What to do with lockdown locks? Ask the hair experts for a restyle

Spa Spy at Sesh, 50-52 Bernard Street, Edinburgh

Simon Hill’s Sesh salon has been styling hair at 50-52 Bernard Street near The Shore in Leith, Edinburgh, since 2004.

The treatment

Restyle £47 (varies), plus Alchemy Deep Conditioning Treatment, £15, and Gloss Treatment, £10, at Sesh, Edinburgh.

Why go?

Lockdown has given many the opportunity to ditch the dye. But how, and what's next?

You’ve been cutting/dying/ruining your own hair in lockdown and it’s time to ask the experts for help. Simon Hill’s Sesh salon has been styling hair near The Shore since 2004.

Our spy says

As well as hacking at my hair in lockdown I’ve given up on dye and like the natural colour. But how to get rid of the two-tone effect of dyed ends and natural roots – as well as the dodgy fringe?

After applying dye remover myself, which saw the dark brown build-up merely going a brassier shade, I head to the re-opened salon with a request to remove the remaining dye and restore my natural colour.

Before my treatment, I go for an allergy spot test and pre-appointment consultation. After donning a mask then sanitising my hands on entry, I’m greeted by creative director Emma McPherson, also masked. She seats me in the large salon which allows for maximum social distancing and gets down to a lengthy consultation. Texture, colour, style, lifestyle, possibilities are discussed and explained by Emma, who doesn’t know I’m from The Scotsman – everyone gets this attention. And this is just the pre-appointment appointment.

“A lot of salons just give you what you think you need and we are not like that,” says Hill. “We’re honest and open about what you require. We encourage clients to come in and meet the stylist which gives you the opportunity to think.”

Emma explains that dyed hair has been permanently stripped of its natural colour and over time the colour will fade or change. Fine if you want to keep dying, but if you don’t, the best way to return to your natural hue is to let it grow out and cut it off, in stages if you’re squeamish. Since there isn’t a huge difference between my natural roots and the dyed bottom half, she recommends a cut and conditioning treatment, then regular trims. My scalp sighs in agreement. No more dye.

I return for a shampoo, gloss and Alchemy Deep Conditioning Treatment, cut and blow dry which “will add lots of shine by smoothing the cuticles down and helping light reflection. The oil shot adds moisture for hydration and repair, also adding to the gloss,” she says.

Magazines and coffee are out but a head massage with the conditioner is in, along with Perspex screens and the opening up of side rooms to accommodate social distancing. It feels safe and hygienic.

For the cut Emma suggests a long bob, and takes off three centimetres, then another two at my suggestion.

The results

A swishy do with volume and gloss that blends the colour, my natural brown merges into coppery ends, with advice on how to treat my hair in future – apart from booking into Sesh again which is a no brainer. I’m now much better educated about hair colour. You can’t just whack in a box of dye remover and find your natural colour underneath. Maybe everyone knew this, but I didn’t, and to quote Biggie Smalls, ‘if you don’t know, now you know.’

Sesh 50-52 Bernard Street, Edinburgh, 0131-555 0708, [email protected], www.seshhairdressing.co.uk

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