Hair by Dove Palmer Part 1

Update – If slideshow does not start, please click on here to see hair..

Dove Palmer is Creative Director for Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy in London, UK. He also ran the Masters Academy for them too and has made 3 DVD step by step videos as well helped in contributing at least 12 haircut pictures for the Academy Photo collection. I came across Dove’s work on Facebook and instantly LOVED the exquisite work done by him. Funnily enough Dove turned out to have the same mentor as I did back in the day. Stacey Broughton (also from Sassoons) has been his mentor since he went to work for Sassoon’s. I definitely spotted the Stacey traits in the haircuts.


I have so many different styles to show you that he has done over the years that I have decided to split them up into 3 slide shows so that we can make the most of showcasing his work. Dove’s specialty seems to be on Asian hair, whether its because he tours to the Far East to do seminars so much (and for up to 4months at a time) or maybe its because his wife has so many friends that needs to utilise his craft, I don’t know, but whatever it may be, I’m so happy to be able to show you his creative work on Asian hair. Here is part 1 of 3, I will show you the others at a later date so look out for more of his precision cutting : )

Thanks Dove for letting me share with my readers.

UK Cool Mops (or Not!)

So when I go to the UK (England) I usually get soo excited and stimulated by all the different styles, whether in clothing or in hair, so you can imagine my disappointment this time when I didnt see my usual inspirations! I was hoping to come home with lots of pictures to show you of great hair, but alas, it was not meant to be, I managed to find 4 people who were willing to let me take shots of their hair. But never mind.. what I lacked in pictures of hair, I made up with pictures of great scenery and food : )
I found UK to be like everywhere else in the world this time and I think the world is becoming like ONE, you can find just about everything everywhere, not much individuality left in this world : (
So whether the world really is merging or whether it was just the fact that I was only in London for 3days and I was soo busy shopping that all the cool hair was just passing me by, I’m not sure! But enjoy anyway!

Ombre Color….

The latest color technique Ombre is such a huge trend right now both in the US and the UK.

‘Ombre’ is an French word meaning ‘shaded’, it means colors graduating from light to dark, or from one color to another. It can refer to yarn dye or in printing.

In terms of hair color, the main idea is to go from darker roots to lighter ends, altho some go from lighter roots to darker ends, Colors can range from mainstream subtle to crazier colors. Personally I think this may have come about because people became too lazy or ‘skint’ to have their roots done as often as they usually do, so it became a trend when people like Drew Barrymore and Alexa Chung started sporting this look and ending up so hip with it, that everyone wanted to follow suit…

The original hip trendsetters..

Here’s some more examples of different Ombre coloring:

Hong Kong Hair..

I was flicking through some websites and magazines the other day and came across some fairly cool looking hair from Hong Kong. Movie stars and their hair in Hong Kong can be abit hit and miss, in my opinion, I feel that some go so overboard that it can look abit ‘tacky’ and ‘dodgy’, completely missing the mark of ‘naturally cool’ as shown in my post about Aaron Kwok : (
Anyway, I thought I would share them with you…

Above we have Bobo (top) Faye Wong (left) who I think always gets it right, and Du Juan (right, for Lane Crawford)

Next up is: Josie Ho, Joey Yung and Kate Tsui, all showing some nice haircuts off.

And finally we have Hu Jing (top), Leila Tong-Ling (left) and Maggie Sui (right)

Undercut Hair..

According to the Daily Mail Online in the UK, the demand for the ‘undercut’ is soaring!
It has been noted that an increasing number of women are ditching the longer feminine flowing locks in favor of a more cutting –edge look, salons in England are inundated with a high demand for the ‘undercut’ which involves cutting away a large section of hair while leaving the rest of it long, creating a funky edgier look. The look can vary from extremely short to longer and softer, the surrounding hair is usually ‘razored’ for a softer look.
It seems quite afew celebrities are sporting the look and now lots of women are asking for the once considered punky style. Here we have model Alice Dellal, as well as Rhianna and pop star Cassie with their more extreme versions of the ‘undercut’.

View undercut

Personally I hope this catches on with the Hollywood crowd, it would be nice to see abit more ‘edge’ with the celebs over here, instead of the usual ‘glamour’ looks, which will then drift down to the women in the US, then people can look a little bit funkier.
Here’s our very own Jodi from Dekko Salon looking rather spiffing with her very own ‘undercut’ by Andria Falcon.
Cheers JoJoxxxx

To read the full article on Daily Mail….

Cool Grease from Japan…

Shaping Pomade
IMG_0536
This is one of my all time favorites, especially for shorter hairstyles, I first got hooked on Cool Greases about 10years ago, since then we have continued to carry this range no matter what salon we are in, even if it means getting afew direct from Japan.
The reason why I like Cool Grease is because it looks like a gel but instead of drying hard like most gels do, it it thick enough to give a slightly wet look but the hair stays pliable with the hold but without looking set and hard. Even better is that these products are water based so don’t be fooled by the word Grease, it washes out easily!

Dekko’s Daily Grind..Kim

Another dose of ‘before and after’ styles from Dekko Salon. Our clients are so great for letting me take photos to show different looks for my blog – Thanks again for all your help.
I’ve been cutting Kim’s hair for over 10years now and she has always been very creative with her haircuts over the years, just recently we have been keeping Kim’s hair on the longer side. So this is Kim after not having a haircut for over 5 or 6 months. That’s because she’s abit of a gypsy and has lived all over the States, right now she comes all the way from Chicago : )

We decided to keep the hair on the longer side but ‘chop’ all the rest of it up with shorter layers and a shorter front area, so that if she decides to tie her hair up, it still looks like a cute short haircut on top. We razored the hair throughout as Kim’s hair is very thick and coarse. We then styled it using a styling cream for hold and dried it while twisting the hair into big sections, creating a messy textured look. Thanks Kim!

Hair Accessories & Ornaments….

Hair Accessories and Ornaments are so popular and there is so much choice nowadays so I decided to write about them and show you as much variation as I could…
In Ancient times, hair accessories have always been very important, they are works of art but not only are they decorative and lavish, they also reflect personality and characteristics of the traditional culture, as well as using them as good luck pieces. The more lavish the piece,the higher the status of the wearer.

In this day and age, we don’t have to even worry or think about status and messages sent when we decide to wear a hair ornament, Thank goodness! We can just wear them, have fun and look great. Now lets start with the most simple of accessories:

Clips – these are easy to use, simple or very ornate and can be pinned wherever it may make the hair look more attractive….

Headbands – Again very easy to put on, can be cutesy looking but great for keeping hair back off the face. Careful you don’t end up looking too preppy tho, if that’s not the look you want! I love this giant poppy on the right : )

Flowers – Great for weddings especially but can also look very charming for other occasions too. Can be varied so much not only in size but from real flowers to silk or other fabric types, and also flowers can work well or shorter hair too:

Funky Alternatives – Definitely for those who want to make more of a statement and stand out more as fun and funky, seen below is designs by Chloe Lau (1) and Twinkie Chan (2) Thanks girls for letting me showcase:



Feathers – I think this one is one of my faves, I LOVE feathers in every way, so these accessories are right up my alley, not only are they funky and make a statement like those above but I would say these are a little more extravagant in the looks.Thanks to Laura Kranitz who designed (pics 1 & 3 ), and also to Vintage Joy Designs (Pic 2, Photography by Vivian Chen )

So its time to go out and get yourself some accessories to have some fun!