by Kelli Jones | Feb 6, 2020 | Uncategorized
There is nothing worse than finally getting the courage to get a new hair colour or haircut at the salon and it doesn’t turn out the way you had hoped. We’ve all been there, whether it was cut too short or you didn’t get the blonde you had hoped for or you just didn’t leave the salon in love with your new do. It often comes from a miscommunication between the stylist and client somewhere along the way and could be easily solved if both parties are involved in the consultation process. This is the time when the client and stylist collaborate to achieve the look you desire.
A consultation should be undertaken before any service in the salon no matter how long you have known the hair stylist for. As a client this is the time to explain your wants and needs to your stylist and it is their time to explain if your request is realistic and achievable. Your stylist should also discuss the maintenance required to up keep the desired cut or colour including a home hair care regime, the time it will take to achieve the look and also to offer a quote if it is requested. Once you both agree on the plan then the service can take place. If all of these things are discussed properly both parties should know what is required to make the outcome a successful one. Too often we hear stories of ” she didn’t listen” or “that’s not what i asked for” which is disheartening and often the causes the fear of going to a salon. A thorough consultation can prevent this on most occasions and allow for a great relationship to form between stylist and client.
Something that can help during the consultation process is the use of visual aids such as hair inspo pictures or the in salon colour chart. In this digital age we have a plethora of images available online to help us with ideas and inspiration but one thing to always remember is hair pictures should always be clear and unfiltered, us stylists are seeing far too many hair colour images that are just impossible to achieve as they are created with photoshop or Instagram filters. This often brings unrealistic expectations of what hair colour can do and clients are left feeling disheartened. When choosing a hairstyle try to find pictures that have a similar hair type to yours, this will again give you a better indication of what is achievable with your hair. If you are unsure of your hair type or texture your stylist can help with that. As hair stylists we are all trained in using the colour chart and it will sometimes be a tool used in your consultation. Mostly from a technical point of view stylists will use it to determine your natural colour depth or amount of grey in the hair. It can also be used to show colour tones but remember this is only an indication as most colour swatches are made of nylon and may not give an exact colour match and often your stylist will mix more than one tone to create your personalized colour palette. It is often less confusing to use a picture of a colour you like rather than being bombarded with the whole colour chart selection.
When you have chosen your desired colour or haircut inspiration you need to decide who you will choose to create your look. It pays to do a bit of research if you are looking at changing stylists or even learning what your stylist specializes in. Most hair salons will have a website or social media pages such as Facebook and Instagram. Use these to find out which salons offer what services and if they have a certain stylist that is better at a particular one. For example not all hair stylists perm or chemically straighten hair or some stylists specialize in short haircutting or mens barbering and some salons even have hairdressers who are only colourists. Like any creative job hairdressers have certain things they are better at and more passionate about so choose the one that can offer you what you need.
Changing your look is a big step that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Do your research and make sure you feel your consultation is thorough and you feel comfortable with the stylist you have chosen to perform your make over. At our Edge Hill salon, Reds Hair & Co, we offer a complimentary consultation service where we allocate time to sit and meet with our clients prior to making their booking. This allows time for us to meet properly, talk all the ins and outs of the desired look, give a quote and make a booking allowing enough time to perform the service on the day so no one is rushed. This is a no obligation service so it is a great way to find out all the information before making any definite decisions.
It may seem obvious but a good consultation can be hard to come by. It is an integral part of a hair service and should never be rushed or compromised. Hopefully your next consultation will be exceptional and the collaboration between stylist and client is a successful one resulting in a great new look you can leave the salon happy with.
Words by Kelli Jones, 2020.
by Kelli Jones | Aug 28, 2019 | Uncategorized
In a perfect world all of our curly haired friends would do just about anything to have super sleek locks. They have argued with straighteners of every brand, bought every humidity resistant product on the market and still they just can’t get it straight enough. Then comes the question, should I chemically straighten my hair?? Hey but now there is Keratin smoothing treatments, which is better? What do they all mean? Let me explain how each product works and if they are the appropriate service for you.
