There are a few major hair care mistakes that we often overlook and are unaware of, which may be causing you more stress than necessary. We live in an age of self-expression, and your hair is your crowning glory, so don't get caught up in the minor blunders that we all make.

Propolis is one of the web's favourite natural ingredients. With 36.6 million views, #propolis-related content is making the buzz on TikTok. This well-deserved viral success is all about its benefits...

The weather forecasts foresee a blast of cold, but we predict a heart-warming run-up to Valentine's day. To help you with the preparations, we have some gift suggestions for him and her.

Ph. cottonbro, Pexels

Love has no limit, sometimes our imagination has. Have a look at our Valentine's day gift ideas to make your him or her happy glowy like a star with your love.

Valentine's day, but also Galentine's, is a reminder of the important part of our life that deserves to be celebrated every day. Find in this hand-picked selection of gifts, something that will make an ordinary day special and talk of your care.

Glamoriser

Not chocolates and roses but something equally sweet. Glamoriser tinges of pink, the sweetest colour of the spectrum, its Volume Boost Multi-Waver & Curler. The newly-launched styling tool combines high-tech design and natural treatment in a ready-made gift with a reusable tin box and a 100% eco-felt pouch/heat mat. Hard not to fall in love with shiny, soft and bouncy hair! Your partner will love this gift of beauty and her hair will thank you too.

Glamoriser Volume Boost Multi-Waver & Curler is  now on sale for £49.99! £30 discount especially for Valentine’s and available at Argos, FeelUnique and the brand's website.

Lola's Lashes

For your Valentine or gal, ask Lola and Liberty Poole. This special collaboration arrives in perfect timing for flirty and girly presents. Lola's Lashes X Liberty collection of hybrid magnetic lashes are not just innovative and easy to use but they come in 5 styles and a wide array of sets. In a wink, you just need to pick one and wrap it for a successful present.

The Liberty Collection by Lola's Lashes is available online in kits starting from £18. 

Luna Skins

It would not be a gift list of ours without the extra meaning and human touch of handmade. For Valentine's 2022, we introduce you to Luna Skins. This UK vegan and handmade brand uses Arabica coffee in its skin and body products, for all skin types, for him and her. The company is a story of love and passion that started when the founder, Luna Seto, was just 14! The key is caffeine which will stimulate and renew the skin, giving glow and energy to your loved one. We would keep under the radar Luna Skins' beard oil, the beard balm, the coffee mask & scrub, and the whipped she butter 'Shea Glow' but we cannot guarantee you will really share this goodness.

Find Luna Skins online.

Freshly Cosmetics

From Spain to the UK, Freshly Cosmetics shares more love with freshly naturally-based formulations. The Rose Gold pack, featuring the Rose Quartz Facial Cleanser and the Golden Radiance Body Oil, is a sweet touch for a brighter face and smoother skin. Kind to the skin and the environment, the popularity of the brand is spreading fast, this gift set rides the tide and makes your valentine shine!

The Rose Gold pack is available on the brand's website at £39.

Barbour

Barbour presents a perfect couple this Valentine's: Barbour for Him and for Her, two fragrances celebrating the lands of Scotland and England. The brand signature's tartan patterns and love for the outdoor dress these bottles, a sophisticated present to give to each other. Barbour for Her is an eau de parfum that wants to pay homage to the British meadows with its jasmine and tuberous heart and a calming top notes of greens and citruses. Barbour for Him recalls Scotlands with its design and woody and spicy notes.
Available online at The Fragrance Shop in 50ml and 100ml versions.

Vesta London Beauty

To cover this day with kisses, Vesta London Beauty has a lip set for all skin tones. Vesta Boateng's Nude Lip Gloss Edition Bundle makes nude lips universal and healthy-looking. Vesta London Beauty formula is vegan and cruelty-free and with plenty of hydration, enriched with shea and cocoa butter with a sweet touch of vanilla.

This bundle is available online at £40. 

We would give the stars to our partner if we only could, but love is the little gestures, small surprises and in the everyday. Accompany your gift with your love and extend it all year round.

