Color Treated Hair

Inquiring minds wanna know!

I recall the day I announced to my colleagues in social work that I would be switching careers from social work to hair care. They were all very excited for me. "What will you do, what will be your areas of expertise?" Those were the questions of the day. I would happily respond, "I will specialize in Trichology and hair coloring." I hope to travel the world teaching the masses how to do their own hair and in between engagements color the world beautiful!" They would all smile. Then one day, my dearly beloved colleague, Ellie Heiser overheard my response. She called me over to her office and said,"Ladosha, I'm a little old Jewish lady who spends a lot of money and time in hair salons. And though I don't know much about hair care for black women, I can tell you that women of all colors want to have their hair colored by a colorist who specializes in hair color who also has her hair colored."  I laughed so hard as I looked in the mirror at my black hair with a serious skunk streak going off center down my entire head of hair. 

The rest they say is history. At that pivotal moment, I decided I needed to step my A-Game up and learn more about what I was to specialize in and of course, re-vamp my image. I turned to my very southern belle of a cousin, Nickcole to help me in the image department. And boy did she pluck every hair that didn't belong, threw out my standard social work jacket, cut down my nails and urged me to fix my smile. Ahh, nothing like the brutal honesty of family!

Now that my image was all together, I still had this skunk streak I needed to get rid of. The interesting thing about becoming a colorist was learning the truth about hair color. So in my quest to get my tresses colored properly, I quite naturally devised a list of things to consider about coloring my hair. As a colorist, I have pretty much stuck to that list and only modifies it when a new technology enters the scope of services. 

So for those of you who are just dying to know the secrets to great hair coloring; read on!

There are five simple things to consider if you are interested in having your hair colored. Perhaps you are having problems with getting your gray hair to cover properly or maybe you are simply afraid of getting your hair colored. 

When it comes hair color, don't sweat the small stuff. The five tips I put together will surely help you if you want your hair colored or like me; want to become a colorist.

Money makes the world go
round and your colorist too!

Number one, the cost. Not in the spirit of you get what you pay for. The cost has to do with technology, ingredients and availability. That scenario includes what you purchase over the counter and who you pay to formulate and apply it.

Second is the formulation. Now this is where the cost and the results could increase or decrease; improve or worsen. A true colorist and a forthright company will formulate according to the desired outcome the person is looking for. If you are coloring your hair at home, this can be difficult. I suggest you call the company's 1-800 number for advice instead of re-reading the box trying to figure it out. Coloring your hair is nothing like polishing your nails. As for paying a professional, the colorist should always do a consultation upon every visit and prior to mixing anything up in the back. If your colorist at the salon is saying things like, "So are we keeping the same color?" Run for the door!

Applying hair color is not like
applying nail polish.

Third is the application. Applying hair color is as intricate as painting the walls in your home or finishing your hardwood floors. Meticulousness to details. In addition, a "method to the madness" always brings about flawless mouth dropping results. Apply color in haste not only makes waste, but it also brings about blotchy inconsistent patchy results.

Fourth, is maintenance. What you maintain your colored tresses with is as important as what you color your tresses with. Shampoos, conditioners and styling agents that are formulated for color treated hair are always best. These products are more gentle. These products have the technology and ingredients to prevent color from fading. They also help your hair from becoming brittle as well as afford you to chemically alter your hair by way of Keratin treatments, chemical relaxers, flat ironing and perming your hair. I recommend that you follow the manufacturers suggestions if you are coloring your hair at home. Do not play in this area. Doing so, almost always results in damaged hair and faded color. If you are going to a salon, purchase what your colorist recommends without hesitation. Almost all products are money-back guarantee; therefore you are never stuck with a product.

Framesi's Color Lovers
line for color treated hair is
one of the best on the
market. 

Read the technology and care
Framesi put into their
Color Lovers product line.

Do not be tempted or duped into buying products according to race and lifestyle. Quality hair care products are like soap. They are formulated to address the skin/hair condition; not the race of the person. I mean have you ever heard or read a Dove soap commercial say, "Dove, formulated for dirty white people only?" Neither should hair care products. There is something unique in all hair textures not just Blacks and minorities. There is also something unique in every individual. So while a certain group of people may be of the same race, they are all individuals. Customize your hair care just like you do your skin care. 

The best flat irons for the price.

Fifth, are the styling tools. If you are using heating implements that are too hot; you will cause the color molecules to dissipate and your color will fade faster. If you are using heating implements that are not hot enough you will cause your hair to feel rough, brittle and the color molecules will dissipate. Your hair will break, your color will fade and damaged hair is again almost always the result. Invest in a quality pair of flat irons that have the technology built in just like your hair color and hair care products. Remington Flat irons have some of the best technology that is safe and effective for all hair textures at prices under $70.00.

