My feet may be sodden and my new suede boots water-stained beyond repair but I can guarantee that my hair will defy all that the changeable British weather can throw at it. Come rain, snow or even, dare I say it, humidity . . there will be no trace of frizz, pouf or windswept wildness. Whether emerging from beneath a sopping umbrella in the so-called British summer or from azure-blue Mediterranean waters, I will do so brandishing a mane of smooth, glossy, ‘because-I’m-worth-it’ hair. . . But before you go rushing off in search of a miracle product, the secret I’m about to relinquish is not the latest precipitation-protecting serum (though there are a few good’uns about*), but a man. And his name is Zoltan.
He may sound like a magician, and to me, he pretty much is. How else would you describe someone who literally gives you the gift of time? Ok. So I sound a tad melodramatic. But not having to set aside hours of the week to slavishly wash, blow-dry and style my hair has been nothing short of life (and hair) changing And it is all down to the joy of the Brazilian Blow Dry, a technique that Zoltan – owner of Compton – is a master of.
Even the most unruly manes can be tamed with Zoltan’s bespoke, keratin-infused, heat-sealed, treatment. This is not about transforming natural curls into straightened locks, but removing the halo of frizz that emerges at every moisture-drenched opportunity – whilst whittling down at-home styling time. The treatment itself (no more time consuming than a standard salon visit) lasts up to 4 months – although my last one took me all the way through to 8! – and not one morning since have I woken to the mass of unmanageable poodle fluff that I used to call my hair. Instead, I wake to what looks like a dishevelled, but decent, day-old blowdry, when in actual fact all I’ve done is lazily wash (using a sulphate-free shampoo), rough dry and smother in Moroccanoil or Kerastase Elixir Ultime.
And as if you need any more reasons to pay Zoltan a visit, not only does the Brazilian Blow Dry infuse hair with a sheen that I have yet to find in a bottle, the minimal amount of heat blasting required means that hair not only looks super healthy, it really will be.
The best for hair growth , Shu Uemura Essence Absolue/ Frizz Ease Original Serum/ Kerastase Oreo Relax Serum.
Compton Hair and Beauty, Covent Garden Salon: 44 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9HZ, 0207 240 3240 . Barbican Salon: 161/B Whitecross Street, London, EC1Y 8J, 0207 253 7995, www.comptonhair.co.uk