How to repair your hair post-festival, according to experts

Overcome dryness and tangles with these top tips

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Festivals are great for a good time, but not so great for your locks.

A weekend spent in a field, braving the elements and dancing the night away can leave hair feeling a little worse for wear and in need of some TLC.

Three of the biggest telltale signs of festival damage? Dryness, dulled shine and tons of tangles.

Here, two celebrity hairstylists reveal their tips on how to spot them and more importantly, how to treat your hair to the post-festival recovery it’s crying out for.

Dryness

The distinct lack of shower facilities at festivals can leave your hair feeling like a hay bale, meaning the shampoo you choose to use for that all-important first post-festival wash should ideally be as moisturising as possible.

Hence why hairstylist to the stars Jason Collier advises hedonistic festivalgoers to indulge in a rich product such as Shea Moisture’s 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Shampoo.

“I advise giving it a gentle but thorough wash as soon you get back home and borrow a hairdresser’s technique – shampoo twice!” he tells The Independent.

“This extra-gentle natural shampoo will effectively eradicate product buildup, without stripping the hair, and will leave it feeling soft, hydrated, and smelling fresher too.”

Hairstylist and Aussie ambassador Ben Cooke agrees, adding: “You can tell if your hair is craving moisture as the texture will change – dry hair tends to be more brittle and you make notice split or dead ends.

“If this is the case, drench dehydrated hair in a rich treatment to bring it back to life once the festival fun is done.”

Tangles

Tangled tresses are pretty much impossible to avoid if you are going to a festival. You shake your hair around as you dance the night away, are blown around in the great outdoors and who knows what mud and dirt you might find lurking in your barnet once the weekend is done.

But what you may not know is that your tangles can tell you just how damaged your locks are. The harder it is to detangle your tresses, the more TLC your hair is craving.

For this, Cooke recommends treating your hair to the miracle that is Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Treatment, as it’s the ultimate recovery formula for your locks.

“Slather a dollop of the deep treatment on your hair after shampoo and conditioning,” Cooke explains.

“Using warm water to rinse off the shampoo and conditioner will open up the cuticles of the hair and allow the 3 Minute Miracle conditioner to seep deep into the strands. Work the treatment from root to tip with a wide-toothed comb to ensure even application while gently detangling.”

Frizz

“Days of backcombing, braiding and generally getting a little messy can leave hair tangled and frizzy, so whilst hair is still damp, brush through thoroughly with The Wet Detangler Tangle Teezer Hairbrush to get rid of knots and frizz,” suggests Collier.

“Be kind to your hair and leave it to dry naturally, braiding it or tying into a loose low bun.

“When it’s dry, unravel and it will have a lovely soft wave that evokes that bohemian festival vibe, without the mud and mess!”

Cooke agrees adding that quick-fixes like dry shampoo and coloured hair chalks can leave your hair looking dull, so any damage should be remedied using a Shine Deep Treatment "for an extra injection of shimmer and nourishment post festival."

Lack of nourishment

Another top tip, useful for those who have applied a deep conditioning treatment or mask, is to allow it to take full effect by stepping out of the shower and popping on a hair turban, such as the Aquis Lisse Luxe Hair Turban.

“This will help boost the mask’s effects,” Collier says.

“Leave it on for half an hour – the perfect amount of time to regale your friends with your festival stories! Rinse out thoroughly for gorgeously soft hair.”