As you can see, dying to know about hair color not only gets you the answers, it will also bring life back to your hair. The responses will have you thinking more responsibly about coloring your hair or having it colored. If money and time are "true" concerns, then do not apply hair color or have color applied to your hair. It does not matter if the hair color line is organic or synthetic; temporary, semi, demi or permanent .... they are all chemicals and they all chemically alter your hair. 

So now that you have the answers, you can get back to living with your hair!

Make It Last Forever

This hair style can be tied down at night
and spruced up with your fingers or
a rake comb!

Hair styling is a career that never ceases to amaze me! In this line of work many fascinating things come through the door and plops into our chairs. For example, beauty; OMG, I am always amazed at the vastness of beauty that comes through the salon doors. Most of the women and men are equally beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. Another example, generosity. My goodness gracious! When I first started working as a cosmetologist, I was amazed at how people give you extra for something they already paid for. To this date, the extreme generosity of people continues to fill me with humility and amazement. Lastly, entertainers! I hate to have to admit it, while I make it my business to give all who enter the ultimate salon experience, it does something to my excitement level whenever I am summoned to service a entertainer or extend my hours for VIP. I gets pumped. It truly is something about providing services to the entertainers that has me saying, "Boy oh boyee!"

The above scenarios highlights those amazing things about being a cosmetologist that makes this career the whip. But, you guys know there is always a but! But, the one thing that amazes me more than servicing beautiful, generous and famous clients, are the clients who request a hair style that can last until they return. 

This hair cut must be cut weekly, hair colored bi-weekly and
hair groomed daily!

I can recall the time as a newbie in the industry when a guest asked me if the hairstyle I just gave her would last for two weeks. You know that sound the cartoon makes when they knock each other over the head, "boing?" Well that was the first sound that came to my head. The request rocked my brain in my skull. I was really perplexed as to how one was in search of a hair stylist who could provide a 2-3 week hair style. So I began a series of questions as to why? To make a long blog "Ndogo," here are the top 3 reasons they want the hair style to last:

1. They paid for it.
2. They do not want to have to do anything to their hair at home.
3. They have a special event/occasion coming up and they want it to last.

Well, my trusty readers (who may have had the same request) I have bad news and I have bad

This hair style can be wrapped and secured tightly
with a doo rag (a scarf may come off), do not put
a shower cap on this hair style and it will last for about
a week. You may have to bump or use velcro rollers
to re-create the volume in the layers!

news. I will start with the bad news first. The first is, hair is a pliable fiber. It moves. It bends, creases, crimps, frizz, falls and all that jazz. While wrapping, rolling, tying hair down and sleeping upright in a chair will preserve the style somewhat; there are not many of hair textures that can withstand a normal night of sleep (we are not including night sweats and passionate lovemaking) and wake up with NO maintenance.  I understand how one does not want to be bothered with curling, flat ironing or rolling; but compromising that fresh out of the salon look for a classic simple soft look will suffice most images. Second, the only care free hair style I can think of to this date is the "Care Free Curl" or Jheri curl. Those perm styles have very little to NO HOME maintenance at all. Most other hair styles will require some form of coiffuring. As far as making a hair style last for a special event, most salons offer "Special Occasions" hair styles on their menu. Most salons will guarantee that style for 1-3 days depending on how much hairspray, hair pins, hair weave, gel and all the other sticky stuff they use to get that hair doo poppin'!

This look needs to be re-twisted bi-weekly and
groomed daily.

Now that I have given you the bad news, here is the other bad news of the 3 reasons one wants their hairstyle to last. As it relates to you paying for the hair style, look at it like visiting the dentist. Ya know, you have your teeth cleaned Wednesday morning, right? Surely you would not wait for two weeks to brush your teeth because you just paid roughly $75.00 for an exam and cleaning? Just as the dentist appreciates cleaning the mouth of a patient who flossed and brushed their teeth before saying, "aaahh," so do cosmetologist likes servicing a client who comes in with a clean head of hair. While the hair style will not last till your next visit; it will be much easier to recreate the look on hair that is thoroughly cleansed and properly conditioned. Second, as it relates to NOT wanting to do anything to your hair at home; honestly ONLY thick dense (the number of hair fibers on your head per cubic inch) heads of hair have the tendency to pop right back into place after any form of a roller set, curl or flat ironed looks. Flips on medium to long hair does not last at all for most.  Again, just as you brush your teeth the same day of getting your teeth professionally cleaned, it is the same concept for a hair style. Last, for those hair styles you want to last for an event or special occasion, it is best to pay the extra and have your hair done the day of the event to assure that you will have the look you want for your important day, meeting, or event.

