Great hair is the one thing – along with “that” perfect pair of shoes – that can make you feel you can take on anything.
But with frizz season upon us, we’re spending more time indoors as the nights draw in, while outside, the elements seem to conspire against us all too frequently (aka cue getting caught in a(nother) downpour dashing from the office to drinks after work…!)
Wind, rain and central heating that can turn an apricot into a dried one, plus a totally understandable tendency to eat fewer rainbow salads and more comfort food in the chillier months don’t do our hair many favours.
Which is why we caught up with Norris Ogario, founder of London hair salon OGARIO and multi award-winning hair care brand OGARIO LONDON last week to get some insider tips on how to keep hair happy all winter.
Your new season hair care guide – sorted!
“Break the rules, know your hair type, and everything in moderation” – Norris Ogario
Winter is heading our way, what top tips can you share with us to keep hair happy during frost, snow and (drying) central heating season?
The key to healthy hair in any weather is hydration. Its something we are pretty obsessive about and we call it our mission to condition.
1. Cleanse and condition regularly. Hair needs to be cleansed regularly (every other day is fine for most people), to prevent grime and product build-up and to maximise the health of your hair. Don’t be tempted to skip the conditioner either, as this will really enhance the shine, condition and manageability of your hair.
“Cucumber juice contains silica – it’s brilliant for hair growth and condition”
2. Remove the excess. Take a hand towel into the shower and pat hair dry before you condition. If hair is too wet the conditioner can slide off and you won’t get the full benefit.
3. Make sure you rub the conditioner in your hands before you apply so that it grabs hair evenly.
Revive & Shine – The Jet Set, one of OGARIO’s Travel Sets
4. You can enjoy a hair masque at all times of the year but it’s especially beneficial in winter when you’re fighting the drying effects of central heating and constant changes in temperature. Ogario London’s Restore and Shine Hair Masque is packed with ingredients like pro-vitamin b5 and avocado oil to hydrate dry locks.
5. Break the rules. You can use conditioner on dry hair. In between washes, just mix a small amount of conditioner with a little water and use to smooth the ends of the hair.
6. Everything in moderation. Keep your hairdryer on a cool setting and avoid over-drying the hair, and keep the use of straighteners to an absolute minimum. Avoid over-brushing as this can split locks.
7. Know your type. Use the right shampoo for your hair type. If it’s dry, look out for shampoos with pro-vitamin b5, silk and wheat proteins. They are great for hydration. If you need extra volume as well as moisture, soy protein works a treat.
8. Split ends are a sure sign of damaged, dehydrated hair. Regular trims are essential for keeping on top of split ends to stop them moving up the hair and preventing damage to tresses.
“Keep fixatives to a minimum and don’t overuse products with silicone. It can be drying for the hair as they cause build up and prevent other hydrating ingredients from penetrating the hair shaft”
9. Keep fixatives to a minimum and don’t overuse products with silicone. It can be drying for the hair as they cause build up and prevent other hydrating ingredients from penetrating the hair shaft.
10. Hydrate your body (and your hair). Make sure you’re getting lots of green leafy vegetables. Juicing is a great way of getting all the right nutrients and our particular favourite for glossy locks is cucumber juice which contains silica – brilliant for hair growth and condition.
11. I am a huge fan of hats – they can be really stylish and a great way of protecting your hair in the harshest of weather. If you need some inspiration take a look a our pinterest board, Hat Hair.
‘OGARIO HYDRATE AND SHINE SHAMPOO GENTLY CLEANSES AND RESTORES SHINE
WITH A FORMULA OF UPLIFTING ESSENTIAL OILS’
Kate Shapland, Beauty Notebook, Telegraph Magazine
Ogario has become a multi-award-winning brand in such a short time, how did you grow from a salon into launching your own brand – and what have the highlights of your journey been, so far?
