There's nothing quite like a red weather warning to get you hunting the internet for a bit of sunshine! Hands up if storm Emma made you do it 😯🙌 So, now your holiday or holidays are booked and etched on the calendar, have you thought about your hair? Summer can be very stressful for your hair; all that heat and salt water can really dry it out. Try our tips below to get you holiday ready.

1) schedule your appointment with your holiday in mind, speak with your stylist about your upcoming trips in good time and what type of holiday it will be. If your relaxing and taking it easy, it could be a great opportunity to up your hair treatment regime and spend most of the holiday with your hair in a bun by the pool, repairing your hair whilst sipping a cocktail and reading a book. If so, schedule your colour for your return. Hair fades fast in the sun, so bear that in mind when booking your colour appointment. If you are spending your trip networking, socialising and dressing up then have your colour done in the days leading up to your trip so you look your absolute best all holiday! If like me you're the lie by the pool with your hair in a bun type, but you can't bear to look at roots from the start of the week. Aim to travel on week 4 of your 6 weeks cycle but be warned you will have a week when you return with faded hair and roots 😱So if you can't cope with that, bring your colour appointment forward a week or simply book for 2 weeks instead, yay!

2) Protect your hair! Invest in an anti fade, colour protection shampoo and conditioner. Some lines do a dedicated sun range for your travels, that includes a spray to protect your hair too. Speak with your stylist to find out which one is best. Use this while you are away and for 1 -2 weeks after you come back. Often you will find they are heavier than your usual home care, this is to keep your hair extra hydrated as the sun will strip what it can from your hair... Just think of that sun-bleached piece of driftwood on the beach... yep, that’s what sun does to your hair!

3) Take a hair mask! This is your golden opportunity to get some hair care brownie points and give your hair some TLC. Shampoo your hair before going to the pool or beach and towel dry your hair before applying Moroccanoil Hydration mask to your locks. Tie it up high in an invisibobble and let it work its magic while you snooze.... When you return to your room to change for dinner, shampoo your mask out and condition. We recommend shampooing it out to remove sweat, SPF or chlorine from to pool. If you’re the glamour puss who looks immaculate all day by the pool, without a hair out of place, (how do they do that?) Treat your hair intensively in the month leading up to your holiday, 2 masks per week and try to work a hat or headscarf into as many outfit combos as possible! You could even rock a Kim Kardashian Braided doo by the pool while your mask does its thang…

Do make sure you use a colour protecting stray all over to protect you hair and your parting, there is nothing worse than a burnt, flaky scalp! Paul Mitchell's colour locking spray comes in a handy mini 100ml which is great for hand luggage, although we are sure you don't travel light!! The colour locking spray had both UVA and UVB and is very useful for getting to all the bits you can't get with cream. Mist it all over your hair, parting and hairline for extra protection, don't forget behind the ears!

4) Tip 4, Is a bit of a curve ball. With the sun in mind and its incredible power to suck the colour out of your hair, like a dementor from Harry Potter. Pre-holiday is actually a great time to try a darker shade you’re not sure about... Now obviously if you colour it black, there's no shifting it, but if you are a lighter colour wanting to try a warmer or slightly darker toner it's a fab time to try it. If you hate it, sit in the sun and it will probably be gone by the time you get back, love it, then you can try it confidently on your return.

5) Start thinking about beauty prep!

Read our Holiday Beauty Guide Here

Book Your Holiday Appointment now

Khloe Kardashian... Patience is needed when going light!

Blonde Blonde Blonde Blonde Blonde, Colourists everywhere are even dreaming about blonde!

Summer is just around the corner and i'd say half our enquiries are about achieving that perfect blonde.

Of course you can be blonde....... but not right now.

Unless you are lucky enough to be naturally blonde and you were very fair as a child, the ultra ash light blonde is often difficult and tricky to achieve.

On a base darker than a 6 (light brown to the untrained eye) there are more orange pigments present that can be more difficult to remove, the darker the hair, the more orange and red pigments will be lurking in your hair. The more red and orange pigments = more lightening sessions and the longer it will take. If the hair is damaged to start with, we will have to take it really slow to ensure your hair can take it. Its great to have a goal but when achieving blonde after you have been darker requires a lot of time, treatments, money and above all... pacience!

When in the midst of colour correction, the number 1 goal for the stylist is that you leave the salon with your condition of your hair.

Number 1! above anything else, there is no point getting the 3 hairs left on your head platinum is there? After all you didn't bring in a picture of Homer Simpson! #homerhairgoals

No matter how much you plead, cry, shout, stomp and beg, the strength of your hair will determine how long this process will take and what is possible in one session.

But the girls on Instagram can?!

Ok, some people can do it in 1 sitting, but did the instagram picture say how long that transformation took? 9 hours? 10? That's 10 hours of a 1-1 session with a colourist totally dedicated to you. Can you afford a 10 hour 1-1 session, thats roughly "5 sets of highlights" and cuts as @SophiaHilton01 @notanothersalon accurately pointed out. So if you can't afford it in one go, you start the journey with your stylist.

Even if you can afford it and have bags of cash like Khloe Kardashian, sometimes it just can't be done in 1 sitting, see the picture above, her's took 8 sessions! (that we know of). Bear in mind Khloe is wearing extensions, if you want to preserve the length and won't have what your stylist recommends cut off then it will take longer, remember those bright blonde foils you had 3 years ago, yup they're at the ends of your hair and too much lightening will make them fry!

Our Top Tips to getting that blonde

1) Cut off what your stylist recommends, they know how to speed the transformation up, would you rather lose 3 inches and save 2 colour appointments and £500?

2) Use professional home care, the more you do at home the more we can do in salon, invest in a professional Moisture and Protein mask and use them as much as you can! Ask your stylist what is best for your hair.

3) Don't pressure your stylist. They want that blonde as much as you do, a stressed flapping, over pressured stylist won't perform to the best of their ability. Tactfully spending 30 mins repeating ourselves that you wont get the blonde this time will only waste time and stresses everyone out.... we know!!!!! It will happen so much quicker if we spend more time doing your hair than having to explain the process for the 10th time, we love you very much but please trust us!

4) Upgrade to Vitaplex or Olaplex, this will protect and rebuild the bonds in your hair while you lighten giving you better lift and condition. Remember Kim Kardashian West's Platinum? That was thanks to Olaplex!

5) Remember We all want to be skinny on the first day at the gym,,, no matter how much we want it, without investing time, money and knowledge and patience it just wont happen!!!!!

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