Two months into our third lockdown, it’s safe to say that many of us have our at-home beauty routines nailed now. For those of us lucky enough to work from home, meaning we rarely have a reason to leave the house, focusing on beauty care and maintenance has been a priority.
Nailing the perfect skincare routine, perfecting our tan application or indeed, giving your skin a well-earned break from applying products to it, there’s still one issue left to tackle – the roots.
You can apply all the oils, and refrain from using all the heat in the world on your hair, but still, nothing can stop the roots from appearing. It remains one of the most frustrating parts of beauty maintenance, but luckily we’ve enlisted the help of one of Ireland’s top hair experts, Peter Mark’s Ciaran Purcell to share his tips and tricks.
Whether you’re looking to cover up greys, or give your hair colour an overall boost, Ciaran has the solution for you. Firstly, Ciaran says the best piece of advice he can give for those tempted to reach for the bottle (dye, that is, wine is a necessity in lockdown) is to not.
“I know it’s tempting when you walk into Dunnes or Tescos and there’s a wall of colours lined up there, but try not to pick one up,” he says.
Explaining why a salon colour is unbeatable he adds: “When you go into a salon, we have a colour consultation with you. We look at your colouring and what would suit you best. There are hundreds and hundreds of different colours and we choose and create the perfect tone for you.”
Ciaran advises however, that you use this time to work on your overall hair health, refraining from box dyes, and reaching for colour alternatives that won’t strip or damage your hair. If you feel your hair is in desperate need of some sort of colour boost, Ciaran says that you have two options.
“Firstly, a root touch up spray is great, and they’re particularly good for people with grey hair.”
L’Oreal Paris Magic Retouch Dark Brown
“You can get it in plenty of different colours, from black all the way up to warm blonde. It’s inexpensive and you will get a minimum of 40 sprays out of them, so one bottle will last you a really long time”
But, if a root spray isn’t going to cut it for you, Ciaran says that Wella Professional’s brand new product, ‘Color Fresh Mask’ will do just the job.
“Basically, what this is, is pigment in a mask. A mask is a product that adds moisture to your hair and makes it overall healthier, so this product has all of the beneficial properties of a mask, except with an addition of coloured pigment in it,” Ciaran explains.
Color Fresh Mask in Caramel Glaze
Telling me how this product is unlike normal dye, Ciaran says that instead of penetrating into the hair strands, causing damage, the pigment in the mask will simply sit on the hair, maintaining overall hair health while still giving your colour a much-needed refresh.
Washing out after roughly six shampoos, Ciaran explains how to use it: “Like a mask, use it once a week. Shampoo your hair as normal, towel dry it, pop it in, leave it in for between 2-10 minutes, depending on how intense you want the colour to look, wash it out and you’re done.”