We may not be hitting the town with our best gals just yet, but there’s one activity we can still enjoy… a lovely glass (or a carafe in Daisy Creative Director Ruth’s case) of gin and a night in with friends over Zoom. And who better to get us ready and looking glam than hair stylist, Elle Clancy. We sat down with the gorgeous Elle and she showed us how to achieve the perfect easy hairstyle for a night in with the girls.
#homegrowndaisy
Girls Night In Hair With Elle Clancy
How did you get into hair?
“My mum was actually a hairdresser. When I was really young she would always do my hair. When I left school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I went and worked at a salon in Liverpool called Barber Dave’s. I started when I was 15 and I’ve been doing hair ever since and I’m now 22!”
When did you move down to London?
“I moved to London when I was 16, the day before my 17th birthday. I actually spent my birthday alone because I was so desperate to get to London.”
What was your first job in London?
“I was an assistant at a salon called George Northwood for 2 years. I then left and worked on Xtra Factor and did Rachelle’s hair. Which was really good fun. It was all live and I had never done anything like that before. After I went freelance for a little while and did some shoots, I worked on Lisa Eldridge’s hair a lot which was really fun. I then went to work at Larry’s Salon which is where I still work 2 days a week.”
Have you had any shoots or travel plans cancelled due to the lockdown?
“I was really lucky actually. I had a shoot with Lipsy in South Africa the first week of February which was amazing. It was around the time when countries started going into lockdown so on the way back everyone was wearing masks and there were crazy delays. We were in South Africa for a week and it was incredible. We had one day off in the middle of the week because we had such early call times and late finishes in order to catch the sun. But on the one day off we had there it was torrential rain!”
What have you been doing to keep yourself busy in lockdown?
“I’ve been doing a lot of yoga. I’ve never done yoga before and i’m really bad at it! I have absolutely no balance and I don’t know my lefts and rights! I’m all out of sorts because I’ve only just moved into this house, which was a big change and now I’m not working.. I’m trying to stick to a routine as much as I can, get up, make a coffee and then I try and do some kind of workout for an hour in the morning. After I have a shower and some breakfast, then get on with my work.”
What is your most recent music discovery?
“Well my brother is in a band called Lona and they have just released a new song called ‘Wonderland’ which is incredible. They’re doing loads of covers at the minute which is great. They just did a Phil Collins cover which was unbelievable.”
What have you been reading?
“I’ve been reading a lot, I’ve got through some amazing books during lockdown. I’ve just read ‘Blood Orange’ and ‘Don’t You Cry’, I’m totally addicted to both of them. I also read ‘Where the Crawdad Sings’ which was unbelievable! I read it in 2 days, I couldn’t put it down!”
What are your top tips for frizzy hair?
“If you’re washing it a lot try to cut back, you want to have a little bit of natural oil and dirt in your hair as well as lots of thick serums for the ends. If you’re using a heavy shampoo, every third or fourth wash, wash it with something like a Treseme or Head and Shoulders, which will strip the residue off of your hair and give it a bit more life and body. Try to stick to your natural texture as much as you can. If your hair is wavy but frizzy, give it a hydrating oil and put some moose in and scrunch it when you get out the shower. This will help to control the natural texture.”
How to recreate this loose wavy half up do
What you will need:
- Hair tongs or straighteners
- Hair pins
- Hairspray or dry shampoo
- Comb
Step 1: Start with roughly dried hair. Part your hair where it naturally falls. Section your hair just above the ear and clip the top bit out of the way (if you have thicker hair you may need to create smaller sections)
Step 2: Take a section from the front of the hair. If you’re using straighteners, start from the top and gently rotate your straighteners back and forth as you go down your hair to create a crimped wave. If you are using tongs wrap a section of your hair around the tongs leaving about an inch at the bottom out of the tongs. Leave the tongs on your hair for 5-6 seconds then release and gently pull your hair out.
Step 3: Continue to curl and crimp the front parts of your hair. Taking different size sections at random and curling or crimping the hair in different directions.
Step 4: Take the back crown section, leaving the bottom underneath part of your hair, and section it into 2 sections, top and bottom. Taking one of the sections, either the top or bottom, and section that into 2 pieces. Now with either your straighteners or tongs loosely curl or crimp the crown of your hair as you have been doing. Repeat on all sections of hair at the crown of your head.
Step 5: Add dry shampoo or hair spray to give your hair some texture and body.
Step 6: Again roughly find your parting. Taking the back crown section of your hair, leaving some bits in the front to frame your face, get your comb and back comb underneath.
Step 7: Split the crown section of hair into 2 sections and knot the 2 pieces together. Pull it quite tight and then knot it again. Take the 2 leftover pieces at the end of the knot and bring them under the knot bun and pin them into place with your hair grips.
Step 8: Gently pull the knot you created to loosen it a bit and give it some texture. Give your hair a final spritz of hairspray and voila you’re ready for a night in with the girls, all you need now is a gin and tonic!
For more hair tutorials by Elle check out her instagram @Elleclancyhair