Here we are in the middle of our third lockdown in England and memories of DIY hair cuts that we tried to block out are already coming back. With salons forced to close for the time being, you might feel yourself reaching for the kitchen scissors, but we’re here to tell you to resist the temptation as we team up with some local experts to offer the best lockdown hair care tips. We reached out to salons and barbers in Kings Heath to come to your rescue and help you to take care of your hair while you patiently wait for them to reopen post-lockdown. We’ve got some fantastic hair care tips for you to try at home that will hopefully tide you over for now.
Hair Hacks
When you’ve got those scissors in hand, the fringe is one of the most tempting things to snip at first. But Julia of Julia’s Scissors (33 York Road) says that that’s likely to end in disaster, no matter how many Youtube tutorials you’ve watched! Instead, she recommends a grip or a decorative clip to keep a lengthy fringe from irritating your face. For clients with slightly longer hair, she says “a messy bun or ponytail can look great to hide those wispy, brittle ends, especially if you have those Zoom meetings working from home!”
What a great little hack! And, if you’re worried about your regrowth looking scary after cancelled colour appointments, Julia suggests trying out a zig-zag parting in your hair as it can disguise the regrowth banding. You can make the most of Julia’s expertise when her and the team reopen Julia’s Scissors in the near future – stay up to date with the salon here.
If you are itching to pop a box colour on to disguise those pesky greys, Anika, from Coustis Hair & Beauty, recommends only touching up the roots as this can help to stop regrowth banding. Doing a full colour at home can make it difficult for your stylist to know exactly what products you’ve used and whether they can colour over it. By only colouring the roots, if you must, you give your stylist a much cleaner canvas to work with.
Healthy Hair
Why not look at this time in lockdown as a way to let your hair repair itself and take a break from harmful chemicals. While you don’t have any real reason to style and colour your hair, take this opportunity to cut the chemicals and hold the heat – your hair will thank you for it! Instead, be sure to treat your hair with the shampoos, conditioners and serums that are right for you to bring back that healthy moisture and shine. Always use good quality products that are suited to your hair, otherwise you won’t feel the benefits!
Anika wants you to remember that you don’t have to wash your hair every day, as this could make your colour fade. But brushing your hair daily is something she definitely recommends – “It helps to distribute excess oils from the root area to the mid-lengths and ends, which helps to moisturise the hair, also helping stop your roots from building up oils, which can lead to dandruff.” Follow Anika and her team at Coustis over on Instagram.
The team at Hedshed (57 High Street) recommend keeping your hair care routine nice and simple by limiting those heated appliances and introducing a good hair mask once a week, like the Eleven 3-minute Mask. “Once you’ve rinsed your mask out, leave your hair to dry until only slightly damp. Enjoy a cup of tea and a biscuit while you’re waiting. Then, section your hair down the middle and put your hair into 2 French plaits. Sleep in these and, by morning, you’ll have beautiful wavy hair. Spritz in some Eleven salt spray and voila, you’re done!
Check out Hedshed on Instagram for more fab hair care tips and reopening updates!
Switch Up Your Style
There’s never been a better time to try out some new styles, and we love that beach wave idea from Hedshed. Whether there’s something you’ve been anxious to try out for a while now, or your usual style is causing you some problems, it’s time to switch it up. If you tend to wear your hair up, styles that are too tight can pull at the hair and damage both the strands and the follicles. Let your hair down and give it a break from all that tension! If you’d like to wear your hair up more often, practice your plaits and ponies or play around with some clips to see what you can come up with.
For The Boys
Ever wondered what you might look like with longer hair or a buzz cut? Well now’s the time to find out – use the time at home to make it past that awkward in-between stage when you’re growing your hair out and emerge post-lockdown as a new man! Or, take the leap, grab the clippers and shave it off entirely, because why not? For guys that really can’t deal with their cut growing out, focus on the back and sides. If you’re going to start cutting away, get someone you live with to help you and pay close attention to the back, sides and edges as these can make all the difference. Neaten up your sideburns, around your ears and nape of your neck for a quick style fix – by maintaining these areas well, your ‘do will look clean and tidy even if your cut is growing out!
Did you know that hair grows around half an inch per month? When you think about it, that really isn’t a huge amount of growth, but even the smallest bit of length can make the difference to shorter cuts. Mary from Mankind Barbers (31 Poplar Road) wants you to remember that some things are really best left to the professionals. “My advice would be to hold off from getting the clippers out – try to embrace the new length that you have…try a different parting or comb it back.” Mary, James and the team are really looking forward to seeing their clients once this latest lockdown is over, so be sure to keep an eye on their Instagram for news and updates.