What is all the buzz about blowouts and braids?

Market niches and specialities are nothing new to most industries, but other than kids salons and men’s salons the hair industry has not seen a lot of stepping out of the box in the 30 years that I have been in the business. But now things are beginning to change. Within the past year we’ve seen two hot salon concepts emerge, both specializing in hair styling techniques that require some hair stylist skills that go well beyond those taught in most cosmetology schools.

In both LA and NYC you’ll find specialty salons who do nothing but blow out and another group doing nothing but high fashion hair braiding. What does that mean for us consumers? Quick, great looks the will get you through that high fashion weekend with a minimum of fuss and without busting the average fashionistas budget.

Last longer, more volume smooth base fullness

Blow Out Bars

Gone are the days when you fret over bad hair and long queues just to get your hair blown out and styled for a special event. Now, there is an easy and wallet-friendly solution: Blow out bars are is the hottest service trend in beauty and many such outlets have been springing up across the world. Unlike ordinary salons, these ‘bars’ offer women one signature service. At the same time, it provides them with a luxurious environment to relax or mingle with their gal-pals. Women can now indulge and experiment with the plethora of hairstyles at anytime of the day enabling them to look fresh and lively all year round (or at least for the week). They also provide a variety of hair products and accessories to accommodate different hair types and tastes. Looking beautiful isn’t restricted to special occasions anymore, this on-the-go beauty has done much to restore the confidence in women, leaving them high-spirited as they step out onto the streets with their newly blowout hair.

Braid Bars

Another ‘bar’ that has borrowed this similar concept of “sticking to one” is seen the recent entry of braid bars onto the beauty scene. The simple luxury of having someone do your hair for you and creating a work of art has created a lot of buzz. Women now have the option to choose a funky and new hairstyle without having their hair cut or dyed. Browse through braid menus to select the type that will suit you best and if you’re unhappy? Untie and braid again! Women who need to attend pool or beach parties, and need to keep their hair intact for the night (some say, even days) these one-stop bars are the place to be! Of course, braids are not weaved for that particular reason, in fact it is one of the most versatile styling in the beauty industry, you can wear it messy or fish-tailed to the side, whatever it is, braids are in and here to stay!

Women can now seek refuge in these new braid bars and blowout bars without having to exhaust themselves with homemade hairstyles. This luxury and convenience has undeniably redefined beauty in the hair industry and has been keeping women feeling beautiful everyday.

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Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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Hair Color, What’s the difference?

The statistics tell us 80% of women are choosing to color their hair today. This could be a result of baby boomers holding off the inevitalbe gray hairs or maybe just trying to enhance tones from dull and lifeless to bright and vibrant. Whatever the reason, once you’ve made the decision to color yourt hair, you’ll have another immediate decision to make . . . what type of hair color should you use.  There are three types of hair color to choose from when considering taking the plunge,.

Permanent hair color leaves a stronger line of demarcation, and does not fade out. It is the most difficult color type to maintain since on average our hair grows a ¼ inch per month. The ammonia is an alkalizer that opens the cuticle layer, allowing the hair color molecules to penetrate into the cortex; this is where the color molecules remain. Alkaline is the ammonia in hair color that opens the cuticle and allows the color to penetrate. This process opens the cuticle and may leave your hair frizzy and rough-looking. This is why following with a conditioner is always necessary. The conditioner closes the cuticle which allows it to lay flat increasing shine and easing style time.

A semi permanent hair color does not penetrate into the cortex; it just coats the outside but only lasts up to 8 shampoos. This would be used more for someone not wanting a commitment to a coloring at all but wants to add just a little something to their current hair style.

A demi permanent hair color gently penetrates the cortex, and depending on how dry and/or damaged your hair is, it could last longer or even get darker than expected. A demi permanent hair color is usually used when you want to enhance your current hair type and you’re not quite read to make a commitment to a permanent hair color. Demi permanent hair color will usually last a little longer than a semi permanent hair color but rinses out after several weeks.

This brings me to what I believe is a very important step in protecting any hair color treatment that is overlooked by many. Not only does your hair need a great shampoo and conditioner, but what you’re putting on your hair before using heat is just as crucial. Not using a product to protect your hair prior to blow drying or flat ironing is more damaging to your hair than anything else that you could do to your hair. Especially since a majority of our blow dryers can reach 140 degrees and our flat irons a whopping 450 degrees. Making sure your styling aid provides thermal protection is a must when trying to preserve your beautiful hair color!

In my 10 years as a hair stylist I have worked with many leave-in conditioners and styling products that provide thermal protection. There are a lot of good ones in today’s market! I recently was given the opportunity to take part in the development of a new product which I am excited about called Keracolor which provides thermal protection and enhances hair color. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new leave-in!

Guest contributor Tarah Edberg has been a hair stylist for 10 years with Salon Zeo in Minneapolis and specializes in various hair color and foil techniques and is a Keracolor featured hair stylist.

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Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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How to Avoid These 3 Top Hair Color Mistakes

Have you ever colored your hair and ended up with a result nothing like what you had hoped for?  I know it’s devastating. I’ve done it myself, before getting into the business, as well as a mistake or two while on the learning curve to becoming  a better hair colorist.

