Health | Neville Hair and Beauty

April 10, 2019 Beauty

Hair treatments: What you need to know

On a daily basis our hair is subject to an array of aggressions caused by diet, stress, heat damage, colour, over washing and over processing. These can have a nefast effect on the appearance of our hair and can also play havoc on our psyche.

A recent study revealed that a whopping 77% of women don’t feel like themselves when having a bad hair day. And with our brain ticking away with endless to do lists the last thing we need, is to feel insecure because of our hair. The root of the problem, stressed hair!

Just like you, your hair needs love.

Depending on how stressed your hair is it can take time to repair and bring it back to good health, which is why consistent treatments and trims are key. Equally, if your hair is not damaged but you fancy improving the appearance of your hair, treatments should be an essential part of your haircare regimen.

Life is busy, I get it! Finding the time to come in for a cut is challenging enough without having to find additional time to spare on a treatment, but that’s where the beauty of technology kicks in. Nowadays, there are a wide variety of instant and bespoke treatments that can be done at the backwash and tailored to your hair’s exact needs, meaning you can now reap the benefits of healthy shiny hair without spending any additional time in the chair.

Whether strengthening, nourishing, smoothing, resurfacing or for added shine, reputable salons will always offer you a hair treatment with any styling or colour service as it’s the base of good hair.

Combining regular hair treatments with a good home care routine will guarantee you a head of hair that will make heads turn.

HERE ARE SOME OF MY FAVOURITE HAIR TREATMENTS:

: Fusio Dose The instant treatment that combines a concentré with a booster to meet your unique hair needs. With 20 possible combinations, your main and secondary hair concern will be tackled with no extra time at the backwash.
5 minutes ~ £25
: Smartbond A protective and strengthening treatment, specifically designed to protect and strengthen the hair. The system consists of 3 components, the first 2 being used in salon and the 3rd one at home. I particularly recommend this treatment to people who colour their hair to prevent any damage.
1 hour ~ £150
: Philip Kingsley Elasticiser Dry, brittle hair can snap under tension, and it’s fair to say that no one wants breakage. The best way to prevent breakage is to strengthen and moisturise the hair. Philip Kingsley’s elasticiser can do just that. Designed by Mr Kingsley for Audrey Hepburn, the elasticiser is a pre-shampoo intensive moisturising treatment that delivers shine and elasticity to the hair. Results are visible from first application and continue to improve with use.
30 minutes ~ £45
: Redken Gold Mask This mega recovery gold tissue mask for hair was inspired by facial sheet masks. Designed to restore softness and manageability, the gold mask contains a blend of cactus, aloe vera and to nourish the hair. It provides intense moisture while smoothing the hair cuticle. Recommended weekly.
20 minutes ~ £45

To book a treatment click here and go to Hair Treatments.

March 27, 2019 Beauty

Why Paying for Salon Colour is Worth It!

Undeniably there’s a big difference in cost between getting your hair coloured in a salon and buying a box of dye in the supermarket to use at home. Here’s why I think salon colour is worth it every time.

