Simone Gannon: The affordable Irish haircare line that should be on your radar

A Dublin native and hairstylist to Jennifer Lopez, Megan Fox and The Kardashians, I was first introduced to Andrew Fitzsimons when he launched a limited-edition haircare range with Primark in 2020. The collection, which included various shampoos, treatments and styling products, sold out faster than store employees could restock the shelves. WhatsApp groups were created solely to track down bottles of the range’s texture spray, so excellent were the results, and so affordable was the price point.

When I recount the lengths I went to to secure the last few remaining bottles of his texture spray before the partnership with Primark ended, he laughs.

“I still receive messages asking where it can be purchased. I respond and say it’s not available any more, but that I now have my own haircare range,” he says. And indeed, he does.

Andrew Fitzsimons Hair debuted in 2022 and immediately disrupted the haircare category. The line features sleekly designed, salon-worthy, high-performance products that cater to every hair type – and every single one of them is priced between €13-€18.

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“I wanted to make it a price everyone can afford and I didn’t want to leave any hair type behind. Brands talk about inclusivity all the time, but if your consumers can’t afford it and it doesn’t work for their hair type, it’s not inclusive,” he says.

The beautifully packaged line of 26 products includes distinct collections: Virgin Repair, formulated with ceramides for damaged hair; Prism Shine with hyaluronic acid for all hair types, including dull hair; Body Volume with caffeine for thin and fine hair; Fantasy Curls with amino acids for 3A to 4C curl types; and Amethyst Blonde with ultraviolet pigments for blonde and highlighted hair. There’s also an excellent line of styling products, including, to my great relief, a texture spray. Apres Sexe Texture Spray (€12.95 from Dunnes Stores) is lightweight, not remotely sticky, and adds movement and body without weighing down the hair.

Another standout is Model Volume Wave Spray (€14.95). Inspired by women Fitzsimons encountered in New York rushing to work with wet hair, he wanted to create a one-and-done product that takes seconds to apply and does all the styling work for you. It adds tousled volume and texture without crunch. It smells great, too, as do all the products I’ve tried in the range – a sort of lingering, familiar, refreshing smell.

When I ask him about this, he tells me that his insistence on the right scent had slowed down the launch of the brand by nearly two years.

“I tried so many, and they just smelled like typical haircare – fruity, zesty, boring. In the end I said, I need to speak to Tom Ford’s perfumers. And that’s what I did. They created the scent I had imagined for the brand. A scent that envelopes people and makes them feel good,” Fitzsimons explains.

Launched originally in Boots, the brand is now widely available in Ireland, most recently at select Dunnes Stores and in Dublin Airport.

New innovations are on the way, too. Fitzsimons cannot share too much but promises that Irish consumers will be the first to know. No WhatsApp groups necessary.

This week I’m trialling ... Dyson Supersonic Nural

The newest hair dryer from Dyson, the Supersonic Nural (€449.99 from Dyson.ie) is the brand’s most intelligent hairdryer yet. It uses sensor technology to measure the distance the hairdryer is from your scalp, and then adjusts the heat accordingly, so you avoid damage (and discomfort). It is exceptionally light and comes with five styling attachments, including a wide-tooth comb, a flyaway attachment and a wave and curl diffuser. Cleverly, each one learns to automatically adjust to your heat and airflow settings – no manual adjustment necessary.

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