• Why I wanted to write this
• My experience with hair loss
• The lesson that changed everything
• A gentler place to begin
• What "eat for nourishment" looks like today
• The supplement question
• What treatment taught me
• Sleep, stress & gentle movement
• Curiosity over certainty
• My routine today
• One final thought

 

Why I wanted to write this

One of the questions I’m asked most often is what I miss about being a hairdresser.

I was fortunate to have a career that took me around the world, working with incredible clients and experiencing opportunities I could only have dreamed of.

But if I’m honest, the thing I miss most isn’t the travel, the photoshoots or even creating beautiful hair.

 

It’s the conversations.

Hair has always been about so much more than how it looks to me. 

It’s deeply connected to how we feel about ourselves, and there was something incredibly rewarding about helping someone understand their hair—teaching them how to care for it at home, explaining why it behaved the way it did, and watching them leave feeling more confident than when they arrived.

One topic came up time and time again.

Hair health.

Clients wanted to know what they should be eating, whether supplements actually worked, why their hair had suddenly changed, or what they could do beyond simply buying another product.

The truth is, I’d been asking many of those same questions myself for years.

I’ve spent almost two decades learning about hair—first as a hairstylist, and at the very same time, as someone trying to understand my own.

My journey began with stress-related hair loss early in my career, and that experience sparked a curiosity that has stayed with me ever since.

Since then, life has brought new chapters—including brain surgery, treatment, and medically induced menopause—that have challenged and expanded my understanding of hair health in ways I never could have anticipated, and continue to shape what I’m learning today.

These days, I don’t have clients sitting in my chair, but that curiosity has stayed with me. Now, I share what I'm learning here, through the ROBE Journal.

 

I want to start by saying that this isn’t medical advice, nor is it a one-size-fits-all approach.

Hair loss is incredibly personal, and there are many reasons it can happen.

Everything I’ve shared here comes from my own experience—what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons I’m still learning today.

My hope isn’t that you finish this article with another overwhelming list of things to do.

My hope is that you leave feeling a little more curious, a little less overwhelmed, and a little more confident in your ability to make informed decisions about your own hair.

Because that’s what I always hoped my clients would leave with too.

 

My experience with hair loss

My own journey with hair loss began long before ROBE existed.

Like many people experiencing changes in their hair, I wanted answers.

I visited a hair clinic, researched everything I could find, tried different approaches and searched for the one thing that would finally fix it.

But I often felt like I was treating the symptom rather than understanding what was happening inside my body.

As a hairstylist, I used to think about healthy hair from the outside in.

Over time, I realised it was often the other way around.

The healthier and more supported my body felt, the healthier my hair tended to become too.

That curiosity eventually led me to a naturopath.

I still remember something she said that completely changed the way I thought about health.

The lesson that changed everything

 

“Eat for nourishment.”

Three simple words.

But they’ve stayed with me ever since.

Before that appointment, I was looking for the magic answer.

Which supplement should I take?

Which foods should I avoid?

What was the missing piece?

 

She gently encouraged me towards a different way of thinking:

“How can I better support my body?”

Looking back, I think that one shift in perspective changed everything.

It helped me stop chasing quick fixes and start focusing on the foundations.

Not because healthy hair is simply about diet—it isn’t.

Hair is incredibly complex, and there are many factors that influence it.

But our hair doesn’t exist in isolation.

It’s part of us.

Supporting my body became the beginning of supporting my hair.

And that philosophy continues to guide me today.

 

A gentler place to begin

One of the biggest things I’ve learnt over the years is that improving your hair doesn’t have to mean doing everything.

In fact, I think one of the biggest challenges today is that we’re surrounded by so much information.

Every week there’s a new  opinion about what we should or shouldn’t be doing.

It’s no wonder so many people feel overwhelmed.

If someone was sitting in my salon chair today, I wouldn’t start by giving them a list of twenty things to buy.

I’d start by listening.

I’d ask about their lifestyle, their health, what had changed recently and what they were hoping to achieve.

Because healthy hair isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Someone experiencing postpartum hair loss has different needs to someone navigating menopause.

Someone recovering from illness has different priorities to someone simply wanting to improve the condition of their hair.

Every conversation starts in a different place.

Then we’d simplify.

Because I don’t believe healthy hair comes from trying everything.

I believe it comes from understanding what matters most for you.

That’s one of the reasons I wanted to write this article.

To share what I’ve learnt over the years in the hope that it gives you a calmer, more confident place to begin.

 

What "eat for nourishment" looks like today

When my naturopath first said the words, “eat for nourishment,” I remember thinking I needed to completely change the way I ate overnight.

Over time, those three words became less about following the perfect diet and more about asking myself one gentle question:

“What does my body need today?”

Sometimes that looks like making sure there’s enough protein on my plate.

Sometimes it means adding more colourful vegetables or healthy fats to a meal.

Sometimes it’s simply remembering to drink more water.

And sometimes, if life is busy or I’m celebrating with family and friends, it means enjoying the cake without feeling guilty afterwards.

I’ve learnt that consistency has always been far more powerful than perfection.

