Each morning, Sophie Leah looked in the mirror and saw an unrecognisable reflection staring back at her.
She’d been taking strong medication to cure her acne, but it had come at a cost.
The prescription had left Sophie’s hair in terrible condition; stringy, thin and utterly untamable.
No matter what formula or shampoo she tried, nothing seemed to fix it.
One day, utterly out of options, Sophie decided to take action herself and created her own concoction.
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She did some digging around in the cupboards and found a few different ingredients that could potentially help, throwing some coconut oil into the mix for good measure.
Amazingly, it worked a treat.
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After a number of uses, Sophie realised her hair was starting to look better than it ever did before.
Sophie showed the results to her partner – who was equally impressed – and the pair came up with an idea. Maybe they could share this formula with others and make a business out of it.
They called their creation ‘Hola Coco’; setting up a social media account and encouraging friends to spread the word.
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Within months, momentum had gathered and the item was picked up by the tabloid press – being featured in the Daily Mail and on various beauty blogs around the UK.
What began life as a humble Instagram page has since blossomed into a popular brand, with their flagship product – the Coconut Oil Hair Mask – being lauded by customers as one of the best contemporary solutions on the styling market for dry or damaged hair.
Containing Coconut Oil and Shea Butter (which are said to have extreme hair nourishing qualities) the mask works by penetrating hair follicles, adding intense softness and silky shine.
The solution is left in for around 15 – 20 minutes (or longer) before rinsing – and is suitable for all hair types. It can also be left on overnight for an intense reparative treatment and shampooed off in the morning.
Hola Coco is also 100% vegan and ‘cruelty-free’ – packaged in recyclable 500ml containers sold at £29.99 a pop (lasting customers 100% longer than comparative products).
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The hair mask is stocked in several salons across the UK and Ireland and stockists have been recommending it as an at-home treatment to keep their client’s hair healthy while hairdressers have been closed during lockdown.
The look of the brand is fresh and exotic, but what’s catapulted Hola Coco into successful territory is the fact the product promises results. They are so sure customers will love their coco-creation that they offer a 30-day money back guarantee.
The success of the Coconut Oil Hair Mask has given owners the capacity to widen their product range.
Additions include the Bamboo Wide Tooth Comb – described as “working perfectly alongside the hair mask distributing it from root to tip” – and the Hola Coco Microfiber Hair Towel – which is outlined as being “extremely gentle on hair and super absorbent”.
The couple behind the brand claim there are “definitely more products in the pipeline,” in the months ahead.
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But for now, Hola Coco is committed to turning their little Manchester brand into a household name.
The 11 best and most popular gyms in Manchester, ranked by price
Daisy Jackson
You do not need to wait for January to get your body moving again – there’s no time like the present.
The trick to sticking with your health kick is often to find the right routine for you, and when it comes to exercise, finding the gym that will make you feel supported as well as pushed physically is key.
There’s no shortage of brilliant gyms here in Manchester, from the do-it-yourself commercial gyms to the fitness facilities manned by highly-qualified trainers who will guide you every step of the way.
Whether you’re a fancy girl who needs fancy facilities to coax you into the gym, or you’d rather get your head down and save some cash, we’ve got you covered.
Here are 11 of the best to try in 2024 – and how much it’ll cost you.
Ultimate Performance – prices are bespoke and available on request
Ready to transform your body or lay the foundations for lifelong health, and feeling pretty serious about it?
Ultimate Performance is the gym in Manchester to join if you want to stick to your plan and achieve whatever goals you set yourself, from fat loss to muscle building to general health, with some of the world’s best personal trainers coaching from here.
Barry’s is the gym loved by all the famous LA-dwelling beautiful types, and first opened here in Manchester in 2018.
Workouts take place in the ‘red room’, where rows of benches, dumbbells and treadmills promise a total body workout.
It’s now a global phenomenon, with gyms everywhere from the USA to the UAE to Australia to Mexico.
It ain’t cheap though – memberships start at £125 per month, which gets you eight classes, or you can book a drop-in class for £20. The most expensive membership will set you back £308. Check out all the offers here.
Blok – £205/month for unlimited
Blok in Manchester has a mix of classes and is one of the city’s best gyms. Credit: Blok
This gym is genuinely very beautiful, taking over a corner of the historic Ducie Street Warehouse.
It’s another one with three different studios to choose from – you can do pilates and yoga, take on full-body strength-focused or boxing workouts, or try out barre and cardio exercises.
There are top-notch changing rooms for getting refreshed in afterwards too.
Unlimited membership is £205 a month, but if you’re happy to commit to a set number of classes there are cheaper packs available too. Check it out here.
You will not find a nicer or more supportive group of trainers than the ones who work at Form – you also won’t find any who take away your ability to walk up stairs quite so efficiently.
As well as one-to-one training, they offer their ‘reload’ programme with small groups training together at their New Bailey Street gym, and the best pilates and yoga classes in town at their Reset gym on Marble Street.
Form promises a longterm change to your life – this is no flash-in-the-pan fitness phase.
Memberships start from £168 a month and we promise you get a lot of bang for your buck. Find out more at formmcr.com.
F45 – £165/month
Credit: F45
First created in Australia, there are now more than 1,000 F45 studios all over the world, creating what it claims is the most innovative fitness gym on the planet.
Each 45 minute session blends cardio and HIIT-style workouts for ‘sweat-dripping, heart-pumping fun’.
The circuits in the Manchester gyms will kick your ass, in a good way.
