10 WAYS to lift your winter beauty routine
Ashleigh Cometti shares more of her top tips to ensure you feel more fab and less drab this season.
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Smooth strands with an at home Keratin treatment: When cared for properly, Keratin-treated hair can last for up to six months but, if you can’t commit to poker-straight hair for that long, consider a mini-keratin treatment that lasts up to four shampoos. The Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray, $61, promises silky, glossy hair on a variety of hair types, and uses a heat-activated polymer to seal strands and win the fight against frizz.
2
Wash your hair properly:
A good hair day starts with a good hair wash. Use lukewarm water over hot, which can damage strands and cause them to become brittle. Ensure hair is fully saturated before you start shampooing, and, if time allows, shampoo hair twice. The first will remove build-up on roots or scalp, and the second is to cleanse hair. Apply conditioner from midlengths to ends, and leave on for at least five minutes before rinsing. Finally, rinse hair with a shot of cold water to help seal the hair cuticle, leaving a smooth surface and making hair look glossy.
3
Try a silk pillow slip: Face sleepers can attest to sleep creases that can crop up overnight, so if you fall into that camp, swap out your cotton pillow slip for a silk one. Silk is
naturally smoother than other fabrics, meaning it creates less friction on skin or hair and is less drying on your complexion. The Penney + Bennett Beauty Pillow, $109, is crafted from 100 per cent responsibly sourced mulberry silk, and promises to keep moisture close to skin and hair to minimise creases.
4
Get regular trims: Nothing says “polished” quite like a fresh trim. It may sound counter-intuitive, but trimming your hair regularly promotes healthy hair growth and restores lustre to tresses. Book in for a trim every 6-8 weeks to maintain length and style, or if you’re growing your hair, getting a trim every 8-10 weeks will help you sidestep split ends and the damage they can cause. 5
Prep your hair before you style: Many leave-in treatments replace the need for multiple products in your bathroom cupboard, by also providing thermal protection, frizz control, strength, hydration and volume in one simple step. Cult favourite hair product Eleven Australia Miracle Hair Treatment, $39, does all this and more, promising 11 hair benefits in one lightweight leave-in treatment.
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Ditch the dry shampoo for cleansing mist: Dry shampoos walked so cleansing mists could run, and expect to see a flurry of these new hair cleansers launching in 2022. Less powdery than their predecessors, cleansing mists work in a similar way by absorbing excess oils at the root, but don’t leave behind residue. Try KMS Conscious Style Cleansing Mist, $38, which refreshes hair in between washes and protects hair against pollutants.
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Chow down on ingestible beauty: If you subscribe to a “beauty from the inside out” way of thinking, then you’ll be familiar with the range of ingestible beauty powders, pills and elixirs which claim to support a healthy complexion and supplement topical skincare routines. Easily mixed into water, a smoothie or yoghurt, The Beauty Chef Glow, $75, is a bio-fermented, probiotic-rich daily beauty powder said to support glowing skin and a healthy gut.
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Make time to tan: A faux glow can make anyone feel like a million bucks, so while applying a layer of ultra-dark tan seems redundant while limbs are hidden under shirts and coats, a little gradual tan can add a healthylooking radiance to skin. Bondi Sands Pure Gradual Tanning Lotion, $30, couples tanning actives with hyaluronic acid and vitamins C and E to care for skin while lending a little colour.
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Sweat it out in the sauna: Unlike conventional hot rock or steam saunas, which heat the air, infrared saunas emit near, mid and far infrared wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the skin and help to heat it from the inside out. Infrared saunas offer a multitude of mood-boosting health benefits, including the elimination of toxins, improving circulation and muscle recovery, supporting the immune system and much more. Hana offers 45-minute sessions in their infrared sauna for $65, with concession cards and monthly memberships available.
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Dry body brush before you shower: Restore luminosity to skin and rid the body of toxic build-up by reaching for a dry body brush before you step into the shower. Dry body brushing is said to help exfoliate skin, unclog pores, increase blood circulation, and promote lymphatic flow and drainage to leave skin soft and glowing. Try it with the Salt By Hendrix Dry Body Brush, $29, starting with your feet and legs and brushing upwards towards your heart in short, firm strokes.