Redhead on Fire

Throughout history there is one hair color that screams just slightly louder than blonde, and that our friends; is the redhead. 

The red haired persona in particular has intrigued us with its representation as those who are loose and wild with their feelings, and who are inclined to shrug off society's expectations of them.

Let's explore a little history, lore and trivia to impress your friends with:

 -In earlier times, the Egyptians were rumored to have sacrificed redheads. (Cleopatra herself has been said to have been a natural redhead, who naturally enhanced the hue with henna and inspired a favorable feminine outlook among her people)

-During their migration to the United States, the predominantly red headed Irish clashed dramatically with Americans, and were subsequently categorized as people of ill character.

-Marilyn Monroe's natural hair color was light reddish brown as a matter of fact. Other mentionable female stars include tap dancing partner to Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers (who shunned her natural auburn locks, dying them brown), sex symbol and film star Raquel Welch, Molly Ringwald (who embodied the firery spirit of her natural red hair in most of her roles) and believe it or not, Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson).

 - Surrealist painter Van Gogh definitely lived up to his persona by being quite the dramatist (especially in his later years). Italian composer Vivaldi, Colombus, Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain were all also redheads.

NOWADAYS Red, or even the ‘attitude of red’ is allowed to come to its full glory, and we have definitely seen an increase in women wanting to try this look on themselves. 

Within the different medias, we are seeing examples of our desire for a more edgy female model versus the conventional beauties of yesterday (the beginnings of this can be seen with Musicians Shirley Manson and Tori Amos). 

In our professional opinion a considerable percentage of women have been inspired to go red hoping to enhance their chances of hitting it off with rocker Jack White.

(Just kidding...)

Redheads have inspired a  range of intense feelings throughout history, and we are glad to observe this positive upsurge of attitude and esthetic!

The Beach Wave Effect

In hair trends, controlled chaos is very of-the-moment and Beach waves are a beautiful example.

The name originates from the effect salt water has on the hair after a day at the beach; tousled and chaotic yet piecy and controlled at the ends.

Locate your hair type below and follow the tips to fine tune your technique:

 

If you have STRAIGHT HAIR:

Option 1 if you have time to let it dry in a set, Option 2 is more work but a faster option

OPTION 1:

-Towel blot hair after washing and part to desired parting

- Apply Davines Strong Hold Creme Gel or Sebastian Mousse Forte focusing on mid-length to ends.

-Section off your hair into 6 sections (three sections on the left, 3 on the right) and braid them. OR, if you suck at braiding, twist into two Princess Leia buns and secure with pins

-let dry completely before unbraiding (or untwisting)

-break apart the waves by tipping head upside down and shaking with your hands from underneath (this allows the hair to expand without disheveling the top sections too much)

OPTION 2:

-While damp, prep the hair with a heat protectant, such as Davines Melu Spray and tousle dry completely.

-To create the perfect undone curl, use a curling iron, but leave out the last inch of the ends.

 *Rule of thumb: the larger the section, the looser the curl. Adjust section size accordingly.

-Finish with hairspray, and sea salt spray.

-Flip upside down and shake shake shake!

* To amp up the volume from here, spray more Sea Salt Spary and diffuse dry upside down*

FOR NATURALLY WAVY TEXTURES:

-While damp, prep the hair with Davines Oi Oil and Sea Salt Spray.

- Flip your head upside down and scrunch hair with a towel

- Re-twist any areas that need tidying at this point

- Diffuse dry or Air dry

- Define ends with Davines Medium Hold Pliable Paste

- Finish with Oribe Dry texture spray, to create more roughness and texture or Beach Wave Spray, to decrease frizz.

CURLY GIRLIES:

Like your curl? Option 2's for you. Your natural curl's no fun, choose option 1.

OPTION 1: 

-Prep damp hair with Davines Melu Spray for thermal protection

-Blow dry by twisting off the round brush to achieve loose barrel curls OR Diffuse Dry and use a curling iron, leaving out the last inch of ends to create the perfect undone curl

* Rule of thumb: the larger the section, the looser the curl

- Flip upside down and shake shake shake!

