Nobody could have predicted that we would all be in the situation we are in now when we started 2020.
The coronavirus outbreak, which has forced much of the world into a state of lockdown has so many impacts on our way of life. Even with such an event we know how vital our hair is to the way that we feel, particularly if we are able to control it! If you are not able to control it we understand how maddening that can be!
This means, you, all our wonderful clients, may now perhaps feeling a bit alone when it comes to home hair maintenance and upkeep.
We are here for all of your questions for what to do in the meantime until the salon re-opens!
So whilst the salon door is closed we are still here to help and to offer advice to avoid those home hair colour catastrophes!
In this post Salon Director Kate offers her advice on what to do whilst the salon is closed.
A couple of quick tips for all
Here are some general tips for being as kind to you hair as you can:
- I recommend you do not wash your hair every day, the more your wash your hair, the quicker your colour will fade
- Make you sure you are using a colour protecting shampoo & conditioner
- Wash your hair with warmish water, washing your hair with hot water can remove essential oils and moisture from your hair
- Use this time to give your hair a break, avoid putting direct heat on your hair
- If you are going to be keeping your hair out of your face tie it up using soft scrunchies instead of elastic hair bands to eliminate any damage
- Use split end leave in treatments, this will look after those ends and therefore avoid the temptation to go for the kitchen scissors! We recommend Redken Extreme Anti Snap or Redken split end treatment, or if you use heat stylers ghd split end therapy is also excellent but requires heat to activate properly (click on the product names to head to our online shop)
Cutting your fringe
If you are going to try and cut your fringe we recommend using the sharpest nail scissors you have (unless of course you have hairdressers scissors!). Please, please don’t use kitchen or stationery scissors!
When your fringe starts getting in your eyes gently chip into it, not removing too much length.
To chip into it keep the scissors vertical and nibble away at the hair with the tips of your scissors
This way you can follow the previous cut. Don’t wait for it to get way too long and then run the risk of going too short.
Don’t put your scissors horizontal and try to cut across above your eyebrows!
Here is a tutorial from Salon Director Kate for how to cut your fringe yourself which we hope you will find useful:
Hair Colour
There are a few ways you may be looking at this situation regarding your hair colour:
- I’m only two washes away from becoming a brassy blonde, I’m going to miss my cool blonde
- My cool chocolate brown is going to be a warm coppery brown pretty soon ☹
- Oh no, my household are soon to find out my real ‘natural’ colour
- Its ok, I will touch up my colour myself and visit the salon once things are back to ‘normal’
- I’m not going to be washing my hair, let alone worrying about the colour
- For parents – after weeks of home schooling, I am going to be more grey than ever!
Here is our advice for the coming weeks…
My blonde is changing!
You had your high lights done just a few weeks ago, so you’ve been facetiming the whole family, to ensure someone sees your beautiful blonde locks. However, your toner that was booked in for next week is no longer!
Our advice is to use the appropriate tonal shampoo and in some cases conditioner too.
Our favourite is Fanola ‘No yellow’ shampoo – it contains violet tone to keep your blond looking nice and bright and avoiding a brassy look. It doesn’t clean like a normal shampoo, so use your regular shampoo first, to cleanse. Then apply Fanola, you can leave in the hair for up to 5 minutes.
This will remove those warm, yellowy tones. Then condition as normal. You may want to wear gloves, if you don’t have any, the purple hue on your skin will wash off within a few hand washes with soap.
Another fav is Redken Colour Extend Blondage. Use as above, with Blondage as both shampoos, also leaving up to 5 minutes and use the same conditioner.
Pureology best blonde shampoo, ELEVEN Keep my colour blonde & Fudge Clean blonde Shampoo & conditioner, are gentler, but still effective versions of Fanola. So, if you’re not too yellow go for these.
Pureology and ELEVEN have great smoothing properties too.
Cool Brown fading to Red Orange… I didn’t ask for that!
You had your beautiful chocolate brown done a few weeks ago and now you’re able to sit in your garden and enjoy the sunshine, the one ray of light we have, literally!
But this means your chocolate is turning red orange… the solution is to use Redken Brownlights shampoo and conditioner, its blue pigment is perfect to keep your colour cool, bright and healthy. Its sulphate free and you can use it for every wash. Leave it on 5 minutes. You may also want to wear gloves (washing up gloves will be fine if you don’t have any) it will as it stain your hands slightly greenish, this staining will be removed after a couple hand washes with normal soap so don’t worry.
Brown lights will build up in the hair the same way that Fanola will so again it’s a once a week shampoo
Roots are on their way!
If you colour your hair to cover grey, then yes, your roots will be about to make an appearance. The best thing to do is to purchase Redken Root Fusion (root touch up colour spray) to cover it up. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a damp spray that you apply to dry hair. It is magic… it instantly covers your grey hair, no matter how resistant, how much or how little grey you have.
