Great hair conditioning treatments

This is not a paid post. Products are press samples.

Now is the time to make sure that your hair is in good shape for summer. So give it some TLC. You should get into the habit of using a deep conditioning treatment once a week. There is a move away from using products from major brands to smaller ones that specialise in what are deemed to be more natural.

Here are my favourites.

Leonor Greyl Masque Fleurs De Jasmin, Nourishing Mask For Normal And Thin Hair, £37, Space NK  

Containing high-quality natural ingredients, this masque is the perfect treat for delicate hair. Subtly scented with jasmine it is a melange of amino acids, proteins, vegetable oils and acacia collagen. Working together they leave your hair feeling soft and nourished. Use as an everyday conditioner and as a weekly intensive treatment which you leave on dry hair for 20 minutes before shampooing.

The Renaissance Circle Hopeless hair extreme repair mask by Davines, £8, Liberty London, libertylondon.com

Ideal for at home or travelling, this will give your tresses a new lease of life. A favourite brand with those in the know, it helps to restore hair that has been damaged by overuse of hairdryers and straighteners as well as too much swimming in chlorinated water or over exposure to the sun. Contains babassu butter for moisture and yellow clay, which the company says, reassembles the external structure of the hair.

Shea Moisture Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Weightless Masque, £12.99
Ideal for fine, wavy or curly hair this will hydrate and smooth your tresses without weighing them down. A cocktail of shea butter and coconut water with added goodies such as dragon fruit and vitamin-rich imbe oil, which aids in keeping humidity at bay, it leaves hair soft, bouncy and manageable. Can be used on coloured hair.

Davines Nounou Mask, £20.20, cultbeauty.co.uk

Full of goodies such as tomato extract and olive butter and vitamin E, this will help restore chemically-treated hair to its former glory. Makes locks bouncy as well as soft and silky. Another plus is the minimalistic design of the packaging. This ethical Italian haircare brand makes you feel all the money is all in the product. 

By Daralyn Danns

Winter hair heroes

This is not a paid post. Products are press samples.

At this time of year you want to protect your hair from the winter elements as well as from damage caused by overuse of heated appliances.

In addition to using a masque once a week, it is also a good idea to apply a leave-in conditioner to help keep your hair soft and subtle. 

Here are my favourites.

Kérastase Keratine Thermique Smoothing Taming Milk, £18.50, feelunique.com

This pre-blow-dry lotion will protect your hair from heat and is perfect for helping to calm frizz and fluffiness as well as combating humidity. This is a superb treatment. My hair is also a lot easier to style after using this.  

Leonor Greyl Tonique Hydratant Moisturising and Vitalising Leave-in Mist, £19.70 feelunique.com
Enriched with amino acids and seaweed, this is the ideal treatment for parched hair helping to keep it silky soft. It does not contain parabens or silicone. You can use it on wet or dry hair. I use it whenever my tresses need a boost.

72 Blow Dry Cream, £14.99, 72hair.com
Can be used on all types of hair. It offers good heat protection as well as giving a moisture boost. It also has a special UV filter which is especially good if you colour your hair as it will help to reduce fading. A great styling cream. Also worth trying is the Repairing Oil (£14.99) containing cocoa oil, which aids in the battle against frizz leaving your locks lovely and shiny. I really enjoyed using this combo as did my hair.

Lee Stafford big smoothing brush, £10.99, Boots
Best suited for those with short and medium-length hair. I like the fact is has an open barrel as you spend less time drying your locks. It has flexible boar bristles so you can create good tension making it easier to smooth out any fluff or frizz.

By Daralyn Danns

Visit to Nyumba

It was over three months since I last had my hair cut and I have to admit I would not have left it so long had it not been for the fact that I was following the orders of hair supremo Michael Charalambous.

He has been cutting my hair for years and felt that as my hair was in much better condition (I had got rid of all the highlights ) it was time for a change of hairstyle. In other words, grow it all one length (except for a side-sweeping fringe) and wear it longer.

I have to admit I have rather liked swishing a mane around over the summer. I found my hair much easier to manage as I could tie it back in the hot weather and the length weighs the hair down, so it is easier to keep it frizz free.

If I did get an attack, I would use a few drops of Kérastase Elixir Ultime Rose Millénaire +Oléo Complex (£34.50), twist my hair into a knot and put on a shower cap. After my shower any fuzzy bits seemed to have disappeared. I also put a little in the ends at night to keep the hair well moisturised.

“We only need to take off a couple of centimetres (¾ of an inch),” Michael declared. “Hair is generally less layered for the coming season and is also darker.”

For brunettes, Michael suggests going a couple of shades darker for winter. If you are light brown make it richer. For blondes, it is all about a distribution of light. “For example, try two-thirds chestnut blonde,” he advises. “What you want to do is apply the same colours, but change the proportions.

Michael also suggests using a hair mask once a week to maintain the hair’s health. Leonor Greyl has a good selection. I particularly like the Masque Fleurs de Jasmin (£33.97). A cocktail of essentials oils, organic acids and proteins, it nourishes the hair leaving it lovely and shiny. If your hair is extra dry, damp your locks before you go to bed and apply the treatment. In the morning wash it out and shampoo and condition your hair as normal. You should see a remarkable difference when your hair is styled.

He also says try to avoid over-using heated appliances. If you have shoulder-length hair or longer, he suggests letting your hair dry naturally overnight and then in the morning, divide it into four sections and tong it to create soft waves. “Ensure you leave the ends of the hair out as this will make it look more natural. The next day you can comb it through. “This way you don’t have to wash your hair every day,” he says.

My hair was lovely. I always feel when Michael has done my hair I am ready to walk down the red carpet.

By Daralyn Danns

For appointments with Michael visit www.nyumbasalon.com