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While spring might seem a little way off, now is the perfect time to start thinking about updating your style for the year ahead. Many of us start to feel that all familiar itch around this time of year, longing for a change from winter. A great way to inject a little freshness into the winter months is with a new cut or colour. With this in mind, here are the spring/summer hair trends for 2019 that we are loving…

The Blunt Bob

Angular hair is at the top of our lust list for 2019, with blunt bobs making a big comeback. Blunt cuts can suit all face shapes, because the length of the cut can be adjusted to suit each individual, while blunt edges can help fine hair look thicker, or thick hair look softer, depending on how the hair is styled.

If you’re considering going shorter and embracing the blunt bob this year, start slow. While it can be tempting to dive in head first, consider a cut a few inches longer than you might like to start, to check you’re happy with your shorter locks before taking the plunge.

Charcoal Tones

Grey has been big in hair colour for some time now, which is great news for anyone that’s naturally going grey. This year it’s all about smokey ashy greys, which can be used in blonde hair or hair that’s naturally grey. This stunning cool shade has a creaminess to it, making it really soft and pretty.

Super Straight

The super straight styles of the ‘90s are back. For a long time now, we’ve been embracing the natural look of soft curls and waves, but 2019 is all about a more structured look. Layers will be less important in cuts this year, with straight hair all one length being the stand out style. This means investing in a pair of GHDs, and a trip to the hairdresser to tidy up any wispy ends, or to level the length out.

Undone Topknots

Chanel’s 2018 ready-to-wear catwalk saw models supporting undone topknots, that appeared to have been styled within minutes and with little in the way of product. This is every woman’s dream that finds herself short of time in the morning, because the undone topknot is the updo of choice for the year ahead. To achieve this style, tie your hair into a ponytail before twisting into a bun. Let the ends remain loose and a little messy, if needs be you can quickly tease a few strands out to perfect the look.

Copper Velvet

Burnt orange, rust and terracotta are everywhere at the moment. From fashion and interiors, and now even hair. Copper is a reddish-brown shade, but copper velvet provides a stunning update with a beautiful multi-tonal finish. This is a complex colour, and so needs a professional touch to get right, but it can look really striking and yet still appears to be natural when done well.

If you’re ready to update your cut or colour, pop in and see us to discuss your ideas and what you want to achieve. Sometimes a new look is just what you need.

Let’s face it, we’ve all had a fringe disaster at some point, most likely during our experimental teenage years. Fringes can completely transform your look, but because many of us are unclear on what kind of fringe would suit us best, we generally tend to avoid them, for fear of making a mistake.

Fringes can be super stylish, and provide a great way to update your look without altering the length of your hair, which is why we’re helping you work out which fringe might suit you, in accordance to your face shape…

Square Face Shape

Long eye-grazing fringes that are a little tapered on the sides will help soften square face shapes. Go for a fringe that sits just below your brows, sitting heavier at the sides so that your hair doesn’t get in your eyes. To the centre the hair should be a little feathery – no blunt lines here – this style should be soft.

Round Face Shape

A gently arching fringe is the best option for a round face, which compliments soft and rounded features. A blunt fringe might make a round face appear even rounder, so avoid any harsh lines. A curved shape is the right way to go, with thickness to the fringe, rather than a soft wispy finish.

Heart Shaped Face

Generally, if your face is heart shaped, it might be a little top heavy. A side fringe is the perfect way to add balance to your face. Opt for a feathered fringe where the shortest pieces meet the arch of your eyebrows, and the longest sit at the outer corner of your eyes.

Oval Face Shape

If you’ve got an oval face you can celebrate – nearly every fringe style will suit you, so you have a little more room to experiment. One of the most flattering styles for you is a light and textured straight fringe. Go for a length that sits just between the brow and eyelashes, and is a little longer on the sides. This will give you options to either wear your fringe straight and parted in the middle, or sweep it to the side. Fringes are well worth experimenting with, but avoid making a mistake by establishing what your face shape is, and what will suit you first, as they can take some time to grow out.