This look can be wrapped nightly.
Do not let steam/sweat get to it and it
must be combed frequently
throughout the day to
protect the ends!

In the end, most hair styles on one's head with their own hair requires some level of "doing" something to it the next day. While I am no fan of totally re-doing a hair style over the next day, I do understand that there will be some level of fuss as a must for my tresses. If the hair is not spritzed, sprayed, gelled, shellacked, sewed in, glued on or tape down; a long lasting hair style will not be the result. As for the hairstylist who claims they can give you a "Make It Last Forever" care free hairstyle that will last for two weeks or more....."whoa oh oh, oh oh oh, oh, oh" (in my Keith Sweat voice)!

Yeah right.

That's Played Out (Part 1)!

The maximum absorption rate for hair to reap the benefits of a
hair conditioning treatment or hair conditioner is 1-20
minutes!

In my opinion, the social life of a cosmetologist is similar to a celebrity who goes out into the public and they are overwhelmed with questions about their last movie, television appearance or last music performance. Most times when we go out to dinner with a group of friends or to a party and we are introduced as a hairstylist the conversation, like those with celebrities, immediately turns to hair care. And like a celebrity who gets asked the same questions about their most popular performance, us hairstylists gets asked the same questions about the most hated service in the hair salon....drum roll please; THE GAWD AWFUL HAIR DRYER!

Every body and their great grand ma wants to know why do hair stylists put people under the dryer for a long time when getting a hair conditioning service only for the hair stylists to leave them, forget about them, go have lunch, talk on the phone, run errands, go to the beauty supply store, order products from the distributor right in their face, argue with their significant other, pay their bills, fuss at their children, get on Facebook, scroll Instagram, Tweet or text sweet nothings to their boo thang all while their paying customer sits under THE GAWD AWFUL HAIR DRYER!

Again, this is my Blog Nodogo and Ndogo is Swahili for small, therefore, I have to be brief. This Blog Ndogo will be a two part series.  First things first. When ever I am inundated with this question by the hundreds of people I meet at any type of gathering or party, I always respond in Kurtis Blow voice, "Hold up, hold up, hold up; that's played out!" If y'all old enough, y'all know the rest....LOL

I did some extensive research on this heated topic and let me tell you, there are many of school of thought on this topic. So to the point, readers were calling writers stupid and writers were calling readers stupid. To access this information on Google Scholar was like trying to get into Fort Knox (not happening dude)! So, I am not going to call my readers stupid and while I can not get into Fort Knox, I do know a thing or two and about three chemists to help me help my readers. So here goes it...

The reason sitting under a heated dryer is played out is because of this fancy word called NANO TECHNOLOGY or molecular weight. When it comes to hair care products, I have wrote and taught over one hundred times that the cost and quality of a product is strictly determined by what goes into it and the packaging. So, nano technology speaks to the quality of ingredient used to make the product do what the manufacturer thinks its customers are looking for. 

These molecules are so tiny they can actually penetrate that
very thin strand of hair. Can your egg do that? NOPE

If a customer wants a product that works quick, will not weigh her hair down and is priced within reason; then it is going to take three things. Those three things are very very tiny molecules (hence nano technology), a trained, skilled & certified hair stylist and of course MONEY. Cheaper, out dated products, eggs and mayonaise do not have the technology to penetrate the hair, repair it and wash away with out leaving the hair over processed and you sitting under the dryer for a long time. Why? Because their molecules are too large.

If a hair stylist is using hair care products that calls for sitting under the dryer for 20 to 30 minutes, it only means the molecules are larger and will take much longer to penetrate the cuticle to work. It does not mean the ingredients in the products are not working. They are working different on a molecular level. Which explains why those old school treatment takes a long time and may cost more money (yes you will have to pay that stylist for their time, even if you sit). If the product instructs the hair stylist to leave on the hair for 1-3 minutes or 3-5 minutes BINGO, it's on and crack-a-lackin! That means the molecular weight is very very tiny, the molecules can go directly to the section of the strand of hair that is damaged while the rest rinses down the drain and over processed hair is NOT the result. 

Cationic (ionic) molecule that can attract oil and dirt. It can penetrate the
cuticle layer of hair without DAMAGING it or WEIGHING it down...BAM!

Now, I know for some this will be good news and others will remain wedded to what they have been doing. Of course that is perfectly fine. Typewriters are hard to find, but people still use them. The mantra for the salon, The Reverence Design Team, where I work is "experience the science of hair care." We truly personify that mantra. We only use products with the latest technology. We are all trained and certified by the hair care companies who has this kind of of innovative, unique and affordable technology in their products. While I am all in favor of "Me Time," I also understand that "me time" is not isolated to hours in the hair salon. Their is a paradigm shift in hair care where women want to know what is being use on their hair. They also want it in a timely fashion. Using outdated products and practices will not damage hair in any capacity. A hair stylist who refuses to follow the manufacturers instructions, will.  What it will do is take longer and cost more money. 

