Thursday 22 December 2011

Holiday Hair

How to wear your hair on holidays and what products to pack

The best way to pack is lightly when travelling. Guys are lucky, all they need is shampoo, one product and maybe a straightening iron at the most. But for girls theres also brushes treatments, products, clips, hairdryers and other bulky items.

When holidaying I want to be as low maintenance as possible. I don't want to be blowdrying my hair everyday. I wear my hair wavy or if I want to wear it straight I make sure I get a Keratin treatment before I head off so its easy to style while I'm away.

With both these options theres a way to limit taking up space in your luggage.
You can use a cleansing conditioner so you don't need to pack both shampoo and conditioner try Wen by Chaz Dean. Or if you don't like that most brands have tester size bottles you can try from salons. Get some of those, or if you already have some small bottles, transfer your products into the smaller sizes.

I would suggest taking a leave in hair moisturiser (try Redken leave in detangling spray or for something heavier try Redken Smoothing Cream)

And the only equipment I would take would be a wide toothed comb, a straightening iron and a butterfly clip.

If you still have room then you can add whatever other products are your favourites, but that should be all you need.

Monday 12 December 2011

Essential Products! Gift Ideas for anyone

Looking for Christmas gift ideas?

Here are some great ideas, all prices that will suit almost anyone:

ghd for ceramic hair iron and products have some great gift packages that are amazing right now if you're looking to spend around $250-$310. When it comes to straightening irons the ghd brand is far superior to any other.

The best hairdryer on the market in my opinion is PARLUX 3800 which is now designed more eco friendly. It is an Italian brand but can be found with more information here (http://www.ry.com.au) for around $150

Another idea would be a salon voucher. These are great as you can purchase any treatment from a blowdry minimum to a haircut to a full colour to a keratin treatment to the works! Just find out where their favourite hairdresser is based.

There is a great styling product brand out there which is becoming very popular at the moment called EVO they have 3 summer favourites right now which are mostly for thickening and texture. But all EVO products are amazing with fun descriptions like "salty dog, cocktail beach spray - a sea-esque mist designed to give you salty, beach-based texture and a matt finish" Check out their site for more products all around the $30 price range. 

Other great options are product packages which most salons or department stores provide this time of the year. Also great brushes and hair accessories are amazing presents and can be either affordable or quite special depending on where you buy them.

For any further questions or ideas please feel free to leave me a comment.

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Essential Product for Blondes!

One of the first problems I blogged about was Brassy Blondes and how to prevent that problem.
Since then I've been getting feedback from clients telling me that they love these ideas but when using a toning shampoo have found that it dries out their already damaged hair somewhat.

Since then I've discovered an amazing new product which I believe trumps the rest!

In the Redken Blonde Glam range there are two after care treatments to be used on either cool blondes or warm blondes to enhance your colour. For Platinum Blondes use "Perfect Platinum" (or cool or ash blondes) this product tones out any yellow or brass. And for Golden Blondes use "Rich Vanilla" (or warm blondes) use this treatment to soften you colour and keep it radiant. Make sure your read the label and follow it directly. Don't leave them on your hair too long as they are quite strong.

If you do leave one in too long then remember the other one will help to counteract that colour.
For example, if you leave the Perfect Platinum in too long and it becomes slightly pink, use the Rich Vanilla after and the pink will get toned away. Or, alternatively you could mix a drop of the Rich Vanilla when about to apply Perfect Platinum to create a less strong tone. But only do this if you feel confident with the products and how well you know your hair.

They are my new favourites for my blonde clients. Try them out and let me know what you think

Saturday 3 December 2011

About me

I've been blogging for just over a month now and am really enjoying it.

Incase you're curious to know, I though I'd share a little about myself.

I am an freelance working hairdresser in Sydney. Always expanding my work range, client base and skills.

In my 10 years in the industry I've ended up hearing the same questions from clients and friends about their hair problems over and over. So I finally decided to post all my answers, ideas and tips onto a blog to help more people out there with the same issues.

I hope you're all enjoying reading and finding it helpful.
Please feel free to comment and email any and all hair related questions to info@vanessadeluca.com.au I'd love to help

Sunday 27 November 2011

Pregnancy and Hair

Have you just fallen pregnant and get your hair done regularly? Some things you should know.

Firstly, during the first trimester of pregnancy, mothers should avoid hair colours that come into contact with the scalp. 
This is not just to keep chemicals off the skin and therefore entering the body. When using colour products directly on your scalp in this stage they can react with the hormones in your skin, heat up in ways that are irregular and the colour you’ve been getting every time you retouch your hair will come out completely different at your roots.
This won’t happen with foils luckily. You can get your highlights retouched as regularly as normal. But with an all over colour in the first trimester (and I’d recommend during your whole pregnancy and if you decide to breast feed) stick with a semi permanent if you have grey hair you need to hide, they have less or no ammonia compared to tints, and avoid other chemical treatments.

