REVIEW: Kevin Murphy Angel.Wash and Rinse

I recently changed salons, and have started using the Kevin.Murphy product line. I had heard of the line before, but didn't know much about it. I knew if I was going to start using it on clients I was going to have to learn about it, and fast. So, I got on the Kevin.Murphy website and did some serious product studying and tutorial watching.

Now that I have been using the product for a few weeks, I feel I can give a good review about one pair of products that is becoming one of my favorites for those of you out there with fine locks: Angel.Wash and Angel.Rinse. This shampoo and conditioner is specifically for the fine haired, whether you color it or prefer to keep it natural. They are also good for those of you who have fragile or damaged hair due to chemical processes (yes, you blondes out there, this is for you!).

The Angel.Wash is a gentle, volumizing cleanser. It is safe for use on colored hair, and actually helps with color retention. Milk protiens in this wash help calm frizzy hair that has suffered from long term exposer to chemical processes. The Angel.Rinse is a light-weight, volumizing conditioner. It adds moisture to your dry, tired ends, as well as helps repair your fragile hair.

One client in particular I had this week who I could tell benefited from this has long, fine hair that has been dark, to light, and now is dark again. As a result, her hair is fragile and tangles easily. After using this, her hair was much easier to brush through. Additionally, I could feel that her dry, damaged ends were noticeably softer and not quite as angry.

Any of you fine haired ladies out there who are wanting body, but also something that will keep your hair feeling soft and moisturized, this is for you! As a stylist, I have used different volumizing shampoos and conditioners and this is definitely one of my favorites. And again, for any of you who love to color and can tell your hair is starting to show the results, this is great for you as well to help mend and repair the bonds to help get your hair back to a healthier state. The next time you are in need of your washing products, give these a try!

People Who Inspire Me: Ramon Ayala

There are many people who inspire me, but probably the most surprising would be Ramon Ayala, aka Daddy Yankee. So, how could a reggaeton singer possibly inspire someone in the hair industry? Well, it has nothing to do with his hair, although I will say he does have a great style.  

Let's rewind a little to my college days, before I even went to hair school. I enrolled in a semester of Spanish, which I didn't really see coming because I had never had the desire to learn Spanish. But, I needed it for my degree and I told myself it would be a good thing to know in the long run. Oddly enough, something changed and I really became excited about learning Spanish.

After I moved home to go to hairschool, one of my friends introduced me to an artist from the world of reggaeton. Instantly I became hooked, and I asked him about more artists.  He told me I might like a guy named Daddy Yankee. I YouTubed him and at first wasn't that impressed, but on a second listen I fell in love with his music. The beat was addicting and even though I barely knew what he was saying, the music really spoke to me. The more I listened, the more I picked up on. One thing in particular was a phrase he sang at the end of a number of his songs, "El cielo es el limite" - "The sky is the limit". As I have begun to grow my career, this phrase has stuck with me.

Daddy Yankee built himself up from the bottom and now has a music career, owns his own record label, has his own non-profit organization to give back to his community, and is continuing to build and add to his empire. But it wasn't easy for him. He started at the bottom and has worked to the top. The sky is the limit for him; anything he wants to achieve he finds a way of doing so. He is an example to his fans of achieving your dreams. He is an example to me of not giving up, seeing what I want to achieve and finding a way of making it happen.

Everytime I feel stuck, frustrated, or that where I want to go with my career (or my life) seems impossible, I think to myself "El cielo es el limite". I have adopted Daddy Yankee's motto, if you will, as my own. I have realized that I can accomplish what I want to if I go for it and find a way of making it happen. Thank you Ramon Ayala, Daddy Yankee, for inspiring me to push myself to make it to the top of wherever I am wanting to be.

Professional Products at Walmart Prices..... What's the Catch?

You are walking down the shampoo aisle of your local Walmart, Target, etc. and you see professional products for sale, such as Bumble and Bumble, Matrix, Tigi, and more. You think, "Perfect, I can get professional quality shampoo and conditioner for less than what I would pay for it at my salon." What you really should be thinking is, "Salon quality product at Walmart? What's the catch?"

Everytime I see these products in stores like this, it makes me so angry. I always want to make a little sign that says "Don't buy these products!" Why? Because I don't think they should be allowed to sell these products to people under the pretense that they are the same as what you would buy at the salon. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!

When you buy these products from your salon, they are quality guaranteed by the company. Additionally, they are picked specifically for you by your stylist to meet your unique hair needs. This is not the case when they are sold in stores. The quality of the product is not guaranteed by the company. In truth, most of these products are expired; they have been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long. Some have actually been watered down, so the performance of the product has been compromised. Others may be counterfeit. However, they are still being sold at close to salon prices in many cases. Some of these products have also been discontinued, again going back to the fact that have been sitting on a shelf somewhere for a long period of time.

If you are truly wanting the benefits of professional products, do not buy them from anywhere but a salon or directly from the company website. This is the only way to ensure you are getting the real product and that it's quality and performance are guaranteed. Also, support your stylist by purchasing product from them. They know your hair, so trust they know which products would be best for you.

Got Gloss?

Today's color class at the salon was on glossing, which we brought in models for. As we were going through class, it got me thinking about the benefits of glossing and why more clients would enjoy getting this service. So, let's talk gloss!

