Day 507 of lockdown: you think you remember brushing your hair in a previous life and you’ve thought about dyeing your hair pink every single day since March 23rd.
In a game of lockdown hair bingo, we’ve all got a full house at this point but what if 2020 doesn’t have to be the year our hair game fell to sh*t, what if this year was the best hair year of our lives.
With our dear friend and industry expert Samantha Cusick’s help, we can make it happen! From removing extensions safely to reclaiming your edges and maintaining your blonde, here’s how to get your lockdown hair in tip top condition.
Let’s talk extensions! What should people be doing with theirs at the moment?
If you have extensions, they are more than likely to be rapidly approaching removal time or have been in longer than is recommended.
At Samantha Cusick London we do tape extensions and now we have been closed for going on 3 months we have been recommending clients remove them to avoid any damage. We reached out to all our clients and shared a video on how to remove them, you can find it here. as well as a link to order the remover here.
If you are worried about removing your extensions, my advice would be to contact your salon/hairdresser and ask them how to safely remove them at home.
A lot of our blonde friends are struggling to keep their hair looking fresh, what would your advice be to them?
There is no way around it BLONDE HAIR IS A COMMITMENT and requires maintenance to keep it on point. My advice would be to;
Use the right shampoo
Ash blondes listen up! The easiest way to banish brassy tones is to wash your hair with a purple shampoo. These can look quite scary but the violet pigments neutralise the unwanted warmth. Platinum blondes and those addicted to ash tones should use a silver shampoo every time you wash your hair, for Neutral creamy toned blondes once a week is enough! I love the Blondage range from Redken.
On the days you don’t use purple shampoo make sure the one you do use is sulphate free. Sulphates (Sodium Laureth Sulphate specifically) strip the natural oils and pigments from the hair which drastically accelerates colour fade. By using Sulphate free shampoos you increase the moisture retention in the hair and keep your colour for longer, a major win for blondes! I always recommend the Davines Oi range, it makes my hair feel amazing and smell heavenly.
Treat & Condition
Blondes you need to condition your locks like its a religion! Moisture rich conditioners every time you wash and treatment masks AT LEAST once a week! You can make it easy and find one that’s a daily conditioner but doubles up as a mask if you leave it on longer!
I love this Davines silver alchemic conditioner for this reason as it brightens and repairs blonde hair. If you’re all purpled out with your shampoo or it looks a bit scary nothing beats Davines – Oi Conditioner! It’s packed with oil and moisture!
If you’re on a budget don’t worry there’s a backup…. Coconut Oil! Twist into dry hair and leave overnight or as long as you’ve got! Shampoo and condition and Voila Shiney Hair!
Leave in goodness
We all have that moment (especially blondes) when you’ve washed your hair and just stare at the hairbrush with true hate. Make it easier on your self with a leave-in conditioner, R+Co Centerpiece All-In-One Elixir Spray is a personal fave!
Adding an oil to your hair care routine is essential. Blonde hair often lacks lustre and shine but using oil in hair when it is wet and after when it’s dry will solve those issues fast. The Kardashian’s hair guru Jen Atkin launched her product line – The Ouai with a killer oil in the collection! Also, Olaplex has released No7 hair bonding oil which is beyond amazing! If you’re feeling a bit flush and want to really treat your locks Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil by NEGIN MIRSALEHI is ridiculously amazing and rebuilds and repairs hair from the core. #Want.
Heat Styling
The damage that heat styling can you do to our tresses is real, but did you know that it can also dramatically fade out our colour?
GHD has reigned in the world of heat styling and rightly so. They continue to develop new technology and innovative stylers. There latest offering being the new Platinum + Irons that has their Tri-Zone technology that uses three sensors in each plate, ensuring the optimum temperature for styling hair is consistently maintained across the entire plate, reducing hair breakage, increasing shine and is proven to be kinder to your hair colour.
What are your top tips for hair brushing and how often should we be doing it?
When brushing your hair always brush from the ends of your hair up towards the roots. Never go straight in at the root and drag the brush through to the ends you’ll cause loads of damage.
When your hair is wet it’s at it’s most vulnerable so take extra care when brushing. I always recommend using Tangle Teezers on wet hair as they are so much kinder and really limit breakage. When brushing dry hair, the same technique applies of brushing from the ends up towards the roots but I prefer to use a soft bristle brush like my Mason and Pierson, it smooths the hair and the bristles help distribute oils in the hair too.
How can we use this unique time to give our hair some love and just let it be for a while?
While we have more time at home I have made sure that at least once per week I have done my full Olaplex routine from step 3 though to 7 and my hair has never been so healthy!
I made a little video while in lockdown of how to get the most out of the Olaplex at-home routine that you might find useful!
What’s the best way to treat our scalps especially now the sun is out?
Whenever my scalp starts to feel tight or itchy, I always use the Sachajuan Scalp Treatment it immediately soothes it and doesn’t leave and signs of it being in the hair which is amazing!
If you’re in and out the sun a lot, there really is no better way to protect your hair and scalp against UV rays than by wearing a hat! Your scalp can burn so easily and then turn flakey which is not a cute look!
What scissors should I trim my hair with?
NONE! Wait for your hairdresser and their scissors. Cutting your own hair is not a good idea a ’trim’ can quickly turn in to an oh god its longer on one side than the other, Joe exotic mullet nightmare.
For those of us tempted by the box dyes, should we go for it?
Box dyes are so unpredictable and often contain metallic salts that cause chemical reactions when you next get you hair done in the salon, causing irreparable damage. When you have your hair coloured professionally, we are able to mix bespoke formulas to your hair’s specific needs, where as box dyes try to be ‘one size fits all’ so are often way to strong, causing hair to over process, break and go too dark!
Home lightening kits are arguably worse and result in patchy colour and turn hair orange. As a colourist I am constantly having to rectify DIY colour and see the damage they do so I urge you to wait for your salon to reopen and not wonder down the haircare isle when doing your food shop!
What are the best products to use after doing my living room workout and I don’t want to wash my hair?
Definitely dry shampoo, my favourites are:
Batiste Dry Shampoo – Can be quite powdery but on this extra oily days it’s perfect!
R+Co Death Valley – Smells amazing and works.
Orbie dry shampoo – when I am feeling fancy treat myself to this. Its so good and doubles as a great texture spray too.
HAIR BY SAM MCKNIGHT Lazy Girl Dry Shampoo – THE CUTEST PACKAGING!
