Beauty tips: Healthy hair commandments according to one of ghd’s best

The cooler months are a great opportunity to heal the skin and the hair, especially if the long, hot summer followed by Covid-19 stress led to a little neglect on both fronts. You might be heading back into the office now or strictly WFH like me, but either way it’s time t seize the day and start giving those locks a little love.

I got the lowdown from ghd ambassador Zoë Irwin about her own “healthy hair commandments” to nurture and repair your hair...

#1 FREEZE DRY YOUR BLOW DRY

“Turn down the heat on your hairdryer and improve the condition of your hair,” says Zoë. “With a powerful hairdryer, like the ghd helios (below), the powerful air flow means that you don’t need to rely on heat for drying your hair, the power itself is enough. Always flash cool each section of your hair and dry with a round bristle brush to add moisture and shine.’’ I can definitely vouch for the powers of the helios after grabbing one prior to lockdown and totally falling in love with it. My hair is thick and long, and my dry time has certainly diminished after the arrival of my helios. Highly recommend.

#2 MASSAGE YOUR SCALP

“Massaging your scalp daily for 10 minutes has an incredible effect on the hair,” says Zoë. “It will relieve tension and increase the blood flow for thicker, healthier, longer hair. And it's so easy to do!’’

#3 TREATMENT LAYERING

“Super charge your hair by layering hair treatments, this technique is equivalent to a facial but for hair,” says Zoë. Simply apply a mask and leave it for 15 minutes, rinse off and towel dry, then repeat twice until you have used three masks in total. The secret is to start with a protein mask which helps to bind broken fibres together and strengthen fragile, damaged hair. Then follow with a conditioning mask and finish with a colour mask to retain and enhance colour and shine.

#4 BIGGER IS BETTER

Swap small brushes for big paddle brushes like the ghd Paddle Brush (my personal fave). “As you sweep the ghd paddle brush along the scalp it will lightly massage and increase blood circulation to the scalp,” says Zoë, “helping to stimulate healthy hair growth. Plus, the wide surface means that more hair is being brushed at once, so less brushing is needed overall and thus less stress is put on the hair.

#5 COLD RINSE

This one gets tougher as the mornings get cooler, but it’s definitely a proven tip! “By rinsing or washing your hair with cold water, you close and seal the hair cuticles which helps add extra shine and combat frizz,” says Zoë. “So always turn your shower to cold for a quick cold rinse before getting out. This also benefits your skin!”

#6 GENTLY DOES IT

“When hair is wet it is fragile and vulnerable to breakage so brush wet hair VERY gently. Use a wide tooth comb like the ghd detangling comb. The wide tooth design allows for delicate detangling on damp hair which is fragile and more prone to damage.”

ghd is available in the finest salons, department stores and ghdhair.com/nz