As a working mum I’ve had to pare down my beauty treatments to only those I know to be useful. Waxing, eyebrow threading, the occasional facial and that’s about it. But the one thing I have to do regularly, at least four times a year otherwise I look like Courtney Love, is have my highlights done, and usually a full head.
When I was invited to the Errol Douglas salon in Knightsbridge to have my lights done what I wasn’t expecting was a complete revelation. But colourist Jade Blackley (who also colours Emilia Fox’s hair) explained that if you always have a full head of highlights, what you end up with is a band of regrowth round your head, making your roots more noticeable. Who knew?
The salon itself reminded me of the Sanderson Hotel – lots of white softened by sheer grey curtains, creating a very glamorous ambience which was perfect for relaxing. Errol himself was attending to two models for a show, one of whom had the longest hair I’ve ever seen on a person in my life ever. Somehow he managed to gather it all into Heidi-style plaits, and it was a pleasure to watch him work.
Back to my own much shorter tresses, and after my colour had been rinsed out Moroccanoil was applied, which smells divine and made my hair feel incredibly soft.
Stylist Karis O’Brien gave me some top tips for glamming up at the school gate, including washing and drying your hair at night and then putting it in a bun before you go to sleep so that in the morning when you release it it looks as though you’ve just stepped out of a salon, rather than you’re intentionally sporting that Just Pulled Through A Hedge Backwards look *cough*.
I emerged from the salon feeling thoroughly pampered, but not as though I’d wasted half a day – in fact I was in and out within two and a half hours, which I think must be something of a record. A huge thank you to Errol, Jade and Karis for my hair transformation.
Here are some more top hair tips for busy mums:
Karis O’Brien, Creative Stylist:
· Eau plus One: Water, the poster element for moisture, can actually dry the hair when not combined with a styling product. It’s the mix of both that produces the formula for daily definition and bounce in curls. Using a water spray alone may cause dryness on heat styled hair and limits the curl quality on hair left to dry naturally. A few pumps of Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream run through dry hair is a great style reviver.
· The curly combdry: Often my clients are what I call “brush phobic” if they have curly hair, but a comb attachment on the dryer when blow drying curly hair is my favourite frizz fighting method.
· Mess it up: For a quick office to evening event look I recommend a loose fishtail plait. Very red carpet, but effortless.
Jade Blackley, Colour Master:
· Frame yourself: I use a technique I call “face framing” – subtle colours I literally paint on selected parts of the hair around the face to warm and attune with shape, tone and complexion. It’s what’s behind that indiscernible “you look really well” comment – subtle colour big impact.
· Gloss, gloss & gloss some more: Great colour is boosted by the condition, and I’m a big advocate of the colour gloss, applied clear to completely “lift” a colour for up to 6 washes. It’s a great “in between visits” solution.