How To Truly Care For Long Hair

I’ve always been a longhaired person. At least that’s how I would define myself. As a kid I was proud of the fact that my hair was so long I could tuck it into my jeans. I loved my hair, it was my security blanket and I felt I would have died if anyone cut it. What I didn’t realize, well into my teens, was that it wasn’t just long. It was scraggly, sun bleached, old, dead, stringy, shapeless, and the bottom half was hanging on for dear life. Even the fact that my father owned a hair salon didn’t change my mind. I’m sure; knowing what I know as a cutting specialist now, the stylists there must have been dying to give me a much-needed cut. I wouldn’t even get trims for fear of loosing my precious beauty blanket atop my head. A weekly ritual in my house growing up was to sit in a chair and have my frustrated mother spray Johnson & Johnson ‘No More Tangles’ into the depth of my rat’s nest. Here she would take on the painstaking task of detangling huge knots, which accumulated from tons of split ends, locking together, and creating massive snarls.

So what are some of the causes of unhealthy long hair? Not brushing, not getting regular trims, cheap shampoo, twisting and twirling hair, over processing, too much sun, excessive use of ponytail holders, and within the last decade, the over use of flat irons!

When hair grows out of your head it ceases to be alive. It’s dead hair, but the hair closer to the scalp, the main source of nutrients, is considered virgin hair. This hair hasn’t had a chance to be damaged by the elements. There is no splitting in this region. It stays lubricated with sebum, the oil secreted from the sebaceous glands on the scalp. Its purpose is to keep the hair soft, supple and lubricated. Unfortunately, in today’s society, it’s stripped by the constant over shampooing of hair. This is usually from the fear of looking or feeling unclean. The ironic thing is that the more you shampoo your hair the more oily it becomes. Almost 90% of my clients over shampoo their hair. Shampooing everyday would be considered excessive, at least for long hair. When I suggest it is not only damaging to the hair but also making it extremely difficult to style, the excuse is always the same thing, “I have to shampoo my hair everyday because it’s so oily.” or “If I don’t, it gets too oily.”

So what are these clients to do? They are right in theory that if they don’t shampoo their hair everyday it will appear greasy, however that is only as long as they are stuck in this cycle. And that’s exactly what it is. When the scalp is shampooed everyday, you are stripping it of its essential oil. So what happens? Your sebaceous glands say ‘oh no! We need to produce more sebum/oil right away!’ The only way to break this cycle is by letting your hair re-balance itself. This means that for the first week; shampoo your hair only every other day. It may seem hard in the beginning, but I assure you your scalp will adjust. Something that can help in the beginning is using a dry shampoo. Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder is a great product that can be sprayed on the hair, soaking up any unwanted oil. The added benefit is that it doubles as a great styling product providing the hair with extra lift and light separation.

If you work out or sweat you can always just rinse your scalp with water. The whole head of hair doesn’t need to be shampooed. The oil or sweat in your hair is nothing to be afraid of. In fact it can act as one of the greatest styling and conditioning products around. We need to get out of the mindset that it’s gross not to shampoo our entire heads of hair everyday. It’s not as if we are working out in the coalmines. It wasn’t until recently that women became obsessed with shampooing their hair everyday. In old movies or even television shows as late as the 1980’s, you could hear girls say they had to stay in for the night to shampoo their hair. Look at hair in any magazine. This hair wasn’t freshly shampooed and then put in front of a camera. In many cases they ask the models not to shampoo their hair because clean hair is too difficult to work with. Products and tools are used to mimic what our hair may do if it wasn’t just shampooed. The term ‘bed head’ came from that sexy, tousled hair that looks lived in, slept on, natural, and organic. Even if your style is sleek and smooth, it will look and react much better with what is referred to as ‘second day hair.’

Here are two simple tips for keeping your long hair healthy and beautiful:

Getting regular trims every two months or so will not only help keep split ends at bay, it will keep the shape that you left the salon with. This is also a chance to check in with your stylist, aka, your professional hair doctor. They can carefully assess the condition of your hair and make some suggestions in your hair care regimen. How can getting regular trims keep your hair long? Because split ends grow higher and higher up the hair shaft, leaving the ends weak, skinny and lacking in integrity. The perimeter of your hair then looks thin and scraggly. It’s all about preventative maintenance. It’s less traumatic to have a smaller amount of hair trimmed on a more regular basis than a lot at one sitting.
Make sure you use a decent shampoo and conditioner. My favorite recommendation to clients is PureOlogy Essential Repair. I suggest you use the shampoo, conditioner, and weekly mask in that line. Many grocery store shampoos are filled with damaging sulphates and are harsh enough to be compared with dish soap.

Written by Mercedes Mancillas, Stylist at Urban Betty Salon

Tips for Bringing out Your Best Curls

Curly hair is an eye-catching accessory you can wear everyday. With the correct styling know how you can flaunt your best curls everyday!

