JE NE SAIS QUOI HAIR
Combined, summer’s elements lend their best to effortlessly styled hair. Think, wind-tousled, air-dried tresses; their texture and volume the result of outdoor workouts and a salty breeze.
It’s your hair; but a little lighter, looser, racier.
The perks of effortlessly styled locks are evident [minimal maintenance - hurrah!], but when both land-locked and office-locked, faking them isn’t always the easiest of tasks. Abandon your complex hair-styling artillery and relinquish your locks to a select curation of low-maintenance products for a lived-in, natural way to capture your hair but better.
BUMBLE & BUMBLE Surf Infusion Oil*
Surf spray has long been a staple in every beauty editor’s bathroom cabinet, and this season Bumble & bumble have built upon their popular Surf line to include Surf Infusion Oil, a weightless serum which sees the brand’s original salty formula infused with softening oils. As potentially classic as the regular Surf Spray we all know and love, but the additional ingredients have softening and hydrating benefits. Best used on damp-not-wet hair [I'd say 70% dry], expect the same loose beachy wave, minus the coarse texture [which may pose a more authentic style, but lacks the finesse required when not riding the waves]. This is office/wedding/party appropriate beach hair.
AĒSOP Volumising Shampoo & Conditioner*
Whether you wear them loose or favour an updo, this gently cleansing duo will keep your locks soft, full, and luxuriously scented no matter what style you choose. With an impressive roster of ingredients [including lavender, tangerine, cedarwood, and mint] expect hair to be buoyed with softness, as well as thoroughly cleansed. As far as volume is concerned, this is subtle lift [as opposed to impossibly towering heights], and all the better, for it lasts. The star ingredient, sea salt, adds just the right amount of gritty and gutsy texture without compromising on delivering lustre. The result? A subtle but certain je ne sais quoi.
TONI & GUY Casual Rough Texture Spray
A long-standing but often overlooked high-street gem is this Toni & Guy favourite, which has, in one form or another, provided a lifeline to those with fine and limp locks over the years. This spray adds both volume and texture, without inciting a full-on bedhead look, and is a godsend if you struggle to get [and maintain] lift within your roots. A rare hair product, which on a technical level more than matches up to its professional alternatives - blow-dry briefly after application for maximum volume.
BYREDO Bal d'Afrique Hair Perfume*
The latest product to join the exquisitely crafted lineup offered by Scandinavian fragrance brand Byredo caused mass excitement when it launched earlier in the year. A [luxe] lesson in multi-tasking; Byredo’s take on hair perfume serves not just to coat hair in a veil of elegant and lasting scent, but contains hydrating ingredients that soothe frizz and add shine. A future classic and the perfect finishing touch - use to restore finesse to 3-day old hair or as an instant pick-me-up refresher throughout the day.
JOHN FRIEDA Sea Waves Salt Spray
There’s an entire generation of haircare products dedicated to recreating the wind-tousled salt-infused waves of a Californian surf Queen; a category once ruled by this John Frieda classic, which disappeared from the shelves in 2004 before staging a heroic comeback last winter [an event that saw fans queuing around the block to stock up, lest discontinuation should reoccur]. Expect lifted, piecey waves, with not a hint of stickiness or crispiness [and nothing says summer more than a vibrant burst of coconut].
AĒSOP Violet Leaf Hair Balm*
Natural haircare doesn’t get better than Aēsop. With plant-based extracts, this violet and shea butter-infused hair balm leaves locks smooth and soft. Comb through the lengths of you hair post-shower for sleek frizz-free separation once dry. This balm smells beautiful too, which isn’t always the case with natural ranges; ideal if you love nothing more than air-drying your hair - but still want to look groomed and polished.
BUMBLE & BUMBLE Cityswept Finishing Spray
Think of this as a hairspray with its very own je ne sais quoi. Ideal for recreating the much-coveted trend for piecey, separated locks [think : off-duty model]; a style that may look nonchalant and effortless, but evidently requires a small army of hairstylists backstage. Application of this Bumble & bumble classic will bring a new life to even the most naturally sleek and smooth of tresses. Simply spritz over separated lengths of hair and rough up for instant second-day locks with casual texture and gutsy definition. If you've already styled or curled your hair, expect this to extend your style's lifespan into the small hours and beyond.
RAHUA Voluminous Spray*
A subtle infusion of sea salt and lemongrass that brings life to hair weighed down by its length and thickness, and an oomph which lasts far longer than the ten minutes you spend preening in front of the mirror. Call me petty, but there's nothing like a decent applicator to make me fall in love with a product - this one dispenses just the right amount, with a well-aimed spritz that won't go amiss or end up in your eyes. It contains a unique memory-shape formula to keep locks buoyant for longer, expect them to be boosted right from the scalp for immediately fuller roots.The zestily-scented blend also contains citrus and eucalyptus juices, which aid a subtly tousled texture - this is je ne sais quoi hair, in a bottle.
What products do you reach for to bring life to your locks?