I don’t eat this way because I’m chasing perfect hair.

I eat this way because I want to support my overall health, and I’ve found that my hair tends to benefit when the rest of my body feels well supported too.

Ironically, the less I became obsessed with trying to “fix” my hair, the healthier my relationship with food—and with my body—became.

I also learnt that looking after ourselves shouldn’t feel like another source of stress.

Because stressing about food probably isn’t doing our body—or our hair—any favours either.

Something I wish I’d known sooner

Instead of asking,

“Is this perfect?”

I’ve learnt to ask:

“Is this nourishing?”

For me, that’s been a much kinder way to approach both food and hair health.

The supplement question

One of the questions I was asked constantly as a hairstylist—and one I still receive today—is whether supplements are worth taking.

My answer has become much more balanced over the years.

I think supplements can absolutely have a place, but I don’t think they’re a substitute for nourishing food or a healthy lifestyle.

To me, supplements are exactly what their name suggests.

 

They’re there to supplement.

Not replace.

Throughout different stages of my own journey, I’ve used different supplements depending on what my body needed at the time.

During treatment, protein smoothies became an easy way to increase my protein intake when my appetite disappeared. They weren’t glamorous, but they were practical, and sometimes that’s exactly what your body needs.

Today, I still use a daily protein powder and different mushroom elixirs as part of my routine because I genuinely enjoy them and they fit into my lifestyle. 

More than anything, I’ve learnt that our needs change.

What supports us during one season of life may not be what we need in the next.

That’s why I try not to get too attached to trends or believe there’s one answer for everyone.

Instead, I stay curious.

I keep learning.

I ask questions.

And when I need to, I seek guidance from healthcare professionals I trust.

What I’ve learnt

There isn’t one supplement that’s right for everyone.

And if there’s one thing I’d encourage you to take away from this section, it’s this:

Don’t let the search for the perfect supplement distract you from the simple habits that support your health every day.

In my experience, they’ve made the biggest difference of all.

 

What treatment taught me

Years after my first experience with stress-related hair loss, life presented me with an entirely new chapter.

Following brain surgery, radiation and chemotherapy— my body had a very different job to do.

Healing.

For a while, healthy hair wasn’t the priority—and rightly so.

My body was working incredibly hard simply to recover.

That realisation changed my perspective in ways I never expected.

 

During treatment, eating enough became difficult.

My appetite disappeared, so I looked for simple ways to nourish my body.

Smoothies became a staple because they were easy to tolerate, and I’d often add healthy fats wherever I could—even something as simple as stirring coconut oil into a cup of herbal tea.

Protein also became a much bigger focus.

Not because I was thinking about my hair.

Because I was thinking about giving my body the building blocks it needed to heal.

One of the biggest lessons treatment taught me was to stop seeing rest as something I had to earn.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I gave myself permission to slow down.

When I needed a nap, I took one.

If my body asked me to rest, I listened.

I stopped measuring my days by how productive I’d been and started measuring them by how well I’d cared for myself.

Looking back, I realised something that has stayed with me ever since.

My body wasn’t trying to grow beautiful hair —It was trying to heal.

Once I truly understood that, I stopped feeling frustrated by what my hair was doing and started feeling grateful for everything my body was doing instead.

I couldn’t control how quickly my hair would grow back.

I couldn’t rush my healing process.

What I could do was support my body with nourishment, kindness and patience, and trust that it would do the rest in its own time.

There was another unexpected lesson that came from that season of my life.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t have hair to care for.

As someone who had built a career around hair, I missed that ritual more than I expected.

So I found another way to nurture myself.

I began slowing down and paying much more attention to body care and skincare—not because I was chasing perfect skin, but because those small rituals helped me feel connected to myself again.

Instead of rushing through them, I learnt to be present.

To slow down, and to care for myself with intention.

Looking back, I can see that those quiet moments changed me just as much as anything else.

They reminded me that self-care was never really about hair.

It was about creating moments to pause, reconnect and support myself through whatever season I was navigating.

When my hair began to grow back, I realised I wanted my haircare routine to feel the same way those quiet moments of body care had felt—intentional, calming and restorative. 

That philosophy eventually became the foundation of ROBE.

Something I’d like to leave you with

If you’re navigating illness, recovery or any season where your hair feels different, I hope you’ll remember this:

Your body is doing extraordinary things that we often can’t see.

Sometimes supporting your hair begins with thanking your body for everything it’s is already doing.

Sometimes the most supportive thing we can do—for both our body and our hair—is to meet ourselves with a little more patience.

Sleep, stress & gentle movement

One of the greatest surprises throughout my own hair journey has been that the more I’ve learnt about healthy hair, the more I’ve found myself learning about the human body—and ultimately, about myself.

When I first experienced stress-related hair loss early in my career, I thought the answer was to find the right product or treatment.

Looking back, I can see that my body was asking for something much more fundamental.

It was asking me to slow down.

That lesson became even more apparent after my diagnosis.

Recovery taught me that rest wasn’t something to feel guilty about—it was an essential part of healing.

