Hi-tech Digital Perms
By Pam Pastor
Inquirer
YOU KNOW YOU’RE LIVING IN A hi-tech world when even hair salons go digital perming.

If you’re sick of spending tedious hours having your hair re-bonded, if your straight hair has become blah and boring, if you want to breathe life into your limp locks, here are two words for you: digital perms.

Yes, digital perm, not your regular run-of-the-mill perm. What’s the difference, you might wonder. “The curls are shinier. They’re bigger. There’s movement so it looks sexier. Mas may bounce and there’s no frizz,” said Cherry Reyes, who runs Essensuals Toni & Guy in 6750.

And, unlike the regular perm, your digital perm will last for only three months, which means you’re not tied down to a lifetime of curliness — you can change your mind.

The secret lies in the process and in the tools used. “We use ceramic rods — they seal the moisture in the hair so the hair doesn’t become frizzy,” Cherry said.

Digital perm isn’t the only thing that makes Essensuals Toni & Guy different from your regular salon. They offer a unique experience — from start to finish.

Clients are welcomed with a lovely massage, thanks to physical therapists who are part of the salon’s staff. The salon also has private rooms — complete with your own cable TV — if you want to enjoy your treatments away from everyone else.

And if your treatment crosses into lunchtime, Glorietta and its whole myriad of restaurants are just a few steps away — you can always have food delivered or someone can pick up lunch for you.

The digital perm starts with a shampoo and a cut. Layers need to be added to your hair to show off the curls properly. It’s important for the hair to be cut before the hair perm because cutting the hair after would make the curls pop.

Pre-hair perm solution is then added to your hair. Then another solution follows — one that softens the hair so your hairdresser can mold it into beautiful curls after.

Another thing which makes the digital perm different from the regular hair perm is that the solution is washed off before the actual perming starts.

Hair perm proper

The ceramic rods are then secured to your hair and covered with asbestos pads to protect your scalp from the heatDigital Perm. This is where the digital part comes in — each ceramic rod is hooked up to a heating machine.

The waiting time will depend on the texture of your hair. I have unbelievably thick hair so my time was a little longer than normal. After the rods are removed, the hair is washed and blown dry again and neutralizer is applied. Then, your beautiful curls will be revealed.

You can request for smaller or bigger curls. Hair care products to keep your curls in tip-top shape will be recommended.

I’ve been using Bed Head’s Small Talk and I love it equally for its effects and its delicious grape bubble gum smell.

I’ve also happily discovered that even during the few times I forgot to take my hair arsenal with me on out-of-town trips, my curls still look pretty even without products.

During the first few days after the hair perm, the curls would tighten only to become loose with the passing of days. And unlike some hair treatments with effects that fade over time — the digital perm looks better and better even as weeks pass.

After living with painstakingly re-bonded hair for three years and not being able to go out of the house until every strand is dried perfectly in place, I realized with glee that digitally permed hair is wash and wear.

I can pop into the bathroom, pop back out, get ready in five minutes and run out of the house without worrying about having a massive mess.

Hairdressers provide their brand of therapy
Home News Tribune Online
By DINAH ENG
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

Women love to talk. No matter where we are, we instinctively start to socialize with the people around us. We’ll start a conversation with the next person in line at the store, the plumber who walks in the door, or the neighbor across the street.

Outside of friends and family, the person we often talk with more than anyone else is our hairdresser. This, after all, is the person who knows we have dandruff, gray hair, and split ends, yet never judges us for it.

He or she seems always happy to see us, does magical things to make our hair look great, and listens attentively to whatever is on our minds.

I recently asked my hairdresser Jordan about the things people talk about with him. Being the true confidante that he is, he immediately said that he can’t share any specific stories, but . . .

“Women say more than men,” said Jordan, a second-generation hairdresser whose father and uncle are also hairdressers. “A lot of men talk abou“Hairdressers
Hear it All,”t sports. They don’t get into personal stuff as much as women, unless it’s a big thing. Even if they’re getting a divorce, it takes a while for them to mention it.”

Jordan, who has an equal number of male and female clients, said men are pickier than women when it comes to their hair.

“Men don’t want people to know they have gray hair, and some are insecure about people knowing that they color it,” Jordan said. “Women start coloring whenever the gray bugs them, and young people color their hair just to do something different.”

What’s the trend in hairstyles today?

“It’s all about individuality,” Jordan said. “People aren’t really following anybody’s look now, like they did with the Jennifer Aniston haircut. It’s all about what looks good on you. Most women keep their hair too long, though. For some, it may be a security blanket, something for them to hide behind. Or maybe their husbands like long hair.”

When I was in college, I had shoulder-length hair because the guys I dated liked long hair. But with each passing year, the length started getting shorter and shorter because it was easier to maintain, and frankly, looked better on me.

Going to great lengths
By RACHEL BEERS
TEENS IN THE NEWSROOM

Most girls know the basic requirements needed to achieve the “perfect look”: the right outfit, jewelry, handbag and shoes.

However, one equally important aspect of one’s look that might not always be regarded as a much-needed accessory is great hair. A hairstyle can make or break an entire look.

No girl, it seems, is 100 percent happy with the hair she was born with; many cut, dye, perm, straighten and curl their locks to give them a look that is unique and makes them feel good. Some of these hair treatments, however, can be damaging. Fortunately, there’s an alternative.

Once used in only the fashion world and HollywoodHair Extensions are Hot with Teens, hair extensions are becoming more accessible. In just the Modesto area, a multitude of salons offer hair extensions — from the most basic to the most exclusive.

Hair extensions aren’t necessarily expensive, either — it depends on whether the hair is real or synthetic, what kind of hair extension method you choose, and how much you want to add to your hair. And anybody can use hair extensions; it doesn’t matter whether your own hair is long or short, coarse or fine, straight or curly.

Gluing

Hair salons offer several varieties of hair extensions. One of the most common, and least expensive, is the glue-in method. Strips of real or synthetic hair are basically glued onto the scalp. While this is the most affordable approach, it also is the shortest lived; glue-in extensions typically last three to four weeks. The upside to this kind of hair extension is that the tracks of hair only cost around $20 each, plus labor.

Sew-ins

Sew-in extensions are the next step up in quality, durability and price. Tricia Harty at Mosaic Salon on McHenry Avenue in Modesto says she has a wide clientele of teenage girls who come in to get hair extensions sewn in. Typically made of real human hair, the strips of extensions are sewn into cornrows that are braided from your own hair; the extensions cover up the short braids so all you see is long, smooth hair. To have a full head of hair sewn-in, plan on investing around two hours of your time and about $200. Remember, though, that this reflects a full head of hair; the less hair you add, the less expensive it will be. Sew-in hair extensions can last up to two months.

Bonding

If you have the means to pay for it, the bonding method is the optimum way to go. Using a special protein bond, the extensions are attached in portions of about 50 strands each to an equal amount of your own hair, using a tool that resembles a tiny flat iron. Bonding is the most tedious; for a full head of hair, it typically takes two to five hours.

Because bonding uses the same protein naturally found in hair, it can be removed damage-free with a special gel, said hairdressers Tanya Escobar and Jennifer Wolf of Salon 2717 on Coffee Road in Modesto. The small bonds are discreet, allowing you to wear your hair in virtually any style, without the worry of people seeing where the hair extensions attach.

Going to Lengths

The elite brand of bonded extensions is Great Lengths, which VH1 featured on its show “The Fabulous 40 of 2004.” One of the commentators said, “Great Lengths are the Rolls Royce of hair extensions; they’re the crème de la crème of hair.”