It might come as a surprise but I’m not keen on doing my hair. Like many of you, the thought of standing around in the bathroom trying to get volume in dripping wet hair whilst slowly losing feeling in your arms fills me with dread. As someone who does hair for living there is an expectation that I will always have amazing, perfectly coiffed hair. This mostly gives me the feeling that I have a particularly boring bit of homework to do everyday and I don’t know about you but I was never very motivated to do my homework! Over years of working with some truly phenomenal hairdressers, I have developed an impressive arsenal of techniques to make my hair look effortlessly fabulous in under 10 minutes and I thought it was only fair to share some of these pearls of wisdom with you!
I have been “blessed” with fluffy, flyaway, hair that is neither curly or straight with a tendency to escape from its confines when I wear it up. It only took me about 26 years, a really bad perm and approximately 15 unsuccessful attempts at a cute French inspired bob to realise working with my natural texture rather than fighting it significantly reduced the amount of time I spent staring forlornly at the mirror, trying to wrangle my hair into something stylish. Understanding what works best for your hair type and a great haircut celebrating what you have is the first step to achieving easy wear hair. Straight hair and a sleek lob are best friends, curls go hand in hand with a tendrilly shaped bob and fluffy locks like my very own are a perfect match for a textured pixie cut. Learning the quirks of your magnificent mane will also help you get the best out of your hair. Got a cowslick at the front? Ditch the idea of a full fringe that requires blow drying flat everyday and try short, face framing layers instead. Crown always sticks up? Leave some length there to help give some weight. Curls sitting flat? Jump them up with beautifully shaped layers. The most important thing is to be honest with yourself and your hairdresser so we can come up with a brilliant cut that works for your lifestyle and hair type.
I will let you in on a trade secret; I don’t blow dry my hair. I let it dry naturally, spend 5-10 minutes curling it before I go to bed and wear it tucked in a hairnet to preserve it. A quick spray in the morning and I’m ready to walk out the door. I’m lucky, I can get two or three days out of my curls, and I have a handful of upstyles that only take a few minutes for those days when the curls aren’t quite as fabulous. I’ve got my routine down to a fine art, significantly reducing my styling time and giving me gorgeous hair every day. Establishing a grooming routine is essential to minimising the time it takes to get those tresses whipped into shape. If you are not a morning person and are always sacrificing your hair for an extra 10 minutes under the doona, consider doing your blow drying or styling in the evening. Silk scarves, hairnets and turbans are fabulous for preserving styles and silk pillowcases reduce static and stress on hair and were a staple for ladies in times past to keep their hairdo perfect for days on end. We may no longer get a set every week at the salon but adopting a few vintage techniques will keep even your modern hair do intact for longer. What about exercise enthusiasts and everyday washers? Blast drying quickly and using irons to smooth, Velcro rollers to add volume, or curling tongs for movement reduces the need to use a brush and for curls, the twist and leave method reduces frizz and gives definition. Before you know it you will be waltzing out your door in 10 minutes with impeccable style.
There is one thing that is absolutely necessary to achieve maximum impact with minimal effort and that is product. You might think this is a not so subtle sales pitch but even just a good shampoo will make a difference to how easily you hair responds. The right collection of products is essential to getting the most out of your hair. That low maintenance style celebrating your natural texture, fantastic advice and blow dry help from your stylist and brand new silk pillowcase you bought in the sales are great but building the foundations of your style starts with healthy hair. A bit of help to keep things in place never goes astray! I’ve already done a little piece extolling the virtues of using salon products, which you are welcome to take a look at your leisure on this very page.
It would be great if we all could wave a wand and magically wake up with perfect hair. That might not be quite possible, but with the help of your friendly hairdresser, a couple of handy products and just a tiny bit of effort you can pretty close. Now excuse me I’m off to curl my hair….
Sarah
