Don't Believe Everything you See; Suave Commercial Debunked.

    This has really been bugging me lately, and kind of always has. It really 'grinds my gears' when non-professional products try to market themselves as being PROFESSIONAL or SALON grade. They are not. Have you ever walked into a salon that was using Suave of Tresemme? No, you haven't. And if you happen to, leave. These "stylists" obviously don't take themselves seriously. I'm not knocking these products, as I don't use them and cannot give you a proper review on them. Anyway, here's the commercial if you have yet to see it.      






   After seeing this commercial 6.75 billion times I got to thinking. What "Top Stylist" would ever put their professional career on the line by backing a Suave product? No matter how great that product is, to me, would not be worth losing my status as "Top Stylist" and having to be criticized by other real professionals for using drugstore grade products. I then decided I HAD to know more about this gutsy Wayne Fitzsimmons and what his credentials were as a "Top Stylist". Here's what I found........

Wayne Fitzsimmons male, actor Location : Greater London

http://www.castingcallpro.com/uk/view.php?uid=302992      He's a bleeping actor! He doesn't appear to be a Hairstylist AT ALL!!! They even used his real name!! Insanity I say! Again, I can't tell you whether the product works as it says or not. I can tell you, you will never see me using anything other than Professonial Hair Products in my salon. I take myself more seriously than that.     In conclusion, DON'T BELIEVE WHAT YOU SEE UNTIL YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH. Good day!!!

Um.. What?! A.K.A What the Heck is My Stylist Saying?

  ~  Lesson 1 ~

   I've been a hairstylist my entire adult life. I started beauty school when I was 16. I'm telling you this because at times, I tend to forget that what I know about hair and that some of the terms I use, aren't common knowledge to a lot of people. I'm sure there are many other stylist that feel the same way. The best thing you can do as a salon patron is A. Ask your stylist "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" when they start to throw words at you that you aren't quite sure of the meaning. And B. Educate yourself before you go!!! You may even impress your stylist by being able to speak her "language"! 


  The following is a small list of some basic hairstylist terminology, as I use it. (There is so much to cover that I will do this in a few different lessons, eventually breaking it down into smaller categories. This way, you'll really know your stuff!) 
  
    COMMUNICATION with your stylist is the #1 most important thing when it comes to getting the best service you can at the salon.

 Cuticle- The outer most layer of the hair. This is the part of your hair that is most prone to damage from over-processing, styling with heat, and damage from the elements.

Over-Processing- Usually caused by damage from a chemical treatment. If the hair is over-processed it can be left feeling dry, brittle, or have a cotton candy like texture. Very over-processed hair can feel a bit slimy (like wet noodles) when it is wet. 

Chemical Treatment- This is any process used on the hair that involves the use of a chemical to change the appearance or structure of the hair strand. This covers, Perms, relaxers, keratin smoothing treatments, permanent color, and highlights among others.

Layers- This is a type of haircut or cutting technique where the hair is held at a specific angle when it is cut in order to make the haircut have different lengths of hair in order to achieve a specific look. This helps to give volume and movement. (YOU CANNOT GET A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF LAYERS. There can be differing amounts of layers and lengths of layers in the hair. For example, short, medium, or long layers. If any one says "Sure I'll give you three layers!" Please RUN!) 

Permanent Color- This is a type of hair color that will have to be grown out or colored over to remove. When your hair grows you will see somewhat of a line where your natural color is growing in and where you hair color ends. (This is called a Line of Demarcation. The boldness of which depends on how many levels away from your natural color you decided to go.)

Demi or Semi-Permanent Color- Will not result in a line of demarcation. They will not lift your natural (or other) hair color, and will only deposit(add) color. Usually fades out in 6-8 weeks.

Fringe- Basically just another term for Bangs.

Trim- How much hair that is taken off during a trim really must be established between the stylist and client. A trim may mean an inch to you while your stylist takes a half inch. Generally, to me, a trim just means keeping the same hairstyle, after the amount of hair that is to be cut is decided.

Dusting- This term is used when the stylist just barely takes anything off. This basically is used when one is working on growing out a style but wants to freshen it up just a bit.

Texturize- This term can be used for a number of things. It can be the way the hair is cut (using a razor or point-cutting techniques). It can be used to describe a chemical service, "These highlights will texturize your hair giving you more hold and volume". It can also be used to describe how a product might work to help add texture to your hair (Again, giving you more volume and better hold.) 

