Louise McSharry: Don’t fret over frazzled hair, the damage can be undone

Without our hairdressers during lockdown, many of us have desperately reached for products we’ve no business using, but it is possible to rescue lifeless hair

Practice some damage control with these haircare products

Kiehl’s Damage Repairing & Rehydrating Shampoo

Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Originale

Practice some damage control with these haircare products

Kiehl’s Damage Repairing & Rehydrating Shampoo

Redken Extreme Anti-Snap

Kristin Ess The One Signature Shampoo

Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Originale

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle range

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat

Practice some damage control with these haircare products

Louise McSharry

April 24 2021 02:00 AM

I was watching The Real Housewives of Dallas the other night when I audibly gasped and had to pause the show to look more closely at what was in front of me. One of the women was chatting to her friends, and the hair that lay on her shoulder was so frazzled and lifeless, I had to inspect what was happening there. I am always on high alert for troubled hair, having had my own issues over the decade I spent torturing my follicles with bleach. Sure enough, this woman’s situation had been caused by the very same culprit. The ombre blonde ends of her very dark hair were in a bad way.

Our hair is more fragile than we’d like it to be, which is why hairdressers so often tell us we can’t achieve the dramatic colour transformation we were hoping for, or at least not as quickly as we’d like. (See Billie Eilish’s recent transition from green and black to blonde, which had to be done over the course of six weeks). Too many intense chemicals too quickly will result in hair the texture of candy floss, or in some cases, hair that breaks off in chunks. No one wants that. While we’ve been separated from the wisdom of our hairdressers, many of us have desperately reached for products we’ve no business using. Mistakes have been made. Damage has been done. So what can you do if you’ve ended up with the frazzled, lifeless hair of a Real Housewife of Dallas?

The first thing is to leave it alone as much as possible. Heat is the last thing it needs as it recovers, so put your tongs away. Wash it no more than twice a week; it doesn’t need any more than that, and its natural oils will be good for it. If you’re desperate to style it, consider heat-free styles, which are all the rage on the internet at the moment. Surprisingly beautiful curls can be achieved with socks, dressing gown belts, or specially made hair-wrap sets. Irish brand The Beaded Gem do a lovely set (€30) in various designs.

When you do wash your hair, be mindful of what products you use. Sulphates are cleansing agents in shampoos that do a great job of removing dirt and product residue, but can strip the hair of natural oils and hydration. Try a sulphate-free product instead, like (1) Kristin Ess The One Signature Shampoo (€19.99, available via Boots), (2) Kiehl’s Damage Repairing & Rehydrating Shampoo (€23), or OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo (€10.99). Because of the lack of sulphates, you’ll notice these products don’t lather the way you might be used to, but that’s a good thing.

Kristin Ess The One Signature Shampoo

Kiehl’s Damage Repairing & Rehydrating Shampoo

Condition your hair generously in the shower, swapping it for a hair mask once a week. I like Phyto Phytojoba Moisturizing Mask (€23.00) or Olaplex No. 3 (€27.50), and the (3) Aussie 3 Minute Miracle range (€5) is a brilliant budget option. Use a brush designed for delicate hair, like a Wet Brush, to comb the product through. Don’t brush it at all once it’s dry, this will minimise breakage. Once you’re out of the shower, (4) Redken Extreme Anti-Snap (€24.90) is a brilliant leave-in treatment that protects hair from breakage and worked wonders on my pathetic gruaig after a bad bleaching incident in 2013. Lash it on and leave it there.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle range

Redken Extreme Anti-Snap

A hair oil like (5) Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Originale (€35.50) or L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil (€12.49) will nourish hair and give it some shine, which damaged hair will always need help with.

Video of the Day

Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Originale

If things are really bad, chances are, a chop is the only real solution in terms of having healthy hair again. It’s OK, hair grows back and hairdressers will be back soon. Just don’t make the same mistake as that Real Housewife of Dallas and hire a hairdresser who’s also your shaman. That doesn’t seem to go too well.

Lost in translation

New, buzzy skincare ingredients appear all the time, but Squalane is one that’s been around for a few years now, so it’s time we understood what it is and what it’s for. Squalene is a lipid that exists naturally in the skin with declining production as we age. Squalane is hydrogenated version of squalene, which we use topically to improve hydration and collagen production. Basically, it’s a moisturiser.

Something old…

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Anastasia Beverly Hills is the OG brand of brows. Founded in the 1990s by eyebrow expert Anastasia Soare, ABH has produced innovation after innovation, which are often imitated. Our minds were collectively blown by the brand’s DipBrow Pomade (€22), and the subsequent launch of Brow Wiz (€24.50), the skinny, retractable brow pencil that made hair-like strokes a cinch. You’ll still find these products in many a makeup bag.

... Something new

Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat

Charlotte Tilbury has expanded her brow range with her new Super Model Brow collection, including Brow Cheat (€28), a skinny, retractable brow pencil. So far, so familiar. What I like about this product is its emollience. It is soft and applies easily in thin strokes, but can easily be softened with a spoolie. Despite its ease of application, it lasts well, staying put rather than migrating to other parts of your face. Plus, it’s refillable which means it’s better for the environment and cheaper to repurchase (refills are €16).