Blow Dry Bars

What would you do if your dentist stopped doing everything except cleaning your teeth? No cavity filling, no x-rays no nothing?
Or we simply stopped cutting and coloring hair?
What statement would be made by giving up our hard earned skills or if we never had them to begin with?
Well that’s how a certain segment of the salon industry views Blow Dry Bars.
Although highly successful and making sense to some degree these blow dry only bars might do well in cities like NY where people are on the fly from the gym to work to dinner to meetings and need their hair styled in between; but why not just call your regular salon and/or hairdresser to get this done?
It seems silly to have spent $10-$13K on school, to get licensed. Open a salon; pay the same fees, permits, licensing etc. only to limit your services to blow dry’s.
Are these people taking the easy way, do they have a new cutting edge business model or did they simply cop out of the salon industry because they are just mediocre?
These are just some of the questions that come to mind as we see this type of “salon?” crop up here and there.
Is it the convenience of sitting and waiting no appointment necessary like a barber shop, to get your hair blown out or is your regular salon too busy for you?
Accommodations are our business so we are always prepared to take a client for any service. Should we ever become too busy to get you in for a blowout, you’ll be sure that we will simply hire another salon professional to get you in for your blow out.

Feel free to post your thoughts, we are curious about this topic. Oh and if you need a blowout, well; just call us, email us, text us, blog us, FB us-we're always here for you.

What Makes Fabulous Hair?

Who doesn’t want fabulous hair? It is something we strive for, covet, dream of and for many chase after as you hop from one salon to another.
For some of the lucky people out there they have been blessed with great hair, texture and density (which is the quality of the hair fabric and the amount of hair per sq. inch) and many of these people maintain this great hair by doing less.
Others obsessively seek things far from what they possess naturally, thus pushing the limits of what their hair can do.
They perm or straighten to damaging degrees, they over flat iron, over color and or over bleach. In these cases both the hairdresser and client are to blame. Many hairdressers have no care or emotional integrity in their work and will simply over process over chemical a client’s hair at their request in search of something they simply are not.
These clients do not have a realistic expectation, nor do they care or consider the long term quality of their hair. If it gets damaged they cut it, and seek another salon.
In the salon industry, the person who touches your hair last is responsible. This is not a fair or true statement.
The true professional cares dearly for your hair. The true professional makes recommendations every time you come to the salon. They will offer treatments, products, color options, color glazes and glosses, and advice not only on the best cut but how to style it.
They will not compromise the integrity of your hair under any circumstance. With such integrity comes the risk of losing those clients who cannot understand or appreciate the impact and meaning of this.
For example, the “BLONDOREXIC” clients want unrealistic results; they push their lightening ability of their hair in order to be far from what nature created them to be. The end results are always “BLORANGE” color or overly damaged nearly white cotton fried hair.
The holds true to changing the texture from straight to curly or curly to straight.
When the limits are pushed the hair suffers and so does the reputation of the salon and salon professional.
So what makes fabulous hair and how do you get it?
It starts with a very realistic, honest, consultation about your hair. The salon professional will analyze your hair’s texture, density, existing color, natural color, percentage of gray (if any), and study its length and your facial features, skin tone and eye tone.
From this point several options will be offered about they length, type of cut, color and home care.
The true key to fabulous hair also lies in the credentials of the person doing your hair. Make sure they are involved with hair shows and education. Ask them about what they believe in.
You must first care about your hair before they can. All too often the true salon professional cares more about the client’s hair and its quality more than the client.
I have personally heard many people point blank ask for either unrealistic results, expect a miracle, tell me they don’t maintain their hair often, or don’t care about the condition so long as they get light enough.
How can a professional deal with hearing such things?
Some salons are like bars where the hairdresser is the bartender and will serve whatever you want no questions asked. Some salons are like those unscrupulous plastic surgeons that take the money and could care less.
Other, such as Samantha and I, truly care deeply for the wellbeing of your hair, is condition, quality and overall finish.
The other side of selling homecare is not just about a salon making a buck but truly caring about your hair’s integrity and having you be able to recreate your look at home. Things like shadow lighting and glosses along with proper treatments will only serve to create healthy color longevity.
Let’s face it, there are those that walk into a salon and their haircolor and condition and style look great. They save money by listening to the suggestions on how to maintain the look and care for it. They use professional product recommended by their professional, not jumping to drug stores and QVC for the latest “whatever” sounds good to them.
They trust the salon professional in all things hair related!
So their key to fabulous hair seeking out the top professional and following their advice. They are not there to create something outdated, unhealthy, inappropriate or damaging.
It is their ability and your trust that allows hair to showcase its finest attributes. These attributes are using what Mother Nature gives. Harnessing the hair’s natural undertones, warmth and texture qualities without veering too far from what is naturally given is essential.
Remember, pushing the hair’s limits leaves you limited, compromised and the further you push it the less shine and luster it will have.
Staying within 2-3 steps lighter or darker is vital and it’s what the top top professionals will always advise.
Your stylist will enhance your eyes, and facial features including your bone structure with the right cut. The right cut will accentuate everything. Trust what they say in terms of length, layers, bangs and texture.
Follow carefully what they use in your hair. When you leave looking and feeling awesome it’s because of what and how they used it to create it.
A salon chooses its products carefully, it’s what they believe in and what performs best for the type of work they do.
The colors, shampoos, treatments, style aids; all have not only a performance quality but also have an ingredient quality that all balances out properly with your hair type and the type of work they are committed to.
Using any product that you think works or can save you money is not the case.
One of our professional friend’s and colleague wrote this great article that will also help in your having fabulous hair. http://haircoloradvisor.blogspot.com/2011/11/choosing-new-salon-how-to-avoid-top-7.html?spref=fb
Fact, the majority of salons are under qualified, have no education past beauty school, do not care about the integrity of your hair, want your money, and will ruin it for those salons that are the exact opposite because the trust has been broken for the client.
So when you see someone with fabulous hair, stop and ask them where they got it done. Don’t be afraid to travel and spend a few extra dollars on yourself and your hair.
When was the last time someone complimented your hair?

