Inspired in the natural changes by Mother Nature, fashion evolves to create new looks that accent our personal style and enhance who we are as individuals. Hair trends are influenced by seasonal runway collections of fashion designers from Milan to Paris and New York. Session Stylists are asked to create looks that work in synergy with clothing and mirror certain aspects of texture, colour and structure.

Spring/Summer 2013 is a year boasting pop-inspired floral prints. Unlike the recent past seasons of large floral prints, this year we are seeing small intense floral patterns. Texture also returns to be a popular choice as seen with the ever-flowing maxi dress. This can be interpreted in hair with the continuation of natural texture and movement. Again, were are seeing a shift away from perfect ‘hairdresser hair,’ and more towards simple waves that appear ‘lived in’ over a couple days.

As professional stylists in our seasonal update training, our mentors debuted looks that teach us how to create texture without it looking perfect. Guests are shying away from perfect curls or sleek flat ironing, and opting for new looks frequently posted by Pinterest followers. This rising influence of social media in pop culture has us looking increasingly to Pinterest and Instagram to discover the latest trends in fashion and hair that our guests desire.

Recently I heard a Stylist in a training seminar sigh under her breath ‘Ombré….again?!’ as an educator was revealing the latest collection from L’Oréal Professionnel: Ombré Nature. Ombré is a specialized technique that fades a deeper base into lighter ends, which has been a staple in highlighting technique for the past three years. Simply stated, Ombré is a technique that isn’t going away. It will continue to evolve and take on new appearances due to its natural finish rather than classic blonde foils.

Ombré is achieved by visually placing highlights throughout the hair either by open air (called Balayage: the French word meaning ‘to sweep over’), or by separation with cotton or highlighting material. The artistry is created by the blend between the base colour at the roots and lightness on the ends using a premium lightening product. Almost all magazine covers you see today showcase some form of Ombré and less of blonde foiling.

Spring/Summer 2013’s colour trend is slightly more natural then previous years. Base colours are softened slightly, boasting tones of neutral mocha and varying natural blonde tones. This technique is excellent for maintenance since the blonde does not reach the root entirely, and you will not notice your roots as quickly as you do with conventional foils.

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Have some fun during the warmest and most glorious days of the year and lighten up! Have some fun experimenting with the latest in colour and texture and push your Stylist’s creative limits. Nothing is more fun then accenting your look with the evolution of well rounded fashion.

Nothing is more attractive on a woman than soft, shiny and well-conditioned hair. Aside from beautiful colour and the perfect cut, it is the condition that speaks volumes of how well your locks are maintained.

In the salon, stylists need to have heart to heart conversations with our guests all the time. What it really boils down to is creating realistic plans for your hair that will enable you to get to your desired look. In our instant digital society we have become accustomed to achieving results right away, however we have yet to see a patent on digital hair that can change at the click of a button.

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I know how important long hair is to a woman (and a lot of men that they hang around with) so here are some important tips to maintaining your long hair—and growing it longer if you so choose:

Date your Hairdresser - Well not literally, but you should schedule a regular hair date with him/her every 6 weeks (if you hair is above your shoulders) or every 8 weeks (if you have long hair) to have your ends neatly cut. Sensitized ends create splits that work up the strand of the hair creating dreaded split ends that you hate. The more often you visit, the less we have to remove - which is a lot less stress on you.

Invest in the Best - Just like your wardrobe, start with staple beauty products to maintain your hair. I’m talking about shampoo and conditioner. Before we even talk styling aides, you must use a premium shampoo, conditioner and if I get my way, a once a week masque to cleanse and moisturize your ends. Check out Kerastase Bain Age Recharge and Kerastase Age Recharge Masque—miracle long hair revival weapons that use lipids (or fats) to replenish lack luster ends! I always say: would you wash your cashmere sweater in Sunlight dish soap?

Wear Protection - Styling is the biggest aggressor on your hair. To maintain the strength, shine and overall health of your hair use a conditioning blow dry cream like Kerastase Nectar Thermique before your blow dry. These magic potions envelop the hair fiber, seal the cuticle and protect against thermal styling.

Blunt is your friend - If you are trying to grow your hair longer, consider keeping your perimeter or ends blunt and start to grow your layers longer. Layers always reduce the weight of a haircut, by growing them longer it will give you a fuller effect. Blunt lines generally grow out more evenly and trend not to give you ‘wispy’ ends like the use of over texturizing.

