To say I have lusted after long hair for 13 years wouldn't be an understatement. In my late teens, in a classic little sister move, I copied my older sister getting a Pob (y'know, a Posh Spice bob). I regretted it almost immediately and spent the next decade trying to regrow what I'd just chopped off. I tried everything; vitamins, growth serums, extensions, monthly trims, no trims whatsoever. Some didn't work at all, and others made it worse (clip-in extensions that I slept in, I'm looking at you). I came to reluctantly accept that my hair would be well above boob-length for the rest of eternity.
Then, I had my first daughter, and to combat some fall-out around my face, a friend recommended I try HairGain capsules. I tracked the progress and was floored when in just six months my hair grew longer than I'd ever thought possible- not just nipple length (i.e., my dream), but right down to underboob territory.
Except, remember that baby I just talked about having? With #mumlife, day after day, for nearly two years, I pulled my dream hair back into a bobble and left it there. It got dry, lank, so heavy and just sad. When I did wear it down it was reminiscent of puppy ears. I needed a change, but I didn't want to lose what I'd worked so hard for. So I headed to Samantha Cusick's Fitzrovia salon, sat down with Master Stylist Alex and Lead Colourist Cat and said,
"Help. I feel like a Basset Hound. How do I make my long hair look good?"
Stepping into Sam's salon feels like stepping into an ultra-glossy Instagram feed; the lemon slice on my Coke has been dunked in edible glitter and equally shiny Cat welcomes me like an old friend. Charismatic, Milan-born Alex joins us, and we dive in. What to do with my heavy, sad hair?
"Hair being heavy can mean lots of different things," they explain to me, "normally it consists of each actual strand being coarse. What you actually have is thin hair, but lots of it. This means we've got lots of techniques we can play with; visible and invisible layers, internal layers and disconnection. These are all different types of layering techniques and differ in terms of where they're placed and whether you can see them or not."
"But can I keep my length?" I ask, almost shyly. They reassure me yes, because all of these techniques work without making it shorter.
"We just need to take an inch and a half off to get rid of your split ends and keep it nice and healthy. We can also do a fringe, which makes you feel like you have had a big change without cutting a lot off and allows you to keep the length."
By this point, I'm nodding along like the aforementioned Basset Hound, but have one last concern. Will this even suit me, given my rather long face?
"Long hair does suit some faces more than others, yes", Alex explains. "A square or oval shape works best with long hair, while oblong faces like yours can feel dragged down with long hair. But this is where these different techniques come in."
With this in mind, we decide to cut in curtain bangs to just below jaw level, which Alex promises will enhance my face, and elevate the heaviness. He also promises he'll make it long enough for me to tuck behind my ears properly, which is important for the low maintenance vibes I'm after.
So, internal layers, disconnection, subtle fringe, trim. It's the hairdresser equivalent to a facial tweakment.
And what about colour? It's currently one flat, box-dyed hue, but I'm hoping for something a bit more multi-dimensional and summer-appropriate. Not a big change, but surely there's something you can do to lift the look of long hair. Cat says that for most hair shades, a subtle balayage can create movement in the right places, and add lightness where the sun would naturally lift the hair.
"Dimension happens when we sit a lighter shade next to a deeper shade. It doesn't have to be high contrast but will create movement and depth," she explains. As balayage is low maintenance and can grow out naturally, I'm convinced.
With the dregs of my glittery coke swapped for a fancy hot chocolate, Cat began her precise balayage application, then rinsed the various sections individually, to make sure the colour didn't over-process. She applied Olaplex No. 2 to work its magic for 20 minutes, then toner followed, as did more Olaplex, in the form of shampoo and conditioner. After this, Alex stepped in for the cut.
Before blow-drying, Alex applied the Davines All in One Milk all over, and a little of the Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother to my ends, and before curling, the Redken Quick Dry Hairspray (18) from a distance- far enough away so it didn't make my hair wet, to help with the hold. He finished with a little texturising hairspray.
We chatted throughout, and Alex warned me to keep an eye on my choice of products to avoid the same heaviness occurring in future.
"If your hair doesn't need a lot of moisture and you use a very heavily moisturised shampoo and conditioner, it will weigh down long hair," he explains.
While he adds that volume shampoos are great at creating lightness, he recommends I try the Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo and Conditioner to keep my colour fresh and hair healthy, and he sung the praises of Olaplex, specifically their No. 3 Hair Perfector, at least once a week, to rebuild the strength, structure and integrity of my hair. A weekly clarifying shampoo would also help to remove product build-up.
I leave the salon with the classy swooshy feeling we all know and love, but also with tangible lightness. Back home, my hair is easier to manage, quicker to dry and curl, and after a few days in the sun, the balayage begins to really pop. Alex advises cuts for long and heavy-haired girls like me every 10-12 weeks to tackle inevitable split-ends, keep the style in place and the heaviness at bay; Cat suggests the same time frame for a fresh balayage. In the days that follow, I make a conscious effort to wear this hair I've worked so hard for down and find time to throw some curls into it too. After all, my long hair now looks better than ever.