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Now that the wet weather seems to have subsided, we're met with bright skies and blustery winds. No longer forced to cover our hair with a hat or pin back into an all-weather bun, it's time to turn up the heat in the Spring style stakes.
Highlights are one of the most popular Spring treatments, and if you want the most natural-looking highlights possible, it’s important to get colour applied in salon. A professional hairstylist has a much better chance of mimicking how the sun hits your tresses than you do squinting into the mirror, trying to smear a mascara-style brush in the right places. Although it costs more to have highlights applied professionally, the results are worth it, particularly when a visit includes a full consultation process to define your perfect look.
All salon colourists use basically the same formula for hair highlighting: a mixture of peroxide (which opens the hair cuticle) and persulfates- salts derived from persulfuric acid which strip the colour. Peroxide does damage hair, but it’s very important to visit a good salon to limit the amount of damage- too long a development time by an inexperienced stylist could lead to frazzled follicles!
When it comes to applying the highlights, it’s all about location. In a treatment such as a half head of highlights, the colourist focuses on the areas where the sun would naturally hit, like the top layers, around the face, and the crown. And, if you often wear your hair up, tell your colourist- they’ll also place a few streaks on the bottom layers, above the nape of the neck.
Regardless if you're a rich brunette or a dark blonde, using foils is the most efficient way to apply bleach to the hair. Your colourist will brush on a highlighting formula, and then wrap the strands in pieces of foil until they reach the proper shade. While you're sitting in the chair, the metal is reacting with the chemicals in the bleach to create heat, which helps strip out colour more quickly and deeply- perfect for those who have more pigment to begin with.
After the peroxide has lifted the right amount of colour, a good colourist will apply a toner to remove brassiness and blend the bleached areas. Toner will affect only the colour of the lightened strands, leaving your base colour intact. However, it’s still important to maintain your colour at home. Personally, I recommend L'Oreal Professional Serie Expert Silver Shampoo: a great product to prevent those brassy tones from sneaking into the hair.
Equally, it’s important to keep your lightened locks shiny and natural-looking by visiting the salon for a touch-up every 6 weeks or so. And, when wet weather returns and the sun fades away, you can always let your blonde streaks do the same!
Having endured the coldest Spring since 1962, the team at Reds have spent every available opportunity basking in this week's spring sunshine. However, it’s important to remember the drawbacks of the outdoors on the hair- it needs to be 100% dry to fight the frizz. Spending time outside creates curl and volume in naturally curly or wavy hair textures and leaving the house with slightly wet hair is going to add to the problem. Yet, everything’s not lost- using a pair of GHDs to smooth the cuticle down even further is a double whammy in the fight against frizz. You can also add dry shampoo to the scalp to help absorb perspiration or humidity before it causes the hair to frizz.
Exposure to the direct sunlight we’ve experienced throughout this week can also cause excessive
dryness, so continue your deep-conditioning regimen from winter, and don’t forget to dab a little extra on the ends. Personally, I recommend using moisture-enhancing products from wash to styling and, as ever, make sure you’ve got the right haircut. Whilst you can condition your hair and have the right styling products to seal your style, but without the right cut your hair won't fall in the most flattering way.
As well as an effective shampooing and conditioning routine, combat that dryness with L’Oreal Professionnel’s flagship product- Mythic Oil- a nourishing treatment that it is also one of the most effective styling products on the market. Infusing the hair with both shine and volume, the silky smooth serum doesn’t weigh the hair down. Instead of lying on top of the hair and making it limp like most treatments, the oil is absorbed quickly and nourishes from the inside out. Therefore, even though the product gives shine, it feels matte, avoiding the greasy feel of many oil-based treatments.
But the talents of Mythic Oil don’t stop there. Formulated to interact with the heat of hair dryers and straighteners, it also protects the hair from heat damage and makes it more pliable for styling- perfect for the textured looks that have featured so heavily in Summer collections.
