Good-Hair Days

State-of-the-art professional and DIY treatments offer remedies for damaged hair with a dash of indulgence on the side.

Words: Lucy Ewen

HAIR CARE IS MOVING out of the bathroom and into the spa. Auckland salon Bettjeman’s opened the country’s first dedicated hair spa in October. Offering treatments for scalp and hair, the  menu includes a series of Kerastase rituals, each of which begins with a hair and scalp diagnosis. Treatment is divided into five steps – rebalancing, bathing, treating, revitalizing and texturizing – all of which are designed to enhance hair’s health and appearance. It takes place in an environment that’s designed to incorporate “soothing sensations with delicious fragrances, evocative textures and relaxing massages of the head, neck and shoulders to create the ultimate moment of well-being”, says salon owner Grant Bettjeman. The rituals also include home-care programmes to maintain the results.

The need to keep hair in good condition cannot be underestimated since even normal washing, brushing and sun exposure can all contribute to wear and tear. Adding colouring and chemical straightening or heat-style tools, which regularly expose hair fibre to temperatures almost double boiling point, risks a lifetime of bad-hair days.

Fortunately, a top-of-the-line hair-restoration treatment is available at the Morgan and Morgan salon in Auckland’s Birkenhead. Nanokeratin is the ideal solution for fine, long or chemically treated hair, permanently replacing lost protein using nano technologies, says salon co-owner Jennifer Morgan. Unlike large protein molecules found in daily conditioners, nanomolecules are vapourized to a fraction of their size, penetrating deep within the hair to form permanent keratin deposits. As a result, hair is left soft and shiny with increased resistance to damage. Morgan and Morgan recommend between one and four nanokeratin treatments, depending on damage and hair condition, to achieve complete restoration of hair health.

East Day Spa in Albert Street, Auckland offers a deep- conditioning experience that oozes luxury. The Bali Crème ($115 for 60 minutes) is a traditional treatment to cleanse and revitalize. Avocado or ginseng cream (ginseng is recommended for thin, damaged hair) is massaged into the scalp. A steam treatment follows with a head, neck, shoulder and arm massage to complete the five-star experience.

On the home front, DIY conditioning complements these revolutionary treatments and is a convenient, economical option. But all that it can reasonably be expected to do is to temporarily coat the hair. For this reason, Bobbi Brown in Living Beauty recommends 15-minute deep-conditioning treatments at least twice a week to achieve long-lasting results. The conditioner should be applied from roots to tips and combed through. The action is sped up by applying heat from a hair dryer under either a hot towel or cap. The Wondercap Thermal Heatcap combines a towelling cap with blow-dryer heat. Essentially it looks like a shower cap with an inner calico pillow filled with lupin seeds. The cap is microwaved on high for three minutes and placed over wet, conditioned hair for three to five minutes. The heat opens up the hair cuticles, allowing the conditioning product to penetrate and produce soft, silky hair.

It has been scientifically proven that age leads to dehydrated scalp and hair.  A drop in the rate of metabolism decreases cell regeneration and compromises the scalp’s protective hydrolipidic film. The scalp is more sensitive, cellular exchanges slow down and the hair root fails to receive nourishment, becoming brittle and lifeless. To help, hair-care companies are releasing anti-aging at-home treatments. Kerastase’s Bain Age Recharge gel ($32) and Masque Age Recharge cream ($56) use essential vitamins to hydrate the scalp and restore substance and suppleness to hair.