What do you want from your shampoo? For most of us, the ideal is hard-working, salon-quality, cruelty-free formulations that smell great and make our hair look its best. And MONDAY Haircare, newly arrived in Ireland, aims to offer these benefits while being affordable and easily accessible. We caught up with co-founder Jaimee Lupton on the phone from her native New Zealand to learn more …

MONDAY offers four targeted ranges of shampoo and conditioner: choose from VOLUME, GENTLE, MOISTURE and SMOOTH, or mix and match to your specific needs, whether your hair tends to be frizzy, dull, thin or damaged.

The generous 350ml bottles of shampoo and conditioner are €8.50 (RRP) each. And these bottles really stand out in your bathroom. The distinctive chunky square bottles are not just aesthetically pleasing – they are made with recyclable plastic. Yes, even the pumps. The square shape means they can be packed much tighter and more efficiently as they’re being distributed. And all the labelling is screen-printed directly onto the bottle, thus avoiding glue residue and additional labels.

Lupton launched the brand 18 months ago; her background is in luxury PR. “I realised that we have a lot of beautiful brands out there, but the price point is too high and so it’s not accessible to everyone. We wanted to democratise haircare – I felt there was a space for a modern brand that’s widely available and accessible. So we are stocked in mass retailers worldwide [in pharmacies, grocery and beauty stores nationwide in Ireland].”

“MONDAY Haircare is designed to be really luxurious, salon-quality haircare at a price point that doesn’t scare people off. It’s a simple, streamlined range that has modern values. So it’s cruelty-free, vegan and the packaging is completely recyclable, even the pump, which is unusual. And we don’t compromise on our ingredients.” The range is PETA-approved and vegan.

“We are seeing a rise in the ‘skinification’ of hair – so there’s a focus on natural ingredients, products that can help to increase the volume and density of your hair, and also scalp care is a huge priority.” MONDAY are currently developing new products at the moment around scalp care, including a treatment and hair oil. And they are about to launch refills, too, which results in using 80 percent less plastic.

We’re talking in November and New Zealand is still in lockdown. What hair tools have got Lupton through, hair-wise? “I haven’t seen my hairdresser in eleven weeks at this stage! I use the Dyson AirWrap a lot, it’s amazing for creating a natural wave. And I sleep with a silk pillowcase, and use silk scrunchies to tie my hair up. I do regular hair treatments, too – I put on a hair mask and then just wrap a T-shirt around my head overnight. I also take Dose & Co collagen powder for hair growth.”

Best hair tips? “Celebrity colourist Jenna Perry [whose East Village salon in New York is a premium destination for everyone from Emily Ratajowski to Chloe Sevigny] recommends putting your conditioner in the freezer,” says Lupton. “It doesn’t completely freeze, but turns to a gel that creates a really silky effect on the hair and helps to seal in the cuticle.”

“Also, if you colour your hair, remember it really does need that extra TLC – so always use a regular mask. And always condition from halfway down the hair, not at the base.”

With Monday, Lupton is seeking to change the idea of great haircare. “Exclusivity used to be a buzzword in beauty,” says Lupton. “But that meant that someone was always left out. And we want Monday to be open to everyone – we don’t want anyone to be excluded. So we are on a mission to democratise beauty.”

MONDAY Haircare is available via Tesco Ireland, McCabes, McCauleys and Lloyds Pharmacies along with all good independent pharmacies and beauty stores throughout Ireland. For brand queries please contact marketing@distinctdistribution.ie.

www.mondayhaircare.com