Looking to fall back in love with your locks? “A lot of women feel stuck in a hair rut, with no idea how to bring back that spark of swishy excitement,” says celebrity hairdresser Michael Douglas and founder of mdlondon hair tools. “Midlife can be a tricky time for hair – women want a refresh, yet also still want to feel like themselves. My advice is to start with one simple switch, whether it’s enhancing your colour, updating your cut or tweaking your styling, then go from there. It’s like the habit-stacking principle: build your hair confidence one step at a time, rather than trying to do too much too fast.” Here are five easy ideas to try…
1 The new bell-bottom bob
Reinvent mid-length hair with this season’s bob, which comes with the 1970s jeans revival. Hairdresser and trends forecaster Tom Smith explains: “When hair hits the shoulders, it naturally flicks out. In the past, people have fought this, but now it’s being embraced and exaggerated, which is really fun. It works on all lengths of bob, from the cheekbones down, and you can choose how dramatic you want the ‘bell’ curve to be.” Happily, it takes just seconds to do, using the bevelled edge of a straightening iron.
2 Colour tonally
“Clever use of colour adds fresh dimension into hair,” says Zoë Irwin, creative director at John Frieda salons. “In-salon, I’m putting diagonal slices of colour through the underneath of the hair to give depth. This is a move away from fine highlights; the sections are further apart and a bit bolder.”
In terms of the colour itself, it’s all about working tonally. “I’m calling it ‘pastelising’ and it can be adapted to blondes, brunettes or redheads,” says Zoë. “We do a global base colour, put lighter pieces through, then overlay those with the same base shade. This gives a diluted ‘pastel’ version of the same colour throughout. It all matches perfectly – like wearing an outfit in which you have three tones of camel.” Very chic.
3 Deep side partings
A sideways move suits all hair types and lengths, says Tom. “A deep side parting looks really feminine and can create the illusion of thickness.” Ignore where your parting naturally falls and instead part your hair on the preferred side of your face, with the bulk of your hair falling on the other side. Tom advises creating the parting immediately after washing, “so your hair is set in place before it starts to dry”. Once it’s dry, use a styling powder to hold the parting in place.
4 Skincare for hair
As with your skin, a simple condition-boost can work wonders. “Vitamin C hair treatments remove product build-up and heavy metal deposits caused by hard water,” says award-winning hairdresser Edward James, whose salons use Malibu C treatments, from £27. “These treatments detox and brighten as a vitamin C serum would for your face, and they improve the efficacy of any products you apply afterwards.”
Also increasingly popular is hair steaming. Long practised in Afro hair salons, it “removes impurities and opens the hair’s cuticles, maximising the absorption of hair treatments”, says Judy Koloko, founder of The Steam Bar at London’s Selfridges. Or at home, try Fenty Hair The Comeback Kid Instant Damage Repair Treatment, £34. Leave in or rinse out, this all-hair-types wonder is formulated with a nourishing amino acid and protein complex for visible results in one use.
5 Smooth styling
Do you start blow-drying well with a nozzle and brush, only to get in a tangle and give up when you have to switch sides? Try these foolproof options for salon-worthy results with just one tool in your hand. Goodbye, arm ache; hello, good hair days.
The barrel is the perfect size to conjure up undone and polished waves alike. With an impressively wide temperature range of 80-220°C, the Wand adapts to both very fine and thick, textured hair. There are no fiddly clamps to contend with, either.
ghd Duet Blowdry 2-in-1 Hair Dryer Brush
A sister to ghd’s brilliant ‘wet to sleek’ Duet Style, this hot brush dryer promises a big, bouncy blow-dry effect with zero heat damage. It’s excellent for keeping strands taut and controlling the airflow, so your efforts aren’t undone by hair blowing around everywhere.
This dryer, straightener and hot brush in one features a curved oval brush attachment that’s small and streamlined enough to lift hair at the roots for lasting ‘zhoosh’– no arm acrobatics required.