Naturally looking wavy hair is one of the most sought after looks around the world. Waves seem to always be on trend, and it’s this relaxed ‘I woke up like this’ vibe that we all want to achieve. Waves look soft, pretty and feminine, without being over done or too styled. Wavy locks are a go to for many occasions – from festivals and summer holidays, to bridal looks and everyday style – waves continue to be in high demand.

Night Time Buns

No time in the morning to style your hair? Try this simple way to create natural waves, without the addition of heat damage. Just before bed, part your hair and split into two sections. Twist each section into a tight bun and secure with grips. Use a spray bottle to spritz each bun to make the hair damp. Leave in over night to create natural looking waves. In the morning simply unravel each side. You might need to tease the hair into place here and there, and back brush a little to create volume, but you’ll only need five minutes in the morning and you’ll be good to go.

Mermaid Worthy Waves

Creating waves with your straighteners is easier than you might think. Our tool of choice is the GHD IV Styler Hair Straightener, as it’s the perfect size to create mermaid style waves. In addition, who doesn’t love having a tool that you can create multiple looks with?

To create waves with your straighteners, section off the top three quarters of your hair and secure with a band so that it’s out of the way. With the hair that’s left down, take a section at a time around one inch wide and place your straighteners at the top. Move them down the length of the hair curling in and out, in and out as you go. You can make your waves as tight or as lose as you want. Work your way around all of the hair that is down, then take down another quarter section of your hair and continue until you’ve done it all.

Back brush the roots a little to avoid the hair being flat at the roots, spritz with hairspray and you’re done.

Whether you want to create quick and easy waves without heat, or you want to go for a more precise look, creating waves at home is doable with these two methods.

Many of us have a pretty good idea of what suits us, or the length in which we most like our hair. Choosing a flattering length and shape for your hair is key to feeling and looking your best everyday, but some of you might actually be supporting the completely wrong hair length for your features. If you’re thinking about trying a new style, or you simply want to find your most flattering hair length, read on…

Consider your Face Shape

While there are various factors to think about to find your perfect hair length, one of the biggest elements is your face shape. It is important to create balance to your overall appearance, and balance can be enhanced, just like imbalance can be emphasized through the shape and length of your hair….

– Long face: if you have a long and narrow shaped face, avoid long hair. Going for length will simply drag your face down, making it appear even longer. Instead, try a bob that sits just short of your chin to create better balance.

– Round face: If you have a round face, opting for longer styles will help to make your face look more balanced and oval in shape. Long length and a side swept fringe can help to slim your face and make it look more contoured.

– Square face: Try waves or curls in mid lengths to soften a square face. Shoulder length hair or a little longer is perfect for those with a square face.

Heart shaped: Long hair is great for a heart shaped face. Avoid blunt edges though, particularly in shorter cuts, and stay away from bobs.

Oval face: An oval face shape is considered to be balanced already. If you have an oval face you are lucky as you can try out almost any length.

Consider Texture

The type and texture of your hair matters when it comes to length too. If your hair is pretty normal – i.e. not particularly thick or thin, not coarse or frizzy, you can get away with most hair lengths.

– Fine hair: When hair that is on the fine side gets long it can end up looking limp. The longer it gets, the heavier it will be, and so the more it will drag itself down. Shorter haircuts can create more body and volume. If your face shape requires a longer cut but you have fine hair, consider going for a length just a few inches under the shoulders, with lots of layers.

– Thick hair: Those with thicker hair might find that their hair is unmanageable in shorter styles. Thick hair is often coarse and frizzy, which results in a mind of its own in short styles. Try growing it long to add weight and tame it. As your hair gets longer, it will naturally sit smoother and be easier to manage.

Finding the perfect hair length means achieving balance, and both your face shape and your hair type matters here. If you’re not sure what’s best for your hair, book in for a consultation to receive professional advice.

