Rochelle Humes shares the surprising secret product her hairdresser mother used on her long locks growing up.
The former Saturdays singer said that as a child she struggled to find products ‘on the shelves that suited her hair type’ and that her mother would therefore put ‘fabric softener’ in her hair.
The This Morning presenter admitted she was shocked that she never got a ‘rash’ from the detergent, but joked that her hair ‘smelled lovely’.
In conversation with Caroline Hirons in her new podcast Glad we had this conversationRochelle said: ‘My mother was a hairdresser and compared to now there was simply nothing out there for my hair type.
‘And my mother had to drive from Essex to the other side of London, where the community was probably a bit more diverse, and where we could find produce for me.
Rochelle Humes has opened up about the surprising secret product her hairdresser mother used on her long locks growing up
The former Saturdays singer said she struggled to find products ‘on the shelves for her hair type’ when she was younger and that’s why her mother used to put ‘fabric softener’ in her hair
“My mom put fabric softener in it. I mean, I smelled great. I mean, I don’t know how I didn’t get a rash, but I don’t know what the allergens would look like now.
“She put fabric softener and warm water in it, like a garden sprinkler. And that was literally my hair care regimen.”
Rochelle and her husband, 38, singer JLS Marvin Humes, have three children: Alaia-Mai, 10, Valentina, six, and Blake, three. She also now has her own hair and skincare line for children, called My Little Coco.
Rochelle was raised by her white mother Roz, in a social housing unit in Barking, East London, after her Jamaican-born father Mark Piper left her when she was a baby.
When she was younger, Rochelle felt ashamed of being a mixed child in an all-white family.
“My sister and I looked completely different — she’s white and I’m half-black,” she has said in the past. “I felt like I had to explain everything: ‘This is my sister. I know we don’t look alike.’
“I came out with a whole disclaimer defending what people saw, because I was afraid people would think, ‘Oh, what’s going on there?’”
Since then, she has bonded with her three adult half-siblings, Sophie, Lili and Jake, describing them as “one big blended family.”
But she still does not speak to her father, although she insists she has forgiven him and that he does not know his grandchildren: “He never contacted me and I never contacted him.”
The This Morning presenter admitted she was shocked she never got a ‘rash’ from the detergent, but her hair ‘smelled amazing’
In her new podcast Glad We Had This Chat, Rochelle said: ‘My mum was a hairdresser and compared to now, the range of hair products for my hair type was, I mean, there was nothing’ (pictured as a child)
“My mom would put fabric softener and warm water in it, like a garden sprinkler. I mean, I smelled amazing back then. I don’t know how I didn’t break out in a rash. That was literally my hair care regimen.”
Rochelle and her 38-year-old JLS singer husband Marvin Humes have three children: Alaia-Mai, 10, Valentina, six, and Blake, three, and she now has her own children’s hair and skincare line called My Little Coco
At the age of 12, she was thrust into the spotlight, performing as one eighth of S Club Juniors, the all-singing, all-dancing spin-off of pop group S Club 7.
The band, whose members ranged in age from ten to thirteen, were selected from thousands of applicants through rigorous auditions for a 2001 television series and released a string of wholesome, catchy pop hits before disbanding in 2004.
In 2007, she joined The Saurdays, after which the band split to focus on their solo careers.
Her final podcast appearance came after Rochelle jokingly shouted at producers to “get the camera off her” during a failed cooking segment on This Morning.
The presenter found herself in a difficult position when she tried to pipe meringue onto the programme.
She presented alongside Dermot O’Leary, with TV chef Damiano Carrara giving the duo a masterclass in making a delicious raspberry pavlova for summer.
“We’re all going to do it together, okay,” Damiano insisted, “we’re going to do it this way and down,” he added as he demonstrated
When she was younger, Rochelle felt ‘ashamed’ of being a mixed child in an all-white family – pictured with her mother Roz
She grew up with her mother, stepfather and their daughter Emily, 29, in east London, after her mother, Roz, and her Jamaican-born father split when she was a baby (pictured with Emily)
At the age of 12, Rochelle was thrust into the spotlight, performing as an eighth of the S Club Juniors; pictured in 2002
“Oh, it’s so nice, Damiano,” Dermot said, quickly getting the hang of it, when Rochelle suddenly let out a scream.
Concerned, Dermot asked, “Are you okay, Roch?” to which she insisted, “Yeah, yeah, we’re good. We’ve got this. Sorry guys.”
Looking at her co-host’s creation, who had almost nailed the task, Rochelle exclaimed: “Oh my God Dermot,” to which the TV chef added: “Dermot is good.”
“I know, I just realized,” Rochelle admitted, “I didn’t know they had to be so close together. I can add them. Oh boy.”
Seemingly becoming frustrated, she instructed, “No one is seriously looking at mine. I just realized I didn’t twist it. I dropped the bag here, guys.”
She turned directly to the production crew and said sternly, “Director Barry, I hear you say, look at Rochelle — no. Take the camera off Rochelle. She doesn’t need a close-up here.”
The announcement comes after regular presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard announced they would be leaving This Morning for a number of weeks for the summer holidays.
The new presenters, who have been with ITV’s daytime programme since March and are reportedly paid an annual salary of £555,000, are currently on a seven-week break.
Her latest podcast appearance comes after Rochelle jokingly shouted at producers to ‘get the camera off her’ during a failed cooking segment on This Morning
It comes after regular presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard announced they would be leaving This Morning for a number of weeks as they enjoy a summer holiday
During the summer holidays, a number of guest presenters are hired to host the show in their absence.
Friday favourites Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary kicked off the summer shows on Monday 15 July, with a mix of familiar faces returning to the sofa.
Josie Gibson, Craig Doyle, Rylan Clark, Rochelle Humes and Joel Dommett are also presenters, while new mother Sian Welby is also returning to the broadcaster after having daughter Ruby last month.
Ben and Cat return to ITV’s flagship daytime programme on 2 September, while Alison and Dermot will be back on the Friday night show from 6 September.
Caroline Hirons’ podcast Glad We Had This Chat is available on Apple, Spotify and all major podcast platforms.