We believe that it takes real people to review the products we use every day. We are on a quest to find the best examples of products we all use as part of our daily lives. AdvisorPeople are real people, not bots or fake profiles.

We are people who are trying out products to find the best examples. By sharing our experiences in the reviews we publish, we aim to save effort and disappointment wherever possible.

We are a small team, but are connected to a network of people and experts across the UK. This means we can test more products and create more reviews and recommendations for our audiences.

The Advisor People team are seriously obsessed with sleep.   Not content with two sites getting people’s sleep solutions sorted – Duvet Advisor and Pillow Advisor – we’ve also shared our expertise to man’s best friend.   Dogs.   And our job is to make sure they have something (nearly) as comfortable as we do to rest their heads on.

Our knowledge about pillows and duvets has been invaluable in assessing what makes a great dog bed. We’ve also got five members of our little Advisor team who are just crazy about their pooches.  In addition, thanks to a fantastic network of dog-owners, dog walkers, dog whisperers and breeders, we aim to provide the best dog bed reviews and advice in the UK.

Dogbed Advisor launched at the end of 2018 and contains information, tips and advice about which dog bed is best for your dog.  With needs as diverse as pampered pooches to playful labradors, finding the right bed for the right dog can be a bit of a quest.

If you need a bit of help deciding what bed to buy for your dog or puppy, take a look at www.dogbedadvisor.co.uk

Does your hair looks completely different when you dry it compared to when it is dried in the salon? Find out what the professionals do to get the perfect blow-dry and the best hair dryers we’ve reviewed for a salon-perfect finish…

• Preparation – A good blow dry starts with some prep. Once you have got out of the shower, use a towel to blot strands, and then spritz your hair with a volumising spray. Make sure you concentrate on the areas where you want added lift and body.
  

• Dry your hair in pieces – Do you currently blast your hair with the dryer until the wetness has disappeared? This is a big mistake. You should section your hair into pieces, as this adds shine and shape. Start from the bottom and finish with your crown.
  
• Use your concentrator nozzle – When blow-drying your hair, the narrow nozzle can be a dream! It produces faster airflow for a more polished look. These nozzles are ideal for dealing with curly, wavy, and frizzy hair, as well as drying fringes. The wider nozzles are great if you want to dry your hair as quickly as possible, but for a sleek and salon perfect look, you need a narrow nozzle.  
  
• Invest in a good mousse – There are so many reasons why mousse is the ultimate hair product. Most importantly, it will protect your hair from almost all kinds of heat damage, which is pivotal during a blow dry. It is also really easy to apply, as it comes in many different forms, and it is the only way to achieve celebrity-worthy volume. And, for those with curly hair, mousse is the only way to ensure it stays curly and does not go frizzy!  
  
• Cold blasts – If there is one part of the hair dryer that is neglected, it is the cold button. A lot of people wonder what the button is doing on the hair dryer to begin with!  Well, if you want a long-lasting hairstyle, the cold blast button is a must. This is because hair sets when it is cool. So, if you blast cool air through your finish style, it will help to set it in place. Manufactures don’t just add this button for the fun of it; it is there for good reason, push it!
• Finish with a gloss spray – To get that salon perfect sheen, add a glossing spray once you have finished blow-drying your hair.
• Invest in one of the best hair dryers available in the UK

Which pillows have the least chemicals?  An email from one of our readers brought up this interesting question.

How much do you know about the material your pillows are made from?  And what has been used to make cheaper memory foam pillows, anti-allergy pillows and duvets, anti-crease or flame-retardant bedding?

Synthetic pillows ( hollowfibre, microfibre or polyurethane or memory foam pillows) are all made from polyester in different forms. Polyester can ignite more easily than natural materials and you don’t really want to be lying on a flammable object if you can help it so manufacturers have had to ensure that their synthetic pillows are treated with fire-retardant chemicals. Recently there has been some concern that breathing in high levels of these chemicals may not be the best idea for our health.

Now we’re not chemistry experts here but we can give you a brief overview of the situation from a pillow point of view. UK manufacturers are not currently obliged by law to disclose what kind of treatments they have given their pillows, mattresses or furniture. Basically, I would assume that all synthetic pillows have been treated to some extent unless they specifically say that they haven’t. In the U.S. they’ve had to declare this for a while, so you’ll see some American products stating on their packaging that they haven’t used flame-retardant chemicals.

Don’t forget that the majority of these chemicals are considered safe to be used in household products. But if you don’t like the idea of sleeping on fire-retardant materials, choose a natural pillow. All polyester pillows are synthetic, and neither the chemical process of creating this material nor the product itself is environmentally friendly. Some toxic waste is a by-product and you do of course get a non-recyclable, non-biodegradable product at the end of the process.

But, if you’re going green, you should probably check your duvet, your mattress and your cushions too.

Natural fibre pillows include down, feather, silk or wool, and obviously you’d want a 100% cotton cover if you’re avoiding all polyester. Wool and silk have a good level of natural fire-resistance so also better from that point of view. You might also consider a natural latex pillow which is manufactured without the fire-retardant chemicals, or of course an organic pillow.

Lastly as with any product, if you’re concerned, check the label. Some ‘organic’ pillows are only actually organic on the outside casing (containing memory foam inside); and some silk or wool pillows are blended with microfibre, so go for the ‘one-hundred-percenters’ if you can.

 There’s an extended and updated article about chemicals in bedding on our sister site:  www.duvetadvisor.co.uk.
More facts about chemicals in pillows and recent scientific research, plus discussion of Panda Pillows’ organic certified range, Simba Sleep‘s chemical-safe certification, and John Lewis‘s Nomite range can be found in the newer article on Duvet Advisor.

Facts, studies and sources of more information:

Read the facts on Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_retardant

More from government and scientific research here about the use of Formaldehyde in production of home bedding and perchloroethylene (known as PCE or tetrachloroethylene) in dry cleaning.

Our suggestions for natural and organic pillows:

• Panda Pillows
• Simba Sleep
• Many John Lewis products – organic wool pillows, duvets and Nomite protected feather and down bedding.
• The White Company do lovely all natural fibre down and feather pillows.
• Soak and Sleep do a good wool pillow here.
• For organic pillows, also try Amazon. They do an eco-friendly organic wool pillow here.
• And for kiddies’ organic or wool pillows, go for John Lewis’ Baby Organic Wool Pillow and their Organic Cotton Pillowcase.