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In the Chair - Real People Real Hair - Mandy

February 20, 2020

In the Chair - Real People Real Hair - Mandy

Fiddling too much with your hair? Taking too long to blowdry your style, that then doesn’t last? Resigned to thinking you’ve got bad hair? Help is at hand. The cut is the most important part of your hairstyle and should do most of the work. If it’s not cut well you will work harder and feel less confident.

But what makes a great haircut?

This new series of blogs will look at some of the common mistakes hairdressers make and how you can get the best out of your hair.

Mandy’s haircut was typical of the corrective work I do for new clients. Heavy and leaden, it showed little finesse and jarred around her face. A small section of hair was cut too short on top. Underneath was a clumpy one-length Bob. The tuft gave the illusion of layers. But fake layers really. A lazy ten minute haircut. Unfortunately, the norm.

Front on, the ‘too short’ layers give an indentation at the temples which left Mandy always struggling to get any lift. She would use rollers but the hair went flat soon after. The stepped effect at the sides left the few random ends with nothing to connect to, so they tended to just stick out and look frizzy.

Correcting Mandy’s hair didn’t involve taking the length shorter at the back or on the top. But it needed proper layering to remove excess dead weight around the middle that was heavy, ageing and wig-like. Youthful hair moves - a leaden hairstyle adds years.

Hollie our colourist, did an amazing job of balancing out the colour and introducing contrast with darker and lighter highlights. Then she applied a golden gloss toner to give warmth.

So Mandy’s finished hairstyle doesn’t overwhelm her. It blends seamlessly, whilst beautifully enhancing her features. A refined, elegant look that’s complementary to an aura of beauty and wellness. Home blow drying is simple for Mandy now as the haircut carries the style.

‘My hair has never been easier or looked better. I’m so happy’ - Mandy Constable

A great haircut is a feat of structural engineering. It balances the different lengths, textures and thicknesses of 100,000 plus strands, so the hair wants to fall into the desired shape; naturally, effortlessly, even after being windswept.

In fact, at the end of a haircut I’ll often give a ‘Tornado Test’. By blasting the hair around in all directions with a hairdryer, I can see how it behaves under pressure and how easily it wants to fall back into style. This test can highlight imperfections in the balance of weight, which helps in fine-tuning the haircut.

For Mandy’s hair we used LifeSaver Prewash Treatment to rehydrate, then UV Protective Shampoo and Conditioner. A little Thicker Quicker blowdry spray and Volumising Mousse helped give body and control. We used the Medium Round and Large Round Brush. Then finally a little Ten Second Transformation to feed and smooth the hair giving a little shine and texture too.

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Michael Van Clarke



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