Merry New Hair

This season color is all over the place. From Punk colors, to dipped ends, to Rooty effects to classic color; we have it all.
As chaotic and unpredictable as our world, haircolor is whatever your mood wants it to be at any given time.
We are in such a creative pot of whim these days that clients can experience all varieties of looks.
So how can you achieve all this excitement without breaking the bank and without completely changing everything about your color and cut?
Simple: add a few highlights to frame your look and go for an exciting tone, or if you already have an existing base color with highlights just try glossing those dimensional strands with a new shade. This will completely shift and change your appearance with no extra cost or time.
The famed Ombre is getting a new twist. The once extreme look has shifted into a beautiful oozing, glowing feel on the mid shaft and ends of the hair. Think of a cascade effect from your darker root area growing into a lighter sun-kissed version of your own color. Ombre can be seen as hair dipping.
Brunettes are rising to new heights of sexiness. It is a mature responsible color that never goes out of style, its classic and can be so fun and sensual. Just add new tones of golden brown and chocolate to you current brown by infusing light browns with dark browns to create the shadow effect. It is no longer about specific highlights and lines or contrasts of lightness but about creating the illusion of reflection and space. Imagine accenting your brown with veils and valances of similar hues of brown ever so slightly twinkling in 2 part counterpoint.
Blondes are rich and tonal, not washed out, faded or over processed. The modern blonde is hot and smoking with gold, butterscotch, caramel, sand, bamboo, maple, and almond with touches of cinnamon, curry, or cayenne. These are multi tonal, thicker in richness blondes like never before. Blondes are not supposed to just go lighter and lighter without reason but rather to show how empty or negative space can create the perfect interior shadow to background your haircut lines with those brighter tones.
Cuts are ranging from long and tossy to short and asymmetrical depending on who you are. Don’t be afraid to lose some length, it could be the exact mood enhancement you need. More waves and curls are expected so it’s time to grab some curling irons and give the flat iron a vacation this holiday season. Texture creates interest, this could be the interest needed to be noticed in 2012.

