Boots Grabbit Bargains Part 25 - Post your finds here

broclo

Peartree wrote: »

Not sure about the last statement as hair is dead cells and if it could breathe that would just be scary!

Sorry...it was a loose term which I thought would have been clear to all. By saying 'breathe' I meant that our hair needs to be able to draw in moisture from the air(needs to be around 8-14%), conditioners etc to be shiny and not greasy, not suffocated in a film of silicone.

However, if your hair is extremely dry than silicone based shampoos that only thinly coat the hair shaft then become beneficial as they help you to retain the needed water content for your hair to remain healthy and shiny. Also silicone products, like frizz ease are also useful when the hair picks up more than the needed water content and therefore becomes frizzy (So only extremely dry hair should have silicone based shampoo used or serums used in humid atmospheres).

valk_scot

broclo wrote: »

Sorry...it was a loose term which I thought would have been clear to all. By saying 'breathe' I meant that our hair needs to be able to draw in moisture from the air(needs to be around 8-14%), conditioners etc to be shiny and not greasy, not suffocated in a film of silicone.

However, if your hair is extremely dry than silicone based shampoos that only thinly coat the hair shaft then become beneficial as they help you to retain the needed water content for your hair to remain healthy and shiny. Also silicone products, like frizz ease are also useful when the hair picks up more than the needed water content and therefore becomes frizzy (So only extremely dry hair should have silicone based shampoo used or serums used in humid atmospheres).

And if you heat treat your hair in any way ie blow-drying or especially straightners, then you need that protective coating too otherwise you'll literally boil the moisture out your hair, it will dry to straw-like consistency and break off. The reason Boots haircare shelves are packed with conditioners and serums and rehydrating masks at the moment is simple....straighteners! If we all had wash 'n wear hair which we didn't heat treat (or colour treat) we'd only need about a tenth of the products, if that. Don't even think about abandoning your conditioners and serums if you straighten your hair! You know how the current look for hair has a sort of jagged, cropped-in edge to it rather than a straight across line? That's because even with a protective coating the hair ends still fray and break and it's practically impossibe to maintain that straight edge, without getting it trimmed very very regularly.

No, I don't think (and neither do the ladies on the long-hair forums) that a little bit of silicone does any harm on your hair as long as you don't let it build up and becone gluey and dull. It smooths down the hair shaft and locks moisture in. A few folk with very greasy hair don't do well with it at all though, but that's not so much the silicone's fault, it's their own hair generating the build-up. In the old days (I'm talking back in the 60's here) before conditioners were at all common the vinegar or lemon juice rinse was the classic treatment for greasy hair too. It cleans off the excess grease or silicone from the hair shaft without lifting the cuticle. There are products that do the same in boots...someone mentioned the Expert one?...but they just do the same and cost more. Money Saving Experts will try the cider vinegar at £1.20 a bottle (six or eight applications) first!

The other thing that silicones do is to stop your hair from tangling up. If you want to grow your hair long then the biggest enemy is breakage and the more your hair tangles, the more breakage occurs as you untangle the knots. If you have strong coarse hair like natural redheads and asian/oriental ladies do then it doesn't tangle as much, but if you've got uberfine baby hair like me then knots are deadly and you need the protection and slippage of silicone. The best thing that's happened to my hair lately is the discovery of John Frieda Frizz-Ease serum, thanks to the recent hair care spit at Boots, and reading the back I see it's basically pure silicone! You put it on damp hair and presumably it locks the moisture in under the smooth coating. I don't have particularly dry hair except at the ends, but this stuff (and all the Fructis shampoo and conditioner) doesn't build up in my hair, even if I don't do the vinegar rinse every week. (I don't carry jugs of vinegar into campsite showers, lol!) And I don't use hairdyers, straightners or chemical processing on my hair either...it's about as natural as hair gets, under all the silicone of course.

So I would say if you're normally happy with your hair products but feel they do weigh your hair down a bit, use what the long-haired folk call a "clarifying rinse" ie the cider vinegar. Go on...all of you go and do it this weekend and tell me how you get on. I bet you're all thrilled at the results!

(And of course if one type of conditioner doesn't suit then the shelves are packed with options. And Mr Boots likes us to try out all the options....the more expensive the better, hence all these till-spits for the "premium" brands.)

hogshead

According to the lovey No7 SA the next No7 GWP is a choice of male OR female & the male one is supposedly really nice.
All the info I could get as a sale approached the counter so I made haste & left her to strut commision alley.

skibster

pollsdolls wrote: »

Thanks for this pcg2001. I notice that skibster talks about getting hers with points, but can you get the clinique with points and get the GWP?

I know that CPG's first post says we can get the gwp with points, but I have only ever tried once, and was refused, but not by the SA, she put it though, it was the till that refused it. It was the Roc gwp and I was buying the items also.

