It always occurs to me at this time of year that good quality haircare is worth investing in. That thought occurs at this time, of course, because life gets difficult when the weather starts to change. The air is suddenly heavy and cold as a damp blanket and this – as many Irish women will know from first-hand experience – can make for a singularly angry head of hair.
Angry is the right word to use. In a recent study, Irish women declared frizziness to be their number two hair concern, trumped only by grey roots. Grey can look sensational, but not three inches of it on an otherwise brown head. We are almost as concerned with frizz as we are with mismatched regrowth, and that makes frizz a real irritation.
Frizzy isn’t really a hair type, it’s generally a reaction to something: over-processing, damp weather, sweating and so on. So if you dismiss frizz as a feature of ‘Irish hair’, you’re being both too easy and too hard on yourself.
If your hair is overly processed, a regimen of high quality strengthening products can make a noticeable difference.
L’Oréal Professional Pro Fiber is a new range of products that has just hit shelves after seven years of research. They claim to restore damaged hair, and come in three ranges that cover mild to extreme damage. Available in L’Oréal Professional Salons nationwide, the products cost between €15.99 and €21.99, and your stylist will help you choose the right ones for your hair. I’ll admit I was sceptical, but I gave this range a go after going from blonde to brunette after years of blasting my hair with highlights. My hair is stronger, shinier, and less prone to frizz. There’s no arguing with that.
Hair is generally more prone to frizz when it’s freshly washed. I find that mine – which will expand horizontally like a hedge in damp weather if it’s newly washed – is calmer after I have slept on it.
If you have oily roots as I do, a dry shampoo is excellent for delaying washing for a day or two. We are all very familiar with dry shampoos by now, but Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo (€28) is a clever new offering. It is a powder-based dry shampoo that features the famously luscious Shampure fragrance, but without the aerosol.
The clever packaging allows you to shake and puff out a little stream of the powder, but without alcohol and the moisture that some dry shampoos deposit on the hair. I love it. This one is a complete indulgence, so you should certainly get someone else to buy it for you.
Kérastase Advent Calendar (€99) is jammed with minis from the brand – one for each day of December, and it’s far better than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles one filled with cooking chocolate I received last year. Justify it this way – you get to sample lots of the products (which are generally excellent, particularly the masks), and choose which is worth investing in.