Permanent straightening is the big guns in chemical services that are performed in salon. At Reds Hair & Co. our product of choice is Matrix Opti Smooth and just like a perm this product is used to break down the bonds in the hair and reform and neutralise them to a new state, straight or in a perming situation, curly. These chemicals that are breaking down the bonds are serious business and the most in depth consultation with your stylist is needed to determine whether your hair is suitable for this service and it is important to share your desired outcome so your stylist is aware of what you expect from the straightening. Most stylists would not perform a permanent straightening on blonde or heavily coloured hair as the hair bonds have already been compromised from colour services and to go ahead could cause breakage and possibly irreversible damage to the hair. Straightening can be performed on some coloured hair types though it must be in optimum condition. This is something that also needs to be addressed after the service. A professional home hair care regime is definitely required to add moisture and strength back to the hair after the straightening service, at Reds Hair & Co. we strongly advise this to keep your hairs condition at its best. Straightening may also inhibit future colour options as lightening over straightening can cause excess stress on the hair so your stylist may advise against it. Then of course there is the regrowth. As your hair grows your natural curl or movement will noticeably come back to the new growth area. It needs to be about three inches at least to have the solution successfully reapplied, a smaller regrowth may cause overlapping in the application which could be detrimental to the hairs condition. So all of this sounds complicated and extremely damaging to your hair, which it can be if not done by a professional. Straightening can be very beneficial to certain hair types . If your hair is frizzy and unmanageable having the straightening done may help smooth away the frizz and make your hair easier and quicker to style, that is a win. Some styling may still be needed to get your hair poker straight, especially when humidity is involved, so it is important to be realistic with the desired outcome of the service. This is something you should discuss with your stylist when you have your consultation done before the service is performed. Chemical straightening can take anywhere from approximately 4 – 6 hours to compete and you can’t get your hair wet for 72 hours after the service so take this into consideration when making your booking.
Now what are Keratin smoothing treatments all about? Before we get started on that the first myth is it is not a treatment as we know a traditional treatment. It is still a chemical service and should always warrant a thorough consultation as there are some hair types like very overprocessed, blonde hair or coarse afro hair that this service might not be appropriate for and would not achieve the best results.
Keratin smoothing services are fairly new to the salon service menu after being around for about 9 years. In our Cairns salon we use the Brasil Cacau Eco Keratin treatment. Unlike their chemical straightening counterpart Keratin smoothing treatments give more of a temporary result and concentrate on smoothing the hair texture instead of changing the hair structure permanently. When our hair becomes damaged from sun exposure, over styling or chemical services we lose keratin causing the cuticle layer which is the outside layer of our hair shaft to become quite ruffled leaving the hair texture frizzy and unruly. Imagine our hair is a road and the missing keratin are potholes which leave the road, or in this case hair shaft, bumpy. When we perform a keratin smoothing service the gaps get filled creating a smoother surface resulting in less frizzy, easier to manage hair. The service can take anywhere from 2-4 hours and does require a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner afterwards to help maintain the result. At Reds Hair & Co we recommend the Elements range from Wella Professional. Unlike chemical straightening hair can be washed before the 72 hour wait period though styling may still be required to get your hair super straight. Keratin smoothing services are more about creating manageable, easier to style hair as opposed to dead straight hair and still allows you the versatility of wearing your hair curly or more natural. During the keratin smoothing service your hair colour may be affected. Sometimes we see blondes and greys go slightly brassy and darker colours may notice some fading so your hair may require a toner or semi permanent colour when your service is complete, this is something to discuss with your stylist during your consultation. The keratin smoothing is a temporary service lasting approx 3-6 months and the longevity is dependent on your lifestyle, how often you’re colouring and washing and how well you maintain the service with the correct home hair care regime. Something else to be noted is that keratin Smoothing is not recommended whilst pregnant or breastfeeding.
When deciding whether to go the permanent straightening or keratin smoothing route the most important thing is having an extensive consultation so your stylist is aware of your expectations from the service and you fully understand your responsibility in maintaining the result. Both services can provide amazing results when performed on the correct hair type but both have their disadvantages as well so making an informed decision is paramount. Come and see us at our Edge Hill salon for a complimentary consultation and find out which service would be best for you and your hair.
By Kelli Jones, 2019.
by Kelli Jones | Jul 25, 2019 | Uncategorized
So you’ve decided to go lighter and your hair has gone orange? Whether it has been professionally done or attempted at home this is an issue we hear about all to often and although we wish it could be an easy fix, the solution could range from anything from a simple toner to a full on colour correction. We do always recommend seeing a professional for these services as incorrect applications and choice of products can be detrimental to your hair and the outcome but starting with why this happens can give us a better understanding of how to avoid it.
When we lighten hair, whether it’s natural or coloured, we expose what we call the underlying pigment. This can range from red to orange to yellow depending on the depth of hair we are working with. If the hair isn’t lightened enough it can leave the underlying pigment (or warmth as us hairdressers call it) exposed usually resulting in the need for a toner. If the correct toner isn’t used to cancel out the warmth you can be left with the orange or yellow hair or worse left with a muddy green tone or even blue hair if it is over toned. Sounds confusing, right? As hairdressers we learn and are experienced with the effects of hair lightening and can determine a successful plan to get you to your desired result without the orange. This should include a reasonable time frame and what is required on how to achieve the hair colour you desire, an understanding of how to keep the integrity of the hair paramount and the correct home hair care regime to support this.
