How I Tame Frizzy Roots: My Aesop, Kevin Murphy and Cair Hair Routine

Hello everyone!

I think my hair is one of those subjects on which I bought WAY too many things before finally figuring out what really suited me.

My real problem is not so much the lengths. It is mainly the frizz around my roots. You know the feeling? Your hair is clean, soft and freshly washed, yet the top of your head expands in every direction and you look as though you have put your fingers in a plug socket.

And of course, the more I tried to calm that down with products, the more I risked ending up with the other problem: heavy or greasy roots.

Super.

I used to have Brazilian keratin treatments for a while too. It sorted the problem out, yes, but I've stopped completely. I no longer want to completely change the nature of my hair just so it's perfectly straight. Nowadays, above all, I want it to be soft, shiny and styled, but while keeping some movement.

And my routine has become much simpler:

• the Aesop Rose Hair and Scalp Moisturising Masque,
• lthe Kevin Murphy SMOOTH.AGAIN.WASH range and Rinse,
• Cair La Crème Embellisseuse,
• La Bonne Brosse
• and mine Dyson Airwrap.

Put like that, it still makes quite a list, but I promise it won't take long! 😂

The Aesop Hair Mask: I Use It BEFORE Showering

The first thing I changed, quite simply, is the way I use my Aesop Rose Hair & Scalp Moisturising Masque.

I apply it to dry hair before washing it. Mostly on the lengths, and I leave it on for between 15 and 20 minutes. Sometimes 30 if I have time. I don't set a timer either: I put it on, I do something else, and when I'm done I hop in the shower.

Honestly, I find that much more convenient than doing my shampoo, putting on the mask, waiting in the shower with soaking wet hair, getting out, coming back to rinse... just writing it makes me tired.

That way, the mask works while I get on with my life and afterwards everything flows normally.

I'd already had the exact same epiphany with my skin: stopping making things complicated just because a complicated routine feels more effective. I was talking about it in my oily-skin beauty routine.

Aesop eventually ended up taking over a good part of my bathroom, even though that wasn't the plan at all to begin with.

Kevin Murphy SMOOTH.AGAIN: The Shampoo and Conditioner I Use Now

Next I'll move on tox Kevin Murphy SMOOTH.AGAIN.WASH products, and then SMOOTH.AGAIN.RINSE.

I bought them in Biarritz (from a really nice boutique, I just need to remember the name), at the same time I finally caved and bought La Bonne Brosse. I wanted something that would genuinely help tame my hair without making it flat, and above all without weighing my roots down even further.

I wash them about two to three times a week. It depends a lot on sport, because as soon as I sweat, my roots still get greasy a lot quicker. So I'm not going to fight to absolutely hold out for four or five days just to be able to say I'm spacing out my washes. When they need to be washed, I wash them. Obviously!

This duo works really well for me. My hair feels softer, is easier to style and the frizz around my roots is much easier to control.

For a long time, I thought I was always missing something. An oil. A serum. A treatment. Then another treatment because the first one had made my hair too heavy.

Anyway… exactly like with foundation back in the day. I ended up coming to the same conclusion as in my article about giving up foundation : fewer things, but the right ones.

La Bonne Brosse: A Year of Saying “But It Is Still Just a Hairbrush”

It took me a RIDICULOUS amount of time to actually buy La Bonne Brosse.

I think I'd been looking at them for about a year. And every time I came back to the exact same reasoning: "Yes, well… she's pretty, but she's still just a brush."

And then in Biarritz, I went into the shop. The shop assistant got me to try on two different ones and that was that. End of discussion.

I noticed the difference straight away. I'm not going to tell you that a brush changed the nature of my hair overnight, but the finish is genuinely different: they're shinier, silkier and much prettier once styled.

Now I can hardly do without it, so of course I waited a year to finally become exactly the customer I thought I'd never be.

And yes, I also like the fact that it's a lovely object. I like beautiful things, that's not really a secret anymore. A nice hairbrush sitting in the bathroom makes me happy. But if it were only pretty I'd tell you that too.

Cair La Crème Embellisseuse, Only After Styling

In Biarritz, I also bought Cair La Crème Embellisseuse (also from the La Bonne Brosse brand), and I really use this one as the final step.

I apply it to dry hair, after styling, especially on the lengths. Not on my roots specifically, otherwise with my hair type I know very well how that's going to end up.

I use very little, work it quickly through the lengths, and then use La Bonne Brosse.

First of all, the scent is incredible. And above all, the combination of the two really works: the hair is softer, shinier and much more polished, without feeling like you've put three tonnes of product in.

The bottle is refillable too, and that's cool!

The Dyson Makes the Biggest Difference at My Roots

For styling, I use my Dyson pretty much all the time.

This matters because my hair becomes puffy and frizzy mainly around the roots. The Dyson smooths that area without my constantly having to use straighteners.

I always apply a heat protectant beforehand, mostly because I style my hair often and I have no desire to replace the problem of frizzy roots with damaged hair.

I'll do a separate article on the Dyson because otherwise it might be a bit long.

What Order Do I Use Everything In?

On hair-washing days, I start with my Aesop mask on dry hair. I leave it on for between 15 and 30 minutes, rinse it out, and then I shampoo. SMOOTH.AGAIN.WASH and my conditioner SMOOTH.AGAIN.RINSE.

Next: heat protectant, Dyson, then once my hair is dry and styled, a tiny bit of Cair Beautifying Cream on lengths and La Bonne Brosse.

And that's it.

I think that is precisely why I stick to this routine: I’ve finally found products that suit me.

What I Really Wanted: To Stop Fighting My Roots

I do not want poker-straight, rigid hair. I want movement and volume, but no longer want a halo of frizz around my roots ten minutes after styling.

I'm sending you a little picture of my hair after the complete routine.

And naturally, I also notice the bottles, the materials, the typography… I like it when a product is as beautiful as it is pleasant to use. It’s not what will make me keep it if it doesn't work, but clearly, that matters too.

At any rate, for my hair the verdict is much simpler: I've stopped hoarding products, I've stopped getting Brazilian blow-drys, and I'm sticking to what actually works for me.

And if you came here for the hair but are also discovering my work, I told why I launched Minuit d’Orsay. And if you have a website or visual identity project, you can also find my work directly at Minuit d’Orsay.