Your Hair Care Checklist During Quarantine

As cities slowly allow businesses to open up, many are anticipating the day when they can finally walk into a salon and get that long-awaited haircut. For the time being, as we toy with the idea of cutting our own bangs or fill our Pinterest boards with hair colour inspos, we spoke with internationally renowned celebrity hair stylist Kelly Araujo on what should be on our hair care checklist during quarantine and other ways to style our locks without risking that bad DIY haircut.

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Hi Kelly, thank you for taking the time to speak with us! For a lot of us who are currently in quarantine, many are anticipating the day when they can go visit their hair stylist again. In the meantime, what are your tips on proper hair care while we are on lockdown?

Ditch Heat Styling Tools We can put away the hot tools and bust out the hair masks. I think now is a great time for everyone to give their hair a little heat styling break. One of the best things you can do for your hair is to stop heat styling it. Our pre COVID-19/quarantine world was very much about keeping up with the daily grind as well as expectations about what we should look like largely mandated by the types of jobs we have. Much of the pressure that comes with such expectations is now gone. This leaves us with more time and energy to get reacquainted with and truly care for our hair. If buying a new mask isn't for you, go into your beauty product cupboard and revisit what is already in there. You may have some hidden gems that you’ve forgotten about or that you never gave a fair chance to. I am always pro-using up what you've got.

A healthy scalp is key to healthy hair, and will help promote hair growth starting from the follicle.

Scalp Treatments Don't forget about your scalp! Most people neglect to spend time caring for their scalps. A healthy scalp is key to healthy hair, and will help promote hair growth starting from the follicle. It also feels really nice! Some of my favourite scalp care products right now are R+Co's Acid Wash ACV Cleansing Rinse, which is an amazing scalp treatment that can also be used as a delicate shampoo. This calms any scalp irritation and adds incredible shine. I also love Drunk Elephant's T.L.C Happi Scalp Scrub. This is a little exfoliator for your scalp, which gently removes dead skin cells. A luxurious treat that feels so good to do.

Ditch the Dry Shampoo (Not a popular opinion but I truly believe that we need to do this) This goes along with scalp health. A lot of dry shampoos can clog the pores on your head and create build up that can trap bacteria and cause a number of different skin conditions. There is definitely a time and place for the use of dry shampoos but lockdown is a great time to put that product aside and give your scalp a break.

R+Co: ACID WASH ACV Cleansing Rinse - $36.00
R+Co: ACID WASH ACV Cleansing Rinse - $36.00

There's been plenty of memes going around social media of people cutting their own bangs while in quarantine. Should we think twice and put the scissors down? What are other ways we can style our hair without risking a bad home haircut?

I think everyone should do what makes them feel good during this lockdown. All memes and jokes aside, no matter what you do to your hair in quarantine, your hairstylist is a skilled professional. They will be able to remedy anything you do to it once this is all over. I would also like to say that I personally know many people that cut their own hair on a regular basis. There is no shame in that.

Instead of focusing on chopping it all off, consider treating it so it feels better

However, if you are feeling frustrated and are thinking of picking up the scissors and aren't feeling confident about it, I would suggest shifting your focus. Instead of focusing on chopping it all off, consider treating it so it feels better and those split ends aren't so visible. I would also suggest playing around with air drying your hair. So many of us forget what our natural hair looks like because we’ve become so used to heat styling it. It may take a few attempts to learn what works for your natural texture so don't be discouraged if the first few times don't work out for you. Keep at it!

If after all you decide you can no longer wait for your hairstylist and you want to cut your hair at home, be conservative. Focus on trimming only what needs to be trimmed. Less is more.

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A lot of people are also turning to dying their hair at home. If people are insisting on doing this, what is your advice on the proper way to dye your hair on your own and do you have any do's and don'ts that we should keep in mind?

I specialize in hair cutting, so I may not be the best person to address this but I will try my best. If your roots are really starting to bring you down there a few things you can try. If your goal is to disguise your roots while you wait for your local salon to re-open, you can try a root touch up spray on days when you need to go out.! They are easy to apply and widely available at your local grocery stores in the beauty aisle. They go on very much like dry shampoo and they instantly cover those pesky greys. I am a huge fan of L’Oreal’s Magic Root Cover Up. It works really well! I use this product on set all the time. I have also used it on my own greys.

I am also a fan of Oribe's Airbrush Root Touch-Up Spray. It has a sleek design and fits in any purse!

What are some current hair products we should be stocking up on?

Treat Your Hair with nourishing masks and treatments. This is the perfect time to treat some of the damage that has been inflicted on your hair from regular colour appointments or too much heat styling. Invest in adding a good quality shampoo/conditioner/masks to the mix.

For Dry Hair caused by over styling. Try Kerastase: Résistance Bain Force Architecte and R+Co Television Perfect Hair.

For Severely Over Processed Chemically Treated hair, check out Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector, Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance™ Shampoo & Conditioner and Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance™ Conditioner.

For Normal Hair that just needs a little boost, try Drunk Elephant's Cocomino Glossing Shampoo and Cocomino Marula Cream Conditioner.

Stock up in Leave In Conditioners, they are great for air-drying hair. Try R+Co's High Dive Moisture Shine Creme. I love this product. It works really well on wavy hair. It will smooth out frizz, add beautiful shine and moisture with very soft hold. It can also be used as a blow dry cream or air dry cream.

Some other ones to add to the list. Joico's Zero Heat, this is a new product to me but I have quickly fallen in love with it. They have two formulations. One for fine/medium hair and one for thicker hair. Don’t Blow It Thick (H)air Styler by Bumble and Bumble. This product comes in two formulations, one for thick hair and one for finer hair. Smells great, works well. Shu Uemura's Wonder Worker - This one can be used as an air dry cream as well as blow dry cream. I love a good double duty product.

Finishing Products to seal the deal. Try R+Co's Moon Landing Anti-Humidity Spray It keeps moisture out to ensure a longer lasting style safe from frizz. Also check out Oribe's Imperméable Anti-Humidity Spray. This anti-humidity finishing spray shields hair from frizz, protecting sleek blowouts and perfect curls alike.

Bumble and Bumble Bb. Don’t Blow It Thick (H)air Styler - $37.00
Bumble and Bumble Bb. Don’t Blow It Thick (H)air Styler - $37.00

Kelly Araujo is an internationally renowned hair stylist based in Toronto with over 10 years of experience. Her work with celebrity clients has earned her a spot among the city's top hair experts and has been featured on major TV programs including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Fallon, The Jay Leno Show, and Canada’s #1 Morning Show, Breakfast Television Toronto. Her ability to create effortless haircuts designed to look just as great when styled as when dried naturally has made her a sought after stylist in the city.