Extend Your Beauty at Believe

Have you been admiring those long flowing waves so popular in Hollywood right now? But you know that the growing out phase to get long hair will drive you crazy? Hair extensions may be the answer. Believe will weave their magic and voila—instant long and lovely hair that can last up to three months before you even need maintenance.

Hair extensions are lengths of either real or synthetic hair that are affixed close to the scalp. They match your own hair in color and texture and move naturally—making it hard for anyone to tell you have extensions. They add volume and can even add highlights or lowlights to add a little drama to your hair. Natural or human hair extensions are the type you want because they can be colored, set, curled or treated (synthetic hair may melt under a blow dryer.) Be sure to have an experienced stylist, like us at Believe, put in your extensions (stylists with no experience can damage and even break off your hair.) At Believe, we carefully test the strength of your hair and USE the right method of attachment to protect your own precious mane.

Here's a few methods of applying hair extensions:

Braids, Cornrows, Twists, Locks – Extensions are visible here—as in the braid—but they blend into the overall hairstyle.

Weaves – Little braids hold the extensions against the scalp (like tiny cornrows) except the braids are hidden. If the extensions are poorly applied, tension and uneven weight (like wet hair from swimming) can not only loosen the weave, but break your natural hair.

Bonding – Latex plugs hold the extensions and are glued to your own hair for short-term use. Though this method is less expensive (because it is faster), oil and heat have to be used to dissolve the bonding agent when you want the extensions out—which is messy, time consuming and can pull your own hair out if not carefully done.

Metal Tubing – Much like the latex plug, this method uses a metal tube clamped over the real hair. Be careful of the weight here if your hair is fine.

Heat-Shrink Tubing - This doesn't harm natural hair, but may not last as long as other methods. Washing can loosen the tubes.

Adhesive-Based Fusion – This is the best method and the one used at Believe. Professional grade adhesives that can withstand both heat and chemical treatments are used and our professionals can remove the extensions using an adhesive remover that reduces the bonding agent to powder (instead of using messy oil and heat).

Here's some dos and don't for your new extensions:

• Do grow your hair to 3-5 inches so the extensions won't look unnatural.
• Do use recommended aftercare products like Chromastics, Aestelance or the So.Cap. wet line for your hair extensions.
• Don't shampoo
 your hair for two days. The bonds needs time to set completely.

• Do brush your hair gently to remove tangles before washing.
• Don't scrub your scalp or shampoo your hair upside down.
• Don't shampoo your hair more than twice a day.
• Don't neglect your real hair—be gentle and keep your own hair healthy.
• Don't keep them in too long. After a few months, your extensions will be worn out from the washing, drying and styling and your real hair growth will make the extensions look like Britney Spears' on a bad day. Replace the before they draw the wrong kind of attention to your head.

 Long, strong, beautiful hair can be yours—whenever you'd like. Make an appointment with us at Believe and start the transformation.

Help Believe Give Back

When I named my salon, it wasn't by accident. In order to get started in my business, I not only had to believe in myself, but lots of other good folks had to believe in me to--and so they have. The community has warmly welcomed and supported me and my staff. In return, we believe we should give back to our community. One of the ways we do this is by supporting charities and lending our hands in any way we can. In this lull, before the lazy days of summer are upon us, we'd like to draw your attention to two of our favorite causes and ask your help:

About Autism

Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.

The prevalence of autism had risen to 1 in every 110 births in the United States and almost 1 in 70 boys. 1.5 million Americans are living with the effects of autism spectrum disorder. Currently, the Autism Society estimates that the lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million, and that the United States is facing almost $90 billion annually in costs for autism.

Know the Signs: Early Identification Can Change Lives

Autism is treatable. Children do not "outgrow" autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.

Here are some signs to look for in the children in your life:

Lack of or delay in spoken language

Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling

objects)

Little or no eye contact

Lack of interest in peer relationships

Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play

Persistent fixation on parts of objects

You can make a difference:

Contact your representatives on the state and federal level and ask them to "Vote 4 Autism." For more information about this legislation and to take action to support it, visit www.vote4autism.org. Click here for more information: http://www.autism-society.org

We at Believe are giving away turquoise hair extensions throughout the month of April for every $10 donated to fight Autism. Check with us for details.

Locks of Love

Also, on August 20, Believe is hosting a Lock For Love hair-cutting event. All layers of hair to be donated must be 10 inches or more in length so get growing (hair really does grow faster in warmer weather) and register with us to get shorn for this worthy charity. Everybody is welcome, but you do need to make an appointment to get your hair cut for this worthy organization.

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada (under age 21) suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. They meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. 

Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses they provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers. The hairpieces form a vacuum on the child's head so no glue or tape is required and they can't be pulled off by classmates. Kids can shower, play sports, even swim knowing their hairpiece won't come off. These prostheses and are given free of charge (or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.) Each one requires 6-10 donated ponytails and there are special requirements for donating that make it best if the hair is cut by a professional stylist (like us at Believe!)

A Solution for Short Term Hair Loss

Where kids experience short term hair loss, usually due to chemotherapy treatments, they require a more immediate answer to their needs. These recipients receive a synthetic hairpiece in lieu of a prosthesis. These synthetic hairpieces are made especially for children and can be provided quickly and worn during re-growth. Learn more at Locks of Love by visiting http://www.locksoflove.org/

Two great causes and two ways for us at Believe to give back to the community which has given us so much. Together we believe we can make a difference and with your help, it's a certainty.

Thanks for your support,

Lisa Koebbe Bevan

Owner, Believe Beauty Lounge

A Short History of Perfume and A Big Announcement

The word perfume is is derived from the Latin, "per fumus", meaning "through smokewhich makes sense as the first perfume was incense. The ancients soaked fragrant woods and resins in water and oil and rubbed it all over themselves. Priests used it in Biblical times (and still do). The frankincense and myrrh presented to Baby Jesus were actually perfumes and reserved for kings and high holy men.

But the smell of their fellow men got the best of them and it was the Egyptians who eventually commanded all citizens to perfume themselves once a week. Soon they discovered that soaking their skin in fragrant oil not only helped fight off the dryness that living in a desert brought about, but it was pleasurable too.

The Romans agreed and conducted lots of their business it the baths. One room was called the "unctuarium" with pots of fragrant oils, and essences. Romans got in the habit of perfuming themselves three times a day. Pet dogs and horses were also perfumed and at feasts, birds were released from their cages to dispense perfume from their wings--a latter-day air freshener. Cleopatra, knew the power of scent. Her arrival to meet Mark Anthony was announced by clouds of perfume before her barge came into view and she greeted him on a ship with perfumed sails. Arabs developed the process of extracting oils from flowers by means of distillation. Avicenna, an Arabian doctor who was also a chemist, first experimented with the rose. Rose water, a delicate scent, immediately became popular.

Catherine de Medici brought her own perfumer, Rene le Florentin from Italy, with her when she ruled France. His laboratory was connected with her apartments by a secret passageway, so that none of his formulas could be stolen en route.

Perfume got very popular during the seventeenth century with perfumed gloves all the rage in France. When Louis XV came to the throne in the 18th century, his court was called "the perfumed court" and he demanded a different fragrance for his apartment everyday. Scents were applied to clothing, fans and furniture. Perfume substituted for soap and water as bathing wasn't considered safe.

Napoleon had two quarts of violet cologne were delivered to him each week, and used sixty bottles of double extract of jasmine every month. His wife, Josephine, was so partial to musk that sixty years after her death the scent still lingered in her boudoir. Perfume reached its peak in England during the reigns of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. All public places were scented during Queen Elizabeth's rule, since she could not tolerate bad smells. It was said that the sharpness of her nose was equal led only to the slyness of her tongue.

Perfume underwent a profound change in the nineteenth century. Modern chemistry laid the foundations of perfumery as we know it today. At the turn of the century, perfume was a single-flower fragrance. Rose, violet, lilac, and lily of the valley were in high demand. Floral bouquet scents were introduced toward the end of the first decade and compounds were found to aid in binding fragrances together. Later, abstract fragrances which had no relation to the single floral or bouquet group were introduced.

The 1930's saw the arrival of the leather family of fragrances, and florals also became quite popular with the emergence of Worth's Je Reviens (1932), Caron's Fleurs de Rocaille (1933) and Jean Patou's Joy (1935). With French perfumery at it's peak in the 1950's, other designers such as Christian Dior, Jacques Fath, Nina Ricci, and Pierre Balmain started creating their own scents.

Today's fragrances are crafted by perfumers trained in the aesthetic traditions of the Renaissance. but with modern twists. Believe is thrilled to announce we are now carrying CB Perfumes by Christopher Brosius, one of the most innovative perfumers of the 21st century.

Christopher describes scent as life itself, "Scent is the record of your own special life it's your experience. My mission is to capture that experience. I bottle it so you can have it, use it and love it whenever you wish,he says. "I can give you scent experiences you never dreamed possible. I create perfumes as unique and individual as those who wear them. And I use a great many scents never before thought of as perfume But I know these are just the scents that really hit us where we live they-- the ones we remember and love. To me, this is what the art of perfume is all about.”

