Haircutting & The Picasso Effect
The British Way
In haircutting, you have two basic theories, British and French. The British version was made popular by Vidal Sassoon with his geometric shapes and formulaic approach to cutting. Sassoon shook the 60’s and had a bottom up style of haircutting, one that 99% of all American cosmetology schools teach to this day. The idea is to decide whether you are building weight or removing weight. Once you decide on a plan, follow it until you reach the end of the cut, and trust that if you stay on course you will reach your destination. This style of cutting can be very sophisticated and modern--think 60’s mod squad or the beautiful and intimidating New Yorker with a $2000 handbag. I have to admit I sometimes fantasize about having this haircut, and occasionally I see this cut done well and it takes my breath away. I have to keep myself from staring and wondering about what a dangerous and adventurous life this woman must be leading. I went to the Vidal Sassoon Academy to train in this style of cutting and to this day it was the most challenging course I have ever taken. The teacher was such a perfectionist, many of the students broke down in tears and many reported that after class they would sob. This class helped me tremendously in my understanding of hair as a material with distinctive properties like any art medium. Similarly, as with any art, you must first learn the classical way to work with that medium, and then you can move on to innovation and pushing in a whole new direction.
The French Way
When I was in Barcelona I visited the Picasso Museum. It was astounding to see his progression of work; he started out like every artist of his era doing traditional paintings, and as he grew in skill, his art started to change. Shadows grew deeper, lines gradually became bolder and his work was more graceful and simplistic in a profound way, and that simplicity only grew with his skill and age.
This Picasso Effect has always stayed with me and I feel that it relates to haircutting (as well as many things in life) and is the best way to see the difference between the British and the French styles. The French Haircut is a top down approach, you remove the weight while keeping your eye on the response of the hair, it is soft layers without any harsh lines and the last thing you cut is the bottom perimeter of the hair shape. The hair itself will usually dictate the ultimate length. French haircutting is perfect for climates with a lot of humidity and the cut will work when the hair has been blown dry and styled or is in its’ natural state. The French Cut is a relaxed sexy tousled look with many invisible layers that create texture and movement. French haircuts, as a rule, are beautiful, and British cuts can be edgy and abrupt, and since my alter ego only appears a few times a year I can just substitute a leather jacket and red lipstick if I want to feel edgy.
Brunettes with Shimmer!
Balaylights Dark is a fun way to keep your dark tresses looking rich and interesting without going to the blonde side.
The contrast can be high or low with this color technique, creating a shimmer or a more dramatic display of color that frames the face and gets lighter toward the bottom of your hair.
After the micro highlights, I use a series of glazes (like lip gloss for the hair) to add shine and to deepen the color to the perfect shade. Balaylights are beautiful on everyone, especially if you are starting to see some grey hair, because it blends them instead of just covering. This will give a longer-lasting result, while adding dimension to keep your hair from looking flat.
The Magic Of OLAPLEX
If you haven’t heard about Olaplex yet, you're missing out on the biggest innovation in the hair industry in 20 years, it’s hard to overstate the near-miraculous effect it has on hair. In the most simple terms, it’s like pushing the reset button on your hair taking it back to before any heat, chemicals and summer sun exposure.
Whenever you make a permanent change to your hair, like going dark to light or curly to straight (you get the idea), you must break the disulfide bonds in the hair, which will always leave it in a weakened state. The miracle of Olaplex is that it replaces the broken disulfide bonds, allowing you to rebuild the strength, structure, and integrity of your hair.
The difference between an Olaplex treatment and a conditioning treatment is the conditioning treatment will leave your hair smooth on the outside (think about it like lotion on your dry skin) and Olaplex works on the inside of your hair to replace the broken bonds. Using Olaplex can actually make your hair a little thicker because it’s adding back some of the internal structure.
What Olapex does: Strengthen and rebuilds your hair
What Olaplex doesn’t do: The treatment doesn’t add shine or help the cuticle to lay flat.
This is what I am using to keep my hair color looking fresh and healthy. I use the Olaplex #3 once a month (I sleep in it) and it does wonders on my fine fragile hair.
Olapex has 3 products
No 1 : can be added to color or chemical services to keep the bonds from breaking in the first place
No 2 : a concentrated treatment to be used after the service to replace the broken bonds
NO 3 : a take home treatment to keep the bonds replaced over time.
