HELP YOUR NATURAL HAIR FLOURISH THIS SPRING

When it comes to our hair, for many, the grass is decidedly greener. Straight-haired girls crave curls, while those with the silkiest lengths are in constant pursuit of some ‘oomph’. But what if we all took a second to really assess what we’re blessed with and, instead of attempting to ‘fix’ our hair bugbears, we learned to lean into its quirks?
Spring is a great time to cherish your tresses, as well as to rethink the narrative. For too long we’ve demonised frizz, bemoaned greys and complained about ‘manageability’ but, try to remember that all hair is great hair – you don’t have to change it, you just need to show it some love. So, whether you’re looking to stimulate growth, repair damage or help hair recover its lustre, we’ve cherry-picked seasonal staples to help your lengths flourish. After all, spring is in the hair.
HOW TO LET YOUR NATURAL HAIR FLOURISH
THE ROOT CAUSE
When was the last time you lavished your locks? While a few of you might do a regular everything shower, most of us probably gawp at the mouldy old hair mask that sits in the cupboard (guilty). It might feel like ‘another thing’ to add to an already hectic schedule, but the right mask can make a huge difference to hair’s health and softness – nourishing your scalp and strands to strengthen lengths from root to tip. And it needn’t take time. If you’re working from home, why not let the right mask spin your straw into silk while you crunch through the numbers? Or leave a mask on overnight to get maximum bang for your buck.
There’s a mask for all hair types, textures and goals – from curl-defining to shine-enhancing. Fable & Mane’s Shine Hydrating Hair Mask is enriched with gloss-giving black tea ferment, conditioning bio-sugar enzymes and brightening hibiscus flower extracts to restore your strands’ brilliance. Or, if your lengths are in dire straits, reach for Davines’ Renaissance Circle – a rehabilitative treatment for dry, over-processed ends.
Want a low-maintenance mask with a big impact? K18 Biomimetic Hairscience’s Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask is a mane-changer – quickly reviving dull, compromised strands while promoting locks’ softness and manageability.
A GROWTH MINDSET
As you know, springtime is all about growth – so invest in the latest supplements, tools and replenishing serums to kick-start your follicles. Whether you’re striving for length or to thicken things up a bit, why not begin with a growth-boosting gummy or root-revving oil?
There are so many triggers for thinning – from stress to over-processing; post-partum hair loss to growing up (not old) – but everyone knows that a full head of hair puts a spring in your step, so why not go straight to the source?
Alicia, our Head of Sustainability and Social Causes, is smitten with Act+Acre’s 3% Stem Cell Peptide Scalp Treatment – a leave-in spritz that gradually increases the look of hair’s density. “The cold-pressed extraction method that Act+Acre uses is not only beneficial for efficacy, but means they use dramatically less energy (97%, to be exact) for production. I have been on a ‘hair growth journey’ for the best part of two years, and since using this I have a noticed a significant reduction in hair fallout, as well as an increase in baby hair growth – the first signs of regeneration!”
Or discover the supplements packed with the nutrients needed to feed a follicular frenzy. From Hair Gain’s bright green Gummies to The Nue Co.’s Growth Phase, bouncy, bountiful hair starts within.
And let’s not forget new advances in tech, with brands harnessing LED light to invigorate roots. Solaris Labs’ Intensive Red LED Hairband uses red and blue light to help regulate oil as it stimulates growth, while The Light Salon’s LED Patch can be used on the head to rejuvenate roots.
INJECT SOME TEXTURE
Sometimes you just need a ‘tszuj’ to give hair that insouciant, ‘woke up like this’ edge. It’s your hair – just, cooler. Think: perfectly piece-y and grungily nonchalant; Courtney Love in an eau de nil slip dress, or Kate in a pearl-buttoned cardi. It’s the yin to spring’s yang and the ultimate foil when things tend towards too pretty-pretty.
