Increased hygiene measures  This one is pretty obvious. You’ll be expected to wash your hands upon arrival and before leaving your appointment. Salons will be allowing extra time during every appointment to thoroughly clean the area – chairs, basins, everything. If you feel unwell (or have been recently), you’ll need to stay at home and reschedule your appointment.   Arriving at your appointment Hoping for a walk-in appointment? Think again. Booking is key to help the salons regulate their customers. When you get to your appointment, waiting areas will be closed (to limit the number of people in the salon), so arriving…

So, it turns out doing makeup is not like ‘riding a bike’ and you can forget how to do it. Winged liner is literally like cracking the Da Vinci code nowadays. Since ditching makeup altogether during lockdown, I’ve actually started to love the natural look. Here are some treatments to try when salons reopen if you’re planning on retiring your beauty blender for good. By Beth Ludolf

Let’s not beat around the bush – waxing can be painful. Since we’re pulling the hair straight from the follicle, the skin can get a little… angry. For sensitive skin types (hi, me), easing the redness can take a while. If you find that shifting the hair has left your skin inflamed, red, and a little bit irritated, there are things you can do to ease the discomfort (wine not included but each to their own). By Rachel Spedding

What should I do if the hair is too long? Remember, your hair should be no less than a quarter of an inch long. If it’s too long, Sofia suggests giving it a trim, “make sure you leave about 1 cm of growth though, to make sure the wax can pick the hairs up”. If you’re not confident trimming it yourself (it can be trickier than you think), your therapist can do this for you before your wax. If I resorted back to shaving during lockdown, will my first wax hurt more? You’re not alone in worrying about the pain…

What is blue light? We all know about UVA and UVB rays (and wear broad-spectrum SPF every day to protect ourselves, right?). Think of blue light in the same family. “Blue light is a spectrum of light that is emitted mainly by the sun, but also by our digital devices,” Andrea explains “as our use of such devices increases, so does our exposure to blue light”. How does blue light affect the skin? Again, think about how UV rays penetrate the skin at different levels. “Blue light has one of the shortest, highest-energy wavelengths which means it can penetrate the…

What is a mineral sunscreen? Sunscreens can be separated into two categories; physical (or mineral) and chemical. According to Cinzia, “Zinc oxide is a micro-fine mineral that offers broad-spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays.” Mineral sunscreens are safer, better for the skin and also help to protect against blue light (or high-energy visible light) which is emitted from electronic devices.   What is the difference between UVA and UVB rays? UVA and UVB rays affect the skin in different ways. Cinzia says, “While UVB rays affect the skin’s top layer (they’re the ones that cause sunburn and skin…

Skincare can feel like a bit of a minefield, we get you. Keeping up with the latest buzz-ingredients, knowing what they all do and the order to apply them – it can be a lot. We spoke to three skincare professionals about the skincare they actually use, the hero ingredients to look out for and why you should give them a go too. By Beth Ludolf

We keep talking about lockdown’s biggest hair trends – pink hair, buzzcuts, those no-heat curls you do with tights (revolutionary)-  but, let’s be honest, grown-out roots are the number one. Whether we like it or not. Embracing them actually looks pretty darn great but, if that’s not your thing, these hairstyles will help to hide them. By Beth Ludolf

Salons are (hopefully) opening in July and - trust me - by then, our hair is going to need a major refresh - and we already know what we’ll be getting. Face-framing highlights, the Kylie Jenner-approved colour trend that screams summer.  Face-framers are like a more subtle take on the 90s two-tone trend - or The Geri Halliwell, as we call it. Two-tone hair is all about that stark contrast between, well, the two tones (which is why it works so well in rainbow colour). Face-framing highlights are more blended. Think of them as an add-on to balayage.  Lightening the…

Bambi eyes, cat eyes – and now, fox eyes – honestly, who knew the animal kingdom had such nice eye shapes? The fox-eye trend is all about using makeup to elongate and lift the eye shape, making it more – you guessed it- fox-like (think almond eyes x 10). Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner are the poster girls for this one. Here’s how to try it out. By Beth Ludolf

Like a fine bottle of Pinot Grigio, some things just better with age – fellas, this includes you. First up, going grey is nothing to fear, it’s just a way of life. There’s science behind it. Our hair is naturally coloured by melanin pigment, and as we age, the production of this pigment slows down. That means going grey will happen to all of us (unless balding strikes first), but your genetics will decide when. Whether you’re keen to cover it, or ready to style it out, here’s what we’d suggest.