Conditioning Treatments – Don’t Get Fooled Again

Salons advertise conditioning treatments. How do you know what you are getting and what you are paying for?
As a consumer you must ask questions about their so-called “conditioning treatments”
A great tip off to see if you are being ripped off is when salons advertise “deep conditioning treatment”
What does that exactly mean?
What is the point and purpose of a conditioning treatment?
Many salons take advantage of this by buying the largest, cheapest, horrible quality, junk they can find and dispense it in a cup of some type and an assistant applies it and places you under a dryer.
These “deep conditioning treatments” are nothing more than water (aqua), cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride, fragrance (parfum), potassium chloride, distearyldimonium chloride, disodium edta, dmdm hydantoin, silk powder, tocopheryl acetate (vitmain e acetate), methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone,

In other words just a bunch of heavy laden products filled with junk that fools you into a false sense of hair manageability.

Consumers typically over use hair conditioners for the purpose of being able to comb through their hair on a daily basis.

In fact many of these products immediately promote hair color fading and weigh the hair down. That slick quick fix you get coats the outside of the hair allowing you to comb it but beyond that causes more harm than good and yes you can over use and abuse conditioners.

For this purpose people need a good quality detangler which closes the outer layer of the hair making combing the way it should be. These are weightless and color safe.

As far as haircolor goes, the typical conditioner out there is a larger molecule than haircolor and cause what I refer to as the Pac Man effect. The conditioning molecule eats up that beautiful color you just spent all that money on. Therefore you must be using color safe, color retaining product that is balanced with the color you are paying for. Similar ingredients vs. some other brand not formulated for your haircolor.

So when a salon offers a conditioning treatment ask what is in it, what will it do for me, will it fade color, is it designed for my hair type and texture.

Be careful what you end up paying for these bogus salon rip off services.

A reputable salon will have an array of “Treatment” options on their menu and will be called so. These honest salons will have products designed for different and specific needs to improve the health and quality of your hair and can back up their claims with fact and proof in the performance and the ingredients.

A Hair Studio Artists we are proud of our many quality treatment options that are performance and ingredient driven.

We work with Malibu C, Inspired by a long held commitment to health-based beauty, Malibu Wellness is a leader in the salon natural treatment category and home to Malibu C®, a groundbreaking brand of patented formulas blended with freshly activated vitamin crystals. Malibu C powerfully and effectively draws and removes damaging hard water deposits and environmental impurities that can diminish the health and appearance of both hair and skin - leaving each with renewed clarity and vitality. This first of its kind revolutionary technology uses a potent L-Ascorbic Acid form of Vitamins C.

We are proud to inform you of your options. Currently we carry treatments for swimmers, blondes, hard water, repair and special in-salon treatments that can correct or adjust color, as well as our most potent hair detox that removes impurities, product buildup, toxins and helps restore hair to a place of color clarity and condition.
Each one is specifically designed for that specific purpose and we also use Patrice products for our shampoo and styling line. Patrice is all natural, simply one ingredient away from organic while our Malibu line is 100% vegan.
In addition we carry power dose treatments designed for color treated clients who want long lasting luscious shine, contrast clarity and repair for damaged blondes and over bleach hair.
Because we care so much about the canvas of hair being the most important venue for creating our highly skilled work we have chosen to keep our price points affordable with little to no mark up.
Once you pass the $30 mark on a treatment you have to start questioning integrity. We base treatment pricing on the time and knowledge we need in order to make the properly informed decisions about your hair as well as on the quality of the company and their ingredients.
We will drop any line that veers from this or that takes their business to the supermarket or drug store level.
It is important to us to offer this knowledge to you so that you understand the mutual commitment we share to you, your hair, and to having you remain loyal and raving fans of our salon.
So next time you see QVC, or are in the supermarket, or happen to talk to someone from another salon or friend who goes to another salon think really hard about what we have shared.

Are you Brave Enough to be Red?