And, if you’re craving a change sans the damage, invest in heatless curlers to enhance the romance overnight. Just pretend you’re sleeping beauty as you wake to wavy, princess-worthy tresses thanks to SILKE London’s Silk Heatless Curler - a silk-wrapped wand that allows you to add a sleek, serpentine swish as you catch up on Zzzs.
Oribe’s iconic Dry Texturising Mist is the secret to effortless, non-sticky definition – creating deliberate scrunch without crunch for that sexy, come-hither aesthetic. Great between washes to revamp your style, this is also enriched with a cocktail of protective antioxidants, oil-absorbing zeolite crystals and sunflower seed extract to leave your lengths lustrous.
Curls falling flat? Refresh your ringlets with Pacifica’s Pineapple Curls – a nourishing, smoothing and defining mist that quickly revives thirsty tendrils. Enriched with linseed oil, strengthening vitamin B5 and pineapple enzymes to fortify split, brittle ends, this also plumps each individual hair thanks to hydrating hyaluronic acid. A must-have for coils, kinks and curls, this brings your bounce back on those in-between days.
LEND SOME POLISH
Sunshine and shine are the ultimate sidekicks, so polish your locks with a gloss-giving serum, gloss or oil. Nothing spells ‘healthy’ like smooth, shiny strands, so look for bond-building reparative treatments and silky elixirs that ‘shrink wrap’ your lengths to restore their light-scattering properties. So, whether you have an abundance of curls, cascading waves or sleek, tumbling tresses, embrace – and enhance – your hair’s natural texture and spring into spring with a swish.
OLAPLEX No. 7 Bonding Oil not only protects against heat and humidity but harnesses the brand’s renowned Bond Building Technology to visibly repair the damage wrought by dye-dependency, chemical treatments and heat styling. A featherlight formula that doesn’t add weight, this lends a light lustre while smoothing your cuticles, for hair that not only looks healthy, but quickly becomes so.
If your hair can’t make its mind up, and sits between wavy and straight (let’s say, stravy), then Davines’ Love Smoothing Conditioner is your ultimate ally – helping your hair to decide on its natural state as it dampens the 'noise’. Powered by minuta olive – a Mediterranean wonder ingredient, packed with fatty acids and replenishing vitamins – this heavenly-scented formula elasticises, strengthens, smooths and nourishes for enviably defined (and shiny!) locks.
And if dazzling, mirror-like shine is the goal, look no further than JVN’s Revive Rapid Repair Bond Gloss – a jelly-esque, post-conditioning rinse that delivers a shot of brilliance. Comforting brittle, over-processed hair, this harnesses the Pro-Plex+ Complex to repair weakened bonds, seal split ends and impart an unparalleled shine within just 60 seconds – so you can wash and glow.
GET FLEXIBLE
Of course, you don’t always want to leave your locks au naturel and, when your style needs a bit of assistance, it’s easy to persuade it into shape without a trace. There are swathes of invisible gels, mists, crèmes and clays to sculpt your strands and add the grip required to support a classic ‘up do’ or prevent your curls from dropping. With wedding season just around the corner, it’s worth rehearsing a few easy looks – from boho braids to tousled waves – and building a roster of styling essentials (not forgetting, dry shampoo!).
Innersense’s I Create Hold Styling Gel is applied through wet hair before drying and styling to help it retain a smooth, Hollywood wave or tonged texture. Enriched with a cocktail of nourishing ingredients – including nettle, eucalyptus and rooibos tea (a potent source of antioxidants) - this promotes shine and manageability while imparting soft, flexible hold.
Larry King Haircare’s My Nanna’s Mousse is a fresh interpretation of the classic styling staple. Inspired by the lift and volume needed to achieve the big ‘n’ bouncy hairstyles of ‘60s and ‘70s, this plumping and thickening formula adds lift and hold without crispy-ness.
With a weightless serum texture, Bouclème’s Curl Defining Gel provides moveable, medium hold – whether you’re naturally blessed with coils or kinks, or have tonged your way to glory. Touchably soft thanks to coconut and argan oils, alongside hydrating and elasticising linseed extract, this 99% naturally derived formula rejuvenates your curls sans crunch.

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...