How does permanent hair color work?

Permanent hair color is a great product to use if you want to cover grey or want lighter hair color or just a longer lasting hue. Most permanent hair color contains two main ingredients, color pigment and ammonia. For the color to be activated you must use peroxide.I went to a hair class one time and a very talented educator explained for us how this process works.

Imagine that the pigs are the color pigments. Ha-ha get it their pigs...Now for the pigs to get in to your hair shaft they have to ride on a ...

                                         

bus! This is the ammonia. The pigs need ammonia to work in order to get on the...

road. The road is peroxide. The lighter the color the wider the road has to be. This means you have to use a stronger peroxide to open that cuticle so the bus and the pigs can get in and do their job.

This is just a super simple way to explain this. I'll leave it up to your hair dresser to decide how much pigment, ammonia and peroxide to use to get the color you want.

Remember they are educated licensed professionals who know what they are doing. Hair color is NOT nice and easy! Just take a good look at the hair of the people buying hair color in the grocery store. Now that can be a hot mess!

How often should you get your hair cut?

Well the answer depends on what kind of haircut you have.

Long hair will not look like this without regular cuts!

If your growing your hair out you have to get it trimmed at least once a season(fall, winter,spring,summer). If you don't get it trimmed your hair will actually split off and break. Sometimes people wonder why their hair doesn't grow. That's not it! It's snapping off every time you shampoo, brush or style your hair. If you wait to long you will have to get more cut off than you probably wanted.

A beautiful bob

Set up your next appointment when you leave the salon to maintain this cut!

When you get your hair cut in a  geometric hairstyle, like bob or a-line, plan on getting it cut every 4-6 weeks. If you wait longer you will loose the nice clean shape of your style.

Fun and sassy pixie!

For a short cut like a pixie, visit your stylist every 4-6 weeks. These hair cuts can start to look frumpy and poofy. They start to look like an unkept shrub.

Medium length layer haircuts actually require the least maintenance. Your hair will be at a "healthy length". When you hair is about 4-5 inches long it is only about a year old. I know that sounds funny but the older your hair is the duller, and dryer it can look. You'll generally find this hair cut easy to style too. All the layers will give you texture and volume. You only have to get it cut about every 6-10 weeks depending on your hair dressers opinion.     

Prom ideas!

I was out to dinner last weekend with my hubby and friends, and noticed proms had already started. I thought I would go over some tips to great prom hair and some trends.

If you decide to get your hair done at the salon, go to a stylist your familiar with. It's so much easier to do a updo on someone, when you know them. If you don't have a regular hair stylist, then ask for a referral from a friend. Make sure that the hair stylist is comfortable doing updo's. Not every stylist does them so call and ask them if they do updp's and make appointment right away. The best time slots fill up quickly.

Funny thing is dirty hair stays better that freshly shampooed hair. I don't mean filthy! Please don't shampoo the day you get your updo. Wash the night before and use a mousse or gel. This will help hold the style the next day. Where a button up shirt! You would not be the first girl who had to be cut out of her shirt, so as not to mess up her new do.

  Some of the trends this year could easily be recreated at home. Soft waves with a braid, a low side bun, these things are all pretty easy.

 Prom is a big event and that can require a budget bigger than what you might have. Deciding to do your own hair or trading with a friend will help control some of the spending.  Try experimenting with some of these looks leading up to the big event and you might be surprised how much fun you and your girlfriends can have getting ready together!

Here's a link to some great hair tutorials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sPcJJb6BHDk

Lady Bug Nails

My daughter loves to paint her nails. I have been polishing them since she was about 4 months old. Yesterday we decided to try something new. Lady bug nails! This is what I used:

Nail Tek Ridge Filling Base Foundation II
Venique Nail Lacquer in Dr. Feel Good
Art Club Color Nail Lacquer in Black
Orly French Tip in Pointe Blanche
Orly Polished 3 in 1 Top Coat
2 tooth picks

Here are the steps:

1) Apply a thin layer of the ridge filler.
2)Apply one even layer of the red polish
3)Paint one thin solid black line down the center of the nail and 2 or more dots on each side of the line.
4)Color in a small half moon at the tip of the nail.
5)Dip your tooth pick in the white and make 2 little dots for eyes in the black half circle.
6)Apply thin layer of top coat.
7)Voila you have your lady bugs!!

