Holiday Beauty: haircare

As I mentally practice pack for my USA holiday (I love how that rhymes – so sweet!) I realise I will be a walking, talking, sweetly smelling ambassador for Australian style and beauty. Stay tuned for my holiday clothes shortlist, which seems to be shaping up as an ode to Australian design. In the meantime my hair product packing shortlist is similarly green and gold in concept. My two favourite haircare brands in the wholewideworld are Kevin Murphy and Unico. Both are Australian. Both look pretty in my shower. Both give me model hair … well in my imagination anyway.

This is why I am most definitely packing Unico Leave in Spray.  I am a little trigger happy with this – the delicate apricot scent leads me to spritz to my heart’s content and I know I use way more than I need to. It detangles, it smells like a summer holiday, the transparent green bottle is SO stylish, and it does not weigh down my hair or make it look brassy yellow instead of creamy milk. The chemical-free Unico range is extra special because it is the love child of Melbourne hairdresser Sofia Basile – of the much respected Melbourne Unico salons.

I made up a rule for myself declaring I can only bring one hair styling product with me, so I think my leave in spray is it. However maybe I can make room for its cute little sister, Unico Hair Serum? She can squeeze in anywhere! She is little but very spritely and smart. Half a pump warmed between my hands and smoothed over damp hair before drying and frizz be gone. I also love her because she is fragrance free – meaning she does not interfere the carefully curated fragrances of my other haircare and perfume.

One of the reasons why I adore my Kevin Murphy Angel Wash and Rinse is because they contain the word angel. And they come in pretty pastel pink bottles which look like rectangular children’s building blocks. Yes, I am a sucker for packaging but in the world of beauty it is indeed important! Beauty is about making yourself feel beautiful and being surrounded by well designed, attractive things makes me happy. Frivolous? No way. Taking joy from the small and simple things in life? über important. Oh, and the other reason I love Kevin Murphy’s Angels is because they are so kind to fine or even medium hair. If you are into daily hair washing like yours truly this is perfect for you – does not strip hair, extra gentle, yet gets rid of scalpy oils. Plus no sulphates. Sulphates are not an issue for most people, despite their bad reputation, but for some rare people like myself, sulphates make the scalp itchy and cranky. Angel I love you.

Speaking of Kevin Murphy, If I wasn’t packing my Unico spray I would be packing Kevin Murphy Staying Alive. Smells like herbs in a forest and makes hair look and feel like silk. The little bottle is handy for travelling; not so handy for obsessive-compulsive hair spritzers.

My Mason Pearson Pocket Pure Boar Brush is so important she travelling with me on the plane. I can’t offer her business class but I can offer her a window seat and a share of my plane food. Once upon a time I thought spending $115 on a hairbrush was ludicrous. But now that I have a Mason Pearson (don’t bother asking why I bought it when I thought spending $115 on a hairbrush was ludicrous) I totally get it. Glides through the hair like a white swan playing a harp (if you are struggling to imagine this, just imagine beautiful and graceful and fluid). Never snags, never pulls, never scratches.

To offset my $115 hairbrush I will be taking a $2 comb. Basic black and nice wide teeth to gently coax my Unico Leave in Spray through. From Woolies.

Now I most definitely cannot take my beloved Parlux Supercompact Ionic & Ceramic 3500 Hairdryer because it is big and heavy and, going from its name, may or may not be a fast race car in disguise… but I wish I could so much I am writing about it in a story which is supposed to be about what I am packing, not what I want to pack in an ideal world without excess baggage fees and a suitcase that never runs out (of room. I wish oh I wish I had a travel sized Parlux. Parlux is the ultimate hairdryer. Hair is dry in no time. Hair is smooth in no time.

One last thing – I discovered a little trick with my body oil. Usually after I’ve showered and washed my hair I apply a body oil (Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Apricot Baby Oil is a favourite because it smells like, you guessed it, my darling apricots) all over my wet skin. I then squeeze any leftover oil from my hands into my wet hair. Like a pre-grooming treatment. This one also gives me that sensual holiday sheen.

All products (except comb) available from the wonderful girls at Adore Beauty.

See what’s in my holiday makeup bag here.

See what holiday skincare I’m packing here.

See which in-flight beauty products I’m taking here.