I’m back! While my sunny holiday to Spain may have left me feeling relaxed, it certainly stressed my hair out. Lots of direct sun, chlorinated pools, and salt water isn’t great for hair, and while I tend not to overly work my hair, it came back a horrible combination of oily and dry, with a lot of split ends…
Since my return to the UK, I made it my mission to fix my hair, and treat my hair to a few new, high-end hair products that promise a glossy, deep moisturising experience. I’ve spent the last week slowly conditioning my tresses back to a softer, glossier state – so I thought it would be worth sharing the exact products and processes I followed!
How to tame post-holiday split-ends
The first issue that I fixed were my split ends. I’m going to be honest – there’s only one real way to fix split ends, and that’s to cut them off.
So, off to Natural Colour Works I went! As my favourite hair salon in London for years, I did the usual – booked myself in with Scott, the Director, for a full wash, cut, and blow dry. When we sat down to discuss what my hair needed, I told him how my holiday had left my hair feeling heavy, dry, and unmanageable. Under his expertise, I got my ends trimmed off, as well as new layers put through my hair to reduce the weight, and hair oil to give a little more moisture and shine.
I’ve always had incredibly thick hair (and it’s something every single hairdresser I’ve ever gone to has commented on) but I know I can trust Scott and the NCW team to handle my hair well. They spend extra time making sure my hair is well looked after, and I always leave feeling fresh and new. Thank you Team NCW!
How to clarify oily hair and clean your scalp
Next up, clarifying my scalp. There’s many reasons why my hair gets oily – simple things like exercise, and my hormones, are the usual culprits. But with a 14-day holiday in the sun, my scalp had got used to twice-daily washes, and the return to the UK and my usual every-other-day hair washing routine just wasn’t cutting it.
So, I turned to the expertise of Philip Kingsley, and their classic hair care range. I was delighted to learn that all their bottles are now being made with sugarcane-derived bio-plastic, which is recyclable and part of their efforts to reduce carbon emissions across the company too.
From their extensive range, I’ve been using their scalp toner* (kindly gifted) to reduce oiliness and bring my hair back to a happy, lighter and more manageable state.
Instead of applying this during a hair wash, the toner is left in all day, keeping my roots clean for longer. There’s nothing more satisfying than running my hand through my hair and it feeling clean and soft!
How to re-moisturise hair after a holiday
Alongside a clean scalp, I’ve been working to re-moisturise the mid-lengths and ends of my hair. My usual routine is to wash my scalp with shampoo, condition the ends, and then apply a few drops of pure argan oil to the ends of my hair while still damp, but sadly that wasn’t enough to return it back to its usual self.
So, to the deep-moisturising products I went! First up: Galinée’s gorgeously creamy hair mask*, with pre-biotics to boost my hair’s natural microbiome (yes, your scalp also benefits from friendly bacteria!) I love using hair and face masks in the bath, so I’ve had a few nice steamy bubble baths recently all in aid of my hair…
Alongside my favourite hair mask, I’ve also been trying out Philip Kingsley’s hero product: their Pomegranate and Cassis elasticizer*. I was gifted this to try out, having never used an elasticizer before, and I’m pleased to say it’s been a revelation for my hair! Similar to a hair mask, I apply this to the mid-lengths and tips of my hair, and then leave it to soak in for 10-20 minutes. Followed with their Body Building Shampoo* and Conditioner*, my hair has bounced back – literally!
How to restore gloss and shine in post-holiday hair
And finally – we can’t forget the little extras that take my soft hair and give it that all-important shine!
Once I’ve masked, shampooed and conditioned my hair, I’ll gently towel-dry my hair, and dry my hair in layers (yes, I told you it was thick!) using a high-power, low-heat setting. I really dislike how my hair goes if it gets too hot, so if you haven’t done so already, make sure to change your hairdryer settings to something similar!
When it’s dry, I’ll spray on a fine layer of floral hair perfume that also provides heat protection, and either go on to use hair straighteners, or skip that and go straight to OriginalMineral’s shine spray* for a final, glossy touch.
Overall, I’m happy to have created a new haircare routine that keeps my scalp clean, and my hair soft, glossy, and manageable. I’m going to continue to gauge what my hair needs as I go – obviously there’s a lot less heat and swimming now! – but for now, this is really working well for me.
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This post contains gifted items (denoted with 'gifted') and affiliate links (denoted with '*')
