Are You Ready To Be Blonde?

We talked last week about lightening your hair (and how you should come into Believe to have it done by Lisa, the Master Colorist or one of the talented and trained staff here instead of reaching for the Clairol) but this week we’d like to talk about the different facets to going blonde. Blonde isn’t just a color—it’s a lifestyle.

You may be old enough to remember the commercials that said “If I only have one life, let me live it as a blonde” or the ones that promised blondes have more fun…but what do you really need to consider before you join the bevy of blonde beauties?

No need to go all Harlow—You are probably too mature for platinum hair: Hair color ranges in shade from deep black (level one) to that white blonde of the Nordic race (level 12). Unless someone hails from Iceland, you’ll rarely see anyone past puberty with anything lighter than a level seven. So unless you want to be glaring, think golden, wheat, ash or even the lightest brown. Those shades will look more natural.

Keep the right temperature: Everyone knows now about winter, spring, summer and autumn colors in fashion and how one season suits your skin type best. It is the same with shades of blonde. There are cool and warm shades. Bring in color photos of blonde shades you like (and hate). At Believe, we will use our years of experience to help you pick the shade that will best suit you.

Going blonde is one thing, staying blond is another: Make sure you are ready for the maintenance your new color will require. You might have gotten away with looking a little faded as a brunette or even a tad orange-ish as a redhead, but dark roots in your new blonde ‘do just look trashy. Get ready to have your hair colored (by us at Believe, please) every 4 weeks or so.

Change your hair products: Coloring your hair blonde requires bleaching products that may change the texture of your hair. You may need less shampooing and more conditioning. Use a sulfate-free shampoo like Chromastics Tri-Organic , a conditioner like Iden Treatment and a reconstructive treatment mask at home like Agadir Moisture Mask. Schedule a deep conditioning treatment every month with us here at Believe. When it comes to farm references, you want hair like corn silk, not like hay.

Pay attention during the process: If you have hair that is on the scale (see above) at level seven or higher, you may get to become blonde with just highlights. Darker than that and you need a “single process” or even a “base breaker” or maybe both, depending on how dark your natural hair is---we’ll educate you on this when you come to Believe for lightening. You’ll need to know to allow enough time at each appointment or if <sob> you ever decide to get your color done at some other salon.

Glazing is not just for donuts: There are sheer shade glazes that are a non-peroxide treatment that add the perfect shine to your new blonde look (and seal in that glisten-in-the-sun look).

Stop by your favorite department store makeup counter: Duck the women spraying perfume and ask for a free makeover. Your new hair color will require new lipstick certainly and maybe new brow and lash color as well. The opinion of a stranger is good here as they won’t be “blinded” by the old you—they’ll only see the dazzling blonde you are now.

Everyone’s got a blonde joke: And they are guaranteed to trot it out when they see your new color. Grin and bear it. They’ll soon run out of steam. You’ll have the last laugh knowing you look younger (lighter hair does that), that you can now be that hot blonde your partner is now ogling, and that now when people meet you, they’ll be wondering if you are having more fun. At Believe, we hope the answer is a resounding “yes!”

Static Electricity: Avoid Getting Zapped This Winter

Winter is here (though in some places in the country, you wouldn’t know it) and with it comes dry air, overheated houses and the (literally) pain known as static electricity. Our hair stands straight up, our clothes stick in places we’d rather they not, and when we touch a doorknob, we get zapped.

There are ways to cut down on the nuisance, but first a quick look back to grade school science and what causes static electricity?

Atoms make up all physical objects and have inside of them electrons, protons and neutrons. Electrons carry a negative charge, protons carry a positive charge and neutrons are (as their name indicates) neutral. Opposite charges attract each other (just like some men and women we know) and like charges repeal each other. If all the charges are balanced, they become neutral.

Static electricity indicates that the charges are unbalanced and they build up on the surface of an article until they are discharged. One way that happens is by rubbing of certain materials against another. That action can transfer the charges --like if you rub your boot on a carpet, the extra electrons collect on your body, waiting to be released, say when you touch your doorknob or cat—then zap! You get shocked.

