This is a reblog of Your Top Hair Questions by Jessica Wicklund of Moda & Estilo We compiled the hair questions we get asked most often and brought them to Michelle Myers, American Board Certified Hair Colorist and owner of Salon Michelle. She not only answers popular hair related questions, but also gives tips and tricks to ensure the best possible cut and color. How can I tell what the best hair color is for my skin tone? “The consultation between the client and a board certified hair colorist is the most important part of a color service. During the consultation, the hair colorist should ask lots of questions about the client’s hair to determine what color will work best for the client.” How do I keep my hair from getting brassy? “There are a couple of different ways. Purchase a prescribed shampoo that your hair colorist has recommended. The one thing I always tell my clients is if you bought an angora sweater what would you wash it with? The answers is a specialty soap. The same thing happens with your hair color. It’s the best piece of clothing you own and you want to keep the color vibrant and shiny. I also recommend coming into the salon every four weeks to refresh your color, tone down the brassy or neutralize it. A glaze works the best for leaving the hair smooth and shiny.” Why do I have to get my hair colored and straightened at the same time, or wait for two weeks? Is doing both damaging my hair? “Very tricky question. Let’s make this clear; there are two treatments that general clients get confused with: the straightening treatment and a smoothing treatment, which are two different treatments. A true straightening treatment consists of changing the structure of the hair. After a straightening treatment has been performed, the hair colorist will choose only a semi-color for the hair. So yes, that means only a semi-color can go on the hair the day of the service; all other coloring techniques will compromise the integrity of the hair. This is where the two weeks comes in, after getting a straightening service. Now if you get a smoothing treatment, you may use color techniques the same day; then a smoothing treatment is applied to give the hair a smooth and shiny look. A smoothing treatment closes down the cuticle and leaves the hair in its natural form. As for a straightening treatment, it physically changes the structure of the hair and makes curly hair straight. Why do highlights bleed with fine hair and how can you prevent that? “There are a couple of reasons why there are bleed spots: It’s too close to the roots, the weave is too deep, or the color mix is not applied correctly. How can you prevent that? Seek out salons that are board certified by the American Board of Certified Hair Colorists.” What cuts are best for different face shapes? “A haircut is a great way to express your personality. There are four main face shapes Oval, Round, Square, Heart. Now that doesn’t mean that every person falls into that box; this is just our foundation to give you balance for a great haircut. Oval: Is an easy shape to cut to because it is perfectly balanced. Most haircuts will work well. Round: Something like a side bang, with a side part to balance the face shape. Choppy layers also work well because it gives the right height to the crown area. Square: Have the best bone structure that can show off a great cut. C-shaping works best around the face, keeping the length below the jawline. Long layering with a side-sweeping bang or romantic waves also looks great on someone with a square face shape. Heart: Heart-shaped faces have a delicate chin and wider cheekbones. Chin length bobs work well with this face shape, as well as choppy layers, as long as they are at the jawline to add fullness. How do you keep blonde hair from looking yellow? “There are special shampoos, conditioners, and mousses made for neutralizing the yellow out of the hair. I recommend a glaze every four weeks to refresh the color of your hair. The same is true for brunettes who want to keep their hair from looking ‘blah.’” What is the difference between foiling and balayage? What do you recommend? “Highlighting is one of the most sought after professional hair coloring services. Highlighting is defined as placing lighter strands into natural hair. The size of the strands and the degree of lightness gives endless variations to the highlight process. The hair colorists can weave small or large strands of hair to create the degree of lightness and can render a high contrast or a subtle contrast. Balayage means touched by the sun and the lightness is intended to look the same as what the sun would do. The technique is generally utilized on lighter hair and is accomplished with a form of hair painting. I recommend both, and there is an art to both of the services; ultimately it depends on what the client is looking for.” What one tip do you feel is most important for our readers to know about hair color? “If you spend this much money on a beautiful hair color, make sure you are prescribed the best products to take care of the colored hair properly. My question to you is why would you spend so much money on a hair coloring service and not spend the money taking care of it? Your hair is the best piece of clothing you have; wear it proudly.” ![]() by Jessica Wicklund Jessica's motto is that she would rather miss sleep than miss an opportunity. Luckily, her restless tracking of the latest beauty trends—and her insider involvement in all that our fair Pacific Northwest has to offer act like caffeine for her. Jessica's background includes time as a business reporter and PR agency founder. She recently landed at Microsoft where she spends her time as a community development specialist. |
Salon MichelleA place to share techniques, tools, and tales.
Categories
All
Archives
January 2023
|