Any parent with a child whose hair is moderately-to-aggressively tangly will know the struggle that smoothing out that follicular majesty entails. Even the sweetest child can turn into a stomping, hysterical demon hurling the meanest words they know when that brush touches their flowing tresses. It doesn’t have to be quite so bad, though, in most cases.

​What works best for you will, of course, depend on the length, thickness, and texture of your kid’s hair—but here are the best tips we found for making the process easier and less painful for all involved.

Should you wash your hair before coloring it and why would you care about whether your hair is freshly washed before a hair color appointment at all? If you have missed the debate over having your hair clean or dirty for the color service and right after it, you are at the right place to clear things up from the very beginning.

As a hair color specialist, I’ve seen both nightmares and success stories when it comes to color maintenance. Read on to know the ways you can get and keep those beautiful colors you’ve always wanted, straight from the source.

Is It Better to Dye Your Hair Dirty or Clean?

Back in the day, hairstylists would tell their clients that dirty hair was best when it came to hair coloring. Hair color was loaded with tons of ammonia, so it could break through any product buildup or natural oils.
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that is a big, fat LIE. Color companies use new technology in most of their products now. This means that hair color has become gentler on both the hair and scalp, and it may not break through the 3 days’ worth of dry shampoo stuck to your oily roots. Go to the salon with clean, washed hair, or you may be sacrificing gray coverage.

​Having dirty hair during your consultation with your stylist can be confusing for them, as your strands can appear darker than usual. This can further lead to incorrect formulation to get you to your inspiration photo. This means that you are in jeopardy of getting a shade you didn’t ask for.

Prevent these hair nightmares by using a gentle clarifying shampoo followed by a light conditioner the day of (or the night before) your salon appointment. I like Redken’s Detox Hair Cleansing Cream and Redken’s Extreme Conditioner.

Should I Wash My Hair Before Bleaching It?

For those of you that get bright highlights or a blended balayage, dirty hair could mean an inconsistent end result. The oil within your scalp can block the lightener from lifting the hair, and hair that doesn’t lift properly can turn splotchy or orangey (us hairstylists call this “blorange”).

For those of you that get your roots bleached using an on-scalp lightener, you may want to avoid coming with freshly washed hair. Instead, wash your hair at least 24 hours prior to bleaching it. Remember that fun fact about ammonia breaking through hair color? On-scalp lightener is typically full of ammonia. You want your natural oils to protect your scalp so the bleach doesn’t eat away at it, especially if you have a sensitive scalp prone to irritation.

Rather than using a clarifying shampoo the day prior to coloring hair using bleach, I recommend something moisturizing, like Verb’s Hydrating shampoo and conditioner.

Can You Dye Your Hair Wet?

Water can create a barrier on the hair, complicating the color process. Many times, the color will still work, but it can be unpredictable. For this reason, I blow dry my clients prior to coloring when they come in with wet hair for the color service.

Some color companies have created toners and glosses that can go on wet hair, but this is the only exception in my book. If you are dyeing your hair at home, do start with dry clean hair.

Can I Wash My Hair After Dyeing It?

Short answer? NO.

The way that most hair color works is by penetrating the outermost layer of the hair, known as the cuticle, and pushing dye molecules in to react with the pigment in each strand. It takes 72 hours for the cuticle to close completely. Washing your hair prior to that means that color molecules are going to escape your strands and color will fade quickly.

I speak on behalf of all hairdressers when I say this: PLEASE, skip a few regular wash days and wait the three days for long-lasting color.

Tips on Washing Color-Treated Hair

Now that it’s been three days and you’re allowed to wash your hair, I’ll let you in on some of the best ways to maintain it.

