‘All Of A Sudden I Didn’t Have A Fringe Anymore’: Frankie Bridge On Postpartum Hair Loss

Singer-songwriter Frankie Bridge is famed for her fringe. Yes, she might have been limited to long, glossy lengths during her S Club Junior days (more on that later), but as one fifth of The Saturdays, with access to some of the best stylists around, she did her fair share of experimenting. A jaw-length chop paved the way for a dramatic pixie cut and the long, side-swept fringe that the 32-year-old is now synonymous with. One Saturdays hiatus and two children later, Frankie is debuting a brand new look. Here she talks exclusively to Grazia about her latest cut and colour, her experience with postpartum hair loss and her brand new at-home haircare routine.

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On Her Biggest Hair Blunder To Date

'When I was in S Club Juniors I had very long, straight, brown hair and I never really played around with it. I was very young and the team told me that I had to leave it alone, so the minute S Club Juniors disbanded I decided to cut it short. I went through a bit of an emo phase. I went for the crop and periodically let my friend - a hair colourist - dye it whatever shade she wanted. My worst look involved a bright yellow shade on top and a black layer of hair underneath. I always used to wear a little red bow in my hair too, which I thought was very cool. Once I joined The Saturdays things got a lot better!.'

On Her Famous Fringe

'Yes, in The Saturdays I had my big, long fringe. My hair was quite long at the front and shorter at the back. I used it to hide behind, it became a form of armour for me. The pixie cut came later but I kept my fringe. My fringe became one of my distinguishing features in the band, the thing that people knew me for.'

On Pregnancy Hair

'I didn't notice it at the time but my hair must have become a lot thicker during my first pregnancy, then a few months after I gave birth I had a lot of fallout. I had my big, thick, side-swept fringe at the time and all of a sudden I didn't have a fringe anymore. There were so many gaps in it. I even resorted to securing a clip-in fringe to the lower layers so that i could add thickness without it being too noticeable. It was a very weird thing to go through.'

READ MORE: How To Deal With Postpartum Hair Loss After Having A Baby

On Her Latest Hair Look

'I've had short hair for years but when lockdown hit I decided to grow it out and now here we are. I liked being able to play around with it a bit more. I enlisted hair stylist Adam Reed to create a new, longer hairstyle for me. He asked me what I wanted and a said "do whatever you want!". He had a vision. He wanted to bring in some caramel tones to my colour, it's perfectly blended, and the cut isn't crazy long, it skims my shoulders, it's perfect or me.'

On Haircare At Home

'Adam talked me through the L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Metal Detox range before I had my colour done. I hadn't realised, but the metal in our water, particularly the copper can affect our hair and make it more prone to damage. It's not something you really think about. I've had to think about my haircare more seriously since growing it long. When you have short hair you're constantly dealing with much younger sections of hair and it always looks really healthy. With longer hair it takes more time and dedication. I use the L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Metal Detox Shampoo, £25, whenever I wash it and I apply the L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Metal Detox Mask, £25, once or twice a week.'

On The Power Of Make-Up

'I learned a lot about make-up during my years in The Saturdays. For all of us, make-up ended up being a real mask of confidence. We used to wear a lot of heavy make-up because we were on stage so much. I remember at one point having two or three sets of false eyelashes applied in one go. It was during a big tour and I came back home to Wayne - this was quite early on in our relationship - and him saying "what on earth have you got on your eyes?!". At the time it was so normal to us but looking back it was a lot. Now my make-up is far more natural. That's part of not being in the band anymore, and also something that comes with age. I definitely have more confidence and don't feel the same need to cover my skin up. There's also more of an emphasis now on skincare, on letting your natural glow shine through. That wasn't really a thing back in my The Saturdays days.'

Shop: The L'Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Metal Detox Range

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