Tag Archives: colour

FOUR Salon, Mayfair

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FOUR represents a quad of ambitious girls, friends with a mission to open the ultimate London salon. They hope to pave the way for the future of hair colour. The salon is the creation of Denise Arnold, Brooke Bohan, Charlie Double and Maleeka Taher, and together they bring over 45 years of experience in colour-correction and colour-maintenance.

The glowing celebrity testimonials are proof of the magic these girls work on a daily basis. Getting hair colour right each season can be a real challenge, so finding a colourist and stylist who you really trust to do the job is essential and priceless.

At FOUR, they will look after your beauty needs from head to toe. Over the two gloriously glittering floors, clients can experience a huge range of body, face and other beauty treatments. If you find you can’t tear yourself away for a whole day, the staff are happy to provide you with food from their healthy and tempting menu.

Just off Regent Street, the location is ideal for busy working women or shoppers in need of a pick-me-up; it is easy to find from either Oxford Circus or Piccadilly tube stations. I went along on a Saturday afternoon to check out Brooke’s talents and Amy’s blow-drying skills. These two bubbly girls took care of me all afternoon, attending to my every need and making sure I was pampered like a princess.

Brooke carefully examined my hair, discussing with me the various options. I never seem to know quite what I’m going in for, often my shortlist of ideas is as broad as dying all my hair orange or chopping it off into a dark, sophisticated bob. Needless to say, I am never brave enough to follow through and usually walk out just looking a little more tidy and preened. Brooke was a great help assuring me about my options and helping me decide on a whole head of highlights – this would brighten and lighten the dip-dye effect I already had.

Brooke worked patiently and systematically through my hair, highlighting the strands carefully to ensure even distribution and the right effect. Each area of my head was washed out at staggered times so that the colour had fully developed. I enjoyed a delicious avocado and salad sandwich and a glass of fresh pressed fruit juice while I waited for the colour to take hold. Pleased with the results, Brooke sent me off to have a shine treatment and shampoo and massage, all of wish was divinely relaxing.

Resisting the chance to have a trim I asked Amy to blow dry my hair with a bit of bounce and movement. She beamed as I described it, knowing exactly the look I wanted… obviously the surf style is something girls ask for often. After rough drying with a hairdryer, Amy used curling tongs to define the waves, I felt glamorous and beautiful once she’d finished with me. Blow dries certainly give you a dose of confidence.

The four-midable team at this Mayfair salon will sort out your every colour crisis and conundrum, so that you have a head of hair that you are proud to show off.

More info here: www.fourlondon.com

Radio Salon, Shoreditch

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I think I’ve found a new favourite salon. In the last few years Shoreditch has grown in popularity enormously, with quirky coffee shops, independent boutiques and hip salons opening up every week. Radio Salon has something special to offer… real personality, in both the venue and the staff.

This spacious salon is located on Redchurch Street in the midst of East London activity. With a quaint cafe opposite and numerous nearby vintage stores, it is easy to spend the whole day wandering around this area. Radio has a slick modern look with clean, elegant design and fresh minimalist decor. The salon is also an art gallery, with regular exhibitions and events and ever-changing walls of work. Radio are also the flagship Bumble and Bumble store in London. Already a massive fan of this American brand of hair products, I spent a while perusing the organised shelves and admiring all the delicious shampoos, conditioners and styling creams.

The attention to detail here is impressive, I particularly loved the helpful handbag hanger clips that are secured onto the table in front of you. Soon I was secured in my protective gown and ready for my colour appointment with Sofie. We talked briefly about my desired effect, brighter and lighter dip dye, and how best to achieve it. Sofie was frank with me and explained that the tips of my hair were quite damaged and dry colour change would be tricky, but she would do the best she could.

Sofie worked her way systematically through my hair adding creamy blonde, and honey coloured highlights alternately, paying special attention to lighten the hairline. There was no time pressure which made the whole experience very relaxed, allowing me to enjoy reading Vogue while sipping my Prosecco! After a toner, the dye was washed out and I was treated to a heavenly head massage.

Upstairs Juri was waiting to cut my hair. He liked the style I had come in with, and as I was adamant about keeping the length we decided on a tiny trim, eliminating the worst split ends and making the whole hairstyle more straight and smart. I didn’t need to worry, he knew exactly what he was doing and worked swiftly. Promising me wavy locks, he twisted my hair with Bumble and Bumble surf spray and blow dried it ‘messy’. My hair seemed to miraculously double in volume.

The best salons are in Shoreditch, and after trying Radio, I think it is definitely a contender for the top spot. They offer every hair treatment, colour, cut or style you could ever want, plus an expertise and genuine passion for hair and art.

More information and book here.

www.radiohairsalon.com

Daniel Galvin Jr, Belgravia

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Daniel Galvin Jr must be fed up of being compared to his famous hairdressing father – his glamorous Belgravia salon couldn’t be more different to the huge venue his father owns in Marylebone. This stylish boutique exudes charm and elegance, decorated in a smart black and white colour scheme, it reminded me of a Parisian salon. It is cool and slick inside, pretty people sit flicking through magazines while their hair is rejuvenated.

A host of celebrities sing Daniel’s praises and his Belgravia salon is a regular hangout for the Made in Chelsea gals so I knew I was in for a treat when I arrived on a Saturday morning for a colour and cut. With the sun finally reaching our London skies, I felt ready for a few highlights and a shorter bob… lighter and brighter for the hotter months.

Daniel calls his staff the ‘Dream Team’ and after my experience I couldn’t agree more, the hairdressers here are professional, friendly and knowledgeable. It was obvious immediately that the health of the hair comes first… and when I suggested dip-dying to my colourist Olyvia, she shook her head declaring it too damaging for my hair. It was refreshing to have a hairdresser who was brave enough to assert her experience and offer her opinion. I was impressed throughout with how personalised the service is at Daniel Galvin Jr, I truly felt like my stylist and colourist cared about the health and look of my hair. Together we decided on a half head of scattered highlights, only slightly lighter than my natural colour to offer some warm honey hints. The time passed quickly as Olyvia filled my hair with silver foils and we chatted enthusiastically.

Everyone was incredibly efficient and before washing out the foils, a junior colourist came by several times to check on the developing colour, washing out the relevant dye from various parts of my hair as and when it was needed. The salon is surrounded by designer shops and cafes and lucky for me they have a deal with the Ottolenghi cafe round the corner serving up the tastiest salads ever for reduced prices. You can order your meal from the menu and someone will fetch it for you while your hair dries. I ordered numerous coffees which arrived promptly and were deliciously roasted and rich, each cup accompanying by a sweet and yummy Bonne Maman Coconut Madeleine.

After an energising wash downstairs (sadly no head massage) I went to have my hair cut. This was sharp and speedy, again the stylist (the brilliant Natasha) checked constantly that I was happy with the length and style and then blow dried my hair quickly before using GHD straighteners to add defined messy curls throughout. It felt so much fresher and bouncier.

A week later and my hair is still feeling soft and natural, transformed from its previous distressed over-coloured state. At Daniel Galvin Jr they promote healthy organic products which ensures that your locks are kept in good condition long term rather than just as a quick fix. Aside from a superior haircut and colour, Daniel Galvin Jr is a gorgeous salon to spend time in. You don’t just go to Daniel Galvin Jr once… this salon becomes a way of life.

Visit the Daniel Galvin Jr website here and follow the salon on twitter @danielgalvinjr