The best hair taming products you need to buy today
Pic credit: Salma Hayek, Instagram.
34 South ParadE, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7JN
Pic credit: Salma Hayek, Instagram.
If you love the tousled beach look, and are already a fan of sea salt spray, did you know you can make it at home?
Simply mix together 500ml of sparkling water and a teaspoon of sea salt in a spray bottle. While your hair is damp, spritz the mixture onto the ends of your hair, and use your fingers to scrunch them up.
Learning how to curl your hair with your straighteners is great especially when you’re going away and don’t want to take loads of different styling tools with you.
First, grab a small section of hair. Then, hold your straighteners vertically with the open end pointed upward. As you clamp the hair, begin rotating it away from your face. Don’t slow down or stop - the key to getting consistent curls is to keep the movement fluid.
As you keep rotating the straighteners away from your face, allow your hair to slowly slide through the clamp until you reach the end. For looser waves, lower the heat on your straighteners and brush them out after you’ve finished curling.
This ponytail trick is the fastest way to make your updo look professional. After you’ve secured your ponytail, grab a small bit of hair from the pony and wrap it around the base of your ponytail to cover the hairband. Coat the very end of the section with hairspray, and smooth it against the base to seamlessly secure it.
Central heating and cold weather can play havoc with our skin. Using a weekly face or sheet mask can add moisture and hydrating leaving you with a fresh and dewy complexion.
As well as a weekly face mask it’s important to moisturise the skin day and night, using a lighter cream for daytime and a thicker one overnight.
It might be winter and less sunny, but your skin is still exposed to harmful rays in the winter so slap on the sun cream daily to prevent damage.
Antioxidant serums can help protect you skin from environmental damage and signs of ageing.
Just like skin, our hair can get dry and brittle during the winter so be sure to hydrate it with a weekly nourishing hair mask.
Lips get dry in winter, so like your face and hair, hydrate with some moisturising lip balm.
The longer your hair, the more it gets damaged by the heat, styling and sun damage. Invest in a weekly hair mask. Treat yourself out to get a hair spa treatment with us once a month, too.
Towel dry hair thoroughly and let it semi air dry before you apply heat. Also, invest in a microfibre towel, which is gentler on the hair. Then add moisture with hair serum and heat protectant.
Alcohol-laden hair sprays and products with parabens damage the hair. Remember, the longer your hair the more nourishment your ends need!
Regular trims are vital when you have long hair to keep it healthy and strong.
Instead opt for a ceramic or wooden bristle brush. It’s less harsh on your scalp and also makes sure the natural oils get evenly distributed through the hair.
While going for a drastic chop and starting again is one option, if you can't face a completely new look there are a few things you can do to repair your hair and stop it from getting worse...
Unlike your skin, your hair doesn't regenerate itself once it is damaged. The good news is, increasing the moisture with a hydrating mask can help bond the hair cuticles back, both in the salon and at home. Talk to us today about the moisturising treatments we have on offer.
Weekly hair mask
If you're doing a DIY hair mask, aim for once a week. You can even sleep in it overnight (with hair wrapped in a microfibre towel) for maximum hydration.
Comb conditioner through before rinsing
Another way to improve the appearance of frazzled hair by combing conditioner through your mid-lengths and ends before rinsing, which has the effect of smoothing the hair cuticles down.
Use hair serum
A fortifying hair serum nourishes the scalp and hair follicles. We like L'Oreal's Absolute Repair Serum, which you can buy here.
Regular haircuts
A great haircut will also revitalise hair and make you look - and feel - better about your damaged hair. You don't have to do anything drastic. We can work with your hair to create a style that complements the way it moves.
Hot weather. It’s great, but it puts your hair through the wringer!
Protect against humidity with these 6 leave-in conditioners...
The colour of your skin tone is actually one of the most important aspects of choosing the perfect hair colour. The correct colour will compliment your skin and make it appear even more beautiful, while the wrong colour might make your skin look dull and dreary.
To really enhance and intensify your eye colour, we might recommend a contrasting colour. For instance - if your eyes are blue, a caramel or golden blonde tone will make them appear even bluer. If they are green, a fiery or soft red tone could be the perfect colour for you.
