STYLE&WELLBEING

Look good, feel better

Becky Lennon, head of the extensions team at Daniel Galvin has a celebrity client list that includes Made in Chelsea’s Frankie Gaff, pictured below

FABRIC RECOMMENDS Hair extensions by Daniel Galvin

I have spent what feels like a lifetime (and a small fortune) attempting to inject more volume

into my oh-so-fi ne hair, sampling all manner of supplements and specialist products, all to no avail. In fact, as time passes, things seem to be getting worse: much to my horror, while looking at photographs from only a few years ago recently, I realised my hair has actually got thinner! Thanks a bunch, hormones. A good friend (and fellow sufferer) recently decided to take action, delving into the glamorous world of extensions. I’d only ever considered this as a means of adding length, assuming that the process would damage what little hair I have. Her experience proved me wrong. Coveting my friend’s now voluminous hair, I was determined to give it a go myself.

Feeling somewhat trepidatious (what if they felt uncomfortable, or made things look worse), I headed to Selfridges to meet Becky Lennon, head of the extensions team at Daniel Galvin. I was in safe hands: she’s won Hair Extension Specialist of the Year at the London Hair & Beauty Awards and has been perfecting the art of extensions for years. During the initial consultation we discussed what I wanted to achieve (more hair!) and Becky colourmatched me with some hair (all ethically sourced from India). The process itself is straightforward – Becky takes small pieces of the hair which are infused with keratin on the ends, and uses heat to secure them to my own hair, leaving a small gap between the scalp and the bond to avoid any feeling of tightness and to ensure that the hair can move in a natural fashion. She then cuts the new hair in to match my current length, and voila… I have thicker hair and I can barely feel where the extensions have been placed, let alone see them. The one thing that takes a little getting used to is when I touch my hair: I’m so used to ‘zhuzhing’ it up with my hands but I can no longer do that without accidentally pulling on the extensions, which does smart a little.

Becky sends me away with some sulphate-free shampoo and conditioner, along with advice on how to look after my new do. In particular, making sure to brush regularly, so that the extensions don’t get matted. After her pep talk I walk away feeling confi dent that I won’t wake up to fi nd the extensions lying forlornly on my pillow.

I’ve had so many compliments since my appointment; people are genuinely amazed at how natural the extensions look, and my new volume has given me so much more confi dence to wear my hair with pride. I’ll need to have them changed after two to three months, but it’s a price I am more than willing to pay. BP

BOOK Sustainable beauty

MAKES 1 MASK

Thousands of products claim to be better for the environment and your skin, but are they all as good as they seem? While we might not have all the answers, make up artist Justine Jenkins, a regular on Fabric cover shoots, probably has most of them. This month sees the release of her new book, Sustainable Beauty (16 November, White Lion Publishing, £18). Packed with tips and tricks, plus 20 step-by-step recipes for beauty essentials (including DIY hydrating serums and superfood face masks), it illustrates how small changes in habit can result in a more sustainable beauty routine. Here, Justine offers us a taste of what to expect, with her recipe for a nourishing oat face mask. She says: “Oats are an effective alternative to soaps and detergents, so are great for nourishing tired skin and wonderful in a face mask like this one. Oats contain antioxidants and anti-infl ammatory compounds.”

INGREDIENTS: 2 tsp ultra-fi ne organic ground oats or oat powder |2 tsp castor oil

EQUIPMENT: Food processor | Mixing bowl | Metal spoon | Face cloth

METHOD

1. Place the oats into a food processor. Blend to a fi ne powder. 2. Place the ground oats in the bowl. Add the castor oil and mix until it becomes a paste. 3. Apply to your clean, dry face using your fi ngertips, avoiding your eyes and lips. Leave for 10 minutes. 4. Wipe off with a damp face cloth or rinse off with cold water. Pat dry.

FITNESS Mirror, mirror…

As the days get shorter and the weather grows

colder, it can become harder than ever to fi nd the motivation to get out to the gym. If your trainers are spending longer languishing by the door than pounding the pavements of late, it might be time to invest in a piece of home fi tness tech. We’ve been eyeing up the VAHA S, a sleek fl oorstanding, or wall-mounted interactive mirror that acts like a holographic personal trainer. This clever piece of kit comes loaded with more than 200 different workouts designed to cater to every training goal and exercise preference – from yoga and meditation sessions to cardio classes and strength training, you can train how you like, whenever you like. And more than 100 live classes are streamed every week. All workouts are digitally accessible and have been developed by qualifi ed professionals; there’s even the opportunity to access 1-2-1 personal training sessions. Add to that the capability to integrate with Spotify, Instagram, TikTok and Zoom, and you’ll wonder what you ever saw in the gym.

£1,150 with fi nancing available from £29.49 per month. Monthly subscription costs £39. For more details, see uk.vaha.com

ETHICAL ESSENTIALS Rinse and repeat

The average person’s beauty regime contributes 75 pieces of single-use packaging

to landfi ll every year. But why be average when you can transform your routine into a refi llable ritual with a little help from London beauty e-tailer CIRCLA. Launched earlier this year, the brand offers a curated selection of beauty staples and luxury items – from independent brands, including skincare, shampoos, conditioners and body lotions – which are offered via a milkround style delivery service that promises to make buying sustainably effortless. Orders arrive via bike or electric vehicle, then, when you’ve used the last drop, simply reorder your favourites or discover something new, before leaving the empties out to be collected when your new order arrives. All products come in glass or aluminium packaging – designed to be reused up to 60 times – which is sterilised and refi lled.

Brands on the site include Evolve Beauty, UpCircle and Skin Alchemists, all products are manufactured in the UK, cruelty-free and vegan. Founder, Claudia Gwinnutt says: “Quality of products is very important to us, so we only work with brands who meet our high ethical standards and are as good for the planet as they are for your skin.”

CIRCLA’s delivery service is available in zones 1 and 2, and all W and SW postcodes. For details, see circla.co.uk

NEW OPENING An idea with legs

You might have escaped them while working from home last winter, but the chances are you’ll be reaching for your trusty tights again as the weather turns colder this year. If you are, check out Billi London, the world’s fi rst and only certifi ed 100 per cent biodegradable tights brand. Soft and chic, Billi tights are made with innovative materials that biodegrade 20 times faster than traditional yarns, breaking down into biomass and biogas that can be used to create renewable energy, leaving no microplastics in landfi lls. You can discover the range at the brand-new store in Covent Garden’s Seven Dials. Take in a pair of your old tights – from any brand – and you’ll even receive a fi ve per cent discount on purchases (the team will then upcycle them to give them a second life). If you’re not a tights wearer, it’s still worth a look – to coincide with the opening, Billi London has launched the exclusive SEV7N collection of biodegradable leggings and socks. Toasty toes beckon.

35-37 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, WC2H (billi-london.com)

THE CHUCS RESTAURANT & CAFE COLLECTION