If there’s one person that I can wholeheartedly trust, it’s a hairstylist. And not just with my deepest darkest secrets (they’re our unofficial therapists, right?) but for a dose of great hair advice. Whether it’s recommending on a new haircut to suit my face shape, a trending hair colour or how I can get my loose curls to last for longer, they always have the answers. After all, hairdressers and hairstylists work with hair day in, day out. They work with multiple hair types and textures and know how to get the best out of our hair, even when it’s not playing ball.
Whenever I’m in the salon chair, I’m a bit nosy and love to know exactly what my hairstylist is using on my hair. It is their expert knowledge on hairstyling products that gives the professional results. Blowdries last longer (without falling flat), hair feels healthier and bouncy (dull hair? We don’t know her) and nothing quite beats the feeling of walking out of the salon with shiny new hair and letting the compliments roll in. But, how can we ensure everyday is a good hair day if we’re not lucky enough to have our hair professionally done everyday? The answer comes down to have a roster of the best hairstyling products in your arsenal. Hairstyling products will help you level-up your game and help keep bad hair days at bay. So, to find out what hairstyling products the pros recommend, I asked celebrity hairstylists (who are forever prepping hair for the red carpet and shoots) to the most booked and busy hair salons in the UK to share their best hairstyling products picks. I’ve spilled everything below.
I’ve been lucky enough to have my hair done by Jack Merrick-Thirlwall, creative director of Neville Salon, and he tends to the tresses of Kitty Spencer and Viscountess Emma Weymouth. I always leave his chair with the bounciest blow-dries which also have serious staying power, so I was curious to know what styling products might be behind it. “My go-to product has to be L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni.ART Pli Shaper—it is a great prep spray to use before any styling,” he says. “You can also layer this product up without it becoming heavy on the hair, and I love to combine it with different products dependent on which style that I want to achieve. Whether it be in the salon or backstage, this is a great styling necessity.”
Celebrity hairstylist Larry King has tended to the hair of Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevigne and Pixie Lott and recommends his Flyaway Kit, which contains a taming cream ad double ended brush to achieve many results. “To tame your fly aways, a smudge of A Social Life For Your Hair cream on the brush is all you need to smooth back those baby hairs around the hairline—which bad weather can aggravate,” he says. “For the finer details, you can tidy up a sleek ponytail or bun for a super sleek high shine finish. You can also use either end of the brush to lay your edges.”
Jordanna Cobella, Wella craft expert, creative director of Cobella salon and author of The Mindful Hairdresser tendsto the hair of London’s cool girls, and rates dry shampoo for achieving effortless hair—one of which is Nioxin’s Instant Fullness Dry Shampoo. “It is essentially a dry shampoo which puffs up the hair, but it can also be used when you’re brushing out waves to expand the width of your hair,” she says. “It has a really nice fluffy finish which helps the curls stay separate from each other to give the hair volume and width.”
Cobella also rates Volupt Spray by Sebastian Professional, which helps to give fine hair oomph. “This is really good for holding a curl and is a great prep spray if you have the type of hair that doesn’t hold a style,” she says.
You’ll find celebrity hairstylist Dionne Smith tending to the hair of celebrities such as Clara Amfo, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Sonequa Martin-Green. “I use this for any heat styling to protect the hair against any damage that may be caused by using heated tools,” says Smith.
Another hairstyling favourite of Smith’s is Gummy Professional Styling Wax. “I love it for doing sleek hair-up styling and laying edges,” she says. “It has great hold and keeps the hair in shape and moulded for hours.”
I’m always keeping tabs on Chris Appleton’s Instagram (AKA, the hairstylist behind J.Lo and Kim Kardashian’s hair) and he often mentions this product when he’s creating high-shine looks. It gives hair a mirror-like sheen that instantly makes it look like you’ve just had an expensive blow-dry.
This is another of Color Wow’s products that I see pop up on his Instagram profile time and time again. Simply spray at the roots and blow-dry into the hair for instant weightless lift and volume.
Molly Marie Mcilhatton, stylist at Trevor Sorbie Manchester for L’Oréal Professionnel has one product that she uses on everyone. “I use the L’Oréal Professionnel TECNI.ART Constructor on every single guest in the salon,” she says. “There isn’t anyone I wouldn’t use it on. To use it I apply to dry or wet hair before a heat styling tool like a soft curl tong to produce gorgeous waves or curls. The most important time I use it is once I blow dry; I spray this evenly from a distance to put a veil over the hair before waving, it really makes those waves last,” she says. “You can’t even notice that it’s on the hair but it gives a beautiful effect plus thermal protection from the heat.”
Celebrity hairstylist Lona Vigi (who does Reese Whetherspoon’s hair) rates Virtue’s volumising mousse to get weightless volume with movement. “If you have hair that’s prone to flyaways, this tames the flyaways and new growth but still leaves hair soft. You can run your fingers through it, too,” she says. “Use a golf ball size portion and apply to the scalp. Massage in all over and don’t miss a single root. Then, work your way to the ends. It’s like magic, and not only gives you lift, but it also makes the style and texture last for a really long time.”
Marney Lian at Gritt London for L’Oréal Professionnel is also a fan L’Oréal Professionnel TECNI.ART Pli. “My love for L’Oréal Professionnel TECNI.ART Pli is due to the fact that it is one of the most reliable and most importantly effective products,” says Lian. “It’s always in my kit bag (with a spare), as it’s such a must-have. It’s always in reach in the salon too—especially when used as a cutting agent to aid precision cutting, or a secret weapon to the unlimited voluminous blow-dry, or undone natural waves.”