Hair Growth & Density Treatment by Freshly Cosmetics is a hormone-free product, so it improves hair loss caused by hormonal, nutritional and inflammatory causes, without hormones or rebound effects!

This hair treatment is made with 99% natural ingredients, so when you stop using it your hair will not fall out or loose density.

The Hair Growth treatment is a 360º serum that combines 10 potent, natural actives that have been proven to improve hair loss. Its pioneering technology is encapsulated in a vegetable delivery system which acts as a vehicle for the active ingredients to reach the hair follicle, increasing growth by 10%. It packs a big punch, delivering an evidence-based injection of vitality, volume, density, and shine to lacklustre locks, and fine hair textures. 
 
The serum improves hair growth from the root and reduces hair loss in a powerful yet gentle way, without side effects, thanks to its high-quality plant active ingredients. The formula delivers antioxidants to strands, regenerating overall hair health. It is perfect for all hair types, including curly boys and girls. It is also suitable for sensitive skin and is pregnancy-safe. As with all Freshly Cosmetics formulations, it is also vegan and cruelty-free.

Hair Growth & Density Treatment is effective, vegan and sustainable and highly recommended.

The Benefits

• Increases scalp circulation
• Reduces hair loss by 53% in 45 days and by 75% after 90 days
• Provides energy and strength so that hair grows healthier, stronger and thicker
• Smart Growth Activator combines the action of two active ingredients, turmeric peptide and Scutellaria
• Increases hair density and volume by 69% after 90 days and by up to 88% after 120 days thanks to the active ingredient Azuki Sprout
• Increases hair resistance by 31% thanks to the active ingredients Amla and maca proteins
• Increases the number of hairs in the growth phase (anagen phase) by 49% after 150 days, and by69% in 90 days of continuous application • Increases shine by 29% and reduces grey hair by 8%
• Longer, stronger and shinier hair thanks to the action of the active ingredients azuki sprout, microbiota modulator and hair anti-ageing complex

Hair Growth & Density Treatment, £29, Freshly Cosmetics® | The best natural and healthy cosmetics

Only Curls takes action this October and joins national charity Look Good Feel Better for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a pink touch.

October is an important month for us as we celebrate Black History Month. Fashions Finest salutes this month by celebrating big and small realities in the beauty and fashion industry with you all.

Ph. Rodnae Productions, Pexels

The contribution of the Black communities in the UK has been underrated or simply unseen for too long. Yet Black Britons have enriched our cultural landscape and economy with vibes and stories coming from afar. Fashions Finest wants to celebrate black innovators and strong business women who make our life more beautiful.

Every month tinges with different colours and surges as the flag for a cause. Fashions Finest's Black History Month is a journey across people and ideas fueled by a courageous entrepreneur spirit and passion.

Meet Tiph'arah

Tiph'arah is a UK-based haircare company born in Coventry, Midlands. The brand moved its first steps in the intimacy of a house - to be more precise - a kitchen. Jessica Oduro, the founder, was looking for intensive and natural options that could keep her Afro hair nourished and hydrated for longer. Failed to do so, she started to experiment with natural and organic ingredients at home until she found the right formulation for glorious hair. 'Tiph'arah means 'glory' in Hebrews, in fact! Tiph'arah's hair butters aim to strengthen the hair strands, hydrate and promote healthy growth. The product range, consisting of three types of hair butter (Shea Cocoa Mango, Paw Carrot and Shea-Mang AVO'), is made with 90% of pure and organic ingredients from Ghana and the remaining sourced in Europe at high standards.

Meet Aviela

Aviela (read [a-vee-el-ah]) is a word used in Northern Ghana for 'good', 'nice' or even 'beautiful'. This word conveys very positive vibes. Aviela is the child of Patricia Monney who, during a family holiday in Ghana in 2007, was introduced to the power of raw, unrefined shea butter to heal her little daughter's ankle. Patricia learnt about shea butter anti-inflammatories properties and, once back home in the UK, she focused on expanding her knowledge on shea butter. She found a way to work the natural ingredient without compromising the natural properties and qualities of shea butter. The solution was her kitchen helper which gives Aviela products that superb weightless whipped consistency. Aviela offers a range of skincare and body care for all skin types with 100% pure, unrefined shea butter. Patricia sources her shea butter ethically from a cooperative of 25 women from the village of Gurugu in the Northern region of Ghana.

