Hair Care

Hat hair is flat, dented roots caused by pressure and trapped warmth, and winter static is an electric charge that builds when dry hair rubs against wool or synthetic fabric. Both are fixable, and most of the fix happens before the hat goes on. Dry your hair completely, put a little moisture into the lengths, and pick a hat that is kind to your hair. Every November my chair fills up with the same complaint. Someone has had a lovely blow dry, walked to the car in a beanie, and

No, a ponytail every day will not ruin your hair on its own. A tight one in the same spot, day after day, can. The damage comes from tension and friction, so how you tie it up matters far more than how often you do it. I ask nearly every client how they wear their hair between appointments. For anyone who works shifts, goes to the gym or has small children, the answer is usually the same: up, all day, every day. So it is worth getting right. The short version A loose ponytail

Sulphate-free shampoo is a sensible switch for some people and a waste of money for others, and the label on the front will not tell you which one you are. Sulphates are detergents. They make shampoo foam and lift grease off your scalp, and they do that job well, which is exactly the problem if your hair is coloured or your scalp runs sensitive. The short version • Sulphates are detergents. They clean well and can strip colour over time. • Sulphate-free shampoo foams less tha

Frizz is your hair drinking water out of the air. When the air is damp, dry or porous hair pulls moisture in, swells slightly, and the cuticle lifts, so the surface stops lying flat. That is why a blow dry can look perfect in my chair and give up somewhere between the car park and your front door. The short version Frizz is hair absorbing water from damp air and swelling. Dry or porous hair frizzes fastest. Healthy hair holds its shape longer. Coloured and bleached hair takes

Split ends cannot be repaired. Once the hair shaft has frayed, the only permanent fix is cutting the damage off, and every product promising otherwise is holding the two halves together until your next wash. The useful work is prevention, and that part you have real control over. The short version A split end is a frayed hair shaft. It cannot be repaired, only cut. Bond builders and serums bind the split temporarily. They wash out. Splits climb the shaft, so waiting costs you

Most people need a cut every 6 to 12 weeks, and where you land in that range comes down to your length and the state of your ends. Short and sharp needs 6 to 8 weeks. Mid length can stretch to 8 to 10. Long hair you are deliberately growing can go 12 weeks or more without looking neglected. The short version Short cuts and fringes: every 6 to 8 weeks to hold the shape. Mid length: every 8 to 10 weeks is the usual cadence. Long hair or growing out: 10 to 12 weeks, sometimes lo

No, Olaplex is not a conditioner, and it will not undo years of damage. It is a bond builder, and it does one specific job: it repairs the disulphide bonds inside your hair that bleach and lightener break apart. Genuinely useful in the right situation, and a waste of money in the wrong one. Here is how to tell which one you are in. The short version • Olaplex is a bond builder, not a conditioner and not a moisturiser. • It repairs disulphide bonds broken by bleach, lightener

The most common conditioner mistake I see at my chair is people working it into their roots. Conditioner belongs on the mid-lengths and ends, not your scalp. Your roots are the newest, healthiest hair you have, and they already get plenty of natural oil. The dry, older hair sits at the bottom, and that is where conditioner earns its place. The short version • Conditioner goes on the mid-lengths and ends, never the roots. • Your scalp makes its own oil. It does not need more.

No, coconut oil is not a miracle treatment for your hair. It does one thing well, it helps stop your hair losing protein when you wash it, and that part is genuinely useful. But it will not repair damage, it will not make your hair grow faster, and putting it on the wrong hair type can leave you greasy and flat for days. The short version Coconut oil reduces protein loss when used before washing. That part is real. It does not repair damage. Nothing you rub on can do that. It

If your hair feels dry, snaps when you brush it, or has gone limp and lifeless, it is almost always one of two things: it needs protein, or it needs moisture. The hard part is they can look the same from the outside, and giving your hair the wrong one makes it worse, not better. I have clients in my chair every week who have been piling on the wrong treatment for months and cannot work out why nothing helps. The short version Hair is mostly keratin, which is protein. Moisture

No, you do not need to wash your hair every day. For most people two or three times a week is plenty. Your scalp makes an oil called sebum, and washing every single day strips it off, so the scalp panics and pumps out more. That is the trap. The more you wash, the greasier you feel, the more you reach for the shampoo. Some hair types genuinely do need washing more often though, and I will be straight with you about which ones. The short version Most people only need to wash t

Heat damage starts the moment your styling tools go above about 185°C on dry hair, and most home straighteners run hotter than that straight out of the box. The good news is your hair can take regular heat styling if you keep the temperature sensible and use a heat protectant every single time. The damage that lands people in my chair almost always comes down to a handful of habits, not from blow drying itself. The short version Heat damage is permanent. You cannot repair it,

No, cutting your hair does not make it grow faster. Hair grows from the follicle in your scalp at roughly half an inch a month, and a pair of scissors at the end of the shaft cannot change that rate. What regular trims actually do is stop split ends travelling up the shaft, which keeps the length you already have. So your hair feels like it is growing more because you are losing less of it to breakage. If I had a pound for every client who told me they were booking a trim bec

You know the feeling. Your hair is dry, rough, tangly, and no amount of conditioner seems to fix it. It snaps when you brush it. It looks dull no matter what you do. There is always a reason. Here are the most common ones I see. Heat Damage Straighteners every day. Curling tongs on full heat. Blow drying without any protection. Heat opens up the hair cuticle and eventually it stops closing again. That is when hair starts feeling rough and looking frizzy. Fix: use heat protect

If your hair feels dull and heavy no matter what you do, there is a good chance it is not your shampoo. It is your water. Luton sits in one of the hardest water areas in the UK. That means high levels of calcium and magnesium in the water supply. And it is doing things to your hair that most people do not even realise. What Hard Water Actually Does Minerals from hard water build up on your hair over time. You cannot see it, but you can feel it. Hair gets a coating that makes