Transformation Tuesday

I hope you all are having an awesome holiday season! We just got back from Florida and are entertaining some family. That means this Transformation was actually done a couple weeks ago since I have been on vacation.

This week's lovely lady has been a client of mine for a while. The last time I saw her, I was giving her a balayaged ombré, and it was her first time ever getting anything done other than a cut! So this time, we decided to give her a little more balayage and lighten it up a little bit more. And she loved it!

Transformation Tuesday

When I showed this transformation to my husband, he said, "Well that's not a huge difference." And he's right, but most people aren't looking to go from black to platinum (although it is a fun challenge when I get to do things like that.) The goal with this particular client was to diffuse the line of demarcation and tone out some of the gold in her hair, getting to look as natural as possible. She didn't want it to "shout" or "talk", she wanted it to "whisper." 

The Importance of Buying Professional Hair Products (From A Salon)

A huge part of my job as a stylist is, not only to provide amazing services to my clients, but to educate them on their hair health. The best way to maintain the health of your hair is to use high quality product and here's why.

One of the first questions I ask a new client is, "What is the biggest challenge with your hair?" I usually hear that it is dry, it won't grow, the color fades fast, etc. The second question I ask is, "What products are you using?" When I hear that someone is using a brand from the drugstore, I ask if they are getting the results they want and is it taking care of those challenges? The answer is usually a resounding "No." Solution? Better products! Professional products!

Side Note:The funniest thing I see on drugstore products, are outrages claims like "Reduces breakage up to 97%" or "Repairs up to 2 years of damage." And all for $8.99. Really? If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Protect Your Investment- If you are investing good money in your hair by getting regular haircuts and color services, then you probably want it to last. The only way to guarantee that is to buy professional products.

More Bang For Your Buck- Professional products are highly concentrated, meaning you have to use less product in your hair to achieve the results you want. Sometimes if you weigh out how much product you are using versus how much money you are spending, buying professional products can sometimes cost the same as drugstore products.

Sulfate and Paraben Free- Sure, you can find drugstore products that say "Sulfate Free" or "Paraben Free", but companies can still put a certain amount of sulfates and parabens into their products while still saying they are sulfate and paraben free. You are more likely to find professional products that are truly free of sulfates and parabens. 

Environmentally Conscious- A lot of professional lines have become super aware of their carbon footprint and have restructured their values based on their consumer's values. You can find so many professional brands that don't do testing on animals and use less plastic in their packaging. Some companies are PETA approved and are even working on being completely bio-degradable within a year of hitting the landfill. So cool!

"But I Can Buy It On Amazon."- When you buy professional products from anywhere other than a salon or authorized retailer, you run the risk of buying a product that has been tampered with, or is old. Sometimes, salons go out of business and sell off their old back stock, or there may even be Suave in that bottle of Paul Mitchell. There is no quality control and there's a reason it is so cheap.

"But I Can Buy It At Beauty Brands Or Sephora."- All I can say is "Support you local businesses!" Give your dollar to a family owned business instead of a corporation. Plus, it usually costs the same. 

Next time you are at the grocery store and you have that bottle of product in your hands, I hope these tips resonate in your head. Make the choice to buy local and buy from a professional. You won't regret it!

Hair Extensions 101

Extensions, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Hair extensions were one of my first introductions to the hair industry, so I have been working with them even before my stylist career began. Over the years I have learned that there are so many uses for hair extensions: to add length, fullness, a splash of color or for people whose hair won't grow past a certain point, for those who just have super fine hair and need more body, or sometimes we make a split decision to chop off all our hair and then decide we hate it! There are a thousand reasons to have extensions, but there are also many options on what type of extension to get. The possibilities are seemingly endless. Here is a guide I have created to help direct you to your perfect hair extension solution.

Clip-In Extensions

Clip-in’s are an awesome way to introduce yourself to the wonderful world of hair extensions because they simply clip in and out whenever you want them. Whether you wear them out for a special occasion or every day, clip-ins are a great, temporary option to try out extensions. They are the most inexpensive, with no commitment or damage to your hair.

