From salon visits to shampoo, looking after your hair can be an expensive business. And unlike things like manicures or waxing – which you can do at home if you so wish – hair-cutting is best left to the pros. Yet there are ways to save money at the hairdressers and at home. Here, experts offer their advice for affordable hair care… 1. Low-maintenance cuts Some hairstyles require more regular trims than others. An Anna Wintour-style bob, for example, is the pinnacle of high-maintenance hair. “The best way to make your pennies stretch in between appointments is to opt for a low-maintenance haircut,” says Tyler Moore, expert stylist at Live True London. “These longer-lasting haircuts are usually ones that grow out gracefully and are on the longer side.” For long hair, he recommends a layered style: “Ask for some long, movement-creating layers to add some definition and shape to your cut. “These will grow out relatively well and will only need maintaining when you want to tidy your cut up.” Avoid blunt fringes that will need trimming a lot, but parted ‘curtain bangs’ won’t require as much upkeep. “If you prefer to keep things short, ask your hairdresser for a sleek, one-length chop,” says Moore. “If you don’t mind rocking several different lengths over a period of time, opt for a layer-free chop. The shorter you go, the more mileage you’ll get out of this.” 2. DIY dye For dark hair in particular, box dye is very affordable, especially compared to an appointment with a salon colourist. But what if you’ve never gone DIY before? “When in doubt, choose a shade that is on the lighter side – you can always go a shade darker the next time,” says Carin Freidag, global senior hair education manager at Clairol. To ensure rich all-over colour she advises: “Make sure you fully saturate your hair with the colourant mixture. If you have long or very thick hair, get two boxes so you have enough.” Start by doing an allergy patch test 48 hours before application following the instructions in the box. “Do the strand test at the same time since you will have some of the mixture left over,” Freidag says. “Simply apply the mixture to a small portion of hair and set the timer for 25 minutes. Wipe off with a wet paper towel, dry it and see how you like it.” If you’re happy, carry on: “Part and clip your hair into four sections so it’s easier to manage. If you are covering grey, start in the section where you have the most grey.” 3. Keep your blonde bright “If you’re blonde, keeping your colour looking salon fresh means booking a salon appointment for a toner, especially after the summer months,” says celebrity hair stylist and Olaplex expert Tom Smith. “However you can extend the life of your blonde colour with Olaplex No. 4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo which neutralises unwanted yellow tones, leaving your hair brass-free blonde for longer.” Kris Barnes, celebrity colourist and Provoke ambassador agrees that purple shampoo is a must for blondes. “The Provoke Touch of Silver range is brilliant for keeping hair vibrant and it’s such a steal,” he says. “My clients can maintain their colour affordably at home and come to me slightly less often than before.” Olaplex No.4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo, £28 Provoke Touch Of Silver Brightening Shampoo, £2.99, Boots 4. Long-lasting colour As with cuts, some types of hair colour require more maintenance than others, such as all-over shades. “I would say switch up the colour a bit and go for a more lived-in colour,” says Barnes. “A blonde balayage or some depth towards the root will mean you can go a bit longer between colour visits, whereas full highlights will mean roots show quickly and will need re-doing.” Moore adds: “Steer clear of bright fashion colours, cool-toned blondes, and coppers – these require a lot of upkeep.” 5. Cover your roots Root cover-up spray is a brilliant way to extend the time between your colour appointments, and there’s a huge range of shades to choose from. “Simply shake and spray right where you need it and voila, done!” says Freidag. “It’s removed with shampoo so gives you the flexibility to go to the gym or out on a rainy day without fear of it running.” Clairol Root Touch Up 2 In 1 Spray Light Brown, £8.99, Boots 6. Use dry shampoo Refreshing your hair more often with a cheap-as-chips dry shampoo saves money on liquid shampoo and conditioner, as well as your water and electricity bills. “The way to get the most out of your dry shampoo is to give the can a big shake to awaken the formula and then ensure you are spraying at least 30cm away from the roots,” says hair stylist and Batiste brand ambassador Samantha Cusick. “Don’t spray close to your head that’s how you’ll get powdery residue. Don’t forget to massage in and then brush out to be most effective.” Batiste Dry Shampoo Tropical, £3.59, Superdrug 7. Make your own mask “Create your own deep conditioning masks using ingredients found in your home, like olive oil, peppermint and honey,” says Oyinkansola Adebayo, founder of Niyo Hair and Beauty. Other foods recommended by beauty buffs include coconut oil, avocado, bananas and egg yolk. “These natural products nourish, enhance your curls and moisturise your hair without the hefty price tag of store-bought treatments which may have ingredients harmful for your hair.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sarcoma Awareness Month: What you need to know about these cancers Bjork’s controversial swan dress to go on display in new exhibition Chrissy Teigen welcomes fourth child – how does surrogacy actually work?