The latest science shows that natural redheads are slowly fading into extinction.
But in the world of beauty this highly admired and exciting color is very much alive and in demand.
The red trend started in 2010 and has been growing stronger and stronger.
There are warm red and cool reds, bold red and sensual reds, romantic reds and spicy reds.
Reds can be red or orange in nature. When we refer to Auburn we refer to red reds while speaking of strawberry blonde we are referring to copper based reds.
Warm reds belong on people with pink, yellow or neutral skin tone.
The most amazing strawberry blondes belong to those with very fair skin, those with freckles, pale skin with either blue or green eyes.
When I think of red I think of Julianne Moore, Ginger from Gilligan’s Island, Lucille Ball, Maureen O’Hara and Rita Hayworth.
Who is your favorite red?
Reds are some of my favorite creations and to make them even more unbelievable I like to create them dimensionally with hidden hues of light and dark complimentary tones and reflections. Creating the illusion of something happening but not quite sure what is the goal. You want to see elements of the red spectrum. Study any natural redhead up close and you’ll see a tonal variation party subtly oozing through the strands.
Here is our latest and soon to be famous redhead Emily Thompson, notice the stunning impact of the color on her and her on the color. Emily is on her way to NY for her audition for NYC Broadway Evita.

MALIBU MAKEOVER TIME

Transform ho-hum hair to beautiful, radiant, healthy hair with the Malibu MakeOver!

Your hair is like the sticky side of tape, it is attracted to everything out there. On a daily basis your hair harbors all kinds of toxins and impurities. It fills up with pollutants, chemicals, second hand smoke, product buildup, water supply minerals and much much more.
Swimmers report:
• Severe chlorine damage
• Crunchy, fiberglass, gummy-feel to hair
• Clumpy, tangled hair
• Discoloration
• Split ends

Highlighted people say:
• Brassy
• Hidden highlights
• Dull discoloration

Color-treated hair can be:
• Brassy color
• Fades quickly
• Straggly, undefined curl
• Hair feels dry & brittle

Relaxed Hair Before:
• Dry & Damaged
• Dull & Drab
• Breakage
• Scalp irritation

This can all be fixed and repaired with the Malibu Makeover

This two-step 100% vegan salon treatment begins with the Crystal Gel Normalizer, a patented packet of pure antioxidant vitamin crystals which naturally and gently lift away malicious mineral deposits and other environmental toxins hiding in your hair, preventing it from performing at its peak. The second step, Miracle Repair Power Protein Builder, is a rice and flax protein-rich reconstructing treatment which infuses protein deep into the hair structure only where damage exists, strengthening strands from within, resulting in a dramatic difference! You’ll be wonderfully wowed with strands at their swingy, shiny best and your hair will be crystal-clear prepared for color or texturizing services.

Transform ho-hum hair to beautiful, radiant, healthy hair with the Malibu MakeOver!

What the High of Hair Shows Means for You

Just coming off the high of hair shows is what inspires Samantha and I. The last 2 weeks were spent traveling, learning and filming as well as working with some of the industry’s best talent.
I am sure all of you are asking what’s in?
First off Hair Studio Artists sees your hair as a composition in which we compose a 3 dimensional piece of artwork on a living canvas.
Imagine adding sheer curtains, drapes and veils to your already beautifully created haircolor and cut.
Highlights and haircolor are evolving to new heights. Think molten haircolor with see through colors, translucent colors oozing together. High contrast and separation are a thing of the past.
Blondes are warmer, amber coppers and reds are favorable and wood browns dominate the spectrum.
Haircolor lives at the bottom not the top. By this we mean that highlights are not spewing from your scalp but rather cascading and feathering down; leaving the hairline natural and the scalp area not so busy. This negative space creates the perfect background to make our creative elements standout. Remember, too many foils is just a single process color done with foil.
You will see the evolution of the Ombre become more subtle and friendly as we melt similar colors on the ends.
Balayage will see a makeover in how it is executed where traditional Balayage will remain for those that can truly appreciate why a foil is not needed.
The top rule of haircolor is that there is no light without darkness. The days of 400 foils are gone unless you’d like your single process color in a foil. (LOL)
For cut and style, bangs are back and they are strong. Extensions are affordable and available as a clip on accessory. Just book a consultation, we’ll order exactly what you need and custom color them for you to match that perfect look when you want to special occasion or party hair.
Curls are back but not with perms but rather some awesome use of our new collection of irons. Waves, open curl, and a simple pin up is all that’s needed to look refreshed and sophisticated as we approach fall.
Cuts are long, sleek and full of multidimensional color; short styles are strong classic and exaggerated.
Hair Studio Artists will be adding a new line of treatments for swimmers, well water, color, and more.
Big News Coming for all of us, stay tuned.