Keeping Grey Hair Color Grey

Being a hair colorist the truth is I am not a fan of grey hair color, not because I make a living coloring grey hairs away but because 90% of the time I find that untouched natural grey hair colors have a dull sometimes yellowish cast to it, and to me no one suits that shade. However when I see beautiful women with a great haircut and healthy shiny grey hair I love it, I also love salt & pepper hair color yet like most hair colors even grey takes some work.

In removing and eliminating that yellowish stain to grey hair which is primarily caused by water, smoke and natural pollutants the best way is with clear glosses with a touch of blue or violet tone to it, but the first step is to wash the hair with a shampoo/cocktail a combination of shampoo and peroxide which will release any stains. The hair ends up looking greyer (chrome-like) which is what the tone should be if going completely grey.

Another wonder way to add a little dimension and shiny is doing very fine foil highlights as fine as angel hair pasta, adding back a little of the persons natural color before it went dishwater mouse. Overall the idea of having grey hair for anyone who either wants to go grey or is going grey and does not want to get rid of all of it and finding that right balance of blue-violet is the key to complementing the individuals skin. The right hair care products such as blue, violet, or silver enhancing shampoos and conditioners is an absolute must to maintaining a gorgeous head of grey, silver or white hair.




















My recommended products:
Aveda Pure Plant & Flower Shampoo and Conditioner in Blue Malva

The Hair Bun

It’s that time of year when weddings are abundance, engagement parties, and graduations are upon us, and one of the fastest way’s to make your hair look fabulous is simply taking a ponytail or braids and twist it knot it pin it and create either a classic clean low bun or a messy one. There are tons of ways you can achieve this very old silhouette today, and like a lot of the hair trends this year the hair bun is keeping up with the option of “Finished or Messy " a simplicity type of chic that looks great with any mood ones in.

Have a Fab weekend all !!!!

Hair & Hair Color Challenge #14

HCC Email/Question

How often should color treated hair be washed in the summer if your hair is dry ?

Thanks,Mindy

As a rule for me and my clients I prefer once a week or the most twice a week shampooing, no matter what season we are in. Washing our hair everyday when there is hair color present is one of the worst things women and men can do, first no matter what kind of products we use it still is a detergent (cleanser) and it removes sometimes important natural essential oils that dry hair needs. I also believe that 1 to 2x a week of shampooing does also help in preserving your hair color longer, and as for those that would debate this because of workouts, environmental pollutants, odors, smoke etc there are several ways that you can get around these challenges. Rinsing the hair thoroughly and applying a non-heavy conditioner only from the middle part of the hair to the ends does the trick, which leaves the hair conditioned, shinny and smelling great. Another key is to try not to use an abundance of styling aids; less is more and using the right hair styling products is yet another key to maintaining healthy hair without the need for daily washing. I am a stickler when it comes to my clients washing their hair on a daily bases, and I often recommend for those who truly can’t go without washing their hair more than twice a week a lighter non-evasive milder shampoo but in all cases the conditioner is the most important, remembering to keep the conditioner away from the roots.

Avant-Art Makeup #1

“Art that is experimental, innovative and pushes the boundaries is tomorrow’s status quo.”

Friday Fashion Spotlight: The Thong Sandal

Simple, chic, elegant and comfortable describes the thong sandal and it has come a long way from its rubber or plastic beginnings, which were and still called, flip flops. Today there is a wide variety of thong sandals to pick from and the unique designs, and they’re not just worn to go to the beach but to the office, dinner or a special event. Besides a heel the thong sandal is considered to be one of the sexiest looks for footwear, and they can also be costly due to the materials and hardware some designers use, and whether a summer thong sandal is paired with a short skirt, long skirt, pants or jeans etc they look fantastic on a foot, keeping in mind the feet have to be well groomed (pedicure). So for those that want comfort plus style invest in a killer pair of summer thong sandals that will scream sexy feet.

