From cut to colour — keep control of your unruly locks from home with these expert tips
WITH hair salons closed, the nation has suffered a collective few weeks of bad hair days.
While some have been brave enough to attempt the odd trim, most of us have been trying to hold out, hoping that an appointment at the hairdressers is only weeks away.
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But suggestions last week that they might stay closed for another SIX MONTHS left millions aghast.
There is no escaping it any longer— it is likely we will all have to attempt some DIY hairdos.
But where do we even start with cutting, colouring, finishing and maintaining our locks?
We have asked the experts for their professional tips to help us tame our manes for the foreseeable future.
Cut
Fringe trim
STYLIST Kristine Cimbule, whose clients include Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards and model Jodie Kidd, says: “This one can be done at home — I’ve put together a simple five-step guide.
“First, you need to get a good set of scissors, a comb, hair clip and mirror and comb your hair through so there are not any knots.
“Then section the front of your fringe into a triangle away from the rest of your hair, take the centre 1cm and choose your length — just over the eyebrow, or to the tip of the nose if you wear it a bit longer.
“Step three is to cut the centre 1cm straight at the chosen length. Then cut the side sections diagonally to meet the centre.
“Finally, tidy up and soften the hairline by cutting up into the hairline, in little cuts.”
Bob's your uncle
CELEBRITY hairstylist Michael Douglas, whose clients include TV presenters Davina McCall and Tess Daly, says: “If you want to sharpen your bob haircut, rope in your partner or housemate.
“It’s too hard to cut the back of your own hair.
“Ask them to keep it slightly longer at the front and shorter at the back.
“Tilt your head forward so your chin touches your chest.
“That should give you a slightly more flattering shape. Be mindful not to take too much off.”
Top of the crops
KRISTINE says: “If you have a short hairstyle, it’s time to start using more styling products such as wax, gel or styling cream.
“Comb your hair to the side and start experimenting with new partings. Also, try tucking your hair behind your ears.
"Start falling in love with your styling products, which will get you through lockdown.
“You can freshen the look with a fringe cut, but allow the rest to grow out gracefully.
"If you are very brave you can experiment with thinning scissors — professional scissors please!
“I would not change the length but you can remove some of the thickness.”
Colour
The root of the problem
COLOURIST Josh Wood, who has worked with actress January Jones and model Elle Macpherson, says: “For a temporary option try Color Wow Root Cover Up (), a powder to spruce up your roots, and use the Josh Wood Colour Blending Brush (£15, ) on washed and conditioned hair.
“A more permanent option is Josh Wood Colour Permanent Colour, look to match with the base colour of your hair and do a patch test.
- Color Wow Root Cover Up, £28.50 from colorwowhair.com -
"Section the head into a cross so there are four sections and use Vaseline along your hairline to stop staining the skin.
“In each segment, use a comb to section small bits of hair and apply the dye in dots at the root, then rub in.
"Leave on for the recommended time, then rinse.”
Dye-ing for it
JOSH says: “I would say maybe during the crisis is not the moment to have a complete colour overhaul.
“Also, it is very hard to change colour completely without some expert advice.
- Shade Shot Gloss, £15 from Boots.com -
“People can now use our online consultation with colourists from Josh Wood to ask advice and help, but I wouldn’t necessarily advise bleaching hair at this time.
“However, if you want to play around with tone you can try our Shade Shot Gloss (£15, ) to either add cooler or warmer tones to your hair.”
And now for the highlights
JOSH says: “Highlights are hard to achieve at home.
What I would do is either use a toner or a gloss to refresh the colour you have.
- Josh Wood Colour Icy Blonde Gloss, £19 from joshwoodcolour.com -
“Josh Wood Colour Icy Blonde Gloss (£19 at ) just cleans out the blonder bit and make it look fresh.
“Also use a mask or a treatment, as quite often for blondes, when they are ready to go to a salon to get their roots retouched, a lot of it is actually about hydration.”
Finish
Curly
UK Artistic Ambassador at Amika, James Earnshaw, who regularly styles singer Fleur East’s hair, says: “Curly hair lacks moisture so it’s important to not overly shampoo your hair as this will dry it out.
“Use a co-wash such as amika nice cream (£21 from ), then follow with Curl Corps defining cream (£20 from ).
- Curl Corps defining cream, £20 from birchbox.co.uk -
"I suggest twisting random bits of hair when wet then allowing air to dry for soft bouncy curls.
“Try not to touch your curls when they dry as this will make them frizzy, once the hair’s dry tilt your head down and shake it out.”
It's all about the afro
GEMMA Moodie is an afro specialist and stylist at Neville Hair and Beauty.