: THE CRAFT OF COLOUR The expense of salon colour comes first and foremost down to the fact that you are paying for a trained expert who has spent years learning every aspect of the craft. Changing the colour of your hair permanently isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly, because it changes the physical structure of your hair. Not only are these experts thoroughly trained in handling the strong chemicals involved in the process, and not only do they have a vast array of colours and equipment at their fingertips, they have also learned how skin tone and hair colour interact as well. Using their trained eye and artistry skills, they can tailor your colour to complement your complexion, face, hair type and lifestyle for a truly bespoke finish. From juniors to the most senior colourist, each member of salon staff is in situ to deliver the finest experience and result.
: SAFETY Used incorrectly, the chemicals involved in colouring hair can have damaging effects. Hair colour, for example, contains allergens that can cause a wide variety of allergic reactions, from cases of rashes and hives, to hospitalisation and even fatalities. The most common allergen is paraphenylenediamine or PPD and is found in over 99% of permanent hair dyes. You may or may not be aware that it has been a legal requirement for all hairdressers to carry out patch tests prior to colour services. Reputable salons will never guarantee your appointment until that test has been done. With such factors in mind, safety should always be at the forefront when colouring hair both at home and in a salon. This is undeniably easier in the salon, where extensive safety procedures are in place. Should - god forbid - an accident happen then the correct equipment and fully trained and insured staff are immediately on hand to respond. This is not the case at home.
: SALON DESIGN Salon owners invest heavily to ensure the salon environment is ideal for cutting and colouring hair. Seats are designed to support our backs, backwashes to guarantee the best shampoo and treatment services and lighting arrangements such that our hair colour and skin tone are rendered in a faithful way. Light must be even, natural and free from shadows.
: HAIR HEALTH Colouring our hair compromises its health in varying degrees. In a salon environment however, the styling and colour experts have a wealth of expertise and first fate products that enable them to best prescribe a routine to maintain and enhance hair health both professionally and at home.

Salon hair colour is expensive, I don’t deny that, but now I hope you understand a bit better why it’s well worth the investment. Brilliant hair colour is truly transforming!

All students can benefit from 30% off all hair services upon presentation of a valid NUS card. Bookings can be made via our reception on 0207 235 3654.

February 8, 2019 Health

The long and short of it

Long hair seems to have eternal appeal – Perhaps it’s because our childhood fairy tales were full of longhaired princesses, or perhaps it something more evolutionary. Either way, the trend for long, luscious hair is going nowhere. But if you wonder why some people can grow their hair to their waist, while yours struggles to pass your shoulders, the answer lies partly in your DNA - The speed our hair grows is genetically determined.

For most people this is a quarter to half an inch a month. And though there’s not much you can do to speed this up, you can take steps to ensure your strands are growing at their optimal rate and not snapping or falling out before they should. Here are my tips for being a modern Rapunzel!

: TRY SKINCARE FOR HAIR Our hair grows from our scalp, so looking after it is a must if you want yours to be long and strong! Skincare for hair is a big trend right now. I love Hair Rituel by Sisley Revitalizing Fortifying Serum for the Scalp, £135, Kerastase Initialiste Advanced Scalp and Hair Concentrate, £44.70, and Redken Recovery Sheet Mask Cap, £12.
: EAT WELL A healthy diet is as important for your hair as it is your skin. Eating protein and complex carbohydrates (like brown rice, chickpeas and sweet potato), maintains a good hair growth cycle. Consume these at breakfast and lunch when our energy expenditure is greatest.
: CONSIDER SUPPLEMENTATION Ensuring your body has healthy levels of certain minerals encourages hair growth and helps prevent breakage. Biotin, part of the Vitamin B family, plays an important role in hair health and has transformed my hair. Fulvic acid is also proven to provide significant improvement in hair thickness and condition, while iron deficiencies affect 15% of the world’s population and can suppress hair growth too.
: SHOWER RIGHT It horrifies me how many women skip conditioner – The worst thing you can do when growing your hair. Conditioner helps replace the lipids and proteins inside the hair shaft, as well as sealing the cuticle to prevent moisture loss, snags and heat damage. In reality it’s shampooing that you should skip when possible. Here's why: Shampoo washes away not just dirt and product build-up, but also the natural oils that keep our strands soft and healthy. Reduce the days you shampoo, and do a cold rinse after you do - This smooths and protects the hair cuticle as above.
: TRY TREATMENTS Hair can't get long if it keeps snapping off, so invest in products that strengthen it. To minimise breakage I recommend a weekly pre-shampoo treatment like Oribe Gold Lust Pre Shampoo Intensive Treatment, £62 to plump the hair shaft with moisture, improving elasticity and strength. Or try our Kerastase Extentioniste in-salon treatment, £45. It helps reduce the appearance of split ends and minimises breakage to promote sublime lengths.
: BE SCISSOR HAPPY Having an invisible trim whereby your hair tips are skimmed without removing length doesn't make your hair grow faster, but does prevent the split ends that cause breakage. Our in-salon hot scissor cuts are great too. Heated scissor blades round off and seal the hair tip to lock in moisture and minimise the damage caused by pollution, sunlight and heat styling.
: BRUSH RIGHT Never brush your hair from the roots as this causes friction and damages the hair shaft. Instead start at the ends and work your way up.
: QUIT PONY CLUB If you have bleached, dry, or fine hair wear it down when your can. Ponytails break off hair where the elastic holds the tail in place. Instead twist your hair into a bun and clip it with a claw clip or pin. Slip Silk Skinnies Hair Ties, £39 and Popbands, £8 are gentler on hair than traditional ties too.

