Brave Strong Beautiful Newsletter – February Edition

Welcome to Brave Strong Beautiful’s February Newsletter

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Meet the team – Sophie

Hi, I’m Sophie, a trainee stylist at Brave Strong Beautiful. I joined Brave Strong Beautiful 7 months ago initially as a salon assistant, working at the Lothian Road salon, Sophie has now started her apprenticeship and is taking huge strides in her work already in the short amount of tie just imagine what it will be like in the next 7 months as she continue to develop her skills. In Sophies spare time she likes me tie to socialise with friends they are so important to her! Sophie’s favourite thing about being apart of the Brave Strong Beautiful team is learning new technique from the stylists. If you would love to see some of Sophie’s work why not check out our Instagram or Facebook. 

 

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Social Spotlight

Our social cause for February is Invisible Cities, Invisible Cities is a social enterprise that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city. Invisible Cities run tours across the UK including Liverpool, Cardiff, York, Glasgow, Manchester and one close to our home Edinburgh they want to show that everyone has great potential

Invisible Cities train people affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city and offer alternative tours to tourists and locals. The high quality training empowers the guides to create, craft and deliver tours that are their own, highlighting monuments, people and places they have chosen themselves.

Invisible Cities have many key goals including Training, Support and Development, Raising Awareness of Homelessness, Breaking Down Stigma and create a more positive and inclusive community support everyone on a one-to-one basis. They use part of their profit to support their tour guides through personal projects, this may be accessing further education or reuniting with family and friends.
They have started offering free walking tours to members of other charities, community groups and organisations, including Ukrainian refugees in Edinburgh, locals to Govan in Glasgow and various community groups in Manchester

Invisible Cities tour have hundreds of 5 star reviews on TripAdvisor with lots of the people who took the tour saying many great things such as “saw Glasgow through an angle that we would never have seen without the tour”, “our guide was knowledgeable and good company”, “guide brought his personal commentary and charming humour to colour the stories he shared” and “One-of-a-kind Edinburgh tour with charming Angus!” showing the great affect that the tours have on the public. 

The tours have also won multiple awards for their work such as ‘best in travel 2021 community award’ and ‘2019 UK social enterprise awards finalist’, 

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Hair Tips for Open Water Swimming

A new craze that looks like it will take 2023 by storm is Cold Water Swimming, however it is important to still take care of your hair when going Cold Water Swimming regularly can really take its toll on your hair. Water with a high mineral content can be damaging to hair in the same way that pool water can. Unwanted frizz and split ends are caused by salt drying out your hair, which can be a pain to detangle post-swim, the scalp is also affected as it becomes drier, which can pose a risk of dandruff, you also need to be aware that colour-treated hair is even more vulnerable to the dryness caused by salt exposure.

Regular saltwater swimmers should have a solid hair care routine if they wish to avoid damaged hair since their hair is exposed to harmful substances more than the average person because without proper hair care for swimmers, colour-treated and natural hair is at risk, for example, blonde hair can risk showing tinges of green, while brown hair may start displaying shades of orange.

There are countless tips and suggested remedies that come directly from diligent pool-goers. But which ones are the most effective?
Here are a few that we think are particularly valid that will allow your hair to retain strength and its natural self:

 

• A swim cap is a great tool to keep leave-in conditioners (such as miracle hair by Eleven Australia) in place during a swim and keep your hair out of the way of your eyes and other swimmers
• Remember to always prepare your hair and wash it well after swimming in saltwater
• Never leave saltwater water in your hair for a prolonged period of time
• Use natural oils to add a protective layer before and after swimming
• Get a conditioner made for swimmers (research for your hair type)
• Tie your hair back in a ponytail, braid, or tight bun, minimising contact with saltwater
• Use heat protection spray it can protect from cold elements too
• Use a hydrating sulfate free shampoo and conditioner (we recommend hydrate by Eleven Australia) 

 

Thankfully swimming is a very low-impact sport, so we don’t have to worry about the common injuries seen in high-impact sports such as rugby or soccer. However, you do need to pay attention to your skin care and hair care if you are swimming regularly.