Hair Care

Let’s face it, the combination of heat, sun, sea water and humidity can lead to a Summer of bad hair days. We dream of beach waves and sun-kissed highlights…but it never quite ends up that way does it? Never fear, take a look at these Summer hair hacks to make sure your hair is looking stunning all Summer long.

Fight the fringe fatigue:

Fringes and hot weather…never a good combo. Top tip: Keep a dry shampoo in your handbag and lightly spritz the roots throughout the day, making sure to brush the product up and into your hair to absorb excess oil. I love Catwalk Session Series Transforming Dry Shampoo 250ml

To smooth a frizzy fringe:

Forget your hairdryer and instead use a medium sized Velcro roller, strong enough to smooth out your hair when rolled in firmly lifting up at the roots. Spritz a light mist of hairspray and leave in whilst doing your makeup. Gently remove the roller and dress into place.

Taming frizz:

The secret to this is all in the preparation. Make sure you use a moisturising, smoothing balm or oil through freshly washed hair and comb through evenly from the mid lengths to ends. Blow-dry smooth or leave to dry naturally for controlled waves. I reach for Moroccanoil Oil Treatment 100ml

Remember, hair becomes instantly drier in heat. A heavier conditioner or treatment such as Kevin Murphy LUXURY.RINSE 250ml will help to ease frizz. If you are blow-drying your hair make sure it is 100% dry before a day in the heat. Any moisture left in the hair will be prone to frizz. Look for a light hair oil like Moroccanoil Light Oil Treatment 100ml - it’s a saviour in humid weather. Work one drop through the mid-lengths and ends to smooth and nourish the hair.”

Keeping cool:

Up-dos don’t just look good but they help keep necklines fresh and cool. Braids are the go-to style of the moment. I absolutely love a fishtail plait and it’s the easiest braid to do yourself as there are only two sections to work with. The biggest mistake people make is not dishevelling it at the end. Once plaited and secured with a hairband, put your thumbs to the centre of the braid (where it crosses) and pull out, work up and down the braid using this technique until you have a wider loose braid. Use a light serum like Tecni Art Liss Control + Serum 50ml to smooth flyaway hairs.

Improvising new hair heroes: 

It’s amazing how the contents of your handbag can be used in an emergency! Vaseline is great for slicking back stray hairs, just be sure not to overuse it and wash it out at the end of the day. Talcum powder is also great around the hairline and also great for removing excess oils. Who knew?!

xoxo

Now we can officially say that Winter is behind us, it’s time to start thinking about revamping your hair routine and refreshing your hair kit for the new Spring season. Spring it on! (see what I did there…)

Step 1. Deep clean your brushes

When you see more than 10 clients per day like I do, brush and tool hygiene is a must obviously. Very often though, we forget about our brushes at home, after all, it’s only us that uses them right? Now let’s have a think about the amount of hair and dead skin cells that inevitably start to clog up that brush…yep, it makes me want to scrub my brushes immediately too. I recommend washing your brushes and combs at least once a week. Pull out any matted hair from the brush and wash under warm water using a shampoo to really get into the bristles. Old toothbrushes work really well for this too.

Step 2. Don’t forget your heated tools

If you find that your hairdryer is over-heating it could be due to a clogged air filter/vent at the back of your dryer. You can easily get rid of any visible dust or hair by removing the vent and using tweezers (just make sure your dryer is unplugged when you do this!). It’s essential to clean straighteners and hot curling tools too as any excess product can encourage split ends and prevent you from getting a smooth finish.

Step 3. Remember your dates

You might remember my previous blog all about skin product expiry dates. Sadly, hair products are not immune to expiry dates either and should be checked regularly to ensure that it’s still in date. You should see an open lid symbol and the letter M which stands for months and a number, such as 12. This tells you how many months after opening you can still use the product. It’s only a guide, but you wouldn’t eat gone off food, so maybe don’t put gone off product on your hair eh?

