I had a £100 shampoo lesson with Kate Hudson's hairdresser - and it turns out I've been washing my locks wrong all my life

As I woke up on a Tuesday morning with a slightly damp and tangled barnet that resembled a lion's mane, it was a sign I had been too lazy to dry my hair after I had washed it the night before. 

Forever at a loss as to how I should treat my hair, I was overjoyed to receive a complimentary invitation to a £100 shampoo lesson with hairdresser to the stars, Gustav Fouche at his plush Notting Hill salon.

I hoped South African-born Gustav, who also owns a salon in Surrey, would transform my lacklustre, lifeless locks into something a bit more magical. 

While some may say I'm blessed with long, thick hair, it's certainly wasted on me as I hate styling it. I can barely muster up the will to straighten it, and instead enlist my poor flatmate iron out the kinks.

Ashamedly I have even FaceTimed her from abroad for a virtual demonstration, desperate to tame the mane for a frizz-free special occasion.

MailOnline reporter Zeenia Naqvee, 24, was fed up of her lifeless locks so headed over to the trendy Gustav Fouche Notting Hair salon to learn how to best care for her hair - and it started with a thorough wash

Zeenia has naturally defined yet frizzy beach waves which she usually applies curl products to before drying her hair with a diffuser attachment

Zeenia was greeted with Moët upon her arrival at the trendy Notting Hill salon that is nestled between a quiet but bustling street, full of brunch spots and restaurants 

On top of that, years of bleach have visibly taken their toll on my hair quality, as my extended family never fail to remind me.

Upon arrival at the salon I was greeted with a glass of Moet - a lovely touch! Then I explained my hair concerns to Gustav before my scalp health was meticulously studied under a microscope - and it was not a pretty sight.

The first thing the 40-year-old remarked on was how dry my hair looked - however he reassured me that this was common for long, unruly curls.

I wash it around two to three times a week, and proudly told him I use purple shampoo to counteract the brassiness from my highlights (that are in desperate need of a touch-up!) every few washes.

However, I was left red-faced when Gustav told me not to use such products, explaining they can strip moisture out of the hair. 

'I don't love purple shampoo because, number one, it'll dry your hair out, and number two, if you colour your hair I recommend getting a new toner every four weeks instead, for a much better result,' he explained.

Raring to go! Zeenia was super keen to get her done professionally looked at. Having struggled knowing how to tame it for years, she learned that the secret to good hair starts at the scalp 

Pictured: Gustav Fouche inspected Zeenia's hair to show her the build-up that had accumulated on her scalp 

He told her the follicles look as he expected for someone with her length and volume and reassured the reporter that he had seen much worse

She was handed over an iPad to see the gunk on her scalp, and was shocked after thinking she had done a thorough job when she last washed it two days prior

He then began the Shampro process - the carefully curated £100 hair washing lesson instructing clients how best to maintain their tresses ad look after their often neglected scalp.

Gustav feels strongly about scalp health - claiming the secret to achieving good hair lies in the fundamentals of hair washing and cleansing the area.

He explained: ‘The Shampro was designed for scalp health. Good hair is about how we look after the skin from your face to the back of your head. 

'If you think you wash your face every day but you stop at your hairline, this skin doesn’t get washed for however often you wash your hair.

'Generally this should be okay but living in London, a very polluted city, the products we use and our lifestyle definitely impact what your scalp looks like.'

Gustav reckons around 95% of his clients do not wash their hair properly. The most common mistake they make is not washing out the entirety of the product they have used; and therefore not cleaning the scalp properly.

Gustav said this can lead to congestion and blocked follicles can lead to eczema, psoriasis, hair loss, and blister-like sores on the scalp. 

He also advised people against washing their hair with cheaper high-street products. 

‘If you use things that are heavily laced with sulfates and silicones this will dry out the scalp and give it flakiness. Silicone lays on the scalp and the hair blocks any bit of moisture coming in, massively affecting hair loss and quality,' he explained.

Gustav transported Zeenia to the basin and worked his magic on her hair, while she relaxed and had her feet up, taking in the spa-like atmosphere 

Zeenia looked pensive as Gustav massaged the shampoo into her hair, focusing on her scalp rather than lengths 

Gustav recommends exfoliating the scalp once a week, just like you would with your face, whether it’s a chemical or more grainy exfoliator - he offers both in the salon.

As the lesson commenced, I was confronted with a ghastly deep-dive into my hair health, under a microscope.

Trapped at the base of my hair shaft was a lot of visible gunk, enough to make me realise that I had in fact been washing my hair wrong for my entire life.