In the past I have always paid (a little & vouchers etc) But I now have so many points that I really want to use some of them on nice stuff for me, and hopefully get the gwp.

I noticed someone else was recently refused the Roc gwp with points. So possibly it depends on what you are buying. What are the experiences of op on getting the GWP with points. I am wondering if it is yet another of Boots anomalies that only they understand.

Perhaps we can compile a proven list of what gwp we can and cannot get with points

Answers on a postcard please

I think it's all down to which SA you get.

Some people have said they were told by CS that you *do* get the gwp when you pay with points, although they only found this out because they were denied the gift and had to call and complain! The one time I bought something with points that had a gift, the till wouldn't accept it and the SA said it was because I was paying with points. But as it was an old gift (I was buying Loreal dermagenesis well after Mother's Day, and it was the Mother's Day gwp), she just gave it to me. I don't think she even went through overridding it on the till as it didn't show my receipt.

Basically, I think you are supposed to get the gift when you spend points based on what CS has told people. However, it seems like many SAs do whatever the till says, right or wrong, and don't want to think about whether or not there was an error. So if it beeps, they may say you can't have it and then deduce a reason why not, like blaming it on paying with points. I think some SAs are afraid of getting in trouble by overriding things, and others are just on autopilot and will do whatever the till says without thinking if it's right or not.

All you can do is try to buy the item(s) with points and get your gift, and if you are denied you can decide to either not make the purchase, or buy it without getting your gift and go through the hassle of calling CS to complain. On the bright side, many people have had good results when they called CS, so you'd probably get it sorted.

valk_scot

I'm one of the folk that complained to CS about not getting the GWP when paying with points. They assured me you should. So if a SA says otherwise, politely ask for the supervisor or manager and tell them this, and ask them to check directly with HO by phone if necessary. CS said that though they tried to ensure all their staff were fully trained in the offers (!!!) mistakes were always possible. So you'd be doing your store manager a favour by bringing their poor staff training to their attention rather than the attention of HO, no?

Stuff feeling embarrassed about this, btw, even if there is a full queue behind you. It's their fault if they don't know and you're entitled to the GWP as long as you're meeting the total spend/required no of purchases required/T&Cs. It's not as if you're doing something devious.

valk_scot

hogshead wrote: »

According to the lovey No7 SA the next No7 GWP is a choice of male OR female & the male one is supposedly really nice.

A male GWP will make a nice change. My daughter always ends up with the little fancy bags or boxes full of (carefully edited...she's six) mini products, and my 11 year old boy feels left out, plus he's just getting into "smellies"! So whatever it is I expect I'll go for one for him.

skibster

On the subject of haircare, several months ago there was a discussion on the topic on another board aimed at people with naturally curly hair, but I think it could apply to anyone. Some of these people had done a lot of research and were on this regimen where you *wash* your hair with conditioner, and then use another conditioner after. I tried it once and didn't like that, but I followed some of the other advice and liked it. The best tip was to use clear, unscented aloe vera gel in your hair instead of some other products we use to smooth our locks down. It works great and isn't heavy or leaving residue like other things I've tried. The problem is I'm still using a big bottle of aloe gel I got in the States -- I haven't been able to find any here that fits the bill (the stuff at Holland and Barrett has a fragrance I don't like).

Anyway, they compiled a list of "friendly" conditioners without silicones and where to buy them, so I assume the shampoos in the same ranges would be good too. I looked at a couple of the products I have from the list, and they don't contain SLS or SLES like all my other products do. So perhaps that goes for all the items on this list? All the ones from the list that I've tried I really like. I think the list made it's way to the forum where I saw it from here: http://www.naturallycurly.com/

Here it is if anyone's interested (I had highligted some of the cheaper things or ones that sounded good and I'll just leave it, lol, no idea if the prices I noted are current):

Shampoo
(Avalon Organics Sainsburys)
Aloe Pura Aloe Vera Shampoo (Holland and Barrets)
Tea Tree Shampoo (Holland and Barrets)
Jasons Organics

