For busy women on the go, hours spent in the salon chair are precious hours that could be used to get on with the pressing things in life – work, children, and general life admin. If your highlights are high-maintenance, or your roots grow out faster than you’d like, a regular appointment at the salon seems like a must on the to-do list.
Increasing numbers of busy women are looking for alternative options when it comes to hair maintenance. When they don’t have the time to spare for an extensive hair overhaul, I work my magic with a much quicker solution instead.
Many of my celebrity clients are busy women, who need to be in and out of the salon in under an hour. They don’t have whole afternoons to spare on a regular basis, but they still want to look their best at every opportunity. And that is definitely something that extends to women in the City too – they never want to be seen looking less than 100%, but they can’t often find hours on end just to sit in my chair. So instead of extensive highlights or a fresh all-over colour, I give them an instant update with a root touch-up and gloss instead. Hair immediately looks refreshed, healthy and shiny, but it takes under an hour.
When it comes to root touch-ups, the smallest addition of colour can make the biggest difference. Even if you’ve only got a small amount of regrowth, it can really become a bother and something that you hone in on when you look in the mirror. I find that greys are the biggest pet hate of my clients; dark roots on blonde hair, people don’t mind so much these days as it looks modern and cool, but greys seem to be a non-negotiable. I always use L’Oreal’s Cool Cover to recolour the roots and the regrowth, as it promises 100% coverage, will disguise any and all grey hairs, and only takes around 35 minutes to develop, so we can get super-quick results. Plus, it works to cool any warm or brassy tones, which can cheapen the look of the colour – a cool-toned finish looks far more expensive and will suit most complexions perfectly.
The benefits of going for just a touch-up and gloss go beyond saving time. Colouring the hair less often obviously reduces damage to the mid-lengths and ends too, and the glossing process is free from ammonia and bleach, meaning hair can actually be in better condition after the treatment than before.
Glossing works to freshen up and add shine to hair, but also to hone the colour and create something sharper overall. Glossing is a demi-permanent treatment, so it’s in-between semi- and permanent, and it works to deposit tone on to the hair strand, without lifting the hair colour. It just refreshes tired colour, or adds depth or coolness necessary to the season – so if you’re looking to tone down a brassy colour or add dimension to a darker tone, a glossing treatment will give you that luxe look. Seasonal changes can affect how our hair colour looks with our complexions, so a quick gloss can make the eyes pop or help your skin tone to look brighter or warmer, as the seasons require.
And for women who aren’t looking to adjust the shade of their hair, clear glossing treatments are becoming more popular, with many clients requesting them to maintain the shade of their hair and keep it looking luxurious and shiny.
I actually tend to use a clear gloss more often than a coloured treatment gloss. Most women booking in for a touch-up are happy with their colour, so we don’t want to adjust the tone if it’s unnecessary to do so. A clear gloss gives the hair a gorgeous, healthy shine and ensures that it looks its best, without changing the colour. A lot of my A-list clients really love popping in for the clear gloss, as it gives hair a really expensive, luxurious look in quick time.
Plus, a gloss and root touch-up is typically less expensive than an all-over colour, highlights or Balayage treatment, meaning that more regular appointments can be slotted in to maintain the hair’s appearance.