Hair coloring is an art and experienced hair colorists are your best bet to get top results. If you’re looking to get a hair color like Jennifer Anniston’s, Jennifer Lopez’s or the like, don’t try it at home. If you choose to color your own hair, take the time to read directions carefully, do the strand test and bookmark this article to avoid these top hair color mistakes we see in the hair salon all the time!

Mistake # 1 – Coloring Your Hair Too Dark

Coloring hair too dark is a common mistake (especially for novices) and can be expensive and difficult to correct. The majority of mistakes we see may have been avoided by taking these steps:

•  Choose a temporary, semi-permanent, or demi-permanent color. These hair colors are the most gentle on your hair and should be your first choice. Unlike permanent hair color, these colors are more gentle and will gradually fade over time. Temporary, semi-permanent, or demi-permanent hair colors can only add color to your existing hair color and will not lift or lighten your color. Are you trying to lighten your natural hair color or cover gray completely?  If so, permanent hair color will need to be used because these types of colors only blend grays and deposit color.

•  Choose a hair color one or two levels lighter than your desired end result. The color you add will look darker on your hair than on the box or  color swatch Why? Remember you are adding color on top of your own hair color. (See what happens when you add a second colored pencil on top of the first color . . . not an exact science but you get the idea.)

• What if it doesn’t turn out dark enough? It’s a good idea to wait a couple of weeks or  when your hair is healthy enough before coloring it again. It is much easier to darken artificial hair color as opposed to lightening it.

Mistake # 2 – How to Avoid Orange Hair Color

Fixing hair that has turned orange from coloring can be done . . . but not by most DIY’ers . . . it is a delicate undertaking. The reason is that in order to get it right, you need to understand principles of the color wheel, be experienced with bleach lifting and timing and/or be familiar with toners. Read more about how to fix orange hair color here, but below are steps to avoid this color mistake before it happens.

• When changing hair color by two levels or more, see a professional colorist. The clients I’ve seen most often with this problem, happened when they tried to lighten or darken their hair by two levels or more. Just don’t do it!  It’s a complicated process, that is unique to each head of hair, to create a beautiful hair color change of two levels or more. And, the difference between getting a beautiful color or an orange mess, is in the hands of doer. Let the professional get you there and if they happen to get it wrong, someone in the salon will fix it. If you get it wrong, it can be a costly and/or painful error to fix. Once your hair has been changed successfully, the upkeep will be easier too.

• It’s a crap-shoot and can be harmful to use hair lighteners or hair color removers at home.  These products can do far worse things to your hair than turning it orange.  They can severely damage your hair and cause it to break off, depending on how they are used and the condition of your hair.  A color remover, despite its name, will not return your hair to its original hair color shade. It can only remove some of the color from semi and demi-permanent colors, they won’t remove permanent hair color.

• Know the underlying pigment of your hair.  The underlying pigment of your hair is most important to  know when you are formulating your own hair color. It is the contributing pigment (color) that naturally occurs in your hair. You need to understand the color chart to get this right.

For instance, a person lifting their hair color to a medium brown, level 5, has an orange underlying pigment.  They have two options; they can emphasize the orange or neutralize it.  To emphasize an underlying pigment choose one of its complimentary colors, the colors that are next to it on the color wheel.  To neutralize the tone, choose the color that it directly across from it on the color wheel.   In this case, red and yellow are the complimentary colors, so if a person coloring their hair medium brown wants to emphasize their orange underlying pigment, they should choose a hair color with gold or red tones.  Blue is directly across from orange on the color wheel, so a hair color with a blue ash base should be used to neutralize any unwanted orange tones.

Mistake # 3 – Your Hair Color Did Not Cover the Gray

If you’ve used a hair color that didn’t cover your grays completely it doesn’t mean you need to use a darker hair color, as many people may think. It’s more likely one of these reasons . . . not to worry, this one is usually an easy fix.

•  It’s time to use a permanent hair color.  Temporary, semi-permanent, and demi-permanent hair colors will allow you to blend gray, but they will not cover it completely. Temporary colors are the best choice to use until they don’t do the job any longer . . . that’s the time to switch to permanent hair color.
• You may need to bring all of the primary colors back into the hair.  White hair is like the color white.  They both are absent of color.  Finding a hair color that is rich in the primary colors will give your grays a natural, rich look that is able to hold onto the color.  Most color lines have a neutral series that best cover gray.  Check the manufacturer’s directions, or call the 800#  for best results.
• Follow the manufacturer’s directions.   Although using a neutral tone hair color is the most common way to cover grays, it is not always the case. Follow the manufacturer’s directions to ensure complete gray coverage.
  

Are you still not 100% sure of a hair color?  Before coloring your hair, always perform a strand test.  Apply small amount of the color to a small section of your hair, preferably somewhere inconspicuous. Make sure that you mix the color in the correct ratio and leave it on the full length of time.  If this section comes out perfect, you’re ready to color the rest of your hair.  Good luck!

Barb Quinn on Google+  

For further discussion on coloring your hair at home you might want to check these other articles:

• At Home Hair Dye
• Hair Color Complete Guide
• How Can I Cover My Stubborn Gray Hairs?
• Hair Dyes Without Hair Damage 
• Hair Color Dyes Gone Bad? Haircolorist 911

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