OPTION 2: While damp, apply Davines Curl Building Serum. Twist into little segments to tidy.

- diffuse or air dry

- Flip upside down and shake out any areas that need to be broken up.

- Finish with Oribe Beach Wave Spray to decrease frizz, or Scrunch with Davines Sea Salt Spray to increase texture and roughness

Argan oil

For the last few years, many hair products containing argan oil have been among the top sellers here in the U.S. In the salon we get many questions about what exactly argan oil is and why it is unique, so today we’ll do our best to answer some of those questions.

       Argan oil comes from the fruit of the argan tree. The tree is exclusive to southwestern Morocco, where it grows wild. Besides its exclusivity, the process of extracting the oil is labor intensive. Up to three kernels are contained within the fruit. These kernels are found inside of a nut in the fruit. To get the nut, the fruit must be dried and the pulp around the nut must be peeled away. At this point the nut is cracked, and the kernels are gathered. The kernels are then pressed, and the oils are left to sit for two weeks, allowing for solids to settle. Finally, the oil is placed in dark tinted bottles so sunlight cannot deteriorate its natural properties.

       Argan oil contains many vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids, Tocopherols (vitamin E) and caffeic acid to name a few, which is essential in moisturizing and protecting the hair. It is often used in shampoos, conditioners and leave in products to repair the hair from heat styling and sun damage.

       Many varieties of argan oil are available on the market. The prices vary with the purity of the oil. 100% pure argan oil may still contain sediment. The value of argan oil on the global market has made the argan tree a valuable resource.

Two of Our Best...

As the year draws to a close, we would like to call attention to the passing of two very important hairdressers. Whether they know it or not, every hairdresser has been influenced by Aldo Coppola and Kenneth Battelle.

Aldo started his career in the salon at age 12, and by 16, was styling for the runway shows in Italy. He later established the first Italian hair and make-up agency. Over the years he worked on many campaigns with Armani, Missoni, Valentino and Versace; monumentally impacting the way people wore their hair.  His hairstyles graced the pages of Vogue magazine and he had a long-standing business relationship with L’Oreal.

In 1965, he opened his first salon in Milan. Many more were to follow in Rome, Monte Carlo, Tokyo and Moscow. He passed on November 20^th.                                                                                                

Kenneth Battelle, known simply as “Kenneth” or “Mr. Kenneth” joined the navy at 17, and after 18 months of service, decided that hairdressing was to be his future.

In 1950, he moved to New York to work at Helena Rubenstein on 52^nd and Fifth. This is where he first saw Jacqueline Kennedy as a client, and was responsible for creating her iconic hairstyle. After this, Kenneth became a hairdresser to society women and celebrities. His clients included Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Lucille Ball. By 1961, he was writing ‘how-to’ articles for Glamour Magazine. This made his knowledge accessible to many women in America.

Kenneth’s namesake salon opened in 1963 on East 54^th Street, and flourished for many years.  Sadly, in 1990, a fire destroyed the salon. It was never to be rebuilt, and he relocated to Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

The iconic hairdresser was taking clients until the late 2000’s.

Kenneth passed on May 12th.

Men and Hair Color

It has been socially acceptable for men to color their hair for years now. However, there are a few guidelines one should follow. 

No one else in your life might have the nerve to tell you that you aren’t fooling anyone with that shoe-polish black hair at 45+.

Black hair might have been cool to experiment with in your early 20’s (like a lot of other things), but even if you are naturally very dark, your color should be a softer shade such as dark brown.

Even if you are lighter, or unfortunately have highlights put in intentionally, your high maintenance look is passé’. Go for a more natural look.

Equally important, is translucence; you want your grey to be “there” but blended (think George Clooney).

Well-distributed subtle grey can be the best look for a man. Skunk streaks, and white patches on one’s side of the head, not so much. The right kind of color designed specifically for men can achieve this.

So rely on your colorist to tell you what looks best for you.

         However, if you still want to be the guy who wears a belt with suspenders, go right ahead.