End of summer hair

What needs to be done? 

Bare minimum you need a haircut. Snip off all those dead ends and get rid of that summer singe.

A deep conditioning treatment is also recommended. You can go with a professional in-salon treatment which will use products that alter the structure of the hair. An in-salon treatment will have more immediate results on the hair. If you are the type of person who will neglect extra treatment at home because you don't have the time or energy for it then this is the treatment for you.

You can also purchase a take home treatment. A take home will have more sustained effect on your strands. If you're into super soft luxurious hair and extra time spent in the shower then this is best for you.

Some people choose both of those options, because spoiling your hair feels so good. 

If you are looking for a update to your blonde or a new hue to your brunette than now is the perfect time to do it. Most clients choose to go a little darker during the fall to mimic the effects of less sun in their hair. 

Let your stylist direct you.

Your hair care products can also start to change. I would switch from a Damage Remedy line to the Dry Remedy line. Since you probably won't be swimming as much or styling your hair for those late summer nights you can move away from the protein enhanced shampoo's and conditioner's. Wool and fleece hats are the next concern. These can leech moisture from your hair and also leave it feeling frizzy. Try extra moisture by using the Dry Remedy oil. You will only need a few drops. 

Amber Waves-Jennifer Bridges

Cosmetology School

Are you considering cosmetology school? Are you looking for answers on what it will be like? Wondering what the next year of your life will entail? You may also be wondering what it will be like for you after school is over and you are ready to start your career. Surprisingly there are few books on this topic. I'm working to change that. I want to give students and potential students the opportunity to research their career before it ever begins.  

Capturing the true cosmetology school experience can obviously only be done by someone who has been through school, which I have. I am also a professional stylist with 7 years in the industry now. 

I will cover many topics including these

• How to date a school
• How to tour a school
• How to choose a school
• How to get the best deal on pricing
• What is included in your kit
• What your first few weeks will be like
• What the next few months will be like
• How to make the most of your time in school
• Re-examine the fundamentals of hair cuts and color from a real world perspective
• How to get past the drama
• What you should and shouldn't worry about when preparing for your state examinations
• How to find a job
• How to build a clientele
• How to be successful as a stylist
• Book-keeping and taxes for stylists
• Bigger and better opportunities
• And much, much more

So I need feedback. What other topics are there questions on? What resources so far have you found to answer your questions? 

Keep it in the family

Have you ever been told by a professional who is rendering service to you that you need to use the entire family of products to achieve a synergistic effect? I have, quite a few times. Let me tell you why they are mistaken.

This is old news, sort of a sales pitch/wives tale invented by some marketing genius to get you to spend more with their company. Almost all of the different families of products contain somewhat similar ingredients and the are also manufactured by one of the few major manufacturing facilities that exist in the USA. Let me rephrase it this way, same general ingredients, same manufacturers, different labeling and packaging.

No all products don't contain the same ingredients for example, there are good ingredients and there are cheap ingredients. Companies like Suave and Pantene use cheaper, harsher and more abrasive ingredients in their products to produce their $3 shampoo. The results you get from these cheap ingredients can be dryer hair and skin, breakouts along your hairline, a waxy build-up in your hair (ehhhm Pantene) or severe drying of your skin. Companies like Alterna and Kevin.Murphy use more costly ingredients which results in a refined product. They tend to eliminate synthetic preservatives (parabens) and GMO (soy, corn) so your body and our environment doesn't have to pay they price. So if you use a Suave shampoo it will not make you Alterna conditioner any less effective, but trust me that Suave shampoo is making your color fade way faster and isn't benefiting the health of your hair and scalp at all. 

So when you are out choosing products just keep in mind what options are the most important to you. Is it cost? Is it the quality of the ingredients? Are you looking for a targeted result (stiff, soft, color protecting) Is it the design of the product (how it fits in your hand, stays upright in your shower, dispenses easily) Whatever decision you make know that your product is working despite the fact that you haven't purchased it's companion or two or three. I personally like to try 1 to 2 items in a line before I will commit to purchasing any more. Suit yourself.

Brazilian Blowout

Curious as to what this treatment can do for you?

It can reduce your styling time dramatically. By smoothing the cuticle with a treatment it eliminates or drastically reduces your flat iron time in the morning.

