If you feel like you’re in a bit of a rut with your hair, it might be time to spruce up your styling regime or refresh your signature look. And if you’ve been inspired by recent fashion and beauty trends, you may have settled on achieving more luxurious-feeling, expensive-looking hair.
But while the “quiet luxury” or “stealth wealth” fashion trend involves investing in understated yet well-made, good quality, and generally pricier pieces, giving your hair an “expensive” feel does not always have to involve an enormous salon bill. You could add on a couple of subtle highlights around your face at your next hair appointment, for example, or invest in one of the best hair masks to repair and deeply moisturize your strands at home.
To that end, we tapped into the expertise of several top hairdressers for their advice to make hair look and feel more luxurious. While it’s not a step-by-step guide – you don’t need to do everything on this list! – these tweaks can help you on your way to even more fabulous-feeling hair.
What is expensive-looking hair, exactly?
What we really mean by this term is hair that looks fabulously healthy and polished. “Expensive-looking hair is a combination of three elements: the dimension of color, movement of shape, and overall signs of the condition,” says Tom Smith, creative director at Billi Currie London, international creative/color director for EVO HAIRCARE, and Olaplex artist.
Smith goes on to say that means that the color has depth and tonal variation, and isn't over-styled and stiff – think free-flowing lengths and healthy, springy curls. "The condition must be impeccable with healthy, solid ends and vibrant shine that shows off the color and texture," he adds.
How to get expensive-looking hair for less, according to the pros
Whether you want to achieve the effortlessly chic French girl hair or want to elevate your bronde hair, these tips and tricks will make your looks look (and feel) seriously luxe.
1. Get your hair in good condition
If you only focus on one thing in this list, make it this one. Ignore this step and all of the other advice in our guide will be redundant. During a recent webinar with haircare brand Virtue, Nicola Clarke, creative color director at John Frieda Salons, summed up the secret to expensive-looking hair in just five words: “Luxurious hair is healthy hair.”
Above all else, hair will feel its most luxurious when it is as healthy as possible, no matter the texture, color, or length. “No matter how good the color or cut is, if your hair is in poor condition it will never look its best, and certainly not ‘expensive’," Smith stresses. Buying an at-home treatment that repairs and moisturizes hair is, therefore, an excellent place to start.
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2. Clarify regularly
Adding one of the best hair clarifying treatments or shampoos to your haircare routine will help to remove build-up from your scalp and hair, something that can dull its color and shine. "One of the things I’m very into is clarifying the hair,” says Zoë Irwin, creative director at John Frieda Salons and editorial, trend and color ambassador for Matrix. "Quiet luxury hair is not heavy – it's not over-glossed or over-serumed – it has a lightness to it. In order to achieve this you need to cleanse out [build-up] so that when you put a treatment on, the hair takes it. So I would 'detox' the hair before putting moisture on."
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3. Add a scalp serum to your routine
It's not just your lengths and ends that need care. Any hairdresser will tell you that healthy hair starts right at the root; look after your scalp and you look after the strands that come out of it.
“Good scalp care is [especially] important for bleached, colored, or natural hair,” says Dobson. “The Reincarnation Scalp Treatment from Bleach London gives long-lasting hydration to scalps while also creating the ideal base for new and existing hair strands to thrive.”
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4. Ask for dimensional color
If you are in a position to have your hair colored at the salon, our experts agree that a multi-dimensional, multi-tonal approach is the way to go. “Something that I see a lot with my brunette clients is that they don’t just want an all-over brunette,” says hairdresser Christopher Laird, co-owner of the November Collective salon. “So we really look at achieving those rich tonal differences and expensive ribbons in the hair to give it a sort of Kate Middleton, luxury brunette [feel]. You don’t always need a really complicated color to make hair look expensive; those little tweaks and personal touches can really elevate hair without having to get it done all the time."
Smith agrees: "If your color is feeling a little blocky, having your colorist add subtle highlights on the surface and deeper areas underneath, will help to give interest and make your color look more designed and bespoke." Herringbone highlights are a great way to inject a subtle and sophisticated bit of color, and we also love face-framing money pieces.
Above all, have an open and realistic dialogue with your hairdresser about your lifestyle and how regularly you can have your hair colored in salon. If you can't or don't want to do this that often, say that! "There’s no point in giving someone a super high impact all-over blonde when they only want to come to the salon every six months because they’ll look really expensive and good for the first six weeks, but for the next few months it’s going to look grown-out and like they’ve not [had it done]," Laird says. "Work with your stylist to really find something that’s going to fit with your lifestyle and your budget."
5. Curl care
It can take time to find the tried and true products that suit your hair pattern and texture’s needs and make your curls sing – but once you find them, they’re the key to getting springy and defined curls and coils every time, whatever curly hairstyle you opt for. “Putting some extra care into day one of your curl routine will ensure great curls for days,” says Alisha Dobson, managing director at Bleach London Salons. “Curly hair needs a little extra moisture so finding the right products that work for you, and taking your time to apply them with care, will set you up for the best results. Try not to overload products and rather than washing your hair [again], spray it with a hair mist to activate the product again, rather than reapplying them.”
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6. Go for gloss
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the expensive-looking color always requires regular intensive color appointments to keep up with the latest hair color trends, but that isn't necessarily true. “One thing that doesn’t cost a lot in a hair salon, and that’s kind of undervalued, is a gloss treatment,” says Irwin. “Rather than continually having a full color, going in for a gloss will hydrate your hair and add an element of shine and richness of tone. People don’t talk about it enough but it’s very beautifying for the hair – a pre-party hair appointment of a hair gloss is brilliant." Glosses may be tinted to match your hair color, or clear to impart dazzling shine.
Dobson agrees: "I think people automatically think they need to run to the salon every few weeks to keep their color looking fresh, but this isn't the case," she says. "There are so many ways to maintain your color and make it last longer between salon appointments; I recommend using a conditioning color gloss to add tone to the hair and give it shine [at home]."
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7. Boost shine
Shiny hair goes hand in hand with a healthy and luxurious-looking style. The condition of your hair will play into this somewhat – dryness or rough, damaged cuticles will not reflect light as well – but certain products will also help to boost your hair's dazzle levels. Shine sprays are one option, either brushed through the hair or sprayed all over as the finishing step, whether the hair is down, worn in an intricate updo or half-up style.
Oils will also help to both nourish the hair and improve its shine levels. "If you’re wearing your hair curly, bring a mini oil out with you," Irwin suggests. Curly and coily hair requires more moisture, so this will allow you to reshape and remoisturize on the go if necessary. Read our guide on how to get shiny hair for more expert tips and tricks.
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8. Try a middy cut
If a new haircut or style is taking your fancy, a mid-length haircut could be the way to go. “Hair that is mid-length feels the most luxurious to me,” Tom Smith tells us. “Very, very long or very cropped hair can feel a little more statement-making, whereas mid-length hair that is in superb condition tends to look well-kept and cared for – which are clear signs of expensive-looking hair.”
We all know that regular trims are key to removing split ends and retaining a fresh look, but it's especially important if you want to keep medium hairstyles sharp and blunt. "Trimming any split or thin ends will immediately add luster and an expensive, luxurious quality to your hair," Smith adds. "Prioritise the thickness and condition over length where possible.”
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