When I read Tennyson’s poetry as a teenager, I could never understand why so many of his female protagonists insisted on staying inside, bemoaning their existence. ‘No time hath she to sport and play,’ he writes of the Lady of Shalott, who watches the world go by through her enchanted mirror. How awful, I thought. And then our own world went into lockdown and I reconsidered the lessons to be learnt from the cloistered heroines of literature and legend.

Think of Rapunzel shuttered up in a turret, her mood glum but her beautiful hair ‘fine as spun gold’. The idea of glossy waves long and strong enough to haul a prince up to the top of a tower remains a fantasy, but all that time indoors clearly worked wonders for her tresses. There is hair inspiration aplenty in art, too, most strikingly in the work of the Pre-Raphaelites. Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s painting Lady Lilith pictures Adam’s first wife brushing out endless lustrous red locks, while in William Holman Hunt’s The Lady of Shalott, the subject’s long hair blows up around her almost supernaturally, stretching to the edges of the canvas. Now confined to the home myself, without access to salons and with no need for excessive home styling, my lengths certainly feel like a better quality yarn. Having abandoned my daily routine of a hairdryer and straighteners (not forgetting bimonthly top-ups to maintain my blonde colour), my hair has become softer and is in better condition than ever before. After years of damage—and an incident known as a ‘chemical cut’, when a hairdresser bathing my head in bleach caused six inches of my hair to break off at the back—I had grown used to the idea that it might never again grow past my shoulders.

But eight heat-free, dye-free weeks into lockdown, I caved in and straightened my hair once, out of curiosity. To my amazement, I found it had grown at least three inches, and I couldn’t see a single split end. Going au naturel, though, does require more product-based maintenance, and so I’ve been relying on a concoction of different potions to help tame my unruly mane, which never dries the same way no matter how hard I try. Previously, I would use a mask a few times a week, but recently, I’ve been drawn to oils and serums. Barbara Sturm’s Scalp Serum uses hyaluronic acid for hydration and purslane to counter-irritation, leaving the scalp feeling wonderfully comfortable and calm. Fable & Mane’s pre-wash HoliRoots oil draws on the ancient practice of Ayurvedic hair oiling and massage, using ashwagandha (a medicinal plant in the nightshade family) and a blend of 10 roots to tame thick tresses.

In the shower, Larry King’s cult Liquid Hairbrush conditioner brings me a step closer to the tangle-free sleekness of a Burne-Jones beauty, while Kérastase’s Chronologiste Masque feeds my frail hair. Afterwards, I found that a pea-size amount of Ola-plex’s leave-in Bond Smoother or Aveda’s Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair (used while the hair is still wet) helps strengthen follicles so that they spring rather than snap when I brush through. The celebrity hairdresser Adam Reed also swears by apple cider vinegar rinses after shampoo, using just one tablespoon to seal cuticles and increase shine. Crucially, though, opt for a type that contains a health-boosting substance called ‘the mother’ (strands of protein with enzymes and beneficial bacteria).

Perhaps another secret behind the luxuriant locks of fairy tale heroines is that they all seem to sleep incredibly well—which is crucial for hair health. We spend a third of our lives in bed, so if you want to look as fresh as Sleeping Beauty, evening rituals and the right atmosphere are a must. Brushing your hair before you go to bed is a good habit: use a suitably gentle instrument and avoid tugging it through. The Manta brush has a flexible base to mould to your head and hand for better brushing, as it stimulates blood flow to the scalp; and a trusty Tangle Teezer slides through difficult knots.

For a simple upgrade to your nighttime routine, silk pillowcases help your hair to retain moisture while reducing frizzing and the development of split ends. Slip offers brilliant options, all made from long-fibre mulberry silk and non-toxic dyes in subtle shades, while Liberty’s are a bold and colourful printed alternative. Another method of overnight protection is wearing a hair wrap, which can prevent unwanted breakage caused by friction while you sleep. Silke London’s jewel-toned offerings left me feeling like some kind of Golden Age Hollywood starlet as I drifted off. So, even if you can’t be a sequestered beauty from a fairy tale, you can emerge into the outside world having reset your routine, armed with better habits and health. After all, as the age-old saying goes: hair is the crown you never take off.

Legendary Potions

 

                                                               Moroccanoil Treatment Oil, Rs.3,150.

 

                                                      Kèrastase Crème Chronologiste, price upon request

                                     Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Care Conditioner, Rs.2,700

                                               Kiehl’s Deep Micro-Exfoliating Scalp Treatment, Rs.1,950

 

                                          Rene Furterer Complexe 5 Stimulating Plant Concentrate, Rs.4,000

 

                                                        Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair, Rs.2,300

                                                                L’Occitane Relaxing Pillow Mist, Rs.2,150

Lead image: Getty Images