Follow one haircut through a Dubai day, and see exactly where the trouble starts.
In Dubai, the wardrobe gets lighter. Linen instead of worsted. A shirt open at the neck. Often no jacket at all. With less to hide behind, the hair carries more of the look than it does anywhere else. A great cut makes a white shirt look like a decision. A tired one makes the most expensive linen look like holiday wear.
Picture Alain Delon in Plein Soleil: a white shirt, a hard Mediterranean sun, and hair that looks as though the heat is somebody else's problem. That is the standard. Here is how to keep hair neat in Dubai all day.
7.30am: The Departure
The hair is at its best. The Styling Conditioner has gone in first, as a leave-in on damp hair, sealing the cuticle. Once dry, a pea-sized amount of Moulding Cream, warmed between the palms and worked through. Combed once. Left alone.
8am: The Pavement
Heat and humidity arrive together. Hair absorbs moisture from the air, and it starts drinking the moment the door opens. Sealed hair takes it slowly. Hair that was never conditioned takes it fast and unevenly, and begins to swell.
9am: The Lobby
Into the chill of the air conditioning. It dehydrates the scalp and the hair, and the swing from a forty-degree pavement to refrigerated air is hard on the skin as well. The hair notes the contrast. By midday, it will let you know.
1pm: The Terrace
Lunch outdoors, and the humidity is back. This is where a wax-based finish earns its keep. A water-based product absorbs moisture from the air and gives way. Wax forms a barrier, and the Moulding Cream holds.
7.30pm: The Dinner
The real test. Twelve hours on, the shirt has been changed, the jacket is back on, and the hair either looks as though it was never in doubt or looks approximate. The difference is not luck. It is the routine, and behind the routine, a cut designed with the climate in mind.
The Unglamorous Truth
Behind every good-looking evening is a monthly appointment. In a climate like this, a cut softens faster than it would in London, so every four weeks at Pankhurst London Dubai, within the Fairmont The Palm on Palm Jumeirah, the cut is refreshed before the heat has had its way with it. Scissors only. A consultation first, every time.
Book at pankhurstlondon.com.
The gentleman who takes care of himself never goes unnoticed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep my hair neat in Dubai all day?
Seal the hair in the morning with a leave-in conditioner on damp hair, finish with a wax-based product such as the Pankhurst Moulding Cream, and keep the cut on a four-week cycle so it holds its shape in the humidity.
Why does my hair look worse by evening in Dubai?
Hair absorbs humidity through the cuticle throughout the day, and air conditioning dehydrates it, so a style that was not sealed in the morning loses its shape by the evening.
What order should I apply hair products in Dubai?
The Styling Conditioner first, as a leave-in on damp hair. Then a wax-based finishing product such as the Moulding Cream on dry hair, warmed between the palms and combed through once.
Where is Pankhurst London Dubai?
Within the Fairmont The Palm on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. Book at pankhurstlondon.com.
