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Different Partings for the Hair…

Quite often clients come into the salon and while going through the consultations one important topic comes up and that is where should one wear her parting. (or Part as you say here in the US)

8 times out of 10, a persons parting is already set because the crown part of the hair will usually swirl in one way or another to determine which side your parting would best sit. When I say the crown I am referring to the round swirly shape on top of the head, some people think of this as their ‘bald spot’ which is not the case, it is just because some hair swings so much its leaves that area flat and looking ‘bald’.

You could be one of those lucky people where your hair will sit quite nicely anywhere, but for others, your parting could be either very set to either side or even worse the middle. Then there’s others who have a double crown which could cause quite abit of chaos with the front top of the hair. If you choose to wear your hair against the growth of your parting then height is created.

I will show you different ways of wearing the parting (with the help of some staff at Dekko) for people who do have the opportunity to play around more.

Side Parting – (both normal and low)

The most common parting, this is great for people who want to have more height on top as this will give the illusion of having more lift. Partings can be ultra straight (some done with a comb) or as I prefer to have it slightly messier, the messier parting will make thin hair look slightly thicker, it can also help hide any color roots that may be coming through, It can be done either in a straight line or diagonal.

Middle (Center) Partings –

With center partings I have found that a lot of people cannot get away with this as much as side partings. It can leave the hair looking quite flat, as you will have a line down the middle of the head and the hair on both sides have no where to hang but straight down. For people with irregular face shapes, having a middle parting (especially a strong straight line) can bring out the uneven features more. BUT.. having said all that, I love middle partings, as the look can be much trendier than the sophisticated feminine side part. What I do tend to do is to part the front of the hair down the middle but the crown I will keep more to the side which makes it less definite. Here’s how I wear my center part. (2nd picture)

Zigzag Parting –

With the zigzag partings, this does not mean you literally have to put in a definite zigzag in the top of your hair, but more or less a casual version of a zigzag, this will create a more interesting movement and look, by giving hair more height, hiding overgrown color and giving hairstyles a much messier trendier look.
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Last but not least, we have the NO Parting –

This would be mainly for people who have deep fringes (bangs) where most of the hair comes forward therefore no parting is necessary.

Thanks to all my models: Ryan, Melina, Violet, Jill, Ashley and Liz Marting

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Godfrey Gao

Finally… we have an Asian Male Supermodel… way overdue but here you go… worth the wait I would say. Godfrey Gao is a Taiwanese-Canadian actor and model. Born in Vancouver to a Taiwanese father and a Malaysian mother, Godfrey is now the new face of Louis Vuitton!!

Bowing to the fastest growing demographic – the Asian consumer, Louis Vuitton is one of the most popular luxury brands amongst China’s super-rich, so it only makes sense to put that Asian face out there to represent the brand.

The Louis Vuitton Campaign:
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Godfrey Gao Garage02

At 6ft 4”, he certainly breaks all the stereotypical attributes of the Chinese man, in fact Godfrey is too tall for catwalk sessions as most of the clothes do not fit him.

And again making him very unique to how other Asian males look is that he sports facial hair, this is one of the qualities that made him the face of Louis Vuitton.

I must say I totally agree with the whole facial hair look, Yumm, there’s nothing like abit of scruff to bring some sex-appeal to a man!!! I am ultra surprised at how gorgeous this guy is, Normally I don’t think much to Asian men at all, maybe because usually you get the geeky glasses with a suit and side parted hair thrown into out faces but at last we have one very sexy Asian dude!
Here’s afew more, my favorite one – Asian version of Robert Pattinson!!

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Biotin – Miracle Hair Growth?

I’ve been putting off writing this post because I wanted to be abit more positive about how I felt about this vitamin before putting it out there.

Biotin is a B-Complex vitamin dietary supplement that promotes healthy skin, nails and hair.
I first heard about this when one of my clients told me she had started taking this vitamin. Her hair was getting thinner throughout the top part of the head and we had to be careful about how we cut the front area so it could frame her face and we had to position it so it would not show the thinner areas. Anyway after she had taken it for over 2 or 3 months I noticed that her hair was starting to thicken up and I was having to take more off the weight of the hair. I was amazed with it so I started to tell other clients with thinning hair about it.

Another client started taking it when I told her about it and lo and behold, her hair did the same thing, it thickened up the top area so that the scalp wasn’t so see-through! I’m not exactly sure how it works as I know that once someone is experiencing hair loss, it doesn’t usually change the root growth but this is exactly what seems to be happening as there is actually more hair coming through the scalp!
photo

Not sure if this works well on women with hair loss only, I haven’t had any men try it out yet but will report back to you once I hear more. I was told that for hair loss the higher dosage of 5000mcg is best, and one more thing… its also good for your metabolism, so say no more, I ran out and bought some when I read that part and started taking it myself!

