Monday 31 October 2016

Blown-away by John Vial at Salon Sloane



John Vial, hairdresser extraordinaire, is a whizz with the scissors and his blow dries will turn you from drab to fab in an instant. 

He honed his skills at Vidal Sassoon and rose up the ranks to be creative director, a post he held for over 12 years. He is now regarded as one of the industry’s greats.

Known for his creative prowess, John has impeccable styling credentials having worked backstage for some of the most prestigious brands on the planet including Hermès and Narciso Rodriguez. He has also worked with the likes of Annie Leibovitz and Rankin.

What, in my opinion, makes John a genius is that he looks at you as an individual and gets your hair type in seconds. He would never, unlike some stylists, give you a cut or style that is not suitable for you. He calls a spade a spade and tells you what your hair can or cannot do. His passion about hair comes shining through.





I was over the moon when I heard that he had opened a salon near to where I live, tucked away around the corner from Chelsea’s Sloane Square. Salon Sloane as it is called, is nicely decorated and well-laid out. It has a sophisticated ambience injected with a warm and intimate feel. 

It is a joint venture with Belle Cannan, another highly-respected hairdresser, whom I first met at Nicky Clarke’s. Belle also started out life at Vidal Sassoon. She and John, in 2003, helped to put Real Hair, another Chelsea salon on the map. 

John looked at my hair and asked how I liked to wear it. “Straight,” I replied. “Do you mean straight or smooth,” he replied. “Remember, I came from Vidal Sassoon so straight to me means Japanese straight.”

I asked him which way he thought would suit be better. The answer was Japanese straight as he felt that ends turned under were not modern.

“Hair now should look natural not forced,” he said. “Even if you have to blow-dry it first and then put in texture. It is the equivalent of the no make-up look. You might look as if you are not wearing anything but you have used a lot of products.”

Colour now, according to John is super muted and flat. “There is no warmth in it,” he added. It should look as if it has not been coloured.”

John credited the Japanese YS Park G1 Curl Shine Styler Hair Brush (from £53.36, amazon.co.uk) he used for doing the work, though I doubt that. It might make life easier but the skill is in how you blow-dry and John would be an ace at that whatever brush he used. 

I looked amazing when he finished, that was until I got caught in the rain. I was devastated to think all that fantastic work had been wasted. When I got home, I bumped into my neighbour who could not stop raving about my hair. “I just got caught in the rain,” I replied. “Look in the mirror,” she said. To my utter astonishment, my lovely locks were still poker straight. Not one bit of frizz in sight. It was a miracle or should I say John is a miracle.

Even if you cannot get John or Belle, you know whoever you go to will be trained to an exceptionally high standard. This is not just another hair salon, it is a game-changer.

By Daralyn Danns

For more information visit www.salonsloane.com


Friday 28 October 2016

Spotlight on rahua Hair Detox & Renewal Treatment



From the brand which is synonymous with crafting high-quality green products with ingredients from the Amazon rainforest for the hair and body comes rahua’s latest innovation, rahua Hair Detox & Renewal Treatment (£88, two applications from Urban Retreat at Harrods).




Designed to help detox the hair and scalp, this treatment will leave your locks feeling lovely and soft as well as shiny. 

It is a great home treatment and smells divine. This is ideal for coloured hair and will help to restore it to its former glory.

By Daralyn Danns

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Spotlight on the Braun Silk-expert IPL with Braun Face facial cleansing brush



I have long been a fan of the Braun Silk-épil Epilators as they keep hair at bay, especially on my legs, for weeks. Another great plus is that you can remove short hairs with them. Over the years I have saved a fortune in waxing bills and I did not have to wait for the hair to grow a certain length before I could get rid of it.

When I heard that Braun launched its new Silk-expert IPL (£399) which, the company says, will permanently reduce the amount of unwanted hair that you see, I had to try it.

Here is the science bit. The pulses of light target the melanin in the hair follicle underneath the skin’s surface which aids the break-up of the cycle of hair regrowth. You notice that the hair becomes weaker and finer and growth slows down. If you use it over a three month period it helps prevent the hair from getting to the surface of the skin. 






What is also clever about this speedy gadget is that it also has a SensoAdapt skin tone sensor which is able to read your skin tone so that the light intensity is adapted to your specific needs. This is a great plus if you want to use it on other parts of your body besides the legs as your skin tone varies. With some other devices you have to match your skin tone against colour matching charts which is not exactly an efficient method. 

The IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) technology is extremely easy and quick. It is, according to the company, the fastest IPL technology available.

There is a gliding mode with which you can treat your legs or arms in about 10 minutes. If you want to treat smaller areas such as the upper lip, there is an integrated skin contact sensor. There is also a gentle mode, perfect if you have sensitive skin or are using the device on areas such as the underarms or bikini line.

I also liked the fact that the device does not need batteries or charging. Just plug in and start the treatment. It will also last you for years.

It takes a couple of months to see noticeable results. By month three you should see a difference like I did. 

This Braun Silk-expert IPL is easy to use. I have incredibly sensitive skin and I had no side effects. Braun is a highly reputable company so it would not put out any items into the market that had not been vigorously tested. 

Braun says that it works best on those with light to medium skin tones with hair that is natural blonde to dark brown or black.

It also comes with Braun Face cleansing brush which is ideal for those days when your complexion needs a little extra help.

This is an impressive gadget.

By Daralyn Danns