Please stop by Believe to experience these life-changing scents and find the one that is as unique as you are. We look forward to helping you discover that perfect scent. 

Eyebrows: Creating The Perfect Frame

We've been watching a lot of Elizabeth Taylor movies lately--a salute to the recently deceased movie queen who was often called "the most beautiful woman in the world". Though she was most famous for her gorgeous violet eyes, we noticed that in her Academy Award-winning performance in “Butterfield 8,” it wasn't just her eyes that were stunning --it was her eyebrows. They framed those amethyst orbs perfectly and it got us to thinking about eyebrow shaping and products that help keep our wild brows in great form.

Shaping Up: Your brows should not only frame your eyes, but flatter your facial shape, and balance your features. Consulting an expert the first time is always a good thing. Come on into Believe and we'll make sure you get the best brows of your life. But if you must do it yourself, here's how to determine the perfect shape for you:

• Remove all your makeup. Pull your hair gently back (use a headband for short hair) and look in a well-lit mirror.
• Hold a ruler vertically in front of your face, so it is lined up touching the outermost point of your nose and the inside of your eye. This line shows where your eyebrow should start. Mark the spot with a lip pencil and then repeat for the other eye.

Next, angle the ruler so it lines up with the outermost edge of your nose and the outermost edge of the iris of your eye. (Be sure you are looking straight ahead and that your head is positioned straight ahead, too.) Wherever the line intersects your eyebrow is where the peak of your eyebrow arch should begin at the top border of the eyebrow. Mark that spot with your lip pencil. Repeat for the other eye.
• Now angle the straight edge further so that it touches the outermost edge of your nose and also passes along the outermost edge of your eye (not your eyelashes). This tells you where the eyebrow should end. Mark this point with your pencil. Repeat with the other eye.

Now that you have the shape, determine if you want thick or thin brows. Take into consideration the shape of your face. Thick eyebrows go best with strong features and thick hair (think Salma Hayek) and delicate features (like Halle Berry) usually call for thinner brows. (On the other hand, Brooke Shields became famous for her bushy brows, so it really is a matter of choice.) Some shapes can help correct facial shapes, too. Emphasize the arch if you have a round face, to draw attention away from the width.

If your face is long, flatter brows (less arch) empathize the horizontal planes of your face, making up for it's length.

Getting Rid Of Hair: Take it easy! It takes 64 days to regrow eyebrow hair—so less is more no matter which method you choose. Never shave your eyebrows...stubble is impossible to get rid of and looks terrible. Waxing, one of the services we offer at Believe, is quick and easy (and some say the hair eventually grows back lighter and finer.)

Tweezing is the choice of most people—at least between professional visits. Before you start tweezing, though, use a lip pencil (easier to see) to heavily draw on the shape you want. Adjust it with makeup remover as you go along. Tweeze any hairs that fall outside the line of the brow. Next, brush the brows straight up with a brow brush (we sell great ones at Believe) or old toothbrush. Any hairs that are too long should be trimmed with small scissors. (Tweezing long brow hairs can result in gaps in the eyebrow.)

Coloring/Filling In: Dame Elizabeth Taylor liked to extend her brows (making her eyes look farther apart) by using a real lead pencil, but new products make such extreme methods unnecessary... And while we are on the subject of extreme—don't dye your eyebrows! The chemicals can drip in your eye and blind you. Come into Believe and we will tint your brows with vegetable dye at the same time as we do your hair. You won't have to worry about matching the shade and we do it safely. Also be careful if you choose to get permanent eyebrows tattooed on (like Liza Minnelli and Michael Jackson.) Pick your operator carefully—there is no going back if there is a mistake. Also the use of eyebrow pencils—the standard way to fill in brows since the 1940s—is out. They can produce a greasy, hardened look (Joan Crawford anyone?) and draw the wrong kind of attention to the brow.

At Believe we offer GIELLA custom blended makeup products, including two that are magic for the brows:

Brow Powder-A cream-to-powder formula that fills in and defines brows naturally and is intended to compliment hair color. It's applied with a brush and comes in shades of Blonde, Light Ash, Taupe, Auburn and Brunette.

Brow Tint- A lightweight tints and gel for brows. It is a convenient way to cover gray hairs, set unruly brows, and change the tone of brows to match your hair. It's also a great quick-fix to cover gray in hair or men's beards or mustaches and comes in Blonde, Brown Suede, Sphinx (an auburn tone) and Taupe.

Now that Spring is finally here, you'll be showing off more of that beautiful face. Let us at Believe help make your brows the perfect frame for a lovely picture.