I’m settled in the hair salon chair, gown on, cuppa in hand, and it’s big decision time. How much are we taking off today?
Oh, around six inches, I say. And 10 years, please…
It’s quite a big ask, but if anywhere can deliver, it’s the Richard Ward Salon and Metrospa. Tucked away in a boutique-lined square off Chelsea’s King’s Road, this elite London hair salon is home to some of the Royal Family’s favourite hairdressers. So it’s safe to say the team here knows plenty about a woman’s crowning glory.
Royal watchers will know that Richard himself was on duty for the Princess of Wales’s bridal hairstyle and has been behind iconic moments such as her flirtations with a fringe. Kate reportedly remains a colour client of the salon, while Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, had her much-admired new bob cut by Richard Ward’s creative director, Cristiano Basciu.
So I’ve high hopes of receiving the royal treatment myself as the salon’s wonderful education director, Nando, casts his expert eye over my 50-plus hair. He’d never say it as bluntly himself, but my barnet is a rather tragic creature. The last time I had a proper restyle was circa 2023 (!) and I’ve been letting my hair grow ever since. And, unfortunately, like an unkempt garden, it’s turned to weeds from chin-level down.
The aftermath of a stressful period in 2024, marked by the telltale shedding of telogen effluvium, has left a severe mismatch between roots and ends. While my growth is now back on track (thank you, scalp serums and polynucleotide needling), the lengths of my hair have been drastically thinned by previous hair loss and breakage from overreliance on heat styling. It’s been a spiral – the drier and duller my hair gets, the more I iron, and so even more gets chipped away.
Thankfully, Nando has the perfect escape plan from this vicious cycle. ‘I think we just need to cut off all of this,’ he says, motioning from collarbone down. ‘The top of your hair is nice and solid, and you can see how much new hair you have growing when you lift up the sections. But if you run your hands down through the lengths, you can feel how much thinner it gets.’
‘The ends of your hair are very transparent, so they’re not really doing anything for you,’ he adds (kindly). ‘You actually have really good hair – it’s fine but there’s a lot of it. If we just cut off the wispy area, it’s going to even up your hair and make it look so much thicker and healthier overall.’
And… younger-looking? Nando thinks so. Hoorah!
He also has wise words about how to actually shape my hair into a style. I’m conscious that it currently just hangs limply around my face and I’m toying with a fringe, but Nando steers me away for now. ‘I’d like to frame your hair around the face a little bit, but it has to be very subtle because we’re talking about fine hair,’ he says. ‘You don’t want to overdo it and then it becomes even wispier.’ It makes sense.
The chop itself is marvellously satisfying to watch, as Nando’s scissors dispatch tatty shreds to the floor. Immediately, I can see the blunter edge does indeed make my hair look thicker and healthier, even while it’s still wet.
As promised, Nando’s cut frames my face softly while still keeping things as chunky as possible. It’s also a useful length for lazy days, as it still allows me to tie my hair back. (And I’ve since discovered my ponytail feels masses thicker without the horrible, ratty ends dragging it down). ‘You can already see how much better that looks, and the length is fantastic on you,’ he says.
Crucially, it’s a style that follows the one rule that all midlifers should abide by. ‘It lets your hair do what it wants to naturally. I think with any type of hair, if you try to force it to do something else, it just looks unnatural,’ says Nando, who sees many women in their 50s fighting a losing battle against changing texture.
‘If we try to put loads of volume into fine hair like yours, you’ll be using too many products and it won’t last,’ he adds. ‘It will collapse and go flat.’ His tip is to simply spritz on a little root-volumising heat protection spray. ‘All I want to do is lift the roots slightly,’ he says, misting on L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni.ART Flex Pli spray.
Things only get better and better as my hair is blow-dried and settles happily into its groove. Okay, it’s (vastly) enhanced by Nando’s expertise but it genuinely feels doable. Plus adding in volume becomes far, far easier without six inches of crispy seaweed dragging things down. A simple wrap around a large-barrelled tong gives a finish so swooshy I’ve practically got whiplash by the time I’m done admiring my new do.
‘It takes years off you!’ I’m told by a passing member of the Richard Ward team, who definitely wasn’t in earshot when I was groaning about needing an anti-ageing hair makeover. So I’m taking that verdict as gospel!
I bounce out of the salon, beaming from ear to ear, rather hoping I might be mistaken for a (very distant) royal by any passing paps. Alas not, but no matter because I’m feeling like a queen, with obedient hair I can easily rule over. I’ve chopped off six inches, yet doubled my thickness and had endless compliments since on how much healthier it looks.
I love it. And maybe I’ll go back for a Duchess Sophie bob next time...