A gloss is used to refresh color that has faded, which is great for keeping your color looking fresh between color services. Additionally, it adds shine and conditions your hair to help it look and feel healthier, sealing the outside layer of the hair to give life back to your tired ends. A gloss can also just be clear, so no color is being deposited but you are still getting the same conditioning benefits.

Another great thing about a gloss is that it is only about an hour service, including the blowdry. Done at the shampoo bowl, a gloss only sits on the hair for 20 minutes; you could think of it as an express color service. This is great because you don't always have 2 to 2 and a half hours to spend at the salon, but you feel like you need something to boost your look.

Want shiny, soft, healthier looking hair? Need to bring your faded color back to life? Ask your stylist about getting a gloss and see why this service is for you!

Blowdry Tips: Blowdrying Bangs

Bangs are a great way to change your look without doing anything too dramatic. However, sometimes they can be a little tricky to style on your own. One question I get alot from clients with bangs is, "How do you get my bangs to look so good? I can never get them to look the same as when you do them". Here are a few tricks when it comes to blowdrying your bangs.

• Make sure you blowdry your bangs first. Bangs always dry the fastest, so to ensure you get the best finish on them be sure to dry them before they dry how they naturally live and become difficult to style.
• Start by blowdrying with a vent brush, using low heat to ensure you don't dry your bangs before you have them how you want them. Brush your bangs to one side, then to the other (if you have straight bangs, brush them straight down as well between brushing to each side). By blowdrying your bangs across in each direction, it helps to neutralize cowlicks around your hairline. If you have a really prominent cowlick, use a comb with tight teeth rather than a vent brush to get more tension on the hair and help to better smooth it out.
• After you have removed most of the moisture, set dryer to a higher heat and change your brush to one that has nature boar bristles. A brush with natural bristles puts more tension on the hair to help get it nice and smooth. If you need to, part your bangs into two or three sections to make them easier to work with, smoothing one section at a time.
• With sweeping bangs, blowdry them on the opposite side of where you part. Blowdrying a sweeping bang on the opposite side and then brushing it across to where you usually wear it gives a nicer, more natural sweep. Straight bangs can be dried forward.
• You can use a flat brush to make your bangs lay straighter, sleeker, and closer to your forehead; use a round brush to add a little lift and put more of a bend on the ends. It all depends on the look you are trying to achieve.
• After you have finished drying your bangs, you can move to the sides and then the back. 

Be the boss of your bangs! With these tricks in your bag, you will be sure to get great looking bangs everytime.

Little Products You Can't Live Without: Tonic Lotion

One of my absolute favorite products is Tonic Lotion. It is one of those all around great products to have in your product drawer because of it's range of benefits. Tonic is one of Bumble and bumble's foundation products, the first step in your product regimen.  

A light leave in conditioner, Tonic is great for lubricating the hair to help with detangling, while also adding moisture back into your hair (this is especially important for those of us who live in drier climates, such as in the state of Utah). Additionally, it's Tea Tree Oil is great for keeping your scalp healthy.

Another great feature of Tonic Lotion is that it acts as a primer for your hair, similar to how you would use an eyeshadow or foundation primer to enhance the performance of your face makeup. Tonic is your hair primer, to prepare the hair for any additional products you are going to put in it, as well as to enhance the performance of those products.

Tonic can also be used to reactivate any products you have in your hair. Need to freshen up your look for a night out? Or, in a hurry in the morning and don't have time to start your look from scratch? You can mist some Tonic on your hair, dry it a little, and you're good to go! As a hairstylist, if there is one product that I recommend for my clients, Tonic Lotion is it. Little product, big benefits. 

REVIEW: Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo

For awhile now, I have been seeing commercials for Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo being advertised as being just as good as salon brand dry shampoos. Now before I begin, I should start by saying I am an avid Bumble and bumble fan, which is one reason I like working at Shep Studio because that is the product line we carry. My addiction first started at the age of 14 and slowly grew to where now it is the only brand of product I use. So, naturally, I use Bumble's colored dry shampoo. However, after seeing all these commercials for Suave's dry shampoo being advertised as salon quality I new I had to try it, even though I personally believe Suave is one of the worst brands of hair product out there.

For weeks when I went to Walmart (I won't go into my opinions about that place), they were completely out. I thought to myself, well, this stuff must work well enough if they can't keep it on the shelves. Finally, the other night when I went to look they had it in, and I purchased my own bottle to take home and see for myself just how good it was. To my surprise, it actually works pretty well for being Suave and only $2.97. I definitely love the smell: citrus - grapefruit maybe? You have to make sure to shake the can really well and definitely hold it 10, if not 12 inches away from your roots. If you spray it too close it comes out too much and all white on your hair. However, I did notice that I was able to make it through the next day without my hair looking greasy at all, and it did give some bounce back to my hair as well. The only thing I noticed that was kind of a con was with my dark brown hair, I could still see some of the tiny clay particles they use to absorb the oil in my hair. So, maybe due to the light color of this dry shampoo (I usually use brown) it is more ideal for people with lighter levels of hair where this wouldn't be as noticable.

Although I love my $35 Bumble brown dry shampoo, this is a great option for someone who just needs something inexpensive to get them to their next wash day and provide good results. Tresseme also has a dry shampoo, which I believe at Walmart is $4.94 or close to that, and is next on my list of inexpensive brand dry shampoos to buy and review. For now, if you're looking to make it a little longer to your next shampoo but can't afford the salon stuff, Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo is a good option.