Helen Reavey is a legend in the world of hairstyling. The Ireland-born celeb hairstylist has spruced up the locks of style icons like Georgia Fowler and Josephine Skriver, and has teamed up with major fashion labels—Fendi ring a bell?—to create fun, fresh hair concoctions. I can honestly say that me and Helen have two things in common: we’ve both resided in the sleepy Northern Irish town of Armagh in some point in our lives (small world!), and we both save our intensive beauty rituals for the AM.
So, what does Reavey’s morning beauty regimen consist of? 4:30 AM wake-up calls, a cup of coffee, scalp massages—you know, the usual. Below, we talk to Reavey about her love for hot yoga, scalp detoxes, and more.
What’s the first thing you do every morning?
“First thing, if I’m not going to the gym, is I take a shower. I find it’s the only thing other than a workout that wakes me up, clears my head, and allows me the time set my intentions for the day ahead. The shower is the one and only time that I find I truly have to myself—no phone, no emails, just me and my goals for the day.”
Do you have a morning workout routine?
“I don’t have a particular routine, but when I do get a chance to workout my go to would be hot Yoga, in particular I love Y7 classes.”
Shower at-night, morning or both?
“I always shower in the morning to wake myself up and when my busy schedule allows it I like to take a nice relaxing bath at night—it really helps me to unwind after a hectic day.”
Daily alarm time? How many times do you hit snooze?
“It completely depends on my day, when I have to be on set for a shoot I need to get up at about 4:30am and when I am heading into the office I get up about 6:30am, that way I have time to get my coffee, do a quick workout, and start my day off right. My body is like an alarm clock—I always wake up 2-3 minutes before my alarm rings, and I’ve made a habit out of never pressing that snooze button… I would never wake back up again!”
If you’re running late, what’s the one thing you have to do?
“Get my coffee. You don’t want to know me before I have had it!”
Favorite breakfast?
“Avocado and poached egg on Irish wheaten bread with pink Himalayan salt.”
Weirdest morning beauty habit?
“I love a scalp massage, not only for the benefits it provides your hair but also for relaxation purposes. I tend to massage my scalp every day for a few minutes morning or evening.”
Tell us your morning hair-care routine.
“I try to be gentle and kind to my hair, always. When I wake up, I rinse off my scalp detox treatment that I left on overnight with Act+Acre cold processed hair cleanse and conditioner. Then I put a little oil on my ends to help blow dry and nourish my blonde. I think healthy hair always looks good, so I try to stay away styling products which are typically petroleum or silicone based.”
How much time do you spend on your skincare routine?
“I spend about 10-15 minutes on my skincare routine. I have always been into the natural look, so I tend to steer clear of heavy and unnatural products. My skin is particularly dry so I love using oils as much as possible. I cleanse using MV skincare oils and moisturize using The Ordinary Organic Rosehip oil and Costa Brazil face oil.”
How long do you usually take to get ready for the day?
“As I tend to go the natural route, it takes me roughly 30-40 minutes in the morning. My trick is to choose what I will wear the night before and then that saves a possible wardrobe malfunction at 4.30 in the morning!”
What’s the one product you could never leave the house without putting on?
“Scent. I could never leave the house without a few sprays of Nue Co. Functional Fragrance, then throughout the day I top it up with Malin+Goetz leather rollerball oil. Also, right now I am loving a new Act+Acre product that we just developed—it’s very light and fresh for finishing. I can’t go into detail about it just yet but you’ll be hearing about it very soon. It will be worth the wait!”
The first word/thing that popped into your head this morning?
“Joy, especially when I looked out the window this morning and saw the sun shining and winter nearly looking like it was behind us. However, reality did set in when I walked outside and felt the 25°F wind hit me!”