You’ve been looking forward to your summer holiday all through the winter. That chance to escape, relax and get some sun on your skin is exactly what you need. You want to look and feel great on your holiday, but you want to enjoy yourself, and worrying about your hair is the last thing that you need. Instead opt for flattering, stylish and chic hair styles, that are easy and quick to do, so that you can make the most of your summer escape…

The Low Pony

This is an ideal summer holiday style – low maintenance, easy to create and always stylish – the low pony is your go-to this summer. Think chic, smooth and simple. To create the look wash your hair in advance with a smoothing shampoo and conditioner. Part the hair in the middle and smooth back towards the base of your neck. Secure in a low pony with a band, then wrap a piece of hair around the band to hide. Finish of with a spritz of hairspray to smooth down any fly aways. This is the ideal style for humid and hot weather, as it’ll stay looking smooth all day.

The Falling Down Up-Do

This look is so easy to create as it requires little in the way of precision. It’s an undone up-do that allows you to get your hair up off of your neck for hot weather, but that still looks soft and pretty. Scoop your hair back into a simple chignon, placed just above the neck to help keep you cool. Then coax out a few strands around your face and ears to soften. Curl the strands if needed to create a pretty and natural finish.

The Double Bun

This playful look is ideal for a day on the beach – it keeps your hair neat, out of the way, and can even result in beachy curls if your hair gets wet and dries in the sun. Start by parting the hair in the middle and split the hair into low bunches. Secure with bands at the nape of the neck. Start on one side, twisting the hair until it starts to wrap up, wrap into a neat bun and secure with grips. Repeat on the other side.

Whether you’re jetting off on a beach holiday, to a festival or for a family adventure in the sun, try these easy hairstyles to help keep you cool, but looking stylish all day long.

Hair colour is a little more complex than you might realise. Over the years, if you’ve experimented with changing your colour, you might have found some shades were a great success, while others just didn’t have quite the same impact. This is because hair colour and skin tone are both very precise, meaning while some hair colours look great on some people, on others they are unflattering.

We are always happy to advise through consultation in regards to the best hair colour for your skin tone. For now though, read on to get an idea of the kind of colours you can pull off, and which to avoid…

Cool Blonde

Cool blonde or ‘ice blonde’ is ideal for those with pale skin tones. If you have very fair skin, with rosey warm undertones cool blonde is an ideal colour choice. If you have blue, grey or green eyes and fair skin, try and ash blonde.

Warm Blonde

Including caramel, gold, honey, butterscotch and amber, warm blonde is best suited to those with olive skin tones, or fair skin with cooler undertones. Lighter ashy blonde shades can wash out an olive skin tone. If you want to go lighter, try a caramel blonde rather than a cool blonde.

Cool Red

This shade includes dark auburn and burgundy. It may not sound quite right, but red is very flattering for those with red tones in their skin. Opting for a red shade will make your skin look glowy, rather than trying to fight against it. If you have a warm and fair complexion, try a cool red to make your skin glow.

Warm Red

Think copper, strawberry blonde, amber and rust. Warm reds are very flattering on fair and neutral skin tones. Try mixing a cool and warm red to create a creamy shade that’s warm and soft, but with a hint of golden tones too. If you have a cool skin tone, you could also try warm reds to counteract the blue tones in your skin.

Cool Brown

Cool brown tones include mocha, dark chocolate, dark auburn and chestnut. Cooler brown tones can look particularly striking on those with warm skin. Whether you have fair skin, medium or dark skin, cool brown is a great choice is you have a warm complexion.

Warm Brown

When it comes to warm brown, think cinnamon, caramel, golden brown, honey, amber and mahogany. If you have a medium skin tone, a warm brown is ideal as it will stop you looking washed out.

Warm Black

Think brown black or dark mocha. Add chocolatey tones to your black shade to warm it up, this is super flattering on cool-toned skin, and ideal for medium to dark skin tones.

Cool Black

Deep shades of coffee, blue-black and licorice are what you’re aiming for here. Opt for a cool black if your skin has warm or neutral undertones. Avoid this shade if you have fair, cool-toned skin.