April 29, 2020 Hair

Thairapy during Isolation

Feeling distant from your hairdresser? We have some top tips from the dream team - Jack Merrick Thirlway, senior stylist known for his razor cut, killer blowdries and fashion week looks, Seniz Alkan senior colourist renowned for ombre, ombrayalage and more, and Tom Cruickshank senior colourist and the blonde king.

THE CRAFT OF CUTTING

We generally encourage regular haircuts to help maintain the health of your hair, however cutting your hair yourself will most certainly result in a bad haircut and bad self-esteem. Neither of which would do wonders to the morale at the moment. Besides the obvious, attempting to cut your own hair, could potentially lead to long term damage such as uneven lengths, unwanted layers or shredded ends if professional scissors aren’t used. A DIY cut could also mean your stylist has to end up cutting a lot more than you’d bargained for to rectify the overall look. Hair cutting in general can look easy, however it really isn’t. Experts undergo many hours practising how to hold their scissors and position their body to perfect the correct angle. They also, practise on dolly heads for years prior to qualifying. Aside from their technical skillset, hairdressers have a real understanding of what style will suit your personality, appearance and lifestyle. Interestingly enough, none of our stylists cut their own hair either. So instead of a botch job, try these tips to keep your hair in condition and colour hacks…

Top tips to maintain your hair colour and style whilst in isolation?

Don’t assume you need box dye. Look at other products such as L’Oreal’s root touch up, Colour Wow, Mascara Power and also dry shampoo that will blend your regrowth. Being in isolation is also the best time to be using treatments such as Olaplex Number 3, 4 & 5. Another favourite of mine is the Philip Kingsley elasticizer which will do wonders to the quality and health of your hair. – Seniz Alkan

During isolation why not take this time to give your hair a well-earned rest, try not to use too much heat and if possible let your hair air dry after its washed, better still use a nice hair treatment that can be left in for 20-30 mins before rinsing. Being on lockdown can be used as a time where your hair can be treated with love and care ready for when you get to have your first appointment at your salon after quarantine. Maybe it’s a time to work with your natural textures and watch some tutorials on the @nevillesalon Instagram page to see some quick and easy updo’s and styles that will not take long to achieve with very little equipment. Regardless of whether you are going to use heat on your hair or not I would always suggest using heat protection creams such as L’Oreal Liss control. This will give your hair, most importantly the ends the moisture it needs. As we know it is impossible to get a haircut or colour during this period but the worst thing you could do is try and tackle any problem yourself. Please wait until it is possible to get to your stylist/technician, as a bad job done at home could take months to fix. – Jack Merrick Thirlway

Ways to stop Blonde going brassy?

The best way to stop blonde going brassy is to use a violet or silver shampoo to neutralise yellow and brassy tones, such as the Kerastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet Shampoo. Depending on your hair type it’s probably best to use it once a week to avoid build up over time and actually turning violet. The good news is it won’t affect any future colour process so when we get back to normality your colourist won’t have to carry out major repair works.- Tom Cruickshank

Grown your own ombre?

