HAIR HIGHLIGHTS: NADINE BAGGOTT

Nadine Baggott is a renowned British beauty journalist and expert with over three decades of experience in the beauty industry. Known for her sharp insights, candid reviews, and extensive knowledge of skincare, haircare, and makeup, Nadine has made a name for herself as one of the most trusted voices in the beauty world. She has worked with major publications such as hello!, and the times magazine, offering readers expert advice on everything from the latest beauty trends to practical tips for maintaining healthy skin.

Nadine is particularly admired for her honest and no-nonsense approach to beauty, cutting through the marketing hype to provide real, science-backed advice. Her YouTube channel and social media presence have further cemented her reputation as a go-to beauty guru, where she shares everything from product reviews to anti-aging tips, helping her audience navigate the ever-evolving beauty landscape. We sat down with Nadine to discuss all things hair…

“I’m saying it on the record: the beauty industry has accepted the fact that they now need to show skincare products on people with imperfections. So why not show hair products and accessories on people with problem hair? The average person has damaged hair in some capacity, so make the results we see online reflect “normal, everyday” hair.”

On her hair journey…

When I was young, I had very fine, white-blonde curly hair. I never really thought about it; it was just so beautiful. I felt like a little Disney princess. Then I went through puberty, and suddenly everything changed—it turned mouse-brown. I hated it. When you’re a working-class girl with mousey brown hair going through puberty, all you want to do is impress boys. So, naturally, all I did was home-color my hair and home-perm it, and it was truly a disaster. I was such an ugly teenager!

Then I moved to London, saved up all my money, and went for a “proper” haircut. I went to Trevor Sorbie in Covent Garden, and I remember being on a student budget, so I have absolutely no idea how I paid for it—probably didn’t eat for two weeks! But when I went to that appointment, everything changed. I thought, “I have arrived.” It was truly transformative, going from being a country girl to a cool 1980s girl, getting into all the clubs, and feeling like I was me. I was training to be a journalist, so I had to figure out how to keep up with the hair appointments. I realized that being a house model at Toni & Guy meant I could maintain fabulous hair, so I did that for the next 10 years. That’s when I started getting highlights, which eventually led to me becoming really blonde (cap highlights, if anyone remembers those!).

My career as a beauty editor really took off, and it essentially gave me a license to get any treatment I wanted for free. I went from top hairdresser to top hairdresser, writing about them while getting my hair done. I had Trevor (of Trevor Sorbie), I had Nicky (of Nicky Clarke), I had Daniel (of Daniel Galvin)—all doing my hair. So, I really did have the best hair throughout my 30s and 40s.

On her hair…

My mother has really fine, hormonally thin hair, and my father had thick, dark, gorgeous Eastern European hair. I ended up with my mom’s hair, and my sister ended up with my dad’s. I didn’t really think anything of it until I went through menopause. My hair definitely got thinner and finer, and it’s such a gradual process. They say you don’t notice hair loss until you’ve lost about 40%. I wouldn’t say I lost that much, but my hair got much thinner around the front, so I went to a trichologist at Philip Kingsley called Lisa Caddy, and she said, “Let’s find out what’s causing this.” I had a blood test, and it came back saying not only were my hormones slightly lower than optimal for my hair, but also my nutrients were all over the place. I think that was a mix of everything—from menopause to COVID. I decided to take iron and vitamin D every day, as well as a B12 jab every 3 months, and sure enough, my hair started to grow back.

My hair's Achilles' heel is my fringe. It’s very, very fine, and because I’ve lost hair there, I notice every little thing about it. I spend all my time pulling it down to sit flat and look full. I would rather get up and not have any makeup on and wear pyjamas all day than have a bad hair day. Once you’ve lost your hair and you’re aware of how easily it can break off, it changes your outlook on everything you do with it. If I’m presenting on This Morning, I don’t care what happens to my face while I’m in the makeup chair, but I am so particular about my hair and making sure the front sits properly. As a result, I do punish the front of my hair quite a lot, which doesn’t help. It’s like your protection, isn’t it? It’s like a shield.

