Tag Archives: healthy hair

Is Your Hair Dehydrated?

July 28, 2017

Summer is in full swing which means, so is the sun. Your hair takes a beating between pool chemicals, more frequent shampooing, and sun worshiping. If you highlight or color your hair this time of year can trash all that beautiful work your stylist spent countless hours on. Fear not, there are ways to rehydrate, protect, and heal those poor strands. Here’s a list of my favorite products and services for quenching your hair’s thirst.

O&M DETOX Shampoo

Do you ever leave the pool feeling like your hair magically transformed into hay? If so this Shampoo will change your life! Detox removes product build up, chlorine, and stubborn oils. My favorite thing about this product is the invigorating peppermint oil. Your scalp feels clean, cool, and refreshed. Unlike most clarifying shampoos, Detox leaves your hair nourished, hydrated, and soft.

G L O S S it up!

Glaze, toner, gloss, are all the same. Keeping your strands glossed every 4-6 weeks protects your hair from heat styling and the sun. It also is a great way to reduce brassiness and revive the shine and saturation of your color.

EVO FABULOSO Platinum

Don’t have time for a gloss? Revive your blonde and kick brass at home with EVO’s FABULOSO Platinum deep conditioner. The bottle says to leave on for 3 mins however, I always suggest my clients leave this brass killer on for a minimum of 10. Your highlights will be bright and hydrated.

OI oil

Unlike Argan Oils, this is a super lightweight holy-grail of shine and softness. OI is good for all hair types. Davines Oi oil contains Roucou oil which is light yet powerful. I recommend using this on your ends every night before bed. This bottle can last at least 6 months when used properly. For the average head of hair less than the size of a pea is more than enough. Oi has healing properties and can be used on wet or dry hair. You will wonder how you ever lived without this. Did I mention it smells amazing?

NOU NOU Mask

Every woman should have a deep conditioner to use at least 1-2 times per week. I prefer to deep condition after I have used my Detox clarifying shampoo. It makes the most sense to do a “deep” cleanse before a “deep” conditioning. NOU NOU mask not only hydrates the hair but it also strengthens weak over worked strands.

OLAPLEX

If you haven’t heard of Olaplex you are being deprived of something truly amazing. Olaplex was the first of its kind in the beauty industry. This take home is the 3rd step after your stylist performs steps 1 & 2 during your color service. This is not a conditioner. This is a bond multiplier which has been designed to prevent breakage during your color service. Basically, it’s an insurance policy for your hair’s health. Use #3 weekly on clean damp hair to maintain the added strength.

P.S. All of these goodies can be found at my salon Thirteenth and Washington in downtown St. Louis 🙂

Top Five Beauty Resolutions for 2016

January 2, 2016

ONE: Avoid Hot Water

Hot water is the best way to strip your hair of healthy natural oils, cause frizz, and fade your haircolor at a rapid pace. Have you been experiencing dry hair and skin? Your shower is probably to blame. The winter has a way of luring us into a steaming hot shower, the problem is our skin and hair can’t handle it.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should take the ice bucket challenge every time you bathe. Just be mindful that your hair and skin are delicate. Warm water is great to open the pores of the skin and gently lift the cuticle layer of the hair to remove excessive oil and buildup, followed by a cool rinse to seal & close everything back down.

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TWO: Deep Condition Weekly

Your hair will be in optimal health with weekly conditioning treatments. Pick up a great deep conditioner such as Davines MINU mask or EVO Fabuloso deep treatments. Pick a day each week that you take a little extra time to pamper yourself. I like to do my treatment on a Sunday evening.

Shampoo normally and skip your daily conditioner. You will then want to gently detangle your hair with a wide tooth comb (Yes, before the conditioner.) Squeeze out the excess water and if you can keep a 100% cotton t-shirt nearby, it’s a great way to blot the hair dry. Apply about a nickel size of your deep conditioner from scalp to ends but focusing the saturation on the mid strand and ends. Work it into the hair like you would when applying a body balm. You really want to feel the hair absorb the product. Comb through, clip your hair up, and leave in for 10-15minutes. Rinse with cool water and your hair will reward you with shine and smoothness!