Lady bugs for my lady!

All the polishes that I used dry fairly quickly and last too. My daughter was so happy with how they turned out. They weren't perfect but we had fun doing it and we'll always remember that:)

I think I'm in love with.... a new nail polish

                           I think I'm in love with a new nail polish. It's called Venique.

I tried it out last week and wore it for 5 days with no top coat. I polished my nails Monday, worked eleven hours Tuesday, during the week did dishes, laundry, moped and hardly any wear on the color! I bought a beautiful red today and this time I finished it with a top coat.
 This polish is made in the USA.It is made with a product called Sil-Tek witch allows the polish to bend with your nail and not chip off. I read lots of great things about it and heard lots of good testimonials to how long it lasts. One thing I loved about it was how fast it dried. A tip when polish your nails with Venique is to make sure you pull the polish down the free of edge or your nail. I noticed that the color does not chip but its wears away a little, by painting over the edge of you nail you prevents that from happening. This polish is available through your local high quality nail salon or on Amazon. The links is below. Try it out and let me know.
http://www.veniquenail.com/images/spring_display.png

What happens when you perm your hair

PERM.To some hair dressers it's a four letter word. Have you ever noticed that their face scrunches and they say ”you don't want to do that to your hair”. Why? Perming is still one of the harshest things you can do. Lets compare it to spaghetti. Your hair is the spaghetti, the  boiling water is the perm. When you toss the dried pasta in the water, the heat softens the pasta. That's what the perm solution does to your hair, softens it around the perm rod. You could take the cooked spaghetti and form it into new shape. When it dries it would stay in the shape you formed but would not be as strong as the uncooked pasta. It would be brittle and dry. The neutralizer part of the perm hardens the hair around the rod. Like the cooked pasta your hair will be drier and brittle. You can get a perm, but know that some damage is unavoidable. Consider trying different products to add more volume. Perm curls never look like natural curls. If you color your hair consider not perming. Maybe this will explain some of the reasons hair dresser don't always love perms and what happens to your hair when you do.

Has this ever happened to you?

I am from Canada, I have lived in the US for 19 years. I sill have some very good friends back home. A few times a year they come down to see us. Well they came this weekend. So on Friday the kids and I were busy getting the house ready. The way my home is, you have to clean up within hours of friends coming because my family can destroy it in a 1/2 hour. At 5:30 I just about had things wrapped up but the vacuum was out, I was getting ready to mop and the beds still had to be made and they showed up! I thought they were coming on Saturday! I couldn't believe I got the days mixed up! I like to give the impression that I have my act together and my house is "always in order", but now I was caught red handed. Unprepared and forgetful.Thankfully my wonderful friends pitched in to help out and even made us dinner. It's tough being a super mom and it's a real treat to be able to throw off my cape, take off the mask and admit I'm not perfect...(once and awhile)

Christine 

What's for dinner?

I try to grocery shop once a week. The day before I go is usually slim pickings. I had to come up with something quick. So I started to rummage through the fridge,this is what I came up with. It was so yummy and a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies!
You'll need:
-2 bunches of asparagus
-1/2 red onion
-4 cloves garlic
-5 baby red&yellow peppers
-1/2 container of grape tomatoes
-1/2 small jar of artichoke
-1 teaspoon of oregano
-1jar of low fat alfredo sauce
-1 box of pasta(your choice)
-1tbls of olive oil
Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion first, cook for a minute or 2. Add minced garlic and chopped peppers. Cook them down for a few minutes more. Toss in  your cut  up asparagus,grape tomatoes and artichoke. Pour alfredo sauce over everything. Turn the heat down to low. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low until asparagus is tender. Gently toss  with your pasta. There will be enough for 5 people plus leftovers. Hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did!