Your desired outcome or end goal is the result we are striving to achieve. This could be from simply correcting the orange with the appropriate toner or going lighter with more highlights or an all over lightener application which gets us into colour correction territory. To assist your stylist in this we do need to know your exact desired colour and also your hair’s colour history as that may affect the outcome. For example if the hair has previously been chemically straightened or lightened or has a build up of store bought colour this may mean your hair condition is already compromised and lightening it further may not be an option or a strand test may be required to ensure your hair is strong enough to withstand further lightening services. If your hair is not viable for further lightening then toning it will be the best option to reduce the warmth in your hair and your stylist should recommend a home hair care regime to improve the condition until further colour services can happen. If you are going significantly lighter it may not happen in one process so making a plan is the best way to understand the process and not feel disappointed.
With all this talk of toners they sound pretty important don’t they? Toners are what we use to counteract that warmth or unsightly orange that the lightening process can produce. Most blondes do require a toner to give the lightened hair its final hue and these can vary from ash to golden and every other combination in between. A common mistake is just going straight in with an ash toner and this is where experience about how colour works is really important. Hair colour is based on the colour wheel so an ash toner generally has a blue base. If you did art in school you will remember that blue is opposite orange on the colour wheel meaning the cancel each other out or in hairdresser speak blue counteracts orange. But if only it were that simple. If the undertone isn’t correctly identified mistakes or disasters can happen. For example if it is more yellow than orange you could end up green because remember what happens when we mix blue and yellow?? We make green, similar rules apply to colour. Toners are an integral part of colour correction but you need to know what you’re doing to get the best result for your hair.
One of the most important factors in any colour process is your hair’s condition. There is no point in having a great colour if your hair feels like straw or is breaking off. Lightening hair incorrectly has the ability to cause breakage and what we call ” a chemical haircut”. This happens when the hair is so over-processed and the bonds of the hair have been destroyed causing the hair strands to snap. Often this kind of hair resembles fairy floss and it is exactly what you want to avoid, seeing a qualified experienced stylist is a must. Lightened hair requires the very best home hair care regime to ensure your hair stays in optimum condition for each colour visit. Along with your regular shampoo and conditioner most stylists would recommend a silver shampoo to keep the brassiness out of blonde hair. These shampoos are not toners nor will they lighten hair in anyway but they do help counteract the warmth that sometimes comes through as the toner fades between salon visits. They will only work on hair that is lightened enough and are not a fix for the orange but more of a maintenance product when the desired blonde is achieved. Your stylist may also recommend to come for more regular toners. This helps keep the warmth at bay until further lightening can go ahead to get you to a cooler blonde.
Hair lightening is tricky business and it should always be undertaken by a professional. Between ending up with orange hair or possibly irreversible breakage it’s just not worth attempting it on your own as more often than not you will have to spend more to get it fixed. When we make a plan as hairdressers to take our clients from dark to light we will address the stages of lightening and explain the possibility of orange and how to overcome it throughout the colour correction process. Some orange is unavoidable in this process but when done properly we can get you to your desired result while keeping your hair in it’s best condition. If you are considering going lighter or have ended up orange give the team at Reds Hair & Co a call on 40320445 and organise a complimentary consultation so we can make a plan and get you to your dream hair.
Written by Kelli Jones, 2019.
by Kelli Jones | Feb 11, 2019 | Uncategorized
A new face for our Edge Hill salon.
Reds Salon has been synonymous with bespoke hair styling as an ultimate service hair salon in Cairns now for 23 years with Lee and Heather Cohen leading the change in the hair industry in Cairns. As of September, 2018 we saw Lisa Peters take over the reins of the Edge Hill salon as the Cohen’s moved onto the next part of their journey after relocating to the Gold Coast. With Lisa at the helm and the experienced team of stylists behind her Reds will continue to bring excellent service along with the best hair cutting and colouring in a relaxed and professional environment.
With over 11 years experience in the hair industry Lisa has trained extensively in all facets of hairdressing and went onto further her skills and manage the Townsville Reds salons for 5 of those years. Learning from the Cohen’s, the strong salon culture has been bred into Lisa and her team and that ethos will always remain at the core of the salon’s values. With that strength at the heart of the business it is now time to refresh the face of Reds Salon and introduce our Reds Family to the future look of the salon they know and love.
Reds Hair & Co will continue to offer exceptional skill and knowledge in all aspects of hair styling by keeping up to date with the latest in hair cutting and colour trends. Our services include highlighting, balayage, colour correction, advanced cutting techniques, upstyling and formal event hair, chemical straightening, perming, keratin smoothing treatments and makeup applications.
As our face changes we are also making small changes in salon to improve our guest experience such as a revamped décor, the option of Salon Pay or our soon to be offered dining in menu. All of these things create a new and improved Reds experience while keeping our strong culture and passion at the forefront of what we do. At Reds Hair & Co we will maintain our commitment to use and recommend premium products and will continue our partnership with Wella, System Professional, Nioxin and Sebastian hair care.
At the heart of our salon are our wonderful clients who we call our Reds family. We invite you to our new space and would love further our relationship with you at Reds Hair & Co. Whilst our space is evolving our passion has never changed, call or email us to book in your next appointment or free consultation to experience the future of Reds.
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