Meanwhile I now hear Dr’s prescribing it for hair loss too, so now I feel quite comfortable recommending it, after all, its like a little miracle really : )
PS, I should tell you that one client noticed more downy (fine fluffy/launugo) hair appearing on the sides of her face, but I guess that’s easy enough to wax off right? Worth it just for more hair on top I would think : )

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Alexa Chung in San Francisco ..

For those of you who don’t know who Alexa is, I should introduce her first as MTV presenter, Presenter of Award Shows, Model, Fashion Icon, and now designer with Madewell for her own line. Alexa has been a clothing and hair icon of mine for quite a number of years now and for those who follow my blog, know that I have written afew articles on her.

Anyway, I found out that she was going to be in San Francisco at the launch of her own line for Madewell and figured I really should try and go to this event and see if there would be an opportunity to give her one of my Texture hair product. I ended up shuffling my schedule around at work and got my partner in crime Claudia to come along with me.

Madewell

We arrived to find the longest Q to actually get into the shop! We joined that line and stood around with all the young chickies that were all dressed like mini Alexa’s! I have to admit it was quite disturbing for us to be two of the oldest fans in line!!! But hey ho, all in the name of business. Luckily we were in the store in under half an hour.

I have to say I did not even really look at the clothes due to all the people in there, but Claudia and I managed to easily spot the Jammie Dodgers (biscuits from the UK) as well as mini Crunchies (Yumm)

Some pics from the event:

Anyway, after standing around feeling awkward and stalker-like for a while, ( Oh and I have to add that Alexa was gorgeous and looked so stylish, as usual, and she wore a pair of cute boots from her collection 😉 Claudia and I knew we would have to be forceful to get past all these young girls patiently waiting for their photos and autographs. It took us about 20mins to find that one second break when no one else was stepping forward and off we went.

Not only did we get our little chat with Alexa, but we got a fan-picture (well, I did anyway, Thanks to Claud for opting to be photographer instead) and I managed to gift her with my Texture Powder Styler, and to top it off was even more delighted when she was so happy to receive it : )

All in all, we felt good that our Mission was accomplished and we did what we set out to do even though it gave us palpitations to become a stalker for a night! So now I’ll have to go back sometime to do the serious shopping part!

Here’s my fan picture..

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Only In Japan!!

For reals?? Just came across this article….

Japanese firm orders 2,700 staff to get the same ‘every saving’ haircut… so they dont have to spend as long blow drying!
Men to have short back and sides and women to wear a ‘cute’ bob.

A Japanese company has ordered all 2,700 of its employees to get identical hairstyles – to help save energy.


Tokyo-based Maeda Corporation announced the move as part of a national campaign to reduce energy consumption in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March.

Men are expected to sport a short back-and-sides, slightly longer on the top, while women have been asked to wear a ‘cute’ bob with a fringe that can be swept to one side.



Chizuru Inoue, a spokesman for Maeda Corp, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘Our company is very keen on protecting the environment and we encourage our staff to adopt many environment-friendly actions,

‘We are not sure of the data yet, but we believe if people have short hair they do not need to use their hair driers for so long and they will use less water.
‘If all our staff do this, then it may save a lot of power.’

Article by Damien Gayle… to read more, follow the link..


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Miho Matsuura

Its always so nice to see a woman stylist being appreciated and acknowledged for her work as a hairstylist and especially being in an industry full of men. There’s definitely not enough women stylists out there, So anyway I wanted to write a post about Miho Marsuura. I know most of you wont have heard of her unlike America’s most famous woman stylist – Sally Hershberger (responsible for the Meg Ryan ‘shag’) but once you see the hairstyle she created for Tao Okamoto, then you’ll know who she is…

My Pick 4 copy
Famous for giving Tao the ‘bowl cut’ that inspired so many others to have the same look. Miho cut the bowl shaped bob for Philip Lim’s ‘09 runway show. Like with Ning (beauty reporter for Marie Claire below) Miho suggests using straighteners to give the hair a flatter silkier look as not all Japanese hair is straight and smooth.Here she is at work at Twiggy Salon, Japan..
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What causes hair loss in women? Final part

Is Rogaine™ effective for women?
Rogaine or minoxidil is valuable adjunctive therapy for both men and women with hair loss. It does not work in all individuals and only a trial of use [six months ] will give a definitive answer as to it’s merits in any one individual. The exact mechanism of action of this drug is not well understood however it has been demonstrated to be capable of lengthening the anagen or active growth phase of the hair within the hair growth cycle. This translates clinically into healthier hair for a longer period of time. Rogaine is the only FDA approved medication to slow or stop hair loss in women.

Can women take Propecia™ ?
Propecia is not FDA approved for use in women. Women of childbearing age should not take this medication because of its association with birth defects in the developing male fetus. Studies conducted using 1mg finasteride in post-menopausal women demonstrated the agent not to be effective in this patient category. The prospect exists that a higher dosage may be beneficial in this group of individuals, however good studies showing its efficacy and safety are yet to be completed.

Dr. Craig L. Ziering is one of the leading authorities in hair transplant surgery. With more than 19 years of experience as a preeminent hair transplant surgeon in Southern California, Dr. Ziering has provided help to countless men and women who suffered from hair loss.

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What causes hair loss in women? Part 2

Are surgical hair transplants a treatment option for women?
Depending on the nature and degree of hair loss women may or may not be candidates for hair transplantation surgery. Goals and expectations need to be carefully reviewed in advance of contemplating surgery and if there exists medical questions pertaining to the nature of the loss or its future course, then medical laboratory investigation may additionally be warranted.

Why are some women not candidates for hair restoration surgery?
Hair transplantation involves the relocation of hair from an area of greater density and fullness in the back of the scalp to an area of hair loss on top of the head. Women who have generalized thinning do not possess sufficient reserves of hair to allow for the removal of hair without deleterious effects upon the source of the donation. Additionally in these instances the usual source of donor hair may not contain healthy hair which will survive and grow when transplanted. In hair transplantation, as in many surgical procedures, it is important to balance the potential gain against the possible risks or downside when contemplating a procedure that is not reversible.

Dr. Craig L. Ziering is one of the leading authorities in hair transplant surgery. With more than 19 years of experience as a preeminent hair transplant surgeon in Southern California, Dr. Ziering has provided help to countless men and women who suffered from hair loss.

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What causes hair loss in women? Part 1

I recently came across some information on Hair Loss in women and thought you would find it interesting, I will post them all separately so its not too much reading all at once… all articles by Dr. Craig L. Ziering

What causes hair loss in women?
Female hair loss is a distinctly different entity from male pattern hair loss which has a known cause and usually follows a predicable path. Though some women experience hair loss that resembles male patterned loss, others experience diffuse loss that involves the entirety of the scalp. Such individuals are not candidates for surgical hair restoration in that they do not possess an uninvolved area of hair from which to obtain hair for transfer. Other causes for hair loss in women range from medical conditions associated with hair loss such as anemia, hypothyroidism and connective tissue diseases to adverse reactions to medications or deleterious effects of certain grooming practices e.g. tight braiding of the hair which causes traction alopecia.
To be continued…

Dr. Craig L. Ziering is one of the leading authorities in hair transplant surgery. With more than 19 years of experience as a preeminent hair transplant surgeon in Southern California, Dr. Ziering has provided help to countless men and women who suffered from hair loss.

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Tipping Etiquette in Salons..

In my lifetime of working in salons I always hear clients asking about tips, who to tip, how much to tip etc etc. So I’m here to try to explain briefly how it works in hair salons..

Being from England myself, the rules of tipping vary alot compared to the US, it seems that here in the US, it’s almost compulsory to tip wherever or whatever you do, i.e. eating, riding in cabs.. Whereas in the UK, you tip when you feel like feel like tipping someone for their service and you are happy with it etc, but as we know, tipping varies so much in different countries, so if your unsure, you could always ask the receptionist for advice before going somewhere.

So for the most part, in the US, most people tip the hair stylists/colorists between 15-20% of the service, (more if they are very happy) and the shampoo person (who alot of people forget about) will usually get anything from $2 – $20 depending on the client and how happy with the service they are feeling. Sometimes even the receptionist will get a tip from regular clients who appreciate the receptionist ability to get them their appointments when they need/want.

I have read alot of articles about tipping where they say that the owner need not be tipped!! Now I’m not just saying this because I am an owner, but I just don’t get where this came from? I can understand if the salon is largely based on commission stylists who make the salon owners alot of money but for smaller salons where the stylists all work on a chair rental basis, these owners don’t make a huge commission on others and therefore work just as hard as everyone else so why shouldn’t they get tipped like others? Others may disagree but I’ll bet you the ones that disagree are owners of huge salons!

On special occasions, where a stylist has gone out of their way to fit you in after hours, it would be a nice gesture to show your appreciation by tipping them more than you usually do, and for occasions like Christmas, it is totally up to the clients whether they give a special tip or not, it is certainly not expected but a great gesture if you do.

How you choose to give the tip is up to you, most salons will provide an envelope for you to put your tip into, you should write your name as well as theirs on the front, it would be easiest to give it to reception who will hand them out to the stylists at the end of the day, altho some people prefer to give them directly to the stylist, but remember it can be abit awkward as the stylists could have wet or sticky hands from working and may not have a pocket to put it into.

Thanks for reading..