5 expert-approved tips on how to breathe new life into your hair

LOREAL

Credit: LOREAL

Hair


5 expert-approved tips on how to breathe new life into your hair

By Shadé Owomoyela

2 years ago

In partnership with L'Oreal Professionel

L'Oreal logo

From a good diet to the ultimate detoxing hair treatment, we’ve rounded up the best ways to breathe new life into your hair according to an expert…

If one of your goals this summer is to achieve healthy-looking hair, pull up a pew because you’re going to want to hear what we have to say.

Whether you’ve been drawn into the rosemary oil trend or you’ve been rinsing your hair with rice water to no avail, we spoke to hairdresser, hair educator and L’Oréal Professionnel Editorial Ambassador Adam Reed to get the low-down on how you can keep your mane looking and feeling gorgeous.

So, here are five ways you can breathe new life into your hair…

1. Healthy diet = healthy hair

Just as you can eat your way to good skin, it turns out you can eat your way to healthy hair too.

“Diet is really important for your hair,” says Reed.

“Your hair tends to be the first thing your body doesn’t look after. Stress, illness or  medication could cause your body will stop looking after your hair because it doesn’t necessarily need that hair.”

If you’ve been neglecting your five-a-day for a while or relying too heavily on takeaway to keep you going, you might have noticed that your hair isn’t feeling its usual tip-top shape. Adjusting your diet to include whole foods and plenty of nutrients is a perfect way to start making sure your locks get the chance to shine again.

“A healthy diet will really impact healthy hair,” says Reed, “so drinking lots of water, eating foods rich in omegas, like lentils or oily fish and a high vegetable diet, is a really good way to help your hair and I always recommend supplements.”

2.  Get a regular salon-grade treatment

Nothing beats that salon-fresh feeling and when you’re getting a treatment specifically designed to save your hair from the damaging effects of metal build-up, the transformation is sure to have your hair looking its best.

“Prevention is key to looking after – and having – healthy hair,” says Reed.

“I talk about it all the time. I think it’s a really important thing to do as L’Oréal Professionel’s Metal Detox range will keep your hair clean and fresh. It will remove any metallic build-up.”

Wait, there’s metallic build-up in our hair? 

Put simply, every time we wash our hair, copper lifted from the pipes that feed our shower heads with water could accumulate in our hair fibres causing breakage and colour fading.

Luckily, the Metal Detox Leave-In Hair Cream is specifically formulated with glicoamine – a patent molecule with the power to neutralise metal within the hair fibre – to help get rid of that metal accumulation, protecting your hair from damage and helping you maintain a vibrant colour.

So, if you’re someone who likes to spread out your salon visits, the Metal Detox range is a great way to keep your hair looking its best until you’re back in the chair again. It’s also formulated with UV filter and heat protectant to give you the best protection from breakage just in time for summer.

“It’s a great way to look after your hair long term, so using it within your regime at home is key,” adds Reed.

3.  Practise scalp massages

Everybody loves indulging in a good head massage, but did you know that taking care of your scalp is one of the best ways to give your hair a new lease of life?

“Scalp massages are absolutely key and using products that nourish your scalp is essential,” says Reed.

“Looking after your scalp as you would your hair is the secret to breathing new life into your hair. Cleanse, exfoliate and treat. I recommend brushing every day, and pre-shampoo treatments.” 

If you like to stay on top of the latest beauty trends, there’s no doubt you’ve been sucked into the hair oiling wormhole. If you’re hesitant to try it, don’t be. Reed credits a mixture of scalp massaging and hair oiling as an amazing way to give your tresses a boost.

“Oiling is absolutely amazing. Oiling throughout the night, oiling for a good amount of time or even just a quick brush with oil,” says Reed. “Then use a scalp scrub, leave it on the hair and rinse thoroughly.”

“Cold water is also great for the scalp. The colder the water the more it encourages blood flow to the scalp, and this can result in healthy hair growth.”

4.  Always visit a professional hair colourist

While it may be tempting to skip the salon in favour of a trusty supermarket box dye, more often than not it’s a big mistake – particularly if you’re hoping to change your hair from very dark to very light or vice versa.

We’ve all been there. We wanted platinum blonde but got rusty orange or we prayed for chestnut brown and got an unsightly green. It’s never really worth the risk.

“When colouring your hair, always consider going to a professional,” advises Reed.

“I really do recommend that because colouring your hair is a science and with that comes the use of chemicals, dyes and removers. It’s a really complex procedure and the thought process that goes into it isn’t just picking the colour.”

Colouring hair isn’t as simple as mixing up a dye and plopping it onto your head. That’s why hair colourists study for years to perfect the art of transforming hair into a myriad of different shades. You can’t expect the same results from an at-home job as you get from the professional you put your trust in.

“Take your hair stylist’s advice,” says Reed. “Especially when it comes to looking after it, preventing damage and making sure your hair and colour are never compromised.”

Basically: put your head in the right hands and avoid the stress of trying to fix a mess of your own creation.

5.  Double cleanse your scalp

Many of us have hopped on the double cleanse hype when it comes to our skincare routine, but it’s also a technique that can be used for keeping our hair in good nick too.

“When it comes to double cleansing the scalp, I always recommend going with cooler water,” advises Reed. 

“Pre-treat the hair too – it’s a great way of prepping the hair in the same way you’d prep your skin. The first cleanse helps to clean the hair and remove any stubborn build-up. The second cleanse gets the hair in a great place for you to condition or treat your hair.”

Reed suggests giving your hair a treatment once a week to encourage and maintain healthy hair and always follow up with an oil like the Metal Detox concentrated oil.

“A treatment once a week is key – then oil, always oil. It’s great for your hair and great for your scalp and then gently comb the hair when it’s wet and reduces tangling as the oil acts as a lubricant. It’s a great way to keep the hair conditioned, healthy and healthier for longer.”

Now, we’re not expecting you to incorporate all five of these tips into your weekly routine immediately because who has the time for that? But whether you’re starting with a re-vamp to your diet or a trusty metal detox, at least you know where to start to get hair that’s straight out of a shampoo commercial.


Ready to maintain long-lasting colour and protect your tresses from excess copper? L’Oréal Professionnel’s Metal Detox Leave-In Hair Cream and range of Metal Detox at-home products are the perfect way to help your hair combat metal damage for a healthy mane. Find out more here.

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