stories2

Holding Your Hairstyle

Before blow-drying your hair, saturate the roots with a thickening product spray. The blow-drying creates amazing volume this way. You’ll really feel the spray product in your when you apply it, so you’ll know it will hold your style.

To get the most possible blowout and root lift use a large round boar bristle brush.

Solutions for Specific Hair Issues Part 2

Everyone has unique hair, I have pulled together some more tips for specific hair issues. You might find the “perfect” solution to yours here.

Get More Volume
Try getting a wave, not a curly perm, tailored to the volume you want. You can also try a Volumizer; apply with any styling tool to the roots and comb or work through it to the ends. Volumizers work near the scalp area, not at the ends so that is where you will need the bulk of the product to go.

Got Frizz?
Silicone based products spike the frizzies in one step. Ingredients to look for are: Dimethicone and or cyclomethicone. They have VERY light silicone oils that can even be used on fine hair. Most of the products available are extremely concentrated, so usually a few drops will do the trick.

Hold that style.
Both hair spray and hair lacquers will do the job but each have a different setting film. Use the lacquer for extreme hairstyles and hair spray for natural firm holds.

Got Itchy Scalp?
Look for the cause first. You may have a build up of styling products, dirty, or greasy hair all of which can cause irritation. Give your hair a through From scratching you may have broken the scalp’s skin and products coming in contact beneath the protective scalp is the cause. Most commonly it is residues of shampoo and conditioner not fully rinsed out from the hair is the cause.

Better Hair from Better Diet.
No surprise, what you eat is reflected in your hair quality. Healthy hair craves protein rich foods. There are some supplements that will improve your hair. Development is helped by supplements of choline and inositol. Hair growth is assisted by the amino acid tyrosine, also biotin, cysteine and cystine. Lots of vitamin B also promotes healthy hair.

I’ll finish of this hair installment with some quick tips for your healthy head of hair

For Fuller Hair:
To get volume in your hair, instead of teasing it, try spraying the roots with a light hairspray while holding them up with a round brush.
To put the bounce back in fine hair, try volumizing shampoos, conditioners and sprays.

For Styling:
For thick, coarse or very curly hair, try a leave-in conditioner. Works all day.

For Healthy Hair:
Use conditioners that protect against daily stresses that cause damaged hair, including UV rays, pollutants, hard water, atmospheric conditions and heat styling.

For Thick Hair:
Leave-in hair conditioners are great for anyone with thick, coarse or very curly hair. They help detangle thick hair and can protect your hair from heat styling.

For Thin Hair:
Applying hair color can make thin look fuller. Applying mousse to the roots can also make hair appear thicker.

Smooth Hair:
In humid climates, use a shine or glosser product containing silicone. It helps keep hair smooth.

Smooth Hair Styling:
Look for blow dryers with attachments that help concentrate heat on one area at a time. Use the high heat setting while gently pulling hair straight to create a smooth, even finish.

Conditioning Healthy Hair:
Use a leave-in conditioning treatment to smooth the cuticles of hair that may have been stressed though chemical processing.

Styling:
Prevent breakage. Don't brush wet hair. Avoid over-use of high-heat stylers.

Switching Shampoos? Hair Knowledge-Be Kind to Your Mane.

Let's spike a hair myth right out the door. You don’t have to occasionally change out of your shampoo to give your hair a break. If you are using a Salon Brand that is, they work with no side effects for as long as you use them, there is no build up of stuff in your hair. So if you have finally found the perfect shampoo, stick to it or return to that old favorite.

Now you might want to give your hair a rest from conditioners and styling products.

Some things to watch for when you are picking out your hair products: Fine or thin hair are usually more delicate, a protein enriched shampoo and light level of conditioner will help them. Look for stronger moisturizing ingredients if you have curly hair that is looking dry.

Shampoo gentleness is determined by the surfactant it uses. (Isn’t that a cool word? It means surface active substance, gotta love it)

Best pick contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate, very gentle, look for it. Shampoos with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate are close but a little harsh on the hair. Ammonium Laureth Sulfate is very harsh but not the worst. The harshest is Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate. This is just a roughshod ride to your locks. It is the ammonium that is increasing the harshness.

Again, what you are looking for on the label is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Now you may have come across some Internet rumors about this being unsafe, citing some reports. Not true respond the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, also the Canadian Health Protection Branch, who labeled the stories a hoax.

More ways to be kind to your hair

Kindness to Wet Hair: Be gentle when you shampoo and towel dry. Never brush wet hair. (You will cause breakage by stretching it too much) If your hair tangles easily, knead a clean rinsing conditioner, then immediately comb out with a wide-toothed comb before rinsing out the conditioner. Always comb out wet hair gently and slowly with a wide-toothed comb. Take time to detangle knots, don’t yank at them.

Don’t be a tease, I’ll break! Imagine this CSIish: You are ripping away your hair’s cuticle protection when you backcomb or tease your hair. Exposing the cortex, that sensitive inner layer, making it vulnerable to breakage.

The best way is to comb your hair smoothly downward, from roots to ends, helping the cuticles’ “shingles” lie smooth and flat. By making the “shingles” stickup with backcombing it kills the shine a delivers a coarse, frizzy, flyaway look.

Saving the frizzes: Unless your hair is naturally coarse or damaged wet and rainy weather brings the frizz out. Look for style and care products specially designed for fixing and saving this.

You a Sun Worshiper? Look for conditioners with sunscreens in it. Those UV rays are just as bad for your hair as your skin. The good news is the heat from the sun actually helps the conditioners action while the sunscreen blocks UV out.

Look for more Hair Knowledge soon

Match Hair Style to Your Features Part one

Here are some guidelines on matching a trendy hairstyle (there are lots so not to worry about that limit.) to your features.