A cool way to demonstrate the attraction part of the principle (and amaze young kids) is to start a very thin stream of water flowing from a faucet. Run a plastic comb through your clean hair 10 times and bring the comb (slowly) close to the flowing water without actually touching it. The stream of water will bend towards the comb—just like magic.

Taking off your hat in the winter often causes your hair to stand straight up. Electrons get transferred from the hat to your hair and since objects with the same charge repel each other, your hairs are trying to back away from each other—that’s why your hair stands on end.

Okay, so now you know why static electricity happens, but what to do about it?

• Dry hair and skin adds to the problem. Come into Believe for a deep conditioning treatment at least once a month during this season when we are all heating our homes and offices.
• Use a daily conditioner like Iden Treatment to keep moisture in your hair. (Aestelance Butter can even be used on your dry skin—another catalyst for static electricity.)
• For a mid-winter treat, try a cup of heavy cream mixed with a teaspoon of lavender oil (tucked in a shower cap) as an overnight treatment.
• Switch from using plastic hair brushes to ones with natural bristles (we have a great selection at Believe.
• You may even want to spray a little anti-static spray on your hair brush before you blow dry (you can use the same spray on your clothes) like Aromatic Lotion Anti-Static Spray by Aestelance.
• In a pinch, wipe your hair (and the front and back of your panty hose) with a fabric softener dryer sheet.
• High quality hair sprays and gels like Iden Finish Spray and Hydrogel which we stock at Believe will help cut down on the problem.
• When it comes to your clothes—only dry them about 90% and then hang to dry.
• Sort natural materials from synthetics in your dryer or consider drying the synthetics entirely on a clothes rack.
• Try using vinegar in the rinse (the smell wears off as the clothes dry) but don’t mix it with bleach, else you might keel over from the fumes!)

Be sure to book that conditioning treatment at Believe right now to help make sure that your winter isn’t a hair-raising one.

Shine On!

You may be forgiven if your summer hair gets a little drab, dull and worn out from the sun and salt, but now that autumn is upon us, you've got no excuse for not having hair so shiny it competes with all those holiday lights already popping up everywhere.

First a little lesson in what makes hair shiny. When the cuticle of the hair shaft lies nice and flat, it provides an even surface to reflect light. This smooth outer layer also repels the moisture that causes frizz—a real shine inhibitor.

And here's something you may not have known: Using only moisturizing shampoos and conditioners can actually interfere with the shine of your hair by building up dulling residue on the shaft.

What do to? About once a week, try an acidic finishing rinse after you wash your hair. The acids tighten up that outer layer of cuticle, letting more light bounce off that newly-smooth cuticle, making your hair even more lustrous. You can even whip up a simple acid wash right in your own kitchen. Try one of these rinses:

• Beer: After shampooing hair and washing out the suds, pour a bottle of beer into your hair and massage it in for a few minutes. Then rinse well with cold water. This beer rinse even helps give your hair body.
• Lemon Juice: After shampooing and rinsing as usual, mix the juice of a lemon with 1½ cups of water and pour through hair, before rinsing with cold water. Prepare for shine galore!
• Apples Cider Vinegar: Combine the juice of a ½ lemon (careful—it might lighten your hair a little) with 2 Tbs of the vinegar and 1 cup of water. Massage into hair and scalp and rinse with cool water to correct hair's pH and bump up the shine.

Now that you've gotten the gotten the gunk out, don't forget to put some good stuff in. Come into Believe every month for a deep conditioning treatment to beat winter stress and, once a week at home, apply a deep conditioner or heavy duty mask formulated to boost shine (while protecting the outer layer of hair). MOISTURE MASK BY AGADIR WITH MORROCAN OIL and AESTELANCE MUD MASK and IDEN TREATMENT and all are carried at Believe.

Every two months or so you may want to actually feed your hair by mashing one ripe avocado (use the rest for fresh guacamole--yum!) and mixing it with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. baking powder. Work the mixture through hair. Leave on for 15 minutes, and wash out really well. It will really help you ramp up the shine.

To get a real mirror-like finish (and help that cuticle lay even flatter) use some of the great shine-enhancing products we carry at Believe like AESTELANCE LUSTRE.

The trick to these is to avoid putting the product on the roots (don't go any closer than 1½ inches from the roots) and always apply these products to dry hair. Generally speaking, pomades and waxes are good for thin hair and oils and serums work better on thick or coarse hair—but stop by Believe and we will give you a free consultation about which shine enhancer will work best for you.

