Hair Care & Products

Maintaining Healthy Hair

Washing & Conditioning

Keep your hair healthy by regular visits to the hairdresser for trims. Infrequent visits can result in dry split ends. Avoid over bleaching and colouring, frequent use of heated hair rollers, electric or gas styling brushes, tongs, straighteners and highest settings on hair dryers - all of which dry out and 'stress' the hair which in turn contribute to dull looking hair and split ends.

Wash your hair several times a week, or daily if your are prone to greasy hair, using a good quality shampoo. There are many shampoo products available for dry, normal and greasy hair and also numerous products if you have fine hair or are are prone to dandruff. If you wask your hair daily, consider using a mild shampoo.

After shampooing, be sure to use a good quality conditioner. Available for coloured, dry, normal and greasy hair. Be sure not to apply too much as this can add 'weight' to the hair and give you problems if you are trying to achieve a look with volume or a 'spiky' look. Leave conditioner on the hair for at least 5 minutes before rinsing.

Styling
Many products are available for styling your hair including mousse, gels and wax. If you have fine, limp hair, these products are ideal for adding volume and texture.

Dry/Damaged hair

For hair that is very dry and damaged due to over-bleaching, colouring and exposure to sunlight, hair masks and intensive conditioning products are also available as creams, serums and spray on liquids. Leave products on the hair for at least 30 minutes or overnight for best results. Most intensive conditioning products are colourless but cover your pillow with a towel to avoid grease stains.

Hair Colouring
As a normal rule, it is best to choose a colour only three shades lighter or darker than your natural hair colour. This provides you with a colour that best suits your skin tone. If you are set on going ultra blond or dark and these colours are far removed from your natural hair colour, it is best to visit your hairdresser. Before you take such drastic steps consider the colour of your eyes and eybrows. Ash blonde may appear attractive but if you have very dark eyebrows and dark brown eyes, the total effect will be completely unnatural. If you are changing from black or dark brown hair to blonde, regrowth is also going to be much more noticeable - requiring more frequent trips to the hairdressers. There are many products available for home hair colouring in permanent, semi-permanent and temporary colours. Permanent colours, as well as being harsher on the hair, require regular regrowth colouring. As semi-permanent colours gradually fade - lasting for up to six weeks, regrowth is not a problem. If you are using a new product - always carry out a patch test on your skin first. Hair colourants, and in particular, permanent colourants, can produce allergic reactions which can range from mild to very serious, though rare, life threatening reactions.

Highlights and lowlights have become very popular over the last decade and can provide a more subtle effect than one 'all-over' colour. Highlights lighten and brighten and lowlights darken and deepen the overall hair colour. Of the two, highlights tend to be the most popular as people appear to prefer the 'sun-kissed' look. Two or three shades of hair colour are normally used with the colours applied to different 'sections’ of the hair which are then wrapped in foil to separate the sections. After the appropriate processing time, the foils are removed and the colourants rinsed from the hair. The process normally takes about an hour and a half. Expect to pay anywhere between £50-£150 for highlights and lowlights depending on type and location of salons. More exclusive salons run by well-known 'celebrity' hairdressers are going to be the most costly. Highlighting can be done at home using gels, sprays and kits at a fraction of the price but you may not achieve the look you want. For a completely natural look at a very low price, squeeze lemon juice onto thin sections of your hair before sitting in the sun. Works best on light brown to dark blonde hair.

Hair Straightening
If your hair is very curly and frizzy, it is now possible to have it permanently straightened by IHR (Ionic Hair restructuring) without damage to the hair. Be aware, though, that you will need to have regrowth straightened every 4-8 months. For further information about consultations and sending a hair sample for analysis, visit ColourNation's website or visit them at ColourNation (Covent Garden) 53 Endell Street, London, WC2H 9AJ
Tel: 020 7836 8883.

Prices start from £280 depending on hair length so this process does not come cheap. However, if you are someone who spends hours on straigtening their hair and a lot of money on hair straightening products, this treatment may be the answer for you.

Less expensive methods include Hair Relaxer - a salon based non-permanent straightening process which will last for 6-8 weeks (from £42 at ColourNation) and for home use - ceramic hair straighteners.

Hair Extensions
Hair extensions are a way of adding length and colours to your hair. If cared for correctly they should last for up to 3 months when they can be removed and replaced. The process involves bonding real hair or synthetic extensions on to your existing hair. Salons normally do extensions on a quotation only basis but expect to pay £200+. A cheaper alternative is to buy clip-in hair extensions available from on-line stores.

Ageing Hair
As we approach middle age, or earlier in some cases, our hair begins to turn grey. This is because menalin production slows down or stops in the hair follicle. Grey hair tends to be drier and coarser and more susceptible to damage from overbrushing, drying and colouring. If you are colouring at home, avoid harsh permanent hair colours if possible, using instead semi-permanent. Salon permanent colours tend to be gentler on the hair and you are less likely to get a build up of colour as the hairdresser is able to cover only the regrowth. This is much more difficult to achieve at home. Use hair colours in lighter shades that are flattering to the skin. Regrowth of grey hair is also less noticeable as it blends in more easily with light shades. Our skin tone changes as we age, and too dark shades can be draining and actually make us appear older. If you have gone completely grey, consider not colouring your hair at all. Use a blue tinted shampoo to reduce yellow tones.

Hair Styling
Also available are a range of electrical hair styling products including hair styling sets, curling brushes and tongs with accessories, heated rollers.