A change of hair direction

Working with your hair texture always gives you a better result. So, with last season’s trend for big hair and plenty of waves, I decided to give it ago and grow out my bob and, as they say, go with the flow. And, I have to admit that I actually like wearing my hair slightly curly.

Now, I was back at Mayfair’s Nyumba waiting for the genius that is Michael Charalambous to give me his verdict on where I should be taking my hair this spring.

Michael said that we don’t need to take off any of the length – music to my ears. “Your hair is in good condition, so you can grow it,” he added.

It just shows that cutting down on using heated appliances and blow-dries (some hairdressers rip your hair) and not having so many highlights really does improve the health of your hair. 

Every time I wash my hair I like to use a deep conditioning treatment rather than a normal conditioner as it helps to weigh the hair down and prevent frizz. I like Wella Brilliance Mask for coarse, coloured hair (£10.49). Although my hair is fine, there is a lot of it, and I find this does the trick. Another good one, especially when you are in a hurry, is Pantene Coloured Hair 2 Minutes Colour Damage Rescue Masque (£4.49). 

“I am going to add some inverted layering to give the hair lots of movement and create that lived-in texture, so your hair will fall in soft waves, a key trend for spring,” said Michael. He styled my hair reasonably straight in order to check the cut. When I am drying it myself, I tend to dry it with movement as it is easier. I’ve just tried Bumble and bumble’s new straight line. I find the Straight Shampoo (£23) and Straight Conditioner (£25) help to calm frizz.

The quicker you dry your hair, the faster the cuticle is flattened and, therefore, the hair is less likely to frizz. I use my head like a giant roller, pushing the right side over my head to the left and back again until almost dry. Then I do the other side. The back, I brush forwards and backwards until dry. I use a Philip Kingsley Vented Paddle Brush (£23.20) which has been designed to reduce hair breakage and limit heat damage. If I need some lift or to smooth any pieces, I use a round bristle brush such as ghd Ceramic Vented Radial Brush (size 4, £17.50).

Hair is all about the cut. Michael’s always falls into place when I wash it, which makes my life so much easier. As for colour, which should always work with your cut, he is predicating russet browns, golden chestnuts and coffee blonds blondes. Could I be tempted?

By Daralyn Danns

Nyumba (www.nyumbasalon.com)

Destination Cape Town

The V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain

I’ll never forget seeing the legendary Table Mountain for the first time. Flanked by Devil's Peak to its left and Lion’s Head and Signal Hill to its right, it looms over the beautiful, green city of Cape Town.

For spectacular views of the Mother City as it is also know, I took a cable car to the top of the mountain. The table cloth, as the locals call the white cloud that frequently covers Table Mountain, makes visits weather dependent.

Take a stroll around the city. The Company Gardens and the Greenmarket Square are well worth seeing. For quirky boutiques, cool bars and restaurants head to Long Street.  

There are also plenty of museums. A must is a visit to the Gold of Africa Museum, not only to see the collections which include objects from the ancient gold civilisations of Southern Africa, but to try out the Gold Restaurant where you can take part in an interactive Djembe drumming session. Then listen to African singers as you enjoy your meal. 

My favourite place is The V&A Waterfront – watch out for seals playing in the water – home to the city’s smartest shops and countless eateries and Cape Grace, one of Cape Town’s chicest hotels. It’s old South Africa meets new. I couldn’t find one fault with this hotel. The service is out of this world and its setting spectacular.

The colony of African penguins, Simon's Town

A trip to Cape Point, in the southern section of Table Mountain National Park, about an hour away from the city, whisked me past sandy bays, quaint villages and towns. I did a whistle-stop tour of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and Boulders, Simon’s Town, to see the colony of African penguins. They are such fun to watch. Cape Point is often said to be where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, but they actually meet at the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas.

Looking down at the craggy cliffs and the ocean from the renowned Cape of Good Hope (also within the same section of Table Mountain National Park), I imagined what the Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias experienced when he discovered it in 1488.

 

Cape of Good Hope

I came back via the Chapman's Peak Drive, a 9km road blasted into the mountain rock, which runs along the coastline between Noordhoek and Hout Bay. I reached Camps Bay, a trendy suburban beach area of Cape Town, at the foot of the Twelve Apostles mountain range, in time for a sundowner.

The next day took me to Constantia Valley, peppered with forests and vineyards.  Approximately 20 minutes from Cape Town, this is the country’s oldest wine-growing region. One of the best vineyards is Klein Constantia Estate, which started producing wine in 1689. If you can’t get there, you can buy in the UK its Klein Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (£11.99, www.majestic.co.uk), a refreshing, fruity wine.

Robben Island

South Africa has its challenges as does every country. You will see townships – a visit is a humbling experience – and there is poverty. But, standing on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent many years as a prisoner, listening to a former inmate’s account of life there, I realised how far this country has come.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

South African Airways (www.flysaa.com)

Cape Grace (www.capegrace.com)

South African Tourism (www.southafrica.net)

Time to visit the colourist

“Wow, look at that hair,” was how José Molino, at Neville Hair and Beauty greeted me when I recently visited the salon. He couldn’t believe how quickly it had grown and what good condition it was in.

