Beauty bible

How to have beautiful hair

IF SHINY, SWISHY HAIR just sprouts from your scalp, you probably don’t think about how this miracle comes to pass, apart from every time you catch a glimpse of your mane in a reflection.

I’d got to the stage when I thought problematic hair was my eternal lot. Not true. Once you decide to get proactive, you can improve the look of your hair quite dramatically, whatever your age.

A top-of-the-range haircut is the star. Post holiday, when hair tends to be at its most clapped out, is an excellent time to take the bull by its tresses: something stylish, shine enhancing that doesn’t require endless drying products and heat to maintain. Joel Goncalves at Daniel Galvin (danielgalvin.com) is one of the best in the world. If it still feels in need of major TLC, Sibi Bolan’s Detox Treatment, designed to remove and pre- vent future build-up of chemicals from products, hard water, chlorine, too much sunlight, should set you up for winter (from £55, joshwoodcolour.com).

Brushing, although not over-brushing, is, as our grannies kept telling us, key to stimulating circulation and scalp health (try the ultra kind Wet Brush). So is feeding your hair. Anabel Kingsley, daughter and heir apparent to the famous, late trichologist Philip Kingsley, recommends eating two eggs every morning. Failing that, tuck into cottage cheese or salmon. Vegans should ensure this is when they take their nuts, quinoa and oats, since morning is peak time for protein absorption. ‘Fast-shedding hair isn’t an inevitable consequence of ageing, so much as crash dieting,’ she says. ‘Check your iron and ferratin levels. Hair isn’t considered essential tissue by the body, so if there are any mineral and vitamin deficiencies, the hair will be the first to lose out.’

Those of us past 30, according to the holistic nutritionist Jennifer Hanway, could probably up our collagen intake. She recommends Bulletproof ’s Protein Collagen, which also helps build muscle. It’s not for vegetarians (it’s derived from cows), but Hanway says fish collagen is less stable, and plant-based versions are synthetic and thus far less effective.

The jury’s divided on whether shampoos should be sulphate-free. I like Stemm’s range (from £25, victoriahealth. com), which is, but have also recently begun using Philip Kingsley’s Pure Silver Shampoo. This isn’t sulphate free, but it makes grey hair stunning, tones down brassy blonde streaks and takes the virulence out of light browns that have turned too coppery.

It also adds gloss, as does Dream Coat, the latest innovation from Color Wow. This blowdry spray not only humidity-proofs hair for up to three days, but coats each strand. Even if you don’t suffer from frizz, this is the cult buy of the moment: sleek, shiny tresses guaranteed.