Also, when drying hair, aim your blow dryer down the hair shaft, which smooths the cuticle (otherwise air pushes the cuticle up and along comes frizz.) Once your hair is almost dry, hit the cool button to seal the hair cuticle, which will help keep your hair smooth and silky.

The holidays are right around the corner and it is the season to shine! Make sure your hair does it's “part”(get it?)

And be sure to stop by to see us at Believe before any of those big holiday parties. We'll make you a shining star!

Beards On Vacation--Get Growing!

Flip flops instead of shoes, tan legs instead of pantyhose, T-shirts instead of business suits...all signs of summer vacation. But, at Believe, we know of one more: Beards! Throwing off the tyranny of daily shaving, more and more men are choosing to grow beards and summer vacation is the perfect time to get growing.

Here's a few tips to get your beard off to a good start:

• Make a commitment: Just like anything worth doing—like running or learning a new language—growing facial hair takes a while and you should commit to a certain time period to see it through. Don't quit in the middle and the results could be great!
• Seeing is believing: You should at least try to grow a beard once in your lifetime. Until you do, you'll never know if you suddenly sprout a full red beard (though you are a blond) or if it will come in silver (so distinguished) or if you have bald patches on either side of your chin just where your dad did. You can't fight genetics, but how do you know that your great-great-great granddad wasn't Blackbeard (whose luxuriant facial hair—into which he wove lighted sparklers—made the ladies swoon and the men quake in fear)?
• Tell everyone else to put a cork in it: Make a pact with your wife, kids and friends that you want to try to grow this beard and that, for awhile, you will look like a beach bum. Ask that they hold their opinions until the growing season is complete. (Your opinion is the one that counts in the end anyway.)
• Prepare to be a little uncomfortable: Yes, yes, as your beard grows in, it will be itchy, but let it grow for six weeks—no cheating. Don't trim it, shape it, or cut it during this time. Just let Nature takes it's course (and try to look like you are deeply pondering the problems of the universe while scratching your beard.) Wash it with gentle shampoo, like AESTELANCE  G  and condition it with IDEN TREATMENT. A little extra moisturizer like ZUM BODY(in assorted scents) rubbed into the skin beneath your beard will also lessen the discomfort.
• Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow: Even if you have only a goatee or a luxuriant mustache in mind for the finished product, why not let everything grow so you will have more hair with which to decide how you want it styled in the end? You can always cut hair off, but it takes a while to grow back.
• Get it professionally trimmed: Make an appointment and come into Believe for us to professionally shape your beard. In the trade, this is called “designing a neckline.” Usually where the beard grows to its upper limit on your cheek is best left natural. Our trained stylists will then take into account your jawline, the measurement from your sideburns to the proper section of your neck, your ear placement in correlation to your jaw—many things that will make your beard look natural, clean and neat. (This is not a job for amateurs! Come let us teach you how to trim your beard properly or visit us at Believe every time you need a trim and enjoy a little pampering. You deserve it.)
• Put down the dye: Here is the problem with do-it-yourself beard dyeing—the final result looks like you are wearing a fake beard. Products like “Just For Men” dye your beard (and usually parts of your neck, ears and bathroom counter) one flat shade making it appear much darker than your hair and looks as unnatural as if you had dunked your chin in shoe polish. If you truly can't stand the grey, come on in to Believe. We are experts at multi-tonal dyeing and can help hide the grey in a way that won't scream out “I dye my beard!”
• Don't be hasty: Put off the decision to ditch the beard until after your “neckline design” appointment at Believe. If you then decide to shave it off (or leave a soul patch/imperial or a luscious mustache) we can do it for you. Trust us; Our sharp scissors, professional handling of a beard trimmer and follow-up skin care will save you from lots of bumps cuts and ingrown hairs.

From Abe Lincoln to Jerry Garcia and Jim Morrison to Sigmund Freud, famous men have been almost as celebrated for the facial hair as for their deeds. Should you decide to join such renown company (and agree with an anonymous ancient Greek who said, “There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless—boys and women—and I am neither one,” call us at Believe to make an appointment for that shaping and put down the razor!