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Is Going Blonde For You?

If at least two of the following apply to you, it may be time to look to going blonde:“Going Blonde Tips”

• You were blonde(ish) as a child. “If your hair was fair when you were small, especially by summer’s end, YOU Probably have the right skin tone to pull off going blonde as an adult,” says Brad Johns, global color director for Clairol (who has colored Natasha Richardson’s hair).

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• You can afford regular maintenance “Going blonde is not cheap,” says Johns. Think of going blonde as the ultimate accessory the one you never take off! You must keep it in excellent shape with regular touch-ups and proper products” coincidence that blonde is the most popular hair color in Los Angeles, where it’s all about getting noticed,’ says Jennifer J (Cate Blanchett is a client). Johns adds, “I can assure you it’s the shade men prefer.”

Keep it cool when coloring at home – “If you elect to going blonde on your own, opt for a cool or neutral shade rather than something warm, often marked ‘golden’ or ‘honey’,” says Youssef. “Lightening naturally warms up your hair; if you choose a warm-colored dye, you may end up too [orangey] gold”

Avoid alcohol –“Bottle blondes may suffer from dry, dull hair, and using products that contain high amounts of alcohol can make the problem worse,” says Johnathan Gale, a hair colorist at the Sally Hershberger for John Frieda Salon in Los Angeles (he’s responsible for Charlize Theron’s gilded hair). Common alcohol-containing culprits: hairspray, gel and mousse; check the label.

Leave the whitening to your teeth — “Many women equate cool, white strands with elegance,” says Johns, “but the reality is that having overly platinum hair can leave you looking tired.” A better approach? Ask your hair colorist to create a golden base, then add cooler highlights.

Let a pro handle the hard stuff –“If you want to take your hair color more than two shades lighter than your natural hue, visit a hair salon,” says Jennifer J. Attempting a job this delicate yourself is risky, and you may end up more banana than honey-blonde.

Have a few tricks up your sleeve — Inevitably, there will be times when you need to get to the hair salon but just can’t spare the time or money. Rather than surrendering to long, dark roots, try this trick from Jennifer J: To combat visible roots, pick up a box of dark, ash-blonde hair color at the drugstore. Apply it carefully to just your roots with a toothbrush and leave it on for no longer than three minutes. This will take the edge off dark roots and wilt buy you a few more weeks sans hair salon.

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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Take the Hot Redhead Quiz

If at least two of the following apply to you, it may be right to go red haired:

• Your skin is on the pink side, There is a “right” red out there for most women, says Jennifer J, a Matrix celebrity hair colorist and owner of Juan Juan Salons in Southern California (she colors Julia Roberts’s auburn red hair), but women with cool or pinkish skin pull it off best. Conversely, women with golden or olive skin have a tougher time finding a red hair tone that’s flattering.

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“The Hot
Redhead Look”

• You’re no wallflower, Redhead is a head-turning hue, and you have to be self-assured enough to accept the stares, says Tasha Forgash. red hair color specialist at Shag Salon in Boston. Hair colorist Sarah Gold, the guru behind Lindsay Lohan’s formerly flame red colored hair, concurs: “Remember red hair is like a sequined dress—it walks into the room before you do.”

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• Your hair is in fairly good condition. If your hair is very dry or damaged, the strands will have a hard time holding on to small, red hair color molecules (which seep out of even the healthiest hair fairly quickly). Your mane has a better chance of becoming radiant redhead if it is well cared-for (read: you deep-condition weekly, get regular trims and don’t heat-style every day).

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How to be the best hot redhead:

1. Wash your hair as infrequently as possible, Ideally this would mean twice a week, says Parvine Klein, a red hair colorist at the John Barrett Salon in New York City, but every other day will suffice if your hair is oily or very fine, says Jennifer J. On alternate days, you can rinse your hair with tepid (never hot) water if necessary or dust your roots with a dry shampoo.