Conditioners
Tesco Apple and Aloe Vera (500ml for 43p!)
Tesco Coconut Conditioner (Tesco )
Tesco Jojoba and Balsam (500ml for 43p!)
Alberto VO5 Moisture Milks Strawberries and Cream (TJ Hughes)
Alberto VO5 Kiwis and Lime Squeeze Herbal (TJ Hughes)
Asda Replenishing Coconut and Milk
Asda Natural Elements (Asda)
Australlian Organics (Holland and Barret)
Aussie Colour Mate (Boots etc.)
Aussie Miracle Moist (Boots, Superdrug etc)
Aussie Three Minute Miracle Original (Boots) (One water soluble cone – simethicone)
Boots Basics Conditioner (500ml for 34p!)
Boots Chamomile and Lemonbalm
Botanics Coconut and Almond Oil (Wilkinsons?)
Botanics Tea Tree and Lime (Wilkinsons?)
Bumble and Bumble Leave In (Salons, Online)
Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Conditioner (boots)
Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Leave-in Conditioner (boots)
Green People Vitamin Conditioner (greenpeople.co.uk)
Gum Hair Juice Florida Orange Moisture Surge (Sainsburys)
Herbal Essences with Thyme, Wheat Germ Oil (Old Formula ONLY)
JLife, Catch the Wave Curl Conditioner (Sallys)
John Frieda Frizz-Ease Relax Fortifying and Moisturising (one water soluble cone)
Marc Daniels In Detox (Home Bargains, TJ Hughes)
Marc Daneils In Rehab (Home Bargains, TJ Hughes)
Natures Gate Organic's Fruit Blend Asian Pear and Red Tea (Health Food shops?)
Marc Daniels In Therapy (Home Bargains, TJ Hughes)
Original Source Almond and Coconut (Tescos, Boots)
Original Source Teatree and Peppermint
Sainsbury's Basics Conditioner (500ml for 30p!)
Superdrug Extra Gentle Cherry Kids Condish (Superdrug)
Superdrug Naturals Coconut OilUmberto Gianini Curl Friend Easy Comb Rich Conditioner (boots0
Wilkos Coconut (Wilkinsons)
Wilkos Citrus Fruit (Wilkinsons)

Styling Products
Alberto Balsalm Invisible hold gel (superdrug)
Andrew Collinge Curl Scrunching Gelle (Superdrug, Tesco etc.)
Biosilk Rock Hard Gel (Sallys)
Boots Curl Creme
Curlfriends Control Gel (www.curlyco.com)
Ion Curl Cream (Sallys) (one water soluble cone)
John Frieda Frizz Ease Curl Controller Gel (Boots)
NU:U Wave Scrunching Spritz (salons, online)
Trevor Sorbie Curl Cream (Boots)
Umberto Giannini Curl Friends Gel (has alcohol denat so maybe drying)

passion8

*Jelly_Tots* wrote: »

Just wondered what these 'west end breaks' are ? thanx

Morning *Jelly Tots* and all.

Can't stop long enough to see if there'd been a reply, but they're in the gift experiences somewhere here:

http://www.boots.com/onlineexperience/flexible_template_2006.jsp?classificationid=1045926

When *those* SA's comment about the high number of points I have (and oh now too! lol) I tell them I'm using them for the Orient Express weekend.

But because I've said it so often, the idea's beginning to grow on me - so if and when oh retires (early! ) I might treat him to one. Or get him to treat me

hth

Edit: Just looked again and it only lasts about 5 hours, so I might treat him to something else lol.

dotchas

valk_scot wrote: »

I'm one of the folk that complained to CS about not getting the GWP when paying with points. They assured me you should. So if a SA says otherwise, politely ask for the supervisor or manager and tell them this, and ask them to check directly with HO by phone if necessary. CS said that though they tried to ensure all their staff were fully trained in the offers (!!!) mistakes were always possible. So you'd be doing your store manager a favour by bringing their poor staff training to their attention rather than the attention of HO, no?

Stuff feeling embarrassed about this, btw, even if there is a full queue behind you. It's their fault if they don't know and you're entitled to the GWP as long as you're meeting the total spend/required no of purchases required/T&Cs. It's not as if you're doing something devious.

I too complained when I was refused a Pink No7 GWP by a SA .
CS awarded me 2000pts and said they would ensure the staff in that branch would be retrained.
My point (!) was that why should regular Boots shoppers (which you need to be to gather any significant no of points) not get the GWP when other shoppers do. CS was most adamant that WE DO GET GWPs when using points but as it was a phone call ,I have no written evidence!

I will probably use points to get the new No7 GWP if its any good so might just try the same store (not my favourite branch!) to see if the message has got through.;)


Found some elusive TD wipes yesterday so got 2 with Tillspits , a TD Anti Redness serum and a Olay TE wash.
Bought a pile of magazines for my holidays and the Olay wash and a Hackett hair gel so got another tillspit:rolleyes:

skibster

passion8 wrote: »

Morning *Jelly Tots* and all.

Can't stop long enough to see if there'd been a reply, but they're in the gift experiences somewhere here:

http://www.boots.com/onlineexperience/flexible_template_2006.jsp?classificationid=1045926

When *those* SA's comment about the high number of points I have (and oh now too! lol) I tell them I'm using them for the Orient Express weekend.

But because I've said it so often, the idea's beginning to grow on me - so if and when oh retires (early! ) I might treat him to one. Or get him to treat me

hth

Edit: Just looked again and it only lasts about 5 hours, so I might treat him to something else lol.

Wow, I had no idea you could buy things like this! Can you buy them in store using points? How do you do that?