If you’re interested in a colour change, book in for a consultation. It’s good to have some ideas before you visit us, but if you’re not sure which shade to go for, we can advise on what will be most flattering for your skin tone.

Every now and then you probably find that you get the urge to experiment with your hair colour. While it’s not advised to change your hair colour too often, we all like to try new looks and trends from time to time. From ultra on-trend styles, to colour updates that will stand the test of time, why not consider trying one of these three colour updates this year…

Nude Hair

The nude hair trend is all about getting your hair looking as natural as possible. Those who have been through years of dyeing may find that their hair has varying tones, is patchy and brassy. This is all about going back to basics, using mid shades that are natural and cool in tone, rather than extremes such as black or white blonde.

If you want to try this trend without going lighter or darker, book in for a toner to create an ashy and even shade from root to tip. Nude hair looks best when it’s healthy, so consider a trim and a conditioning treatment too.

Rose Gold

This one isn’t for the faint hearted – in the spotlight this year is rose gold locks. This is the latest colourful update following a string of pretty pastel hair colours, in a variety of finishes. If you’ve always wanted to experiement with colour in your hair, but you’ve been unsure of the bright blues, pinks and purples, this trend offers the perfect middle ground.

Not as bright or as instantly obvious as brighter and bolder colours, rose gold has been on-trend in fashion and home décor for some time now. It’s translated into the hair and beauty industry, with the colour of the season being pretty rose gold tones. For blondes, try and allover colour that’s intensified at the roots and softer on the ends. For brunettes, why not try a rose gold balayage.

Contrasting Tones

We’re not suggesting you go back to the stripy highlights of the ‘90s, but undone roots are one of the leading hair trends for the season. Influenced by past trends of dip dye and balayage, this trend can be done with most hair colours. Ideally you’d want to have a professional dye job, to blend your roots with the length of your hair, but it’s a great excuse to leave your roots au natural in between salon visits.

For light blondes try mid blood roots, for mid blondes try light brown roots, and for those with mid to light brunette hair try super dark roots.

If you are considering a colour change this year book in for a consultation to discus your options. Colouring your hair can cause damage, so it’s important to seek the advice of a professional, to ensure that you are not putting your hair under too much distress and that your colour is done in a way that will not compromise the health of your hair.

For a long time GHD have dominated the professional haircare and styling market. 2018 is no different, and for good reason – with advanced technology, high quality products and impressive results, GHD continue to be a hair styling brand that you can rely on.

Most well know for its straighteners, GHD also offer a great range when it comes to creating curls. Whether you want to achieve natural looking waves, big and bouncy curls or even corkscrew curls, GHD has you covered. Read on to discover out top three styling tools for creating curls…

1. GHD Curve Soft Curl Tong: £120.00

As part of the latest range of tongs and wands from GHD, the Curve Soft Curl Tong uses the tri-zone technology for healthier looking curls that will stay in place all day. With a large barrel, it’s easy to create natural looking bouncy curls.

Set as a temperature of 185C, the tongs ensure a long lasting curl without damaging your hair. Easy to use and effective, you won’t find a better natural looking bouncy curl with any other styler.

2. GHD IV Styler Hair Straightener: £86

With a little bit of practice, you can actually curl your hair any way you want with the IV Styler Hair Straightener. This is the ideal tool if you like to style your hair differently, from poker straight and wavy, to bouncy curls and tight curls.

The multi-action, refined ceramic blades work efficiently through the hair for a professional finish. The plates glide smoothly over the hair, meaning no snagging or pulling, no matter what style you are creating. If you’re not sure how to use your straighteners to create waves or curls, check out YouTube tutorials to master this skill. Once you’ve got the knack it’s really quite easy.

3. GHD Curve Classic Wave Wand: £120.00

Create beach-worthy waves with the Curve Classic Wave Wand by GHD. The tri-zone technology ensures that the hair will stay in place day and night, without damaging the hair during styling, for healthier looking waves.

