As a person with “Irish hair”, I do not count autumn as among my favourite seasons. Now, Irish hair has nothing to do with your actual hair type. Rather, it is the result of a mysterious reaction between your hair (whatever texture it may have from fine, silky and poker straight to waves to voluminous type three and four curls or coils), and the particular moisture saturation of autumnal Irish weather. When that damp, misty October air meets any person’s best effort at styling that day, it simply buggers it up and creates a woeful case of Irish hair. Baby hairs around the face suddenly stand at a right angle, pointing at people and threatening them. Dry ends bulk out as though they are conducting an electrical current and start screaming. Roots more than a day since washing take cover, pasting themselves flat to your scalp, and looking instantly drab and grimy. No hair type is safe from Irish weather.
While the only foolproof solution is to spend the autumn in a country where the air is not actually a liquid, tricks and products can help. Joico Zero Heat Air Dry Styling Creme (€18 at lookfantastic.com) is key to that cool-girl undone air-dried style on finer hair types. On a really damp or misty day, styling your hair too rigidly may be unwise. This lightweight cream does a bit of everything. It will prep hair for a blow dry if you're doing one, but it will also define natural texture if you're not, adding shine and minimising any tendency for frizzing when hair hits damp conditions.
If you do have curly or coily hair, extra protection is useful as these hair types are naturally drier and more delicate. While oils are great, especially for thick hair, and there are many good ones, slightly less dense curls can be overwhelmed and weighed down by oil. Sometimes our hair needs a protective coating for the Irish weather. Kerastase Curl Manifesto Gelee Curl Contour (€32 at lookfantastic.com) creates beautifully defined curls, but it also gives added protection to the hair shaft.
Anyone with dry hair, or even just dry ends, will be prone to exponential hair growth in damp and wet weather, so an intensive treatment can help to keep angry hair moisturised and reduce its greedy thirst for atmospheric moisture. Redken All Soft Heavy Cream treatment (€34 at millies.ie) is lovely. Hair will drink it in and be pacified. For a really intensive treatment, leave it in for a few hours or overnight before washing your hair.
Finally, a last resort if you’ve created a nice style and lost it to autumn weather on the way to your destination. Obviously, you don’t want to be heat styling your hair too often. However, if you charge your handily portable GHD Unplugged Cordless Styler (€349 at stockists nationwide) and throw it in your handbag, sleek, wavy or curled styles can be retrieved on the go. If you get where you’re going and are greeted in the bathroom mirror by fuzzy baby hairs or dropped waves or curls, this will save the day.
Product of the Week
CND Vinylux in Silk Slip Dress (€15 at lovecnd.com)
