Resist the temptation to reach for boxed colour when you’re picking up groceries because we’ve quizzed Chisholm Institute Hair, Beauty and Wellness education manager Marisa Ganci on the best products and tools available to freshen up your look.
Style success
Firstly, Marisa advises recreating your salon look at home as it will help the style to last longer.
“If you blow-dry your hair or put in some rollers, it will help keep the fullness and shape of the hairstyle and keep your hair looking fresh and healthy,” she says.
For a smooth and bouncy result, divide your hair up into sections, using clips, as well as smaller brushes for short hair and larger ones for long locks.
“Controlling smaller areas of the hair, will give a better result than trying to get the brush around a whole chunk of hair.”
Marisa also recommends using a thermal spray to protect natural and treated hair from heat damage and using a lower heat setting for bleached hair.
Proper products
Professional styling products, such as shampoos and conditioners, use ingredients which assist in adding volume or smoothing hair.
“A lot of pharmacies now sell professional lines so you don’t have to go and seek out a hairdressing supplier,” Marisa says.
“These products are a lot more readily available today and it is worth paying the extra few dollars because you use less product.”
Wash less
Marisa says washing your hair twice a week is ample unless you are regularly out in the elements.
“Don’t wash your hair every day because you’re stripping the natural oils from the scalp and that can dry the hair out.
“Often someone with oily hair thinks they need to wash it every day but if you’re doing that, you’re constantly stimulating the oil glands and producing more oil. There is a little bit of a process for getting over that.”
Marisa says dry shampoo is a must for the home hair arsenal.
“I love a dry shampoo and if you don’t have any, a bit of baby powder does the same thing. Obviously be careful if you have dark hair because if you sprinkle too much it will look grey.
“So spray your dry shampoo in and if you go through those same steps of the blow-drying process, by sectioning the hair off, the product will actually act as a volumizer and give you some texture too.”
Wash right
When it comes to shampoo, Marisa said a good all-rounder was best for natural hair, while moisturising shampoos were most effective for chemically treated hair.
“There are a range of protein shampoos on the market, which are keratin based and help rebuild and strengthen the hair’s structure.”
Marisa said it was important to use the right amount of shampoo (about the size of a 10 or 20-cent piece for medium length hair) and recommended shampooing twice, each time you wash your hair.
“Depending how long it has been between shampoos, you may need a little more for that first shampoo and a little less for the second because that cleansing has been done. That second shampoo is just to back it up and make sure the hair is lovely and clean.”
Marisa adds that a good quality shampoo is unlikely to froth up very much and recommends those with artificial colour use shampoo and conditioner designed for their hair.
“For blondes, they have some amazing purple shampoos that will help with the longevity of the brightness of the colour and to counteract any warmth coming through,” she says.
“It is worth mentioning, a good quality shampoo, especially on the first shampoo, won’t foam up because the ingredients are designed to be cleansing the hair.”
Optimal conditioning
When conditioning, Marisa recommends applying an amount about the size of a 20-cent piece to the ends of the hair.
“It is really important to start at the ends of the hair and work up towards the root area. You will find that a lot of people will rub conditioner into their hands and smack it on to the top of their head, which can send the roots greasy if you’re using too much.”
Marisa also suggests massaging conditioner into the ends of the hair to ensure the product is properly absorbed, followed by combing it through with a large tooth comb to prevent hair pulling and breakage.
“I always recommend keeping a large tooth comb in the shower and combing that conditioner through as well. A large tooth comb is really important because when the hair it wet it does stretch a lot more and it can be quite vulnerable.”
Marisa says over-rinsing could defeat the purpose of conditioning.
“When you’re rinsing the conditioner out and it doesn’t have that slimy feel anymore, stop rinsing because over-rinsing can then remove the rest of the conditioner.”
If you have treated hair, using a hair mask once a week or a fortnight can help keep the hair structure in good condition.
Put down the boxed dye
“I would definitely avoid colouring your own hair at home, especially with any product from the supermarket,” Marisa said, adding that professional application by a hairdresser was important to avoid colour distortion.
“We apply colour to the regrowth area first as opposed to putting it all the way through the hair to avoid a build-up of colour on the already coloured areas.”
Marisa said those with a global colour, also known as a solid tint, could use a crayon to hide regrowth.
“They do make some really great crayons that you can match to your artificial colour. You can just smudge that into the part line and the front of the hairline and that will help to blend that regrowth that’s coming in.”