While growing your ombre may seem like a good opportunity, it’s not going to be hit colour this summer. People will be over roots by then and be desiring block colour or soft tones I call it Subtle Dimension - we will be moving in the direction of an allover colour with multifaceted tones and hues. It's a very natural look. Says Tom Cruickshank

Roots Manoeuvre

Either embrace your roots during isolation or adopt a nifty new parting. Simple as that. Pick a new way to part your hair, depending on where most of your greys are.

Or simple idea is a bun or top knot that hides a thousand sins. A lovely chunky Alice band or elegant silk scarf.

How to maintain your hair colour and condition during isolation

During isolation it is important to look after your hair, if it is possible to order online of if you already have at home, using “Kerastase Masque Intense” every few days, particularly on the ends but also on any dry fragile bits of hair will help maintain the condition until you get back to your salon after lockdown.

One of my favourite products is Olaplex No3, which is an at home use conditioning treatment that helps to rebuild the bonds that have been broken over time due to colour, heat and general wear and tear.

Olaplex also have a formulation called Olaplex No6, which you apply to your hair before blowdrying, this will protect from the heat and also help to keep the bonds protected. If it is not possible to find these products online at the moment, Tesco has a Masque called “Pantene Gold Repair”, this helps keep your hair moisturised. Once rinsed and towel dried. Use Schwarzkopf guardian angel heat protection spray. This will protect your hair from heat damage from the hairdryer. Do be careful when blowdrying your hair, make sure to take most of the moisture out with a towel and then rough dry 90% dry give or take for your hair texture before applying heat directly down the hair shaft. This will save the hair from heat damage.- Jack Merrick Thirlway

Elena Lavagni’s Beauty top tips:

: Use shampoo and conditioning from the same brand, they have ingredients that complement each other, and you will end up with a better result even with a budget product.
: Sleeping on a satin pillow is known to reduce hair breakage. Cotton and other materials are quite rough in texture due to which they also cause more friction against your hair.
: Rinse your hair with cold water as hot and warm water opens up the hair cuticles and the pores on the epidermis. If the water is too hot, it can damage your hair. Use warm water for shampooing. After you have conditioned your hair, rinse it off with cold water.
: Use clarifying shampoo once a month. It helps to clear your scalp from products build up and leave the scalp clear and easy to breathe.

April 29, 2020 Health

Mental Health during Lockdown

With another several more weeks of isolation ahead of us, potentially more, I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to share some of the coping strategies I use daily to keep a positive mindset.

PLAN AHEAD

Despite the difficulty of juggling work and home schooling, I’ve promised myself to try and stick to a routine. Every day I get up and get dressed before planning my day ahead. Working towards long term goals, helps me overcome the daily angst of the uncertainty that surrounds us.

MOVE

Being an active person who works out on most days and spends a vast amount of time walking around the salon, moving my body is indispensable and has been an invaluable copping mechanism these past weeks. I’m so grateful for social media and Zoom, which have enabled me to continue doing gentle workouts with my PT Dino and Pilates with Francesca the Method. There are also, some other great alternatives to PT available. KXU have just started to offer FREE IG live classes Tuesday to Sunday. Other gyms, like Flex are offering virtual classes, which is another great way to keep your mind and body in sync.

NURTURE

Your mind body and soul. During this isolation I’ve been tempted to swap a nutritious lunch for half a pot of Nutella (my favourite) but I think that during these times succumbing to unhealthy habits can have a more detrimental effect on your morale. Nurturing means to care and protect, which is why I’m taking this time to treat my body with all the respect it deserves. My advice is: use this time for you and feed your mind and soul by doing the things you’ve been meaning to do. Whether it’s pick up that book you’ve been dying to read, plant some seeds in your garden, or find yourself a penchant for watercolours, it’s important to find something that will trigger positive emotions. What you choose to do doesn’t necessarily require you to be creative.