Secondly, you need to know about hair loss. 
Once, a few months after one of my clients gave birth, she called me super stressed out because she was losing clumps of hair. Scared to brush it or wash it incase she was making it worse. I told her to treat her hair as normal as treating it delicately wouldn't change a thing.
Throughout the duration of your pregnancy you may notice your hair getting thicker. This is common during pregnancy but doesn't happen with everyone and the degree in which it happens varies between pregnancies and people. 
The way this seems to work is that, instead of losing the average 100 hairs a day (as a rule, refer back to Hair Loss blog) your body retains that hair and around 3 to 5 months after you've given birth, all that hair that you retained starts to fall out rapidly. If you're pregnant and your hair has gotten a lot thicker enjoy it while it lasts as unfortunately the hair loss is unavoidable. But don't worry, it will all come back. it all starts growing back and you'll notice short hairs sprouting all over the place and then you'll have your hair back before you know it. It may come back a little different depending on how your body copes with all the changes. The case will be different for everyone. Hormones are very powerful. 
In the case of my stressed out client, her hair has grown back completely. Nothing to worry about.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Platinum Blonde! MX article

Mx magazine asked me to do an article all about platinum blondes. So I thought I'd share it with you.



Here is the Q&A:


Is it for everyone? 
Definitely not. First of all its a very extreme look and so you need to have the right personality and sense of style. Platinum is very high maintenance, if your natural colour is quite dark it may be hard to achieve. Also if your hair is not very strong, it wont handle the damage bleach can create, very well. 


What kind of skin tone suits platinum hair? 
In my opinion anyone can have this look, its all about how you wear it and how you alter your other features to suit it, eg. you may have to lighten your eyebrows. But in saying that it definitely looks better on someone with fair skin.


Would you have to alter your make-up with this dramatic style? 
Yes, the clearer your skin is the better your hair will look when its platinum so a cover up or concealer will probably be necessary. Eye make-up is also a must, the minimum you should wear is mascara as your eyes will look washed out without anything.


How is it achieved? 
Primarily bleach directly on the scalp and most of the time a toner will be needed at the end of the process to create that icy cool feel. Brands of colour that get the most even result are Wella and L'Oreal. 


How often does it need to be refreshed? 
Every 4 weeks. Never leave your re-growth longer than that or you'll find it very hard to keep your colour even.


Does it damage the hair? 
Definitely, but different people will have different degrees of damage so some hair types will cope quite well with the colour. It can also be very harsh on your scalp depending on your sensitivity.


What about fading? 
Platinum doesn't really fade, it can get dull or brassy but most of the time if your using the right products (like a blonde shampoo which tones as you wash) and are getting it refreshed periodically you wont have any problems.


Is there a less extreme blonde look that is more manageable? 
Of course, you can get a light blonde tint which wont get as bright. Or my favourite alternative is a full head of high quantity bleach highlights. You can get almost as blonde without having to have your hair colour refreshed as often as the regrowth isn't as pronounced. (An example of this colour type is my client Ruby to the left)


Favourite platinum/super blonde celebs? 
Gwen Stefanie is the queen on platinum. Pink and Abbey Lee Kershaw also look great.

















Monday 21 November 2011

Summer Frizz

Summer has arrived! 
Loving that its hot enough to swim. The salt water is giving my hair a great beach wave but when I'm not at the beach the humidity is sending my hair into a ball of frizz!

The best solution for this problem is products. 
There are so many frizz repelling products out there from sea salt sprays which absorb the moisture in your hair, to shine serums which calm and smooth out the frizz. There are even anti-humidity hair sprays. But the most powerful product out there is the Keratin Treatment.
This product, in addition to eliminating frizz and adding long lasting strength and moisture to your hair for around 3 to 6 months, used to get your hair super straight also.

In the last year there has been a lot of controversy over Keratin treatment products. Mostly surrounding one brand in particular. As a result, all brands took their products off the shelf and reformulated to meet OHS standards. I was very disappointed (as were my clients) to find that after this reformulation, the once perfect and long lasting, smoothing straightening treatment, was not as good and in some cases not working at all. So I had to give some refunds and re-dos. I wasn’t going to give up though. 

Which Keratin Product works best?
I took it upon myself to sample several different brands and start stocking the best one.
I’m very excited to have found it! Global Keratin. Its not as great as the original product in the sense that it doesn't straighten the hair as well, but it and definitely reduces frizz, improves the condition of the hair and lasts around 4 months. 

