Celebrity hairdresser Asgar Saboo is the style director of the Daniel Galvin Salon in London. He has tended to some of the most well-known locks in the business, from Cindy Crawford to Aishwarya Rai. Here he shares his tips for working with texture.
The best way to find the perfect texture for hair is to experiment. All hair types have different levels of texture, thickness and elasticity, so the best way to get the look you want is to test different natural remedies and tips for locking in texture. This means that hair can naturally be textured every day, without the use of damaging heat styling, which, over a period of time, causes hair to become dry and brittle, making it harder to achieve texture later on.
Straight Hair
Straight hair is the hardest type with which to achieve texture as it naturally falls smoothly without volume and risks looking limp and flat.
How to: Detangle with fingers while damp and give an all over spritz of volumising or salt spray. Put the damp hair up into a high ponytail, wrap the ends around the band and secure into a bun. Leave in to dry overnight. Once dry, let it down. The hair will naturally look more volumised and textured with slight waves and movement. Finish by massaging texture powder at the roots. For more volume and a long hold, apply hairspray all over.
Wavy Hair
Naturally wavy hair already has slight texture but you can enhance this and create more defined waves.
How to: Run hair gel through damp hair, dividing it in half. Do not brush as this will dull the end result of the texture. Create braids all around the head, securing into place. After the hair is dry, normally overnight, undo the braids and lightly comb through with your fingers, pulling the braids apart. Again avoiding a brush. Keep dry shampoo on hand for an afternoon reboot and avoid thick conditioners that can weigh hair down, giving strands a greasy look.
Curly Hair
For you lucky people who were born with naturally curly hair, you are at an advantage because curly hair already holds a lot of luscious texture and volume. The idea behind styling curly hair is to naturally develop and mould the hair into the style and texture that is desired.
How to: After a shower, don’t towel dry as this will pull the texture and waves out whilst causing frizz. Apply a curl-smoothing serum all over the hair, covering it from the root to the tip. Pull back into a low bun and leave to dry. Brushing and touching the hair will lead to frizz, so it is better to let the hair dry before touching it. In the morning pull the hair out of the low bun and it will naturally be more defined with bounce. Avoid the crunchy look by finishing the dry style with a few drops of hair oil and deep condition the hair at least once a week to keep locks luscious.
CorkScrew Hair
This type of hair is the coarsest and driest of all the hair types; because of the many twists and turns of the texture, it can be difficult to get moisture to the scalp and maintain shine.
How to: Clearly defined corkscrew coils can range in size. To avoid crunchy curls, wash strands with a cleansing conditioner, which will help to weigh the hair down. This will also cut down on flyaways and maintain shine. Use light gels and styling butters to twist damp hair into place with your fingers. Again do not brush the hair as this will leave it lifeless but frizzy.
Now try Asgar’s natural hair nourishers.
Naturally Beautiful Locks
Asgar Saboo recommends store cupboard staples to keep your hair looking in tip-top condition.
Salt Spray
There’s no need to spend splash out on sea salt spray, because chances are you have all the ingredients lying around to get that perfectly effortless, salt-water-sculpted wavy hair. Instead of using gel, use pomade within the mix with hot water, sea salt, coconut oil and leave-in conditioner.You’ll evade any crunch, leaving your locks free to flow in the summer breeze.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is packed with all the essential nutrients that are useful for improving the texture of your hair. It improves growth, prevents hair loss and breakage extensively, ultimately creating more texture and volume over a period of time. You can use aloe vera gel as a regular conditioner, simply scrape it from the plant’s spikes. There are also lots of hair mask ideas online to try.
Green tea
Green tea is rich in anti-oxidants and polyphenols which are very useful for promoting hair growth. Not only this, the vitamin C present in green tea also adds a beautiful shine.
Almond oil and banana home remedy for soft hair
Banana and almond oil together make an excellent remedy to treat dry and frizzy hair. Besides maintaining natural elasticity and moisture, this mask will also prevent split ends, hair loss and hair breakage. Being a rich source of omega fatty acid and multi vitamins, almond oil will penetrate deep into the scalp skin making hair healthy and strong.
