Using the Cold Shot Button

Tips, Tricks & Products Thursday
 

Image Courtesy of EBay

 On most blow dryers, there is a button above the heat and/or speed setting buttons. You just press the button and it stops the dryer from creating heat. Or, if you have a good dryer, it should turn your dryer into a mild air conditioner. But why do dryers have this feature? Believe it or not, it does a number of things in one simple step.

Heat changes the physical bonds of the hair temporarily. It will create curl where there is straightness, and will straighten out curl.  Cold air closes the cuticle layer of the hair.  This reaction causes many benefits to your hair's style. 

If the cuticle is sealed, the hair will reflect light better because it's surface is smoother, which in turn will make your hair look shinier and healthier.

Also, smoothing the cuticle layer will reduce frizziness and tangles because each strand will be getting caught less on the surrounding strands.

Another benefit to using the cold shot is what it does for your scalp.  Cooling your scalp down after blow drying it will close up the pores on the scalp leaving your scalp in better condition because less moisture will be lost, so if you have dry flaking, that will improve some. 

It will also reduce how much oil your scalp produces, so your hair won't need to be washed as often which is better for the health of the ends of your hair.  The oil from your scalp is precious to the ends because it protects it from becoming over damaged in the elements.

The cool shot will also help with keeping volume in your hair.  Heat left in your hair will allow your hair to flatten out while your style is setting in place.  If you like volume, using the cool shot will help to keep as much volume as possible in your hair. 

Also, by reducing how much oil your scalp is producing, it will reduce how much the oil will weigh your root down, leaving your volume intact longer through the day.


When using the cool shot button, you only need to hold the button down and roughly blow dry the hair.  If you're looking for volume, flip your head upside down and shake your hair with one hand while aiming the nozzle of the dryer at your hair.  After about 15 seconds, flip your head right side up and use the cold shot to smooth your style back in place with your fingers. 

If you're looking to smooth your hair out, tilt your head backwards and aim the dryer down the hair shaft, smoothing your fingers through your hair.  You only need to hit your hair with the cold shot for about 15-20 seconds.  You will feel the hair physically cool down.  Just give it a few more seconds after that point to ensure that it is fully cooled down.  Then, your style is complete and ready for the day.

So, now you understand how one simple step is capable of doing so many things.  I hope that you start using this feature and learn how much better your hair can look.

Caring For Your Color

Color Fun Wednesday

You go to the salon every month to get your hair beautiful, rich and shiny.  You leave feeling excited and renewed.  You walk around for the rest of the day with more bounce in your step, your hair swinging from side to side.  Then, about two weeks later, you've lost that excitement and things become normal again.  The color has lost some of it's shine and it just feels like your normal old hair again.  What you don't realize is that there are things that you can do at home to help prolong your color's richness and shine.  Here are a few tips and tricks that will keep your color looking it's best until you are due back in the salon.

 

~Use Color Care Shampoo.

As simple as this may seem to be, some people have a tendency to just use "whatever is in the shower".  And if they run out of shampoo before making it back to the salon for their next appointment, they'll run to a discount store of some kind and pick up any shampoo that looks or smells good.  That's not the best way to prolong your hair color.  You spend good money on getting your hair colored and you spend precious hours in the salon getting it beautified.  Would you wash your cashmere sweater in any old detergent you found?  No, you wouldn't.  Then why would you treat your hair with any less care?  Remember this fact:
 
Your hair is a permanent accessory that goes with you
everywhere, every day. 

Treat it like a fine fabric.  After all, once you've damaged it, there's only so much you can do to make it feel soft again.  And the damage won't go away until you've cut the damaged hair off.  Those discount shampoos open the cuticle layer of the hair up and pull color out through the open layers of cells.  Remember the shingles on the roof analogy from "Shampooing, Conditioning and Towel Drying Your Hair"? If you are lifting the cells away from the central structure of the hair, you will allow more of the pigment molecules to leave the hair, leaving your hair dull and faded.
 

When choosing a color care shampoo, lean towards Sulfate Free if you can.  The sulfates are an ingredient that create a rich lather from the shampoo, but they have a tendency to open the cuticle layer too far, again, pulling some color out of the hair's cortex (the inner layer below the cuticle).  Just remember what else I mentioned in "Shampooing, Conditioning and Towel Drying Your Hair".  Sulfate free shampoos lather will be more of a wet foam, not a rich lather.
When choosing your shampoo, talk to your stylist.  Every stylist has their favorites.  My personal favorite is Schwarzkopf Color Save.  I have never seen reds and vivid colors last as long with any other shampoo as they have with this shampoo.  It is the shampoo that I have in my shower.  Unfortunately, we stopped carrying this product line in my salon, so I have to fall back on my other two top picks.
 

