As one of our founder’s closest friends and the first to trial the ROBE collection before it hit the shelves, Olympia Valance has always been a major champion of the brand. As an actress and performer – she also happens to know a lot about hair care and the importance of nourishing your locks, especially when they’re being treated, heated, and styled each day. We sat down with Olympia to hear more about her friendship with Lauren, her tips for healthy hair, and why she never lets herself run out of her favourite ROBE staples.

 

 You’ve been best friends with our lovely founder, Lauren Mackellar, for many years now. How did you two first connect and what was so special about the bond you formed?

 

“A friend of mine was getting her hair done and I was going through a breakup and having a breakdown, so I literally went to the salon to talk to her while she was getting a cut and a colour. The salon happened to be EdwardsAndCo and Lozzie was doing my friend’s hair. That’s where we met for the first time. While I was there, I decided I wanted to cut off all my hair and get a bob, and Lozzie said to me ‘Olympia, you’ve just been through a break-up, I know you’re going to regret this, go home, think about it and if you still want to do it in the morning, I’ll come in and cut it for you.’ Of course, I woke up and still wanted the bob. She came in, cut my hair, and immediately I regretted it [laughs]. We became really, really good friends after that.”

 

You both ended up in L.A. together too, how did that happen?

“Well, Lozzie then went through a break-up around the time I was moving to L.A., and she asked if she could come along with me. I said ‘of course!’ and we literally moved countries together. We went through so many amazing ups and downs while we were over there and became best, best friends. Our entire friendship was really born out of those sliding door moments. I stayed for about six months, but Lauren stuck it out a bit longer. I went over there a few times while she was still there, and then she came home after about a year and half. She was doing such amazing work during that time in L.A..”

 

When Lauren first launched ROBE it was also a very difficult time for her personally – what was that like for you both and how do you think it influenced the brand?

 “Lozzie had been talking about ROBE for years. She had been developing the concept, pre-cancer, and when ROBE was finally ready to go, she just happened to need the products and used them herself. She was the first person to really trial them with incredible success. She’s living proof that they work. Even though for her at that time – it all revolved around hair growth, ROBE was always going to be about active products. She was always saying to us – ‘there are these beautiful, luxury shampoo and conditioners out there but none of them are active or have ingredients that really do anything.’ She was also really conscious of the fact that for so many women, hair loss was still such an unspoken topic. No one at the time was talking about stress-related hair loss or providing solutions to hair loss during cancer or in the post-partum period. But you know – there was Rogaine for men! She had clients constantly telling her that their hair was thinning, and asking for advice, but there wasn’t much she could provide them with. So, she created it herself.”

 

"She was the first person to really trial them with incredible success. She’s living proof that they work."

 

 

Lauren was an in-demand hairdresser before launching ROBE, did she ever cut or style your hair?

“Oh, I’ve been getting kitchen cuts from her for so long. I haven’t been to the hair salon in ages. I only ever really get my hair trimmed every 4-5 months, and she does it for me. I lie on the kitchen bench with my head in the sink and she washes and cuts my hair. Over the years, she’s also taught me how to do my own hair, which has been so helpful.”

 

 

 "No one at the time was talking about stress-related hair loss or providing solutions to hair loss during cancer or in the post-partum period."

 

 

 

Do you remember the first time you used ROBE?

 “Before the products were in the bottles and ROBE became what it as today, Lozzie would have everything as samples. She’d given them to me to use, and I’d always forget. I was living in the country at the time and had to get ready for a family event that night. I was racing to get back to Melbourne and realised I had nothing with me but her samples. I was so late, and I used the shampoo and conditioner without even thinking about it. So, once I washed my hair, I started blow-drying it – which I always do – and couldn’t work out why my hair felt so smooth. I had totally forgotten I had finally used her products. I’m pretty sure it was the shampoo and conditioner from the Youthful range. I thought – oh my goodness, her products actually work! And then I tonged my hair, and I can’t tell you how many comments I got at my family dinner that night. Everyone thought I’d used extensions because my hair looked so healthy and shiny. Now, if I ever run out, and use something else, it’s just never the same.”

 

  "For me, having healthy hair is incredibly important. It’s something that deserves to be taken care of. If I’m having a good hair day, it completely changes the person that I am.”

 

 

How has ROBE taught you about the importance of good hair care?

“I think I worked out very quickly after that first trial that it really comes down to shampoo and conditioner. After using the ROBE products for the first time, I realised I hadn’t been looking after my hair or using the right products all this time. I know immediately when I’m not doing the right thing for my hair. You can even see it, it looks different. For me, having healthy hair is incredibly important. It’s something that deserves to be taken care of. If I’m having a good hair day, it completely changes the person that I am.”

 

 

What was something about using ROBE that surprised you?

“Well, I always use heat protection for my hair, and I add in a treatment. I never used a cream before, I always used oils, but it made my hair feel a little bit heavy. I thought that using a cream would make it much heavier, but the Leave-In treatment has done the complete opposite.”

 

Do you have a fave ROBE product?

“Well, when it comes to haircare for me, it’s all about consistency. So, I’ve been using The Tonic for ages because I have this random patch of grey hairs that have just appeared in one spot at the front. My hair is always slicked back in a pony or bun. It looks like one big white stripe. So, I use The Tonic every day and the new hairs that are growing from those strands aren’t grey! But it’s all about consistency – I have to do it every day. I think that’s also why Lozzie’s hair grew back so dark. It just works.”