New Year, New Look: More Bang with Bangs

Taylor Swift at the AMA Awards

 Bangs come and bangs go, and today bangs are hot! I love bangs – they bring out a woman’s eyes, they are sexy and carefree, and can be used to create different effects based on the shape of your face and the texture of your hair. Why not consider a new look along with your New Year’s Resolutions? Oh, and did I mention that the best thing about bangs is that they make any woman look younger?!

Reese Witherspoon/InStyle.co

Katy Perry/InStyle.co

Nicole Ritchie/InStyle.com

Heidi Klum/InStyle.com

From Taylor Swift’s blunt fringe debuted at the American Music Awards, to Reese Witherspoon’s side-swept style, bangs are a staple of celebrity hair. Personalities as diverse as Heidi Klum, Katy Perry, and Nicole Ritchie are all sporting their own version of the fringe. Bangs can be totally rock-and-roll and a bit messy, or smoothly controlled and very geometric. Remember though, not all faces are created equal. Before we start cutting, I have to take into account the shape of your face and the rest of your hair. Look at Nicole Richie, who has a lovely square face. Heavy bangs with tapered sides work for her and create a flattering balance. 

Jennifer Hudson/InStyle.com

When we cut your bangs, you have a whole new set of styling challenges. I will show you tricks for styling your bangs, the easiest of which is to blow dry and brush your bangs all the way to the left side, and then to the right side, and finally straight on. A bit of matte wax or pomade can be used to pinch and piece strands to allow a bit of your forehead to peek through. If we cut a heavier, more geometric fringe, I’ll show you how to make those Cleopatra bangs lie flat and cooperative. At my salon at Two City Plaza, we always offer free bang trims. 

The other beauty of bangs is that they do grow out, and I can show you how to handle blending them in when you’re ready for yet another CHANGE, my beautiful fashionistas.

The Bold & the Beautiful: This Season’s Haircolor

Ashley Olsen and Jessica Biel reveal new haircolors. 

It made beauty news when both Ashley Olsen and Jessica Biel went from their trademark blonde-with-highlights hairstyles to brunette. Like many other celebrities, both of these actors are quick-change artists when it comes to their tresses and have been a variety of shades from pale blonde to these new shades of brown – a warm brown with reddish tones for Ms. Olsen, and a cool espresso brown for Ms. Biel. The drastic changes for both of these actresses are part of the latest hair color fashion trend – take it bold. As a Board Certified Master Haircolorist, I have the education and experience to help you choose a vibrant new color, while keeping your hair in the best condition possible. Here are some examples of this statement-making trend…

Naomi Watts/InStyle.com

Blonde
The inspiration: Actress Naomi Watts
The palette: The typical striped and symmetrical highlights are nowhere to be seen this season. Instead, I’m working with the entire base shade, then adding a very few highlights in places they would fall naturally, and giving the whole head of hair a translucent glaze for shine, condition, and to really make the chosen color pop against the deep fall/winter clothing colors. Think butterscotch, golden rum, or buttercup in the warm family, or a cool Grace Kelly ash blonde, champagne, or Sahara sand.  

Lea Michele/Instyle.com

Brunette
The inspiration: Actress Lea Michele of Glee
The palette: The range of brunette colors is really amazing and gorgeous, everything from luscious mink to the deepest espresso. We’ll choose a color based on your skin tone’s warmth or coolness, and how many shades deeper you can go while looking natural and rich, rich, rich.   

Christina Hendricks/InStyle.com

Red
The inspiration: The year’s hottest redhead, Christina Hendricks of Mad Men
The palette: It seems Christina Hendricks has single-handedly reignited a number of trends since exploding to fame this year: fabulous womanly curves, and brazenly red hair. Her hair is the perfect example of the reds we’re looking at for this season: fiery, rich, and with a glorious amount of shine. I will make sure your red is vivid and multi-dimensional, not the often flat reds you see from home hair color. And imagine how this shade will look against your fall and winter clothes and their deep/neutral palette!  

‘Tis the Season for Fabulous Holiday Hair

The jingle bells, silver bells and – everywhere but here in South Florida – sleigh bells are all ringing. With only 10 days until Christmas, glamour girls will be making appointments for that perfect holiday look, whether it’s the office open-house, an intimate party with friends, a charity ball, or the myriad of other events that surround this most giving of seasons. I get my inspiration from the hairstyles shown on the Fashion Week runways, as they will undoubtedly be our inspiration for holiday hair. Here are…a twist on the classic French twist, a sexy bedroom hair look, and something in between -- straight from the runway, and you’ll feel like a catwalk queen.

A New Take on a Classic -- with a Twist
Like the hair at the Elene Cassis show, I’m updating the classic French twist for 2010 by making it straight and smooth in the back, while keeping the hair in front loose and soft. I like to create gently twisted waves that give it some height and a softer, younger look. Add a jeweled pin or clasp in back, and you are gorgeous coming and going.

