not difficult to use. It is not necessary; however I tend to wait a few minutes after having applied the spray, just to ensure that all the grease has been absorbed from my hair.


*Conclusion
I know that there are now many varieties of dry shampoo on the market but this will always be my favourite. It smells gorgeous and leaves your hair fresh and full of volume; ready for another day with only having spent half the time getting it that way. A huge recommendation from me!

Love Colleen
x