But, I am continually testing out brands as they come out so if I find one that works better I promise to update this post.

Thursday 17 November 2011

Get the most out of your colour.

I forget sometimes that a lot of people have trouble making their colour last. This is a problem I constantly manage to avoid for my clients. I'm all about creating low maintenance colour while giving them what they want.
I recently had a blog request on the subject though so I thought I'd share it:

"In your blog, I wonder if you could include a tip or two about getting the most out of your colour? I noticed shampoo ads are always talking up how they make your colour more vibrant for longer or some such, Is this really possible? Are there any other tips or an idea of how long a colour should last / how often you should have to redo it?"

Such a great question. Firstly, all colours fade, grow out or become dull over time. Do not believe these ads when they say that they will make your colour more vibrant. You can, however, use shampoos that aren't as harsh and don't strip out your colour. Please refer back to the Oily & Dry blog for how these shampoo's and conditioners work.

Secondly, it all depends on what kind of colour you have. You cant slow down the rate your hair grows so re-growth is always going to happen. If you have an all over permanent colour you aren't going to notice the regrowth as much if its close to your natural colour. Highlights are going to grow out better than tints as they're scattered colour so the regrowth line is less defined. The more natural the highlights are made to look, the less obvious the regrowth will be. You can get up to 3 months out of your highlights in some cases. If your permanent tint isn't close to your natural colour then I'd suggest getting it done every 4 to 6 weeks.

Thirdly there are ways to touch up your colour to make it last longer at home. You can buy salon shampoos that have toners built in. Red For red hair, Brown for brown hair etc. There's a great range in Goldwell for these type of products.

For a great colour alternative you can always get a semi-perminant. You wont have any regrowth as it is supposed to fade out. Although you can only deposit colour pigment with semi's which means you cant get a lighter colour without it being permanent. But please do not get a semi-permanent home colour. Every time I work with hair that has had a home job "semi" permanent, there is always a regrowth proving that it isn't a semi and will never fade out completely.

Sunday 13 November 2011

Losing Hair? Don't stress

On average we lose 100 strands of hair a day. This is relative to how much hair you already have. For example, if you have thicker hair, you'll lose more, if your hair is fine, you'll lose less. Pretty straight forward. But if you're finding that you're losing more than usual there could be a few reasons why.

Change of season, diet or medication can all cause you to lose more hair. Also if you're a woman who has recently given birth you will lose a lot of hair in most cases. Then there's the hereditary reasons. If balding is in your family then you should probable see a Trichologist (a doctor who specialises in hair and scalp) to see if there are any solutions for your particular problem. 

If you're still losing hair and can't relate back to any of the above reasons then here is the last and most common reason for hair loss. Stress. Long term stress and anxiety will cause you to lose a lot of hair and you'll notice when you calm your nerves for a long period of time there will be a lot of short hair growing at once from your roots. This looks dreadful and makes styling your hair that much harder. So avoid it before its too late. 

Relax, do some meditation or let that stress out whatever way works best for you. You'll thank yourself for your thick healthy hair

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Fringes!! (or "bangs")

I love a good fringe, whether it’s blunt over the brows, the side fringe or long and messy. Fringes or “Bangs” can be a fun addition to your look when you’re bored and want a change without doing anything too dramatic. They also give you some style when you decide to pin your hair back.

Unfortunately there are many cases of fringes gone wrong. This happens when you don’t have the right hairline for the fringe you’ve decided on. A low forehead or cowlick hairline can almost always struggle with a fringe that sits full and forward onto the face. In this case I would always go for a longer fringe or side fringe or short loose layers that shape the face more

When deciding what the best option is for you, you must go with your hair and DON’T FIGHT AGAINST IT! Gently style it forward and see where it parts and how it sits. If its separating and pushing itself back then go for a longer option.
If you still really want a fringe then look into the clip in human hair extension bangs. You can get these cut and coloured to 
suit your face and hair and you’ll never have to worry about fighting to style it again.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Sea Salt Spray!

Sea Salt Spray, Ocean Spritz, Salt Water Hair Products!
My favorite product out there! Giving your hair body and texture without making it greasy. It’s primarily used to enhance the curl or wave in your hair and give you a sexy beach look. But if you spray it moderately into your roots before blow-drying it is a fantastic body builder! It gives your style amazing long lasting volume. It’s a water based product with salt, so it actually absorbs the oil in your hair adding days to your blow-dry.

So what brand should you buy? Well you can't really get it wrong. They're all great. I even worked with a hairdresser once who lived up in the Central Coast of NSW and would fill a spray bottle up at McMasters beach. Apparently it was a great salt to water ratio. He used the spray like liquid gold in the salon.

