Emma HarrowingIf you have just given birth you may notice changes to the condition of your hair. Reader Siobhan O'Sullivan wrote to Life Matters after her luxurious hair became dry, curly and unruly after giving birth to her daughter 14 months ago.Emma Harrowing

If you have just given birth you may notice changes to the condition of your hair. Reader Siobhan O'Sullivan wrote to Life Matters after her luxurious hair became dry, curly and unruly after giving birth to her daughter 14 months ago. EMMA HARROWING treats Siobhan a much needed hair makeover to help revitalise her locks.

Hair loss, dry and brittle hair is common among new mums, but the good news is that these negative changes in your hair's condition are only temporary and at worse will only last for a few months.

However, as you get used to having little or no sleep and not much time for yourself, your appearance can become the gage between feeling good or bad about yourself. Your looks may seem unimportant, especially as you have a new baby to look after, but if you look in the mirror and your hair is soft, shiny and well styled you can feel so much better about yourself.

Siobhan O'Sullivan from Norwich has started to feel self-conscious about her appearance after giving birth. The 25 year old, puts this largely down to the fact that her hair condition has changed from soft, shiny and manageable to dry curly hair that is difficult to style.

Says Siobhan: 'I haven't had my hair cut for months as I have been growing out two previous hair disasters!

'I am clueless as to the best way to style my hair and would absolutely love a good colour to liven up my look again.'

Siobhan has been in the hands of some dubious hairdressers. One even cut short layers and a fringe into her hair while it was wet, but due to the curl when her hair was dry her fringe was far too short and her hair stuck out all over the place!

To give Siobhan the hair she craves it's best to seek the advice from a good hairdresser. For this makeover Justin at Nigel Alexandre hair salon on Castle Street is the man to help turn Siobhan's dry curly hair into the smooth defined curls she wants.

For the colour: Says Justin: 'Siohban's hair is very dark which really suits her, but it would be good to give her colour a little bit of a lift. Putting vibrant red foils through the front will give Siohban's hair a little bit of detail.

For the cut: Says Justin: 'Siobhan's hair is very thick and heavy, at the moment her natural curls are being weighed down making them look less defined than they can be.

'Siohban also says that her hair is difficult to style and so she will either let it hang loose of scrap it back into a ponytail.

'Cutting the hair in a graduated style, rather than layers, will take the weight out of her hair resulting in bigger, bouncier curls. I'm not going to cut much off the length, but this graduated cutting technique will fill out her hair a lot more giving her a completely different style.'

Justin styled her hair using a hair putty designed specifically for curly or wavy hair and used a diffuser to blow dry her hair.

The verdict

Siohban says: 'My hair feels so light and so much softer now. I cannot believe what a difference a good cut and style makes. The colour is great. I have always had very dark brown or black hair so the addition of some colour is fantastic!

'As for the makeup I cannot believe how different I look with blue eye shadow! I have never worn blue before and although it will take a lot of getting used to I like how it looks.'