CONNECT

This surreal time at home doesn’t and shouldn’t be all doom and gloom. There are so many things we can be grateful for. I for one am thoroughly enjoying the amount of time I get to spend with my son. Spending this much time with him as enabled us to connect in a different way, we’d usually get the chance to. Connecting and catching up with friends and family has been very rewarding. Being there for others too has played wonders for my wellbeing.

It is normal to want to check out and to experience a down day. The important thing to do right now is to protect your mental health and remember we will come out of this eventually.

Hoping you and yours stay safe.

Love,

Elena

April 9, 2020 Hair

Do or Dye

To be stuck at home is challenging, even for the ultimate home lover. Now that we are in a lockdown situation, constrained to stay in, albeit for our safety, it can make us feel very self-critical. Catching those pesky greys in our reflection in the morning can be so frustrating and might even lead those of us who have never attempted box dye, to think the unthinkable!

We asked Senior colourist Tom Cruickshank to give us some insight as to what could go wrong and to explain the processes you will need to reverse the damage:

What most colourists are not telling you is, for those of you who have only ever had your hair professionally coloured, you will be appalled by the results of box dye. Firstly, the application process is messy, and it will most likely not end well for you, your bank balance or the condition of your hair…

The first likely scenario is that you select a colour that is too dark for your complexion. Not only will this affect your morale more than the greys did, but you will need a colour correction appointment as soon as the salon reopens. What you need to appreciate is that unlike professional colour, home colour products are extremely challenging to remove. Firstly, to remove the colour requires a large quantity of bleach before re-colouring to the desired shade. What is more, your hair will be extremely sensitive, meaning you will likely, over the next year, spend a fortune to stop it from fading and turning a brassy shade of orange.

The second scenario is for those attempting to do a home lightener. Whilst daffodils are a great indicator of spring, yellow hair isn’t the solution! You will most likely end up with a colour you hate or a chemical hair cut (i.e. broken hair). Either of these outcomes will make it near impossible for us to correct, without asking you to invest heavily on long-term treatments and that’s before we even discuss sorting out the colour. Remember trained colourists can do marvellous things with your disasters, but ultimately, you have to remember it is a colouring brush, not a magic wand.

In the end the choice is yours, would you rather spend your summer crying over a short haircut you didn’t want or covering your roots, badly, to go nowhere and see no one?

April 9, 2020 Events

National Hair Sunday

December 3, 2019 Events

GUO PEI FOR FASHION IN MOTION

Neville create hair look for Guo Pei show for Fashion In Motion at the V&A,

On November 1st, the Neville session team had the huge privilege of creating the hair look for Guo Pei’s first UK show.

The Chinese designer with whom we have had the pleasure of working for the past 6 years, showcased looks from her Autumn/ Winter 2019/20 collection at the spectacular Victoria and Albert museum in London.

The show not only celebrated Pei’s first UK catwalk but it also marked the 20th anniversary of museum’s Fashion in Motion Series.

The show, which was first presented during Paris Haute Couture Fashion week in July, took place inside the Raphael Gallery.

Get the look:

: Start by crimping the hair from root to tip and away from the face.
: Apply a light mist of L’Oreal Professionnel Infinium hairspray to each section before crimping .
: Create large twisted knots in the hair using a zig zag section.
: Leave two inches of the twisted knot out.
: Using a hair straightener add a textured wave into the ends.
: Finish with a light mist of L’Oreal Professionnel Infinium hairspray and L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni Art super dust for a textured matt effect .

Pictures Courtesy of Johnathan Bradley

November 26, 2019 The Beauty Shakers

The Beauty Shakers Episode 3

Here's our third edit of #TheBeautyShakers, with Elena Lavagni founder and owner of Neville Hair and Beauty, to give you the naked truth behind the beauty industry with some of the industry's creme de la creme. Today we meet with Amerley Ollennu, freelance beauty editor for Refinery29, Stylist, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, and Telegraph, over a Powerbar Fusio Dose treatment to talk about diversity in beauty and dieting.

Subscribe here for unfiltered original content about beauty, updated weekly, Produced by Nargis Cross