Hair Hacks: Hairdryer-Free Help For Heavenly Heads

From reverse hair washing to your keratin infusions, if your hair's a sad, dry, thin mess there ARE things you can do about it.

And now high powered hair dryers could be set for extinction, it's time to start doing right by our locks.

After Hoover-gate, the EU is considering banning high powered hair dyers amid other smaller appliances deemed to use too much energy. It might seem irritating (and no doubt sale of the most powerful hairdryers will go through the roof) but it could be the best thing that's ever happened to our heads.

We spoke to Tim Scott-Wright of The Hair Surgery, and three times Midlands Hairdresser of the Year to get ALL the tips to have perfect hair forever.

MEND THE DAMAGE

We had a personal motive in this investigation. After one too many at-home hair bleaches (which, by the way, is ONE), our hair is splintered and straw-like and snaps if you look at it for too long.

So once you've ruined your hair, how can you get it back? We all know that once it grows out of the follicle in your head it's technically dead, so frankly it's all about looking after the new hair that comes through, and stopping what's already there getting too much worse.

"Add a regular mask to your haircare routine," advises Tim. "For most people, once a week is plenty. Look for masks that promise rebuilding or keratin infusion."

Keratin is a group of fibrous proteins that make up of our skin, hair and nails. Lots of things deplete it in the hair, from sun and sea to heat-styling. Replenishing it with products that contain keratin helps fill in parts of the hair shaft that can be damaged. It's not a permanent solution but can help the appearance and strength of the hair.

Bringing it back from the brink

"If heat damage is the culprit, the first thing to do is break the cycle," says Tim. "Cut out straightening irons as soon as possible.

"Use a great home care regime too. BC Bonacure Fibre Force range by Schwarzkopf Professional (from £11.75) will help rebuild the natural keratin in the hair and make it feel much healthier and stronger. Limit as much heat as possible when styling."

But if your hair has more temporary damage - say from the sun and sea, simple moisture masks can get it back to normal quite easily.

"Try Clynol’s Moisture range (from £9.60). Your hair will feel back to normal in a jiffy!"

But if colour's the problem: "Try spacing out time between highlight appointments, and make sure your colourist isn't overlapping colour unnecessarily.

"A deeply regenerating shampoo and conditioner is a must here too."

DRY IT RIGHT

The most important thing to do to protect your hair from future damage is to look after it with your day-to-day styling.

Be honest, do you usually rub your hair vigorously with a towel to dry it? Most people do, but it could be causing damage to the new hairs before they've even had the chance to grow a few inches.

"Where possible, avoid all heat and let the hair dry naturally. When drying it with a towel, always gently blot the hair dry - never rub it.

"Your hair is at its weakest state when wet so get most of the moisture out before you start brushing and styling. You can do this by air drying or by blasting it with the cool or low heat setting on your hair dryer until it's about 80 per cent dry.

"High heat and direct heat from the dryer should be avoided! And STOP using those irons every day!!! [sic]"

If you want to speed up the drying process, turn your head upside down and shake out the moisture. And ideally use a microfibre towel to protect it as much as possible.

WASHING RULES

"Two shampoos are better than one. The first shampoo removes all dirt and impurities, the second does what the shampoo says on the bottle," says Tim, but he's not convinced by 'reverse hair washing' (RHW).

RHW is a bit of a fad at the moment. Our blogger tired it with positive results but Tim says:

"I personally feel a lot of time and research has gone into home care regimes so take advantage and go for shampoo and then conditioner. The conditioner closes the cuticle to make hair strand look shinier, but it also means that shampoo can’t penetrate as easily used the other way round."

"Clarifying shampoo is great if you’re a product junkie! It removes all traces of product and any build-up of silicones or oils.

"It's great every now and then – sort of like a detox for the hair! But make sure you use a great moisturising conditioner afterwards. Just like if you were to exfoliate your skin, you'd go a bit heavier with the moisturiser after."

LET IT GROW

And the billion-dollar question - if we're waiting for our damaged hair to grow out, how can we speed up the process?

"A great protein-based diet is good for hair growth," says Tim. "And keep up those regular trims to keep it looking good.

"But never underestimate the power of a good home hair care regime of products suited to your hair type – salon professional products really do make your feel nice and keep the condition nice.

"You want to avoid breakage, and split ends, so invest in a hair oil or serum you can put on the ends. The tips are the most prone to damage so look out for them in particular. I’d go for Caress Sealed Ends by Clynol, £10.95, which is great for intense moisturising."

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