Make 2024 the year your hair gets fitter

SO how are we getting on? You’ve joined the gym? Check! Battled through Dry January? Check? Finally muscled up the willpower to throw the leftover chocolate sweets, biscuits and cheese in the bin? Check. And you are spending your evenings avoiding the snowstorms and hurricanes dreaming of warmer days, brighter nights and some well earned holidays? Check.

And as we hurtle towards February (yes really) we can all feel a little better now that we’ve sailed past Blue Monday relatively unscathed and are now fully recovered from the post Christmas blues. But wait — what’s that on your head?

Yes, that sorry, stretched, tired, limp, dishwater-coloured mess that looks like it’s been held together by sheer luck and fear .

Go on, admit it — you literally haven’t looked at your hair properly since New Year’s Eve, the remnants of that last blow dry or updo may actually be still entwined in whatever else is literally holding your hair together.

In fact everything good about your hair, the cut, colour, shine, bounce, vibrancy and va va voom has literally been left in 2023, for god’s sakes.

And its almost a month into 2024, so here is what you need to do about getting your hair super fit for the years ahead (or what’s left of it.)

REVIVE

THE first thing you need to do is GO AND SEE YOUR STYLIST. Everyone will have had their colour and cut freshened up before Christmas, and now a month later it may look a little sorry for itself but in actual fact your hair may just need some TLC.

The winter months can play havoc with your hair and maybe it’s been literally hibernating under woolly hats and hoods for the best part of the last couple of months. We all feel less inspired to make an effort in winter, especially after Christmas.

But the little things can have big results, starting off with a reviving treatment. Depending on your hair type, booking into your favourite salon for a blow dry and treatment to give your hair much needed boost is a great way to start your new hair regime.

By doing this you can volumise fine, lank hair, smooth wayward coarse textures, define curls or even freshen up your colour. These treatments and energisers are relatively inexpensive and can literally jolt your hair back into action after the fatigue of all that activity over Christmas.

REBUILD

OF course maybe your hair needs a little more than a boost and it’s not uncommon that all the other activities you’ve suddenly started introducing into your life — diet, exercise and discipline is doing your body and mind good but having an adverse effect on your hair. The constant sweat, tight hair grips and stretching as well changes in routine can cause hair to dehydrate and even become brittle. A good home haircare regime that incorporates the right shampoo, conditioner and styling aids can help strengthen and nourish hair. It’s also a good idea to consider a good programme of supplements — the hair buzzword is biotin, or vitamin b7. It’s pretty much a daily wellbeing supplement for many aspects — energy, metabolism and cellular activity but its effect on hair is particularly impressive. It can come in tablet capsules and even drinks — the biotin gummies are a big favourite with families. Many hair product companies now have biotin-enriched products and treatments as well so ask your stylist about availability.

But diet also plays a major part in hair healthcare. If you’ve noticed a decline in your hairs condition have a close look at what you’ve changed in your regular diet. You would be surprised how much that effects your hair skin and nails, but the simple rules are lots of vegetables, especially green leafy varieties, oily fish, some nuts and lots of water.

RE-ENERGISE

IN most cases , women traditionally leave their hair a little longer leading up to Christmas — it’s glamorous, practical and versatile, allowing for lots of options.

But as we get into the new year it’s time to change things up. The new year, new you vibe is wasted in early January and I always believe spring is really when you want to make that big statement.

But now is a great time to think about change and your hair will really benefit from the process. A good freshen up cut wise is a good place to start — discussing with your stylist some new ideas and directions is not only exciting but important.

As we get into warmer months it’s likely you’ll want to go a little lighter or blonder and it’s important your hair is in tip top shape so that your hair looks it’s absolute best when you do that.

Start your spring/summer programme with a refresh cut, that strengthens the ends and energises the layers and length to prepare for what’s coming later in the year

REJUVENATE

NOW is also the time to start thinking about refreshing your colour. You may not want to do anything too radical so early in the year but you can have a little fun with your colour inexpensively without too much commitment or anxiety.

If your hair is getting a little flat or dull maybe try a conditioning colour to give a boost of shine and warmth or tone and a simple toner can brighten, cool or warm a flat blonde.

Or if you’re feeling a little braver semi permanent toners can bring listless blondes back to life without commitment — they can even stretch your “true” colour process for a little longer until you are really ready to commit to your new spring/summer look.

Of course, there are many shortterm permanent options that can disguise winter hair colour temporarily — placement can be partial, specifically aimed at the most visible areas.

REACT

WHATEVER your hair health and fitness in the current climate and time, your hair is always subject to your mental and physical well being — any changes in either can impact powerfully in your hair’s quality, quantity and behaviour.

Your relationship with your hairdresser is vital in the sense that they should have you and your hair’s best interest as a priority; their advice on products supplements , tools and habits should be given your full attention.

No one likes a hard sell but your hairdresser sees changes and variance in your hair pretty much every visit. They will use a variety of of products, tools and techniques to give you the perfect result, quite often without explaining why or what they using.

It’s important that you are kept informed of your hair’s health and any changes that occur. If you have noticed radical or even slight change then your stylist most certainly will have too. It’s important that you act on these changes sooner rather later.

Your stylist may not want to upset or alarm you but quite often will be relieved that you’ve brought it up so they can guide you and recommend your next step or remedies.

And when they advise you of any areas of concern, they will be doing it in your interests as part of their commitment to you and your hair’s long-term well-being.