Eyebrows Look Better When They Are Tinted - PERIOD !!

I'm a light Redhead and started tinting my eyebrows when I was 18, a millennium ago! I had been told......by my brow shaper ( I had Andy Rooney Eyebrow shapes) ...that you just cannot see your brows at ALL and it makes your face look both unbalanced and unnatural. 

Boy, was that a shock, but in all honesty once she tinted them...I saw how right she was. I like beauty experts who just tell it like it is!

I am not the woman that goes and get a million beauty things done to myself, but was born with odd hair and odd coloring so some things JUST HAD TO BE DONE ! Working in a Salon, in my later years, I had access to everything and did only the mere basics. But Eyebrow Coloring is a must in my opinion - I would say we did it to 80% - 90% of all clients when working in the Salon. I have a lot of requests for an easy manner in which to do this....we have a popular kit in the store, all you have to do is fill in the Level and Tone of your hair and actually "I" calculate them all

I think eyebrows on just about everyone should be between the Levels of 4 & 8
so that's not many levels of hair color we have to deal with. 
Depending on your submission to me, I will even choose different lines of color according to what I feel will work better.


Then the other half of your formula will be the "TONE" you hope to be.  I am going to give you some examples to give you an idea.
Lets take these girls, for 'rights and wrongs' :

In my opinion her brows should be 1 Level lighter which would be a Level 7 Neutral-Beige

 







Here is perfect example of color to hair Level 6B Hair the same in the brown

Many new blonde's ask about having blond brows, this is why you don't !

This is why you darken the brows - when blond...to 'even-out' the 'look' of the face... she has Level 10 hair YET Level 6.5NB Brow.

Even with Level 1 Black hair , look how beautiful of a brow a lightened brow looks on her. Level 6.5NB ( same as the blond above) , superbly shaped. Most African Americans will bleach the brows completely then tint back with a lighter color. Oprah also uses that method of coloring her brows.

With this example the top shows how they look , when colored and shaped while being colored ( color expands so you have to watch and shape as you go) - leaving the color on 45-55 minutes or it won't last long. Even if there are no hairs there the tint, dyes the little hairs you have on your face to give the illusion of a nicely tinted and shaped brow.

 Big mistake here...2 actually, the color is too yellow and she needed 1 more application .......AND......... the brows are too dark. Yes Blonde's should have darker brows but NOT this dark. This is a Level 5 brow which I wouldn't even recommend for a Brunette! I'm sure this was fixed in 24 hours when they got the proofs of the photos!

Perfectly colored Level 6.5NB brow. that's why I feel even having 1/2 shades are very important. I will send you the exact colors when you order.

Isn't she the most beautiful person - wow. She has thinned and by thinning lightened her brow about 1 Level. That is a tricky maneuver and I would not suggest doing this at home. Find a brow expert.

Another one who usually gets it right, but her brows must be bleached because she is a brunette truly...they need a tinting of a 6.5 - 7 NB, these are no where to be seen and when you cannnot see a brow it is is weird looking .....it just is !

Last one, see even 50 years ago Marilyn got it right, they are a beautiful  shade of 6.5NB and showed be what Miss Gynweth (above) has on her million dollar head as well.

 Now in every eyebrow formula 1/2 the formula needs to be a Neutral ( or in other words a "N")
the other half needs to be the tone you are heading for.
So you will be purchasing 2 tubes of Color which should last you minimum 2 years.
Eyebrows are small and the shelf like of hair color is 2 years. You must be very very careful not to keep the top off the bottle of developer or it will loose it's "punch" as we refer to it...and that is important in this little hair coloring endeavor I feel everyone should do.

What you never want is blond eyebrows if you have lightened your hair, that is simply an 'odd' look, and if you don't believe me - just try -it....and see the reactions you get. Platinum's look best with a cashmere brown brow even.

So you will be choosing from 1 of these to be 'half' of your formula, this color determines the lightness or darkness you want your brows to become:

5-0N
5.5
6-0N
6.5
7-0N
7.5
8-0N

So now you get a good idea of some of those colors up above, just fill in your colors in the box at check-out and you will receive the coolest little Brow Tinting Kit around !

And You Thought A Hair Brush Was Just A Brush . . . .

I will never forget the first week of Vidal Sassoon BOOT Camp as I endearingly called it.
They threw our List of Tools "TO PURCHASE - ASAP " at us.

Y O U

NEED

to BUY THIS LIST

OR FORGET SHOWING UP

( yep, that was the ambiance of V.Sassoon; you come to appreciate it )

How many of you have one of these brushes?

I was stunned, thought I knew everything. Thought I had tested and tried every hair product and tool on the market and I would have the best loot. Ha!

