behindthechair.com

A few articles from behindthechair.com...

Consultation 101: Time for a Change
Picture Perfect Nicole Leal of The Doves Salon in Santa Monica, CA :says that once your client has agreed to an updated style or color change, show her pictures to demonstrate exactly what you mean. If you’re dealing with a client who’s nervous to begin with, the last thing you want to do is make her feel even more uncomfortable. “Pictures speak louder than words and reduce the risk of misinterpretation,” Leal says. “They help the client better understand layers, volume and movement and what their hair type can achieve.” And after giving your client a completely new look, don’t let her walk out the door without knowing how to style it. Provide an in-depth blow dry lesson and give her some tips and examples on several different ways she can style her hair. It creates more excitement about her look and promotes more product options for home use.

Color Formula Favorites for Fall
Nicole Leal and Rachael Blondina, The Doves Salon, Santa Monica, CA. Leal’s blonde clients want subtle contrast, so she mixes up this go-to formula - Wella Color Touch: Equal parts 8/03 light beige blonde + 7/3 medium gold blonde + 1.9% developer. “This formula adds just the right amount of warmth and contrast while still maintaining a sun-kissed look.”
Blondina softens up her clients’ looks for fall with rich, warm auburn tones. She likes using demi-permanent color to maintain the health of the hair while still adding a great amount of shine. Her favorite fall formula? She begins with Wella Color Touch: 6/77 milk chocolate + 1.9% developer as a base, depending on how much warmth is already in the hair. “On its own,” says Blondina, “it’s a very rich color with double amounts of warmth.” To add more of a red undertone, she continues with Wella Color Touch: ½-oz. 6/77 milk chocolate + ½-oz. 6/47 red fire + 1.9% developer. “If the client’s hair is darker than a Level 6, lift the base with Wella Koleston Perfect,” advises Blondina. A formula like Koleston Perfect: 6/07 dark blonde/natural brown + 20-volume developer will lift the base color to a rich warm shade.

BFF: Teens and your salon
STYLIN'Her biggest beauty priority: hair. The cusp years between high school and college are typically when a teen girl makes the leap from virgin hair, often all one length and often longish, to something more sophisticated. NICOLE LEAL, color expert and member of WELLA's Power Pack Team, explains that the first step for a fresh back-to-school may be damage control. She should know--many of her clients are in the 15-19 age range, with the California State University at Northridge (CSUN) campus nearby. "Even if a teen has never colored her hair," she says, "the stylist's first priority may be restoring and protecting the hair's quality and integrity. The ends of the hair may often be dried out and porous, especially after the summer. Chlorine is a big factor, and so are alcohol-based styling products, particularly when the hair has been exposed to a lot of sun."
Trimming off a couple of inches is usually the place to start, followed by a deep-clarifying shampoo "to pull out the mineral deposits which can build up in hair," explains Leal. "And minimally, I also recommend a clear shine deposit, to glaze and seal hair and make it glossy." Leal also recommends a polishing serum which may be smoothed over dry hair (2 - 3 drops) or worked into damp hair.