Hairdresser Notes; Fighting The Brassy Blonde

The combat continues with the ever present brassy tones on blonde hair and it is true that bleached or lightened hair is more prone to having any impurities or stains show up, and can become brittle due to the chemical change. Since hair coloring goes through several stages it is essential to leave enough or even more time for the dye to have its full effect. I feel we need to process today’s blondes longer, adding 10 minutes more can make a huge difference in riding that unseen warmth that everyone hates and most hairdressers are too eager to wash the color off when it comes to blondes because they either feel that their timer is telling them to or "we think we see i'ts done" and of course the fear of breakage.

To eliminate this challenge it is more important to get that tone of blonde right the first time, not camouflaging it with toners which to me always come back dull and sometimes looking worse, think of it this way if the hair is open and porous and still contains warmth applying your toner acts like a temporary band-aid only. When the brassiness occurs a few weeks after the hair color has been done it might be attributed to the water, residues like iron and copper found in plumbing or the hair color has oxidized and absorbed as I mentioned impurities (environmental, smoke, medicines). And fighting this is easier with all the colored shampoos and conditioner available to us today. So before we are ready to wash off and tone a blonde push the color a little longer then apply the toner if you choose too, the blondes will all be happier for it.

Side Swept Fringe-Bangs

Add a touch of flirtiness to an eye-grazing side swept fringe (bang) that gently sweeps to one side in a peek-a-boo style. A side swept fringe can compliment almost any haircut-style or length and calls for a great deal of attention to the eyes, and for some who are crazy for fringes and want to move away from the trendy heavy bang this is a great way of growing them out. And whether its cut from short to long, thinned out or simply pushed to the side with styling products a swept fringe is a sexy alternative for a new style or a helpful growing out period and always in fashion.

Friday Fashion Spotlight: The Black Eyeliner, Cat Eye

The cat eyeliner is a vintage make-up trend which seems to be making a statement this summer, black eyeliner with a slight upright curve at the corner of the outer eye and pale lips is a wonderful option for this seasons makeup picks, focusing and enhancing the eyes. There are a variety of eyeliners you can use to achieve this look like eyeliner pencils, liquid eyeliner, gel eyeliner, kohl and eye shadows. This alluring feline cat eye is a retro style which takes us back to the 1950’s made popular by silver screen goddesses like Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren, which was called the “sexy eye”. It is a technique that has never left, and the cat eye seems to come around every few years making the makeup trends lists so this summer go for a subtly sexy or a striking dramatic eye luring in the attention to the mirror of the soul.

Hair & Hair Color Challenge #13

HCC Email/Question

Hi HCC
My challenge is; I have a client who is about I’d say 80% gray and 100% gray in the front hairline, I have been coloring her hair for the last 6 months using 2 different formulas which is working on her gray hair, but what is happening is that the front part of her hair (hairline) is creating a very dark halo which I have tried several times to prevent by adjusting the formula. Nothing is working I have even gone up at least 2 to 3 levels lighter and still there is this almost level 3 banding, is there anything I can do to fix and prevent this from happening?
Suzanne

There can be several reasons why dark bands are created; 1/ the grey in the front hairline can be more porous then the rest of the hair, 2/ individual has a high content of sodium in their system which typically comes out through perspiration, 3/ skin care ( moisturizers) 4/ makeup, 5/ hormones.

In any case there are a few tricks you can try to alleviate this challenge, however the first thing one needs to do is remove what is already present ( cleanse) which means remove some of the hair color on the hairline. Without doing this and continuing to color this area the results will not change, think of it this way when we want to paint a wall that already has paint on it the first thing we do is use a primer so the old paint does not come through, darken or dulls down the new color, so by removing some of the dark tint on the banding will enable you to apply fresh hair color. Once this is done you must make sure there is no overlapping when the hair color is being applied, you can apply a barrier cream on the out-growth the next time the client comes in for her hair color, and this will also help. Keep in mind that makeup as well as some moisturizers can cause front hairline banding in which case I would ask the client to be careful not to get any on the hairline. Ask the client if she workout that day, you can’t believe how many times I have had this exact situation and discovered that the perspiration was the culprit (salt), so my recommendation is always have them wash their hair after a workout if they are going to get their hair colored that day.