hair

My hair has recently reached that awkward in-between length where it’s no longer the mid-length lob that I visited the hairdressers for but it can’t quite be considered a long hairstyle yet. Instead, it’s sitting rather uninspiringly on my shoulders causing me to seriously consider going for the chop. I’ve experimented with shorter hairstyles over the years but have never taken the plunge into a full-on bob. But with my Instagram feed filling up with dramatic, post-lockdown haircuts, I have to admit that I’m seriously tempted to forgo my lengths in favour of something shorter, choppier and infinitely cooler. And a quick look online confirmed that the bob might just be the hairstyle of 2020. From Fearn...

Ever since I became aware of my hair back in middle school when I finally retired my beloved slick soccer ponytail, I’ve lamented my fine, thin locks. And after becoming a beauty editor, it’s become my mission to find out which haircuts are best for feigning the look of fuller, thicker hair. Here’s what I’ve learned: it’s all about the optical illusions your stylist creates in addition to how you care for and maintain your cut at home. “If you have fine or thin hair, the haircut you choose is super important,” explains celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson. “In general, blunter lines are always better, and if you do opt for layers, keep them minimal. Bobs, lobs, long hair that’s roughly one length, and pixies are great for this type of ...

I go on about this a lot, but nothing gets me down more than the fact that my hair is lifeless and lacking texture. I can spend up to two hours tonging it and misting it with several different sprays and still not manage to achieve the effortlessly tousled look I so crave. At the end of the whole ordeal I’m left with one of two hair looks: matted, flat and greasy as a result of the excess product in there, or a Dolly Parton-esque bouffant.  If you ask me, achieving beachy lengths that look effortless is one of my hardest beauty feats. And, while I’m still eagerly anticipating my post-lockdown hair cut, it’s safe to say that I am looking for all of the tips to style out my rather ridiculously long hair right now. Luckily for me, I recently got the chance to sit...

The result was everything I’d hoped for. Subtle hints of blonde shone through the lengths, blending seamlessly into my natural colour at the roots. A couple of years later, and it seemed this new hair colour trend had a name: balayage. While for decades, hair-colouring techniques in the UK had been based solely around a strict menu of block colour, full-head highlights, half-head highlights or T-section highlights, leading UK hairstylists were starting to adopt more tailored, international techniques, and balayage was the first big movement. Since that moment, I’ve more or less stuck to my balayage roots (pun totally intended) and only really switched up my colour to experiment with other forms of balayage. And in all honesty, I’m not sure I’ll ever look back. When it comes to going to the...

If you’re feeling brave, Dua Lipa’s your gal to look to— her bleached front sections have kicked off a huge trend we are seeing everywhere at the moment, or why not try her pastel pink rinse. Jodie Searle, Senior Colourist, Michael Van Clarke says, if you’re taking this route “always use a semi permanent colour, although if applied on porous or bleached hair, it can still be almost permanent so bare this in mind. If your hair is brunette or darker, the chances are you will have to bleach your hair before you can apply a lighter shade such as pink.”  Then there’s the various shades of red, most recently sported by Kim K (anyone else reminded of childhood discos and hair mascara with her latest posts?), or maybe it’s a chance to embrace those grown out roots with dipped ...

Probably one of the most overlooked hairstyles out there is mid-length hair. Between short pixies and chin-grazing cuts, to long, lustrous tresses, often we forget just how chic mid-length hairstyles can be. But right now, that seems to be changing. Chances are if you’re anything like us, you’re looking for a way to freshen up your look, and we all know the easiest way to do so is with a new hairstyle—and it seems the look fashion girls are backing is the long bob, otherwise known as the “lob”. The long bob’s sudden rise through the hair ranks is likely a combination of two things: 1) It’s being sported by those who had shorter hairstyles before lockdown, which have subsequently grown-out due to the lack of salon appointments. And 2) Those with long...

When it comes to switching up my hairstyle, I can get a little shy. In fact, I’ve had the same hairstyle (long, bleached, centre-parted) for nearly 10 years. And what’s really quite funny is that despite the fact my hair has looked the same that whole time, the techniques I find myself asking the hairstylist for have varied drastically over the years. First I was asking for ombré, then balayage and now it tends to be something along the lines of “babylights but kind of balayage and don’t forget the root stretch, please?” Yep, navigating the world of hair colour can be quite the minefield. And frankly, I’m a little fed up of the same old, same old. Luckily, there’s a new hair colour trend on the block and it’s set to spice things up a little. That’s right, it’s the ’90s chun...

As with any hair change, it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into before you go ahead. Of course, going short comes with the usual considerations such as whether or not your cut of choice will work with your texture and thickness. However, when it comes to going short, there are other things to consider too. As a rule, short hair tends to have to be styled more frequently than longer hair, and the general need for upkeep tends to be greater. When it comes to a short look that needs constant styling, it’s more important than ever to take the texture of your hair into account. “Consider the natural texture of your hair—if it is coarse, fine, straight, curly, etc. If you go for a style that ignores this, it will cause styling issues. Use your new short haircut to put emphasis ...

It comes as no surprise really that after three and a half months of lockdown, we all seem to be suffering from a little hair fatigue. Whether it’s from staring at yourself in zoom meetings for too long or having outgrown your usual cut not being able to get to the salon, a lot of us are now considering a change of style for when we finally get that prized hair appointment.  We’re here to help you find some inspiration, and where better to start than the bob? If you haven’t already succumbed to this shorter style in the last few years, you’re a stronger woman than we are— before the lockdown, at least half of the Who What Wear UK office had gone for the snip. Long bobs and blunt bobs have all had their moments but the most recent cool-girl hair trend? The French bob.  If you...

After being understandably denied the salon experience these last few months, it makes sense that scheduling in an appointment with our favourite hairdresser has become a priority, and will mark the first time that most of us will have had a trim since the start of the year.  Much like actresses who contractually agree to keep their hair long for recurring roles – think Emma Watson, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Emilia Clarke, to name a few – it seems that, now we have the green light to switch-up our hair, we’re fully embracing the opportunity by opting for dramatically shorter styles.  Spoiler alert: shorter hair doesn’t necessarily mean its easier to manage—particularly if you’re blessed with a head&nb...

When it comes to doing my own hair, I have zero patience to do anything elaborate. Even the thought of the sheer time it takes to curl my hair (for context, my hair is rather thin, but there’s a lot of it) is enough to make me tie it up, out of the way. This laziness on my part is largely the reason why I’ve since become obsessed with hair accessories.  With the power to make your hair look pretty with minimal effort, hair accessories have become my go-to when my outfit feels a little plain, or I need a quick switch-up. So you can imagine my delight when, a couple of years back, hair accessories became a priority on the style agenda—a place they’ve remained ever since.  However, looking at my collection of hair accessories, it dawned on me that most of them...

It has now been over two weeks since hair salons in the UK were allowed to open, but many of us are no closer to being able to get our hands on an appointment. And it’s not surprising, really, given the circumstances. You see, a huge number of people all want their hair cut or dyed in a short space of time. However, the last couple of weeks have been more interesting than ever for hairstylists. Not only has the routine of appointments had to drastically change in order to comply with new legislation, but they have also been faced with new challenges when it comes to treatments. “If you haven’t had a haircut in over four months, the quality of the hair is definitely going to be poor. What tends to happen is that the hair starts to split up the hair shaft. Wispy ends...