What grows out of our head and has the potential to be the color of a banana?

You got it! Our hair. The cuticle and cortical layer of each hair is yellow. Darker the natural hair the darker the yellow and the lighter blond you are naturally, the paler the yellow. OK, so we aren’t all walking around looking like yellow finches.

What makes our natural hair brown, red, blond or black?

There are 2 colors of melanin stored inside of the cortical layer, called Hue-melanin and Pheo-melanin. One is a red melanin and the other is black. The darker our natural hair the more black melanin you carry in the cortical layer.  But, that does not mean the pale ashy blond has no black melanin, it just means that Hue and Pheo are paler. The black tends to be a shades of gray and the red is a flatter red. No not pink!

So why does our hair tend to have this red or gold tone to it?

Because the first melanin to dissipate when hit with heat or H2O2 (peroxide) is the black melanin. So, we are left with red melanin inside a yellow cutical and cortical layer. and what does red + yellow = ORANGE! Different shades of orange from dark red brown to orange gold to gold to yellow.

What if I don’t want any warmth in my hair?

Good luck! Stay out of the sun, by living in a cave. Who doesn’t look good with a little warmth in their hair ,eyes or body? Warmth is what your hair donates to living, except for black or pale blond hair. So these are things I suggest:

• Shampoo and blowdry your hair every 2nd or 3rd day.
• Wear a hat when in the sun.
• Use sunscreen hair care products. (ask me I’ll investigate for your hair type/price range)
• Ask your colorist to combine a green. neutral and blue based tint to do your brown hair.
• Lastly, Understand your own hairs color donates THE WARMTH!
• Hair color put on by you or the colorist only controls, uses or lightens the warmth you donate.
  

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There you have it. I spilled my guts. Use what you may. At Style like a Pro, my desire is to teach women how to take charge of their styling needs easily, efficiently and to feel great about themselves when they leave their home!

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Ever feel this childish? We all have!

of round, because of the supposed curls. My face did not need more roundness. So everything was wrong with my hair/look. My attitude was let me grow this out and get on with my life. (PS. I could have had all of this mess worked on had I known better.)

This look you wear on top of your shoulders, translates downwards. You can be dressed to the hilt, but if your “crowning glory” is wrong for you, your look will be viewed, by others, as dowdy or trashy. That view could affect a date, a first meeting or a job interview.

To look younger, women with darker hair can safely go one level lighter. To enhance the lightness around their face they can add highlights around and across the tops of their heads. More slices of highlights instead of a heavy weave. Women who were light blond as children but are now light brown, have to be careful not to have their highlights be too light/white. The lighter the highlights, the darker their roots look when they grow out. Highlights should be done once every 8-10 weeks. Six-7 weeks if your hair is darker. if you are doing your highlights more often than that, think about changing your color direction. Darker hair color is in. Did you see how good Christina Aguilera looks in her brown hair. Softer, not so dramatic or ……. Just think if she were 10-15 years older how un-pretty she may have been with that light hair.

J's hair had been naturally dark.

You have to remember that your eyes and skin color fade over the years. Your eyes may have started as bright blue, but 20 years later they are a grey blue and then in 30 more years they will be pale blue. So, now do you get the idea that we need to sometimes go softer in hair color to adjust to what our skin and eye tones are telling us.

Tomorrow I’ll share with you about cutting and styling your “Crowning Glory”.

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I forgot to take a picture of this client’s EMERALD GREEN hair. So imagine that you are in the land of Oz. Yep, that’s how green! She didn’t even know about the unwanted “green” in her hair until her daughter said, “Mom, do your know your ends of your hair are green in the back of your head?” Her long hair framing her face was not green just the top long layers of highlighted long hair was green. Let’s call her Genny. Genny called the salon in a panic, feeling humiliated for walking around for an entire week with green hair ends.

Please don't roll in the grass!

How did she happen to acquire “green” hair?

Blonds always have to safeguard their hair against absorbing chemicals into their hair from a swimming pool or jacuzzi. The chlorine from the pool and the heat from the sun react together to change bleached hair green. Bleached hair from the sun or from highlighting have only a pale yellow color (hopefully) left in the hair structure. this pale yellow to white  is a great canvas for the chemical reaction of “green”.  But, Genny hadn’t been in a pool or jacuzzi.

So how did she acquire this “green” hair? Genny was in Tahoe for the weekend and decided it was too beautiful not to get some outdoor exercise. So being tired from biking and finishing her heavy ride by a golf course, Genny decided it was too beautiful of a day not to enjoy the bright sun, blue sky and puffy clouds roll by. She opted to enjoy looking up via the support of the golf course grass. Yep, that’s right, now we know what it means to be grass green. Can you believe that, the land of clear skies, great mountain air and crystal blue water, golf courses in Tahoe  spray their grass to be greener.

What’s Genny to do?

Great color for grass!