She says: “Afro hair needs moisture maintenance — usually on a daily basis.
- Avlon moisture leave in spray, £6.89 from sallybeauty.co.uk -
"Use a light oil (coconut, avocado, or almond) on the scalp.
"Spray a hydrating water-based product on the hair itself with a humectant in it.
"My favourite is Avlon moisture (£6.89 ) leave in spray.
"Then lock the moisture in with an oil based moisture cream such as Lusters Shea and Coconut Moisture Milk (£5.49 ). Then style.
"This is called the loc system L – liquid, O – oil, C – cream.”
Salon-worthy blow-dry
MICHAEL Douglas says: “You need a nozzle on the end of your hair dryer — all good stylists have one.
“They tend never to get used at home so now is a good time to dig it out.
- Wella Shockwaves Blow Dry Volumizer Styling Lotion, £3.49 from superdrug.com -
"Use a bristle hair brush. The more bristles there are, the more control you have over the hair as you dry it.
“A good blow-dry spray will also make a difference.
"I’d recommend Wella Shockwaves Blow Dry Volumizer Styling Lotion (£3.49 at ) or John Frieda Luxurious Volume Fine To Full Blow Out Styling Spray (£6.99 at ).”
Maintain
Keep colour fresh
ADVICE here from Ken O’Rourke, celebrity hair stylist and Charles Worthington Ambassador, who says: “For a great way to freshen up your hair colour without having it re-done, I suggest using a toning, colour enhancing shampoo from the Colourplex range (find it at ).
- Colourplex range at Charlesworthington.com -
"There is a complete collection of products to tackle all hair colours, from cool tone enhancing purple for blondes to neutralising blue for brunettes.
"This will take your brassy blonde back to a more neutral, ashy in no time, as well as boosting hair health and shine.”
Extensions lead
PETER Burkill is a celeb hairstylist at Josh Wood, whose clients include pop legend Kylie Minogue.
He says: “If you have clip-in extensions, you can revive them by placing them in a bowl of very hot, but not boiling, water.
“When they’re in the water, add ten to 20 drops of olive or coconut oil and two teaspoons of conditioner and leave in the bowl for ten minutes. Then rinse them in cold water to seal the cuticle back up.
“If you have any other type of extension, you need to speak to the specialist who fitted them on how best to remove them without causing too much stress to the hair and scalp.
“I definitely wouldn’t advise attempting to re-install your extensions by yourself.”
Split the difference
PETER says: “The best way to care for your split ends is by trimming them.”
- Klorane Mango Butter Nourishing Leave-In Cream, £12 from escentual.com -
But he goes on to warn: “Blunt scissors will make the problem way worse so if you don’t have professional scissors, then another option is to try instead to minimise the heat you use on your hair.
“Get a good leave-in conditioner such as the Klorane Mango Butter Nourishing Leave-In Cream (£12, available from ) — and whatever you do, don’t pull them out, the damage will simply travel up the hair shaft.”
Try a product called . It’s a vegan supplement that gives you thicker and fuller hair at the root.
Even celebs have to live with lockdown look
A WOMAN’s hair is her crowning glory.
Today, Love Island’s Belle Hassan tells us how she is coping with the salon closures.
"THE coronavirus crisis has come at the worst possible time for me. Before I went on Love Island last year, I used a new hairdresser who bleached my hair and absolutely ruined it.
"During my time in the villa I couldn’t keep up with my treatments, so when I came out my hair was so bad and just started snapping off.
"So the whole top of my hair now has no extensions in it and I have to walk around with a big hair band in, like an antenna.
"Now there is nothing I can do about it.
"It’s so short on top, because my extensions are out, and I have a fringe that I never really wanted but just happened.
"If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see that usually I’m bleach-blonde with long extensions.
"To think salons won’t be open for another six months might mean I’ll have to go brunette for the first time since I was 18 – I’m 22 now.
"My hair is growing at a rapid rate. When you have dark hair it’s such an upkeep. You always have to be tanned, as it just drains my face.
"You can get away with being pale with blonde hair. I’m not bleaching it myself, no way.
"I keep seeing things online about people colouring their own hair and I think, “I can do that – it looks easy.”
"But they’ll put up another video two days later – they’ve bleached it again to get the right colour in, as it’s all falling out.
"When you leave Love Island, start blogging and become an influencer – which I still don’t really know the first thing about – it is pressure. So when I take pictures of myself I think, “I’ve got no hair.”
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"There are so many girls on Instagram now where you think they have that hair naturally, but most of the time it’s not.
"But for me I don’t really care what people think and I want to show young girls that you don’t have to have big, long hair and fake lips.
"So I’m just going to have to embrace this new look for God knows how long."
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