So no matter what you try, please enjoy this product. Its one of my go-to's

Friday 28 October 2011

Oily at the roots. Dry at the ends. Does this sound like your hair?

A common problem among clients, friends and even myself is that our hair gets oily really fast but the more we wash it, the dryer the ends gets. There are many reasons this could be happening. The wrong shampoo type, not washing your hair properly or you have naturally oily skin. Well I have some tips for all cases.

Firstly. Using  good salon, or even certain chemist shampoos and conditioners, is very important for keeping your scalp and hair healthy.

Supermarket brands can have a lot of horrible silicon, sulfate and sodium chloride in it. There are many types of silicon but the type that gets put into most mass production shampoos and conditioners is not the best for your hair in the long term. While making your hair ultra soft and shiny instantly, they also leave a build up of this silicon on the hair, which over time, builds up on the follicle, weaken it and dry it out. Sulfate and sodium chloride are in all harsh soaps and are generally drying of hair and skin. But they are found in almost all shampoos because they lather. The trick is finding a product with lower amounts. 

Recommendations

A great brand that is sulphate and sodium chloride free is the Trichovedic Hair Wisdom range.

Karpati Haircare shampoo and conditioner has absolutely no silicon in it and is 93% natural. It’s for all hair types and it’s found in most chemists but check stock lists.

Wen cleansing conditioner. It’s just one product and it doesn’t lather at all. Can only be purchased online.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Are you sick of Brassy Blondes? Some tips how to prevent this, and reasons why it occurs.

If your hair is blonde but is constantly getting yellow, orange or brassy you aren’t alone. This is a common problem amongst blondes. The reason for this (as you probably know and advise your hairdresser every time you sit down with them) is that you hair throws warmth when it is coloured. Well, the majority of people’s hair does. More so if your hair is naturally any shade of brown. This also happens when you wash your hair too often, style regularly with thermals (hairdryers, straighteners, tongs, hot rollers etc.), are out in the sun a lot or you swim regularly as all these things contribute too strip colour and health from your hair. It is always going to throw warmth when coloured any shade lighter than its natural colour.

Now if you want to avoid this in the salon when going blonde you need to avoid tints where possible where this problem occurs. Tinting is chosen over bleaching and highlights usually to cover grey, and colour throwing warmth in grey hair is less of an issue. But, when using a tint as a decision when highlighting (in foils), the finer the highlights the less brassy it will become. Eliminating tint completely and using bleach only in highlights is the best option but some brands of colour never get the yellow out completely. But if you do want low-lights (foils that are darker rather than lighter) ask your hairdresser if she will use a semi permanent instead of a tint in the foil. It will fade a little but tints fade also, the onle difference is the semi wont throw warmth or go brassy as it fades. 


Wella and L’Oreal salon brands are generally the best at achieving blondes so do ask your hairdresser before you get your colour.

Toners are great at counteracting yellow, but can sometimes dull your beautiful bright blonde down too much. So make sure your getting subtle ones.

To prevent this at home, every now and then use a silver shampoo (sometimes called blonde shampoo or violet) this will fight against rusty yellow blondes on a regular basis and maintain your toner between services. Wella SP range has an amazing silver shampoo, as does the Trichovedic Hair Wisdom range which is also sulphate and sodium chloride free.
Limit how often you wash and style your hair.
And when out in the sun or swimming use a leave in treatment/moisturiser/conditioner as a barrier. Try Moroccan Oil

Sunday 23 October 2011

Hair Colour Damage

Most of the time when I have a new client book an appointment with me it’s for colour correction. They have either put in a home colour, changed their colour so many times with different hairdressers that their colour has become messy, or a disaster has happened in a salon through a miss communication or chemical over processing. Most of the time I can fix this problem without further damage to the hair in one service alone. There are other times however, when the hair is so damaged that it becomes a progressive series of services over many months which will finally result in the colour and condition desired.

The best tips I can give are for avoiding this problem:
1. Steer clear of DIY home colour jobs 
2. Know what colours you love on yourself and what suits you best
3. Find a hairdresser who understands you, your hair, your personality and style. I always need to feel a connection with my client and know that we’re on the same page
4. Take photos of colours you like on other people or yourself, or from magazines. Its so much easier to understand what you want when theres visual description. In salon colour swatches make it hard to imagine the final result sometimes
5. If your hairdresser is getting it right, stick with them
6. Avoid changing your hair colour impulsively unless you certain you will like it
7. When changing your hair colour dramatically, know the process of changing it back again. If you don't like it, it may be more damaging to return to the original.
8. Commit to a dramatic change, changing back and forth, back and forth just as impulsively can be extremely damaging, not to mention you'll find it difficult to get the result you want. Its another disaster and mess waiting to happen.