Is is bad to pluck grey hairs? Your common hair questions answered

Q: If you pluck a grey hair, will 10 grow back in its place?

You’ll be pleased to know that this is a complete myth and your grey hair will not grow back. If a single strand annoys you, just cut it as near to the root as possible as plucking it will only cause stress to the follicle, and if it gets infected you could cause hair loss in that area which is the last thing you want!

Q: Can apple cider vinegar make hair shinier?

In a word, yes! Try working about 5ml of apple cider vinegar into your hair and leave for roughly five minutes before rinsing with cold water. This leaves your hair shiny and less frizzy because the apple vinegar lowers the PH scale on your scalp, redressing the balance. It also closes and smoothes the hair cuticles to retain nutrients and moisture. Note: if you have dry hair, don’t do this too often, but if you have oily hair, do it frequently to help with build up.

Q: Does washing your hair in beer help make it healthy?

There is no clinical evidence that this is true, but some say that Guinness, because of all the B vitamins and antioxidants it contains, can add shine to hair.

Q: Will brushing 100 times a day keep hair healthy?

No, brushing your hair that many times a day will actually do some damage through all the friction, especially if you have fine, brittle hair or if you do it when it’s wet. However, a few gentle brush strokes daily with a natural bristle brush on dry hair can stimulate scalp circulation, and help to distribute natural oils from roots to tips.

Three easy ways to bring brittle and damaged hair back to life

Most of us aren’t prepared to give up our styling tools, but if you’re noticing your hair is getting dry and damaged from too much heat, follow these expert tips…

Start with shampoo

Frequent heat styling can sizzle the hair’s outer layer - the cuticle - and this can make it more prone to losing moisture and becoming brittle and damaged. Reinforce weak strands with shampoo and conditioner that has protein in it (sometimes called keratin) to boost the cuticle strength.

Make time for a hair mask

Adding extra moisture to hair as we’ve heard is key to keeping it healthy and shiny. Adding a deep treatment hair mask to your weekly routine is a great place to start and as well as adding some much need hydration it’s a lovely habit to get into as part of your self care regime. Apply the mask while you’re in a hot steamy shower or a bath as the heat can help it absorb.

Invest in a heat protectant spray

Spray on a heat-protectant styling product before blow-drying, straightening or curling hair. Think of it like an SPF for hair, make sure all the strands are evenly coated. You can also use leave in conditioner as a protectant, as this can protect hair up to 232C!

How to give sun damaged hair some TLC

INVEST IN SOME LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER

Comb a restorative leave-in conditioner L'Oréal Paris Ever Strong Break Proof lotion in wet hair, then throw it up into a bun to create a barrier from UV rays and keep hair hydrated. Buy it here.

PROTECT WITH A HYDRATING HAIR MASK

The sun’s rays are harsher in the summer, so even if you aren’t outside every day, your hair can still get damaged when you are. Use a hair mask like Lóreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Very Dry Hair Masque once a week to maintain moisture. Buy it here.

CUT BACK ON WASHING YOUR HAIR

The oil your hair naturally produces protects it from the sun, so you don’t want to over-wash during the warmer months. Instead of lathering up daily, use a dry shampoo like Batiste a couple times a week to give your hair a break. Buy it here.

SPRAY ON THE MOISTURE

Some styling products can give you those effortless beach hair waves. L'Oréal Paris Stylista The Beach Wave Mist Salt Spray creates texture while adding moisture back into the cuticle so your hair is less susceptible to the sun’s heat damage. Buy it here.

What is the perfect hair care routine?

Does your hair need some TLC? Try this simple haircare routine for healthy hair…

Step 1: Cleanse

Just like you cleanse your skin, your hair needs the same care. You don’t have to do this daily - how often you wash your hair depends on its dryness and if you have product build up. Washing your hair will leave it and your scalp feeling clean, removing any products, grease, dirt and dead skin cells which might have built up.

Step 2: Condition and nourish

Conditioning your hair helps to detangle, seal the cuticles and provide moisture. It replenishes the moisture that your shampoo may have removed, and it will help remove any knots or tangles that were caused by massaging your shampoo onto your hair and scalp.

Step 3: Protect

Never use heated styling tools like curlers or straightener on wet or damp hair. After applying a heat protectant, let your hair air dry for a couple of minutes before applying heat.

Step 4: Moisturise

After styling your hair or letting it air dry, add back in a little moisture. Also on days where you’re not washing your hair, your hair may benefit from a moisture boost. This is where hair oil comes in, our favorite multitasker! Hair oils are also great for controlling frizz and preventing dryness.

Step 5: Treatment

Try a weekly mask, oil or a scalp treatment. This can help tackle damage, dryness and an oily, flaky or dry scalp, and improve the overall appearance and health of your hair.

The secret to thicker hair

Want to know how to thicken hair? It’s one of the most common questions we get asked at the salon, and the answer to how to thicken hair is a complex one, but it can be done!

