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.
Manchester dentist loved by celebs is knocking £1000 off popular Invisalign treatment
Daisy Jackson
A luxury dentist in Manchester is offering Invisalign treatment with a massive saving this month.
Ruh Dental, which counts the likes of Molly-Mae Hague and Helen Flanagan as patients, will be offering packages with more than £1000-worth of savings.
The special offer is part of the boutique dental practice’s Invisalign Open Week, with discounts on the hugely popular clear brace system which straightens teeth discreetly.
Most cases are able to be completed within six months, with noticeable differences in just three months.
Invisalign can close gaps, and fix overbites and misaligned teeth with less clinic visits than traditional ‘train track’ braces.
Molly-Mae Hague reviewing her treatment with Ruh Dental. Credit: YouTubeRuh Dental. Credit: The Manc Group
Anyone who books in for a consultation and takes up treatment during Invisalign Open Week will save over £1000, thanks to a free consultation (worth £75), free 3D digital scan and simulation of your teeth (worth £300), £400 off aligners, free Vivera Retainers worth £500, and free teeth whitening worth £175.
The open week will run between 29 March and 5 April, with the offer valid for five days after the consultation.
Ruh Dental is based in the heart of Spinningfields and is trusted by the likes of Jill Scott, Helen Flanagan and Olivia Attwood.
The private practice has no waiting lists, with patients seen ASAP, and focuses on restorative and cosmetic procedures.
Its dental team is led by the award-winning Dr Billal Arshad, an expert in his field who trains colleagues nationally and internationally and is famed for his attention to detail and artistic flair.
Another Ruh Dental deal currently running is a Mother’s Day offer, where you can claim a free afternoon tea at The Ivy and a free hygiene appointment when you refer your mum for an appointment with Dr Arshad.
Trafford Centre’s new interactive ‘Wonderwall’ experience helps you style your home
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre has come up with a novel way to design your home with their exciting new ‘Wonderwall’ experience.
On until Sunday, 26 February, the fully interactive Wonderwall is a fun new touchscreen approach to styling your home and selecting fine new furnishings, featuring furniture and homeware items from various Trafford Centre retailers.
Doing up your gaff can be a fun but often stressful and challenging task, with the sheer amount of choice sometimes feeling overwhelming and the notion of making appointments with a stylist or a full day of shopping around is simply too much faff when you’re trying to get on with everyday life.
That’s where the Wonderwall comes in: not only do you get to create your own mood board on the fly with countless top-quality items from the likes of John Lewis, H&M, Selfridges, Next and more, but you also get on-the-go styling advice as you build out the look for each of your rooms.
Credit: The Manc Group
Moreover, you never have to risk that dreaded scenario of your order turning up and being nothing like you expected or it was advertised online, as the best part is you can literally go and look, feel and test every piece you pick from the shops within the Trafford Centre.
Better still, if you sign-up to become a Pulse member — TC’s dedicated loyalty which provides you early and exclusive news, perks and events from all of their retailers — you can win yourself a limited-time only gift card to put towards styling your home.
All you have to do is sign-up by joining the WiFi when you’re there. Happy days.
Last but not least, with less than a week left of half-term, not only is the Trafford Centre the perfect place to take the kids but the Wonderwall can also help keep them occupied as well as get them involved in the redesign.
Thanks to their ‘design your dream bedroom‘ colouring competition, you and your little ones can also be in with a chance of winning a £100 Trafford Centre gift card. Full T&Cs apply.
The Wonderwall is located at Orient Way from Monday, 20 February until Sunday, 26 February.
Get yourself down there before the end of the week and be sure to get a photo there with the hashtag #tchome.