Professional Hair Products-  Hair products (Hairspray, Shampoo, Hair Color and so on) that can only be sold or purchased by a Licensed Cosmetologists. These are generally the best products on the market, and although they are a bit more expensive, the benefits out-way the cost substantially. Many salons do retail Professional Products. If yours does not be sure to ask your stylist how you can get what you need. (She may be able to pick some up for you from her Supply House.) Note: I cannot express enough how important hair products are if you are trying to achieve a specific look. Chances are, no matter how great your hair is cut, if you're not using the correct products you won't get the look you're going for. Always ask your stylist what she is using when she is styling you so that you can get the same look at home!

     I do hope that this list has helped start some of you on the path of becoming more knowledgeable of salon vocabulary, in turn helping you to develop better communication and a more meaningful relationship with your Hairstylist.

Adventures in Color: My "Galaxy" Hair.

   

   So I got the color bug up my butt (Is that a weird thing to say?) like I do every so often, and I decided I wanted to go all out and try my hand at this "Galaxy" hair thing. My hair's pretty short right now as I got the cut-all-your-hair off bug a couple of months ago. (In my defense, it WAS really hot out!) Anyway, as always I regret cutting my hair off, but I figured I might as well have some fun with my color while it's short. 

              This is a picture of what I mean by the Galaxy look, in case you don't know. 

 
     Galaxy print is fairly popular right now in fashion, probably because it's just so damn fun to look at! I looked at some pictures of what people were calling Galaxy Hair and I feel that very few should be labeled as such. I then took it upon myself to try out my own version..... on myself. Here's how it went! (Don't try this at home unless you are a professional stylist!)

The first thing I did was prelighten the sections of my hair where I wanted to put my galactic color. Mmmm... Gold sure is a great color on me! Ha! Seriously, JUST KIDDING!

    Next I chose the colors I wanted to use. I picked Yellow, Pink, Blue, Green, and Purple.

      After that I put on all the color and sat under the dryer for a while.......... I won't bore you with photos of this stage. I was falling asleep to be honest. :) 


                          And........... Here's some photos of the finished product!

     

    When I do color like this on myself it's always kind of a work in progress. I'll be tweaking it and changing it up over the next couple of months until I eventually get sick of it and move on to my next look.                              

                          Hope you've enjoyed my photo journey to Galaxy Hair!

MANIC MONDAY MORNING?

   I hope that everyone has had as wonderful a weekend as I did! If you are anything like me your weekends are probably pretty busy, being packed with a combination of things that NEED done and things that you would like to do. By Monday morning you're left wondering "WHERE DID MY WEEKEND GO and why am I EXHAUSTED?" I don't have the answer for you, but I can help your hectic Monday morning hair routine go a little smoother.

   What's my secret to a smooth Monday morning you ask? DRY SHAMPOO! What else?! (Well, coffee helps too but we all know this!) Dry shampoo has been around for many decades. In it's earlier days, 1940's and on, it came in a powder form that was mostly marketed toward women who were ill and unable to wash their hair in the traditional manner. The powder would absorb the hair's oils to help maintain a "cleaner" appearance. 

   Now-a-days, the most common form of dry shampoo comes in an aerosol spray. Most still have a powder like consistency when sprayed on the hair, though some I have tried are quite wet (which I felt kind of defeated the products purpose.) Most Professional Haircare lines now carry a dry shampoo. Some even carry dry conditioner which I have yet to try, though I imagine it might be nice to use on your ends if you have dry hair.

   SO basically, if you are running behind Monday morning and just don't have the time to wash your hair, dry shampoo can save the day! Usually directions will say to hold the can a certain distance from the head, lift sections of hair, and spray at the root. You can then comb through to evenly distribute the product, then style as you would normally. I find that not only does it absorb the oil, but it give me more volume and control than I have with freshly washed hair. (My only issue being that some brands will leave a greyish cast on very dark hair. If you have dark hair be sure to ask your stylist which brand they suggest to avoid this problem.) 

    My dry shampoo of choice right now is Redken's Powder Refresh 01. It smells nice and it doesn't leave the greyish film on my black hair that so many others have. But don't take my word for it. Go out and try some for yourself. Anything to help on a Manic Monday Morning, right?

Friday the 13th Freaky Hair Facts!

     In Honor of Friday the 13th I have compiled a list of weird (and maybe not so weird) facts about all things hair!

-Next to bone marrow, hair is the fastest growing tissue in the human body.
 
-Redheads don’t feel pain to the same degree that everyone else does. Redheads are less sensitive to electrically induced pain, but are more sensitive to thermal pain


-It is normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs per day from the scalp.


-Hair is as strong as a piece of iron wire.


-A single hair can support up to 100 grams in weight and a whole head of hair could support up to 12 tonnes - the equivalent of two African elephants.