One is Redken Color Extend Shampoo .  It has Redken's Interlock Protein Network in it, which is a group of proteins that help to build strength in the hair.  It also has UV filters that help to reduce the damage the sun causes the hair, and it uses cranberry oil to add shine and enrich your color.

I also refer my clients to Biolage's ColorTherapie.  It has a protein complex similar to Redken's that helps to add strength back into the hair.  It also uses hibiscus oil to add shine to your color, as well.

Both of these shampoos, on the other hand, have sulfates.  I started looking through the ingredients list of all of our products to find our sulfate free options.  It's A 10 is a well known and respected brand.  If I weren't using Schwarzkopf, this is the shampoo I would use.  I already use their Intensive Masque as my conditioner, and their Miracle Leave In Spray and their Styling Serum after my shower.  They have their original formula, a keratin infused option, a volumizing leave-in and a treatment for blondes.  Then, there is Pureology.  Their entire product line is 100% Vegan and meant for color treated hair.  Their shampoos are sulfate free and are good for preserving the richness of your color.  Tigi Colour Goddess is a shampoo that helps brunettes and red heads keep their richness for longer between color.  MoroccanOil's shampoos are also free of sulfates.  They have both volumizing and moisturizing options.  Regis has their DesignLine brand with a few sulfate free options.  Enchanted and Enchanted Midnight are Regis' most recent additions to their product line.  They were specifically created for color care and protection.  Their Moisture Shampoo is also sulfate free and their Ultimate Radiance is a great cleanser that leaves the hair feeling soft and looking shiny.

I haven't had a chance to use all of these products yet, but I will start testing them out for you guys with my hair and see what kind of results I get.  With the funky colors that I do, I'll be able to see how much each shampoo fades my color easily.

 

 

 ~Use Cool Water

 

When washing and conditioning your hair, cool water helps to keep the cuticle layer of the hair closed more, so that the pigment molecules won't seep out during washing.  It also helps to keep the cuticle sealed when rinsing out the conditioner.

The Shag Cut

Cuts & Trends Tuesday

 

The Shag

 

For many people who lived through the 70s, the shag is a cut that will always be remembered.  But what about the people nowadays?  They're missing out on a personal favorite style of mine.  This is a cut meant for those with a lot of hair who want their look to be wispy and piecy.  It's massive layers and face framing strands create a look that can be worn soft and wispy or jagged and piece-y.  The shag has also been modified and modernized to suit many face shapes and hair types, as well as many style levels.  Whether your style is edgy or classic, retro or modern, there is a shag to suit your style.

The first photo is of my shag cut from 2007.  Very short layers with lots of face framing texture.  The photos are from the following websites.

 

http://shag-haircuts.com/

 

http://www.hair.becomegorgeous.com/stylish_haircuts/bouncy_shag_haircuts-2407.html

Utilizing YouTube

Styling Saturday

 

It's Saturday afternoon.  You're looking for a new idea of what to do with your hair because you're going out tonight, but you have no idea where to begin.  Start with the basics.  Do you want to wear your hair up or down.  If you don't know, think about the weather & your outfit.  If it's going to be chilly, leave your hair down to keep your neck warm.  If it's going to be hot and muggy, better get your hair off of your neck.  What if you want to leave your hair down, but can't stand it in your face?  Then you want to do half and half. 

 

Now that you've figured that out, what kind of style do you have?  Do you like edgy looks?  Retro?  Classic?  Now you have all you need to start looking for ideas. 

So, your style is Retro and you want your hair pulled up.  Go to YouTube and type in Retro Up Style.  You will find all kinds of videos and options for your hair.  Watch them through once and then give it a try.  Don't expect it to be perfect the first time.  It's going to take you some practice, so have patience with yourself.  Give it a chance to get easier before giving up on a style.  The internet is overloaded with tutorials on how to do your hair. Just play around punching in new ideas and see what you get. And remember, hair is supposed to be fun.

American Crew and the USO

Mens Style Friday

 

 

American Crew, a company that creates products solely for men, is supporting our troops.  They donated $150,000 and $300,000 worth of products to the USO, a non-profit organization that works to lift the spirits of our troops and their families.  They continue their support now by introducing a Military Limited Edition of some of their products. Currently, in my salon, we only have one bottle, pictured below.  They also have options to buy t-shirts and make donations on their website (listed below).

