6 ‘expensive hair’ secrets the pros use on their celebrity clients

“Expensive hair” is trending, from Expensive Brunette to the Expensive Bob. The question is, what sets those looks apart? Rather than a specific shape or shade, we're catching on to the difference we can make to our hair by giving it the love it deserves.

According to the experts, the key to bougie strands is: attention to detail, overall condition and regular maintenance. As for how that plays out specifically, we asked some of Hollywood's most trusted experts to share their recommendations on how we can upgrade our hair game.

Here's the pro secrets to seriously expensive looking hair…

Keep on top of your trims

One top tip when it comes to making sure your haircut looks expensive is to keep on top of your hair trims. “Getting your hair cut regularly has almost gone out of fashion,” says Zoe Irwin, colour and styling trend forecaster and creative director at John Frieda. But, “when you get your hair cut regularly, you get this amazing weight, which is what gives hair that swing and healthiness. That swish,” she says.

“Split, dry ends are the first tell-tale side of your hair quality,” agrees celebrity hairstylist and ColorWow international creative director, Dom Seeley. “So if you want to look expensive make sure you keep on top of your hair cuts.” As for where to focus your energy, the front pieces and bottom edge are the most important. “Generally speaking, the hair that people see, is the hair around the face, so face-framing and fringes will always make the hair look more premium,” says celebrity hairstylist, Pete Burkhill. “As will nice chunky, blunt ends,” he adds.

Go bespoke

Just like perfectly fitting jeans, haircuts that look beautifully tailored to you will make all the difference. This means choosing a stylist who will take account of your face shape, bone structure and lifestyle. If you get a chop that requires a lot of styling everyday, you're already fighting a losing battle if you're routine doesn't leave room for it. When it comes to curls, celebrity hairstylist, Dionne Smith, reckons a curl-by-curl cut is best. “The best cut for those with curly or coily hair is one that grants the opportunity to work with the hair's natural texture such as the Deva Cut. This sees the stylist cutting on Afro hair in its dry state, with the curls cut section-by-section to allow the hair to fall naturally,” she says.

The same goes for hair colour. We asked celeb hair colourist, Tracey Cunningham, (who counts JLo, Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney among her high profile clients) what the secret to star-studded colour is. She told us, simply: “I talk to you."

“I want to enhance you, I want to do something that’s right for you,” she insists. She'll ask about your lifestyle: “I think ‘OK so she’s not someone who likes a lot of maintenance’ or ‘she just really loves her own hair colour.’” Then she follows up with preferences. “Is there anything you like? Is there anything you’re attracted to right now, do you have any photos,” she asks. Her one piece of advice when it comes to references? “If you do have photos of what you want, pick one for the hair colourist to concentrate on,” she advises.

Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise

Your hair's condition will make the difference between whether it looks schmancy or just plain frazzled. What's the point in having a killer cut and dreamy colour if your strands look dry and dehydrated? “Introduce moisture,” Pete advises. “So add serums, masks and moisture shampoos and conditioners into your routine,” he says. This is especially important when it comes to curls and coils. “Curly hair’s DNA is much drier than straight hair,” so add a really lovely curl cream or serum and moisturise, moisturise, moisturise," he says. “I’d recommend Sacha Juan's curl shampoo and treatment mask, it’s a really moisture-rich range that feeds the curls everything they need to stay hydrated,” Pete adds. Meanwhile, Dom's a fan of the Color Wow Money Masque. “This masque, created with Chris Appleton [Kim Kardashian's hair stylist], screams expensive,” he says. “It does exactly what it says on the label, it makes your hair expensive looking, rich, hydrated and glossy in three minutes. It really is a game-changer and gives red carpet-quality hair and works no matter your hair type, density, length, colour or texture,” he says.

Strengthen your hair against damage

Our hair comes up against damage everyday, so if you want to ensure it looks its healthiest, you need to be following up with strengthening treatments. “When you brush your hair, when you colour your hair, even when you wash your hair, your bonds come apart,” Tracey explains. “You can't colour the hair unless you break some bonds,” she adds. She highly recommends adding Olaplex into your routine for some bond-building action. “Get up in the morning, put your Olaplex No.3 or No.0 in. Both are a pre-treatment you put in before you shampoo and condition your hair. Honestly, it will rock your world,” she says.

Protect hair against heat

It's an obvious one, but blitzing your hair with hot tools is bad news for hair health. “Keep heat styling to a minimum, or if you really have to heat style then always protect your hair,” says Dom. “It goes without saying you should really protect your hair, as the heat over time will cause burns in the hair strands, dryness, brittleness, split ends and can make hairstyling hard. Heat can cause hair to become unresponsive to styling so always make sure to protect your hair from the heat,” he adds. And, it has its own styling benefits. “Heat protectant will close the cuticle and enhance the shine to make it look more expensive,” confirms Pete.

Keep the colour looking fresh

Worn colour will make your hair look drab, so “if you have colour in your hair, make sure you maintain it,” says Dom. “If it's not looked after, it can make your haircut look lifeless. Hair colour plays a huge role in the haircut,” he says, “from roots showing, to poor highlights or placement, uneven tone the list goes on,” says Dom. For a low-key but beautiful colour that's easy to maintain, Dom recommends balayage. “A balayage service should work with your haircut and the overall tone should work with your complexion and skin tone. These small factors all help with giving you salon quality expensive looking hair.”

For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk