Summer Hair Damage

It is summer, and that means fun in the sun! And boy have we had a lot of sun this year! Along with all of that great time on the beach and poolside, comes a downfall; damaged hair. We all get damaged hair from everyday wear and products, but adding chlorine and salt water can do a lot more damage than you might think. That is why it is so important to protect your hair to prevent the problem and/or use the right products to help fix the problem. There are several ways to prevent chlorine and salt water damage from becoming the disaster it might be. You need prevention, sustainability, and a solution. 

 The easiest prevention method is simply a hat. However, I don't look great in hats and some people should really never wear them, so let's look at some different options. Did you ever think of your hair as a sponge? When a dish sponge gets wet, it fills with water until it cannot fit anymore water inside of the sponge, then you have excess water that runs out. Your dry hair is like the dry sponge and it will absorb anything you put on it, even chlorine water. So to prevent this you should always wet your hair with normal tap water before getting into the pool or ocean. This will keep more of the 'bad' water out because it won't 'fit' into the 'sponge'.

Another great option that will work with ANY hair type, is to apply a leave in conditioner to your hair prior to getting into a body of water. ISO Hydra Moisture Creme is a professional leave in conditioner that is great for every hair type. Since it is a professional product it is slightly more concentrated than other products and requires less! Protecting your hair and your budget in one step!

To maintain your hair's healthy state, even if you don't have damage, it is always a great idea to add a professional conditioning treatment to a handful of your salon services throughout the year. Conditioning treatments are a great way to replenish the moisture levels in your hair, smooth out rough ends, re-balance dryness from chlorine damage, and add body and shine to your hair. A conditioning treatment is also a great follow up service after a clarifying treatment. This type of treatment uses a professional clarifying treatment to wash away the oil, dirt, and product build-up on your hair and scalp.

After your hair has been damaged, there is no overnight cure. Your hair didn't get damaged in a day and it won't be fixed that way either. The only way to completely reverse damage is to grow your hair out again. But don't give up hope! There are plenty of things you can do in the mean time to get the shiny, healthy hair you have always wanted. Talk to your stylist about what she would recommend for your hair and then LISTEN. These people have been trained repeatedly, most of the time, to offer you their professional advice, not their personal opinion. Take their recommendations and incorporate them into your hair regimen. Set a goal with your stylist and then work together to reach that goal. Use conditioning treatments, special shampoos and conditioners, protective sprays, and ease up on the flat ironing, and you will have great looking hair in no time! 

The Haircut Experience

Why do you get your haircut? The obvious answer is you need to. It helps keep you well groomed for work and makes your life easier. How many times a day do you do something you 'have to do'? Too many to count for most of us. Why not make it a little better? Not a lot mind you, we can't go turn the world upside down, but a little goes a long way, right?

If your experience getting your haircut is a spray bottle of water showering you in mist and a comb running through your not-so-wet-not-so-dry hair then finishing off with a blow out that feels (and looks) a lot like what you do yourself every morning, then why, oh-why, are you handing the person treating you like that money? A stylist is responsible for the quality of her/his work. You are wearing their work everyday for the next 4-6 weeks. Shouldn't they care a little more about what it looks like? Your current/former stylist should be consulting, shampooing, professionally cutting, and styling your hair at every appointment.

When you return to a salon or it is your first visit, it does not matter in the first two minutes of your time. You should ALWAYS have a consultation done. Even if you haven't changed your hair since 1982, your stylist needs to know if;

• Anything has changed since your last visit: medical issues, medication, extreme weight gain/loss, unusual damage such as chlorine or salt water on your hair, and if the last visit was satisfactory.
• Your hair has 'given you fits' since the last cut
• You were doing great until this last week-(you may need to come in a week earlier or have your stylist take more off)
• Your interested in other hair services or solutions

Before cutting, unless your stylist is doing a dry cut, you should receive a shampoo. This allows for the following;

• Clean your hair of any residue caused by products
• Your stylist can inspect your hair and scalp for damage or any problems
• Even saturation of the hair allows for even pulling when it's combed. Easily translated this means that your hair will be cut even because all hairs will be saturated at the same level.

It may be hard to tell the difference between professional cutting and non-professional cutting. Professional cutting will usually NOT have;

• Your stylist talking on the phone while cutting your hair
• Your stylist forgetting where she was on your head because she is not concentrating
• Your stylist stopping in the middle of your haircut to ask you 'what is it you wanted again?'
• The constant drama and chatter of your stylist communicating more with her co-workers than you

• The feeling you are hearing things that should not be discussed.

If you are worried your stylist has not gotten the idea that you wanted, i.e. you think she is cutting too short, SPEAK UP! She may be able to hide the shorter parts under longer ones or change the design to blend but she cannot do anything if the whole head is too short.

When it is time to check the haircut, you should be asked and informed of any products used on your hair to aid in styling. The blow out should be done in a gentle and easy way. If your stylist has achieved a level of volume you though impossible, ask how it was done. They should be more than happy to show you so you can duplicate it at home.

Every person's hair needs are different and every stylist is different in meeting those needs. Find a stylist and salon that works for you. Remember he/she may have a great personality, you may be caught up in their love drama they like to dish about, but if they cannot do a professional job with concern for you and your hair, you may need to consider being friends on Facebook instead of allowing them to work on you.