healthy Hair

The latest hair craze to sweep the beauty world is one that may be a little surprising: hair that appears as if it hasn't been touched by a styling tool. Naturally styled hair may look amazing (and allow you those extra couple minutes of sleep), but hair that magically does what you want it to without styling is just a myth, right? Stylist Vanessa Fernandez of the Butterfly Studio Salonin New York City doesn't believe so. "Great hair is about getting your hair as healthy as possible," she says. "Treat your hair to get it back to a healthy state, and always keep it nourished." Read her tips for how to give your hair a break when you keep reading.

When in doubt, go back to the basics. That's exactly what French hairstylist, photographer, and L'Oréal ambassador John Nollet (who counts stars like Vanessa Paradis and Diane Kruger among his clientele) advised when asked his top tips for achieving healthier hair. And as you might expect, it all starts with the right foundations.

• First, ace your base: Get beautiful hair from the get-go by using the proper shampoo and conditioner for your hair type. Not sure where to begin? Ask your stylist for a thorough consultation so there are no doubts as to what type of cleanser and hydrating treatment your strands really need.
• Then, perfect your cut: "The second one is an amazing haircut," Nollet says. "If you have a beautiful haircut, you can go out of the shower and let your hair dry naturally." The right cut will also allow you to play around with the texture of your hair, so you can go from curls to sleek and straight (and vice versa) and still look just as gorgeous. Something else that never hurts? "Beautiful colour, of course."

We're just 24 days away from Summer. And whilst that's good news for some, for others — namely those with frizz-prone hair — it can signal the start of an on-going battle with your strands. But it doesn't have to be that way — we've rounded up some easy and effective tips to ensure your hair looks its best all Summer!

• Embrace your hair's natural texture. Pretty much every expert will tell you that Summer isn't the season to insist on poker straight stands at all time. Instead, if your hair has a natural kink or curl to it, just roll with it.
• It might sound simple but . . . deep conditioner is really a great tool for preventing frizz. After shampooing, apply it to the mid-lengths to ends of your hair and leave on for a few minutes before rinsing.
  

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There's nothing worse than regularly spending a fortune having your hair coloured to notice only weeks later that your colour is fading. There are various contributing factors, including washing your hair too often, frequent use of heat styling tools without using the appropriate protectant products, swimming in chlorine without wearing a swimming cap, as well as extensive sun exposure. If you've noticed that your colour is looking a little worse for wear and fading all too fast, we've got the tips and tricks to get your hair picture-perfect for the party season.

• Choose shampoo, conditioner and styling products that are designed to cater for coloured hair, and even more specifically, those tailored to every different hair colour. To maintain your colour and shine in-between salon visits, try Aveda's three-part system Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner (from $12.95 each) and Aveda Color Conserve Conditioning Treatment ($49.95), featuring soy-derived vitamin E and other enriching plant-based ingredients.

Keep reading for more colour fade-preventing tips!

Luscious locks are the only accessory a girl needs this party season. Take your mane from meh to magnificent with our top tips and trends for you to try, whatever your hair type. Today we're tackling condition, helping you turn dry and damaged hair into shiny strands.

Why so dry? Dry hair can be the result of genetics or environment — or both! Some people are more prone to dry hair, just as others are prone to oily hair. And whilst it's handy that you don't have to wash your hair every day, dry hair doesn't always look as shiny or healthy as you'd hope. Damaged hair is more severe than dry hair and can be caused due to a variety of factors such as heat styling, product build-up or chemical stress from hair colouring.

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As this week's episode of Australia's Next Top Model was all about leading a healthy lifestyle, we asked the show's lead hairstylist, TRESemmé's Joh Bailey how we can keep our tresses in tip-top condition:

• Use a heat protector. So much of hair damage comes from over styling and using tools. To cut down on this dramatically, use a heat protectant before any styling. Joh recommends TRESemmé Thermal Creation Heat Tamer Protective Spray ($7.99).
• Always use a nourishing shampoo and conditioner to keep hair moisturised. Try the Naturals Nourishing Moisture range for hydration to keep hair healthy without any nasties.
• Take a hair and nails supplement. These can help keep hair in good shape.
• Work with your hairdresser. Regular trims can ensure hair always looks it best and they can help advise on the best colour options to ensure your hair is not too overworked or stressed.
• Rinse your hair properly. If shampoo or conditioner is left on there, it can weigh hair down and also make the scalp itchy and irritable.

Image courtesy of Foxtel

I've just about gotten over not being able to meet Sarah Jessica Parker in person like US Bella did. Just. I shared with you earlier that all it takes to please Ms. Parker is a good foot rub and that she's as obsessive about moisturiser as us (good to know), now she's opening up about that gorgeous mane of her and trying to tell us that she's bad at makeup!

From big and blonde to bobbed and brown, SJP isn't afraid to mix up her style (she even had red hair in the early '90s) but what matters most to her is healthy hair. I think I love her even more.

Tell us about your hair: I'm lucky enough to get to work with Serge Normant (HUGE star in hairdressing land) and he and I have the mutual objective of trying to keep my hair as healthy as possible — which is hard given my particular line of work, when they want to just beat it up every day and put heat on it and blow-dry it. And I like to try colour and things like that, so it's hard to do. I am not complaining because it's part of what I've chosen to do that I love. Keep reading . . .

Every girl about town wants good hair. And there’s no denying that most of us think long, thick and healthy hair is the ultimate.

The trouble is, what with the sun exposure and lengthy styling rituals that most of us put our locks through every day, it’s often hard for our strands to reach their full growth potential whilst still looking lovely.

Well not anymore with Sunsilk’s latest shampoo and conditioner: Longer & Stronger ($4.49 each) which hits stores in January. Delta, the brand’s ambassador, has been using it to build up the strength of her hair and vouches for its aceness.

The whole deal is that it doesn’t actually make your hair grow faster, but it coats each and every strand with a protective layer, helping to reduce breakage and leaving your hair free to grow up to 1.2cm per month. It’s fortified with roobibos to help stimulate growth and calcium to strengthen strands. And I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s the best-smelling Sunsilk product ever, and maybe, maybe just my favourite smelling shampoo of all time. Big call.

Stockists: Sunsilk (1800 061 027)