Hair Tools I Love
The Bio Ionic Long Barrel Curling Iron
The Bio Ionic Long Barrel Curling iron is a high speed iron for long hair. It’s shocking how fast I can curl an entire head of long thick hair with this iron, the barrel is extra long and the hair just glides through smoothing and curling at the same time, eliminating the need to do a perfect blow dry. This iron is made with volcanic minerals that add shine and make the hair feel silky smooth.
Warning: This iron is only for long hair, if you have above the shoulder hair it can be very awkward to hold onto and the chances of burning yourself or whacking yourself on the head are high!
1” is good for someone with curly hair to help define and blend the curls
1 1/4” is good for everyone giving a beautiful curl or wave
Keep the temperature at 360 or 390 degrees
The BaByliss Pro Titanium Curling Iron
The BaByliss Pro Titanium Curling Iron is my new favorite for anyone with short to mid length hair, a few inches below the shoulder. The amazing thing about the new style of curling irons on the market is that they function as a smoothing iron as well as a curling iron. The BaBybliss Pro has a titanium/ceramic barrel that is a lot like the teflon coating on a nonstick pan. You can gently pull the hair through the clip while giving as much or as little curl as you want. This is a game changer for us in the humid south! The negative ions also add beautiful shine to your hair.
1” for hair above the shoulder
1 1/4” for hair at the shoulder or a few inches below
Bio Ionic Powerlight Pro Dryer
The Bio Ionic Powerlight Dryer is a good all around hair dryer. It’s powerful at 1875w and is light weight, so you can hold it up above your head if needed to get volume. I had the BaByliss Ferrari dryer and it’s very powerful, but it’s so heavy that my arms would be too tired to hold it up above my head to finish my blow dry.
The Bio Ionic dryer also has the smoothing power of ions to keep your hair from getting frizzy and keeping static out, this might seem crazy but it really does work to smooth the hair.
Another thing I love about the dryer is the amazing warranty, since I use mine all day this comes in handy for me, I recently had to send it back to the company because after 3 years and about 2500 drying hours mine started acting up (for us hair stylists our dryers usually only last about 1 year) I did some number crunching and for the average person it would take more than 20 years before you would put the amount of wear on it that I do. The company sent me a brand new dryer no questions asked for just the cost of shipping!!!
Dimensions, Up Close & Pretty!
I created Balaylights to combine the most-desired aspects of Highlights and Balayage. This allows me to give the most dimension in just a single process.
Foil highlights help conduct heat and keep the lightening agents working longer in order to get through the brassy (red-orange) stage when working with previously colored hair. Balayage can then be hand painted to get some extra pop in the color, combining the best of art and science with this technique.
This is the best hair service for someone who has permanent color on their hair. (Not to nerd-out on you, but every permanent color has red & orange as part of the color formula). It's also great for anyone who just wants to add dimension.
Balayage, Summer Hair All Year Long!
Balayage is a type of hand painted highlights, the term literally means "to sweep" in French. Unlike traditional foil highlights that saturate through the section of hair, balayage clay-based lightener is applied in a sweeping motion onto the top layer of hair, recreating a sun-kissed look. Natural highlights from the sun are concentrated around the face and at the bottom of the hair because those areas are exposed to the elements for the longest amount of time. Traditional foil highlights can create a concentration of color at the top of the head and leave the ends of your hair a shade darker, which can sometimes look unnatural. Highlights are a higher maintenance service needing to be touched up every 4-6 weeks, whereas balayage can last between 10-28 weeks as you get a softer long-lasting grow out.
When I am painting balayage I am looking at the overall color and wave pattern of hair as well as taking into consideration the ways the hair is worn, so I can create a custom look that will last.
Balayage is a great choice if you don’t have permanent color on your hair and if you want low maintenance natural highlights to brighten your skin without the tell-tale line in your hair. Many people can get balayage between 2-4 times a year with a quick Color Glossing and haircut between services.
Real Clients, Real Models
In every photo we use, we feature our actual clients as the model. Not only do the photos show my work, but they also show why I love what I do. These women are gorgeous, and it makes me so happy to amplify that with beautiful hair.
My goal with all my clients is to find the perfect color that suits both their skin tones and facial features.
My models are beautiful, everyday women you'd see at the grocery store or out shopping with their friends and family – these women are business owners, teachers, mothers, students, neighbors and now Models.
We create real, lived-in cuts and color for women who lead REAL lives.
Sarah - New mom and music teacher
Meagan- Photographer and stylist
Heather - Mom of 4, Nurse and small buisness owner
Reanna - Student and intern
Kaelin -Small business finance