Get the perfect hair for Aintree’s Ladies Day

Apr 3 2008 by Emma Pinch, Liverpool Daily Post

YOU’VE got the dress, the bag, the shoes and the tickets. Well, you’ve got the tickets somewhere anyway.

But the crucial part of the look that really makes you feel a Pretty Woman is, of course, the hair.

And on a racecourse 20 years later, a few thousand miles east and up a bit, Julia Roberts’s big swingy, shiny mane is still a winner.

Unstructured styles with fat shiny curls and heaps of volume are the key looks for the women at this year’s Grand National, and stylists at Barbara Daley’s flagship Liverpool salon will have their work cut out for them.

The next few days are the busiest of the year at the Northwestern Halls salon – everyone, she says, wants to have their hair done.

“The races are such a big thing in Liverpool,” says Barbara. “Everyone wants something special done with their hair, and everyone wants something different.”

But there’s an underlying element to all the styles staff will be creating over the next three days, and that is versatility.

“Everyone wants curls at the moment and variations on that,” says Barbara. “Really nice barreled, defined curls with lots of volume, and we might put some up and some down or all down.

“A lot of people like to wear fascinators over their hair so we incorporate the style around them and we look at what the person is going to be wearing.

“But if someone wants a very structured look, like hair up in a chignon, we advise against it because it takes too much maintenance.”

The thing to remember, she says, is that a hair style worn outdoors at the mercy of the elements has different needs than one that is just for an evening.

“If someone is going to the Grand National, she’ll start with a race day breakfast, then races are at 12 and then after the races she might go out in town.

“During the day, the hair will naturally drop, because of time and the weather, so what we want at the beginning of the day is a good firm curl. As the day goes on it will gradually drop, and by the end of the night it will have become a soft wave.

“Instead of coming apart and looking a mess, the hair develops into new styles throughout the day.”

Another style she recommends, because of its low maintenance, is a fishtail braid, again backcombed on top for volume, and starting at the front of the head and ending in a sliver. Another is a pony tail, again reflecting the trend for volume on top.

“If you can fit any products in your bag, take a bit of mousse or wax and tip your head forward and to add some body and build it up and put some more wave in there,” says Barbara.

“But the main thing is to not to let your hairstyle rule the day. Once you’ve had it done in the morning, and you’ve got some product on it to seal and protect it, you should just forget about your hair and focus on enjoying yourself.”