Beauty bible

It’s all about the right towel, hair mask and good nutrition

Lisa Armstrong’s hair necessities

ONCE YOU REACH a certain age (four: fact), hair becomes a full-time occupation. Twirling, flicking, admiring – and copiously moaning about it.

It’s particularly needy at this time of year. That holiday, beachy vibe has worn thin to the point of threadbare. Your roots need doing. Your colour – so blonde, so Elle Fanning at sun-down in Deià, three cocktails in – looks more Andrew Neil in the northern light. Never surrender. In the best spirit of the times, turn those negatives into affirmative action, as follows:.

1 Book the salon now. Right this minute. Then finish this article. A trim doesn’t have to mean shorter. Well, obviously, if we’re being scientific, it does. But volume is far sexier. Chopping a few artful millimetres can purge split ends and create a whole new line, particularly if layers are involved. Seek out a hairdresser who can deliver to your high expectations. It saves time and money in the end.

2 Not all hair masks are created equal. If it doesn’t produce immediate visible results, it’s a waste of time. These are not: Sister & Co Skin Food Raw Coconut Drink – a lovely smelling, efficaceous treat (£27, sisterandcoskinfood.co.uk) – and Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer, a must-have in your hair-force (from £32, feelunique.com). An in-salon treatment might seem extravagant, but could kick-start a season of exemplary hair conduct. Aldo Coppola salons offer bespoke vegan organic masks, packed with ingredients such as white clay, omegas 3 and 6, amla, coconut and sesame oil to redress the ph balance of your scalp. They’re truly brilliant – my coloured, seablasted hair is pretty much transformed (from£91, aldocoppola.co.uk).

3 Invest in a towel that wicks with minimum (ie no) rubbing or tugging. Aquis towels are even gentler than silk and with gentle patting, absorb major moisture, significantly cutting down hairdryer time (£30, aquishair. co.uk). Also necessary: a nice detangling brush – I like the Original Detangler Wet Brush (£11.99, victoriahealth.com), with its handle. If you’re serious about healthy hair, put money into a good hairdryer. The T3 Cura Luxury dryer (£235, net-a-porter.com) uses digitally controlled heat and a wide, gentle airstream to dry hair faster. But for the extra £65, the Dyson Supersonic trumps it, in technology and design. If you have tongs or heated rollers, try using a small round brush and your hairdryer to create curls instead – it cuts out that second blast of heat.

4 Feed your hair. ‘Nutrition has a huge impact on the health of the hair,’ says the trichologist Anabel Kingsley. ‘A poor diet can cause excessive hair fall, and hair not growing to the desired length. Hair is composed primarily of protein, so including it in your daily diet can be very beneficial. We recommend eating approximately 120g (roughly a palm-sized portion) of protein with breakfast and lunch. Iron is essential to hair growth, as it aids the production of hair cell protein. Complex carbohydrates are also vital: they provide a steady release of energy to hair follicles. Add a slice of freshly baked wholemeal bread, pasta or rice to your daily meals, to keep your hair growing at its optimum rate.’ If your hair still needs a boost, taking Ionicell (£20 for 60 capsules, victoriahealth. com) gets great results – it’s all about the fulvic acid. Philip Kingsley has an array too, including vegetarian ones (from £30, philipkingsley.co.uk).