Solving your hair dilemmas

OUR sister publication, No.1 Magazine, has teamed up with some of Scotland’s top stylists to answer your hair dilemmas and tell you how you can have the hair you always wanted…

My hair is very limp and lifeless. How do I get more volume?

To get more volume you need to get rid of any product build-up on the hair by using a good cleansing shampoo. Colour can also give the hair volume.

Despite using conditioner to add shine, my hair still looks dull. How can I make it look shinier?

Achieving shiny hair goes back to blowdrying. All hair is shiny – it’s the processes and attributes that make it glossy. A person’s diet needs vitamins to add gloss and shine – whatever goes in our mouths feeds the follicle. Heat doesn’t make hair shiny – it only ruffles the cuticle, so try not to use too much.

My hair seems to be quite brittle and always has split ends. Do you have any tips?

Use the correct professional products prescribed for your hair type. Always use a heat protection product before drying (make sure you comb through to ends) and don’t push your hair too far when it comes to colouring. Keep hot styling tools to a minimum.

My colour fades quickly after it’s been dyed – how can I prolong it?

Hair can lose its colour intensity quite quickly, but sometimes it depends on the tone, if the hair is very porous or because it has been over-shampooed. However, there are some products available that can help prolong colour – Keratin-based colour tone sprays.

Do hairdressers wash and dry my hair differently? How can I create the ‘salon look’ on my own?

Make sure the cuticle lies flat – watch the angle of the brush and ensure that it’s pointing down on the hair shaft, never up or against it, or you will have fluffy hair. And it’s important to buy a good brush – spend £25 and you’ll have one for life. When smoothing the hair do not use a rounded brush.

With thanks to hairstylists and salon owners James Hughes Horn of James Hughes Hairdressing in Glasgow; Jason and India Miller of Charlie Miller in Edinburgh; Kay McIntyre of McIntyres Salons in Dundee; and Nelson Brown of Browns in Dumfries.