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A woman who felt she was “trapped in this really dark world” due to her anxiety, causing her to have panic attacks, cancel her hen do, and feel she was “constantly on the verge of having a heart attack”, has said “therapy has allowed (her) to feel like (herself)” again and she has since gone on to marry her best friend who she met at school. Kirsty McKillop, 34, a strategist who lives in Walthamstow, London, said she had experienced anxiety “on and off” throughout her life, but it became all-consuming during the Covid pandemic – particularly after going through a redundancy process at her previous job in PR, which knocked her confidence and made her question her self-worth. She said she felt trapped in this “prison” that she had created in her mind and started “catastrophising” – she thought she would “lose everything in (her) life that she cared about”. “I felt like I was basically being crushed by the dark and being suffocated by it and I couldn’t get out,” she said. Kirsty decided to quit her job to look after her mental health, but then “everything went from bad to worse” as she started to experience debilitating physical symptoms. She would cry every day, vomit, experience heart palpitations, have panic attacks, feel agitated and extremely restless, and lie awake in bed until the morning. At her lowest point, Kirsty said she did not believe that she could get better, and she did not engage in “anything that might help her”. However, with the continued support of her now-husband, Liam, 34, family and friends, she began engaging in therapy from December 2021 – and gradually over time she could “physically feel (her anxiety) lifting”. She has since gone on to get married – something she previously did not think was possible – and go on her honeymoon to South Africa, and she now wishes to give the message that “life without anxiety is possible”. “No matter what level of anxiety you’re feeling, it isn’t something that you have to accept as part of life,” she said. “Whilst it is a natural human response, it’s not something you have to live with, and, going through therapy, it has just completely freed me from those feelings and I’m so much happier.” According to the charity Mind, anxiety is a natural human response when we feel that we are under threat; it can be experienced through our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. Kirsty had experienced anxiety at varying stages in her life, but during lockdown, when her job was at risk, her mind was “swamped” with negative and “obsessive” thoughts, with everyday places and situations becoming “bleak and scary and threatening”. While Kirsty did not lose her job, the redundancy process knocked her confidence, and her heightened emotions quickly spiralled into physical symptoms of anxiety. She felt she was in “this constant state of panic” and started “overthinking everything”. “I had really irrational thoughts that I was going to lose everything in my life that I cared about because I was not able to function day to day,” she said. “I think, eventually, it did turn into depression, and then I had quite intrusive thoughts around not wanting to wake up if I did get to sleep. “Not being able to sleep, not being able to eat, being sick, crying, feeling like I was having a heart attack, and feeling terrified of everything was really scary.” Kirsty would lie in bed and try to “disassociate” from her anxiety, but her intrusive thoughts just kept “swirling around in her head”. She then decided to quit her job in September 2021 “to give her the headspace” she felt she needed, but the lack of structure and routine in her life only made her anxiety worse. “It had taken over my head so much that I could not think rationally – everything was like, I’m worried about holding down a job, therefore, I’m not going to be able to pay the mortgage, therefore, I’m going to lose the house, therefore, I’m going to lose my husband and all my friends, and I’m going to end up with nothing,” she explained. “Despite having incredibly supportive friends who would come and just be with me for hours, I still had that fear.” Kirsty remembers a specific conversation where her parents and her then-fiance were discussing the wedding, and she thought: “This is ridiculous, there’s no way I’m going to get married in this state.” By this point, she had started losing consciousness during the day and blacking out, and she had to cancel her hen do. In November 2021, after moving back to her home town in Yorkshire, Kirsty’s family and friends encouraged her to seek professional support, as she was “stuck, trapped, in this completely different place”. Kirsty’s loved ones had looked after her throughout this period and previously suggested she seek help, but she was not willing to engage as she thought “it’s not going to make a difference”. She then started speaking to a therapist who was right for her in December 2021, and Kirsty said she was “pulled out of this horrible world”. Through having sessions once or twice a week, and with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Kirsty said she felt she was “becoming much more rational” as she started to “challenge” her thoughts. The CBT focused on thinking about the facts, rather than “the feelings and the catastrophising” she had been experiencing, to try to “break the cycles of negative thinking”. She said: “When that feeling starts to lift, you think, I can get better, and I want to get better. “It’s not about fighting those thoughts, but accepting them and recognising they’re not facts.” By February 2022, Kirsty started to feel like herself again – she stopped being sick, no longer had panic attacks, and was able to sleep. In April, she started a new job as a strategist, which she now loves, and in July she married Liam and had “an amazing day”. Looking back now, Kirsty said she “dreads to think where she would have been” if she did not start having therapy, and she is beyond grateful for the support she has received from her family and friends. She does not want anyone else to go through the “absolute hell” she has, and wants to encourage more open dialogue and acceptance around mental health and anxiety, as she believes it “shouldn’t define you”. “Anxiety is a natural response, but when it gets to the point where you’re having intrusive thoughts, or it’s affecting you physically, or it’s stopping you from doing things, that’s when it’s not normal and you shouldn’t accept it,” Kirsty explained. “It’s not a state of well or unwell, it’s a state of always making sure you’re looking after yourself because life is always going to throw different challenges at you.” She added: “I enjoy life so much more without letting anxious thoughts spoil my day-to-day life… and therapy has just allowed me to feel like myself and enjoy being myself.” Kirsty is one of many who have offered quotes to inform and create a striking collection of AI art to shine a light on anxiety symptoms. The artwork, from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), has been installed outside London Waterloo – for more information, visit www.bacp.co.uk/anxietyis. Read More I was a child with mental health problems. Nothing excuses the way I was treated Mum suffered panic attacks for 30 years due to unusual phobia ‘I spent too much money on your wedding’: Musician calls out married friend for flirting with other women Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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