 

 

 

American Crew Supports USO
http://www.americancrew.com/militaryedition/?q=products

 

Buy Military T-Shirts from American Crew! http://www.americancrew.com/militaryedition/?q=purchase

 

Donate to USO through American Crew!
https://www.uso.org/americancrew/

 

Here are some of the other available products from the Military Limited Edition.  My salon carries the Light Hold Texture Lotion and the Defining Paste.  Check out the links above for the other products and the Limited Edition bottles.

 

 

American Crew is a trusted brand that has a vast collection of men's grooming products.  Their website is full of information on styling, products and trends.  I will be sharing more with you in later posts.  I haven't had a chance to use all of their styling products yet, but I'm going to start researching for you guys and test some stuff out to get a better understanding of what works best for what types of hair.

 

www.americancrew.com

 

 

 

The Basics of Shampooing, Conditioning & Towel Drying Your Hair

Tips, Tricks & Products Thursdays

As simple as this may seem, I've come to learn that many people just do whatever (or worse, what they've seen in the movies) when preparing their hair.  Something as basic as shampooing, conditioning and towel drying your hair effects your style more than you may think.  Equate styling your hair to the method of creating a building.  Before you can start laying your foundation, you have to prepare the ground.  Same goes with your hair.  You need to get your hair prepared properly before you are able to make it look its best.  If you skip a step, or do it half-hearted, then you run the risk of your style falling halfway through the day, just like the building that would fall if you didn't level the ground first.

Image Courtesy of http://www.thebeautyonline.com/beauty-care/hair-care/things-you-did-not-know-about-shampoo.html

Shampooing:

What is there to know?  You wet your hair down, squirt a blob of product in your hand, rub it in and rinse it out.  How could you possibly do it wrong?  Well... knowing how wet your hair should be, how much product to use, how to massage it through your hair and how well to rinse it, are very important factors in determining how well your hair will style for you that day.  The products that you buy in a salon are much more concentrated than the products you would buy in a grocery store or drug store.  If you are using a quarter of a cup of it, you are quite literally washing your money down the drain. 

So how much should you be using?  Well, what about what parts of your hair need washing?  Most of the time, you should only be washing the hair at your scalp.  If you have put a lot of sticky products that have left a residue on the ends of your hair, then you should wash the ends.  If it's just a little sweat, oil or daily dirt, the shampoo will remove that when you rinse the product from your scalp.  For men, when you put the shampoo in your hand, you only need an amount the size of a dime to a nickel to wash your whole head. For women, you should only need an amount the size of a quarter to a half dollar on your palm.  Just rub your hands together to spread it evenly on your palms and that product will be able to cover your entire head.

If you feel like the product is not lathering enough, remember that these products are very concentrated.  All you have to do is quickly dunk your hair under the stream of water, then re-lather it.  The extra water will allow the product to break down and spread through your hair much better.  If you still feel like there isn't enough lather, you can add a little more product at that point, but most times it's not a lack of product that's causing the product to not lather as well.

You also have to keep in mind that the new thing in shampoos is "Sulfate Free".  Sulfates are used to create a rich, foamy lather, but they also have the tendency to open the outer layer of the hair, called the cuticle, and can fade hair color.  If you have a sulfate free shampoo, don't expect a thick lather.  Expect more of a wet foam feel.

That's a lot of information so far and we've only covered the product to be used.  What about application?  Well, the package says lather, then rinse.  Simple, right?  But, how do you get the small amount of shampoo to cover your entire head to really get it clean?  After you've rubbed the product in your hands, smooth your fingers through your scalp on the sides of your head. Then, rub one palm through the top of your head and the other through the crown (the highest part of the back of your head).  Using your finger tips, massage the product on your scalp and through the hair near the root until it creates a lather on your scalp, working your way from the front of your hairline back towards the crown and then down to the base of your neck.  No need to massage the shampoo through more than three inches of your hair as that is the only area of your head that is affected most by your scalp's natural oils.  You also don't want to deprive your ends of those natural oils because they will keep it healthier than any product you can buy.

After you are done lathering the product through your hair, leave it on your scalp for a minute to allow the product to work.  For scalp care products, such as the Nioxin brand and Tea Tree shampoos, allow them a few minutes on the scalp.  Remember that these products work most effectively after your scalp has had a chance to absorb them.  After you've given it the necessary time, you can rinse the product from your hair.  Short hair is fairly easy to rinse, but don't just let the water run over your head and expect that to be enough.  Allow the water to run through your hair while using the same massaging motion you used when shampooing.  With thicker or longer hair, you'll need to move some sections out of your way to allow the water to fully saturate your hair to make sure you rinse all remnants of the product out.  Some flaking issues that most people deal with are just residues from shampoos and conditioners from improper rinsing.