It will reduce frizz. Wether your hair is curly or straight we all experience a bit of frizz that is disappointing. The keratin treatment will put the frizz on hold.

Re-texture your curly hair. It will not eliminate your curls, it will smooth and transform them. Depending on the results you desire I have a few different strength options to choose from.

Make you feel like a star! When you blow dry your hair and get to stop there without further styling or fussing with your locks you will feel like you have received a Hollywood blow-out for weeks on end.

Brazilian Blowout ZERO 

Brazilian Blowout Original Acai

I am running a special on the treatment through November. Let's book your appointment today. Just think of all the time you will save over the holidays.

LUSH Cosmetics

I stumbled upon LUSH Cosmetics when I was in Seattle recently. The exterior of the store called to me "come in, come buy something" so when I stepped in I was already excited. They have piles of fresh handmade soaps, creamy face wash bars, shampoo bars and all sorts of other goodies. The staff was very friendly and upon learning that it was my fist time in the store they gave me a quick run down of they products that they loved the most, although it seemed rather hard for them to choose. Another perk of the company is that almost everything is Vegetarian and quite a few products are Vegan. I can't wait to gift them to my friends for Christmas.

I was drawn to the facial products because I tend to have too many shower items already, but now I want a great deal more, o.k. I want everything. I am already planning my return to the store when I am back in February because I can't wait to get my hands on some of the fresh face masks that aren't sold online. I have actually had dreams about shopping here again, that's how pleasant it was. When I woke up I felt like a home-sick kid longing for the comforts of their familiar territory. So I felt the next best thing to fulfill that craving would be to place a on-line order. Here are a few of the items on my long list.

Big fragrant blocks of colorful soap. All Soaps are vegetarian. Most are vegan too. Try this one SEXY PEEL a combination of organic orange and lime juices. 

CURLY WURLY is packed full of creamed coconut and coconut oil for healthy hair and scalp. It's also loaded with fresh eggs and hand mashed avocado butter to give moisture back to the hair

BIG is a va-va-volumizing sea salt shampoo. Using a seaweed infusion and citrus juices for incredible shine and sea salt to de-grease hair and remove dead skin cells.

MA BAR Is a fresh handmade bubble bar for your bath or shower. This one is a scrumptious chocolate caramel scent with a lump of brown sugar in the middle.

DREAM CREAM is nothing short of a miracle product. This cream has been making skin care dreams come true for years now. It is a combination of lavender, chamomile, and rose absolute in a soothing oat milk base. You can use it all over your body and face. This is LUSH's number one best selling product of all time!!

Fresh Handmade Face Masks: These masks are so scrumptious and fresh that they are only sold in the stores. They are stored in a mini refrigerator at each location and I was so sad to learn they couldn't be shipped because I would have purchased at least 4-5 more of them when on location. So if you ever do make it into a store, our closest locations are Salt Lake City, Portland, and Seattle, stock up. My favorite is SACRED TRUTH which is a brightening, restorative mask. It's so hard to choose between the 9 that they offer. Why not purchase all of them?

Tell me which products you would choose?

Sombre

Sombre is going to be the hottest hair trend this fall/winter. What is it? To explain I will have to start with Ombre. Ombre is a french word meaning graduation. In my world (the salon) it means a a base that is at least 3-4 levels darker than the ends. To most people it means I can have visible roots, long ones and bright pretty ends. It reduces your color maintenance, because "your roots" are visible and beautiful when you leave your appointment. If your natural color is lighter than your chosen base color, or you have grey hair this means that you can have every other appointment at the salon be a root touch up and the following appointment be a Ombre procedure. It's fun, it's beautiful, it's trendy but it's easy to carry off. You don't have to be 16 or have really long thick hair, or lots of money to spend on your hair.

Sombre takes the traditional process of Ombre and makes it a little more subtle, or subdued hence the S-Ombre. Kim Vo calls it the softer side of Ombre.

Why will this be so popular this season? Summer is over and obviously our hair is getting less sun so since we all want people to think our hair is just naturally this stunning and beautiful (yeah right) we want to steer towards a little bit of a darker sun-kissed look.

I was lucky enough to receive personal training from Kim Vo last night during an exclusive Webinar hosted by Behindthechair.com The class taught us how to achieve this beautiful effect in only 30 minutes application time, 10-15 minutes of processing and the rest is up to the customer (trim? style?).