It will stay where you spray it, until you wash your hair. It will only rinse out with shampoo, not water (or rain).
There are only four colours in the range (click on the colour to find it in our online shop) so very easy to pick your shade:
Yes, it will still cover even if you have 3 inches of root! Your colourist will thank you when you come back into the salon and as they won’t need to correct a home colour job!
Here is a tutorial from Salon Director Kate for how to use a root colour touch up spray which we hope you will find useful:
Colouring your hair at home
If you are thinking about clicking ‘add to cart’ on a home dye kit from boots, please back away from the button!
Your wallet*, your colourist** and your hair will thank you in a few weeks’ time.
*it is quite common for home colours to be darker than you may have thought, therefore costing you heavily in money, time and hair condition, when trying to lighten your hair back to your desired shade
**These ‘one size fit all’ products don’t account for variables in the hair which are unique to you and it is so tricky to successfully apply your own colour without overlap and blotchiness.
Having said that, If you are desperate and really need to cover those greys, (I know how much of an impact great looking hair has on your mental health and boosts confidence, anything to make us feel happy at this time is appreciated and that may come from a bottle of colour!)
Please get in touch with us via Instagram on @northlainehairbeautybrighton or email kate@northlainehairco.com and we will give personal colour buying advice, this could be with you sending us a picture and having a chat on line.
The colour that would be most compatible with the Redken salon professional colour we use is L’Oreal Paris. However, please do seek our advice before making a purchase.
Most importantly, if purchasing a colour to use at home, ALWAYS following the instructions to carry out a skin test prior to applying the colour.
The main things we advise are:
- Please do NOT use HENNA if you want to get your hair coloured in salon in the next 6 months
- We will not be able to colour your hair after Henna has been used
- Henna is available in many different forms and colouring hair after henna is frought with risk
- The biggest risk is Henna products which containing metallic salts
- If metallic salts come in contact with peroxide (what we use in salon) there could be disastrous effects, such as burning
- When applying your home colour, only apply to the grey area, do not to apply the colour throughout roots to ends, as this will lead to colour ‘build up’ on the mid lengths and ends and will in turn lead to dulling of your colour
- We want shiny hair!
- It would also affect future colour changes, for example you may want to go lighter in summer and colour ‘build up’ on the mid lengths and ends will put the condition at risk, if your colourist needs to lighten more colour
- A few more top tips when colouring at home, temporarily, please do not use Schwarzkopf LIVE XXL or any Schwarzkopf LIVE colour
- These colour products are extremely difficult to remove and colour match after they have been applied to the hair. So once you have returned to the salon we will not be able to colour match the result that you got from these products.
- For all of you blondes, please do not use any gradual lightening products such as John Freda ‘go blonder’ lightening spray or lightening shampoo, this would certainly jeopardise any future lightening services in the salon!
- These products also contain metallic salts and if metallic salts come in contact with peroxide (what we use in salon) there could be disastrous effects, such as burning
- Please refrain from putting any bleach near your perfectly blended balayage and accurately weaved high lights. You and your colourist would really would regret that decision!
- When a colourist mixes bleach, it is precisely calculated process, carefully selecting the correct bleach, with the correct developer, mixed by mass to a certain ratio specifically for your hair taking into account the base shade, the undertone and the level wanting to achieve
- It is then accurately applied to the correct strands of hair, ensuring no overlap (causing breakage) and then rinsed off at the correct time, ensuring its lightened light enough to achieve the correct colour and managing the condition
- A ‘one size fits all’ home bleach will not suffice, not to mention the application… I’m getting a cold sweat just thinking about it! And I haven’t even mentioned the toner you would need…. Just don’t do it!
- If you want to liven up your blonde apply Redken Extreme Mega Mask for 5 minutes and this will bring your shine back!
I’m going to use this time to give my hair a rest!
Great, take it easy, don’t wash your hair… this means your colour won’t fade (as fast)! Embrace your natural colour showing through
A little extra help… purchase a dry shampoo such as ELEVEN Give me clean hair dry shampoo, spray onto your roots, rub in and enjoy another day of stress-free hair
When you do fancy spending time on your hair, dedicate the time to a nourishing treatment, leave in for a minimum of 5 minutes to give your hair a boost of health and shine, bringing your colour back to life.
We recommend Pureology Hydrate Superfood treatment & Pureology Strength Cure Superfood treatment or All Soft Heavy Cream.
Kids off school, means more grey
Yes, I think it does. Sorry I can’t help with that! 😉Thanks so much for reading this, I hope it was helpful.
Take care & stay safe
Kate x