It was only a few months ago that I put my over-processed hair into José’s capable hands. He told me that he was only going to put a few highlights into my hair and that has dramatically improved its health. So, thanks to him, I’ve now got longer tresses, a current trend.

Since my last visit, when I touched on the subject of hair looking different in various types of lighting, 

I’ve been paying attention to other people’s hair to see the effect on different shades of hair. I had noticed that I was getting too much warmth through in daylight. “The light in November and December tends to be greyer than in January and February, when it tends to be brighter and clearer. So, it will make your hair seem a different colour,” José told me.

The remedy was to take out the extra warmth and readjust the colour. One thing I have learned from José is that you always have to keep adjusting your hue as the light changes. The colour that looks right in September may not look right in December unless you slightly change it.

“It just gets better and better,” José said looking at the finished result created by my stylist, Sam Snell. She had worked with my hair’s natural texture to create a lovely “big hair” look, which as I moved, showed off the colour.

By Daralyn Danns

Neville Hair and Beauty (nevillehairandbeauty.net)

The curly look

Recently, when I have been to the hairdressers, the weather has been damp. Not great for keeping my hair straight. So, when I walked into Aveda Institute Salon and Spa and met up with Olivier Noha, he took one look at my curly hair and said: “I like it.” Not the reaction I was expecting.

He said that working with my hair’s natural texture, especially in this weather,  will mean that the blow-dry will last longer. He suggested drying my hair using a diffuser to bring out the curl.

After prepping the hair with Aveda Be Curly Style-Prep (£18.50), Olivier twisted my hair with his fingers before drying. “Bring out the waves with the diffuser. Use your hairdryer on the lowest heat and speed setting. Don’t use your fingers while you are drying your hair as this can cause it to frizz. To increase volume, bend your head to the side. If you want to decrease it hold your hair straighter. The prongs on the diffuser help to give body at the roots.”

Using a diffuser yourself can be tiring on the arm as attaching to the hairdryer does make it slightly heavier. Also your hair takes longer to dry. Diffusers usually work best on wavy or curly fine or medium textured hair that is short or medium length.

I thought this was a nice change. I would try this again when the weather is bad or on a hot summer’s day.

By Daralyn Danns

Aveda Institute Salon and Spa (www.aveda.co.uk)

The allure of chocolate

I admit to being a chocoholic, so I am grateful to Christopher Columbus and the Spanish traders for ensuring the first cocoa beans arrived in Europe. First consumed as a drink, it wasn’t until 1847 that Fry & Sons, a Bristol-based company, reputedly produced the first chocolate bar.  

Courtesy of  La Maison du Chocolat

“Chocolate contains a number of vitamins and minerals,” says Dr Áine O'Connor, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation. “Milk chocolate is high in calcium and contains iron, while dark chocolate is higher in iron, although there is some debate about how absorbable the minerals in chocolate are. There are foods that provide much better sources of these nutrients such as meat and milk.

“It also contains flavonoids, which are components of a group of substances known as polyphenols that have antioxidant properties. Dark chocolate has more than twice the level of polyphenols as milk chocolate, per serving, while white chocolate contains no antioxidants.

“There has been some interest in the use of dark chocolate to lower heart disease, but current evidence is inconclusive due to limitations in the design of studies. Chocolate also contains high amounts of saturated fat, such as stearic acid – although this fat does not raise cholesterol levels. Chocolate is also high in sugar, and calories.”

Dr O'Connor suggests chocolate should be considered as treat as part of a healthy, balanced diet, rather than a health food. I eat good quality dark chocolate which contains cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar and sometimes real vanilla. As the flavours linger on the palette you need less to satisfy your craving. 

I asked Richard O’Connor, co-founder of Chocolate and Love (chocolateandlove.com), which specialises in top notch chocolate, how to pick a good bar.

“Ninety per cent of all good chocolate bars will tell you on the label where the chocolate beans come from,” says Richard. “Don’t choose chocolate just because it is made in Switzerland or Belgium. They produce some good chocolate they also produce very bad stuff.”

Richard’s tip is to choose trinitario and criollo beans, not forastero, from Venezuela, Madagascar, Peru, Dominican Republic and Ecuador. “They all produce great beans, but also some bad beans,” he says.

He recommends avoiding the big brands and choosing smaller ones such as Amano, Amedei, Bonnat, Original beans, Duffy and, of course, Chocolate and Love.

I’m a recent convert to Pacari Raw Chocolate, 70% cacao (£3,50, wholefoodsmarket.com) from Ecuador, which has been minimally processed to help preserve the flavonoids. It is fruity tempered with a hint of oak. I’m also a fan of La Maison du Chocolat. My favourite bar is the Pariguan Bar 69% (£8.20), which is made from criollo beans from Venezula.

According to Richard, it is a myth that good chocolate is over 70 per cent. “It is like saying good wine is over 14 per cent alcohol. If you want to taste the flavours then it needs to be about 70 per cent, otherwise you are tasting too much sugar, but beans badly fermented and conched at 70 per cent, will taste bitter.”

Go for quality, not quantity and enjoy!

By Daralyn Danns