Richard Ward is certainly a hairdresser with a royally-approved pedigree. He’s the man responsible for many of the Princess of Wales’ most glamorous hair looks over the years, including her iconic wedding hair.
His eponymous London salon also looks after other members of the Royal Family, including Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, whose new bob was the work of his salon’s creative director.
As you’d expect from a man with such a loyal clientele, Richard has heard pretty much every hair dilemma from the women in his chair over the years. Which prompted Good Housekeeping to ask: what are questions he hears most often, and what wise words does he offer in return?
And his response was most illuminating. As he tells GH, his mature clients are among the most inquisitive, eager to drill down into their hair’s changing needs and understand how to make it look its best. These are the five questions he’s asked, time and again, on 50-plus hair.
At what age should I chop off my long hair?
Richard has one simple rule on this issue. ‘For me, there’s no rule of thumb regarding age. Make it all about condition instead,’ he says. ‘Long hair only looks youthful if it’s not straggly. If it’s longer than shoulder length, it’s already two years old on the ends. If it’s regularly trimmed to keep it chunky-looking, there’s no age cap for me but, if it looks spindly on the ends, it’s time to chop!’
How can I find the right colour option for masking greying hair?
Firstly, Richard reminds us that there’s no such thing as grey hair. ‘We get white hair, mixed in with our natural base, which gives the appearance of grey,’ he says. ‘For colouring it, my rule of thumb is to go by what percentage of white you have. If you are under 30%, it’s easy to mask with vegetable dyes. Over 50%, then tone-on-tone demi-permanents are more suitable. If it’s over 70%, a tint and highlights to soften around the hairline is the answer.’
Whatever formula you use, don’t try to match the shade you had when you were younger. It simply won’t look right. ‘Skin tone naturally lightens as we age, which is why if you were naturally very dark at 18, it looks harsh when you’re older,’ says Richard.
At what point should I embrace my natural white?
Of course, you can continue to colour forever, but there’s a point at which Richard likes to steer women towards their natural colour. ‘Natural white can look totally stunning, particularly with a red lip. Think Betty Jackson, Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Fonda...’ he says.
‘When you hit 80-100%, white it can be time to let the very light blonde look fade into white, but note that it needs to be kept pure,’ he advises. ‘Use a violet-toned shampoo as it will help keep the clarity. Pollution, smoking and product build-up can yellow natural white hair so use a product like Kérastase Blond Lumiere to keep it pure.’
How do I get more body into my fine hair?
Having been Kate’s mane man over the years, Richard has all the intel on full, bouncy hair. ‘It’s all in the blow-dry,’ he reveals. ‘Use a round bristle brush and take sections no wider than the width of the barrel. The finer the hair is, the smaller the section and brush barrel.’
Beyond that, there a few other clever tricks to try. ‘Use a root-boosting spray like Sebastian Volupt Max Volumising Spray Gel and blow-dry from wet,’ he says. ‘Make sure you use velcro rollers after finishing each section and add a cool blast before you take them out to create lift.’ And if all fails? ‘Swapping your parting over to the other side is a famous trick of the trade to create an instant lift, too!’
What should I do if my hair is thinning due to the menopause?
Hair can become sparse for many reasons, Richard notes. ‘When it loses density, as it often does in the menopause, it’s vital to ensure you follow a protein-rich diet and use supplements. We recommend everyone from peri-menopause onwards takes Viviscal Pro (in-salon only) or Glowwa as an alternative if you’re allergic to fish oil. Collagen is vital, too. We’ve seen amazing results with both ranges.
And for a bonus question
This one isn’t specific to mature hair, but it’s something Richard hears across all age groups.
How do I cope with growing out a fringe?
Let your hairdresser hold your hand through the process, he advises ‘It’s really worth coming in for your fringe trim (most salons offer them as a complimentary service between appointments) to shape it into a gentle side fringe as it’s growing out. This can then grow into face-framing layers and eventually, it will grow down and blend in. Don’t be tempted to keep it straight as if it were still across your eyebrows. It will only look weird and get on your nerves.’
