Jo and Sarah answer real questions from readers: to put your query, go to beautybible.com
Q I’m off to for a sea and sun holiday shortly and need a few tips on keeping my coloured hair from drying out and looking like a haystack!
A Regardless of where you are – and this summer the UK is looking to rival the Med for sun exposure – parched hair needs TLC to keep looking good. Particularly if it’s coloured or you use straighteners (please leave them behind and go natural for your holiday if you can).
Before we get down to hair care products, can we suggest headgear? Both a closely woven sunhat, which covers your barnet when you’re in the sun (or a chic turban), and a proper old-fashioned swimming cap if you’re going for total immersion.
The key is prepping before you go as well as during and after. Experts agree that getting your hair in good condition by using moisturising/hydrating products and, crucially, treating your mop to a mask twice a week from now on will reap dividends in shine, softness and manageability.
So… slather on your favourite hair mask, DIY with coconut oil (cheap as chips and mega-effective), or consider:
Noughty To the Rescue Intense Moisture Hair Treatment, £8.99 for a generous 300ml pot: this 97 per cent natural product recently launched so we haven’t put it through Beauty Bible trials yet but reviewers rave. Check out the matching Moisture Boost shampoo and conditioner too.
Take with you:
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Beach Mate Deep Treatment Conditioner, £4.99, boots.com: this claims to be ‘the deep fix for beached-out hair’ and, coming from the outback, the range really knows its stuff. Use with the matching Beach Mate Shampoo for All Hair Types, £4.19 for 300ml.
For swimmers:
Philip Kingsley Swimcap, £11.34 for 75 ml, amazon.co.uk: tried and tested standby, loved by beauty editors and zillions of others, which protects from chlorine, salt water and UV while you splosh. Do remember to rinse your hair with clean water every time you emerge. Also pack Philip Kingsley’s legendary Elasticizer, a pre shampoo treatment for fine to medium texture hair that the late trichologist (now succeeded by his daughter Anabel) created for Audrey Hepburn. £19 for 75ml.
Ultrasun Daily UV Hair Protector, now £17 for 150ml at amazon.co.uk: from a super effective, super ethical sun prep company that we rate highly, this defends against UV plus chlorine and salt.
And another thing!
Sachajuan Hair In the Sun and Hair After The Sun, £20 for 125ml, cultbeauty.co.uk: our only problem with this cult duo is the lack of directions for use. But there is a How To Use button on cultbeauty.co.uk which gives you enough info to get on with. Hair In The Sun is a protective cream that you apply to wet or dry hair and will stay put through swimming or rinsing when you come out. Hair After The Sun acts as a rinse out conditioner or leave in conditioner and styling aid.
Finally!
If you can’t do without a hair dryer, consider raiding your beauty piggy bank and investing in the new Panasonic Nanoe + Double Mineral Advanced Hairdryer (gosh, what a mouthful…). Basically, it uses high tech engineering to help reduce damage from heat drying your hair. Tests on 71 users showed significant improvements in split ends and frizz with continued use over five weeks, plus less dryness on the scalp (a big problem nowadays). The price? £179, from Boots.com. (Phew…! But it is impressive.)
Beauty Bible loves…
Jonathan Ward Privé Candle Collection, £40.
Now, we love a scented candle. But we’re increasingly worried about indoor pollution – and watching candles smoulder, smoke and sputter, have begun (like many people) to fret about the impact on our health.
So when we heard that British candle maker Jonathan Ward was launching a range of ‘clean-burn’ scented candles, we got out the trumpets for a fanfare. He’s pioneered a new technique which enables candles to burn cleanly for long periods, developing a clever technique called ‘continuous burn’. The wax turns amber and crystal-clear and the candle can burn for hours and hours, filling the room with its scent – and absolutely no indoor pollution.
British candle maker Jonathan Ward HAS pioneered a new technique which enables candles to burn cleanly for long periods, developing a clever technique called ‘continuous burn’
Beyond that – and of course this also matters – they smell downright divine. Romantically inspired, with names like Roscuro, Mystigris and Kartushya, there’s a story behind each of the eight ‘Scent of Time’ candles (read them on the website). But here’s an evocative taster from one of our favourites, The Gypsy:
‘Crackle of campfire and a petticoat ruffle. It was late but spirit had just been warmed. Brazen kiss and playful push… Bold and brash, this floral takes shape with a carefree world spirit; a floral citizen of the world, you might say. Sensual, deep and teeming with cheek. Heart-like notes of tuberose, jasmine and violet are wrapped in a gypsy kiss. Bergamot, cedar and amber breathe around the heart notes culminating in a deep floral that is delivered lightly.’
One last plus? The candles are housed in fluted Double Old Fashioned whiskey tumblers from Italy which can be repurposed for drinks afterwards. We intend to build up quite a cocktail party’s worth, in the coming months.