Celebrity stylist Christophe Robin shares his hair care secrets

I spoke to Paris-based celebrity stylist Christophe Robin for David Jones, about how to cure all bad hair days for good.

If you’re stuck in a hair care rut, you need Christophe Robin in your life, or at least in your bathroom vanity. The hair care virtuoso’s luxurious range of products is now available at David Jones, and our tresses look all the better for it. 

Inspired by his fascination with women’s natural beauty, all of Christophe Robin’s products are based on the properties of natural resources – prickly pear oil, lavender, chamomile and lemon, just to name a few. The result is a range that deeply nourishes your locks, to enhance the health of your hair and maintain the vibrancy of its colour. 

To celebrate the launch of Christophe Robin’s new Hydrating Range, we spoke to the man himself about hair care, the benefits of natural ingredients, and the real secret to achieving shampoo-ad-worthy hair. 

KATHRYN CARTER: As a colourist in Paris in the ’90s – the supermodel era – you coloured the hair of some of fashion’s biggest names, including Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer.  At the time colour was very much considered an accessory. Do you feel that this is still true today?
CHRISOPHE ROBIN: Before the ’80s colour was only used for covering white hair, [but]  since the beginning of the supermodel era, the public has come to understand that colour can be an incredible beauty tool. [Nowadays] products tend to be less aggressive, and masks have been formulated to counter the effects of chemicals. 

KC: What is your earliest memory of noticing a woman’s hair?
CR: I grew up in the middle of nowhere; there wasn’t even a hairdresser! [So] every Sunday my mum and her friends met to colour and style their hair; as a kid I was fascinated by these meetings. They’re probably the first ones who inspired me to make women feel beautiful and confident.

KC: What are some simple things we can all do to work with our natural hair type?
CR: First, pre-dry your hair with a towel, then spray your roots and lengths using
Volumizing Mist with Rose Water. Next, put on some hair rollers, gently heat and leave to
cool. [This way] your hair will be styled but not dehydrated.

KC: What hair care products should all women have in their bathroom vanity?
CR: My lavender Oil to protect hair during colouring, natural hair brushes, a bamboo comb and my Crème lavante au Citron, to gently wash your hair.

KC: You were a trailblazer in natural hair care, launching your first specialist range for coloured and sensitive hair in 1999 – the very first detergent-free formulas for gentle and effective cleansing. Why did you decide to take this natural approach?
CR: When working with top models who were changing their colour often, I realised that their hair – damaged by chemical products from being coloured – needed to be treated and nourished. That’s why I launched my range for coloured hair.

KC: Can your hair colour express who you are?
CR: Sure! Blonde and red are colours most women find more sensual and sexy, but blonde can also give some women a more untouchable side. Brunettes are more for women who [want to] assert their character more. But 80% of women would rather have a lighter colour. 

KC: Your products are based on the properties of rare or ancient natural resources – prickly pear oil, lavender, chamomile and lemon. How do these kinds of ingredients improve the health of your hair?
CR: It’s just like food; your body absorbs natural ingredients better than synthetics,  that’s for sure. You see the same in vitamins. We keep more goodness from the vitamins in the food we eat than from the pills we take. 

KC: Prickly pear oil is one of your favourite ingredients; can you tell us more about it?
CR: Prickly pear seed oil has been well-known in the Orient since the beginning of time.  Berber women use it to nourish and protect their skin, treat wounds, and above all for its anti-ageing virtues. I was immediately taken with its light and refined texture. [So] I asked my formulators to use it in two special regenerative and protective body and hair care products. 

KC: What’s the one bit of advice you would give a woman wanting healthy, beautiful hair?
CR: I recommend using lavender oil once a week, our ultra-nourishing and protecting treatment for all hair types. 

KC: Describe an average day in the life of Christophe Robin?
CR: I wake up early and do yoga every morning, have breakfast, then head to my salon at 8:30 am so I have time to answer my e-mails. I have a coffee, then spend my day at the salon. On Mondays I spend time at my brand’s headquarters with the girls. Finally, I get dinner with family or friends.

This story was first published on David Jones's JONES blog.