Our beauty expert shares her top three tips for getting longer, stronger locks Five must-have haircare products Pureology Colour Fanatic Multi-tasking Leave-In Spray Joico Blonde Life Blonde Strong Detangler Andrew Fitzsimons Fantasy Curls Detangler Spray BPerfect Cosmetics The Cheek Lancôme Idôle Tint Liquid Eye Blusher K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask Umberto Giannini Banana Coconut Detangler Lancôme Idôle Tint Liquid Eye Blusher Recently, my hair grew long. I wasn’t setting out to do it, I’m just really bad at making hair appointments and so time passed and my hair kept growing. I didn’t realise how lucky I was until people started asking me how I did it.
Then I learned that lots of people really struggle with hair growth, so I decided to get to the bottom of why. From what I’ve learned, the main contributing factors to the struggle people have in getting the long locks of their dreams are hair type and condition. There’s not a lot we can do about hair type, but we can do something about condition, so here are three tips for improving it and therefore getting your hair to grow.
Cut back on colour: I know you might not like to hear it, but dying your hair is one of the worst things you can do for its condition, especially if you’re a blondie. The products used to lighten your hair also break its protein bonds. This can lead to breakage, and if your hair is snapping at the ends, it’s not going to get long.
Cutting back from a full head of highlights to a half head or a T-bar, or even just a little balayage, will help in the growth stakes. K18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask If you must lighten your hair, make sure the salon is using a treatment like Olaplex or L’Oréal’s Smartbond, as well as investing in some products for use at home. (1) K18’s Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask (€30 via brownthomas.
com ) effectively counters damage done by salon chemicals — just make sure you read the instructions properly and use it regularly. Reduce the heat: We all love our heated tools, but I firmly believe that one of the reasons my hair has grown is that I’ve cut right back on their use. If you can, let your hair air dry as often as possible, or cut back on hair washing so that you can style it less frequently.
I wash my hair once a week and only use heat on it on that day (unless there’s some sort of emergency which can’t be managed with a slicked-back bun). Pureology Colour Fanatic Multi-tasking Leave-In Spray I also apply heat protectant generously — you need a layer for every application of heat (eg one for blowdrying, one for straightener/curler). I love (2) Pureology’s Colour Fanatic Multi-tasking Leave-In Spray (€31 via petermark.
ie ) because it nourishes the hair as well as protecting it. Careful when wet: Wet hair is stretchier than dry hair, making it more vulnerable to damage. Therefore, the less you interfere with it, the better.
Be gentle while drying it — squeeze the moisture out rather than rubbing the hair and causing needless friction. Brush your hair before you wash it to minimise knots and, if you must brush it while wet, be as gentle as you possibly can. Joico Blonde Life Blonde Strong Detangler A wide-tooth comb and detangling spray can help.
I like (3) Joico’s Blonde Life Blonde Strong Detangler (€28 via renaissancehairandbeautybar.com ), which doubles as a heat protectant, while (4) Umberto Giannini’s Banana Coconut Detangler ( €12.25 via beautybay.
com ) is also effective and smells delicious. Umberto Giannini Banana Coconut Detangler If you have curly or oily hair, you’ll love (5) Andrew Fitzsimons’s Fantasy Curls Detangler Spray (€17.95 via mccauley.
ie ) which has the kind of scent you’d expect from a high-end fragrance. Andrew Fitzsimons Fantasy Curls Detangler Spray Lip blushing is a semi-permanent tattoo which is said to enhance the shape and colour of your lips by adding a tint and improving their symmetry by covering uneven pigmentation. Think a perfectly lined and lipsticked lip in your dream nude colour — all the time.
The treatment takes about an hour and a half, and results last two to three years. You can expect to pay somewhere in the region of €350. BPerfect Cosmetics The Cheek Multi-use products are becoming more and more popular as people streamline their beauty routines, and I, for one, love the cohesion of using the same colour in multiple places on the face.
Irish brand BPerfect Cosmetics’ The Cheek (€15.95 via bperfectcosmetics.com ) is primarily designed for the cheeks but can also be used on the lips and eyes.
It blends beautifully and dries down to a soft powder finish which looks beautiful on all three areas of the face. The Cheek comes in two formulas (a soft matte finish and a dewy shimmer) as well as in 11 shades. Pink Sugar is the sweetest, girliest pink with shimmer — perfect for anyone craving the Sabrina Carpenter look.
Just Peachy works beautifully on tan skin to deliver a matte, beachy, 1970s vibe. Lancôme Idôle Tint Liquid Eye Blusher The Lancôme Idôl e range is consistently good, and has thus far brought me one of my favourite mascaras of recent years as well as some truly excellent eye liner. Now, another frequently used product has entered my make-up bag via Idôle Tint Liquid Eye Blusher (€33 via brownthomas.
com ). As you might expect with that name, this gorgeous product can be used on the cheeks and eyes, or even as a highlight if you choose one of the shimmery shades. As with many high-end liquid products, this sets quickly and will not budge once it’s dried down, so if you’re planning on blending it, blend quickly! Available in seven shades, from a pearly shade to a dusky rose, this is a super handy product to have in your make-up bag.
Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.