1) Go for Soft Bouncy Curls if you want to pump your hairs volume or you want the curls to soften angular features. This would be for a chin-length or longer cut. Have your stylist give you graduated layers that start halfway down your hair.

2) Use Wispy Bangs to draw attention to your eyes, want to shorten a long face or if you want to hide your brow lines. Just ask for wispy banks, your stylist will do some vertical snipping to soften your look.

3) Try Out a Mid-length Hair Style if you want to make a long face give the illusion of being wider or if you want to balance out your full figure proportions. Ask for a cut that sweeps to your collarbone then add the face framing razored layers.

4) Ultra-Long Voluminous Layers if your hair is fine and you want to create the look of volume. You will of course need long hair to start this but just ask for lots of multi-length layers, the shortest should start at your cheekbone.

5) A Center Part With Straight & Sleek Hair it will slim wide cheeks, ideal way to give your round and full face the illusion of length. You’ll ask for graduated layers with custs starting below your chin. This keeps the ends from looking solid and blocky.

Next part will be how to style these your self.

Makeup tricks from Celebrity Stylists

1) Create a “halo” effect around the eyes by using slick lip-gloss on your eyelids. It reflects light thus creating the halo.

2) To make eyes look bigger fake it with the use of Cream-colored eye shadow. Dust it across the entire lid, extending it slightly beyond the outer corners.

3) “Create” Cheekbones by creating contrast. Take a slightly darker, browner shade of blush than you usually wear and apply it directly beneath the cheeks. Blend in a light shimmery blush across the tops of the cheeks. Voila, cheek bones.

4) Accent and bring attention to your lips by using a pinky-brown lip color. It works as a neutral to emphasis lip color and adds depth for a naturally gorgeous look. Kick it up a notch by finishing with a clear gloss.

5) Create a radiant face by using a tinted moisturizer containing silicone and light diffusing particles. It’s the silicone and diffusing that gives the radiance and the tint gives a healthy flush of color to the face.

6) Make more of your cheekbones by doting a bronze highlighting cream and then blend up to the temples. It will sculpt and accentuate at the same time.

Beauty Salon Secret Hair Tips 4 – Creating Sleek Hair

My hairdressers are passing on some great tips for the season. This is how to add more sleekness to your hair. Blow-dry your hair in small sections using a ceramic-based brush. Your hair will become less prone to frizzing since the ceramic helps distribute the heat evenly. Also each strand is given its due attention to look smooth and shiny by drying your hair in small sections. It is important to aim the dryer air blast in a motion that goes from the roots to the ends, this keeps the cuticle smooth.

A longer lasting approach is to try a thermal reconditioning treatment. They coat your hair with special moisturizing crystals that are heat activated from a flat iron or blow dryer.  They penetrate the hair shaft and deep condition it from within, banishing the dehydration that can cause frizzes.

These approaches will give your hair some great gloss that will be noticed!

Beauty Salon Secret Hair Tips 3 – Great bouncy hair

The trick to giving hair bounce is in the formulation. Look for styling products and shampoos with wheat proteins. They will be listed in the ingredients. The wheat proteins physically increase the hair’s diameter by penetrating the hair shaft. It gives a lot of movement because is does not weight the hair down.

For some long-term bounce, have your hair stylist give your long layers cut over shorter layers. It does not matter what your length of hair is, these short underlying layers will hold up and support the longer layers. There is your instant boost!

An interesting info bit that come up in talking to a range of stylists, they tell me that the lower priced styling products work just as well as expensive ones.  I guess it might just be a matter of checking out the ingredient list.

Beauty Salon Secret Hair Tips 2 - Shinier Hair

More tricks from our hairdressers. With winter dulling hair up this time of year today’s tip is how to bring back the shine and keep it.

Start with damp hair, apply a silicone serum, using a comb to push it into the hair. This gives you extra light reflecting shine by smoothing down the hair’s cuticle. Do your usual styling.

The more long lasting trick is to get a colorless gloss treatment. This is a semi-permanent process that is formulates with peroxide which opens up the hair shaft. The gaps in the cuticles, which makes the hair look lackluster, are filled in. The cuticle is then smoothed with a coat of clear shine. Giving you up to six weeks of smoother, shinier and glossier hair!

Beauty Salon Secret Hair Tips

This is a collection of quick hair helper tips for  a different look, improved hair health and even some interesting styles. Many are tips we pass on to our clients as Jan does their hair for their portrait sessions.

* Silicone enhanced hair: Applying a silicone serum to wet hair seals the cuticle, preventing moisture from seeping into the hair shaft, the main culprit behind frizz.

* To neutralize your hair’s electrostatic charge, making it look smoother try ionic flat irons, brushes and blow-dryers.

Give your hair an “instant” polish, try single-use cloths infused with shine serum.

To enhance hair body and shine try a leave-in detangler with sunflower extract.

Oddly the fatty acids and emollients of the avocado restores lost moisture while making hair look smooth.

To remove split ends:
    * Take small sections of hair and carefully twist them in a gentle downward motion.
      Any split ends will automatically stick out.
    * Carefully snip into the twist with sharp scissors. Don’t cut right through; just cut into the thickness to remove the damaged cuticles and give a natural layered effect.
    * Be careful to cut roughly the same amount from each twist.

Cure for dandruff:
* Vinegar is poured into the hair, massaged into the scalp, and left to dry for a few minutes.
* Then the hair is washed.
* The process is repeated daily until the dandruff disappears, usually within a few days.

Your hair reflects your general health, often if there is a problem with your hair it may be something lacking in your diet, even not enough fluids will make hair flat & lifeless!