Gustav explained that healthy follicles should look like a little hair with a little hole around it. if it's not healthy, it’ll look blocked.

I gazed into the iPad screen with despair, worried I had traumatised the leading hairdresser. However, he assured me he has seen worse. 

He reassured me: ‘The hair quality is very good. You can see there's two to three hairs per follicle, which is really good, but you can really see the blockage at the base’.

Gustav explained easy-to-miss areas when washing are the nape of your neck and behind the ears. He recommended washing with a hand-held shower head and tilt your head forward at a 45 degree angle, to make sure you can target the harder-to-reach areas.

A closeup of some of Gustav's Fabulosity range. He used his Conditioner Number 2 - the Energising Conditioner - on Zeenia's hair, which would set customers back £35

The expert is passionate about scalp health, and believes it is paramount to achieving your best hair. Pictured: Gustav 'milking' Zeenia's hair after he introduced the unique moisturising technique to her 

Zeenia got her hair experly lathered by Gustav at his high-end Kensington location

Gustav started to blow-dry Zeenia's hair. Unsure of what suited her, she let the leading hairdresser have free rein 

Surprisingly he didn't condemn daily hair washing, but also said that most people can get by washing their hair twice or thrice a week, and should be sure to rinse and repeat.

A good tip to implement in your routine is washing the hair with room temperature water, although he explained that products melt off easier with warmer water.

After I'd had a good look at my scalp, Gustav got stuck in with his unique hair washing method, which involved wetting the hair thoroughly before applying a silicone-free shampoo from his in-house range (he caters this to meet each client's needs).

A little goes a long way, he insisted, repeatedly adding warm water to the shampoo to emulsify it. He focused on the nape of my neck and behind my ears and admitted that clients could do a better job rinsing it as there's only so much stylists can do when you're perched on a chair at an awkward angle.

After the initial first rinse to remove any buildup, he repeated the process for ‘a proper clean’.

One technique he introduced me to was milking the hair. While this may conjure up images of a farmer fiddling with cow udders, this conditioning method smoothed out my kinks.

He started to section her hair and used a Sheila Stotts hairbrush to detangle her tamed hair

Zeenia was excited to see the highly-anticipated end result, and waited eagerly to see how the famed hairdresser would style her locks

Her layers became more pronounced and Gustav styled them into wispy bliss

He parted my hair into six sections as it's very thick and paid great attention to detail to each piece as he worked the conditioner into the strands.

Gustav explained milking hair gave it more shine and silkiness, and locks in colour and moisture:

‘If you do a minute per piece, that will make a big difference’.

Then he used his thumbs to close the cuticle downwards and explained this technique can be done with a treatment; a hair mask, or a normal conditioner, but stressed the hair should be generously 'laced with conditioner'.

He warned not to bring the conditioner above the ears, something I already knew - but I learned the same rule applied to hair masks, which I had been bringing up to my scalp.

He revealed he isn't a fan of hair oils, but said there are rules to follow if you to choose to use such a product.

‘If it's not an oil that you can eat, it's not worth using on your scalp.' he argued.

Gustav finished with a very relaxing hair massage and proceeded to blow dry my hair in whatever style I wanted. 

My scalp felt much cleaner immediately after the thorough wash, with the debris was nowhere to be spotted - and my colour looked much better ahead of a much-needed refresh.

Gustav says the total shampooing and conditioning process should take around 10 minutes (if you're doing it properly). 

What a result! Zeenia was elated with the hairdresser who crafted her hair into a glamorous bouncy blowdry

From drab to fab! Zeenia enjoyed her beautiful new hair thanks to Gustav's craftsmanship  

Pictured: Gustav, 40, on the left, moved to London in 2011 after taking up hairdressing nine years prior in his native South Africa

Gustav and Zeenia were both very pleased with the outcome, and Zeenia remarked that the blowout hid her roots that had started to come through

However, he stressed: 'The shampoo lesson isn't a quick fix, it's all about regular maintenance.'

Although the proof was in the pudding following Gustav's lesson, it would have been helpful to see another microscopic view of my scalp after the 10-minute wash to compare and contrast results. 

He kindly gifted me three products - shampoo, conditioner and his famous elixir, tailored to my hair type and all bottled in sleek navy blue glass bottles.

Gustav sells five shampoos and five conditioners, which he tailors to clients’ hair types, and a unique elixir made from amla and rice that treats the scalp as well as the hair - and he says the products are suitable for all hair types. 

Gustav Fouche offers his Shampro lesson at 82 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London, W2 5RT for £100