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Trimming Your Own Fringe

As demonstrated by Joni Shibata….

Now that nearly everyone and their mothers have some type of fringe (bangs here in America) the upkeep is more frequent and it is important to keep them just so… mainly so you can see. So if you cant get yourself to your hairdresser (who will usually be nice enough to offer a freebie fringe trim in between haircuts) then you should know how to trim your own. You should know that the more frequent you trim it the easier it is, becos if you leave it until the hair has already lost the shape it is very difficult to follow the original lines.

In the following demo video the fringe shown is more on the heavier blunt side, I will continue to show you other videos of different types of fringes. Know that in order to show you all the steps we have kept it as short and sweet as possible.

1. Section the longer hair away and tuck it behind the ears
2. Keep the triangle that the fringe is forming as clean as possible
3. Section the hair into 3 parts – middle and 2 sides
4. Start with the middle section and hold in between the fingers
(note) do not hold and pull the hair tight as it will bounce too much
also it is best to do it on dry well positioned hair as wet hair it dry up too much
5. Cut up into the hair, (not straight across) into little ‘V’ shapes
(note) the more you hold the hair out away from face, the softer the line
The ‘V’ shapes will allow for slight movement in the edges
6. After cutting middle section to the desired length, join both side sections in the same way
7. the outer 2 sections can be either cut straight cross or curved down slightly (your choice)
8. Once desired length is achieved throughout, comb down and clean up the edges.
(note) at point 58 secs in the video, it looks like Jonis poking at her eyes but this is not the case
9. Check outside line to make sure it is clean
10. Good Luck!!
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Notes on Highlights and Slices

Because there are so many different kinds of looks with colors, if you have a particular look in mind, take some pictures into the salon with you, as long as you are being realistic and know that yours will never be exactly the same as the picture it will give the technician an idea of what you like or dislike. Tell the stylist what you have in mind and in return they should also tell you what is possible and what is not. Don’t go in with absolutely no idea and clues (especially if its your first time) the stylist will end up spending alot of time just trying to get to know your likes and dislikes rather than spending the time talking about the more important things like color choice and method also know that if your going for a natural look, choosing a natural hair color as well as choosing a natural hair technique could result in it being TOO natural for your liking, be very precise about your choice and needs.

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Hair Question ~ Teasing Hair

Question by TwinkieChan:

jules!
i have a hair question. i have been in the habit of teasing my hair to get volume. i have defaulted to a comb that has little extra barbs or something in the teeth to catch hair (it also has long metal prongs on the bottom and i have no idea what those are for). then, at night , i use a regular comb (without the extra barbs) to comb out the hair spray and backcombing. i feel like the combing out is especially harsh, and could cause a lot of breakage. do you recommend other combs/brushes/tools, either for backcombing, or combing the hair out?

Answer:

Yes, all that combing and faffing is very harsh for the hair, even tho our hair can handle anything really but your much better off using a brush for the back combing. Bristle brushes are best for both backcombing and for brushing out afterwards as they will not tear the hair out. There is a brush you can buy which is specifically for backbrushing. I will post a pic of it and also others that I find works well too.


Here are 3 brushes that I recommend,
1. Spornette Littlewonder backbrush.
2. Y S Park small round brush, great for back brushing and
3. for longer hair.. the Y.S Park Paddle Brush.

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Brazilian Straightener by Lucky from Dekko

You’ve all heard about this new fabby treatment that’s available right? The Brazilian Straightener. Because of the technicality of it all I asked Lucky (top technician) from Dekko Salon to do the write up so you get an idea of what it is precisely:

Jules has been kindly nudging me to write about the Keratin Treatment, aka the Brazilian Straightener. So here is my share on information I have gathered and personal experience.

What Is It? The KT/BS is a demi-permanent keratin based relaxer that originated in Brazil over 10 years ago. Hence, the name. Demi-permanent means it doesn’t permanently change the hairs structure resulting in permanently straightened hair like the Japanese or Sodium Hydroxide based relaxers do. Nor does it work like an anti-curl semi permanent, which washes out completely and reverts back to it’s natural state,

So How Does It Work? The KT/BS surrounds natural hair bonds with conditioning keratin, which is then sealed into the hair with heat. It remains in the hair for approximately 4 months depending on how often the hair is washed. The more often the treatment is done, the straighter the hair gets and the texture is improved.

Who Would Benefit? Anyone who doesn’t love their natural texture. The KT/BS diminishes frizz. It will also straighten or minimalize curl depending on the amount of natural curl. It works on all hair types. Including highlighted, tinted, previously relaxed and bleached. Yes, bleached! The treatment is done, and in 24 hours completed at home with the provided shampoo and conditioner.

Who Would Not Benefit? Clients who are frequent swimmers or ocean dwellers. The chlorine and salt in the water will shorten the life of the treatment.

Is It Safe? The question arises from the use of masks during the treatment. The masks are used to minimalize the effects from the steam emitted when heat is applied to the treatment. One of the active ingredients in the KT/BS I use, Lasio, contains 0.02% cosmetic grade formalin. It is necessary to give the product longevity. Formalin is found in many cosmetic and household products such as: nail hardeners, shampoo and conditioners, medicines, carpets, vinyl, permanent press fabrics and many more. I nor my clients have never experienced any adverse reaction while giving this treatment.

Will post some before and after pics later on!

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Stylists Notes on Styling Curly Hair

There is a difference in drying curly hair with and without a diffuser.

If the hair is diffused, the air flow from the hairdryer (even tho less than a normal dryer flow) gets into the hair and roots more, therefore lifting the hair away while it is drying, thus leaving the hair airier and curlier. The steady air low does not disturb the curls too much unless the air low is too strong or you have fine hair involved.