First it’s useful to understand a bit about why your hair loses thickness in the first place, and then read on to find out our top tips for how to get thicker hair…

What causes hair to lose thickness?

The most common reason for a gradual loss of hair in volume and thickness is getting older. This is because, as we age, the new hair emerging from the follicle is thinner, and eventually the same stem cells stop producing melanin (the colour pigment), so these wispy thin hairs turn grey or white.

Medical conditions like eczema can also make hair thinner, as it causes follicles to become blocked and prevent new hair growth.

Autoimmune and/or genetic disorders can also mean that hair gets thinner or even falls out altogether, while some meds can have an adverse effect on hair thickness.

Temporary hair loss or thinning hair can also happen after the body experiences a major shock that disrupts the hair's normal growth pattern.

What bad habits can cause thinning hair?

Before you can thicken hair, it's useful to know about any habits that might be causing it to thin. As we’ve heard, while genetics and medical conditions are sometimes responsible, they're not the only culprits!

Pulling at hair and keeping it in very tight hairstyles will, not surprisingly, gradually weaken the hair strand and the follicle it comes from.

Your lifestyle plays a major role in the quality of your hair. Stress and nutrition (vitamin deficiency) have been directly linked to poor hair quality, as well as unhealthy habits such as smoking and yo-yo dieting.

How to thicken your hair's appearance

Try a spalp massage

When washing the hair, use your fingertips to massage the scalp in gentle circular motions to stimulate blood flow and promote the healthy growth of new hair.

Use hair thickening products

For thinning hair, we love L’Oreal’s Serioxyl Denser Hair Serum, a daily treatment to improve hair density. For fine hair needing a little volume boost, we recommend L’Oreal Serie Expert Volumetry volumising root spray, as well as Volumetry Shampoo and Conditioner. For long hair, suffering from thin ends, L’Oreal Serie Expert Pro Longer uses patented, filling technology to renew lengths and fills-in-ends. The Pro Longer Ends Filler Concentrate, is a weekly hair treatment that provides strength and durable thickness to ends.

Have regular trims

Have your hair trimmed regularly to prevent the development of split and uneven tips, which will cause the hair to look thin and straggly. Even, well-cut hair automatically looks fuller and healthier. Ask your stylist at Pankhurst and Deane about a micro-trim hair cut, or an 'invisible cut'. You get to keep the length but the split ends are dusted off.

Three common hair problems and how to fix them

Want to know how to fix some of the most common hair problems? We’re here for you. Read on for our expert advice…

Problem: Oily Scalp

Solution: The best way to get rid of oily scalp and greasy hair is to improve your hair care regime. That means washing your hair with a paraben-free shampoo to clear your clogged pores and scalp. You could also try using a clarifying shampoo every so often, which can help reset the health of your hair. Diluted apple cider vinegar or tea tree oil also helps.

Problem: Dry scalp

Solution: Argan oil brings back moisture to your scalp and forms a protective layer against extreme heat. You also need to avoid using any heat-based hair styling products while suffering from a dry scalp.

Problem: Frizzy hair

Solution: Washing your hair less often and avoiding hot water can help with the frizz. Applying Argan oil can also add moisture to hair and protect it from excess heat.

Five ways to spring clean your haircare routine

With the days getting longer and spring around the corner, it’s time to change up your haircare routine for the new season….

Show your scalp some love

Winter can play havoc with hair - woolly hats, cold temperatures and central heating can all damage the hair and scalp.

The secret to reviving a dry scalp? Hair oil before shampooing. Leave it in your half for half an our, or even better, overnight, to give it time to nourish the scalp follicles and restore the hair's natural shine.

Invest in B vits

Increased hair loss can be more common in spring, often because of vitamin deficiency. Counteract this by increasing your intake of B vitamins, zinc, copper, vitamin C and protein. However, if your hair loss is worrying, it’s worth looking into the cause, including hormonal imbalances, diet, stress etc.

Rinse hair with lukewarm water

If you already have a dry scalp or hair, avoid very hot water in the shower, especially for fine hair which is more delicate. Instead opt for lukewarm water for rinsing. Colder water means will cause the hair cuticle to lay flat, which leads to a shiny, glossy finish.

Use heatless drying techniques

If your hair has become dry and brittle over the winter months, give it a break from hair drying. Why? Heated styling compromises the cuticle and over drying leads to moisture loss in both the scalp and the strands. Take advantage of the weather as it gets warmer and allow your hair to air dry where possible.

Use heat protectant spray

Air drying not your thing? Use protection! Heat protection sprays create a barrier between the cuticle and the hot air, minimising any moisture loss and preventing breakage and split ends.

How to handle hair loss

Hair loss? Don't panic...when you consider we lose up to 100 hairs a day, it’s no wonder we’re all after the secret to healthy hair. 