1. First things first, use whatever shampoo your colorist recommends. They know your hair best. Their hands are in it. A drugstore shampoo can create buildup, cause hair loss, and cause chemical reactions during the color appointment. I personally recommend color-safe lines, like Redken, Living Proof, or R+Co. Every shampoo by any of those companies is safe for color-treated hair. Most of these have UV protection technology in it to help protect your color from the sun. This is major!
2. Wash one to three times a week in lukewarm water. Hot water will open the cuticle of the hair and help your color pour out of it! As a result, you might need to schedule a new color service sooner than expected.
3. If you are a brunette going blonde, you might consider using a blue shampoo to remove orange tones. For a blonde that is trying to stay bright, I recommend a purple shampoo or a violet-toned mask. Do not use either of these products more than once a week: over-toning your hair can complicate the coloring process in the future. Overusing these toning shampoos can also cause dryness in the ends of the hair.

 
I will add a bonus hot tip here: consider purchasing a shower head filter to remove hard water and other impurities from your water. Your water can be causing dry scalp, brassiness, and brittle hair.

Fashion’s latest “it” accessory doesn’t come with a three-figure price tag, and it isn’t sold at exclusive boutiques. In fact, the claw clip can be found in most pharmacies nationwide and costs about £3.

The springed hair grip, with teeth to hold hair in place, is familiar to most women as a way to pin long hair up out of their face. But it isn’t usually perceived as glamorous or as part of a fashion trend. That changed when models including , Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber started wearing the clip, and after it became the subject of hair tutorials on TikTok.

Videos with the hashtag #clawclip have been viewed 242.6m times on the app. Asos reports that in the past five months they have sold 240,000 claw clips, with sales up 57% since the autumn of 2020.

The website Refinery29 featured an article this week about ways to wear the claw clip, partly based on tips found on social media.
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The site’s beauty editor, Jacqueline Kilikita, says the popularity of the clip comes from various factors. Because claw clips were popular in the early 2000s, they are part of the wider Y2K trend – which also saw scrunchies make a comeback – but more people working from home was also a factor. “The majority of us were – and still are – looking for easy, low-maintenance hairstyles that look chic, and take mere seconds to achieve at home without the need for heat styling or various hair products.”

While Kilikita acknowledges the impact of celebrities wearing the claw clip, she says the fact it is so “everyday” means it will be adopted by many more women. “You don’t need to be an expert to achieve the accidentally perfect look,” she says.

This easiness of the claw clip may be why it’s so popular on TikTok, where videos frequently go viral without a famous name attached to them. “It’s equally as wearable for us mere mortals, as TikTok’s beauty content creators have demonstrated,” says Kilikita.
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She points to the variety of videos on the app, from French twists to low buns, and the tutorials across demographics: “There’s a claw clip for all styles, whether the twist or bun, as well as all hair types and textures.”

You'll want to check this out, too:

6 Easy Claw Clip Hairstyles To Try Now — Whatever Your Hair Length
 

There are a plethora of articles that recommend hairstyles suitable for your face shape, and whilst this is important, we should consider the whole body when choosing a hairstyle bespoke to us.

Imagine different sizes of shoes, bags and accessories – to celebrate your body type, you need to go for something that looks flattering, not awkward. With your hairstyle, it is the same. Read on for tips and suggestions on haircuts, styles and hair colors that will compliment your body.

Hairstyles and Body Shapes

Top tips on selecting a new hairstyle include considering hairstyles for your face shape and hair type. But what about the overall body shape? No matter how beautiful very long hair looks, petit women will not benefit from the style; likewise, no matter how many women seek adding volume to hair, voluminous ‘dos do not always create the right accent.

Here are a few guiding principles to remember if you want your hairstyle to balance your body features:

• Clean-cut lines at the nape and the sides offset a softer, curvy body;
• If you have broad shoulders, bra-length hair with soft curls will help to make the look more feminine;
• Super straight hair accentuates skinny body shape; adding some shape and soft waves will, on the contrary, balance the look;
• Very long hair makes short women look shorter;
• The eye is automatically drawn to the lightest part of the hair – use this to your advantage by cleverly placing your balayage or multi-tonal color.

Here are recommendations for 10 different body types and shapes to help you find the best hairstyle for your figure and learn to balance and show off your body features.

