Does colouring your hair make you look younger?

The summer had played havoc with my hair. Bursts of sun and more frequent washing had once again left my tresses looking too yellow. As this is not particularly flattering on my skin tone, I quickly got an appointment with Josie Weston at Daniel Galvin, the go-to salon for colour.

Josie agreed that the current hue was not doing me any favours. She told me she was going to tone it down and add a tad more dark (shade 5) to the ends as they had really faded.

As I looked round the salon, there were a lot of people there to cover up the greys. I admit to being one of them as I do have some of those annoying white things that seem to stand out dramatically against the rest of the dark brown.

A hairdresser that I had been working with suggested that I should go with nature and let it take me where it takes me. Not long ago the Duchess of Cambridge had been photographed with a few stray greys. So I put the question to Liz Edmonds, colour director, and Josie: when is the right time to go grey and who can pull it off?

“There is not a right or wrong time,” says Liz. “If you are confident and dress fashionably you can carry it off. You also need to have a good haircut such as a bob and always keep it looking immaculate.”

But here is the punch line: “There is no doubt about it, grey hair will make you look 10 years older,” stresses Liz.

A family member of Josie’s decided to go grey because she could not be bothered with the upkeep. She found that she was having to have her roots redone every couple of weeks. 

“It did make her look older and dowdy. There is no doubt about it,” says Josie. Luckily, she was not bothered by other people’s opinions. However, after five years, she called me up and asked to make an appointment as she wanted to go back to being a brunette.”

Josie did an amazing job on my locks. I emerged a stunning shade that has since been admired by other hairdressers, which is praise indeed. 

I love my natural colour which is almost black, so like a lot of women, I will continue scheduling in visits to the salon to mask those little blighters for as long as possible.

By Daralyn Danns

Daniel Galvin (www.danielgalvin.com)

Daniel Galvin has recently opened a new salon in Abingdon Road, Kensington, London. Housed in a period building it provides the perfect backdrop for Daniel Gavin’s highly-acclaimed colour and hairdressing services. Visit www.danielgalvin.com

Rectifying summer hair fade

I am not quite sure how it happened as I had not had my hair in the sun but my fringe had faded to a distressing shade of yellow, making me look drained and washed out. I immediately hit the phone  to book an appointment with my trusted colourist Daisy Twyman at London’s prestigious Daniel Galvin salon.

Shock horror!  Daisy was away for a few weeks. Having had more colour disasters than I would like to remember, I am always loathe to put my tresses into the hands of somebody new. I normally say it is not where you go but who you go to that counts. However, in the case of Daniel Galvin, it is the other way round. I know how well trained the colourists are and as the record keeping is meticulous, I didn’t feel that trying somebody new would be a problem.

Josie Weston, was the lady this time that was going to take me from drab to fab. We had a lengthy consultation and Josie agreed that we needed to change the formula to make the front darker.

“When hair lifts, it can have a devastating effect on your skin tone, leaving you looking exhausted,” explained Josie. “It is something you have to think about especially in the summer when hair lightens more quickly than in the winter.”

If you are deciding to follow the Bronde trend which is currently one of the hot hair colours of the moment, you may want to reconsider and go for a different option.

A combination of blonde and brunette, this can look effective when first done, the lighter bits on brunettes have a tendency to go brassy. If you have a cool or neutral skin tone, the warmth may not be flattering on you. 

That perfect caramel shade you had when you left the salon can turn orange with a few washes and a few outings in the sun. I had them put in at another salon years ago and bitterly regretted it.

Before I knew where I was, I was back at the salon having a toner applied to restore my locks to their former glory.

Josie’s advice to anybody considering a major change is to weigh up the pros and cons. How will it fit into your lifestyle? Are you prepared for high maintenance? Will you have to change your wardrobe and buy a whole new set of make-up?

Before you rush into anything always talk it through with a colourist. Ask how the new hue will work with the underlying tones in your hair.

As we tend to wash our hair more in the summer causing colour fade, a good item to have to hand is Davines More Inside Texturising Dust for Instant Volume (£18.90). It is great for creating that extra oomph especially in humidity when hair can flatten quickly. Plus, it does not dry out the hair as some of these types of products can.

Josie, did a great job on my hair. A true pro, she constantly checked the colour to make sure I did not end up too dark. I got the look I wanted. I left the salon swinging glossy brunette tresses quietly confident that this would last for a good few weeks.

 By Daralyn Danns

 Daniel Galvin (www.danielgalvin.com)

Revitalised at Daniel Galvin

When hair is freshly coloured it always looks lovely and shiny so your hair also appears smoother and in better condition. Unfortunately, for us and fortunately for the salon, especially over the summer months, our tresses fade all too quickly and it has to be redone.

The lovely sun in Umbria and the glimpses that it has made here had wreaked havoc with mine so it was back to the Daniel Galvin salon to see my trusted colourist Daisy Twyman and for her to use her magic touch and restore my hair back to glory.

Daisy said it certainly needed a refresh. “Over the summer, we tend to wash our hair more and, as we know, with every shampoo the colour washes out.” Although, she hastens to add, products formulated especially for coloured hair can help prevent colour fade. Using harsh shampoos will strip the colour from your hair very quickly. 

If your hair is really porous, it might not be able to hold on to the colour so it can fade quickly. Those that have a lot of white hair, Daisy says, may notice that it feels coarser as the colour fades and in some cases turns frizzier making it harder to style yourself. Choosing a darker hue may help it last longer.

“Conditioning treatments help to keep hair soft and manageable.  Try to let your hair dry naturally and keep away from other heated applicances as they all contribute to damaging the hair making it more porus. You may find that if your hair is curly you will not have to wash it as frequently as those with straight hair.

A good staple to have to hand is Color Wow Root Cover Up, ” says Daisy. I can vouch for this, it covers regrowth well and will last until you next shampoo your hair. Once you have tried it, you will wonder how you ever managed without it.

After doing the roots, Daisy took the colour through to the ends and left it for a good five minutes. Hey presto, I was once again a glossy brunette. 

I left the salon with a spring in my step and feeling a new person.

By Daralyn Danns

Daniel Galvin (www.danielgalvin.com)