Good news; in this case, new school trumps old school. Bad news, sitting under a hair dryer past 10 minutes in this day and time is played out.

In my Kurtis Blow voice, "Dontcha give me all that jive, about things you wrote before I's alive..." And that concludes part one of "That's Played Out." 

You Could Pay More. But Why?

For a mere $167.00

There you sit over lunch with your best friend. You look at your watch and say, "Ooh, I gotta go. I have to catch the salon before it closes to get my shampoo and conditioner!" Your best friend responds, "I don't know why you spend so much money on your hair care products. Those fancy salon products are no better than what is being sold at Walmart and the local beauty supply store."

The verdict on rather salon products are better than over the counter products is still out in my professional opinion. "Now, wait! Just hold on a cotton pickin' minute!" Is the typical response when I say that. The name of my salon is "The Reverence Design Team." And reverence means to hold in the highest regards. With that being typed, I am honestly one of those ethical professionals. While my goal is to make money like any other business person, I'd much rather do so ethically versus shiesty. You could pay more, but why; you ask?

A whopping $3.00 gets you over 12 oz.

Honestly, salon products are not better than over the counter. But, what they are is different. Whenever my customers asks me what makes them so different and if they should ditch their products to buy what I am using on their hair. My response is always, "If it works; use it!" If a customer walks in the salon with hair on their head and is using over the counter products, honestly; who am I to tell her to ditch her products for my fancy salon products? Now, if the hair on her head was compromised, I would. I would not encourage her to change unless she just wanted to buy something different.

There are three things to consider if you wanna pay more or less. The first is your unique hair fabric. All women of the same race, ethnicity or gene pool  do not have the same hair. Just because some of us are of the same race, are cousins, sisters, moms and dads does not translate into the SAME. So trying to make your wavy hair curly like that Black woman on YouTube or like your cousin's hair whose is just like yours will not happen. And just because the bottle says for "textured" or/and "natural" hair does not mean it is for your texture. Textured hair does not translate into the "same." As for natural, if it is on your head it IS natural. It does not matter if it chemically altered or not. Chemically altered hair is just that,: chemically altered. Not natural means a wig or weave. It can be chemically altered, but it is still on your head naturally!

The second is price. Just because something is expensive does not mean it is good or better. It simply means it cost more. Likewise, just because something is inexpensive does not mean that it is bad or worse. It simply means that it is inexpensive. The price of the product is determined by what is in it, the technology used and the packaging. If your hair does not require all of those fancy ingredients, modern technology and packaging; then buy something that has no fancy ingredients, very little technology and no packaging at all. It will definitely work it's magic just the same.

$250.00 to grow your hair back. You are worth it, right?

The third is advertisement. The last thing one should do when investing in hair care products is look at who is in the picture, magazine or on TV. Come on people, Reality TV is not real and neither is advertisement. When a client brings in a photo, video, infomercial or even a person (yes, people actually bring in people...lol), I listen very intently. As soon as they finish, I remind them in my Chris Brown voice, "She ain't you!" No need in setting someone up for failure. That would not be very reverency, now would it? If you want your hair to look like someone else's; get a wig. The chances of me giving you Beyoncé's hair color, Jennifer Aniston's cut and Jill Scotts texture is like winning the mega millions. I could convince you when I'm done that your color looks "like" Beyoncé's and you could believe if you want.

Readers please keep in mind that hair care companies, hair salons and hair stylists are not only in the business of making hair look and feel great; we are all in the business of making money. Most
American business use plenty of fear in their sales pitch to get you to spend. I know you have heard something similar to: "If you don't go to; then. Or, if you don't buy; then." Those contingency sales pitches are just that; contingencies. Also, in America the price of something can tell you just how good something is or is not. It can tell you how foolish you are or is not. So buyer beware.

This could be yours, if the price is right! $1.99

If what is on the bottle does not read almost to the word of what you say your hair needs; then do not buy it. If you do not know your hair texture, type and the condition of it; visit a professional hair stylist for a consultation to find out. Do not turn to YouTube or to this blog to find out. Textures, types and the condition of your hair can not be determined via reading, looking at pictures, TV or videos. I re-type; textures, types and the condition of your hair CAN NOT be determined that way. Hair has to be examined in person by a trained cosmetologist.

So to answer the adage, "You could pay more; but why?" The honest answer? Hair care products are like cars. An Aston Martin Rapide will get you downtown just like a Ford Escort. The question is, how do you want to arrive?