Never go to school in your late 30's and think you KNOW-IT-ALL . . . .
never-never-never-never!
Because soon, you will learn how little
you do
and not just about school supplies
"life" is an even bigger SHOCK

Denman brushes were thrown at us....
a 9-Row Denman,
a 7-Row Denman,
a DenmanVent Brush,
a Denman Paddle was a bit newer and once I learned....began buying them on my own without anyone 'forcing' me to. I just don't do well with someone 'forcing' me to do anything...maybe THAT was the problem. Either way these brushes were just weird looking...and I thought these damn Brits, they just don't know quality products.

You guessed it. . . . I was wrong one more time.
I continued to be wrong much of my career at Vidal Sassoon.
Which had to do a lot with me staying on a full extra year... just Assisting, Interning, doing anything they would let me, so I could soak up all the brilliance there - - that I was just too stubborn to be receptive of that first year. I mean I could ace the tests, but until you take down a wall of " you damn Brits don't know anything" - - well you really don't learn or absorb much, I can now admit to. You only learn what is necessary to get by.
I didn't want to do hair that way.
I wanted to be the best, like I strive to in every other aspect of my life.
Miss Petty Perfect . . . yep that's me!

So anyway, lets get back to the tools they made us buy and my surprise at the list of those brushes.
There was a 'method behind their madness'..........I did discover that.
Denman brushes as goofy as they look ( now they don't to me, but I STILL remember when they did) have a Sassoon PURPOSE.... they way they are made, WHAT they are made of and HOW they are made.

As silly & lame as I thought were.....needed to be eliminated from my mind if I were to cozy up to these weird things - and get my technique down.

Denman Brushes began their long career in 1938, in London, England.
Sassoon of course began his life in 1928, in London England.
Mr. Sassoon segregated to Beverly Hills after splitting up his empire by selling the Salons and Schools to a British Duo --> Annie Humphries and Tim Hartley....and the "products" which bear his name to Proctor & Gamble the King of hair care ( and Advertising) in America.

When we were first introduced to these brushes in Hair Academy, most of us were a bit shocked. They didn’t look like anything special and frankly seemed like cheap drugstore brushes and it wasn't just me, you have kids from all over the world in classes there - everyone agreed. But, there was "no choice" in the matter - we either had them or we were "out"... that school is not very forgiving.

However, after many months of blow drying practice (which they do much too much of at Sassoon, although it turned out I was grateful for, eventually ;-), it became crystal to all of us, why this line of brushes is used.
All top European Hair Stylists (which is the home to the best hair in the world), taught with these at both Vidal Sassoon Academy’s and finally all of Denman’s brushes are used in every Sassoon Salon worldwide, exclusively.

Soon as all the Flat Iron’s slowly burn every hair off of every clients head … the use of them will slowly diminish and the Denman 9-Row and unfortunately the ‘round-brush will return to everyday use by everyone.
For the first 7-8 years I never used a round brush as Sassoon doesn’t believe in them (AT ALL!), their philosophy is: If you are a refined enough hairdresser than you should be able to get any curl or any amount of straightening one needs out of a Denman Brush – it is so much healthier for the hair …than one can get out of a round brush…..and you know what?
They are right.
100% right.
With enough practice – which you DO get there, they feel one can make the hair do anything one needs with a 9-ROW DENMAN.
They do NOT concentrate on passing the State Board Tests, while you are there (the ONLY thing regular Beauty Schools spend their time on)…Sassoon feels you should do that studying at home and on your own time, they feel anyone can pass that silly test....and again, they are right.

When you begin there... that thought is a bit daunting – - – to say the least – - – but as you become accustomed to their regimen & protocol and if you relish and appreciate ’Excellence’{as I do so very-very much} as opposed to ‘Average’…it makes all the sense in the world.

The brush you use on your hair truly is extremely important.
Every Denman brush :

• Excellent quality
• Easy to work with
• Perfect for non-tangling + Styling while blow drying

Forget the Flat Iron, Bring Back the Blow Dry – your hair will love you for it!
Denman makes a huge variety of brushes – we only offer 2 right now...
but more are on their way as they have expanded their quill of weapons (wink-wink)

This is the best all around brush I have found. truthfully

For detangling, smoothing and grooming all types of medium to very long hair, try the DENMAN Paddle Brush.
Features and Benefits:

• Air-cushioned rubber pad for gentle control
• Ball-tipped nylon pins for comfortable styling and maximum comfort
• Staggered pin pattern follows the contours of the head
• Ergonomic design for balance with a textured non-slip handle
• Ideal for scalp massages
• Hygienic and durable with resistance to heat and chemicals
• Made in the United Kingdom

Brush Care:

1. Regularly remove loose hairs with a comb
2. Wash occasionally in warm water ensuring that the air hole is covered
3. Rinse and leave to dry away from direct heat and sunlight