Meet Pamoja

Pamoja (read [pam-oh-jah]) is a Swahili word meaning 'together' and is inspired by formulator and founder Sarah Taylor's Tanzanian/British heritage as well her skin journey. During pregnancy, she experienced severe sensitivity and succeeded in finding the solution by herself. She worked on her own products and formulations gaining also some spotlights in national magazines.

This independent, black-owned company offers natural skincare with high performance and quality standards. Cruelty-free and environmentally friendly, Pamoja takes equal care of sensitive skin and the environment with sustainable packaging, ethically sourced botanical ingredients and zero palm oil. Sarah thinks that 'everyone deserves to feel good and that when you are kinder to yourself, it will help you be your very best.' For Sarah 'Black History Month is an opportunity to be more inclusive, to shine a spotlight on the contributions and the challenges we face so that we can better understand our collective history every single month of the year.'

Meet Wax + Wraps

For many of us, the pandemic represented a forced stop; however, this suspended time allowed us to reset priorities and rebuild ourselves. This happened to Jaqueline Shaw with Wax + Wraps. The fashion expert and entrepreneur overcame the COVID-19 backlash thanks to her acumen and love for fashion design. She realised how many people get interested in handmade and sewing during the pandemic and she also noticed how popular were and are still crafting subscription boxes.

Jaqueline, who has an MA in Ethical Fashion, is passionate about Africa and traditional fabrics. She put this personal love in her own subscription box by sourcing unique textiles printed, woven or knitted by hand in African states and regions. 'Other sewing boxes do the job but they are all very similar and I felt that they don’t inspire me to learn more about the people or even to source responsible fabrics and textiles too. My Master's degree in Ethical Fashion from the UCA Epsom, taught me that in this fashion industry, WE the consumers are the change we want to see. We are responsible for the impact of the industry on our planet and our purchasing decisions can build or break the industry. And its environment impact.'
Jaqueline thinks that 'Africa is Fashion's Future' and has been spreading awareness at previous London Fashion Weeks and events in Africa and the States. We could not but totally agree on that. Her sewing box does not just quench our thirst for crafts but also disclose stories from beautiful lands and people as no other service does.

Saka Luxe Beauty

Many feels puzzled by the length and complexity of cosmetic labels. This exact reaction is behind Saka Luxe Beauty, a UK natural hair and skincare company founded in Bristol in 2020. Available on Etsy, eponymous of everything handcrafted, the brand's ethos is based on creating simple and affordable products to moisturise and nourish hair, beard and body. Every jar of butter, every bottle of oil is handmade in small batches to ensure a caring and luxurious feel.

Jessica, Patricia, Sarah and Jacqueline are just four of the many black businesswomen that turn their creative verve or necessity to express themselves and made a living from their passion. Black History Month is important to us because the majority of the black-owned businesses are too small to gain the deserved visibility on the media and still struggle in this overcrowded industry.

We invite you to have a look around and discover the authenticity of these companies and that of many similar ones. As you and we shop independent and black-owned, we can support these individuals and make a little but significant change in their lives, ours, and the way we shop.

Fashions Finest is happy to bring you these personal stories and call all the black-founded companies to get in touch to join us and build together a network of creators beyond Black History Month.

Luxury vegan and cruelty-free brand MONAT introduces the NEW Advanced Hydrating In-Shower Masque infused with REJUVENIQE.

Afro cuts are on our radar for Spring/Summer hairstyles. A-list hairstylist Stefan Bertin - who counts the likes of Letitia Wright, Hannah John Kamen, Elle Eyre, Sabrina Elba, AJ Odudu, and many more amongst his clientele - has revealed how natural hair textures can get the '70s hair look that is so hot right now.