If you’ve ever googled ‘how to get effortless hair’, it’s likely you’ll have virtually met George Northwood, the king of the undone ‘do. His knack of achieving the perfect wave that says polished, but not try hard, along with his skill at achieving the most flattering lob and fringe length, are just some of the reasons he has a loyal clientele at his London salon, including best hair mates Alexa Chung and Claudia Winkleman. (It’s also we’d add, as he’s a lovely, unassuming guy.)
You may also know him as the stylist who Meghan Markle called on to create the relaxed twisted bun she sported on the evening of her wedding, as she stepped out in Stella MCartney and into an electric E-Type Jag. A pic that travelled the world and made George a household name.
And with so many of us clambering for a little of the George stardust, it was inevitable a product range was on the agenda. And we have to wait no longer, ‘Undone by George Northwood’ is here and available at Boots, from £12.
The lineup features a collection of shampoo and conditioners – as this the basis of good hair, says George. “People often have a very different perspective on their hair (aka hair dysmorphia) and are using products that are way too rich for them. The easiest switch that can make the world of difference is the right shampoo and conditioner. A weekly detox helps keep to remove product build up.”
Select from UNDIRTY for your everyday cleanse, UNPARCHED for dry hair, UNDAMAGED to repair damage, and UNPOLLUTED as a weekly detox. All are vegan and sulphate free. Plus there’s a Moisturising Cream and Waving spray, and tools including a hair dryer and tongs will follow shortly.
“They’re straight-talking products that combine my 20 years of expertise, offering luxury results at high street prices,” says George proudly.
So how does it rate on performance? We took George’s expertise for a spin in the shower and here’s what the four GLAMOUR staffers have to say…
The Products:
Undone by George Northwood, starting at £12, Boots
The Verdict:
Deborah Joseph, Editor-In-Chief
Product: Unparched Shampoo, £18, Boots and Unparched Conditioner, £12, Boots
Full disclosure: George is my hairdresser. And as we all know, loved-ones aside, our hairdresser is the most important person in our life – they have the magical ability to transform us from grunge to gorgeous in one hour. So when I heard he was launching products and I would be reviewing them, I prayed they were good. Prayed. Otherwise, my next salon visit post lockdown could be a bit awks.
The truth? The products got me at vegan. And sulphate-free. And ‘fully’ recyclable packaging. Not to mention the style and feel and weight of the packaging, metal, heavy and BIG. Bigger than any other shampoo bottle in my bathroom. They must be expensive, I thought. After all, Mayfair salon, the celebrity clientele – all create a feeling of expense. But no…I quickly googled – but now, he is a man of the people too, bringing his unique style of relaxed, styled in a just got-out-of-bed-way hair to the masses.
My hair is long, thick, Middle Eastern and curly and home blow-dried three times a week within an inch of its life. It’s texture is normal on top and dry at the ends. It’s also infused with colour. I also have a major itchy scalp problem that is exacerbated by certain shampoos and conditioners which make me feel like I have nits. I’ve lost count of the number of shampoos I’ve tried once, never to be touched again. So it’s with some trepidation I try the Unparched shampoo and conditioner – the pump is a bit fiddly, but it smells like an expensive but subtle perfume and makes my hair feel instantly softer. Despite being sulphate free, it does lather which I like. And it doesn’t make me itch!
The conditioner also works instantly leaving my hair feeling moisturised and soft and it passes the biggest test of all – the blow dry test – my hair is so moisturised and shiny I don’t need to add my usual Moroccan Oil into the ends. The morning after? My hair has retained its just washed feeling and bounciness at the roots – and has kept my blow dry looking salon worthy. I’m not exaggerating when I say I think this is the best shampoo I’ve ever used in my life. It’s brought George’s gorgeous Mayfair salon into my lockdown bathroom – what more could a girl ask for?
Rating: 9.5/10
Bianca London, Website Director
Product: Undamaged Shampoo, £12, Boots, Undamaged Conditioner, £18, Boots, Moisturising Cream, £15, Boots
Disclaimer: I’m a bit of a George Northwood fan girl. He gave me the best haircut of my life, has a roster of celebrity (and royal) fans and is one of the nicest guys in the biz so I was expecting big things from his range. I plumped for the Undone Shampoo, Conditioner and Moisturising Cream for damaged hair and boy was my thirsty, split-end ridden hair in desperate need of it. Washing my hair hasn’t been a major priority in lockdown and I’ve ditched thrice weekly washes for dry shampoo and tangled top knots. I’ll let you conjure up an image of the state of my hair RN.
First impressions count: the packaging is super sleek and sustainable (entirely recyclable) and aesthetically-pleasing enough for your #shelfie. George advises pumping a coin size amount of each product into hair but I disobey and add more because my hair seriously needs it. The shampoo is sulfate-free so it doesn’t build up that gorgeous lather and the smell is more ‘salon’ than ‘spa’ but who cares because this stuff actually works. My hair has never felt cleaner, stronger or healthier and it even gave my worn-out balayage a new lease of life. I received so many compliments (including from my tough-to-impress boyfriend) and I can’t stop touching my hair. Hooked.
Rating: 9.5/10
Lottie Winter, Beauty Editor
Product: Undamaged Shampoo, £12, Boots, Undamaged Conditioner, £18, Boots
I’ve totally neglected my hair over lockdown. It’s easier to ignore it entirely than acknowledge the frazzled lengths, split ends and grown out balayage. I didn’t realise how bad things had gotten until today, when I tried George Northwood’s new Undone range. Just as a pre-lockdown trip to George’s salon always revived my hair and boosted my confidence, his at-home range possesses the same powers of total transformation.
The packaging is chic – there’s no other word to describe it. Its matte, muted tones make for a welcome addition to any shelfie and it’s 100% recyclable. The signature scent is sophisticated and moreish, and leaves hair smelling salon-fresh.
I tried the Undamaged Shampoo and Conditioner, followed by the Moisturising Cream on my ends and the Wave Holding Spray to encourage my natural curl. The photos speak for themselves – my jaw dropped when I compared the before and after. My only bugbear is the pumps on the shampoo and conditioner – they don’t dispense enough product per pump, so I had to push down about 20 times. But to be honest, when a product is delivering results like this, I couldn’t care less.
Rating: 9.5/10
Camilla Kay, Beauty Director
Product: Undirty Shampoo, £12, Boots and Moisturising Cream, £15, Boots
Polished yet undone hair has been my hair’s life long hair holy grail and after two years of hearing whispers about George’s range in development, I am super keen to try these out. I love a supersize shampoo and these sleek, fully recyclable bottles look great in my shower, so tick on test one. The pumping action is not so easy, it takes a little more time than expected to get out enough shampoo. I know it’s low lather as it’s sulphate free, but I always feel like I then need a little more to get the same spread. The conditioner on the other hand is satisfyingly super rich so go easy on the dosing.
I then add the Moisturising Cream to damp hair on the ends – again it feels rich and initially a little sticky so a little goes a long way here, but it does sink in. Once dry, my hair feels clean and moisturised, and weirdly it does feel stronger and more resilient. But it’s actually the next day I notice a difference in my hairs behaviour, it’s glossier and smoother even without a blow-dry. Yep you could almost call it polished yet undone! So I’m in – the experience may not feel the most luxurious cleanse I’ve ever had, but the results are up there and for the price I’d say its truly good beauty value.
Rating: 8/10