Especially for the price....as much a I use my brushes,
these things last forever.
I never want to say anything but I think they are a helluva 'buy'

. . . perfect for the present economy

How to -- Begin Sectioning Hair to Apply Haircolor To Oneself ...............Crib Colorists Style

There are thousands of rules on application of hair color and with this new re-vamp of the Blog.... I have truly realized that there are thousands of points I have missed about everything. Seems hard to do considering there are 600 Posts written already...but a perfectionist is never satisfied....which can be a good thing and a bad thing....   Good for all of you who are yearning to learn.Bad for me, I already have enough on my plate  -- but April is going to help me this time, so we are very lucky!. But whatever, the number doesn't matter the education does and I started out wanting  a great education for Crib Colorists and I continue to want the exact same thing.

Lets Just Start with some Basic Tips about applying hair color and see where it leads us!

Hair coloring should be applied methodically

• Quarter PART the hair......remember : 
• NOSE to SPINE.....and
•  Ear- to - Ear  with the tail point of a tail comb '

The Terror of Chlorine on the Health Of Hair & My Tricky Solution for Prevention

We all want healthy shiny luxurious hair, but like losing weight, we don't want to do the work NEEDED to achieve it. For the summer we all want to be able to go swimming, in the pool ....in the ocean...without adding to the daily destruction of our hair. So a long time ago when I was a long distance swimmer, there was a trick I came up with and it truly works.

I think by now we all know that a single human hair is built of keratin, which is a protein, whose major components are amino acids. Hairs are covered with natural oil (sebum) that gives hairs their shine and flexibility. The color of hair depends on relative content of each of the two melanin variants.

 

Chlorine

Chlorine is added to water in swimming pools and spas in order to reduce the growth of microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses. The chlorine that is able to sanitize contaminants is called “free” chlorine. The level of “free” chlorine in swimming pool should be between 1 and 3 ppm (parts per million), and between 3 and 5 ppm for spas. 

The total amount of chlorine in water is the sum of “free” active chlorine and “combined” inactive chlorine, which has reacted with contaminants. Other chemical properties of water, which have to be controlled because of the effect they have on water and pool equipment, are: total hardness, total alkalinity and pH, which measures relative acidity/alkalinity of water.

Chlorine (hypochlorous acid) reacts quickly with organic and non-organic materials present in swimming pool water. Because of its chemical activity, chlorine also affects hair of swimmers.

How does Chlorine affect Hair?..........not well, I'm Afraid. . .

Chlorine affects hair by direct chemical reactions resulting in chemical changes to hair components, by changing physical properties of the hair, as well as by changing electrical charge of minerals bonded to hair and reacting with those minerals.

The direct chemical changes include reactions of chlorine with pigments giving hair their color, oils covering hair and proteins forming hair shafts. The reaction of melanin pigments with chlorine results in change of hair from natural colo'r (blond to black) to straw color of keratin.

Chlorine removes natural oils covering hair resulting in loss of hair shine and flexibility, as well as making it more susceptible to mechanical damage. Reaction of chlorine with keratin results in creation of water-soluble chemicals and weakens chemical bonds between fibers forming hair shafts. 

Also chlorine can get between the hair fibers. As the crystallization process develops inside the hair, the chlorine crystals can separate the hair fibres disrupting structural integrity of hair shaft, which weakens the strength of the overall hair as well.

 Once the bonds are broken, the hair becomes weak and ends of the hairs split.

Chlorine salt crystallization process may also affect the hair cuticle. The cuticle is an outer layer of very hard, dead cells over the hair surface. If the chlorine gets between the scales it could push up the scales; therefore, making it rough and prone to damage or breakage. These flaked cuticles reflect light poorly and so the hair fiber looks dull, dry and may feel rough when touched.  Chlorine can change electrical charge of minerals bonded to hair and oxidize them as well.

 Head to the local Drug Store with your list for 3 items:

• Shampoo & Conditioner- if you have to get it at the Drug Store, the choices are all so bad anyway, it really doesn't matter which ones! They are all horrible! remember this is only if you did not "PLAN AHEAD".
•  Swim Cap, they have them everywhere
• Lastly.....6-Pack of CANNED SODA WATER.

Shampoo your hair rinse in water, apply conditioner..............a lot of it...... ! ! ! 
LEAVE THE CONDITIONER IN  !!!   Apply Swim Cap.. 

Now have the time of your life !
 Done swimming? Take 2-3 cans of SODA WATER, pour on hair to stop all action of chlorinated water from affecting the hair at all! 

If you do plan ahead please purchase:
 Malibu 2000 UN DOO GOO shampoo  or 
Malibu 2000 swimmers shampoo .....or
swimmers treatment pack 


thanx,
kc