From her colour experimentations to her gorgeous glossy finish, the Princess of Wales never fails to deliver hair inspiration. Now Kate’s added a clever new detail to her hairstyling, and it’s one that experts say works ‘beautifully’ for women of all ages, but is especially flattering for her fellow 40-somethings.
The glamorous royal showed off her latest look at this year's BAFTAs awards, wearing her shiny brunette hair long, wavy and loose. So far, so Kate, but last night there was a new twist to admire – quite literally.
Normally, Kate opts to begin her signature waves much lower down, creating a thick cloud of curls that billows from her shoulders down. This time, her hairstylist had commenced the hot tong action much higher up, adding masses of root volume to match the thickness lower down.
This meant the width of her hair fanned out dramatically from eye level, drawing attention to her smokey eyeshadow and glowy cheek highlighter. Kate had also gone for a noticeably tighter curl than usual, adding extra impact and glamour to her style.
It’s only a small calibration, requiring no cut, but the overall impact is impressive, notes celebrity hairdresser and MDLondon founder Michael Douglas.
While he agrees that Kate's hair always looks great, ‘personally, I don’t really like styles that have all the curl down the bottom and nothing higher up. Generally, I’m not a fan of that look when you curl the bottom two-thirds of the hair but forget about the rest.’
‘For me, volume really should be at the top, not just at the bottom,’ he explains. ‘Hair is already naturally thicker at the bottom, as that's where it all gathers, especially if your hair has long layers or is all one length. When the curl starts higher up it works beautifully – it’s better balanced, and it’s a look that works for everyone, not just Kate. Although it does show that whoever is doing her hair is doing a very good job of it!’
As well as creating a more coherent look throughout the hair, Michael says that starting a wave higher up is ‘very youthful’. It works wonders if your hair is slightly thinner with age: ‘It definitely compensates for that because volume mimics thickness.’
He adds: ‘I think it looks younger because it’s more relaxed. It doesn't look as ‘done’. It’s a style that works for any age but I think it looks really good on an older head of hair. There's something about having this youthful energy in your hair that brings a feeling of greater confidence.’
How to copy Kate’s confident royal wave
‘The imbalanced volume look exists because people are scared about putting a hot tool near their scalp, and just curl the lengths. But you do just need to place the curling iron closer to the scalp. That’s precisely what the MdLondon Curl is for. It’s got a reverse conical barrel, which gives you a tighter curl at the roots and a looser, soft curl at the ends. Then the weight of the hair pulls out some of that tightness from the root so you end up with quite an even curl from roots to tips, like Kate.’
If you don’t have that, he recommends starting higher up and just using a small-barrel tonged. ‘Your typical big 32mm tong is generally what gives you a nice beach wave but it will end up giving you a flat root.’
It works particularly well on Kate because she has long layers. ‘It’s a style that works really well if the shortest layer falls at jaw or chin level. If the layers are too short, the hair tends to spring up and stick outward - which can look quite fun, but generally longer layers are better for this look.’
You’ll also need to create it with the right styling product, for which he recommends his new The Numbers range. ‘You need something with hold in it, look for a PVA co-polymer resin. We've got it in the new MDLondon The Numbers Two which would be ideal for prepping your hair, as it’s got hold plus heat protection.
'I’d also suggest the Number Five texturising spray – put your head upside down and get it into the roots. It’s also got some dry shampoo in it, and that's what helps really prolong the life of the style.
Beauty Director Lynne has spent the past two decades testing and reviewing the latest in everything from skincare and aesthetics to spas, fragrance and makeup. When she's not being a human guinea pig she loves to immerse herself in a deep bath, a good book and large glass of iced rosé.