#1: Rectangle or “Banana”

If your waist measurements are about the same as your hip or bust, and your shoulders and hips are about the same width, you have what is called a “banana” or rectangle body type.
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Opt for effortless textures with soft movement like beach waves and multi-tonal shades in a color (not too contrasting). Avoid defined, harsh lines and geometric shapes like box bob. On long hair, ask your stylist for a hairstyle with layers; avoid one-length long haircuts, especially if your hair is thick. Likewise, avoid blunt bangs – curtain bangs or side fringes will be more suitable for this body type. Side partings or asymmetric styles will also be a flattering choice here.

#2: Triangle or “Pear”

With this body type, your shoulders and bust are narrower than your hips. You probably have slim arms and a fairly defined waist. Your waist most likely slopes out to your hips.

To harmonize the look, optically mirror your hips by creating width around your shoulders. Curly hair is great for creating this volume, so you should better nurture any natural types of curls in your hair. Shoulder-length haircuts also do a perfect job here, as well as blunt bangs, one-size blunt haircuts, and graduated cuts. A-line concave bob with longer hair towards the front is your must-try style. As for hair color, a root shadow that is slightly dragged out and eventually blends into a lighter color will be a flattering option.

#3: Spoon

The spoon body type is pretty similar to the triangle or “pear” one. Your hips are larger than your bust or the rest of your body and may have a “shelf”-like appearance against a defined waist. You may also carry some weight in your upper arms and thighs.

This figure looks best with longer hair length, darker colors, and blunt lines. A winning move is to frame the face with feathery curtain bangs. Curves and waves will add volume to your locks and, unlike sleek straight hair, will compliment your curvy body shape.

​#4: Hourglass

If your hips and bust are nearly equal in size and you have a well-defined waist that’s narrower than both, you have an hourglass body type. Your legs and upper body are probably considered proportionate.
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Side parts and sexy flowy hair look great on this body frame. However, feel free to offset the very feminine body type with strong geometrical lines and super short hair that’s clean-cut but sports texture on top.

#5: Top Hourglass

As a top hourglass, you have the general hourglass proportion, but your bust measurements are slightly larger than your hips. Consider going with shattered medium-length cuts, that are not too blocky or bulky. Adding face-framing highlights, spotlight color placement, and baby lights can also be used to soften your upper body.

#6: Inverted Triangle or “Apple”

If your shoulders and bust are larger than your relatively narrow hips, you have what’s known as an inverted triangle or an “apple” body type. To create more balance, opt for softer outlines rather than strong blunt styles, especially shoulder-length cuts. Make sure hair doesn’t fall directly on your shoulders as it gives the illusion of width.
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Dimensional color play to your hands, too. Styling can make a lot of change either. For example, half-up half-down styles and ponytails placed on the highest point of your head give the illusion of a lengthened torso.

#7: Round or Oval

​If your bust is larger than the rest of your body, your hips are narrow, and your midsection is fuller, you have what’s usually called a round or oval body type. A flattering choice is wearing clothes with vertical lines and matching these with long, sleek hairstyles. Less width in your hair will visually lengthen your torso.

#8: Diamond

If you have narrow shoulders and bust and a fuller waistline, you have what’s called a diamond body shape. With this type, you may carry a little more weight in your upper legs while having slender arms. Thick hair with volume and texture and big hair with tight curls will add to the balance. Look through hairstyles with width and chin-length short bobs to find a flattering style. Pulling hair back from your face could also help you look more slender.

#9: Tall and Athletic

​If your body is muscular but not particularly curvy, you might have an athletic body type. It works well with almost any type of cut, so your face shape and hair texture will be a better guide this time. Go for long hair or celebrate your strengths with androgynous hairstyles. The only thing to avoid is hair length between a chin and a shoulder. This gap will visually elongate your neck and add to your height, which may overpower your overall look.

#10: Petite

​Bob cuts or various types and lengths is the best choice for petite slim women. A stylist will normally discourage you from long locks that will make you look shorter than you are and very short pixie cuts that can make you look a bit boyish. Opt for sleek styles and avoid hairstyles that are too voluminous and overpower your figure. If you have a rectangular shape lacking curves, add soft waves to your do.