Live Optimally - There is no magic pill or product that will do more than your body. Our hair, skin and overall health are direct reflections of how we value our bodies. Ensure you are eating lots of fresh foods with a balanced diet with plenty of healthy fats (hair loves omega from wild salmon). I’m a big fan of whole food vitamins and supplements since our food just doesn’t have the same nutrients it used to.

Growing your hair is a journey that needs to be done over time. Aside from hair pieces and extensions, the only magic ingredient is one that you cannot buy. It is an ingredient that you must produce on your own but guess what, it’s free! Growing your hair only requires: patience.

Happy Growing!

The New Year is a time where possibilities are endless and positive intentions are made for a fresh start. Looking beyond the expanding waist lines, gym memberships, cleaning lists and Nicorette, I truly believe that there is an energy of manifestation in the New Year. The energy is one that can create internal motivation to create the life you want.

Many would challenge that in my industry all we do is craft a look on the outside often using the change as a way to influence internal change. The longer I get to work with people and understand their reason for change, the more I understand how the external looks are part of an internal transformation.

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On New Years Eve, I had the pleasure of benefiting a man with his desire to create change in his life outside of what his family and culture believed he should do. At first glance, I went into the appointment thinking of it as another dramatic haircut as this young guy had never had his hair cut in 24 years.

Coming from a Sikh background he explained that he is expected to maintain both the length of hair on his head and the beard that reached far down on to his chest. When we began the consultation I had a deeper respect and understanding of the personal battle he had been playing inside his head. This decision is one that he and his brother made together despite hesitation of his family and culture.

As I braided his long, black hair and prepared to save it for wigs that cancer patients will use, I inquired more into why he wanted the change. I was expecting a dramatic rebellion against old beliefs, parental expectations or even something involving a relationship (which are generalized reasons I hear for change) but it wasn’t dramatic at all. He wanted to simplify his life. Working as a healthcare professional, playing sports and enjoying the gym played a part in modernizing his total look.

With every snip that I took in harvesting his well-preserved locks I felt his un-nerved winces. Within the uncomfortable moments I noticed his energy get bigger and even though is confidence was not yet at ease I could tell his inner transformation had begun.

After all was said and done, I proclaimed how it was such a perfect time for him to choose to create such drastic change in his life. He responded to me that New Years actually had nothing to do with his decision, and that he set his intention to have it done before returning to work after the holiday season.

That was the true champagne moment for me. It demonstrated that outside of the usual resolutions that we make during this dreary time of year, it’s the internal passion for change in our lives that produce the most influence.

Our lives are infused with the ability to create whatever we want. It’s the inspiration that changes to thought and thought to action. It takes courage and clarity to keep your eye on the prize to get the results that you desire. Often, the result is not achieved in a straight line or in the sequence of A to B to C, rather it is a windy road of events that leads to the desired outcome.

Relating hair to life is a fascination of mine. As our season changes and the days become a little more gray our desire for change is stirred. We have the desire to look different on the outside to complete a internal stirring feeling that we have. This is the magic of hair - it is something that we can change almost instantly.

When we talk about hair colour the first step is to stay realistic in the results that you are looking for. Changing colour usually will take 2 to 3 visits to achieve the appropriate change you are looking for. It probably took numerous applications over months to get your hair to the state it is in now. Professional colourists require subsequent visits to be able to appropriately lift out unwanted artificial pigments or in the case of going darker, deposit underlying pigments that are needed to hold darker shades.

Most of us understand that colour does not remove colour in the case of going from dark to light, however, going from light to dark is a different case. If you can think of your hair’s internal structure as an ice cream cone, if you add one scoop of ice cream and hold it upside down it will usually fall out. If you add numerous scoops that stick together the likelihood of the ice cream falling out is far less. Colour molecules are similar in that they like company and need complimentary tones to be present in the hair before they will last through a shampoo or two.

In the way of haircutting we have to consider hair texture, growth patterns and existing length before we can design a style. One of the biggest challenges that I encountered behind the chair are fine textures. Usually for a person of this texture it is best to maintain blunt lines on the perimeter and only very specific layering and texturizing to enhance the haircut. A downfall of stylists is that we have been over texturizing hair for far too long. Any texture or layering needs to be done with purpose and intent.

The consultation for change is a big one because it’s generally not going to happen in a regular two-hour reservation with your stylist. That’s why we need to talk inspiration first, thought to create the plan, and a series of professional action to enable the follow through.

If you feel you need more clarity from your stylist before they start your service don’t hesitate to express that. We’d always prefer to be on the same page before commencing to avoid miscommunication.

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