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GROOMING TIPS
WANT TO UP YOUR HAIRCARE GAME?
By Amelia Bell, 16 April 2019
We Are Paradoxx – the latest high-tech, sulphate-free brand to land on ASOS – is shaking things up in the world of haircare. How? With naturally derived, vegan-friendly formulas harnessing the power of Irish ingredients – all brought to life in innovative, new ways. Think whiskey-infused elixirs to boost hair shine, volumising Celtic Sea salt sprays and hybrid hair masks with Irish moss. So, if you've not yet nailed your hair routine, we caught up with founder Yolanda Cooper to reveal all her hidden secrets behind great haircare. Over to you, Yolanda…
You can get amazing results from naturally derived ingredients
‘It used to be the case that naturally derived ingredients didn’t perform as well as the chemical-based products, so we’ve spent a long time getting these formulas as natural as they can be to perform just as well. As for the packaging, we use recycled aluminium bottles instead of plastic. Plus we don’t use any perfumes, so all the fragrances you get are a blend of essential oils such as bergamot, peppermint and lavender.’
Try washing your hair twice
‘If you’re in a city, you’re exposed to a lot of pollution, as well as the effects of styling products, so the first wash really gets rid of the chemicals and the second wash will then cleanse your hair. Sulphate-free shampoos don’t foam as much the first time round, but you’ll really notice the difference on the second wash – I think we’ve created the foamiest version of a sulphate-free shampoo out there!’
‘It used to be the case that naturally derived ingredients didn’t perform as well as the chemical-based products, so we’ve spent a long time getting these formulas as natural as they can be to perform just as well. As for the packaging, we use recycled aluminium bottles instead of plastic. Plus we don’t use any perfumes, so all the fragrances you get are a blend of essential oils such as bergamot, peppermint and lavender.’
Try washing your hair twice
‘If you’re in a city, you’re exposed to a lot of pollution, as well as the effects of styling products, so the first wash really gets rid of the chemicals and the second wash will then cleanse your hair. Sulphate-free shampoos don’t foam as much the first time round, but you’ll really notice the difference on the second wash – I think we’ve created the foamiest version of a sulphate-free shampoo out there!’
Whiskey is great for hair shine
‘We’ve put whiskey into our Hangover Hair Elixir as it’s amazing to give your hair shine. I believe it’s not about washing and blowdrying your hair and adding shine at the end, but more about encouraging hair shine from the offset. That’s why our elixir is like a hybrid which can be used for wet and dry hair – on wet hair it can be used like an oil and on dry hair it acts like a serum.’
You don’t always need a 10-step haircare routine for the best results
‘It’s not a case of needing heaps of products to get the best results, which is why we’ve initially started with six multi-tasking hero products which work in myriad ways. Our 3-in-1 conditioner is a great example as it can be used as a regular conditioner, a leave-in conditioner or as a styling balm on dry hair. I also had a lot of flyaways (baby hairs) previously and I now use our conditioner to tame them. You can also use the mask as a styling balm too... we just wanted to make everything as easy as possible to use, however you want!’
Keep your scalp hydrated for healthy hair
‘Kelp seaweed, perhaps the most unexpected of hero hair ingredients, is bursting with vitamins, fatty acids and essential minerals to keep your hair in check. And the best part? It’ll help keep your scalp hydrated and condition your hair.’
‘We’ve put whiskey into our Hangover Hair Elixir as it’s amazing to give your hair shine. I believe it’s not about washing and blowdrying your hair and adding shine at the end, but more about encouraging hair shine from the offset. That’s why our elixir is like a hybrid which can be used for wet and dry hair – on wet hair it can be used like an oil and on dry hair it acts like a serum.’
You don’t always need a 10-step haircare routine for the best results
‘It’s not a case of needing heaps of products to get the best results, which is why we’ve initially started with six multi-tasking hero products which work in myriad ways. Our 3-in-1 conditioner is a great example as it can be used as a regular conditioner, a leave-in conditioner or as a styling balm on dry hair. I also had a lot of flyaways (baby hairs) previously and I now use our conditioner to tame them. You can also use the mask as a styling balm too... we just wanted to make everything as easy as possible to use, however you want!’
Keep your scalp hydrated for healthy hair
‘Kelp seaweed, perhaps the most unexpected of hero hair ingredients, is bursting with vitamins, fatty acids and essential minerals to keep your hair in check. And the best part? It’ll help keep your scalp hydrated and condition your hair.’
Pictures: ASOS
White nettle can help with hair growth
‘We were researching Irish ingredients and we had a list of all the things we wanted in our products cross-matched against different data, and white nettle was one that kept popping up. It's so powerful for bounce and shine and it can stimulate hair regrowth, too. So, since that’s something everyone says they’re looking for, we thought let’s put that in every product. It was a no-brainer.’
Priming your hair will give you extra volume
‘Our Climax Volume Tonic is definitely the dark horse of the collection. You can really see how it instantly doubles your hair's volume thanks to the white nettle (of which there is a higher concentration in this formula), as well as peppermint for root stimulation. When your hair is towel-dried, spritz this tonic onto the ends – I’ve even found it speeds up your blow-dry time, too!’
Dyed hair? Double condition
‘If you’re suffering from dry, damaged hair due to colouring, I always suggest you double condition your hair: two shampoos, two conditions (one being a leave-in conditioner). I would also recommend the Game Changer mask once a week. Similar to how you would use a face mask once a week on Sundays, we should be taking care of our hair in the same way. You can leave this one in as long as you want – overnight or during the day. There are no rules.’
‘We were researching Irish ingredients and we had a list of all the things we wanted in our products cross-matched against different data, and white nettle was one that kept popping up. It's so powerful for bounce and shine and it can stimulate hair regrowth, too. So, since that’s something everyone says they’re looking for, we thought let’s put that in every product. It was a no-brainer.’
Priming your hair will give you extra volume
‘Our Climax Volume Tonic is definitely the dark horse of the collection. You can really see how it instantly doubles your hair's volume thanks to the white nettle (of which there is a higher concentration in this formula), as well as peppermint for root stimulation. When your hair is towel-dried, spritz this tonic onto the ends – I’ve even found it speeds up your blow-dry time, too!’
Dyed hair? Double condition
‘If you’re suffering from dry, damaged hair due to colouring, I always suggest you double condition your hair: two shampoos, two conditions (one being a leave-in conditioner). I would also recommend the Game Changer mask once a week. Similar to how you would use a face mask once a week on Sundays, we should be taking care of our hair in the same way. You can leave this one in as long as you want – overnight or during the day. There are no rules.’