Best For: Everyone, First-Timers, One Time Use, Special Occasions, Minimal Commitment

Pros: 

Use As Needed

Quick And Easy To Take In And Out 

Last For A Long Time

Inexpensive

Cons: 

Install Yourself (this can also be a pro)
Not Permanent 

Micro-Links/ I-Tip/ Cold Fusion 

Micro-links are attached to a small amount of hair using compression with a small cylinder and extension. These are great because they are easy to move up when your extensions start growing out.

Best For: Everyone

Pros: 

Easy To Move Up

Reuse Hair

Cons: 

Long Installation

Moderate Damage

Keratin Bonds/ U-Tip/ Fusion

Keratin bonded extensions are very similar to Micro-Links except they are attached by a heated keratin bond. They are great for someone who doesn't want their hair redone often. The downside, they can cause quite a bit of damage to your natural hair.

Best For: Thick Hair, Coarse Hair

Pros: 

Long Wear

Reuse Hair

Cons: 

Maximum Damage

Long Install

Long Removal

Single Sided Tape-Ins

This newer method of extension is very simple and natural. The extension is attached using a 1"-1.5" wide weft with tape on one side.

Best For: Fine Hair

Pros: 

Reuse Hair

Quick Install

Quick Removal

Minimum Damage

Cons: 

Need To Be Redone Every 6-8 Weeks

Double Sided Tape-Ins

Double sided tape-ins are very similar to the single sided method. The wefts are wider coming in at 3". The biggest difference is that there is hair covering both sides of the tape making them virtually undetectable. 

Best For: Fine Hair

Pros: 

Can't Feel Bonds

Can't See Bonds

Quick Install

Quick Removal

Minimum Damage

Cons:

Only Stay In For 2-3 Months

Can't Reuse Hair

For all you visual people out there. Note: "Annual Cost" does not always directly correlate with what is most cost effective. Prices will also vary depending on your location and stylist.

Last, but not least, here are a few things to consider:

You need to buy high quality hair if you want your extensions to last a long time.

Never buy synthetic hair!

Buy 100% human hair.

Buy "Remy Hair" whenever possible.

Consider how much you are going to tip when looking at pricing.

Factor in that you are probably going to need to buy new products to take care and protect your hair extensions.

How To Get Low Maintenance Hair

One of the biggest requests I get in the salon is making my clients hair low maintenance. Now that could mean a few different things: daily styling maintenance, color maintenance, and/or haircut maintenance. Maybe you are someone who wants all three, so here are some of my suggestions to achieving a great look without all of the time and effort.

Low Maintenance Styling

If you are a person (like myself) who needs to curl, straighten, or somehow alter their natural texture, then this section may not be for you. This is for people who want wash-and-wear hair. Something that will look like you spent 20 minutes slaving away under a hot blowdryer, when all you did was let it air dry. But how? Product, product, product! Invest in high quality products that are going to enhance what your momma gave you, starting with shampoo and conditioner. If one of the only things you will be doing to you hair is washing it, I suggest you make the most of it by using professional products.

Low Maintenance Color

Tired of touching up your roots every six weeks? Good thing there are a lot of great, trending options that look super natural and the upkeep is minimal. There is always the ombré. The ombré allows you to have your natural hair color with lighter ends and is virtually maintenance free. 

The ombré done with extensions.

My favorite option that I am absolutely LOVING right now is balayage! Balayage (Bah-lay-ahzge) is a method of highlighting hair without using foils, that with make your hair look gorgeous and naturally sun-kissed (and it's fun to say). This is how you get that Victoria's Secret Angel look.

A before and after picture of balayage with a little bit of a soft ombré at the ends.

Tip: When you are looking at pricing for ombrés and balayage, the cost might be a little higher. Stylists have to do this because they won't be seeing you as often. However, the price still usually works out in the clients favor.

Low Maintenance Haircuts

The only advice that I can give that will truly guarantee your haircut lasting longer is, get better quality haircuts. Going to a budget salon and paying $15 just won't cut it (forgive the pun.) Spend the extra money on an experienced stylist who will make your haircut last beyond 4 weeks.

