HAIR HACKS
Taylah Jones, creative director @quecolour, shares her hot hair tricks to help keep your strands and tools in peak condition for the party season ahead...
1 CLEAN YOUR HOT TOOLS
We all know we should clean our makeup brushes, but do you pay the same attention to your heat stylers? “The same creams, serums, sprays and oils that you use on your hair every day end up coating your hot tools, which affects their efficiency and can add to the damage they’re doing to your hair,” claims Jones. So how should you tackle the grime? “Turn on your iron or curling wand. Once it’s heated, turn off at the power point and unplug it, then use a soft towel or cotton pad with rubbing alcohol to gently wipe over the hot plate/wand to remove product build up, grease and grime – voila!”
2 EXTEND A BLOWDRY WHILE YOU SLEEP
FOR FINE HAIRED GIRLS: Tying your hair in a high pony with a non-crease hair-tie while you sleep will give you a natural root lift the next morning. Simply shake and wear for that French girl je ne sais quoi.
FOR THICK HAIR? Twist your hair into a low bun and secure with a loose-fitting scrunchie to flatten your fly-aways while you sleep and naturally develop an elegant bed-head style for the next day.
3 SWAP TO SILK
The switch to silk has taken over the beauty world in recent years for a good reason. “Traditional hair-ties can tug on delicate hair which leads to damage and breakage. Not only does using a silk scrunchie cut down on friction and tension, but the ultra soft feel is super gentle on dry and damaged hair and won’t leave the dreaded hair-tie line. Using a silk pillow adds to the power as silk fibres work to ‘polish’ your strands as you sleep,” adds Jones.
4 FIGHT SUMMER FRIZZ
“Our hair gets frizzy when our hair strands are dry and in search of moisture – so it quite literally stands up on end to say HELP!” Try a shampoo and conditioner with hydrating properties, like aloe vera, “a magic ingredient – its high mineral and vitamin content acts like a balm for puffy hair, instantly penetrating the hair fibres for a calmer, less static finish”, says Jones. Avoid
any serums, creams and sprays that have alcohol or silicones, or strong fragrances too.
5 AVOID CHLORINE HAIR
Are you aware you should be protecting hair with a sunscreen? “Christophe Robin’s moisturising lavender oil is 97 per cent natural and protects against chemical damage every time you swim. This miracle product works to nourish your hair and will protect it against chlorine and UV damage until shampooed out of the hair,” says Jones, adding, if your hair is already green, using a clarifying shampoo will gently brighten and remove chemical build up. Follow with a nourishing, colour-correcting mask.
6 INCORPORATE MAGNESIUM
Hair follicles can get blocked with calcium deposits, dandruff and dead skin. “This causes inflammation and can result in hair loss. Magnesium is the unsung hair hero which helps to unblock our follicles, nourishing the scalp, promoting hair growth and glossy hair.”
7 STYLE MEMORY
Running late for work and your hair is only half dry? Never fear, says Jones, “Stress less and use style memory to create your waves: for the cool-girl textural look, pinch the hair on either side of your hairline towards the centre of your forehead, then with a styling cream or balm work the lengths of the hairline tucked behind your ears.” Twist the back of your hair into a low bun with a non-crease scrunchie. When you reach the office, release the bun, flip the hair from behind your ears, and you’ll be left with a cool-girl style (and your co-workers will be none the wiser about your time crunch!), adds Jones.
8 MULTI-MASKING
Hair, just like skin, can have temperamental patches, like an oily scalp but dry lengths. Jones recommends treating your hair just as you would your skin and multi-mask your way to perfection. “Use a lightweight treatment for your scalp and a heavier weight nourishing mask for your lengths to balance and nurture your hair in all the right ways. I’m addicted to Christophe’s detangling gelee with sea minerals, which I can intermix with my buriti-oil enriched colour correcting mask to look after my ends.”