Once the hair colour has been narrowed down to suit your complexion and eye colour, your personal style should be considered - and this is where you know best. Do you want to be noticed or blend in? Do you need to be more daring or does your outfit say enough? Make sure the shades you and your hair stylist choose is one that will make you feel confident and yourself.
The more you wash, the quicker your colour will fade – it really is as simple as that. So buy back some time in your every day routine and skip the frequent washing. The best way to care for your colour is to wash only twice or three times a week – then soak up oil from those roots with dry shampoo when needed.
So, you’re having trouble weaning yourself off daily washing – you’ve been doing it for years. At the very least, try skipping shampoo and jumping straight to conditioner. You’ll add softness, shine and caring nourishment – all without washing that crazy colour away.
There’s a reason why colour protective shampoo was invented. While some regular shampoos can wash away your colour and accelerate colour fade, formulas like L’Oréal Paris Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo actually work to protect your colour, helping to keep your pastel, vivid or metallic shade looking beautiful and vibrant. Whatever you do, choose a “low sulphate” shampoo as it will help to wash out less colour from your hair.
When we colour our hair, it becomes more fragile – this helps the colour make an exit and therefore, that’s when fading occurs. So allow the oils, butters, conditioning polymers and other hydrating elements that often go into a great conditioner to help form a protective barrier and help prevent your colour making a bid for freedom.
They work - In particular, the ingredients in heat protection sprays reduce heat damage, most likely by evening out how the hair heats up. However, they can’t insulate your hair from most of the damage, so you still need to minimise your hair’s exposure to heat styling!
Did we mention condition? Just for good measure, it’s back in at number six. If you’ve been on a colour break and become slack about masking, now’s the time to get back on the wagon. Just 5-10 minutes of masking twice a week can add a super dose of healing nourishment that helps to repair damage, increase shine – and naturally, keep that colour going stronger for longer.
There’s a blow-dry backlash brewing amongst the style set – and we think we know why. Addicted to colour – that’s crazier by the second – they know that all that heat from blow-dryers, straightening irons and curling tongs may not only be damaging to the hair, but also be pressing play on yet more moisture loss and compromising that radiant colour. So do as they do and simply apply L’Oréal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Hair Oil to damp hair to nourish and add shine – all whilst helping to save your colour from the perils of the hairdryer.
One of the number one enemies to long-lasting, super bold colour is UV light from the sun. Even in winter when the days seem dark, light loves to play havoc with your hair. So add a UV filter finishing spray to your morning routine and show the sun who’s boss.
Remember the stories about chlorine turning coloured hair a slimy shade of green? Chlorine can not only change your colour (obviously not colouring it green), but it can also fast forward fading. So if you’re heading to the pool, prep your hair and pre-condition. Apply a layer of conditioner to your hair and spin it up into a bun to form a protective barrier against chemical damage. After all, if you’d wanted to go green, you’d have picked Colorista Spray in Mint.
Condition – like beauty – starts from within, so feed your hair from the inside out. A diet rich in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel will nourish your hair with omega-3 fatty acids, making it shiny and strong. Add some walnuts in and get a hit of vitamin E to help combat dry, brittle hair post-colour.
Pankhurst and Deane uses L’Oreal products in the salon.
Sunshine we love you!
Here's our top four tips to protect your hair from sun damage.
Comb a restorative leave-in conditioner L'Oréal Paris Ever Strong Break Proof lotion in wet hair, then throw it up into a bun to create a barrier from UV rays and keep hair hydrated. Buy it here.
The sun’s rays are harsher in the summer, so even if you aren’t outside every day, your hair can still get damaged when you are. Use a hair mask like Lóreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Very Dry Hair Masque once a week to maintain moisture. Buy it here.
The oil your hair naturally produces protects it from the sun, so you don’t want to over-wash during the warmer months. Instead of lathering up daily, use a dry shampoo like Batiste a couple times a week to give your hair a break. Buy it here.
Some styling products can give you those effortless beach hair waves. L'Oréal Paris Stylista The Beach Wave Mist Salt Spray creates texture while adding moisture back into the cuticle so your hair is less susceptible to the sun’s heat damage. Buy it here.