Five cardinal rules for shiny, happy hair

Great hair starts at the roots. JOHN HARVEY, senior stylist and educator with Peter Mark, reveals his professional secrets to getting the lustrous strands you desire

SPEED IS KEY WHEN BLOW-DRYING…

Not heat. Keep the airspeed high and temperature on medium. If the temperature is too high, it can scorch the hair. Wind speed and direction are what will give you a shiny blow-dry. Avoid shaking the hairdryer around – this only creates frizz. Using a nozzle will help you control the air flow.

EMBRACE YOUR NATURAL TEXTURE.

Not only will this give hair a much-needed reprieve from styling tools and straighteners, but it’s also bang on trend. TryRedken No Blow Dry Bossy Cream, €24. This air-dry styling cream makes it quick and easy to air dry hair with effortless control, movement and a no-product feel – perfect for days you don’t want to or can’t blow-dry your hair.

Redken No Blow Dry Bossy Cream, €24

POSTPARTUM HAIR IS A BIG ISSUE FOR NEW MUMS…

Changing up your hairstyle can help. A bob is ideal for fine hair. A short to medium bob won’t weigh hair down and will make it appear more dense and bouncy, and therefore fuller and thicker. A pixie cut is great for fine or thin hair – anything longer accentuates the thinness. I recommend Nioxin to maintain a healthy scalp environment – my clients have noticed thicker, denser-looking hair after about a month of use.

DON’T SKIP CONDITIONER…

Many women avoid conditioner because they think it makes hair look oily. Conditioning regularly will prevent damage, help lubricate the hair, making it stronger and more resistant to damage. If you’re worried about an oily scalp, which is due to a build-up of sebum, shampoo hair in tepid water rather than hot. Hot water will cause sensitivity to your scalp area and in order to sooth this, your sebaceous gland will send oil to the scalp surface to cool and ease the irritation. When shampooing, use the palms of your hands and avoid using your nails, as any scratching will again cause your sebaceous gland to overproduce oil.

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INVEST IN YOUR PRODUCTS…

You know that incredible dry-clean-only-dress you adore? You wouldn’t clean it in a sink with washing-up liquid, would you? The same rules apply to hair. If you colour your hair, then you should invest in professional salon products.

SAY YES TO THE IN-SALON SCALP MASSAGE…

All massages increase blood flow to the area of the body massaged, and with a scalp massage, this helps carry nutrients in your blood to the hair follicles, which are important for hair growth and vitality. When shampooing hair at home, try using the palms of your hands in a gentle, circular motion and avoid scrubbing – which aside from not getting hair any cleaner, can lead to tangles, which then leads to breakage.

This article originally appeared in the May issue of IMAGE Magazine. For more beauty features, check out IMAGE Magazine, on shelves nationwide.