10 genius haircare secrets we’ve learned from celebrity hairstylists (2024)

From the red carpet to catching the red-eye, you’ll rarely ever spot Bollywood’s best with a hair out of place. The credit, of course, goes to the hardworking hands of celebrity hairstylists who work behind the scenes to ensure that your favourite names look paparazzi-ready at all times, regardless of hectic schedules or humidity. Over the years, they’ve had first access to insider-only hairstyling intel while developing hacks of their own as well. We looked back at all the celebrity hairstylists who have chatted with Vogue and sifted through our conversations for their best learnings. If you are looking for the healthiest hair of your life, here are the most effective tips, tricks and techniques we’ve heard from the best in the biz.

1. Over-washing won’t do your hair any favours

While many of us find it difficult to stick to a consistent hair washing routine, hyper diligence won’t bode well for your strands either. Celebrity-favourite Daniel Bauer says, “Many people like to wash their hair every day so that they feel it’s clean, shiny and healthy. However, this strips the hair of the sebum layer, leaving hair raw and prone to tangles and frizz.” As a rule of thumb, it is ideal to wash the hair at least twice a week to get rid of buildup on the scalp.

2. Heated hairstyling tools can spell doom for damp hair

On busy mornings, it might seem tempting to quickly run a blowdryer over your hair before you’re out of the shower room, but heated implements can be your hair’s worst enemy. Bauer confirms, “Heat styling damp hair is a guaranteed disaster. You are essentially boiling your hair, when the heat hits the water in your hair it boils it's creating steam. This kills your hair; there is no recovery.”

3. How to detect hair damage

From pollution to excessive hairstyling tools, our tresses are exposed to an alarming amount of aggressors that can rob your hair of its health and vitality. However, detection is the first step to recovery and celebrity hairstylist Amit Thakur has a handy hack to diagnose hair damage. “If the ends of your hair stay stiff and straight and are different from the hair closest to the roots, it’s likely due to heat damage,” he cautions. Needless to say, an effective heat protection serum is your hair’s best defence against heated tools. He adds, “Most people use higher temperatures on the tools when the same results can be achieved with a much lower heat setting.” After correctly gauging how much heat your hair needs, opt for a heat protecting product that can physically shield your strands with a protective barrier made of water-soluble silicone.

4. Sea salt can be your saviour

When Kareena Kapoor Khan’s go-to hairstylist speaks, we listen. The one product that Yianni Tsapatori loves using for a red-carpet-ready finish? A sea salt spray. He says, “It’s on Kareena’s hair 99 per cent of the time that I style it. It doesn’t weigh the hair down, which is important for thinner strands. It saved us many times when we had literally no time and had to rush to get her out the door.” Wondering how to make the most of a sea salt spray in your hectic schedule in the AM? Just follow his easy guide: “All I have to do is spray it on dry hair, roughly curl random pieces, and then shake it out and go,” he explains.

5. Stop before you shop…

...and invest some time in research to know if your purchases will work for your hair type and needs. Despite being a hair tool and product junkie, Tsapatori likes to do his due diligence before making a purchase. He shares his checklist with Vogue: “Is it friendly to the hair—not too heavy, doesn’t cause damage and offers some sort of protection? Is it efficient, easy to work with and will give me the results I want? Is it as eco-friendly as possible?”

6. High price points do not equal high performance

Modern-day marketing might have you convinced that higher price points translate into higher product performance, but Tsapatori would like to dispel the myth. “I’ve used products I bought at the pharmacy or supermarket and they worked perfectly well and also used very expensive ones that didn’t do exactly what I thought they would,” he says. Instead of being guided by price points, he advises doing your homework beforehand. “When I’m buying something online, I’ll definitely take the reviews under consideration or ask a couple of my hairstylist friends if they’ve used the product. It is better when coming from people I know,” he adds.

7. Hot water can turn into a hot mess

If there’s one cardinal rule that all hairstylists swear by, it is dialling back the temperature of your shower when washing hair. Priyanka Borkar, the name trusted by Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and more, cautions, “Avoid using hot water on hair. Even if you are shampooing with warm water, rinse off your conditioner with cool water, as it seals the cuticle and gives extra shine.” To cover all bases and keep heat-related damage at bay, she also recommends opting for products with SPF and heat protectors in your haircare arsenal.

8. Get rid of the grease

Nobody likes having their hair coated with a layer of grease when they touch their hair, but the culprit could be closer home than you think. “Keeping your hair open and touching it often will make your hair more greasy. Switch to braids, messy updos and ponytails on days when you want to hide your greasiness. This way you are working with the grease, which makes it easier to hold updos, and it looks neat,” advises Borkar.

9. Oiling isn’t everything

Applying oil on your strands might seem like the answer to get rid of hairstyling products, sprays and gels, but celebrity hairstylist Hiral Bhatia has reason to believe otherwise. She says, “Many people use oil on hair with product before shampooing, thinking that it’ll protect the hair. However, most hair products like hairspray and styling sprays are water-soluble, meaning they wash off with water. Using oil on hair with product will only make it sticky.” Instead, you can opt for a wide-toothed comb to slide through your hair more easily.

10. DIY your way to longer hair

We’ve all coveted long, lustrous strands at one point or the other, and if you’re looking to walk out of the lockdown with a waist-grazing mane, the answer could be hiding in your pantry. Bhatia recommends opting for some easy DIY recipes to boost hair growth. “Onion juice mixed with a couple of drops of coconut oil or castor oil is amazing for hair growth. Leave this on for 15-20 minutes at the maximum and rinse. You can also ferment rice water and rinse your hair with it post shampoo. Leave it on for 20 minutes then rinse with water. Fermented rice water not only makes the hair soft and shiny, it also promotes hair growth,” she says.

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Also read:

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10 genius haircare secrets we’ve learned from celebrity hairstylists (2024)
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