Conditioning:

After you have completely rinsed all of the shampoo out of your hair, squeeze as much of the excess water out of your hair before applying the conditioner.  For those with very dry or overly damaged hair, keep a small towel near the shower and wring the excess moisture from your hair with the towel.  The conditioner is capable of absorbing into the cuticle of the hair much more effectively if there isn't too much water diluting your product or filling up the cortex (the middle layer of hair).  Remember, a damp sponge can absorb a lot more than a sopping wet one.  With longer hair, separate out small sections and work through the tangles.  This will make it easier to detangle your hair once you are out of the shower while also making sure that the product is evenly distributed throughout the entire head.  Also, working the conditioner through the hair will smooth out the cuticle of the hair, reducing frizz while enhancing shine.  A smooth surface reflects light better than a roughened one.  Allow the product to absorb into the hair for a few minutes before rinsing the product out. 

If you are using a scalp care conditioner, like Nioxin or Tea Tree, make sure you massage the product onto your scalp and allow it a few minutes to absorb into your scalp.  When the product has had enough time on the hair or scalp, rinse in the same manner as the shampoo.  Really make sure to remove all remnants of the product.  These conditioners were meant to affect the hair, then be removed, not to be left in.  Conditioners that are made to be left in the hair are packaged and sold as such.  Leaving residue of the product can cause a dulling of the hair, and leave it limp and lifeless.

Towel Drying:

Towel drying your hair seems to be the most simple of things to do, but there are ways to dry your hair to improve the strength and health of your hair.  In the movies, the girl gets out of the shower and flips her hair to one side and starts rubbing the towel back and forth through her hair.  This motion creates a friction and causes the cuticle layer of the hair to stand up on end.  Picture shingles on a roof.  Each layer overlays the next and they alternate so that there is even coverage across the roof.  The cells of the hair lay in the same manner.  They overlap each other the same way as the shingles on a roof.  When you rub the hair with a towel in this motion, you lift the edges of the cuticle cells up causing each hair to not lay smoothly against each other.  This causes frizziness, tangles and dull, shineless hair. Instead, use the towel to just squeeze out the water. This motion will compress the cuticle and leave your hair with less frizz and more shine and managability. Also, for the ladies, after you get out of your shower, wrap your hair in a towel and leave it up while you get dressed and do your makeup. That will allow the towel a chance to absorb extra water and leave you with less work when you are ready to style your hair.

Hopefully this information will allow you to create better styles for your hair with less work.

Come visit my Facebook page for information about the salon, my hours and styles I've already done.

Seasonal Color Changes

Color Fun Wednesday

 

Now that Autumn is here, everyone gets the itch to change their color.  Naturally the hair will darken during the Autumn and Winter because the Sun is not as intense during these months and it is not lightening the hair as much.  So, as a way to keep your color looking natural, it is a good idea to mimic this effect by adding low lights.  Or, if you have a single color on your hair, darken your base color by one level.

 

Another one of my favorite ways to change your color for Autumn is to use the changing leaves as an inspiration for your color.  Warm, rich browns, deep copper reds, and honey or golden blondes.  All these colors will allow you to mimic the natural world around you.

Getting Started

My name is Kelly Conner and I am a Master Stylist for Regis Salon in the Annapolis Mall.  I will be keeping up with my blogging the best that I can.  Some of my posts will be fairly short and others may be very long with tons of information.  Just bear with me as I'm new at this.  I'm going to have a different theme for each post and I can only hope that I don't run out of topics, but as the fashion industry is always changing, there should be plenty of things to keep up with.  I've chosen topics that can cover a large spectrum of information.  Here is a list of my intended themes for each post:

 

Pamper Yourself

Nail Fashion

Cuts and Trends

Color Fun

Products, Tips and Tricks

Mens Fashion

Creative Styling

 

If you have a specific topic you would like to know about or would like me to cover, swing by my Facebook page and leave me a comment. Kelly Conner, Hair Stylist

 Also let me know what you think of the information I post to encourage me to keep up on this.  I'm great at starting things, but I will be honest, I start out "gung-ho" about something, then lose my drive to keep it up.  Keep on me if I start slacking off.

 

I hope that you enjoy my postings and I will try to fill your head with more information about hair then you ever thought you could know.  Hopefully I will also learn a thing or two as I'm researching all of this.