Even if your hair is in tip-top condition, your follicles require the same treatment as your skin, so be sensible and cover up! Whether it’s with a headscarf, a hat or one of our popular UV filters, it’s important to prevent those harmful rays from damaging the hair. Kérastase Soleil Micro Voile Protecteur is one of my favourites. Formulated with Filtre Photo-Defense, it provides the hair with mineral oils, reducing the effects of humidity and protecting the hair follicle from any damage.
As well as using regular conditioner, I always recommend a specially formulated masque to give you that red carpet finish. L’Oréal Professionnel’s Lumino Contrast Masque does more than just condition the hair- it enhances the brightness of highlights so that your style shines with brilliance. This deep-acting treatment strengthens and conditions by replenishing the lipids in the hair, making it the ideal antidote to the stresses of the sun.
Susan x
 Love it or
hate it, we can’t escape from the fact that permanent hair dye damages the
hair. Ammonia, a chemical that has been
used in colouring treatments for decades, is the main culprit. The smell seems
noxious – it burns our noses when inhaled, and our scalps if left on too long. The process dries out our tresses, too, and
makes it more vulnerable to splitting. But those of us who do it regularly just
plug our noses and bear it- another small price to pay for highlights or
covering grey.
However,
beauty editors and my stylists alike seem to sticking to their guns about
L’Oreal’s INOA (short for Innovation No Ammonia) ammonia-free hair colour. It’s been the hot topic of beauty magazines
worldwide, and the darling of many a colour technician, but is by no means the
first ammonia-free dye to be used in a salon.
With
ammonia-free products having been established for many years, it takes
something revolutionary to create a buzz in the world of hair colour. INOA created just that- it was the first 100%
ammonia-free odourless permanent colorant with Oil Delivery System technology
and is completely exclusive to L’Oréal salons. It heralded a change in modern
hair colouring- from its advanced technology to its sensorial in-salon
experience.
Until
now, however, blondes haven't been having more fun, as ammonia has been a vital
ingredient in achieving great high lift permanent colour results. Yet,
through months of intensive research, L'Oreal have created INOA Ultablond: the first ever high lift blonde
ammonia-free hair colour designed to offer women the blonde they’ve been
dreaming of.
This
breakthrough formulation is called ODS2: an oil base that drives the colourant
into the heart of the hair fibre without the need for ammonia and provides greater
respect for the hair and greater scalp comfort.
After
application, hair is left with a smooth finish, a softer touch and a radiant
shine and even more importantly, protected.
With some hair colour, the more it is applied the more damage it can do
to your hair if you don’t really look after it, but INOA helps to maintain the
hair’s natural levels of essential amino acids and lipids which is, in simple
terms, all the natural good stuff in your hair!
With many
ammonia dyes, the range of colour is a legitimate difficulty in achieving a
natural look and feel, since some colours contain more chemicals and are harder
to sustain. Whilst many brands produce ammonia free dyes, they are offered in a
severely limited number of colours, simply because they don’t hold to the
hair. Now featuring a portfolio of hues with the ability to lighten
up to five levels, darken hair and perfectly cover 100% white hair, INOA offers
intense colour results and the most true and predictable shades of any hair
colouring. Never has our copper been so radiant, blonde so pure and brunette so
rich.
From natural
shades through to fashion colours including neutralising cool tones and
vibrant, warm hues, INOA is worth trying, whatever your style. It can lighten
up to give levels and promises perfect even coverage from root to tip, whether
you want a full colour change; to cover your white hair; or to simply update
your look.
We’re through to the final!
After weeks of deliberation, practise runs and artboards filled of
different ideas, we’re delighted to have reached first place in the regional
finals of the L’Oreal Colour Trophy.
Pipping a total of 35 other salons to the post, our gorgeous pastel pink
look impressed judges with what was described as a ‘modern and inspirational
hair colour with a stunning editorially inspired finish’.
Yet, we’re not the only ones that are
celebrating the merits of pastel pink. Much-loved actress Helen Mirren rocked
the red carpet by sporting a new pink hair do.
She’s ahead of a trend that predicts pastel shades will be THE big style
of the season.
