Katie Piper Talks Hair, Confidence, And Her Go-To Lockdown Treatments

‘When my hair finally did grow back, it was a big moment. We always talk about women’s hair being their crown and it really was that for me.’

Updated on5th March 2021 at 1.30pm

Author, broadcaster and mother Katie Piper is a constant source of inspiration and positivity. One scroll down her Instagram and you’ll be welcomed with self-care tips, motivational words and live videos with incredible guests. Founder and trustee of The Katie Piper Foundation, Katie’s work has helped so many other survivors of burns with rehabilitation and resources to support recovery and beyond. In her latest role, as brand ambassador for Pantene, Katie shares how her hair has been a huge confidence tool for her over the years, ‘I’ve loved celebrating and experimenting with my hair in terms of style and of course colour.’ A big fan of the latest Silky & Glowing collection for bleached hair, Pantene commissioned research linked to this range to uncover the true state of bleach damage on the nation’s tresses. Here, Katie shares her thoughts on Pantene’s findings, her own personal hair journey and her ultimate go-to products.

On Her Own Hair Journey

‘It’s been quite a journey,’ says Katie. ‘As a young girl, I had really bright, white, blonde hair. My dad was the local barber in our village and insisted on cutting it – so I had a real Lego haircut.’ In her late teens, Katie went on to beauty college where hair and make-up became a huge part of her life. ‘I loved being glamorous and having fun with it.’

I used my hair to communicate with the world through all of my recovery and I still do now"

‘When I was burnt, I lost my hair,’ says Katie who was violently attacked at the age of 24 by an assailant who threw sulphuric acid in her face, causing third-degree burns and loss of sight in one eye. ‘The front of my head was shaved for the surgeries, and then the back fell out while I was lying flat in a coma. In my recovery it was just terrible – it was always falling out because of nutrition and stress.'

‘So, when it finally did grow back, it was a big moment. We always talk about women’s hair being their crown and it really was that for me, and more. Particularly because I wore a plastic face mask for two years – where I couldn’t physically move my face or apply make-up to express myself. Instead, I used my hair to communicate with the world through all of my recovery and I still do now. If you look at pictures of me, you’ll see when I used my hair to hide my face and you’ll also see when I was loud and proud experimenting with styles.’

On Hair Colour And Confidence

‘My journey with my hair colour really reflects my level of confidence,’ admits Katie who is naturally still blonde but has bleach put through to reach that really creamy colour. ‘When I’m blonde, I feel home and happy – it’s a nice stable feeling of self-esteem and confidence.’

When I dyed my hair that really dark, insipid brown, I wanted to disappear"

In the past, Katie has experimented with her colour and at a time when she was brunette, she told Harper’s Bazaar that the reason she, then, hated bright blonde was because it attracts so much attention. ‘I had some really negative experiences in the early days,’ explains Katie. ‘When I was wearing the face mask, my skin was really quite purple in colour and I had very long, bright blonde hair. Walking along the street, I use to get lots of attention from behind with men wolf-whistling or shouting “oi, blondie” and then when they saw my face, I would get comments like “freak” or “monster”.’ Both the positive and the negative were uninvited, and Katie didn’t want either ends of the attention.

‘When I dyed my hair that really dark, insipid brown, I wanted to disappear,’ she adds, ‘and when I look back at those pictures, I feel sad as I just wanted to be invisible.’ But after going blonde again, Katie says it was a nice celebration – ‘It signalled that I’m stronger now and I can handle whatever comes my way – good or bad.’

On Her Haircare Routine

‘Having this background as a beauty therapist, I’ve always been good with my skin and my hair. When I started my journey with Pantene, it only increased. I always do a weekly hair mask, which my husband hates, as I love to sleep in it,’ laughs Katie. ‘I think it’s important because if you only put it on for three minutes, it’s wasted.’ Her top tip? ‘I’ve got a stash of freebie shower caps from hotels, so I’ll put one of those on after applying the mask before bed.’

‘Pre-pandemic, I would do two shampoos with every wash and a conditioner and then once a week, I’d do a repair shot and a hair mask.’ Since the pandemic, Katie has dialled it up and says her hair has benefited so much. ‘When I’m working from home, I’ll do a mask three times a week, leaving them in all day. I’m also using less heat and not blow-drying my hair.’ For an easy everyday style, Katie goes ‘old school’ and loves plaiting her hair at night for beachy waves the following day.

Her go-to products? ‘Pantene’s purple shampoo, £4.99, has been really good in Lockdown,’ says Katie. ‘Obviously you can’t really tone your hair, you can’t get it coloured as frequently and you’re not outside in the sunshine – so you end up with really dull, insipid hair or quite a brassy tone.’ Over on masks, Katie is currently loving the Pantene Silky & Glowing Intense Hair Mask, £4.99. ‘I’ll towel dry my hair after showering and apply it through the mid-lengths to ends before twisting my hair round and putting my sexy shower cap on.’ For a really deep treatment, Katie will use the Silky & Glowing Colour Damage Reverse Biotin Shot, £3.99, once a week - ‘It helps reverse the colour damage on the ends.’

On Pantene’s Latest Research Findings

New research by Pantene reveals the true state of Britain’s hair damaging habits. The study of 2,000 women found that 53% of women opt for bleaching over their natural hair colour. ‘I was surprised by this figure,’ says Katie ‘it made me think that we really are a nation of bleached hair addicts.’ For Katie, the problem doesn’t lie in the fact lots of us our colouring our hair, but the data revealed that lots of us aren’t looking after our bleached hair. ‘A bit like applying SPF daily, we need to have a good routine of masks and treatments to counteract the damage.’

I was this wild child who used to bleach their hair with lemon juice every summer, turning it orange"

According to the research, the reason why one in three women bleach their hair, is because it boosts their confidence. This finding didn’t surprise Katie, ‘I think lightening your hair is associated with you’ve rested, you’ve been on holiday, in the sun, and you feel good. Whenever I colour or brighten my hair, it feels like a new start and new beginnings.’

Shedding light on when women begin their bleached hair journey, the research revealed almost 50% of Brits start as young as 16-20 and shockingly one in five start as young as 11-15-years-old. ‘When I first read this, the mum in me said gosh that’s really bad, I wouldn’t want my kids to start that young,’ says Katie, ‘but then I thought actually, I was this wild child who used to try and bleach their hair with lemon juice every summer turning it orange. I also used to cut my own hair with pinking shears and get a crazy, jagged edge.’ Looking back, Katie points out that it’s an age when we’re trying to find out who we are and really express ourselves – ‘at least with our hair, it’s not permanent.’

On Self-Care And Lockdown

‘I used to exercise before the pandemic, but it was always a mad rush on my lunch break or at the crack of dawn. Whereas now, I’m going on more runs, I’m doing more weightlifting and I’m not attaching guilt to this. I’ll make time in my diary to do a hair mask, go for a run, make a fresh lunch, have a break and go for a walk – and I won’t beat myself up about it.'

'This past year has been all about taking it easy on yourself – we’re coming out of the pandemic now and we should take a moment to reflect on all the strengths that we’ve found that we didn’t know we had. We should ask ourselves, are we just going to waste that year or are we going to implement that in our daily lives and commit to self-care whether it’s through beauty, exercise or removing bad friendships and relationships. A lot of people don’t want to go back to how life was before, of course we want our freedom but I definitely want to continue to do three masks a week.'