I’ve had the salon in Highbury and Islington for over 25 years. It was always my dream to create a product range that reflected the type of hairdressing we practice in our salon. I believe in delivering a consistently high standard every time and putting the customer at the centre of everything we do.
When we started developing the range I was increasingly frustrated with the quality of salon products I was working with. I was becoming more interested in natural ingredients for personal use and I was mixing oils for shaving. As we started to research the options for developing a range it became clear to me that natural ingredients were the way to go to get the best results for healthy, well conditioned hair.
It took us four and a half years to develop the range. It was a challenge getting the formulation not only to work but deliver exceptional results. We were fortunate to work with our clients who gave us feedback on the formulations as we developed them. Some of my longest standing clients were pretty direct and they didn’t pull any punches if they thought a formulation wasn’t delivering.
I think one of the highlights was working with our customers and they are incredibly proud of what we have delivered and love being part of the journey.
‘A MUST-HAVE FOR THE WINTER MONTHS AND WORKS WONDERS ON PARCHED HAIR… AMAZING RESULTS VISIBLE AFTER ONE APPLICATION… TRANSFORMS HAIR.’
Elsa McAlonan, the Daily Mail
Winning the Beauty Shortlist Award for our Restore and Shine Hair Masque in 2012 was incredibly exciting for us. Up until that point we’d been mainly selling the products in our salon and online to our existing clients and the wider recognition really helped us as we started to develop our brand.
“This year has been a big year for us as we have launched in
Fenwick and Planet Organic”
This year has been a big year for us as we have launched in Fenwick and Planet Organic. We are having a lot of fun going to the stores and talking to customers and spreading the word.
How important has support from beauty bloggers been for Ogario, particularly early on?
We officially launched our products online in November 2011. What we didn’t realise when we launched a website and online store is how little we knew about digital.
We were used to working directly with clients in our salon and we had very little knowledge about how to connect with customers in a completely different environment.
Beauty Bloggers were the first to review our products and we had amazing reviews from bloggers such as Suburban Beauty Junkie, Buff Beauty and I am Into This. It taught us a lot about what we needed to do and how we could connect with customers in a different space.
Now, when people hear about us the first thing they do is check out what the beauty bloggers are saying because they know they’ll get an honest view.
“OGARIO’s products are like a lush,
hydrating, shine-brighter drink for hair” – The Beauty Shortlist
Your Revive and Shine shampoo is a multi-award winner, with awards from Red Magazine, Natural Health Magazine – and us. Is there a story behind that product because it’s clearly a beauty editor favourite?
The Revive and Shine Shampoo is a special product. Even when we hadn’t perfected the formulation I knew we had the right basis. I mainly use it in the salon because it just makes the hair shine. You can even see the shine when the hair is wet. I’ve worked with a lot of different products and I’ve never seen any other product do that when the hair is wet.
Having said that, the Revive and Shine Shampoo was the product that gave us the biggest challenge. The main problem was getting the consistency right. Sometimes it was too runny, then too thick and every other variation of consistency in between.
This is the product we are most proud of when we win an award. We went through a lot of pain in getting it right but it was most definitely worth it.
If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what would your Plan B be?
Aside from hair, my other passion is photography. I love photographing hair and do most of the photos for our website and marketing materials.
I still use film to shoot as I think it gives much better clarity than digital and I want the models and their hair to look fresh and natural.
Photography would definitely have been my Plan B.
For more HAIR KNOW HOW on THE OGARIO BLOG, check out:
The Step-by-step Guide To A Front Plait
A Step-by-step Guide To Big Bouncy Curls
“Ogario is a light, airy and peaceful boutique hair salon in Islington, north London. With every haircut or colour, you’re guaranteed intelligent conversation, sharp service and there’s no rush – we like to take our time” – Norris Ogario
OGARIO LONDON
www.ogario.com
306 St Paul’s Rd
Islington
London N1 2LH
Phone: 020 7354 5540
Email: salon@ogario.com