Fading hair with washing up liquid and bicarbonate soda

It works! I guess. The purple I had on my hair was Directions Plum, but I had a Bleach London "Washed Up Mermaid" which I was well keen to use, so I started the lightening process. My technique was to mix some washing up liquid with bicarbonate (baking) soda, get my hair wet and just rub it in. I left it on for half an hour each time I did it, and rinsed it off as normal. It was definitely most effective the first few times I did it, but it really really dries your hair. I use Lush Retread Conditioner and coconut oil on the ends of my hair, so it's just about back to normal. In the end I also ended up using a hair stripper and bleach, but this was a good idea to get most of the purple out.

Thrifty Thursday: How to customise a beanie

Brightly coloured statement beanies are everywhere at the moment, whether it's indcsn's infamous bobbled wooly profanities or Topshop's neon comic inspired skater style hats. It's also really easy to make one that's totally unique to you and looks bang on trend using Extreme Largeness' iron on patches. You can get 3 for £5 and I can show you how to apply them!

Please seek adult supervision if you're under 16

1. Choose where you want the patch to be on your beanie. Make sure it's straight, it'll be there forever!
2. Cover the patch with a tea towel. This will protect the stitching on the patch and the beanie fabric.
3. Using a high heat, carefully iron on the patch.  Use the steam function on the iron if it has one, this will make more heat and bond the patch to the fabric better. Applying pressure, slowly move the iron from one part of the patch to the other, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Make sure that all the corners of the patch have been ironed on to the fabric. Iron on for longer if necessary.
5. Leave to cool, then it's ready to wear!

Extreme Largeness Varsity Patches

It's that time of year, January is a month of enthusiasm towards fitness and sport. Even if you don't actually participate, getting that gym membership and shopping for sweaters shows enthusiasm. Topshop's Say It Loud range combines comic inspired graphics with varsity slogans on sweats and oversized tee's. This style commonly associated with the high-school jock is paired with words like GEEK and DWEEB to create something tongue in cheek which looks great.

The Varsity Letter Patches from Extreme Largeness are great for creating this look and customising something plain. My grey hoodie is an old faithful, I wear it everyday. It has hair bleach on the hood and a hole in the sleeve, so it definitely needed some sprucing up. I ironed 2 of the patches onto the hoodie paying homage to varsity jackets and stitched around the edges to make it extra secure.

You can get 3 of these patches for only £5 online. They're really easy to apply, there's a blog available if you need a few tips.

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How to apply iron on patches to a snapback cap.

We sell snapbacks online along with our iron on patches. As well as providing a customising service, we can now show you how to apply them yourselves with this step-by-step guide!
Please seek adult supervision if you're under 16

1. Choose where you want the patch to be on your cap. Make sure it's straight, it'll be there forever!
2. Cover the patch with a tea towel. This will protect the stitching on the patch and the snapback fabric.
3. Using a high heat, carefully iron on the patch.  Use the steam function on the iron if it has one, this will make more heat and bond the patch to the fabric better. Applying pressure, slowly move the iron from one part of the patch to the other, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Make sure that all the corners of the patch have been ironed on to the fabric. Iron on for longer if necessary.
5. Leave to cool, then it's ready to wear!