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Is your hair drowning you? Einstein told us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another. Friction energy into heat energy, heat into light, light into electricity, us into daisies eventually etc. it’s endlessly morphing into something else, but the amount of matter/energy in the Universe is finite.
We’re attracted to the energy of others (if deemed friendly), and hair gives off energy. Both kinetic and elastic potential energy, and very much a sensual energy that plays its part in finding and attracting a mate. It’s this latent sensuality of hair that many religions try to curb with head coverings, to repress the empowerment or trouble it may bring.
Some haircuts can be equally oppressive and proper layering can set the hair free. I’m all for liberation but somehow, accidentally over the last 30 years, our industry sleepwalked into simplistic A-Line Bobs on long hair, which can kill the energy and fluidity of this crowning glory. Without major styling it can be a heavy leaden haircut for long hair.
Izzy has fantastic thick supple hair but her hair cut and colour technique had left it heavy, dry and leaden. She struggled to maintain stable colour. She struggled to style her hair or get it to hold any form of wave or bend even. She knew it wasn’t right but every attempt, including graduating the front last time, left it heavy, hanging and stilted. She felt drowned by her hair.
1. The haircutThe haircut is the foundation for everything. If the haircut isn’t right, it will impact how you feel and your confidence levels. It will waste more of your time with excessive styling which will impact the condition which will affect the colour and how long that lasts. And as the condition deteriorates it will require more styling and colouring to keep it looking good which will make the hair drier still…… So the best thing is to get the haircut right and then everything becomes easier and better looking.
Izzy liked long hair but the A-Line haircut she had (shorter squared off at the back down to long points at the shoulders) was swamping her. The step layer, 5 inches up from the baseline, didn’t help. Altogether it made her hair much drier, straighter, and heavier than it should be. Not to mention flattening and dulling the colour. I could feel the supple vibrant life-energy in her hair, but none of it could get out beyond the oppressive one-length haircut.
So often with simplistic wet-cutting, the client is in the dark, as styling after a wet-cut covers a multitude of errors and then the problems fall to the client once they wash their hair at home.
We both wanted to keep the length, so less than 1 cm came off the middle length at the back. Using our signature Diamond Dry Cut™ method, I took a graduated outline and sculpted face-framing layers, then layered up from the base to shape the outline and provide connection to these long layers.
This balances the weight from front to back, so the hair moves as one. Because Izzy has such thick hair it was necessary to refine the tips and take out weight to give an overall lightness and encourage flexibility in the dry ends.
One of the other benefits of cutting hair dry is that the client feels part of the process because they can see the shape building and they can see how it will fall into place even before styling.
The haircut alone improved Izzy’s colour enormously. Cutting away the dull ends and revealing new dimensions of tonal variation. We discussed colouring the hair less frequently and leaving some of her natural tones uncoloured rather than the too-frequent 100% coverage she’d been used to.
Isabel is on programme now to restore her natural hair quality that has suffered from poor cutting and colouring. Regular LifeSaver Pre-wash Treatments will protect and restore the natural quality of hair. These aren’t oil-based and you cannot overuse LifeSaver®. They feed, hydrate and strengthen hair without weighing it down and give vibrancy to all hair types.
NEW Eureka Blowdry Balm is the best choice for styling Isabel’s hair. Just apply, comb and style, or not not if you like the natural look. This product eliminates frizz and defines the waves whilst protecting the hair from UV and heat damage.
The Cashmere Protein Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner also helps soften the hair and give shine. Millie-Rose blow dried using a little Thicker Quicker at the roots and a Large Round Brush to smooth the hair for an effortlessly groomed look. Once dried, we fed through a little Ten Second Transformation to define the layers, give texture and shine.
“I love my hair!"- Isabel
Preparation
We used the LifeSaver ULTRA Pre-wash Treatment and washed with Cashmere Protein Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner.
Styling
We used the NEW Eureka Blowdry Balm, Thicker Quicker Volumising Blowdry Spray, 10 Second Transformation and the Large Round Brush to style.
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The word ‘healthspan’ has been absorbed into our daily lexicon. It pops up as often as lifespan now as the movement to maximise health progresses. Healthspan is the length of time a person is healthy, not just alive, and was coined by gerontologists in a 1987 Science article. A period of life in which you are healthy and free from chronic disease or disability.