It’s £165 a month if you commit to six months, otherwise you’re looking at £195 a month – check it out here.
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Zeno Training Clubs – £99/month
Hero Training Club gym in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupHero Training Club gym in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
With four different fitness studios to choose from, Zeno (formerly known as Hero) offers a little something for everyone.
You can seriously test your cardio in their spin studio or in the Athletic studio (where you can also take on boxing classes), push your strength in the Stronger studio (which are basically like small group PT sessions), or reset a bit in the Rejuvenate studio. There’s also an open gym upstairs.
Zeno has some of the best facilities in the city – seriously, there are more squat racks in here than in some of the biggest commercial gyms – and a bloody lovely group of trainers to guide your every move.
Memberships start from £99 a month, and there are class bundles available too. Find out more at herotrainingclubs.com.
TRIB3 – £79/month
Credit: TRIB3
This ‘next-level fitness studio’ follows a pretty similar modal to V1BE, but factors in assault bikes (ouch) and has classes with a more tailored focus.
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There are three different TRIB3 classes to choose from – upper body and core, lower body, and full body – broken down into three zones of treadmill, resistance and intensity.
It’s proving to be a very popular option for Mancs.
Unlimited memberships are £79/month but there are loads of other options too. Find out more at trib3.co.uk.
V1BE – £59/month
Credit: V1BE
It’s all about the cardio at V1BE, Manchester’s boutique gym group that will literally display your heart rate on a giant screen for all to see.
Most workouts are spread between sprint sessions on the treadmills and weighted circuits on the floor, but they also have STR1KE classes that factor in some intense boxing drills.
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You will be sweaty, you will get competitive with yourself, and you’ll definitely love it (once the hill sprints are over).
Membership starts from £59 a month (that’s for open gym access and six classes), or you can go all-in for £79 a month. Find out more here.
Nuffield Health – £51/month
Nuffield is one of Manchester’s biggest gyms, with its own pool
What makes Nuffield Health so extraordinary of all the gyms in Manchester is that is has a real life swimming pool, which is quite a luxury in a city centre as crammed as ours.
The gym has an army of treadmills and bikes, plus a functional fitness room, a free weights room, and several different studios.
There are also physiotherapists and personal trainers based here to help you build the healthiest body possible.
With a rapidly-growing number of gyms nationwide, it’s easy to see why JD Gyms are becoming more and more popular – and it’s got a lot to do with the price.
Their gym in Manchester city centre has more than 300 classes a month, a sauna, and literally hundreds of pieces of strength and cardio equipment.
There’s a large free weights zone, a sprint and sled track, bootcamps, boxing, and personal trainers.
Basic membership is £19.99 a month, which includes classes, but for £25 a month you can also get 10% off at JD Sports online and use any of their gyms nationwide – find out more here.
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PureGym – £12.99/month
PureGym has several gyms around Manchester. Credit: PureGym
Oh well all know PureGym, let’s be honest.
As one of the country’s biggest gym groups, they’re famed for being cheap and practical, with 24-hour opening times.
Facilities are very good for the price and there are four PureGym gyms in Manchester city centre alone. You just have to get used to their weirdly futuristic beam-me-up-Scotty entrance vestibules.
Read more about all things sport in the North here.
Featured image: The Manc Group / Reset by Form / PureGym
Style
Viral beauty brand Morphe suddenly shuts ALL UK stores including Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Cult beauty favourite Morphe has suddenly shuttered the doors to all of its stores across the UK, including here in Manchester.
The brand has had a large presence in the Manchester Arndale shopping centre since late 2019, opening to huge crowds at the time.
But this week, the doors to its make-up store in the city centre (as well as its six other locations across the UK) have closed.
The viral brand will continue to trade online and as a concession in other stores.
Many have taken to social media to criticise the way the physical store closures have been handled, with dozens of staff members saying that they were made immediately redundant with ‘no notice’.
Some stores have also already been cleared of stock, with reports that some of the viral Morphe products are already being sold off at beauty outlets.
The LA-born brand was created in 2008 ‘among the artists and influencers’ and was originally famed for its brushes before branching out into other make-up products, like its cult favourite colourful eyeshadow palettes.
At the height of its popularity, Morphe was behind sell-out collections with the likes of Jeffree Star, James Charles and Jaclyn Hill.
Morphe in Manchester Arndale has closed, along with its six other beauty stores in the UK. Credit: The Manc GroupMorphe opened in Manchester Arndale in 2019. Credit: Publicity picture
In a statement, the company said: “Forma Brands has made significant progress over the last year positioning our business for growth by focusing on our flagship Morphe brand largely through our wholesale and e-commerce operations.
“During that time, our owned Morphe stores in Europe, which have consistently provided an extraordinary experience for our customers, faced disproportionately high store rent obligations.
“We have therefore made the difficult decision to close our seven UK and one Amsterdam retail locations. This move aligns with our strategy to prioritize and expand our successful wholesale and e-commerce operations, similar to our model in the U.S. We also facilitated an ownership transition of our UK wholesale and e-commerce businesses, which will operate as FORMA BRANDS UK LTD., effective immediately.
“We are immensely grateful to our incredible store teams for their dedication and passion over the years and are working to support them through this transition.
“Due to store closures, impacted store team members were made redundant immediately. In recognition of their dedication, the parent company Forma Brands LLC has provided goodwill payments to all affected employees, equivalent to an enhanced redundancy package.”
The Manc -
21st April 2021 
