Grow it long, go blonde and don't shampoo: How I nailed holiday hair at 64 By Christa D'souza For You Magazine Published: 12:01 BST, 10 August 2024 | Updated: 12:01 BST, 10 August 2024 e-mail View comments It’s a little eccentric, I’ll grant you, having dyed blonde waist-length hair (actually, it’s almost down to my bottom now) at the age of 64. I’m always being told by friends to chop it off. ‘It would take years off you,’ they say, and they’re probably right.
But I never could. This is the hair I dreamed of having as a teen, like Eve Plumb’s in the legendary 1970s US sitcom The Brady Bunch. And I feel vindicated come beach season, when it rocks to go a bit wild, whatever your age.
Holiday hair: I remember back in the 70s what a thing that was. If you’re of that era you’ll remember Sun-in, the spray that was meant to make your hair blonde but, in fact, turned it orange. The old lemon-juice trick, meanwhile, turned it to straw.
This was particularly true of my thick, brittle Indian hair, which hurt my scalp it was so heavy and was a nightmare to wash. Combine it with sand, salt water and general lack of hairbrushing, and by the end of the holidays I’d have to take a pair of scissors to my hair to cut out the knots. Scroll forward to today and you’d think, given that I spend most of the summer in Mykonos these days and practically live in the sea when I’m there, I’d have a short back and sides by now.
Instead, I have adapted by coming up with a holiday hair routine that means it is never in better condition than it is during the summer. Here’s how it goes: I pour at least half a bottle of conditioner on it every single morning after I’ve had my first swim of the day, rinsing some but not all of the sea water out first. Then I use roughly the same amount every evening after my shower before supper.
Any old 2-for-1 kind will do – it’s quantity not quality that counts here, although if your hair isn’t that thick you can probably get away with using less. If I’m spoiling myself, I might use a mask, too. My favourite is Gold Lust Transformative Masque by Oribe (£65, uk.
oribe.com), but less expensive ones will do the trick. It’s the old-fashioned massaging into the hair (think of blending flour and butter when making pastry) that’s important.
Christa and her windswept summer hair After rinsing and towelling it dry, I comb through a mixture of coconut oil (yes, the stuff you use to cook with) and OGX Damage Remedy+ Coconut Miracle Oil (£8.99, lookfantastic.com), and leave it to soak in.
My hair is weirdly porous and also a magnet for any impurities in the sea, so you may be able to skip this bit. As for blow-drying it, I never do because a) I can’t blow-dry my own hair; b) it’s bad for it if you do it every day, and c) I always think ‘done’ hair looks wrong on holiday. I’ll either put it into a side plait or low ponytail, or I’ll leave it loose and let it just do its thing.
This never seems to work in London but, on holiday, eight out of ten times, it just does – possibly because of the gale-force Meltemi winds in Mykonos that act like a natural hairdryer. Oh, and the main thing: I never shampoo it. Bear with me here.
I know that sounds disgusting. But, as no one in the hair-product industry will ever tell you, part of the reason hair gets greasy is because we wash it too much. Meanwhile, a holiday, when everything is a bit more laissez-aller on the looks front, is a great time to wean yourself off shampoo.
Indeed, as I write this, just back from two weeks in Mykonos, my hair hasn’t been washed for a total of 21 days and it looks (and smells) just fine. Don’t get me wrong. I love my hair when it’s been ‘done’ and I look forward, now I’m back home, to going to the salon, getting it blow-dried and for a nanosecond having that wall of (albeit dyed) glossy blonde hair I used to long for as a teen.
But it is not sustainable, and it is not, come to think of it, really me. I am reliving my childhood dream – that’s what this is mostly all about. I guess eventually we all go back to our roots.
Summer style saviours The YOU team’s go-to remedies to transform straw-like hair into a glorious goddess mane Virtue Colorkick Illuminating Mask (£67, johnlewis.com) ‘When the sun, sea and pool turn my streaks orange and the condition dry as a bone, this wonder product de-brasses, hydrates and protects. Hair salvation in a tub.
’ Rosie Green Olaplex No8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask (£28, spacenk.com) ‘Just two pumps leaves hair of all textures silkier and stronger. My fine hair usually breaks when it reaches my shoulders but after using this, it’s the longest ever.
’ Alice Robertson Rainbow Volume S Brush (£12, victoriahealth.com) ‘This compact brush detangles, volumises and comes with a mirror. The secret is the curly teeth, which seem to get more air into thinning hair, making it appear fuller.
Great for children, too.’ Jackie Annesley Davines OI Oil (£43.25, libertylondon.
com) ‘Just rub a teeny bit into wet hair, leave it in and then style. Even my flimsy, flyaway hair looks glossy after I’ve used this. Plus, it smells like actual heaven.
’ Lindsay Frankel L’Oréal Paris No Haircut Cream (£8, boots.com) ‘When I first used this, a friend (who I’d seen that evening) texted me later to say how nice my hair looked. This never happens to me so I was thrilled.
I’m convinced this makes my hair shinier and less “puffy”.’ Maddy Fletcher SheaMoisture Intensive Hydration Hair Masque (£12.99, boots.
com) ‘You use this in the shower, but I also like it as an overnight deep-conditioning treatment. It has no sulphates, so it’s good for extensions, and it leaves my hair feeling really hydrated.’ Amy Hanbidge Share or comment on this article: Grow it long, go blonde and don't shampoo: How I nailed holiday hair at 64 e-mail Add comment More top stories.
