Some people exude wealth – but the unifying factor is not good clothes or an obvious sense of entitlement. The giveaway is actually their glossy, shiny and healthy looking hair.
Think Kate Middleton, Elle MacPherson and Elizabeth Hurley. Think uber successful businessmen. There aren’t many bald billionaire CEOs, are there?
But which comes first? The fabulous hair or the wealth and success? Are they born with such glorious locks or can anyone achieve rich hair?
‘You wear your hair 24 hours a day. It’s your ultimate asset and great hair gives you an expensive gloss,’ says top colourist Daniel Galvin, whose clients have included Diana, Princess of Wales and Madonna.
Good diet, attention to care and a few tricks are usually enough to take locks from lank to luxurious. Here’s how to successfully invest in your hair.
Achieve a rich shine
Hair is comprised of up to 85 per cent protein. The shaft is the visible part and this is covered in a protective layer known as the cuticle, which under a microscope looks rather like overlapping fish scales.
‘Light reflects off flat surfaces, and to achieve beautifully shiny locks, the cuticle needs to lie down,’ says Galvin. ‘This is harder on curly hair, where it is more raised.’
He recommends using a Moroccan oil product to give dry or untamed hair a smooth sheen. ‘Rub a couple of drops between your hands and gently apply. It won’t make it look greasy.’
Never go more than three shades lighter than natural hair colour or skin will look washed out. ‘If you have the perfect hair colour, people will notice your eyes first. If it’s wrong, they’ll notice the hair.’
Eat your way to high end follicles
Hair grows from follicles. These tiny indentations in the skin have their own blood supply, which brings the nourishment hair needs to grow.
‘Nutrition plays an incredibly important role in hair health,’ says leading trichologist Philip Kingsley. ‘You need to consume enough protein to build a strong hair shaft. Make sure you eat it at breakfast and lunch, when energy levels are lower.’
‘Within 8 to 12 weeks of dietary changes you can achieve noticeable improvements in hair condition,’ says nutritionist Elisabeth Philipps.
‘Eggs are full of B12 for healthy blood cells. Nuts and seeds are rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E and walnuts contain biotin – a B vitamin which helps strengthen hair and protects it from falling out.’
Colour it moneyed
‘Have your hair coloured every 10 to 13 weeks,’ says Daniel Galvin. ‘You can always improve on the colour nature gave you. I usually recommend tint over bleach. This makes cuticles rise up a little, though it does give hair extra body.’
Never go more than three shades lighter than natural hair colour or skin will look washed out. ‘If you have the perfect hair colour, people will notice your eyes first. If it’s wrong, they’ll notice the hair.’
Eat your way to high end follicles
Hair grows from follicles. These tiny indentations in the skin have their own blood supply, which brings the nourishment hair needs to grow.
‘Nutrition plays an incredibly important role in hair health,’ says leading trichologist Philip Kingsley. ‘You need to consume enough protein to build a strong hair shaft. Make sure you eat it at breakfast and lunch, when energy levels are lower.’
‘Within 8 to 12 weeks of dietary changes you can achieve noticeable improvements in hair condition,’ says nutritionist Elisabeth Philipps.
‘Eggs are full of B12 for healthy blood cells. Nuts and seeds are rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E and walnuts contain biotin – a B vitamin which helps strengthen hair and protects it from falling out.’
Many women of menstrual age have low ferritin – or iron storage. ‘Boost blood supply to follicles with foods containing iron, which oxygenates the blood,’ says Philips. ‘Eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. Iron is also found in such surprising foods as treacle, apricots, raw peaches and beetroot.’
Take a rich supplement
Although all experts agree that eating a healthy diet is preferable to taking supplements, sometimes they offer a necessary boost.
Kingsley has developed a vitamin and mineral supplement called Tricho Complex (£45), which contains the RDA of iron, or Spatone Liquid Iron Supplement (£7.99) is gentle on the stomach.
Viviscal (£49.95, 1 month) contains fatty acids, iron, silica, biotin and zinc and has been shown in double blind placebo clinical trials to reduce hair shedding by almost 20 per cent.
Wash it wealthy
‘Daily washing is the single most effective way to swinging shiny hair. Think how dirty your face is by the end of the day,’ says Philip Kingsley. ‘Not only does clean hair reflect light better, but a clean scalp means that hair can grow at its optimum rate, as follicles don’t become blocked with grime. Treat hair with the same care you would your face.’
‘When shampooing, only work the product into the roots,’ recommends celebrity hairdresser Mark Woolley. ‘Then let the lather run down the hair as you rinse it out. This means you don’t tarnish the colour by over-washing.’
Buy shampoo for your hair type. ‘Women’s hair tends to be longer – so there may be more ingredients to help with detangling and conditioning,’ says Woolley, who also says it’s worth buying premium brands. ‘All shampoo cleans hair, but the quality of ingredients will be higher.’
Smooth down cuticles by conditioning after every wash from mid-length to the ends. ‘Comb out tangles gently with a large tooth comb, and stay away from very hot water as this makes hair swell and become brittle,’ says Galvin. If you can bear it, finish with a cold rinse, to help close the cuticles.
Both recommend using masks regularly. Try Louise Galvin’sSacred Locks Treatment Masque (from £26), which contains Ximenia Oil, a sort of natural silicone to repair damaged hair.
Give it five star treatment
There are plenty of specialist salon treatments, or hair facials, available to give hair an instant but lasting boost.
Nioxin is a salon brand developed to help with thinning hair. They have three treatments available nationwide including the DERMA Scalp Renew Therapy(£15), to remove dead skin cells and sebum and encourage growth.
Or London salon Taylor Taylor have just launched their Split End Savour (£35) which uses protein to bond split ends together and protect hair from further damage.
A robust approach to hair loss
Anagen is the growing stage of hair, and this lasts up to five years, with hair growing around half an inch a month. During the telogen stage, hair falls out and the follicle is dormant for around three months.
‘All my recommendations – diet and hair care – will help to prolong the anagen phase of the follicle,’ says Kingsley.
‘However, once the hair is detached from its papilla (the active growing part) it cannot be attached again and must eventually fall out.
‘If you are concerned about hair loss, seek expert advice. Extra hair fall, whatever the reason, can be decreased once the causes are discovered.’
Weaves and hair transplants are now so sophisticated that they look completely natural, should hair loss be permanent. The Institute of Trichologists has a list of nationwide trichologists or your GP can refer you to a specialist dermatologist.
Create expensive bounce
Professional blow dries always look better than the hours spent tousling hair upside down at home. But it’s surprisingly simple.
‘It’s all in the prep,’ says Mark Woolley. ‘Towel dry hair first then blow dry roots in the opposite direction. Don’t let hair get too hot, because it damages the protein bonds and makes hair flimsy.
‘Then use warmth and cold. Wrap hair around a ceramic brush and dry it on a medium heat, then leave the brush in for a few seconds (with no heat on it). Keep the nozzle of the hairdryer pointing downwards to smooth the cuticle. It takes a little longer, but is well worth the time investment.’
[“source=netdoctor”]