6 Hair Secrets We Learned from the Royal Family's Stylist

So *this* is why Kate's mane always looks so good.

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Design by Dana Tepper

To say that hairdressing runs in the family is a royal understatement when it comes to the Galvins...

Take for example Daniel Galvin Jr. His father Daniel Galvin was Princess Diana's personal hairstylist and having gone into the family business himself, he's officially a fourth generation coiffure. Oh, and did we mention that he too works with the British Royals?

In addition to tending to the the most regal of tendrils, Galvin Jr. is also a salon owner and passionate organic haircare advocate with his own line, OH! OrganicHead Because healthy hair and beautiful hair are inextricably linked, we got Galvin Jr.'s top tips and tricks for a Kate-Middleton-like mane.

1. Detox your hair the day before a big event. Because like a royal, you need to look 💯 in the public eye. You can do this with a purifying shampoo (which FYI, will take longer to wash out) followed by an at-home remedy made with the likes of Vitamin C powder, apple cider vinegar, or baking soda. This is necessary because the reality is that there's a lot of pollution buildup in the hair and that's what's suppressing color and shine.

"It's like a table in the garden and you left it all winter," explains Galvin Jr. "If you wipe the dirt off, you're going to have a film. It's not the dirt, it's the film. Hair is exactly the same. A detox treatment will give your hair spring again because it makes it more translucent and shiny."

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Daniel Galvin Jr.'s Ultimate Hair Peel Detox Recipe

  • 1 teaspoon of powdered Vitamin C
  • 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of Vitamin E oil
  • 1 teaspoon of coconut oil

    Mix the above in a tea cup of very hot water. After shampooing the hair with OrganicHead Purify and Detox Shampoo ($8.99), towel dry and apply this formula. "It will make your hair shine like glass and feel like silk, restructuring its appearance and maximizing hair color," he says.

    2. Brush your hair upside down. "For ladies, hair often goes thinnest at the front because it's finer at the hairline and that's the first place you put your hairbrush," says Galvin Jr. "You should never do that because it can cause permanent breakage." The solution? Flipping your hair upside down and combing your hair from the ends up to the root. To address tangles, always keep a wide-tooth comb in your shower, he adds.

    3. Pay attention to your scalp's pH. Simply put: A healthy scalp = healthy hair. When you use a detergent-heavy shampoo, it strips your scalp's natural oils, which are essential for healthy hair. Always look for a cleanser that has a neutral pH balance of 5.5.

    4. Bring the heat to your hair treatments. It really pushes the proteins deep into the hair shaft, which moisturizes and smooths the cuticle for softer and stronger hair.

    "Get a damp hand towel and warm it up in the microwave, then put it in a plastic bag and tie it up," he instructs. "Massage the mask into your hair, then take the hot towel out and wrap it around your head to maximize the treatment."

    OH! OrganicHead Argan Oil Detox Hair Masque, $8.99; target.com.

    5. Style your hair with a leave-in mask. This is a good idea for two reasons. For one, it's an easy way to squeeze masking into your time-pressed schedule. And then there's the fact that it can make dirty hair look fresh and polished sans hot tools. Galvin's favorite leave-in-mask styles? The Hun (AKA half-bun) and French braids.

    6. Make sure that your blowouts are *safe*. "Kate's got a wonderful head of hair," says Galvin Jr. "It really is her crowing glory and it's because she looks after it. It's important because she's always on duty." He can tell just by looking at the Duchess that her hairstylist does not put the nozzle too close to the ends, which can burn them. "That's why her hair always looks so healthy," he insists.


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