About a year ago, if you asked most people if beauty and sports mixed, they would likely say no, but slowly and surely, my two favourite industries have been tapping into each world, and I am here for it. Which brings us here. It’s 8.30am on a Friday morning, and I’m sitting at my desk talking to England and Arsenal player Leah Willliamson about her getting ready routines. The footballing star, who is currently out with an injury, recently began working with Dyson as an ambassador, so I was keen to grill her on exactly what her hair and beauty routines look like on match days and what she really does on rest days…
Firstly, do you have any hair and beauty regimens you have to stick to on game days?
I'm still looking for my perfect skincare routine, but ultimately, before a game, especially when we're travelling, everything just has to be quick. I really like minimal skincare. Just face cream (to make sure I'm not going on the pitch looking crusty!) and I like to use eye cream, too.
And then for hair, recently it was the first time I ever felt like an ~influencer~. I influenced loads of the girls to buy the Dyson Airstrait, and five of us have one now. It’s so quick to get your hair from wet to straight. So for me, it's the best thing in the world. My pre-match routine starts, like, a couple of days earlier, because I don't go in with totally clean hair, and it holds better. Since using it, it’s the first time I've ever really taken care of my hair, and there’s a crazy stat that the Airstrait saves you eight minutes each time, which is precious for me.
Dyson Dyson Airstrait™ straightener in Onyx Black/Gold
Is efficiency your biggest goal when it comes to hair and beauty?
Yes. I was notorious for not drying my hair properly and just dealing with it when I got to the next hotel or whatever, which is the worst thing I could do. I don’t use hotel shampoo and conditioners anymore either. I’m a changed woman, and I feel better for it!
And how do you maintain your hair colour?
I don't go to the hairdresser's often enough to be honest and she'll text me a picture, like a bird’s eye shot of me, on the pitch and say, 'This is not acceptable. You need to come and see me'. After the last year, I needed a bit of a change. So now I'm transitioning again. But ultimately, it just needs to be longer, and I had to chop it all off because it was dead, which is no surprise.
Did you get bleach blindness?
I did it by over-styling. So now my ponytail is returning to its former glory, but it's not quite there yet.
How does your approach to getting yourself ready differ day to day versus a match day?
In football, you have to control as much as you can control, which, when it comes to yourself, is a lot easier to do, because other things just pop up all the time. The other day I had a day off and I woke up in the morning, I washed and dried my hair, used a hair mask too, and, you know, it's just a bit more time for you. I'm not very good at going to see people, like getting my nails done, anything that I can do at home, I do.
What is your skin routine like at home?
I have some No 7 Eye Masks and a Laneige Eye Cream that I like, but I’m still finding my ideal SPF. I was using a Nivea SPF and have just changed to a No 7 one that’s a bit more dewy and makes my skin more plump, and it sinks in rather than sitting on top.
How has your approach to your skin and your hair changed from your teens, into your 20s and now looking into your 30s?
I never grew up wearing makeup, and I also used to have really bad acne, so my mum steered me away from it, so to speak. She’s not a big makeup woman, but she was like, ‘let's just fix your skin,’ rather than cover it up. I went on Roaccutane only for a short period of time. But I think as I've got older, I then rejected a beauty routine, because I just didn't want to touch my skin.
Now I always wear SPF – my future child will wear sun cream every single day of their life – but that's the one thing that I was slack on, and I'm outside every day, and it just would have been an easy win. Not wearing SPF is honestly my only regret. I thought that was only meant for holidays, you know, when you're younger, and everybody wants a tan!
Being in the public eye more than ever, how has that affected you? Do you feel more in the line of scrutiny?
I don't see the criticism. My social media is sort of primed to only serve me happy videos and funny videos. I love it for a way of communication and I think, if you know yourself you know that you're trying your best if somebody comes for my football and ability, I'm like, that's okay. But if I knew that I wasn't doing something right, that's probably when I'd get defensive. I feel like I've done everything I can to empower myself.
I’ve never really worn makeup, like I said, and so it's nice to dress up now, and when somebody does my makeup for me it's lovely. You go out and your shoulders are back, and you're like, ‘I’m about myself today!’.
Let's talk Leah Williamson thirst trap videos. Have you seen them?
I think my cousin sent me one! She's like, ‘This is unhinged.’ Mostly, I'll catch a photo of me on a pitch. And you've got to imagine, some football photos are just … Oh, everything is just down. When you're running, everything drops from your head to your toes. And you're just like, ‘Right, that's not what I needed in my life today.’
Any body treatments that you swear by?
Recently, I went for red light therapy, like a sauna. I'll go for a facial and I’ll get lymphatic drainage. But I suppose, I get nervous going into any sort of actual physical body treatment, because at the end of the day, my body is my work, and I can't really mess about with it. I enjoy treatments that make you just calm down in the moment, like cryotherapy. Sometimes I get so claustrophobic, and I would only go in if another one of the girls is going, but it makes me fall asleep instantly.
Last question! You influenced your teammates to buy an Airstrait, which is incredible, but have you been influenced by any of your teammates to buy any products?
Yes, Summer Friday eye masks and Laneige lip balm. Roaccutane can really dry you out, and my lips can get so dry, so whatever lip balm they're using, it’ll get passed down the bus especially if somebody's like, ‘oh, this is a good one!’.
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
