The Queen’s hair is truly her crowning glory. Full of bounce, health and shine, Queen Camilla’s blonde style is her biggest beauty signature, as she’s proved this on multiple royal engagements this week. As she turns 79 today, Her Majesty’s hair has never looked better – and it’s down to three key rules for mature hair, outlined by her hairdresser.
Jo Hansford MBE has looked after Queen Camilla for 40 years, even before her iconic Mayfair salon opened in 1993. Loved by a host of glamorous, mature women, including Elizabeth Hurley and Joanna Lumley, Jo is known for coaxing the very best from older hair.
WPA Pool
The Queen’s hair looked impressively soft and shiny this week
Colour is her specialism, and Jo believes the Queen’s gentle shade transition is the key to her current, ultra-flattering look. Her current colour is cleverly combined with a cut and a finish that add up to three key rules Jo recommends for mature women.
Rule 1: Soften your shade
Jo explains that she has subtly shifted Queen Camilla’s colour over the years to optimise her complexion. ‘I have adapted the Queen’s hair over a period of time as everyone’s skin tone changes as they mature, so you have to soften the hair colour in line with this,’ she says. ‘ I have made Her Majesty the Queen much warmer now, more honey than white blonde.’
‘Her current shade really complements her skin colour and it was a mutual decision between us,’ she adds. ‘ The colour really suits her and if you see if in real life it looks much softer.’
Max Mumby/Indigo
The Queen’s hair is now subtly warmer to suit her complexion, says Jo
Jo sees the Queen frequently to maintain her hair’s colour and condition, meaning she has never travels with her. ‘The Queen has her colour done regularly which is the best way to ensuring hair looks good at all times,’ Jo says. ‘ Ahead of big moments, we will always diarise dates to ensure the colour is perfect.’
Max Mumby/Indigo
The Queen, pictured in 2005, had cooler-toned hair in the past
Jo adds: ‘It is vitally important to maintain a decent level of condition if you are having your hair coloured regularly. These can be long appointments, but it is worth it.’ While Jo can’t reveal which products she uses on the Queen’s hair, she is a Royal Warrant holder, so it’s fair to assume that the Jo Hansford home haircare is a staple in the royal bathroom.
Jo Hansford Everyday Conditioner
Jo Hansford Everyday ConditionerCredit: Jo Hansford
Keeping hair colour fractionally lighter at the front is part of Jo’s ageless strategy for older clients. ‘As a rule, everyone’s natural hairline is lighter than the rest of their hair because it grows finer there, so we always keep it a shade or two lighter,’ she adds.
Jo Hansford
Jo Hansford MBE has looked after Queen Camilla’s hair for 40 years
‘It is not flattering to have a hard line that contrasts against the skin; it is important to bring light to the face. When it comes to colour, if you get it right, hair colour can give you an optical facelift.’
Camilla’s glowy blonde shade does exactly that.
Rule 2: Wear hair soft
Queen Camilla’s basic style has remained the same for many decades, and there’s nothing wrong with that – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! To keep it modern and fresh, Jo says the Queen always wears it in a way that moves and looks soft.
AARON CHOWN
The Queen’s hair today has a soft, relaxed finish
‘The Queen has always had the same type of hairstyle, with a fringe that tends to fall forward, and it suits her 100 per cent,’ says Jo. ‘Her hair style is fabulous and looks soft and natural and not fixed into place. It is a style that works with a hat or a tiara. She doesn’t tie it back, which is what most people do when they are wearing a tiara.”
Knowing her hair so well after all these years enables the Queen to style it herself easily, Jo adds. ‘She manages it very well herself and is not a high-maintenance person at all,’ she says. ‘She likes gardening and being in nature so she prefers her look to be low-maintenance.’
Anwar Hussein Collection
A more structured look for Camilla, seen in 2005
Rule 3: Keep it shorter
While having a short Bixie haircut isn’t mandatory over 70, Jo believes that a little less length is better for women of Queen Camilla’s age. If you look back at photos, the Queen’s hair is slightly shorter than it was in the past, and today’s length is one Jo loves for mature women.
AARON CHOWN
This is the perfect length for women in their 70s, says Jo
‘As a rule, hair shouldn’t fall past the shoulders if you’re over 70,’ she says. ‘I don’t think it is very flattering as it can pull your features down. Any cut that sits around the jawline is uplifting and youthful.’
Factor in Camilla’s soft, upward face-framing flicks, and you can see exactly why her cut and styling draws the eye upwards and adds a clever optical lift.
For appointments at Jo Hansford Salon, book here