Sarah Jessica Parker and her consistently beautiful mane.

Sarah Jessica Parker and her consistently beautiful mane. Photo: Getty

Since becoming a beauty editor, I’ve spent more hours than could be considered healthy interviewing hairstylists backstage to uncover their all-time favourite products and tips. Although sometimes you may catch them road-testing a new shine serum or spray, if you were to raid their kits, these are the products I guarantee you’ll always find multiples of.

 1. Dry shampoo. Handy for using in-between washes, it’s a super-fine white powder that you spray into the roots to soak up excess oil. Added bonus: not only is it great for stretching an extra day or two out of a professional blow-dry, but it also moonlights as a nifty texturiser, so try working it through the mid-sections and ends for instant body. Keep a can in your handbag (and the glove box and your desk) for touch-ups on the go: Klorane Gentle Oak Milk Dry Shampoo, $12.95. 

 

 2. Mousse. Unlike the crunchy, stiff-looking formulas your mum used in the 80’s, the latest wave of light-weight mousse products are just as clever at taming unruly hair as they are boosting volume in limp locks. Try working a golf-ball-size amount through the mid-sections and ends to give freshly washed hair just the right amount of grittiness to hold a loose up style or waves.  A little goes a long way: Clairol Herbal Essences Set Me Up Extra Hold Mousse, $6.99.

 

 3. Hat elastic. There’s no denying the ponytail is the most versatile hairdo on the planet. Worn messy, sleek, high or low, when it comes to securing the style, you can’t go past hat elastic. Unlike a straight up hair elastic, hat elastic allows you to modify the amount of tension to suit the style and the thickness of the hair without creating bumps on the crown. And the best bit? You can pick up a packet for next to nothing at your local supermarket or fabric store.

 

4. Mason Pearson Brush: The Rolls Royce of hair tools, there’s not a hairdo or hair type that this handmade brush can’t tackle. A good all-rounder, stylists use it for everything, from detangling wet hair, to smoothing down fly-aways and to stretch out freshly tonged curls to create glossy, natural-looking waves. It's a lot of cash, it's true but think of it as an heirloom piece: Mason Pearson Pocket Pure Bristle Brush, $115.   

 

 

 

Are you a member of the Mason Pearson club?

Have you tried the hat elastic trick?

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