There are still days when I need an afternoon nap, and I’ve learnt to see that as my body communicating with me rather than letting me down.

Today, I think about sleep a little differently.

Rather than seeing it as something that fits around work, I try to see it as one of the ways I support my health.

The same goes for movement.

For years, exercise felt like something I had to achieve.

Now, I choose movement that helps me feel grounded.

Some days that’s a yoga class.

Some days it’s just a gentle walk.

Other days it’s simply stretching, spending a few quiet minutes outside or listening to what my body needs that day.

I’ve also found practices like meditation and Qi Gong incredibly valuable—not because they promise better hair, but because they help me feel calmer, more connected and more present.

The more I’ve learnt, the more I’ve realised that many of the things that help us feel healthier, calmer and more supported also happen to create a better environment for healthy hair.

Not because they’re miracle solutions.

Because they help us care for the person our hair is growing from.

Something I wish I’d known sooner

Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is rest.

Sometimes the kindest thing we can do is slow down.

I’ve learnt that caring for my nervous system isn’t separate from caring for my hair.

For me, they’ve become part of the same conversation.

And perhaps that’s one of the greatest lessons my hair has ever taught me.

The more I learnt to care for myself as a whole person, the less I found myself thinking about my hair in isolation.

Curiosity over certainty

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt after almost two decades of working with hair, it’s that the more I learn, the more I realise there is still to discover.

Hair changes.

Our bodies change.

Research evolves.

Life presents us with new seasons.

What we understand today will continue to grow tomorrow.

I don’t see that as frustrating.

I think it’s one of the most exciting parts of the journey.

Throughout my career, I’ve never stopped asking questions.

Sometimes the answers have reinforced what I already believed.

Other times they’ve completely changed the way I think.

Both have been equally valuable.

My own health continues to present me with new questions, too.

Whether I’m navigating another chapter of my own journey, speaking with healthcare practitioners, learning from other experts or simply listening to the experiences of our ROBE community, I always find myself asking the same question:

“What can I learn from this?”

That question has shaped my career.

It shaped ROBE.

And it's the question that keeps me moving forward.

Because I don’t think healthy hair comes from having all the answers.

I think it comes from staying open enough to keep learning.

A thought I’d leave you with:

My hope isn’t that you leave this article with all the answers. 

My hope is that you leave feeling more curious, a little less overwhelmed, and more confident in your ability to make informed decisions about your own hair and body.

Curious enough to ask questions, seek trusted advice and discover what feels right for you.

Because I don’t believe confidence comes from certainty.

I believe it comes from understanding.

 

My personal ROBE ritual

People often ask me what my own hair routine looks like.

The truth is, it has evolved alongside me.

Just as our bodies change through different seasons of life, I don’t believe our haircare routines should stay exactly the same forever.

When my hair first began growing back after treatment, my focus was simple.

Healthy scalp.

Gentle cleansing.

Patience.

Daily application and scalp massage with The Tonic became an important part of my routine—not because I expected overnight results, but because they gave me a quiet moment to reconnect with myself each day.

As my hair became longer and stronger, my routine naturally evolved too.

Today, I alternate between different ROBE shampoo and conditioner ranges depending on what my hair needs.

Sometimes that’s our Thickening Range when I’m wanting more body and volume.

Other times it’s the Lengthening Range for hydration and strength, or Clean + Finish when I want to simplify things.

My styling routine changes too.

Some days my hair needs extra hydration with The Elixir.

Other days I’ll layer Leave-In Treatment with Sleek + Treat for softness, protection and a polished finish.

I’ve stopped expecting one product to do everything.

Instead, I’ve learnt to listen to what my hair needs in that particular season.

That, to me, is what the ROBE Ritual has always been about.

Not perfection, or a complicated routine.

Simply slowing down long enough to notice what your hair—and your body—might be asking for.

 

One final thought

If you’ve made it this far, thank you.

Writing this article has reminded me just how much my own understanding of hair has evolved over the years.

I began this journey wanting to fix my hair.

Instead, I learnt how to better support myself.

And somewhere along the way, I realised that those two things were more connected than I’d ever imagined.

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from everything I’ve shared, it’s this:

Healthy hair doesn’t come from chasing one perfect product, one miracle ingredient or one quick fix.

It comes from consistently supporting the person your hair is growing from.

For me, that has meant nourishing my body.

Slowing down when it asks me to.

Creating small rituals that help me feel connected to myself.

And yes—using thoughtful products that genuinely care for my hair.

They’ve all become part of the same conversation.

I don’t expect everyone’s journey to look like mine.

In fact, I hope it doesn’t.

Our stories, our bodies and our hair are all wonderfully different.

My hope is simply that this article has helped you feel a little more curious, a little less overwhelmed and a little more confident in your ability to make informed decisions about your own hair.

Because that’s what I always hoped my clients would leave with too.

Thank you for being part of this community, and for allowing me to continue having the conversations I loved so much behind the salon chair.

I’ll keep learning, and I’ll keep sharing what I discover here in the ROBE Journal.

The conversation continues.

— Lauren x