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.
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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.