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I’ll walk you through why Lucy struggled so much with her hair and what we did. Four things conspired to keep Lucy’s hair flat and straight, or return it to straight soon after tonging.
1. Lucy’s hair is naturally quite straight.
That doesn’t mean it couldn’t bend with styling as the natural hair was quite flexible.
2. The outline of the haircut was A-Line down to a longer front.
This encourages the hair to hang straight, flat and forward.
3. The hair was one-length.
The lack of layering meant the ends would struggle to hold a bend.
4. The ends were extremely dry from overprocessed colour.
This made them brittle and inflexible. Even if a bend was put in with hot tongs it was difficult for the hair to hold onto the wave.
If you think you’ve got bad hair, help is at hand. We have the techniques and the products to show you a remarkable transformation. Too thick, too thin, too curly, too straight, too flat, too full, too dry, too oily. After 40 years looking after the most discerning international clients, models, royalty and rock stars I can confidently say, everyone can have better hair.
This is what we did…
1. Cut -The haircut 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. Lucy’s hair hung heavy around her face. The hard and heavy curtain-sides offered little softness or framing. Her A-Line one-length outline made it difficult to work and the style didn’t last.
The Diamond Dry Cut™ is my natural method of sculpting. We cut hair dry to see the shape evolve in much the same way as Canova would approach a marble bust. I graduated the front slightly and layered the back a little, softening the tips with a steep point-cut up to two inches into the hair. This changed the fall and texture of the hair helping it to bend more easily. Lucy’s hair can now move fluidly and fall effortlessly back into place.
2. Condition - The original haircut was extremely dry at the ends from overprocessed colour and excessive heat styling. When hair becomes this dry and decayed its more difficult to manage and styles don’t last long. We gave Lucy a LifeSaver Prewash Treatment. Nothing injects moisture, elasticity and shine quite like this. Lucy will now continue at home with this unique system of Healthcare for Hair®. Read… The Facts of LifeSaver®
3. Colour - Rocky our talented Senior Colourist wanted to get a more natural and attractive result for Lucy to help alleviate the flatness, and assist with a more fluid dimensional look. Blonde highlights can make hair look brighter but more and more blonde can start to make the hair look flat without the contrasting tones in between. The hair was previously over-coloured at the ends and didn’t complement Lucy’s skin tone. Rocky worked through a cooler balayage to compliment her skin and eye colour. To break up the line from the solid old highlights, she added lowlights matching her natural base, this also gave texture and dimension, further enhancing a sense of movement in the hair.
4. Styling - With a great cut, colour and better condition you get to choose lots of style options. Here we took Lucy through four easy to achieve looks.
“I was incredibly frustrated with my hair for a long time. It felt lifeless, dull and (no matter what I tried) curls would drop out in seconds! Michael's cut has given my hair so much texture, body, and life that it's an absolute joy to style now. I wanted the colour to be slightly lighter, but I also wanted it to look natural, and I could not be more pleased with Rocky's work. I feel like a new woman. If you're struggling with your hair, I could not recommend MVC enough. You'll never look back.” - Lucy
For Lucy’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 Large Round Brush (soft bristle) to smooth. Then after tonging, a little Ten Second Transformation to feed and smooth the hair giving a little shine and texture too. Finally some Holding Spray gave texture and hold.
Preparation
Styling
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Where were you standing when you decided to adjust your hair colour? Do you stand there often?
At the first salon I worked as a junior, back in the last century, the colourists at the salon had an interesting technique for showing clients their finished results; escorting them to the ladies toilet where a single electric wall light seemed to cast a favourable glow.