Traditionally, achieving the perfect beach wave can be tricky, but this styling tool makes it super easy. The 38-26mm oval shaped barrel creates shapely and deep waves and is perfect for use on mid to long hair.

Whether you’re looking to create waves, curls, poker straight hair or a bouncy blow dry finish, GHD provide all of the tools you need to create your ultimate look. In addition they are renowned for their quality, which makes your investment translate into amazing looking hair for years to come.

Fine hair can be difficult to manage. For many with fine hair, the end goal is to create thicker looking locks. While your hair cut and style can greatly improve how thick your hair looks, there are a few other ways in which you can manage your fine hair…

Wash Your Hair Frequently

People with thick hair can get away with washing their hair less frequently. If you have fine hair, you’ll find that after a few days in between washing your hair starts to look limp and flat. Aim to wash your hair every other day, to allow your hair to benefit from the natural oils that your scalp produces, but to avoid it becoming greasy.

When you do wash your hair, don’t use conditioner on your roots – this will weigh your roots down and cause your hair to become greasy faster.

Blow Dry Your Hair Upside Down

With fine hair it’s all about trying to increase the body to create thicker looking locks. Your blow dry is key to this. Try using a thickness boosting cream or similar, and dry your hair upside down to get lots of volume in at the roots.

Avoid using a lot of product though as this will weigh your hair down. Use a light conditioner and no more additional product than the size of a 50p when it’s in your hand.

Invest in a Flattering Cut

Your hair cut plays a huge role in how thick or fine your hair looks. Get the cut wrong and you could be stuck with hair that looks even thinner for months. Before you settle on a style or go for the chop, book a consultation to discus your options with a professional. Let them know that you’re keen to get your hair looking thicker and discus the various options available. A good hair dresser will be able to make the most of your fine hair.

Fine hair can be frustrating, but when you know how to manage it you will feel far more confident in how it looks and how it makes you feel. Just a few simple tricks can make your hair appear thicker, which is generally more flattering and easy to manage.

Let’s face it, we all have them – bad hair days – and they really are the enemy. For weeks all is well, until you wake up one morning and something just isn’t right. Your hair has a mind of its own, and nothing seems to tame it!

Today we all live busy lifestyles, and so misbehaving hair isn’t ideal when there is little time to fix it. If you’re having a bad hair day, here’s how to handle it, so that you can still step out in style and feeling your best…

1. When Your Natural Curls Won’t Behave

Curly hair is the most unruly – sometimes you wake up with locks to die for, other days your hair is a little all over the place and just can’t be tamed. When you wake up with little time to spare and your curls all over the place, the only answer is to put it up. A curly and ‘un-done’ top knot always looks stylish, and is the perfect way to turn your bad hair day into a good hair day. Scoop your hair up and have a quick play around to get the placement of your curls right, secure with bobby pins and then pull out a few wisps of hair around your face to soften. Simple.

2. When There’s No Time to Wash Your Hair

It’s actually better for your hair to avoid washing it too often. We know that feeling though – when you’ve been meaning to wash your hair for a few days, and something else just gets in the way, so you end up with a less than desirable slightly greasy look. Dry shampoo could be the answer, but not all dry shampoos are great for your scalp and hair. Try a dry shampoo that uses natural ingredients, spritz into your roots, tip your head upside down and blast with the hair drier quickly. You’ll end up with hair that’ll go at least another day and great volume at the roots.

3. When Your Dry and Brittle Hair Just Can’t Be Tamed

So this is the one that means it’s time to book a hair cut. When hair becomes dry and brittle it’s extremely difficult to manage. This could be caused by heat damage, exposure to the sun or over processing when it comes to dyes and bleaches. Hair also naturally starts to split at the ends over time, so a regular trim is a must if you want to avoid unmanageable and unruly hair.

If you’re getting to the stage where almost every day is a bad hair day because of your dry locks, book in for a trim, and consider a conditioning treatment too to breathe life back into your hair.

What are your bad hair day tips? Comment and let us know.