The Grazia Beauty Team have many areas of expertise between them, from manicures to fragrance, skincare to make-up trends. They know everyone in the business, from backstage at the shows to behind-the-scenes in laboratories, and can predict with uncanny accuracy what’s set to be the next waiting list nail shade or blockbuster perfume.
But if there’s one thing the Beauty department knows about, with up-close-and-personal, tried-and-tested, first-hand knowledge, it’s how to care for long hair.
Just look at the Rapunzel-like tresses in the photo above. As you would expect, those aren’t the locks of girls who just take one bottle into the shower. Each of the girls’ hair care regimes varies in time and tricksy-ness, but we think the results speak for themselves.
Read and learn, ladies…
Grazia’s Beauty Coordinator, Angelica Hermon (above), says...
“I have been using Philip Kingsley shampoos for ages now and absolutely love them. I have quite a sensitive scalp so find most other shampoos too harsh. I always wash my hair twice – the first time to clean it and the second to really work it into a lather all over.
I follow this with a mask or conditioner and never use the same one twice in a row. At the moment I like the Kerastase Reflection Chroma Riche Mask as I was in the sun a month ago so want to give my hair something rich. I have also been using the Frederic Fekkai Salon Technician Colour Care Conditioner recently, which is great. I always use my Tangle Teezer while the conditioner is in to brush any tangles out. I used to hate using a comb and this little hero has really changed my life. I have three now – one in the shower for wet hair, one for when it’s dry and needs a brush and a mini one for travelling with!
Post-shower, I always wrap my hair in a turban for twenty minutes or so. Then, if it’s a good day, I will use either a squirt of Shu Uemura Art of Hair Essence Absolueor Moroccanoil Treatment on my damp hair to give it a bit of TLC! But that’s only once a week, probably. I always give my hair a blast with the hairdryer – as it’s so thick it takes forever to dry so this just gets the process started. I use Remington's Easy Cord hairdryer – it has a retractable cord that whizzes back in like a tape measure. No messy wires!! But you’ll never find me there for hours with barrel brushes and hair dryer nozzles.
And my most recent discovery, which is a real treat on my long locks when they get dry and lack-lustre, is Aveda’s new in-salon treatment - Botanical Therapy Treatment. It is honestly the best thing ever for both the scalp and hair. A mix of enriching scalp oils, an intense head massage and a moisture treatment on the ends, it’s by far the best hair treatment I have had to date. My other new discoveries, both of which sit firmly by my computer for those emergency mid-afternoon spruce-ups, are the [not-yet-released!] Kerastase Fibre Architecte and Phyto 7 Daily Hydrating Botanical Cream Each can be worked into dry hair and don’t leave your locks greasy or heavy like so many others. They are great before you go out or just to nourish split ends. True god-sends!”
I wash my hair every other day, mostly in the morning with Pure-ology Shampoo and conditioner or Kerastase Chroma Reflect Shampoo if my hair is looking a little dull. I like to use deep conditioners and my favourite thing to do is use Ojon oil overnight - I smother it in my hair and wash it out in the morning.
Once every two weeks I use Pantene Clarifying Shampooto wash out any build up and Louise Galvin Vit-Oxto refresh my colour - amazing product!
I always have to fight tangles so I make sure I always comb through with a wide tooth comb in the shower.
I never blow-dry my hair, at most it's just a blast with a hairdryer upside down to take the edge off but most days I 'yoga' it dry with my morning stretch or just walk to work with it wet.
Styling products don't come into my hair regime, I really hate the feeling of product on my hair but I do religiously use Kerastase Elixir morning and night on my ends to keep them tangle free and shiny. The day after I wash I find I need a bit of dry shampoo to boost volume at my roots - My faves are Klorane and Batiste.
I limit my colour to twice a year max to keep my hair healthy and in good condition, I always manage to time it so I see Louise Galvin at the end of Spring (allowing the summer to boost my blonde) and just before Christmas when I tend to get a bit of beach action over New Year. I get a few 'invisible' trims a year with Luke Hersheson who keeps it looking one length and fresh. Just how I like it!
I do have to brush my hair quite a lot throughout the day to stop it knotting - until last year I had owned the same Tigi brush for 10 years! Only when I discovered the Tangle Teezer could I finally let it go.”
Grazia Beauty Editor Lauren Murdoch Smith (above) says...
“I wash my hair daily. Each morning, I rinse my hair and use a volumising shampoo like Percy and Reed Volumising Shampoo or Moroccanoil Extra Volume Shampoo.
However, if I’m going out I’d use Shu Uemura Prime Plenish Shampoo as it’s best for making my hair look rich, think, shiny and just well, like “famous hair”!
As I wash my hair daily, I like to switch things up so my hair doesn’t get too used to products, hence the variety of products used. I’ve also just started using Bumble & Bumble’s Sunday Shampoo (on a Sunday!) as it detoxes your hair of any product build-up from the week – it’s a hair hangover cure.
I then use a matching conditioner to the shampoo (I try not to use different types) and leave it on my lengths and ends (I never put conditioner in my roots), while I get showered. Then, during rinsing, I use a Tangle Teezer to comb through the conditioner and untangle my long locks!
When I get out of the shower, I don’t put my hair in a traditional turban, I gently put the towel over my head and gently squeeze the water out – no rubbing! It damages hair and breaks it.
I try to use Shu Uemura Art Of Hair Depsea Smoothing Foundation Spray as the base for my other styling products, think of it as a primer for hair, and then I spritz Bumble & Bumble Thickening Serum into my roots. After that I massage Kerastase Elixir Ultime Oil into the very ends of my hair. I then comb this all through with (another!) Tangle Teezer.
I then leave it all the products to settle in, while I do my make up,. My hairdryer is a Parlux Ceramic Ionic - it’s what hairstylists use for session [photoshoot] styling as it’s fast drying, lightweight and kind to hair. I tip my head upside-down and dry roughly for a minute or two to get some volume and body, also brushing through with an Aveda Paddle Brush to make sure it’s not knotty.
Then I use the Morrocanoil Large Barrel Brushto smooth out hair - this is the ONLY barrel brush that will go through hair without snagging/knotting etc! Once most of my hair is dry (I leave the front part which is shorter as I’m growing out a fringe), I spray it with L’Oreal Professional Hot Style Constructor and blow dry with the smaller barrel brush from Morrocanoil. This keeps it smooth and bouncy all day long.”
- Angela Buttolph
Did you learn anything from our long hair care feature? We’d love to know YOUR best tips and products for caring for long hair! Let us know in the comments below!