Wednesday 24 October 2012

Chic hair from coiffeur, Michael Charalambous



Over the summer my locks had really grown and were in desperate need of reshaping. I always put my tresses into the magical hands of Michael Charalambous, at Mayfair’s Nyumba. His cuts are amazing. Even though my hair hadn’t been trimmed for nearly three months, it still fell into place.

Michael took one look at my hair and said: “It’s time for a new look.” He is always updating and transforming my tresses. There is never any change of being stuck in a hair rut being Michael’s client.

Polished to perfection


“We need to reduce the layering which will make it look heavier but will still keep some movement in it.,” he remarked. “Autumn requires cuts that don’t need too much blow-drying, so that the hair can recover of the effects of summer. For healthy hair, I suggest, women should preferably forgo highlights until nearer the party season and tint only the roots and use a toner on the rest of the hair.”

Michael’s tip is to use products that contain little or no alcohol as they are less drying. He suggests ranges such as Aveda and Leonor Greyl – the Shampooing Reviviscence (£51.80) and the Masque Quintessence (£94.30), packed with nourishing goodies including Cupuaçu Oil from the Amazon work wonders on dry, parched hair.

Also a good treatment for restoring damaged strands to their former glory is Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Extreme (£26.25). The new Dove Colour Radiance Range, which helps keep the colour from fading, is good value for money. I particularly like the Radiance Shampoo (£2.39) as it is kind on the hair. I’m a fan of Bumble and bumble’s Color Minded Conditioner (£25).



Another gem is L'Oréal Professional Mythic Oil Colour Glow Oil (£15.95) which also contains sun protection – even over the winter, it is worth having – and is ideal for calming the hair and adding shine after you have blow-dried it.

“Hair should look natural with hardly any volume,” said Michael. “If you have long hair which needs some extra body, plait your hair at night – leave a little conditioner in the ends – and roll it clockwise into a bun and sleep on it.”

My hair looked polished to perfection but didn’t look as if I had spent hours at the hairdressers. This is one occasion when I was extremely happy to have put on weight.

By Daralyn Danns

Nyumba (www.nyumbasalon.com)