That’s right call me, her hair color mixologist. What will I do for her without harming her hair further? By this appointment her hair has faded somewhat, which means her hair will not hold onto the green chemicals for very much longer. All I have to do is hasten their exit with a shampoo, bleach and peroxide combo to the areas of the hair that were severely attacked. the after shampooing the hair with a clarifying shampoo, I highlighted, low-lighted and toned her hair. The toner was an additional color green neutralizer, because it was was a light beige blond toner with a low volume peroxide. The toner had a hint of red in it to counteract the hint of “green” remaining. then to preserve the integrity of her hair and replace moisture, Genny was given a conditioning treatment.

Voila!

Genny left feeling relieved, happy and feeling good about herself!

(I knew that you can get grass stains from sliding on the grass but, I never in a thousand years, realized that golf course grass could turn your hair green. Let’s add that to list list of “Don’ts for Blondes”.)

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Photo by Bobaloo Rox

When I as a stylist, ask a man about his hair or lack there of, I often get a subdued laugh or an embarrassed look. these men often act like bald is a dirty name or a name that they would  rather not be
associated with. It’s just a fact or is it? A lot of men are choosing to have their heads these days. Should we still call them bald?

Of the men that I have questioned about their lack of hair, most have said they have chosen to shave their head. Reasons vary.

1. It’s easier to take care of, they don’t have to style and pay for haircuts.
2. Their significant others love to feel the smoothness of their head.
3. Their hair is thinning or always has been, therefore, just shave it off.
4. It’s the popular thing to do.
5. To hide ethnicity.
6. Great for men who are graying and are or feel to young to have gray hair.
7. Too hot to wear hair.
8. To make a lifestyle statement

What is the meaning of Bald?

Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak.

Isn’t it funny that the first word of this meaning is DESTITUTE. Means you have a loss of something. But, if you choose to have no hair are you really bald. One hasn’t naturally lost any hair at all.  Should there be a delineation between the sexes for being bald? Perhaps not, a ponytail or the mullet is the same for both sexes.

Are there more sensitive names for choosing to be bald?

Or am I being too sensitive to our genetic plight.How about Smooth Headed, Chrome Dome(hmm),Smoothy, Que Ball (hmm), Hairless (yuck). What are some names you have heard for being bald?

What could change if not the name?

Your attitude towards being bald. I was informed today by Lee Rodrigues of technologydojo.net that his response or attitude towards someone when they refer to him as a “skin head” that he actually thinks of his being a “monk” rather than a skin head.  It can all rest on your outlook on…. life.  If what defines you rests on just the exterior part of who you are, your hair or lack there of, get over it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my hair and I make my living as a colorist/stylist. But, if I came up bald or have the need to shave my head, I’d do it with pride. My hair is not me, alone. It occupies 1/5 of my body exterior. There’s more to us than just our hair. If need be, tattoo it for both men and women. Wear head bands and for men you could call it “Man bands”. Both men and women could wear scarves. Yes men. In the movie “Bottle shock” one of the main characters wore a scarf to keep his hair out of his face. Again, it’s all in your attitude within yourself. But, if your identity is not hairless, there are well made wigs or toupees. With wigs you can change hair color and hairstyle on a whim. But always keep a hat on hand for those really hot or cold days. No need to get skin cancer from the sun or to lose needed body heat from the winter cold.

However you handle being “smooth headed”, carry your pride of your appearance within you first and then the outside will shine.

Define Devine "BALD"

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Is it at the ends, the midshaft, or at the root of your hair? Is it around you hairline?

Could she have some hair breakage? YES!

Ends…

If it’s at the ends, perhaps you have not had a hair cut in over 6 weeks. Get a haircut and a moisture treatment and then condition your hair appropriately at home. Condition from midshaft through the ends. Rinse only for 10-15 seconds. Always blow dry at the scalp first before even attempting to dry the ends.

Midshaft….

If your hair is breaking at the midshaft, perhaps you went through some severe stress or… Do you wear ponytails alot? The stress from the band on your tail could cause hairs to break.

Scalp….

Lastly, is your hair breaking at the scalp? Again, personal stress could be the culprit. Poorly applied hair color or lightner could stress the hair. Also if you are drying your hair with a high powered T3 type dryer, concentrating the nozzle in one area could cause extreme bleaching and weakening of the hair. I did it to my own hair and I am a professional. Be extremely careful!

If you have hairline breakage, that hair tends to be finer, thus perhaps weaker and maybe the type of brush and dryer you use are too strong for that hair. Sometimes using a fine boar bristle brush and low heat and air strength is the best for the hair line.

Other recommendations……

Don’t shampoo your hair every day. If you must try this…Get a shower cap. In the morning, before you get into the shower dampen your hands from the shower rub them in your hair (where you have bed head) put on the cap. The heat while you shower and the moisture from inside the shower cap will reinvigorate your hair. Then, when you go to rearrange your style the hair will respond almost like you had just washed it.

As far as a styling product for stressed out hair ends, apply a serum to the ends. 3 pumps into the palm of your

All long or short ends need moisture reinforcement!

hand while the hair is wet, 2 pumps prior to ironing your hair and 1 pump to protect the ends from our drying environment.

Hope this helps
sandy [at] stylelikeapro [dot] com
and at Phoenix Salon and Day Spa

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