It’s a look that our team were eager to try with Georgia,
our salon assistant turned Colour Trophy model. So, after much discussion, the local girl
had her look changed from bubbly blonde to a muted cotton candy pink shade by
Greg and the colour team at Reds.
Although Georgia
hadn’t been particularly daring with her hair before, she was quick to
describe it as really fresh and modern.
She certainly loves the style, and even though it is only
semi-permanent colour, she tells me she’s going to keep my new shade of hair
for a while. All of the reds customers think my new hairstyle looks fab and
that the shade of pink really suits her – I’ve even encouraged her to keep it
like this!
Whilst it’s taken the celebrity world by storm, any
significant colour change needs care and attention if you’re going to try it
yourself.
Prior to colouring it’s best to shampoo your hair 24 hours
beforehand, as this ensures you retain the natural oils which protect and
nourish your scalp during the colouring process.
Make sure you choose a shade you’re happy with, don’t be too
daring with colour if you’re not prepared to wait it out, especially if it’s
permanent dye rather than semi-permanent.
If you’re looking to go the colour of Georgia, your hair may
have to be bleached depending on your current shade – a tricky process best
left to my colour team.
To prolong the colour, don’t wash your hair too often,
minimise your usage of heat-styling appliances, condition it well and protect
it from the sun.
If you’re thinking of adding colour to your hair – any
colour – I would always recommend you seek the advice of a professional
colourist beforehand in order to ensure your hair is kept in the best condition
during the procedure
It is also compulsory to conduct a skin test 24 hours prior
to colouring your hair, something which we can easily do for you.
I’m sure that once you’ve seen Georgia’s colour,
you’ll be wanting to be pretty in pink!
Reds are offering a free L’Oreal Professionnel shanpoo and conditioner to every client who has a treatment (£15) with their regular service. City Centre salon manager, Amelia Hall said “Our clients are just loving the offer, because they are being prescribed the right hair and conditioner for their hair type, which will mean that their hair will be health, shiny and in great condition between salon visits”.
Reds hairdressers and therapists supported Comic Relief this Friday by sporting red noses and fancy dress whilst being sponsored by their clients.
“Red nose day is always great fun in the salon, there’s always a laugh and a buzz, and this year we sold noses, deely boppers, and wrist bands, and we managed to raise a great deal of money for a fantastic cause”, said Reds’ Susan Hall
When it comes to happiness at work, it would appear that hairdressers are a cut above the rest. Recent Research reveals that two in five hairdressers rated themselves as “extremely happy” and thriving on the creativity and contact with customers.
The survey, commissioned by the qualifications authority City & Guilds, led to a contentment list based on satisfaction felt in various jobs.
Hairdressers were found to be the most content, followed by the clergy, chefs, beauticians and plumbers. The unhappiest are listed as social workers, architects, civil servants, estate agents, secretaries and lawyers.
Chris Humphries, director general of City & Guilds, said: “Nowadays true job satisfaction and happiness is about fulfiling your full potential, tapping into your own creativity and feeling that you can make a difference.
“More people than ever are swapping their desk-bound jobs for a vocation that enables them to be hands-on, use their brains and be in charge of their own destiny.”
Interviews for the annual survey were carried out with 1,200 people, from 15 jobs the body classified as vocational (including skilled practitioners and craftsworkers) and 15 from jobs classed as professional (or “white collar”).
Workers were asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of their job, including pay, stress levels and their ability to be their own boss.
Charna Tyrell, who works as a Stylist at Reds was not surprised by the results. “I’ve been here for 5 years, but it doesn’t feel anything like that long. If you love what you do, the time just goes by. I’ve had great training at Reds, and have had loads of opportunities to go on courses to develop my skills,” the hairdresser said.
Salon owner, Susan Hall, agreed. “I absolutely love what I do,” she said. “The thing about hair is it’s very personal, and its lovely to see our clients leaving the salon in a happy mood because they have been cheered up whilst having their hair done. I would recommend anyone considering a career in hairdressing to give us a call ”
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