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In the Chair - Real People Real Hair - Elif

October 23, 2020

In the Chair - Real People Real Hair - Elif

Frizzy hair can be a struggle. Unfortunately, it’s made much worse by poor haircutting, and by many of the hair products that tame frizz for today, but create more frizz tomorrow. Silicone-rich anti-frizz products in particular.

If you’re resigned to thinking you’ve got bad hair, help is at hand. We have the techniques and the products to banish frizzy hair.

What makes a great haircut?

The cut is the most important part of your hairstyle and should do most of the work. Badly cut hair will silently drain your confidence, and dry or wavy hair will look much frizzier, as with Elif’s hair before we went to work.

Elif’s haircut was typical of the corrective work I do for new clients. It had a steep A-Line outline with clunky stepped layers hacked into it. This forced all the driest thinnest hair to dangle lonely at the front and inevitably look wispy and broken. The chunk missing at the back made the top half separate from the bottom half leaving a hole. It was also badly thinned which pulled all the energy into the tight wavy roots making the whole effect look both leaden and frizzy.

Correcting Elif’s hair meant removing excess length at the front and layering the lower layers properly at the back. A great haircut is a feat of structural engineering. It balances the different lengths, textures and thicknesses of 100,000 plus strands, so the hair wants to fall into the desired shape; naturally, effortlessly, even after being windswept.

In fact, at the end of a haircut I’ll often give a ‘Tornado Test’. By blasting the hair around in all directions with a hairdryer, I can see how it behaves under pressure and how easily it wants to fall back into style. This test can highlight imperfections in the balance of weight, which helps in fine-tuning the haircut.

Colour Correction

Hollie our Senior Colourist, added hi-lights into the natural base and low-lights into the ends to even out the colour and texture, and create a softer more natural effect.

After the haircut and colour we took the easy styling route, which was to apply our amazing LifeSaver UV, comb through and leave to dry naturally. Once dry, we applied a tiny amount of Ten Second Transformation.


I think Elif was quite shocked at how easily LifeSaver UV transformed her hair and in a healthy way. Frizz instantly became soft waves. A refined, elegant look that’s simple for Elif to style at home.

Elif’s finished hairstyle doesn’t overwhelm her. We now see Elif before we see her hair.


"I’m so happy about my new hair, totally looks healthier and more natural! Until now I’ve been made believe that I have unhealthy, dry hair. But the way Michael cut it and Hollie coloured it brings out a natural, healthier, well-groomed look even though he hasn’t done much to style it. And the three more inches Lifesaver UV Spray, omg it’s a real lifesaver just made for my hair. Michael told me some things about my hair that nobody else had told me before. It wasn’t only a haircut for me but rather a journey to discover my own hair. You people know what you’re doing. I won’t let anyone else touch my hair ever again" ☺️ - Elif

For Elif’s hair we used LifeSaver Prewash Treatment to rehydrate, then UV Protective Shampoo and Conditioner. To style we used LifeSaver UV Leave-in Styling Treatment and once it had dried, a little Ten Second Transformation to feed and smooth the hair giving a little shine and texture too.

Makeover gift vouchers available
Email: reception@vanclarke.com

 Michael Van Clarke





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