Who emerges from a limo looking like that? Well, you can, too, if you keep on reading. Heh. Image: Instagram
Calling it right now: Younger-looking hair should be your (very late) new year’s resolution. Here’s why: A perfectly poreless, porcelain face does nothing if it’s offset by a frizzy fringe – sort of like a Rembrandt mounted in a mouldy frame, if you will.
Which is why all of us beauty junkies – you, you and you!– should sit up and get cracking on upping our hair game.
Thin on top and limp of lock? We’re here to help. Check out these surprisingly easy, shockingly effective tips for hair that’s super shiny and and yes, younger looking.
TIP #1. Lather, rinse, do not repeat. Shampooing too frequently wicks away water and lipids which are crucial for cushioning our coiffure. To maximise moisture in your mane, always reach for the mildest formulas, like ace Aussie brand Original & Mineral’s Hydrate & Conquer Shampoo, which comes with a suite of soothing sea-sourced botanicals and protective provitamin B5.
Oh, one more thing: When it comes to sudsing up, the execution is of the essence. Remember to rinse rigourously for a minute or so; you want to get rid of the post-shampoo sludge, which can put a deadly dulling dampener on the sheen of your strands.
TIP #2. Tee-dry, not towel-dry. Your post-shower mop is at its most vulnerable, which means you should never ride roughshod by rubbing it dry. A bath towel’s fuzzy fibres are superb for sloughing dead skin off your face and body, but the friction created by those very same fibres can result in frizz and split ends.
The solution to your towel trouble? Pat gently with a clean cotton tee instead, and follow up with a follicle-fortifying serum from the midshaft down – I’m obsessed with Original & Mineral’s Mineral Atonic Thickening Spritz – for a buoyant bounce with none of the unwieldy weight. Simply spritz on damp hair, starting mid-length and paying extra care to the ends for easier styling!
TIP #3. Colour with caution. To fend off premature fading of your hair’s hue, simply pop on a chlorine-screening filter on your showerhead; this ingenious invention sieves out the desiccating chemicals lurking in your tap water.
Oh, and if you’re looking to shake up your style this month, head straight for hair dyes that don’t contain too much ammonia and alcohol; Liese’s lovely new Creamy Bubble Color in Rose Tea Brown is incredibly intuitive to apply, fabulously fun and bang-on trend to boot.
TIP #4. Let your hair down! Loosen up, #gurl. Here’s the irony: A too-tight topknot may make your face look tauter, but it’s super-aging for your hair. The stress placed on the perpetual tension on your scalp is going to lead to root breakage and quite possibly a receding hairline.
Pretty ponytail or spots of sparse hair? You decide. I don’t know about you, but a big blowout with a ton of texture is so much more youthful, really. My beauty maxim: Big hair, small face.
And it’s so easy, too: All you have to do is to gun for a double-duty styling product like Alterna’s cuticle-comforting Caviar Perfect Texture Finishing Spray. Simply put it on blast, give your tresses a tousle and you’re good to go. Or spritz into your hands, warm it up between your palms and lightly skim across the surface for a sexy shine that’s very youthful indeed.
Right, then. Here’s hoping this story will get you out of a hairy situation. Good luck, and stay young at heart and hair!
Alterna Caviar Perfect Texture Finishing Spray, $39, is available at all Sephora stores. For more information, visit www.alternahaircare.com and www.sephora.com, and follow Sephora Singapore on Facebook and Twitter.
Liese Creamy Bubble Color, in 17 shades at $19.90 each, is available at all leading pharmacies, supermarkets and hypermarkets. For more information, visit www.liese.com.sg and follow Liese Singapore on Facebook.
O&M Original & Mineral Hydrate & Conquer Shampoo, $45 for 350ml, and Mineral Atonic Thickening Spritz, $38, are available from March 2015 at all Sephora stores. For more information, visit originalmineral.com and www.sephora.com, and follow Sephora Singapore on Facebook and Twitter.