On where she gets her hair done…

I’ve learned so much about my hair in my job, so I also have this huge hair confession: I cut and color my own hair. Lisa Shepherd and Michael Douglas both helped me learn how to do it, and now I’ve got my color routine perfect. I just touch up my roots when they need it, smudge it down slightly, and I’ve been left with this amazing natural balayage. I spend my time convincing people that I don’t have highlights or lighten my hair. I think it’s because underneath the color is completely grey hair, and it fades out in the sun, giving me this lovely, low-maintenance color that I’m very happy with! The only thing I still get in the salon, which really helps smooth out my horrible natural texture, is a Brazilian blowout. This makes it so much easier to deal with when I’m styling it day-to-day. I went to see Nicola Clarke and told her, “I really like how you color Madonna’s roots darker, and then it fades out.” Can you believe she said to me, “Madonna doesn’t have any greys”? There I was, with grey hair since I was 28, and I found it really interesting because when I was younger, all I wanted was white hair, and I hated my dark roots. Then it flips, and now I think depth does have a certain youthfulness to it.

On hair she loves..

Everybody’s hair I love has curly hair and five times the amount of hair I have. There is a really niche look I love: when people have curly hair and then blow it out. Think Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman—when their hair is blown out, it is perfection. I have a friend called Victoria who has a blowout once a week, and wakes up every day with it looking perfect. That’s the kind of hair I want. You know when people take their hair out of these clips, and it just falls so perfectly on Instagram? Nobody has hair like that. In fact, I’m saying it on the record: the beauty industry has accepted the fact that they now need to show skincare products on people with imperfections. So why not show hair products and accessories on people with problem hair? The average person has damaged hair in some capacity, so make the results we see online reflect “normal, everyday” hair.

On hair products…

I have an oily scalp, so I can’t use shampoos that don’t cleanse my hair properly. When I’m looking for a good shampoo, I love something that foams up. I use the Tresemmé Replenish and Cleanse shampoo and buy a huge bottle from Amazon—it’s just brilliant. I’ll then throw any mask on it, from high-end brands like Kerastase or Maria Nila, to more affordable ones like Aussie. I use a mask every single time I wash my hair, which is usually every 3-4 days.

When I style my hair, I use a blow-dry cream. My favorite is the Living Proof range. I also add in a hair oil, usually the Philip Kingsley Oil Bond Repair. I’m not a snob when it comes to products; I’ll try anything. I’d rather spend my money on a good Brazilian blowout or, in a dream world, a really good full head of highlights. If you’re looking for affordable products that work, here’s an amazing tip for you: look for products under big umbrella companies. Take L’Oréal, for example—they own so many different brands, from Kerastase to Elvive, and the millions they spend on research for their “top products” eventually make their way into their high street brands.

I love my Dyson hairdryer, and since I have fine hair, I feel like it’s not too much and doesn’t compromise hair health—though I wish it were dual voltage because of the number of times I’ve taken it on holiday, and it’s failed me! I also swear by my YS Park round brush for blow-drying. I want my hair to feel movable and soft once it’s styled. I hate when anything feels too sticky or set in my hair.

Interestingly enough, when it comes to hair products, I have one big bugbear: Why do most of them smell like Haribo? Now, I love to eat Haribo, but I don’t want to smell like a child. Most high street products (especially masks) smell like cheap sweets and have no sophistication to them whatsoever. I love products that smell like Harrods and money; they are beautiful.

I have to accept that my hair is never going to be the hair I really want. I accept the limitations and am honestly grateful that I have hair, especially after going through a period of losing it. But, you know, if I could, it would probably be the one thing I’d change about myself.

Nadines featured products:

YS Park bristle roundbrush

Dyson Supersonic hairdryer

Living Proof 5-1 styling treatment

Philip Kingsley bond builder hair oil