The Beauty Diary: Australia’s best hairdressers spill their top tips

Chances are you’ll get grey in your hair as you get older – but while it can cost a bomb to treat, one expert has a tip that tackles it free of charge.

When you are given a great piece of advice you never forget it – but just in case, you’re going to need to hit bookmark on this page.

After much begging and pleading, Australia’s most talented hairdressers have decided to spill their most treasured information with me and in turn, I am dishing them out to you.

These are not just any old hair tips either. These are rare nuggets of gold gleamed from years spent in front of a mirror, fixing hair horror stories and solving more mane dilemmas than we could possibly imagine.

Missed a column? Catch up on all The Beauty Diary action here

Aussie women have been sharing selfies of their freshly dyed hair for a good cause. Picture: Instagram

$20 can be donated on your behalf to help last summer’s bushfire crisis when you have your hair coloured at certain Australian salons. Picture: Supplied

If you’re thinking I’m bigging this up then you’re bang on, but it’s true these pieces of advice don’t come around often.

And let’s face it, learning how to get the best out of locks makes most of us feel more confident, something we could all use more of.

So take note of these awesome hair tips and let us know in The Beauty Diary Facebook group how you get on if you test some at home.

HIDE GREYS BETWEEN COLOURS

If you can’t afford a root touch up product like this one, you can change your part to conceal greys between colours. Picture: Supplied

Laura Brand is a Goldwell Color Specialist from Shibui Salon, Victoria

“Being a colourist, my most common client concern is visible grey hairs. For the time in between salon visits I always suggest using root touch up powders like Goldwell’s COLOR REVIVE Root Retouch Powder,” she said.

As well as having the handy $29.50 powder that is available in a range of blonde, brunette and copper, Laura had a great piece of advice to avoid the need for it altogether.

“Simply try changing your parting,” Laura explained. “Find the area of hair you feel is the most grey and flip the hair over.

“This will expose the most minimal grey area and also boost volume in the hair, stopping it sitting flat on the head and camouflaging the regrowth much better.”

Throughout September, if you get your hair coloured at any participating Goldwell salon and share a selfie with the hashtag #goldwellcolorforacause, $20 will be donated to Bush Heritage Australia to helps the areas affected by last summer’s bushfire crisis. So far there’s been more than 1500 photos shared with the hashtag resulting in $30,000 raised.

PROTECT BEACH DAMAGE

Virginie Gayssot, Head of Education at Franck Provost Australia

“Wet your hair and apply conditioner before going to the pool or the beach, this helps protect your hair against chlorine and salty water,” she said.

“As the hair is already wet and has a product in it, it will be difficult for the salty or chlorine water to penetrate into your hair.”

Virginie also said it was important for anyone heading outside to remember that sunscreen also applies to your hair and scalp.

“Always wear a wide brim hat and apply a Sun Protection product if possible to prevent harmful UV damage,” she explained.

The hair educator at Franck Provost, which have 14 salons across the country, also recommended using a silk pillowcase to reduce split ends on hair.

“Its silky smooth texture you will be less likely to wake up with frizzy, tangled hair,” Virginie told The Beauty Diary.

Sleep on a silk pillowcase to prevent split ends. Picture: Supplied

There’s quite a few different brands offering silk pillowcases but my pick is definitely Slip. It will set you back $95 which I know isn’t cheap, but if you care for it like your first born, it lasts so the cost per use is actually very affordable.

I used to wake up with crease lines and frizzy hair every day before my beloved Silk Pillow Case came into my life – now my hair is lovely and soft and I don’t have fresh lines on my face.

EASY ROOT BOOST

Ali Holmes, KMS Lead Stylist and co-owner of Wild Life Hair salons

“My ultimate hair tip is never blow dry your hair to your part” Ali said.

“Part your hair on the opposite side that you actually want it and blow dry it there.

“It will give your hair a natural volume and a free-er part line when you flip it back to the other side. This technique is called over directing and works the best on side fringes.”

FIVE SECOND FRIZZ-FREE TRICK

Use a round boar bristle brush to perfect this five-second frizz trick. Picture: Supplied

Anthony Nader, owner RAW Salon, NSW

“Two of my most treasured hair secrets are for banishing frizz – especially now we’re coming into the warmer months,” Anthony told The Beauty Diary.

He recommends investing in a brush with “boar bristles” as they can “fight any type of unruly hair textures” and will keep strands silky smooth for “24hrs plus”.

In order to seal in that frizz free look, Anthony has a five second trick you can use when blow drying.

“As you’re blow drying hair strands with your round brush to reshape and mould with the heat, you should then glide over your strands with the ‘cool’ shot button,” he said.

“This part is the most important and only takes an extra five seconds, but it really seals the deal and makes hair look salon worthy.

”It’s my biggest secret for combating frizz.”

PROTECT YOUR COLOUR

Celebrity stylist Jaye Edwards says this $70 treatment prolongs colour treatments. Picture: Supplied

Jaye Edwards, Edwards and Co founder, and colourist to the stars

“Creating the perfect colour isn’t down to any single element, it’s application, product, skin tone, natural hair texture, and so many other things,” Jaye said. “But the perfect way to tie everything together is to use Virtue Labs ColorKick.”

If you’ve not heard much a about Virtue Labs, it's a US brand that has recently launched in Australia and the products are seriously next-level – everything you need to know about the brand can be found here.

“It is the first-ever hair product made from pure human keratin and until recently was only available as a professional salon treatment,” Jaye said.

“For my clients, I mix it directly into their colour formula as it helps rebuild the keratin protein that is damaged and depleted during the lightening process, and seals the cuticle for improved flexibility and shine.

“For at home use, I recommend adding ColorKick into the Restorative Treatment Mask, which can really revive your colour and help reduce fading in between visits to the salon.”

While you can buy a bunch of different products from Virtue Labs in Sephora, Jaye’s salons are currently the only way to purchase the $70 colour treatment in Australia. While I’ve not used it at home myself, I’m a huge fan of Virtue Labs Split End Serum, so will definitely be following this hot tip.

EASY TEXTURED MANE

Embrace your hair’s natural movement by massaging a nourishing treatment into the your ends and letting dry naturally. Picture: Supplied

Barney Martin, R+Co ambassador and director of Barney Martin Hair, NSW

“This season’s hair is about textured cuts that embrace the hair’s natural movement,” Barney said, adding the best way to bring out your hair’s texture is to let it dry naturally or diffuse dry.

“One of my favourite tips for creating movement in mid to long hair is to tie the hair up in a top knot whilst damp,” he explained.

“Spritz with the R+Co Rockaway sea salt spray and once dry untie and rake through with your fingers for amazing texture.”

He also recommended using a hair cleanser (shampoo) that doesn’t strip all the natural oils and using a moisturising treatment that you can massage into the ends and leave to air dry.

Barney also shared a tip to adding volume to fine hair like mine when I was having an R+Co Thickening Concentrate treatment at his salon that I have been using the last few weeks and am obsessed with.

When adding waves, at the finishing touches stage, take small pieces of hair from the top and add run your tong or straightener through it to create thin waves. It instantly lifts and adds texture to naturally flat hair like mine and only takes a few minutes.

The $40 treatment also really added substance to my locks and lasted a few weeks.

This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.

If you have a question about a beauty product or an item you’d like to see road tested in The Beauty Diary, jump into our official Facebook group where you can join like-minded beauty junkies. You can also catch me on Instagram or tweet me – don’t forget to hashtag #TheBeautyDiary.