-In the Guinness Book of Records an Indian woman has hair that is over 13 feet long. (Another site said it was an Asian women and 17.5 ft so who really knows) 


-Your arm hair only grows 1/2 inch to an inch because body hair growth phase only lasts a few months, whereas head hair growth phase lasts a few years. (It would be REALLY freaky if your body hair grew as long as your head hair!)


-Split ends can not be repaired and need to be cut


-Canities is the technical term for gray hair.


-In the biblical story Samson and Delilah, Samson`s strength is in his mane of hair. Delilah cuts it as he sleeps, Samson loses his strength and kills himself.(Yikes!)


-Tiny mites live in the base of your eyelashes. (The human varieties are called Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis) They come out when you sleep to eat the cells your eyelashes shed and other debris. They help eyelashes to grow by preventing hair follicles from clogging.


-Trichtollimania is the impulse to pull out one`s own hair. Some people will eat it. 

- The outer most layer of the hair shaft is called the cuticle, the same as the skin around your finger nail.


-The belief that redheads where witches is a folk belief of Germanic culture. From 1483-1784 thousands of suspected witches were nearly always stripped and searched for “marks of the devil”. These included any “abnormality” such as freckles, moles, warts, and birthmarks. Red hair was certainly considered an abnormality. Considering the freckle factor for redheads this was a deadly and shocking horror. Somewhere around 45,000 women were tortured and murdered usually by burning at the stake or by drowning. 

-The Thickest Hair in the Human body belongs to a man's mustache.

-During the Renaissance women plucked their entire front hair away to give the appearance of a higher forehead.

- In ancient Greece, the most sought-after hair color was blond. Not many Greeks were naturally blond, so light hair was probably perceived as beautiful because it was so exotic. Women would lighten their hair using plant extracts or arsenic(!). They also washed their locks with a mixture of ashes, olive oil, and water. 

Sources: 


http://christophreilly.hubpages.com/hub/Redheads-Myths--Legends--and-Famous-Red-Hair
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/top-10-foods-for-healthy-hair
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/grayhair.html
http://www.schick.com/us/shaving-facts.shtml
http://www.pantene.co.uk/hair-science/Pages/hair-science-facts.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair
http://www.weirdfacts.com/Fun-Facts-Stuff/hair-facts.html
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/hairstyles-beauty/skin-care-makeup/weird-beauty-facts
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/hairstyles-beauty/skin-care-makeup/weird-beauty-facts

Product Review: It's a 10 Miracle leave-in Potion Plus Keratin

     Hey all! Just thought I'd stop by and share with you one of my FAVORITE hair products. If you are familiar at all with professional hair products, chances are that you have heard of the line It's a 10 (minute miracle). By far, my favorite product in this line is the Miracle Leave-in Potion Plus Keratin. It boasts (rightfully so) that it does 10 things instantly;

• Smoothes Hair/Adds Shine
• Non-Greasy
• Enriched with Keratin
• No Build Up
• Thermal Protectant
• Humidity Resistant
• De Frizzes
• Separates Curls
• Blow Dryer/Flat Iron Use
• Lightweight Formula
   
   
   
  So here are my thoughts. Awesome! I love it. I have used it on both wet and dry hair, fine and coarse hair, curly and straight hair. My husband even used it on his beard for a few months!  It's great to use right after shampooing as a detangler for when you comb through knots. It's so lightweight that you can put it on fly-aways and on the dry ends of over processed hair after you blow dry. It's creamy consistency gives you a bit more control (and less oiliness) than you would get with an oil based product. This proves to be wonderful for defining curls and accentuating waves. I should also mention that it smells great too! Not too perfume-y or feminine so your gentlemen can share in the joy as well! Overall,  It's a 10 Miracle leave-in Potion Plus Keratin is a product that I will recommend to almost anyone, and I plan to continue using it in, and out, of the salon. :)

  

I may be new to the world of Blogging........

     ........ But I am definitely not new to the world of hair. First a bit about myself. My name is Ruth and I'm a stylist (Licensed Cosmetologist) with 10 years of experience. I'm a mother of two (with a third on the way) and have been married to my husband for 4 years. I'm currently working as an independent contractor at a small salon, Salon Hapami in Struthers Ohio, which is owned by a very dear friend of mine. 

    I've decided to make this blog, basically to have a place to share some of my knowledge and ideas. I plan to begin making video tutorials in hopes that my clients (and viewers) will be able to better style/ care for their hair and get the most out of their style.  I'll also periodically be posting product reviews on professional hair products and tools. Cool stuff! 

    I hope to use this blog to help form better stylist-client relationships by breaking down some of the language barriers caused by improper use of terminology in this industry. So let's do this!