My pedi day

I have been going to get my nails done for many years now. You know those little nail shops mostly run by vietnamese women. They do a
great job at a good price. Well I walked in today and there was middle aged caucasian man working on a woman's toes. I'm sorry but,my first thought was wow this guy is pitching in to help his girl get her toes done! It turns out that he works at the salon. He seams to have  completely acclimated to working there. It's so cute! He is also married to the owner. I guess being one half of a bi-racial marriage I can appreciate the work it takes to feel comfortable immersed in another culture. It's nice to see that in more and more areas of our lives it doesn't matter your race or gender you can do what makes you happy:-)

How to be happy with your hair dresser

I am the first to admit, I am not perfect! Sometimes when you go in to get your hair done, it doesn't come out the way you wanted. What should you do? Call your hair dresser. Give them a chance to make it right. I would much rather take the time to make my client happy, then have them never come back. Every good hair dresser is this way. If they don't make every effort to make your hair right, then don't go back to them again.

No one can make everyone happy with their hair. That's why there is thousands of hair dresser. A good idea is to have a couple of pictures with you. Be open to what your stylist says. Everyone has different texture, thickness and color of hair. Your hair will have it's own unique style based off the pictures you choose.  Understand that you might not get the exact result you want today but that you have something that you can work to.

Please give your stylist a a few times with your hair. It takes time to get to know you and your hair. I do hair because I love to make people feel good about how they look. Find someone who loves what they do and you will be happy with your hair!

A caricature of a French hairdresser at the Académie de Coiffure, working on a large hairstyle, fashionable of the time, in the 18th-century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairdresser
Interesting facts on hair dressing and it's history as one of  the worlds oldest profession.

Gradual color change is best

Isn't this hair beautiful! This a picture of my clients hair from last Thursday. Four months ago she had dark hair with a few burgundy red highlights. I was also coloring her base color a rich dark brown color to cover a few  grays. She wanted to have brighter color and to be 2-3 levels lighter. A mistake that I have made in the past is trying to please the client right at the moment. This time I explained that over time we could lighten and brighten her hair. It took 3 appointments. Voila! Here we have a gorgeous color and hair that is in great condition. The moral of the story: when attempting a big color change have a goal to work towards. Don't try to make too drastic of a change in one day. Sometimes its better to have a plan and work toward that desired outcome. Trust me your hair will be in much better condition because or it.

Coming up this week tutorial on how to curl your hair this way.

To Color or not to color?

This is a conversation I have had with many clients. Should I start to color my hair? When should I stop coloring my hair? Whatever you decide to do, own it. Love it! I see people all the time with massive grow-out and it looks terrible. If you have a lot of grey be committed to taking care of the grow-out every4-5 weeks. There is nothing the matter with having grey hair. It can be very beautiful especially if you have it cut in flattering style.

A classic well kept bob

If the idea of being all grey or just a sprinkle of it, is to much to bear, then the best option for you is a color a few shades lighter than your hair was when you were younger. Adding some highlights and low-lights will give you some dimension and help the color to look more natural as it grows out. Coloring your hair will take 10 years off, or so the experts say. But not taking care of your color will put 15 years back on. Your only as old as you want to be. Don't let the way you color your hair or not make that choice for you.

Medium warm base color with highlights and low-lights 

Finding time to do your hair

I'm a busy mom of three. My hair is getting pretty long and thick. How do I find time to fix it? Make it simple. Take 10 minutes to add a few curls, run a flat iron through or pull it back in a loose low bun. Taking a few minutes to style your hair will make you feel better all day. I feel like at least I got one thing going for me even when I'm changing diapers or running into a friend at the store.A few time saver tips:

1. Use a turban towel to dry your hair. Wrap your hair up in one of those little turban towels. I got a double pack at Bed Bath & Beyond a few years ago and I love it.
2. Let your hair air dry as long as possible. Blow dry your hair when it is almost dry. 
3. Straighten or curl your hair one day. The next day wear it up.
4. Relax don't try too hard. Hair is organic, the fabric that always changes. Perfection is not necessary. 

Try to apply at least one or these tips and "you'll love the way you look."

My likes and unlikes for more volume

If you have fine hair and want more body I love Matrix Amplify. For this product to work properly you must use the shampoo and the conditioner together.
:
Another favorite. Sojourn volume shampoo and conditioner.