Let's book you an appointment today and see how beautiful this would look in your hair. It can be done with lowlights too and also Red tones so we can really personalize it to your liking.

Happiness

“To be or not to be, that is the question”

— Shakespeare

Happiness or the lack of it defines us. You can not gauge happiness by your surroundings, it exists within yourself. ​Happiness is a lens that changes our view of our work, our play, our world and therefore everyone else's. So how do we find this happiness? Do what you love. Surround yourself with those you love. Haven't found the things you love yet? Keep looking. Enjoy the journey, find happiness within the search for happiness. 

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Female Bartender Equivilant

According to some of my best clients, this is what I am. I don't mind the title, in fact I kind of enjoy it. I am a neutral party that will help to give you perspective on any given situation. I can also do it while you are under the influence of alcohol if you choose. That's right, we serve beer and wine. As much as you want while your paying to sit in the chair, just like a bar. I am also a Libra according to my astrological birth chart so I have a tendency to veer towards neutral at all times, it works for me. Most of my clients I have known for 7 years or longer so i do have the advantage of knowing quite a bit of backstory. I guess I'm not completely neutral, just unbiased towards your "real life" I only see the parts you want to show me.​ Here is my advice on getting people to talk to you like a bartender.

• ​Agree with most of their story. They want an audience, not an argument.
• Don't try to make plans with them following a divulgence of information, they silently panic when they realize that you now know something too personal and could be considered an enemy​
• Keep the conversation going by asking questions like, "what does he/she think about that?", or "How did that make you feel?" 
• Don't start telling your own version of their same story. They want to talk way more than listen​
• You have to actually enjoy what they are telling you. I pretend it's my life for a minute and see myself in that situation to make it really interesting​
• ​Know that it takes time to build a relationship of trust. You're not going to get the good stuff the first months, perhaps even years.
• Keep the secrets. If you must re-tell them in anecdotal forms protect the privacy of everyone in the story, which means you might not be able to tell it.​

Overnight Hair Rescue, Caviar Anti-Aging by Alterna

This product is amazing in so many ways, I'll just start with a few reasons why I love it​

• You apply it at night and leave it in your hair, no bother with waiting 20-30 minutes to rinse and then dry.
• It is not greasy, sticky or tacky so when you apply it to your hair at night you can instantly go to bed and you won't have grease stains on your pillow​
• The effects are cumulative so the more you apply the healthier your hair becomes, unlike masks and deep conditioners which just temporarily boost the moisture.​
• Even with consistent use it 1 bottle lasts a long time, which is good because I think it retails somewhere in the $50-60 range​
• Everyone can benefit from it, if you're a blonde who wants to protect your dry, brittle or over-processed hair. If you are a brunette who wants more shine and happy hair. If you are trying to grow your hair out it will prevent split ends and boost elasticity. If you wear your hair short it will keep it healthy and prevent it from drying out. If you color your hair it will immediately boost the shine. If you wear your natural color it will make you feel like you are really spoiling yourself and it will additionally make your hair shiny like its been colored.​
• ​You shampoo it out in the morning, or whenever you get around to shampooing your hair, you'll never know it's in there if you skip the shampoo until next time. 

​Alterna Overnight Hair Rescue

Overnight Hair Rescue works by penetrating deeply into the hair, delivering vital nutrients for transformational results while you sleep. It helps to seal split ends, and strengthen hair from root to tips​, while simultaneously restoring shine and improving elasticity.

To apply: Dispense a dime sized amount of product into the palm of your hand, emulsify the product between your two palms (like your going to wash your palms) and apply to the roots of your hair. Dispense an additional dime to nickle sized amount, emulsify again and apply to mid shaft and ends. Viola, you're all done. Wasn't that easy? Now braid your hair, cuz it's cute and go to bed. Below is a video with a more detailed explanation of the process. Michael Sean Corby gives the demonstration, I love him! I've had the opportunity to meet him 3 times because he has family in Nampa (poor guy). I think you might enjoy it. ​

Review: DS Labs Shampoo and Conditioner

The products I'm reviewing have made  an appearance in the front ​and then the back of my medicine cabinet for the last few years. I decided they need another review. Here is the reason why.