• The biggest complaint about curly hair is that you constantly have to battle frizz. The lack of moisture in curly hair is what causes it to frizz. People with curls have 20 thousand less hair follicles than the average straight haired person. This means curly haired people produce less sebum (natural oil).  Shampooing everyday strips your hair of natural oils that keep the hair moisturized, so it’s important for people with curls to only cleanse their hair every other day, if not every third day.  The shampoo selection is important as well.  Choosing a shampoo that is moisturizing and sulfate free such as Pureology Hydrate Shampoo is your best bet.

• Right after shampooing, blot your hair dry, but not with a terry cloth towel. (Using a terry cloth towel on curly hair is like using Velcro… eeek!)  Instead use an old tee-shirt or go to your nearest fabric store and grab a yard or two of jersey-knit fabric.  This will be your new hair towel.  Brushing curly hair equals frizz, so invest in a wide-tooth comb and gently comb the curls to untangle after blotting it dry.

• Since curls are naturally dry, finding a good leave-in conditioner, such as PureOlogy Essential Repair,  is key to getting the beautiful ringlets you see in magazines.  Apply the leave-in roots to ends and comb thru, this will help replace the moisture that is stripped from shampooing and will help eliminate frizz.  Those of you with thicker, coarser curls may need to apply a curl cream on top of the leave-in conditioner such as the Pureology Illuminating Curl 24 Hour Shaping Lotion.  When choosing a styling product pick an alcohol-free product to prevent unwanted dryness.

• Drying curly hair with a blow dryer can cause dryness and will disrupt the curl, especially when using a high heat setting.  The extra heat can create unruly tresses and dreaded frizz.  The trick is to apply enough styling products to make your curls behave, but also avoid using too much and making your curls stiff. By allowing your hair to air dry and using your fingers to manipulate the curls into several neat spiral cylinders will enhance your curls and decrease frizz. If you’re in a hurry, use a diffuser attachment with the lowest heat setting on your blow dryer. To get shape and bounce, hang your head sideways or upside down. Touch your hair gently and put your curls in the bowl of the diffuser. Move the diffuser towards your head, getting the heat up to the root.  Be careful when moving the diffuser around to not disrupt the curl formation. Keep this up, working in sections until the hair is 80-90% dry. Give your hair a little tousle and your ready to go!

Written by Ryan Carrel, Hairstylist at Urban Betty Salon

How To Make The Most Of Your Hair Consultation

We all strive for that amazing salon experience that puts every other salon encounter to shame, where we dance out of the salon with our hair blowing in the wind like a Pantene commercial. OK, maybe not that drastic, but we do want to walk out feeling new again and happy about the direction our hair is taking. It’s comforting to know that your stylist is on the exact same page from the color, cut, curl expression, home styling, and every other flicker that comes into your head about how you want your hair to act. Stylists should have ESP right? An extra sixth sense so that they know exactly what you mean when you heave a large sigh and say, “Please just fix this! I don’t know what to do with my hair anymore and I think I’m in a hair funk”. Don’t Worry!  There is a bright moment to this cloud, and you are the key. How do you achieve this crazy eye-level intuitiveness with your stylist about your coif? You’re going to have to be honest about your hair expectations. Tell us about the absolutely fabulous times when your hair was at it’s peak and then we want to hear about your worst times when you couldn’t stand to go outside without wearing a hat. We won’t air your hair monologue to the world, so don’t be ashamed about your hair’s history. I routinely had perms back in the mid 90’s and sported a bobbed haircut on my round cheeked face, life happens to the best of us.

So let’s take each one in stride. Everyone loves the good hair times and there’s no hiding that, and we love to talk about the times that we felt our best and everyone around us had hair envy. That might have been a tad eccentric, but you get my drift. Now is the time to tell your stylist about the good things that you like about your hair. Did you like your last haircut? What specifically did you like about your last hair cut? Do you like how it’s growing out? Do you like that random patch of curl at the nape of your neck and want to highlight it’s appearance in your next frock? Tell us these things, because they’re very important and they make up you. Tell us what you like about your color now or a previous color that you had that you really loved. Make up five things, and they can be quick statements, about the pros of your hair. If words are hard to come by, pictures are a great way of telling your story.

