Have you ever noticed how your hair can be simply fabulous one week and the next, it can behave like an angry wasp!
Hair changes can be down to many things including diet, medication, hormones or the shape of the style has simply grown out. If you have any concerns about any changes to your hair or scalp, please do speak with one of our Professionals. One of the biggest factors in hair struggles can be simply down to the atmosphere!
We go from a dry summers day to ‘Autumn Days when the grass is jewelled’, keep singing!!! Seriously though, the amount of moisture that hits the air as we head into the new season can dramatically affect your hair. Especially those of you with wavy or fine hair.
As it happens, I have both fine and wavy hair and this week I found myself blow drying and flat ironing whilst trying to hurry a seven year old boy to get dressed for school. After hot-footing it to school and back, only around 2000 steps, I arrived to find I looked like a dishevelled sheep!! As I and drove to the salon, I wondered if the weather, as well as my cutting corners in the morning, had anything to do with the atrocity that was dangling from my scalp…
As a non-hairdressing member of the team, I raised the simple question to Mark, who is like a brother and so I would expect a funny comment, but he replied with a loud fit of giggles when I told him I had smoothed and ironed my hair that morning!
What do you think?
Mark then asked me the obvious question.
‘Are you using an anti-humidity product?’
Well…. No!! Quite simply because I had not needed to use one over the spring and summer and we fall into new habits and out of old ones very quickly.
A humidity resistant product increases body and shine as well as protects the hair from the environment and very often heat too.
We then decided to photograph the transformation to show an honest struggle, possibly experienced by many, as well as a genuine solution.
New guests to the salon, receive a detailed hair prescription showing products and styling tips that will help to recreate their new look at home and our regular guests receive a condensed version so that they can easily spot which one, two or three products or tools would most help them. This advice will change as the factors which affect our hair change such as a new colour or style. The weather, or a product may be discontinued or have been introduced. Fashion and trends also make a difference to our requirements too. Reassessing your home styling routine a minimum of 2-3 times a year is essential to looking great all year round and keeping healthy hair.
If you feel that you are in need of some styling solutions, you could book for a cleanse and finish with any of our Professionals and if you share your ‘hair-strations’ with them, they will be able to give you simple advice and tricks to help such as Amber did for me.
Going back to my ‘School Run Problems’, perhaps we should retitle that ‘Mum’s Hair Styling School Run Problems’ as the primary title could lead us into alphabetised encyclopedia library that may never be finished!
Amber chose to cleanse the hair with Extra-Body Shampoo (£5.75) and Conditioner (£6.60) to build body into the hair. Professional products usually work out better value than commercial ones because they are concentrated and therefore instead of using a handful of shampoo, with Paul Mitchell it is suggested that only a 20p – 50p size blob is used depending on hair length and thickness. Over use of a product can leave it limp, dull and lifeless.
After combing the hair through gently, she sprayed Heat Seal (£7.85) to repel moisture in the environment and to protect the hair from heated appliances. Following the spray, Amber applied Fast Form (£18.75) to give style memory. This creamy gel is an express styling product which actively reduces drying time. #GetInMyBasket
Amber blasted the hair from root to tip to ensure the cuticle was smooth and to reduce the excess water which avoided over styling the hair and reduced styling time. Once the hair had stopped dripping when squeezed, it was time to section the hair using two clips. I informed Amber that sometimes, If I am pushed for time, I will take the bottom three quarters of hair and blow dry in one section. She told me to try to section the hair into at least four sections to enable me to smooth each hair, lock in the style and to lift the hair high enough to create volume.
Hot Off The Press (£16.25) is a popular thermal protection spray and Amber used this on each section once the hair was dry as she used the Paul Mitchell Irons, which have temperature regulators avoiding unnecessary hair burning, to smooth the ends further giving the style more staying power. I noticed how her irons were gliding through the hair much more smoothly than mine do, even though they are the same, and Amber advised me to take thinner sections and go slightly slower. 
Before finishing with Extra Body Firm Finish Spray (£18.75) to stop the fringe parting, Amber chose to lightly backcomb the root area to give lift and keep it in place. You can damage the hair with vigorous back combing so always take care or ask your Stylist for advice.
The finished result was dramatically different to the starting look. The technique was not made difficult and it has been a pleasure to recreate at home. Admittedly, sometimes four sections merge into three but three is far better than the previous two! Blow drying has improved so greatly that the irons are not needed every day either!
The photo to the right is taken at home after returning from the salon and collecting my son from school in the late autumnal afternoon. Such an improvement and it has continued with home styling to an acceptable level! Yay!! 
I urge anyone who is struggling with their hair to come in for some styling advice before you make any drastic decisions. I was so close to chopping it all off after years of growing it simply because I was struggling to manage the existing look. Total overhauls can be wonderful, but they can also be quite overwhelming if you are not completely ready to do so.
Cleanse and Finish appointments are available at £23.50 with Amber, £26.50 with Natalie, £28.50 with Lorna, £32.50 with Tara, £37.50 with Mark, £43.50 with Antonio or £50.50 with Rocco. If you have never been to the salon, you can also find a half price voucher under the Special Offers’ section of this website. Call 01205 368 368 to book! Alternatively, if you are short on time, pop in when you can and speak to one of our team about our take home products and tools which will help.
Thank you for your time and happy hair styling!!