Available at J.Michael Salon Vancouver WA

Great styling aids: Session whip is mousse but has no hold , it will give you tones of volume with no crunch. Boosta spray adds a little texture to your hair with an extra pump of volume.

Expanda gives you hold and volume. This product works awesome combined with the session whip, wow baby volume!
The best little trick to getting lasting volume for fine hair is my fairy dust. No, it's expanda dust. This stuff is great. A few shakes and fluff and ready for all day volume!
Available at J.Michael Salon Vancouver WA

Finish your look or with this all time favorite hair spray:

Kenra Super Hold Hairspray 25  

I recently tried Wella's new volume mousse. Did not like the crunchy feeling, kind of gritty in my hair. My scalp also got way drier using this mousse. Don't recommend it.

Did not like this!

Basic- Conditioning

Welcome back! Soon I will discuss what type of conditioner is good for what type of hair. Even if you have healthy, virgin hair you must use a conditioner. Remember those roof shingles? Conditioner helps lay all those nice cuticles back down. Now that your hair is clean, we’re ready to move on to conditioning. Our hair is like a sponge. It will only absorb so much. The key to getting your hair conditioned properly is to blot out the excess water in the hair. · 1) Have a hand towel ready and squeeze as much as possible of the water out of your hair. If your hair is even somewhat wet the conditioner will not work. You might as well poor it down the drain. · 2) Take the conditioner and put a small amount in your hands starting at the mid shaft or your hair working it down to the ends. If you have thick hair I suggest flipping your head upside down and start applying the conditioner in the middle of your hair. · 3) Take a wide toothed comb and comb the product through your hair. Do not use your fingers to do this. The first time you comb the conditioner through your hair, you will notice a difference on how your hair feels. · 4) Clip your hair up and leave it that way until you’re done with your shower. · 5) Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. There is so much more to talk about conditioning your hair. This is just a basic overview. Hope these tips help. Please subscribe for tons more beauty tips and tricks:)

Basics- Shampooing

So what is the best way to shampoo your hair so you don't look like a crazy rabid animal in the morning? Shampoo your head not your hair. Here are the steps: 1) Before you even get your hair wet brush it. This will loosen up the tangles, dirt, and oil in your hair. 2) Get your hair totally wet. Work the warm water(that's right girls, no more scalding hot water for your hair) through your hair. 3) Put some shampoo in your hands first then work it through the front of your hair down the sides and back. Rinse. 4) Repeat, but this time flip your head upside and start at the nape working the lather back to the crown and front of your head. Rinse. Rinse. Rinse. If you don't get a nice foaming lather you need to do steps 3 & 4 again. There is no need to work the shampoo through the ends of your hair unless your in construction or you lost that mud wrestling match you went to. Tomorrow we'll work on conditioning. In a future blog we'll discuss oily hair.

Basics- Shampoo

Let's start at the beginning. Shampooing your hair. 1st like Miss Joan said you wash your dishes and shampoo your hair. How often? The truth is the more often you shampoo the harder it is on your hair. This is true even if you use a gentle shampoo.  All shampoo is designed to cleanse the hair using a higher ph than your natural hair's ph.(4.5-5.5 ph. is what hair skin natural ph. is) . A manufacturer can say that their shampoo is "ph balance" but they only have to guarantee that "balance" at the time that the product is packaged. Over time the shampoo can easily become more alkaline or higher on the ph scale. So what does that have to with how great your hair looks?? Every time you shampoo your hair the cuticle layer is opened a little or a lot. This is done with the water temperature, chemicals in your water and or course your shampoo!  Imagine your hair shaft is like shingles on a roof. How would your roof shingles look like if they were exposed daily to a wind force that tried to blow them up or open. You would be calling a roofer every 6 months!That is exactly what happens to your hair every time you shampoo. You are agitating the hair shaft with chemicals and energy trying to get your hair clean. The more that the cuticle is open like the picture the more fizzy and dry your hair will be. Visit my blog tomorrow to find out the right way to shampoo.