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2. Avoid harsh shampoos. Most dandruff treatments are tough on colored red hair says Jennifer J. But they are death to hot redheads, accelerating the fading process by weeks.

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3. Ask your hair colorist for a “to-go” kit, Jennifer J gives her redheaded clients a small vial of their hair color (at $45 a pop) to apply two weeks after their hair salon visit. This keeps the red hair color looking bright and fiery all month long. (Tip: If you can’t get a to-go kit, using one of Nice ‘n Easy’s new Color Boosting Glazes can also do the trick.)

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4. Cover up. Red hair color oxidizes faster than any other says Forgash. So, if you’re going to spend a lot of time outdoors, use a styling product that contains UV filters, or throw a hat or scarf over your red hair.

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5. Don’t be tempted by eggpalant tones. Purplish-reds don’t look natural and are raely flattering, says Jennifer J. Choose a red hair color that can be described as “coppery,” “auburn” or “strawberry” instead.

Article courtesy of Harris Publications

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 Fix Orange Hair

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Fix Orange Hair Here and Now!

“How to Fix Orange Hair”There are many of you out there who have asked for help in how to find a hair colorist who knows what they are doing! It’s so unfortunate that there are so many people in the business who are making these types of blunders on their clients and are letting them walk out dissatisfied with nowhere to go! It gives the whole industry a bad name.

Here are two recent readers cries for help to fix orange hair! Do you have a similar hair color problem?

From Barb: 
I have SUCH a hard time finding a good hair colorist! My hair is naturally dark blonde with gold highlights. It’s kinda dull so I like to have neutral blonde highlights and chocolate brown lowlights. Hairdressers seem SO confident to do what they think AFTER I tell them the highlights will turn ORANGE if not left on long enough, and the lowlightes will turn brassy if a warm based is used! Still, they DON’T LISTEN! My hair looks awful right now and is really dry after someone at a local hair salon did it. How can I find someone good? They SEEM good when giving a consultation, then my results are another story!

From Unhappy:
I have the EXACT same issue as Barb! I’ve been searching everywhere for a decent hair colorist! On top of which, I have curly hair so it makes it doubly difficult to find someone that won’t butcher my cut and someone who won’t turn me into goldie-locks (literally). I’m so disgusted with being ORANGE. Someone….PLEASE HELP!!!

The hair salon owner should (and most always wants) to do what it takes to make the customer satisfied. As a customer, if you are dissatisfied with the service you received, you owe it to yourself to make the hair salon owner aware of the problem. If they can fix it they will. At the very least, if they can’t fix it they should return your money.

Call or write the hair salon owner. Writing a letter is a great way to state your case clearly, sans the drama and emotion. That way the owner won’t feel a need to be defensive and can give you their closest and most discreet attention. Keep in mind your first objective should be to correct the mistake and if they have the experience to correct the mistake, you won’t be paying someone else the big bucks to fix it.   Clearly stating the problem as you experienced it, can be a win-win for all . . . even for the original hair colorist who should take some learning strides from their mistake.

Find a Board Certified Hair Colorist. A board certified hair colorist is a professional who has taken the extra time and effort to become more knowledgeable on the mechanics of hair color. These professionals have a proven high level of competency in the area of hair coloring. This is clearly one way in which the consumer can recognize a competent hair colorist. However, the folks who do the certification say,”the certification process will only determine that the hair colorist knows the subject matter.  Even a champion professional golfer picks up the wrong club to make a shot every now and then. No examination can guarantee the individual who passes will perform a hair color the client will be happy with.”

We should also add here that there are many good hair colorists out there who are not board certified. This is just one way for you to be able to find a hair colorist you know is highly skilled and trained.

To find a board certified colorist in your area go to: http://haircolorist.com/

The above website has a practice exam on line for hair styling professionals. If you are a licensed professional and wonder if you could benefit in taking this course go to; FAQ’s, Review Study Material, Practice Exam.

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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