Step 4. Mix up your products

Swap your blow-dry cream for an air-dry lotion. Take advantage of the warmer weather and embrace a heat-free blowdry. I love Kevin Murphy Motion.Lotion 150ml as it gives great movement for a smooth but natural looking finish.

Try a lighter conditioner. Replace your nourishing and intensive conditioner with a lighter formula such as Kevin Murphy Staying.Alive 150ml which hydrates your hair without the heaviness of a masque or deep conditioner.

Add an SPF to your routine. SPF can help protect your hair and prevent static, frizz and dullness. I’m in love with L’Oreal Solar Sublime Conditioning Spray 125ml which helps provide protection to the hair whilst in the sun and conditions the hair whilst also adding shine.

So, spring clean your hair routine. You’ll give yourself healthier hair…and it’s much more exciting than spring cleaning the house. You’re welcome.

It has to be said, as women, we do tend to abuse our hair a bit. From heated styling tools to backcombing, we probably wouldn’t put our skin through half the stuff we expect our hair to put up with on a daily basis. But, just as skin suffers if you don’t take care of it, your hair will too. That’s when breakage and split ends rear their ugly head. If there is one question I get asked every day, it’s ‘how do I avoid split ends?’. So here’s my top 10 tips to keep split ends at bay.

1. Learn to work with second day hair.

Washing your hair every day strips your hair of natural oils that, instead of making your hair greasy, actually help to keep your hair healthy and nourished.  Washing your hair every other day allows your body to repair hair with its natural oils, leaving your hair silky, smooth and protected.  Sulphate free shampoos are the best, as they don’t remove too many of those natural oils when you do wash your hair. I recommend Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo.

2. Brush wisely.

For daily brushing, choose a cushioned paddle brush with flexible bristles. Always brush from root to end, tackling any knotting by holding the hair away from the scalp to avoid any tension that could cause breakage. Try Tangle Teezer Elite. Oh, and I don’t have to tell you to never brush wet hair, only comb or use your trusted Tangle Teezer.

3. Shampoo only your scalp.

Let your hair sit normally once wet and simply lather your shampoo onto your scalp, then let the ends of your hair experience the second hand suds as you rinse the shampoo through your hair. This will avoid stripping any natural oils from the ends, causing them to become dry and brittle.

4. Condition your ends.

This one is a no brainer; always use conditioner! Be sure to apply conditioner directly to the ends of your hair and then give it a couple of minutes to work it’s magic. When you rinse your hair, leave a small bit of residue. Make sure to avoid the root areas though, otherwise you’ll struggle to work with your hair.

5. Let’s talk towel drying.

Do not scrub and rub a towel all over your head like a maniac, as this can cause damage. Instead, wrap a towel around your hair and simply squeeze different areas to draw the moisture out.

6. Wide tooth combs with wet hair.

Invest in a wide toothed comb for use in your shower to lightly glide through your hair and loosely manage your locks without causing as much breakage.

7. Blow-drying.

When blow-drying, do your best to avoid placing direct heat on the ends of your hair until absolutely necessary. Most people only think to use a heat protector when using straighteners or tongs, but your hair dryer produces a hefty amount of heat. Make sure you apply a heat protector to your hair before you start. I go for .

8. Straightening.

When straightening your hair, always use a brush or comb to guide your hair through, to avoid straightening a strand in a creased or bent position, which can lead to breakage. And don’t repeat the same section over and over. Oh and remember my words about heat protection people.

9. Curling.

Instead of beginning the curl at the ends of your hair and winding all the way up, begin at your roots and guide hair through the curling iron as you twist up. This way, your ends will only take in as much heat as needed to hold the style.

10. A trip to your hair stylist.

To maintain hair condition, it’s vital to keep your visits to your stylist as regular as possible, every 6-8 weeks. This way they can remove any breakage and make sure your healthy hair has the best chance possible. Don’t avoid us, we can help!