Saying that Claudia Winkleman has shiny hair is like saying water is wet, but her latest look is so blindingly gleamy it’s got us reaching for our sunglasses. The Traitors presenter was at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition preview party last night, swooshing what’s got to be her shiniest and sharpest haircut ever.
To our eye, it looks as if Claudia has treated her iconic hair to a little tweak, giving her long, sleek bob a weapons-grade sharp edge. Her hair now sits on her collarbone in a line so laser-precise that her photo should be pinned up in every hairdresser training academy in the land.
For those wondering what’s involved in Claudia’s laser-like cut, we quizzed celebrity hairdresser and mdLondon founder Michael Douglas for his expert view. And the secret to a look like this? It’s all in the salon schedule, he says.
‘For hair like Claudia’s, you do need to trim it very regularly, because hair grows at slightly different rates,’ he tells us. ‘Some bits grow quicker than others, so that real sharpness you get on the finish starts to deteriorate as the hair grows. You'll lose the level of sharpness if it’s not cut every six to eight weeks maximum.’
It explains why Claudia’s haircut looked so fresh last night, despite being virtually the same length as usual. ‘Hair will only grow about a centimetre in that time, but it’s the trim that keeps it so sharp,’ Michael explains.
The type of haircut matters, too. ‘You want a dry cut. Blow-drying the hair first and cutting it dry is what gives you a really lovely blunt finish like Claudia’s,’ says Michael.
The trickiest part to a style like this, he explains, is having enough weight in your hair, all the way down. ‘You need 100% of the hair thickness at the ends. Fortunately, Claudia’s hair is really thick. But if your hair is thin, then clip-in hair extensions are an absolute no-brainer, so you’ll end up with extra hair at the bottom where it gets cut. That’s where the real feature of this hairstyle exists – it’s all in the ends.’
Straighteners are a must for Claudia-level gleam. ‘All the hair needs to be doing the same thing at the same time to get that ultra-sleek finish,’ he says, advising either his Strait irons or the wider Phat straightener, especially if you’re blessed with thicker hair like Claudia’s.
Claudia’s signature colour completes the look, he adds. ‘You want one solid block colour. If you have some blonde highlights or a balayage, you lose the effect,’ he tells us. ‘It doesn’t have to be black like Claudia’s. Dark brown is good, too. Even blonde works as long as it’s all one colour to give you that really strong style.’
Who’s ready to spend a bit more quality time with their hairdresser?
