Yet, so many things can strip that away. Here are some of my thoughts on how to get your hair to really shine!

Simply put, shine is created when healthy hair cuticles reflect light.

A dry, frazzled cuticle is like a pinecone, with openings, breaks, and tears that create a rough surface that absorbs light. A healthy, closed cuticle is like a silky, smooth pine needle that shimmers and refracts light to create a high-gloss sheen.

Harsh color products and overprocessing damage cuticles and work against shine, leaving hair looking dried out and stressed. Drugstore shampoos and conditioning products with inferior or harmful ingredients can clog scalp pores and coat strands, leaving a dull residue that masks a silky shimmer. Environmental and internal stress and injury due to harsh heat from older hair dryers and flat irons also take their toll on the health and texture of your hair cuticles.

Committing to a protocol with the right products, tools and care regimen for your particular hair type and condition is key.

Here are some recommendations we make to our clients, depending upon their specific issues. Consult your stylist for the best choices for you.

• Treatment-based hair product lines like Rene Furterer and Kerastase help you to identify specific types of damage, ranging from overprocessed, stressed, frizzy, aging, thinning hair, unhealthy, clogged, or dry scalps, and more. They offer prescriptive product lines to target those problems and help hair recover for long-term improvement results.

• Cosmetic-oriented lines like Oribe and Shu Uemura provide a range of specialty shampoos, conditioners, and finishing products that achieve certain effects. These provide healthier hair with an immediate, short-term boost to clarify, condition, and add elasticity, bounce and fullness.

• It’s always best to avoid products that contain harmful ingredients that clog the scalp, retain unhealthy bacteria, and leave hair strands dry, lifeless and weighed down with residue. Clarifying shampoos and products like dpHUE Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse remove buildup on hair and scalp. Trimming dead ends will also help to keep your look polished and refreshed. 

• And finally, all heat is not created equal!  Older and non-professional grade hair dryers and flat irons can lack the technology to keep hair protected. We like BaByliss RAPIDO Lightweight hairdryer for its consumer-friendly weight and 2000 watts of hot air velocity, and ghd ‘s flat irons for their calibrated heat. I also recommend applying Oribe’s Balm d’Or heat styling shield and Kerastase Defense Thermique products to heat-styled hair to keep it soft and silky.

I hope this helps you get your shine on!

We’ll be back in touch in a couple of weeks with our next post. Meanwhile, I would love to hear how you are enjoying HairLine here and invite you to join the conversation and share your ideas and suggestions for future topics. 

Regards,

Kenny

The post Curious about Your Shine? appeared first on Kenneth Wildes Salons.

“Long hair makes you look thinner.”

“Short hair is only for the most beautiful faces.”

“Long hair is sexier.”

I often hear comments like this from clients who want to keep their hair long because of some common misconceptions about short hair. The good news? These impressions couldn’t be further from the truth.

Your ideal length depends completely on you ~ your head bone structure, attributes, natural growth directions and hair texture ~ to determine your most flattering cut.

Here are some general guidelines to help you decide on your ideal length:

• Shape of face ~ Is the shape of your face oval, elongated, diamond, round, angular or heart? Facial shape definitely plays a role but isn’t the only consideration.

• Shoulder build ~ For broader shoulders, I recommend a cut that grazes or hits just below the shoulder to soften out the line.

• Growth patterns and texture ~ Cowlicks and other quirky growth patterns will play a big role in what style will work for you. Remember, you need to recreate your look at home, so a cut that considers your hair’s behavior is key. Thin hair almost always works best short or in a shorter bob above the jawline. Color and highlights can help build a thicker look and texture. Thick hair can do almost anything you want, since we can always texture it out or soften it with a variety of treatments.

• Condition ~ After the first 16^th of an inch, hair is basically dead. Keeping it looking good doesn’t just happen. It’s up to you to take responsibility for its care and treatment, and your results depend on the time you put in and the products you choose.  If hair is badly damaged, the best course of action is to talk with your stylist about your options for treatments and home care. Or get a shorter cut and start taking great care of it.

• Personality ~ This one comes as a surprise to a lot of people, but a confident person can often rock a daring ‘do while an introvert would hands-down be happier with a more subtle and demure style. You’ll have your own great insights here.

That leads nicely into my last point, which is that change can be really uncomfortable.

If you can turn on a dime, great! Go for a bold cut. If you need time to warm up to new things, take it slowly. Your stylist can bring you along gradually to build your comfort level, every step of the way. And please know that I’m always on hand to share my thought on ways to make you look your best.

We’ll be posting our next HairLine in two weeks. What do you want to hear about? Please leave your questions and comments here!

Regards,

Kenny

The post “Wear” Do You Dare? appeared first on Kenneth Wildes Salons.