If the hair is air-dried without a diffuser, the water in the hair, weighs down the hair while it is drying, therefore unless you remember from time to time during the drying process to squeeze the hair up, the hair will dry flatter but still defined.

Some of my recommended products that I like for curly hair are:
Prive – Curl Activator (medium hold)
Davines – Defining Cream (soft and light feel)
Tigi – Curls Rock, Curl Amplifier (crisper harder hold)
Ojon Hair – Animated Styling Cream (mild and soft)

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Dekkos Daily Grind – Minnie

I would like to share some of the work we do on a daily basis in Dekko salon. Here’s a before and after client.

Minnie came in and was fed up of her long hair, she needed to look more professional as she was going to be practicing Law. She also needed to be able to loosen it up a bit after work, so she wanted to be given a versatile look that she could play around with.

 

 

Here’s Minnie before the haircut.

We decided to cut the hair to jaw level and because her hair is quite fine we graduated the back so it would lift the hair up and make it appear thicker. The ends were chopped into to give the hair more movement and then we gave her a more definite fringe to make the look stronger.

The look of a lawyer!

After applying some extra hair products we gave her a more casual messy look.
Thanks Minnie.

 

For Minnie’s look, the hair was cut using scissors, her hair was too fine to use other tools such as the razor or thinning scissors. All the edges were cut with texture with no blunt lines, this is to create softness rather than a hard look.

 

For the neat look Prive Weightless Amplifier was used.

 

And for the messy look we used Prive Texture Spray.

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Hair Donations

Growing out your hair, for a good cause is becoming more and more favoured by many people. Donating your hair to make wigs for cancer victims as well as other medical conditions that causes hair loss is one of the most personally satisfying and rewarding things that you could do with your hair.

Afew weeks ago, Emily Wang came into our salon and did just that, She had been growing her hair out for the past year so that she could make a donation to an organisation called LOCKS OF LOVE http://www.locksoflove.com/

Emily with her long locks before she came in for the big chop

Now before you all go running out to make your donations, its a good idea to do your homework first as there are some rules to hair donating….

Most of the organisations require you to have between 8 – 12 inches of hair, with some charities, colored (tinted) hair is acceptable but no bleach, perms or highlighted hair.

Here’s Emily holding her 10inches of hair.

Some organisations will not even accept grey hair. The reason why grey, permed, highlighted and bleached hair is not accepted is because these charities try to make their wigs as realistic as possible and need the hair to absorb color evenly and consistently, when the hair has been processed or not processed at all (as in grey hair) the color consistency is not even enough to achieve this look. Chemically processed hair is also too porous to hold the dyes used in the process and leads to fading in the wigs.

Finished style!!

Some more hints for hair donations: Make sure you grow enough hair to cut it to your desired length as well as the 8 – 12 inches. If you don’t plan on having your finished result too short then please allow enough hair in between for bounce, and shaping of hair. You need to allow your stylists some lee-way to make sure your leftover hair is long enough to shape into your desired haircut.
With layered hair, the shortest layer also needs to be the required length otherwise it cannot be used.

Here are some some of the more popular charities:

Locks of Love – 10-12″ needed, color OK, no bleach
Wigs for Kids – 12″ needed, no color, perms, highlights or grey
Pantene Beautiful Lengths – 8″ needed, no color or bleach
Childhood Leukemia Foundation – 12″ needed, no color, no grey

Above are just guidelines for the different charities, please do some research for yourself before choosing the one that is right for you.

Meanwhile, Thanks to Emily for her donation as well as allowing me write about it for my blog!

 

Stylists Tips:
To cut the hair for hair donations, try not to tie your hair into one big ponytail at the back, this will usually result in cutting off too much at the back (leaving a hole that’s difficult to work from afterwards)and not enough from the front.
Of course, depending on the length you want to go to after the haircut, this will help you decide how to take the donated hair off.
If you want short hair all over as a finished result, you could tie small ponytails all around the head and cut them off.
If you want a graduated bob shape (where it sits up and in at the back) then one ponytail at the back is OK to do. (But still not the best method)

 

If you want longer chin length hair, then you could either tie around 4 or 5 low ponytails around the base of the hairline area Or you can hold and cut pieces off at a time without scrunching the hair together too much and then pass the hair onto someone who can hold them altogether with the roots in the same direction until you have cut it all off and then the hair can be tied together.
If the hair is layered, ponytails throughout the head is tied up and cut off.
With all methods, please do not tie or hold the hair too tightly as the hair will bounce and jump up with the tension.

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Becoming Blonde

 

They said it couldn’t be done.. going from jet black hair to blonde. Here’s Joni to show you how she did it with a little help from her colorist Jodi Ninomiya, 8 applications and a whole lot of patience!!

Starting with Jet Black hair….

to swampy colors….

Gone is the green, just a lovely shade of orange…

A lovely beige tone….

Finally… Blonde!!!!!

 

Just one more thing that is needed….. a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude, because no matter how carefully its done, some of your hair WILL fall out, but hey who said beauty doesn’t come with some loss!!!

 

Stylists tips:

When considering bleaching your hair, remember the more red you have in your hair, the harder it will be to lift, and when hair has had black or brown tints applied, it has to be stripped first, so make sure the hair is strong enough to handle all the chemicals before you start. Even stripping of the hair first will not guarantee an even end result. Also if you don’t want a yellow/orangey tone to your hair, don’t forget to tone, toners are very important after bleaching to give you a more pleasing result, please consult your colorist before trying it, it will result in alot less heartache.