Be Aware of End of Summer Hair

When the sun is shining, most days, and a beach or roof deck is inviting, we are soaking up the sun's rays.  Some love the beachiness this adds to brunettes and the brightness it brings out in blondes. What nobody loves, though, is the dryness of those thirsty, sun-drenched ends.  And, for some, the sunkissed blonde can come on too strong, especially if you embrace the sun all summer long.  The solution, a conditioning color gloss and a moisture treatment.  At Aveda, we have an amazing deposit-only conditioning color treatment that is up to 99% naturally derived, and can saturate the summer scorched hair with shine and tone without damage. We also have a home care line specifically designed to remedy summer hair. Try the Sun Care Protective Hair Veil before and during sun exposure and the Sun Care After Sun Masque as a treatment to revitalize after a day at the beach or pool.  

End of summer promotion: Send a friend special.  Send a new guest to Aveda Vandam Salon for a color service and they will get a complimentary botanical therapy hair treatment, customized to their conditioning needs, a $25 value. Plus, for sending a friend, you will receive a complimentary botanical therapy treatment as well, during your next color service.  

For the Gentlemen: Let it Grey

The gentlemen’s hairstyle trends are seeing a classic swing, and men are cleaning up the scruffy look for something more refined. A clean side part with the right cut, maybe some pomade and a beard trim; instantly debonaire. The look could be inspired by Great Gatsby or Mad Men or anywhere in between. It is a timeless, truly classic look. There is very little room for color here. Men with this look shouldn’t appear to be covering grey or highlighting. It needs to be natural. Who would argue that Anderson Cooper, or George Clooney, or John Stewart would look better without any grey hair? Probably nobody, ever.

With my male clients, I use a few techniques to reduce the appearance of grey without the ugly grow out. Do you want dark hair with white or grey roots? I don’t think you do. I keep the front hairline and part natural, and any color that is used blends in with the natural hair color composition. I am a big fan of deposit-only color that does not leave artificial looking warm tones in the hair that permanent colors might.

If highlights are added, they are applied finely to the tips in a controlled yet beachy, sun-kissed way.

Whose Hair is it, Anyway?

As a hairstylist, I occasionally have requests from guests to adjust the color within a couple days of the service.  They loved it when they were in the salon, but  it looked different at home, or in the elevator, or in the bathroom at work.  It happens.  I understand. What is tricky sometimes, is when a guest requests a change because their significant other doesn't like it. For a long time, this reason for adjusting color bothered me.  I would want to make the guest happy, but part of me would wonder, whose hair is it, anyway?

I am about to get personal here. I was in a long term relationship when I started cosmetology school.  I also was in a long hair phase.  My boyfriend loved my waist length hair, and despite my future career, he didn't understand why I wanted to start going shorter with my cut.  He even went so far to say I wasn't skinny enough to wear short hair.  I think I was a size 6 at the time.  While we were dating, I never went shorter than chin length, but he hated it. He didn't understand why I had to change so much.  I was afraid to admit to my peers that I couldn't go any shorter without upsetting my boyfriend.  I know what they would have said about it, collectively.  Whose hair is it, anyway?

After my boyfriend and I inevitably broke up, I waited a month, and then went for the short cut I wanted and deserved.  I felt more confident in my look than ever before, and people around me noticed.  I was determined to never let someone else dictate my appearance again.  I also felt like I needed to share my story with other women that kept the same hairstyle because it was what their partner wanted for them. I thought I was helping these women, empowering them.  Instead, I scared some of them off. 

Fast forward to this week. I am in a great new relationship. Of course, my new boyfriend wants to know my opinion about his hair.  I wasn't shy about letting him know that it could look better. Then, he asked me to recommend a new stylist for him (since I don't cut hair) and he even asked me to come along so I could tell the stylist how I wanted his hair to be cut. I was a little hesitant at first, worried about being "that girlfriend," and whether the stylist would wonder whose hair was it, anyway? Despite my initial reservations, I went along with my boyfriend and helped him explain how I wanted his hair to change. The stylist didn't seem to mind, and it did look great after. The next day, my boyfriend got a lot of attention at work; the new cut was a hit.  He owned it, although he was sure to mention to people that it was my idea.

Now, I have to think again about who influences us, and the changes we make or not. It can be a healthy thing, to respond to suggestions from partners and peers.  I think the most important thing, though, is that it is a positive experience, and not a limiting one.  It is your hair, after all.