Now comes the harder part. What do you not like about your hair? No one’s hair is perfect and usually our hair will have a mind of it’s own. Tell us about those pesky cowlicks, tell us about that horrible time you tried to go blonde after being brunette or that time you cut your own bangs. Asymmetrical and a jagged edge is in right? Most importantly, tell us about your chemical history. Not every color line is equal and yes there is a quality difference between at home and salon quality coloring. Every person has been down the path of picking a box shade from the grocery store. You usually pick based upon the girl’s beautiful hair girl on the front of the box only to discover, hmm, yeah my hair did not turn out at all how I expected. Color is a chemical treatment, and it could react adversely with a previous color or chemical treatment, so let us know what’s going on so that we can quickly diagnose what steps are best for maintaining your hair. It can be hard to be honest about what you didn’t quite like from the previous experience, especially if it’s your regular stylist, but don’t worry. Coming to the salon is fun and it’s a friendly environment, but above all, you’re paying money for a service and we want you to be happy. Is it not as layered as you wanted it? If your hair is too light or dark for your tastes, please talk to your stylist. Once again here is a great place to show pictures you’ve found to reinforce your hair case. Don’t worry about hurting our feelings by being honest and stating any cons from your last visit. If you’re not fully satisfied during your salon visit, we need to know so that we can learn and know what not to do for future visits. Being open and straightforward will save more time on the front end than having to go back and fix something after the fact, a win-win for everyone.

So the good and the bad have been taken care of, now to talk about reasonable expectations. I would love to tell you the secret to growing your hair five inches overnight or to have ten times thicker hair by merely changing your part line. Your hair in its normal state on a normal day is what genetics has bestowed upon you. It could be smooth and sleek or it could look a tad frayed and frizzy because of your recent trip to the coast. Damaged hair is damaged hair no matter how many hair masques and treatments we apply. Believe it or not, a little trim will actually make the hair appear fuller and thicker because it has a nice blunt edge and retains color better than a split end. If your hair is breaking, having trouble curling or retaining color, don’t be alarmed if we advise a trim or cut. Color is a main expectation that could have its differences. What a stylist sees as a Level 8 neutral (medium blonde), the client could see it as an orangey blonde. Your stylist will go over these differences in color to help you to understand the process. Sometimes achieving a look can take several times, in intervals of 6 weeks.

One more thing to mention, don’t forget to talk about your hair routine. I roll out of bed, spray hair spray on my head and let my hair fall where it wants to fall. Sometimes my head will naturally rock a faux hawk and it looks great and then sometimes my hair rebels and it’s a headband day. Do you like to blow dry your hair, let it partially air dry, let it fully air dry, flat iron, velcro roller, or curl your locks with a curling iron? What type of products do you like to use at home? Letting us know how you normally style your hair will play a significant roll in planning your cut or color. With all these helpful hints in tow, you should have an amazing consultation and the best hair experience possible at your next salon appointment.

Written by Nina Gay, Hairstylist at Urban Betty Salon

How to Achieve the Best Results Before, During, and After Your Haircolor Service.

In this day and age most women have or have had their hair colored.  Here are a few helpful hints to help you achieve the best results before, during, and after your hair color service at Urban Betty Salon.

• If getting a high lift tint or bleach applied directly to your scalp, do not shampoo hair for at least 24 hours.  Natural oils will help protect the scalp and minimize the burning sensation.

• Please have your hair combed and easy to brush through.  This will help speed up the hair service and eliminate breakage.

• If your hair is gray and your primary concern is eliminating 100% of the gray, shampoo your hair the morning of your hair appointment.  Gray hair strands can have up to 4 times the cuticle of a normal strand of hair.  The cleaner the hair, the better the penetration.

• Do use a shampoo and conditioner formulated for color-treated hair.  This will help maintain your color and keep it shiny.  We suggest PureOlogy Hydrate Shampoo and Hydrate Conditioner.

• Do not shampoo your hair 48 hours after chemical services.  It takes approximately that long for the cuticle to close back down and seal in all of the color.  Don’t be alarmed when you first shower to see color rinsing down the drain.  There is always some residual color left on the hair and it is completely normal to see it after your first shampoo.

• Don’t swim for 48 hours after chemical services.  The cuticle will absorb any chemicals in the pool and that can have disastrous results.

• Don’t perm and color hair in the same day.  The cuticle can only take so much.

• Brazilian Blowouts and Keratin Treatments are perfectly safe with color treated hair.  However,  you usually need to do the color first and the straightening service after.  You can do the services on the same day as well.  If you cannot schedule your color first, be sure to have the Brazilian Blowout or Keratin Treatment 2 weeks prior to the color appointment.  That way you can eliminate any fading.

• Color stains on the hairline, ears, and neck are normal.  Especially during the winter season when skin is dry.  It usually lasts until your first shampoo.  Please make sure that your hairstylist is applying a blockage cream prior to applying the hair color.  This will help in eliminating some of the staining.

• Most highlight applications can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.  And all over color or bleaching can take 15-45 minutes to apply.  It all depends on the length and thickness of hair.  The average processing time is 20-45 minutes.  Sometimes a dryer, steamer, or infra-red heat is used to speed up the process.

Last but not least, enjoy every minute of your amazing new do.  Be sure to tell all your friends how much you love it and show it off in lots of pictures.  You deserve to be beautiful!

Written by Chelle Morrison, Owner of Urban Betty Salon