I'm 6 months post breastfeeding and my hormones are settling into their new state of being, and so is my hair. I also went from blonde to copper hair in the last 4 months. The texture and the thickness of my hair has totally changed since my first pregnancy. I have never had thick hair to being with but it has changed noticeably.​ So my hair looks, feels and behaves completely different than it did 3-5 years ago.

I have noticed more shedding than I thought was normal over the last 12 weeks and I decided it was time to do something about it. ​Here is what I used...

I started with Revita, DS Labs pinnacle product in the hair loss category. I use it 3-4 times per week, as directed; which requires me to shampoo once and leave on for 1 minute, then shampoo again and leave on for 2 minutes. I added Revita-COR conditioner to the lineup next, I use it 3-4 times per week directly on my scalp. Then I use NIA helio hydrating conditioner through my ends, every time I shower.

What I have noticed: The amount of hair that I am losing in the shower has been reduced by half over the course of 1 week. It was reduced by another half 2 additional weeks later. I have not noticed any new hair growth, or baby hairs since the trial started, but I feel satisfied with the dramatic reduction in loss. At this point I am not interested in adding a regrowth serum to my routine because I still feel that I have an ample amount of hair. I'll report to you in a later post on my husbands' review of these products which includes the serum.​

Brazilian Blowout

No-rinse, easier-to-use formula delivers better curl and frizz reduction in just 60 minutes with ZERO down time!

0% Formaldehyde released before, during or after the treatment.

A new & improved proprietary plant-derived Kerasafe™ Bonding System effectively deposits and seals essential amino acids onto the hair for a smooth, frizz-free surface that lasts up to 12 weeks.

Smooth, frizz-free radiant hair in 60 minutes!

ZERO DOWN TIME!

Deep conditions and promotes radiant shine.

Improves the overall health and condition of the hair.

Acai Aftercare Maintenance Products help maintain the treatment between visits.

Brazilian Blowout ZERO+ has been shown to be most effective with clients that have thinner hair or less challenging waves and/or curls. ZERO+ delivers actually promotes volume at the root area of the hair for exceptional body and bounce.

I am offering special pricing to my new and current clients through the end of September $165 for 12 weeks of smooth, frizz free hair!​

Chlorine Removal

It's summer, you're swimming, or your kids are. All is going well until you start to notice that your hair is starting to turn a lovely shade of slimy green....ahhhhh! What do I do now? 

Fist of all let's start with what to do before you jump in that pool. Your hair is porous (especially if you are blonde) which means that it will absorb water like a sponge. So instead of absorbing all the pool water get your hair wet with tap water. You can shower rinse it, spray it with a water bottle or run it under the sink. Then take a conditioner, the thicker the better, and run it through your damp ends, but don't rinse it out, leave it in. At this point you should try to braid your hair back or put it up in a loose bun,but sometimes we just want to jump I the pool. I know this sounds like a lot of effort but when you consider the time and money we put into our hair it's really not that much. Although after I've had a few drinks by the pool most things seem like quite an effort. 

For the kids, and in this circumstance I mean girls because of the length of their hair; same rules apply try to French braid or double braid before swimming. Wet hair, towel dry, spray with leave in conditioner and braid the hair. These water lovers need it the most. They stay in until their hands get wrinkly and their lips get blue. Once they get out of the pool unfortunately you have to un-do that pretty braid and shampoo out the ends. This is a detox shampoo (try to make me go to rehab, I say no, no, no. RIP Amy Winehouse) kids and adults can use, try using it twice in a row to really build a good lather. It will gently remove the residue buildup without stripping color from your hair. Concentrate on shampooing your ends where your hair is the most porous.

More concentrated efforts for chlorine happen when it's really gotten too late. Honestly,if you are trying to repair your hair at this stage it's probably going to be too late in most circumstances. I've tried bleaching it out which doesn't remove the greenish/grayish color very much at all. I've tried bleaching and toning but you can't tone out a residue. I've tried the home remedy route, things like baking soda, vitamin c, seen tomato juice not work, then ended up removing or cutting off all of those un-happy lengths of hair anyway. Luckily most of these experiments have been on extensions which means removal is just as easy as replacement. 

I don't have full time access to a pool so I don't really suffer from this problem. These are the rules I follow when poolside. Sunscreen, hat, lip balm, cold drink, pull my hair up as high as I can and try not to get dunked but if it happens I won't regret it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

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