With 50 per cent of women experiencing hair loss at some point in their lives, here's our top three tips to preserve and protect:

Feed your follicles

What you eat really does affect how healthy your hair is. The hair follicle lives in what is known as the ‘dermal layer’ of the scalp, which is supplied by a network of blood vessels that deliver nutrients to the cells.

So you need a healthy diet rich in proteins and vitamins in order for your hair to benefit. Protein like meat, eggs, cheese, tofu and nuts are particularly good for follicles because they help boost the hair-thickening fibre, keratin.

Eat foods rich in Vitamin D - like tuna,mackerel and salmon - to keep the hair growth cycle ticking over. Iron, found in red meat and spinach, helps carry oxygen to the hair and zinc, found in baked beans and almonds, encourages the production of protein.

Give yourself a head massage

Massages aren’t just good for the body and soul - a head massage is a simple and quick way to boost the blood flow to your hair bulbs, spurring them into action.

You don’t even need to go to a fancy salon. Just use your fingertips to push and press products into your scalp. Apply some castor or sesame oil, which is full of fatty acids and proteins to promote growth, into your hair before massaging. A recent study revealed that scalp massage increased hair thickness!

Blame the seasons and fake it

Eating well, not feeling stressed and have no history of hereditary hair loss but you’re still filling the shower plughole daily? Research has found that hair tends to shed most in late summer and early autumn, which could be down to evolution.

Less hair loss in summer means we are protecting the scalp against harmful UV rays with our luscious locks, but as they die down in autumn the hairs will often fall out. So what’s the answer? Fake it by investing in some of these scalp-stimulating and follicle-fattening products….

Greasy hair? Here's why and how to fix it

Why is my hair so greasy?

As you’re probably already aware, healthy hair produces a certain amount of sebum, or oil, as a way to hydrate your scalp and protect your hair. And the amount of oil you produce varies depending on your hair type, how often you shower and other lifestyle factors like that.

Sometimes this natural oil can collect on your hair, especially at the root - and this can look greasy or oily. If this sounds familiar, then we’re here to tell you the causes of oily hair, products that can control oil production, and some home remedies for when your hair looks too greasy.

So what’s the cause of greasy hair? The oil in your hair is part of your body’s defense system for the sensitive hair of your scalp. This oil mixes with sweat and dirt, coating your scalp and sometimes the top of your head, too. This is actually normal, so don’t panic.

Practicing good hygiene by washing your scalp often with a shampoo cleanses the oil and gives your hair a fresh start. But saying that, some hair types (straight hair for one, sorry guys) are prone to oil build-up and certain lifestyle habits, like exercise, over-use of styling products, and being out in the heat or humidity can add to your bad hair day.

Reason 1: Over-washing

If your hair is oily or greasy one of the causes could be over-washing. Every time you wash your hair with shampoo, it sends the scalp the signal to produce more sebum. If you’re washing your hair too often, your scalp gets the message that it needs to be in oil production overdrive. This can result in oily build-up on your scalp - and the greasy look you’re trying to avoid.

Reason 2: Hair type

Straight hair is especially prone to collecting oil because the hair shaft doesn’t have any texture or wave to it, so oil slides straight down the hair shaft and collects all over your head. It also makes oil in your hair more visible when hair hangs straight down.

Reason 3: Over styling

Another cause of oily hair is the type of styling products you use. Sebum is a type of oil, which means that simply washing it with water doesn’t break it up. Rinsing your hair with just water or skipping the shampoo step and using only conditioner can allow oil to build up. While it might not be easy to spot the oil when your hair is drying, it quickly appears oily again only a few hours or so later. That’s because only certain ingredients, found in most shampoos, can break down the oil that builds up on your hair.

Three home hair styling hacks from our hairstylists

Want some quick ideas for how to style your hair from home? Here are three easy tricks our hair stylists recommend…

Level up your ponytail

This ponytail trick is the fastest way to make your updo look professional. After you’ve secured your ponytail, grab a small bit of hair from the pony and wrap it around the base of your ponytail to cover the hairband.

Coat the very end of the section with hairspray, and smooth it against the base to seamlessly secure it.

Make your own sea salt spray

If you love the tousled beach look, and are already a fan of sea salt spray, did you know you can make it at home?

Simply mix together 500ml of sparkling water and a teaspoon of sea salt in a spray bottle. While your hair is damp, spritz the mixture onto the ends of your hair, and use your fingers to scrunch them up.

Use your straighteners as a curler

Learning how to curl your hair with your straighteners is great especially when you’re going away and don’t want to take loads of different styling tools with you.

First, grab a small section of hair. Then, hold your straighteners vertically with the open end pointed upward. As you clamp the hair, begin rotating it away from your face. Don’t slow down or stop - the key to getting consistent curls is to keep the movement fluid.

As you keep rotating the straighteners away from your face, allow your hair to slowly slide through the clamp until you reach the end. For looser waves, lower the heat on your straighteners and brush them out after you’ve finished curling.