Moral of the story, if you invest in your hair, you will be rewarded with luscious locks that every woman will envy and admire.

How To Find A Hairstylist

For most people, finding the right hairstylist can be more challenging than it ought to be. How are you going to find that stylist that not only has the skills and talent to make a masterpiece of your mane, but also a stylist that just seems to get you? You require someone who understands what you need and want, even if you don’t. It might be optimistic to find the perfect stylist complete with magic hair taming powers, but here are some tips and tools to finding a great stylist none the less.

How I Feel About Yelp

I hate to start off with a negative, but I want to get this first one out of the way. Yelp can definitely help in finding out some pros and cons about certain businesses, but there are some reasons why I would refrain from using Yelp. One reason is, it might help you find a great salon, but it might not help you find a stylist. Secondly, Yelp screens their reviews. They pick and choose which reviews they want to feature, and some can be years old and irrelevant to their current service. The biggest reason I don’t suggest using Yelp too much, is that most of the time people are reviewing a business is to report something negative, which doesn't necessarily give you an accurate depiction of the business. If you are going to use Yelp, I suggest sorting the "Recommended Reviews" by date and also checking out the reviews not recommended at the bottom of the page.

Ask Someone

The absolute best way to find a good stylist is by a referral. Whether it's from someone you know or just from asking a stranger in the grocery store, find someone whose hair you admire and just ask them who makes their hair so magical. A plus to this strategy is that you will probably make someone’s day and maybe even a new best friend.

But what if you're new to town or too shy to ask?

StyleSeat

There is a lovely little website called StyleSeat.com that some stylists use for a variety of reasons. One of them being, to find new clients. Granted, not every stylist is using this website, however, there are tons of great stylists on this site waiting to be discovered by you. My suggestion is to go on the site, search for your city or area and check out the stylists with great recommendations and call. They might not have a ton of availability, but that means they're probably good if they're busy.

6 Hair Washing Tips to Healthier Hair

Ever have the problem where you run out of conditioner, but still have half of a bottle of shampoo left? Or are the ends of your hair super dry, even though you're using the most hydrating (and probably expensive) conditioner out there? Well folks, the answer might be as simple as; you're not washing your hair the right way. 

Here are six things you can do in the shower to increase the longevity and power of your shampoo and conditioner. 

1. Water, Water, Water

When you are shampooing your lustrous locks, you need to have your hair completely saturated. If it isn't lathering well, dunk your head under the water real quick before you add more shampoo. This goes especially for professional shampoos because they are more concentrated compared to your drugstore brands. 

2. Shampoo Only Your Scalp

Your scalp is where most of your natural oils are built up and the only area of your hair that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Unless your ends are actually dirty or have product build up, for whatever reason, then don't actually shampoo them on a regular basis. You don't want to dry them out!

3. Wring Out Your Hair Before Applying Conditioner (Or Towel Dry It If You're Really Hardcore)

Unlike water-loving shampoo, you get better results from conditioner if you remove excess water before applying it. You can use way less conditioner this way (solving your shampoo to conditioner ratio issues) and your conditioner can actually penetrate into your hair instead of running down the drain.

4. Concentrate Your Conditioner On Your Ends

The hair closest to your scalp gets the pleasure of receiving its moisture from your natural oils and doesn't need conditioner on a regular basis (or at all). Meanwhile, the mid-shaft and ends of your hair are the oldest, and therefore, the driest and in desperate need of some TLC in the form of conditioner. Also, your hair will be less oily at the end of the day if you don’t put conditioner on your roots. 

5. Leave Your Conditioner In Longer

If you want your conditioner to work its magic, then you have to give it a little time.

Hint: If you start your shower routine with washing your hair, then it gives you plenty of time to do your other rituals (shaving, brushing your teeth, washing your body, etc.) while letting your conditioner sit.

6. Rinse Your Conditioner Out With Cool Water

Easier said than done, I know, but this closes down the cuticle (outer layer of hair) creating less frizz, more shine, and healthier hair.

I hope this has been informative, but most of all, I hope your hair looks amazing!

Leave a comment, let me know what you think and ask me some hair questions.