Last Saturday I had the pleasure of being invited to attend the Aussie Christmas Markets in Leeds by the fab Liloo, AKA Tsunimee from twitter…

Whilst there I also met one of my favourite bloggers Emily, from Sparkle and Shade, Lauren from Lauren Loves, May from May Loves Makeup (better half of The Chap)… As well as many other lovely lovely people.

The day itself was great fun, and several lovely bloggers gave up their time to run stalls featuring yummy baking, makeovers, manicures and other interesting bits…

Throughout the day there were also some great presentations and seminars on topics ranging from flirting through to how to get the most out of your camera, vintage style and better blogging, as well as the opportunity to have your hair styled by the hair team…

I went for the volume treatment, and was given a hairspray style half-up half-down style, and although it was fab, and a definite testament to the power of mousse, I felt a little self-concious so ended up taking it down before I managed to get a shot…

On leaving the event we were given a shampoo and conditioner from Aussie’s new “Take the Heat” range. I was a little reluctant to try this initially, as I have major issues with anything containing SLS, and most high street shampoos do contain this as their foaming agent.

I had a quick scan of the ingredients list, however and the foaming agent in the shampoo is actually NOT SLS – It’s Ammonium Lauryth Sulphate… I remember reading somewhere that not all sulphates are as irritant as each other, so I decided to give it a whirl.

And I was definitely pleasantly surprised. So pleasantly surprised in fact that I nipped to Superdrug and picked up the heat protector spray and deep conditioner as well (currently on offer in Superdrug at 2 for £6).

The shampoo feels quite creamy and foams well, cleaning the hair without leaving it feeling stripped. The conditioner also worked well for my fine hair, conditioning it well, without leaving it weighed down or greasy.

After washing my hair with these I definitely noticed that my hair was looking a lot shinier, and was also less prone to the effects of humidity in the air. It also felt nice and soft too.

I’ve used the shampoo and conditioner a few times now, and I still haven’t noticed any scalp irritation, which is great.

The three minute conditioner in the Take the Heat range is also pretty good for the price – whilst I wouldn’t say this is the most nourishing conditioner around – my hair felt a little bit “fluffy” after using it – I’d still be happy to use it up and repurchase it, given that it’s a three minute mask, and I love the convenience of being able to use it in the shower. I also love the fact that this protects against heat – and my hair definitely needs that!

The spray is also a great addition to the range – there is also a cream in the range, but  I was worried that might weigh my hair down. You somply spritz it through towel dried hair and then style. I liked this because it was cheap, didn’t weigh down my hir, wasn’t sticky in any way, smelled nice, and most importantly gives heat protection.

Needless to say, the whole range smells lovely, in a fruity kind of way! It all contains jojoba oil, which apparently is responsible for the heat protective qualities of the range.

Would I repurchase? Provided I continue to have no scalp issues then yes… I’m not sure that would quite replace my beloved Liz Earle Haircare, which is my current HG, but for the price, this makes a great “everyday” range.

Have you tried any of the Aussie products? What did you like/dislike about the range?
Thanks to Aussie and all the other bloggers who made Saturday such fun!