There are loads of reasons why you should wash your hair less frequently. It keeps your colour fresh for longer, your hair will be all-round healthier – but the one that we really, really care about, washing your hair is a chore. Do you know what I want to do with my evening? Drink wine and watch Netflix. Do you know what I don’t want to do? Wash my hair. You do the maths. Here’s some tried and tested ways of squeezing a couple of extra days out of your hair. You are welcome. By Beth Ludolf

Remember last year when everyone did the neon nails thing? I was convinced that would be my summer nail colour for life. Yes, life (its a big commitment but that’s how much I love them). Well, it turns out I’m going to have to alternate between neon and pastel (a summer timeshare, if you will) because now I love them both equally – as if they were my children. Pastels are sweet and nostalgic, which is why they lend themselves so well to playful designs. Instagram is full of mismatch patterns and nail art (pastel clouds art particularly dreamy). A twist on…

It’s been weeks since we last saw our waxing therapists, salons aren’t reopening any time soon *sighs* and, well – let’s just say – it’s a jungle down there. If you’re brave enough to DIY your bikini wax, we salute you. If not, we salute you too because hey, we all deserve a little salute now and then. Times are tough. Just in case it’s been a while, here’s a recap of shaving 101 – including how to avoid the dreaded shaving rash. By Beth Ludolf

Okay, you got a little scissor-happy while cutting your own fringe. It’s happened to the best of us. You don’t need to keep your webcam off from now on, just work with it. Listen, repeat after me, “No, it wasn’t an accident, I was experimenting with baby bangs – its a fully-fledged hairstyle in its own right, you know?”. Very good. Baby bangs are like the cooler sister of the classic fringe (the sister that wears your dad’s old blazers and looks androgynous and edgy). Baby bangs also look arguably better wonky than perfectly straight which is pretty darn perfect…

With sunnier days comes the arrival of freckles, the little brown spots that decorate faces in the summer months. Some of us love them, others hide them with foundation and a whole load of people – who aren’t genetically-blessed in that department – are creating them with makeup. We’re firmly in the love-them camp (ok, and the drawing-them-on camp). Here’s how to embrace and highlight your freckles. By Beth Ludolf

‘Face masks’ used to mean skincare, nowadays it’s more about healthcare. A lot of us will have never worn a protective mask and are probably unaware of the effects it can have on the skin (ahh, ignorance really is bliss). Luckily, we’ve broken down how to protect and care for our skin while rolling with the new normal. By Beth Ludolf

Sleep is the most important part of any self-care routine. You can have a religious schedule of acids, masks and creams and, without enough sleep, your skin will still look dull. We don’t call it beauty sleep for no reason, guys. With no early morning commute, we’re spending more time sleeping than ever – bar the odd drunken Zoom call that lasts until 3 am (I now understand why pubs have closing times). So, now seems like a pretty good time to invest in a silk pillowcase – but what are the benefits? By Beth Ludolf

Remember when toilet roll was the biggest trend of lockdown? Those were dark days. Thankfully, it’s been dethroned (pun not intended) by something much cooler – pink hair. It’s everywhere. Our Instagram feeds are full of celebrities and other very-cool people (girls and guys) sporting pink hair. I mean, if it’s good enough for Dua Lipa and Sarah Michelle Gellar. If you’ve made it to week 7 without trying it then we commend you – but also, like, you really should go for it. The colour and tone of your pink will depend on a couple of things – the colour of your hair before…

I’m calling it guys, haircare is the next skincare. We’ve been obsessed with hyaluronic acid for ages, but now it’s all about hair masks, heat-free curls and silk scrunchies. You heard it here first. So, in the name of our new passion, we asked Jake Unger, Head of Education at HOB salons all about hair masks and how to get the most out of them. By Beth Ludolf

Considering the fact you haven’t worn makeup in weeks, the countless hours you’ve dedicated to your skincare routine and – not to mention – the drop in air pollution, you’d think your skin would be looking better than ever. So, why are you still breaking out? The answer is probably stress (unsurprising really, there is a literal global pandemic after all). We spoke to Tracey Wilmot, Director of Education at Murad about how stress affects the skin and what we can do about it. By Beth Ludolf

So, you were going to leave your bikini wax to the pros but then lockdown got extended for another 3 weeks and the prospect of DIY started to look a bit more appealing (ok, maybe ‘appealing’ is a bit of a stretch). We get it, one does not simply do their own bikini wax, it takes preparation – mental preparation, mainly, but these tips will help too. Whether you’re just tidying up the bikini area, going full Hollywood or growing a bush (and just reading this feeling thankful it’s not you) – that’s your choice. For the sake of clarity, we’ll talk…

If you’d told me last year that I would soon derive immense pleasure from completing a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, I would have laughed in your face. Then 2020 happened. Isolation is testing (at the best of times) so learning to find joy in small things can be helpful for your mental health. Take not wearing makeup every day, for example – it’s basically a financial savings scheme and your skin loves it. Here’s what happens to our skin when we stop wearing makeup. By Beth Ludolf

We may be dedicating more time than ever to some bits of our beauty routine – hello, 10-step Korean skincare routine – but we’re definitely neglecting others. We get it – washing, blow-drying and styling your hair feels pretty pointless when the only people who’ll see it are your flatmates (and they’ve seen you in far worse states). And anyway, you’re not doing your hair any damage, right? Well, it turns out, you might be. Here’s how to take care of your hair (without sacrificing any Netflix-time). By Beth Ludolf