Long & Wavy is Never Out of Style
At J. Mendel, they were showing my kind of hair – that sexy “I just rolled out of bed” look that is a controlled mess. I like to create hair that moves, and although such a casual look takes a bit of work – much like natural-looking makeup requires multiple products – it has a great silhouette and is the result of the right products and tools to create multiple textures. It’s ethereal and earthy all at the same time.
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Some Sexy in Between
Angelina Jolie, at the NYC premier of The Tourist, wears a hairstyle we saw all over the runways, and one she’s made a signature look when she really pulls out the stops. We have the long, loose waves in back like the style from J. Mendel, and the twisted-and-pinned front like the twisted French twist at Elene Cassis. Since she has bangs, they’re simply swept aside and dip over her eye for that mysterious, femme fatale look. Her hair has movement and shine, it’s chic yet sexy. By leaving the length yet exposing the face, we create the classic “come hither” look.

Whether your holiday look this year is upswept, sexily down, or somewhere in between, these styles are right up to the minute. Come see me soon for YOUR holiday look!

Dino

Hair Extensions 101

Hair extensions can be used to add volume, length, or even a splash of color to your hair.
If you don’t want to commit to a chemical color service, extensions can be used to create highlights and/or lowlights or even to add avant-garde fashion colors to your hair.

A reputable salon with up-to-date stylists trained and certified in extension applications will provide you with high quality hair in the colors, lengths, and textures you desire and a choice of different types of extension applications. WARNING: Never let anyone braid your hair and sew in extensions. This old-fashioned method which puts stress on your own hair, always causes some degree of hair loss and can often cause bald spots.

The 3 newest and most gentle types of applications are:

Two-Sided Tape
This application method is the least time consuming and, therefore, the least expensive.
Wefts of hair come on a strip with adhesive and are applied to your own hair with a “sandwich” technique. This type of extensions is comfortable to wear and light weight.
They can be placed higher up on the head and temples than other extensions allowing your stylist to add hair in all directions, not just lenghwise. This method is natural looking, as it does not cause ridges or bumps. With proper care these extensions can lasts for 2 to 3 months. They are ideal for hair that is thin, fly away, limp or damaged.

Hot Fusion
Tis multiple=strand application method uses a heat-activated bond and hot tool to attach the strands to your hair close to the scalp. This method is gentle to your own hair, gives a natural appearance, and allows you maximum styling versatility. Hot fusion extensions last approximately 3 months. A special remover causes the bonding agent to crystalize and turn to powder for fast and gentle removal.

Cold Fusion
This strand-by-strand application technique allows for the maximum amount of hair volume. There is no glue and no heat. Instead tiny metal rings are crimped to attach the hair to your own hair close to the scalp. As your hair grows, the extension hair can be shifted up and re-tightened. This can be done in different areas at different time intervals depending on how fast your hair grows in any given area. The time interval between re-tightenings is approximately 6 weeks. This is the only method which allows you to reuse the extension hair. (Eventually, over time, new hair will eventually have to be purchased, but not all at once., as with other methods.)

The Best Shampoos for Color Treated Hair

The Best Shampoos for Color Treated Hair
July 24, 2010 By: manager Category: Uncategorized Edit

The American Board of Certified Haircolorists, of which I am a member, is an independent organization with no ties to any manufacturers. The ABCH recently tested several brands of professional (sold in salons) and retail (sold in stores) shampoos to determine which brands performed best for color retention. The 10 professional brands tested ranged in price from $9.99 to $37.99 retail. All swatches used to do the testing were made of yak hair that was consistant in texture and color. Yak hair colors very much like gray human hair but has no undertones or varied porosity to make the test unbalanced. All of the swatches were colored a deep burgundy, as this is a color that fades most readily. Each swatch was saturated by a different shampoo and left to soak for one hour. Then each was rinsed in warm water and left to dry naturally. This process was repeated five times until there was no residue deposited on the white cloth where they were left to dry.

The best shampoo based on the least amount of hair color removed and the most reasonable price per ounce was Aquage, at a price of $.83 per ounce, followed by Wella
which retained the same amount of color but placed second because of the $1.08 per ounce price. Back to Basics and Redken followed in 3rd and 4th place, followed by Goldwell, Graham Webb, Biolage, TiGi Catwalk, and Joico. The shampoo which performed the worst by removing the most color was Kerastase which, ironically, had the highest price of $4.46 per ounce.

When Price Isn't the Most Important Factor

Most hairstylists who color hair do a formulation the first time they color a client and then use the same formula on the roots every time that client returns for a "touch up." They usually apply the color only to the new growth at the root area and ignore the rest of the hair. Even if they do occasionally pull the color through to the ends, they use the same color they used on the roots. This gives a very poor result and makes the hair dryer and duller with each visit, as the outgrowth is more porous and more fragile than the new growth at the roots.

In contrast, a good haircolorist will do a new consultation every time a client returns to the salon. This is necessary for a number of reasons. The colorist must periodically make necessary adjustments to improve the color and condition of the hair, to lighten or deepen the tone according to a change of season, and or to change the color in accordance with the client's desire for a different look.

A knowledeable and experienced colorist touches up the root area with one formula
and then uses a second non-peroxide, no-ammonia color formula to "refresh" the rest of the hair, adding depth of color and shine. This technique also helps the color last longer.

The extra time and product cost involved in this method used by the best colorists
may mean you'll pay a little more than you would at an average salon, but the superior results are well worth it. Aren't you worth it?