Why’s her hair so big?
It’s full of secrets.
Well… not for long! I’ve had a good long think about everything I do with my hair to keep it looking Disney Princess-esque and I’m ready to spill the beans.
I think I’ve narrowed it down to 10 commandments to keep things simple.
No. 1 – Shampoo Less
I used to think you had to shampoo your hair at least once a day to keep it looking and feeling great. But actually this can strip the moisture and natural oils out of your hair, leaving it frizzy, brittle and tangle prone.
Everyone’s hair is different so everyone needs to work out what the right number of washes is for them. Start by cutting down to one wash every other day, then maybe see if you can get away with twice a week.
When you do shampoo, try and choose one that says “sulphate free” on the bottle. It won’t foam up as much as other shampoos, but it’ll do the job just as well and leave your hair healthier – particularly if it’s curly.
Don’t go mad scrubbing away, work it around your scalp massaging as you go, work into the roots and the mid-lengths of your hair, the rest will look after itself when you rinse.
No. 2 – Condition More
Conditioner is unbelievably important, don’t skip it!
After cleansing squeeze the excess water from your hair, then condition. If you do it when your hair’s sopping wet you’ll just wash away all the good stuff.
The application is totally the opposite from your shampoo technique, start at the ends. Smooth it through the length of your hair and only apply lightly to the roots. This’ll stop the roots from getting weighed down and greasy.
Don’t rush to wash it out, when your hair’s full of conditioner run your fingers through it – mermaid style – and gently tease out any tangles.
Finally rinse with warm water, then blast with the coldest you can handle! Supposedly this’ll seal the follicles – but in practice just means lovely shiny hair. It’ll wake you up too!
No. 3 – Dry Gently
Resist the urge to turn your head over and ruffle your towel through your hair.
This’ll create frizz and knots.
You should also avoid a tight towel turban.
Ideally give your hair a good squeeze with a nice clean fluffy towel (ideally microfibre), gently scrunch it dry, then air dry or blow dry as usual. If you can’t resist a turban, get something like this.
No. 4 – Brush Like Rapunzel
Separate your hair into sections, hold it half way down and brush from your hand downwards.
Once you’ve gotten those knots out, move onto the top and brush through to the ends.
Do this section by section until silky smooth.
You’ll minimise breakages, have fewer split ends and not quite so many tears!
How I wish I’d known this as a kid.
No. 5 – Invest in a good cut
I just Googled “A nice way to say ‘you can’t polish a turd'” and apparently there isn’t one, so let’s stick with that!
No matter what expensive products you buy, how many hours you spend styling in the morning or what colour you dye it, there is just no substitute for a great cut.
You might think you’d saving money by going to the cheapest stylist at the cheapest salon, but if you’re wasting time and more money trying to make it work… it’s a false economy.
I’m not saying you need a celebrity stylist or the very best of the best, but shop around, read reviews, and if money’s tight go into some of the nicer salons and ask if they need any hair models. – Don’t worry, you won’t be strutting the catwalk, you’ll be more of a guinea pig, but in a great salon that’s perfect!
I go to Michael Van Clarke. If you have the budget to splurge, go for Michael, if not some of the more junior staff start at about £50 for a cut and blow-dry, and everyone he trains seems to have the Midas touch.
No. 6 – Wear a mask
Well, that’s one way to solve a bad hair day!
But seriously, treat your hair to a mask once in a while. There are loads out there to choose from.
Personally I’m partial to a good dollop of coconut oil, brushed through and left over night, once every couple of weeks.
No. 7 – Use Protection
If you’re going to style your hair with any sort of heat, slather some heat protection spray through the ends first.
Try and use something with UV protection on holiday, too.
No. 8 – Eat
For healthy skin, hair, nails and everything else, you need fat. *Gasp*
Feast on avocados, nuts, fish, olive oil, coconut oil, you name it! Ignore the calorie counters, your body was designed for fats, it can handle them, I promise that after a month of treating yourself to daily avocados you will feel and look better.
No. 9 – Sleep with a pineapple
That sounds more painful than it is.
What I mean is a pineapple bun. Turn your head upside down, gather a ponytail on the crown of your head, twist your hair in one direction until it starts to coil on itself.
Twist it around itself and tie (not too tight) with a big, soft hair tie or scrunchie.
I’m partial to this sort because they don’t leave a kink.
Doing this will stop it tangling in the night and getting in your face.
As long as it’s right on top of your head (like pineapple leaves) it shouldn’t get in the way and it’ll hold a nice curl when you let it down the next day.
No. 10 – Don’t take it too seriously
It’s only hair!
The weather will probably ruin it anyway.
Phew, that’s it folks.
All the haircare secrets I can think of for now! If you have any more do please share them below, I couldn’t possibly resist a chance to brush up…
