The higher the hair, the closer to god,’ says Dolly Parton, fully cognisant of the celestial power of the voluminous hairstyle.
Hairdressing legend Sam McKnight agrees. ‘There’s nothing more confidence-boosting than a big, bold and voluminous do,’ he says.
Big hair exudes health and can make us feel powerful. But exactly why is it so flattering? Let us count the ways.
Backcombing at the crown to create a bit of height has long been a hairstylist’s trick to enhance their client’s face shape. It does something optically to make you look prettier. Don’t ask me how it works, it just does. Bouncy, abundant hair also shows vitality (see lank hair for the reverse). Oh, and it’s slimming. The wider it is, the narrower you look.
Miley Cyrus does XXL hair at this year’s Grammys
All of this means I am delighted that big bouncy blow-dries are back. I’ve actually never stopped requesting them at the salon, but at least now I don’t feel embarrassed to do so, because they are officially ‘on trend’.
OK, so the extreme looks – Miley Cyrus’s enormous 1980s do at this years Grammys, or Kendall Jenner’s 60s bouffant at the Schiaparelli S/S24 fashion show in Paris, might not feel 100 per cent relevant to those of us decades older, but it does show the direction of travel for ’dos (out and up). Ditto the clouds of hair sported by musicians SZA and HER.
Kendall Jenner at SCHIAPARELLI S/S24; Cindy Crawford last month
If you want an age-appropriate role model, look to Julianne Moore on New York magazine website The Cut, with wild curls that verge on frizzy. And the sleeker, but still full-on ones that Julia Roberts rocked on her recent Vogue cover.
‘Everyone loves a Cindy Crawford 90s blow-dry,’ confirms Andreas Wild at Larry King, as he puts my own hair in rollers. But he does caution that, to look modern, even big hair needs to be ‘flat around the face.’ And for those of us in midlife and beyond, he says it’s essential it doesn’t stray into ‘fancy-dress or newsreader territory. Helmet hair this is not.’
Understood.
Sky-high-hair kit
Power up your pout
I love Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Big Lip Plumpgasm (£27, charlottetilbury.com).
A triple threat to thin lips, it has ingredients to inflate, a formula for fullness and hyaluronic acid to plump from within.
Under a tenner
Kiko Creamy Colour Comfort Lip Liner (£7.99, kikocosmetics.com) is a staple in my kit for subtle definition and lasting as long as pricier rivals.
Whisker away
Venus Facial Hair & Skin Care Exfoliating Dermaplaning Razor, £14.99, gillette.co.uk
Shaving above the neck is a no-no for many of us, but dermaplaning, which uses a scalpel-like blade, is gaining in popularity. Gillette’s new tool safely scrapes away sideburns, ’taches and dead skin cells to reveal glowing skin. It’s now part of my regime – and no, hair does not grow back thicker.
@lifesrosie
Deputy beauty editor: Alice Robertson