THREE: Get a Shine Treatment once a month

Think of a shine treatment like the clear top coat of your nail polish! My absolute favorite is the EVO Temptress shine treatment. This is a simple service you can ask for in the salon. This shine treatment will leave your hair smooth with a glass like shine, not to mention it will add a day or two to your blow out!

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FOUR: Use Great Products

Sure you can go the cheap route and purchase whatever liters are on sale at Target or Ulta, however when you purchase from a professional salon your products are not only more concentrated but also better for your hair in the long term. Most products have a “cosmetic repair” where professional grade products such as Davines contain ingredients like Roucou oil that heal the hair and don’t cause build up. When you purchase retail from your stylist you’re guaranteed to see the results the products promise and if your not feeling it, your stylist will happily exchange it for something that suits your needs a little bit better.

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FIVE: Prebook your beauty appointments

Not sure what your doing tomorrow? Prebook your appointments anyway! On January 1st I take out my calendar and block off vacation time, dentist & doctor appointments, and then my favorite to plan beauty appointments. When you plan these types of appointments well in advance you learn to build your life around them. To be completely honest maintaining these particular appointments are important for your physical and mental health. Consistency allows us to keep things in check. When we let certain things go for far too long it can cause stress, low self esteem, and always larger financial burdens. Hands down the best part of prebooking is choosing the perfect appointment times, such as your birthday or the prime time during the holidays!

Live in St. Louis? Schedule your beauty appointments with me by clicking here 🙂

Is Hard water killing your hair?

September 3, 2014

You would think using great products is all you need to do to keep your hair healthy. Unfortunately there’s more to the puzzle my friends. Think about the water you’re using to wash that beautiful hair. Have you ever traveled and wondered why your hair looked like complete s#*!% after showering? Then maybe you’ve spent the night at a friends place and left the shower with gorgeous mermaid hair. WTF right? Here’s what happened. During your travels you were exposed to hard water which consists of way too many minerals that dry out, weigh down, and straight up ruin your hair. Now your friend, she’s smart. Your friend has either invested in a water softening system or a less expensive approach, a shower head with built in filter.

HARD WATER CAUSES:
-Dryness
-Color Fading
-Buildup on your scalp
-Lack of Lather… which means your wasting your shampoo!

Freaked out? No worries! You can totally beat hard water! Here’s how:

STEP ONE: Install a showerhead with built in filter.

This one is from Culligan and is $28.49 with an Amazon Prime account. The filter lasts about 6 months!

STEP TWO: Use a clarifying shampoo once a week.

Davines’ SU Shampoo has a rich formulation which restores hydration and softness to the hair. It carries out an immediate restructuring action and eliminates residues of salt and chlorine, restoring sun damaged hair to its optimal condition.

STEP THREE: Use a styling product that has a built in treatment.

OI/ ALL in One Milk Benefits:

adds shine

adds softness and silkiness

has an excellent detangling power

facilitates combing of dry and wet hair

controls frizz

has an exceptional conditioning effect

gives body without weighing hair down

moisturizes hair

facilitates blow drying

heat protection

provides a longer-lasting hairstyle

Spring 2014 Haircolor Collection by Kristen Linares

April 8, 2014

This year I decided to create my own version of what I felt looked good for Spring 2014.

It’s easy to follow the trends so the challenge of creating my own collection seemed fun! I was inspired by the shine and texture of bird feathers and the soft pastel colors Spring introduces to us each season. Great hair color should grow out seamlessly. Instead of “needing” to get a touch up in 6-8 weeks you should just feel excited to enhance your look a bit further because you want to.

Ombre to Sombre. Redheads look beautiful in rich coppers and golds this season.