At Eliegante Hair Design , we want to be your day maker. If you don’t already believe that each day is a special gift, we hope that when you visit our salon you’ll sense a boost that lifts your spirits as you look great and feel refreshed. What each person has in them is contagious, so we all need something to make our day special so we can keep sharing good and positive things with others. Do you know someone who is like this? They are like a treasure to be around.
At Eliegante, we want to be your day maker. If you don’t already believe that each day is a special gift, we hope that when you visit our salon you’ll sense a boost that lifts your spirits as you look great and feel refreshed. What each person has in them is contagious, so we all need something to make our day special so we can keep sharing good and positive things with others. Do you know someone who is like this? They are like a treasure to be around.
And, sadly, I had to say goodbye to one such person this month.
A while back I told the story of how I travelled to Lebanon and stayed with a gorgeous family at their gorgeous villa. They had even let their son’s hair grow so I could be the one to give him his first cut! That family is the Dawaf family, and my friend’s name is Marcelino. Marcelino and his wonderful family welcomed us, as they always have, with joy and tremendous hospitality. I’m sure that, with his struggles with cancer, he didn’t always felt that joy inside.
But he knew how to make a day special.
Whenever we were together, my day got brighter. He lived life with faith and a joie de vivre that’s hard to come by. That stuff inside him was contagious, and I only hope I can honour what his life has meant to me by keeping good stuff inside me too and letting it be contagious in our salon. Our staff here at Eliegante is committed to making your experience positive and rejuvenating.
In large and small ways, Marcelino was a day maker for me. I hope that we can be a day maker for you. Because while each day IS special, I think it touches our soul
when someone MAKES it special.
At our salon we often have brave guests who want to really change up their look and style. I’m talking about those big changes, the “oh wow” transformations that we like to see on makeover TV shows. We love to help our clients make this leap to something new.
It’s not always like that though. In fact, most of the time the changes we make are subtle. You might get a highlight, or leave your bangs a little longer or your fade a little higher. And sometimes, people get the same cut and style month after month. But even then, your hair is changing all the time. It changes colour, it gets dry, and yes, it eventually goes grey or goes away!
This month more than most I think about change, not only for our customers but also for our community. I’m proud to say that, like many others, Eliegante Salon actively promotes positive change in the lives of others in lots of ways -big or small. Last weekend I rode my bike in Hamilton’s Annual Road2Hope Marathon, which has an incredible 24 charity partners. The weather was a little chilly but what an amazing event to be a part of. Later this month we’re taking part in McMaster University’s Shave for a Cure fundraiser, supporting cancer research. Last year we were part of helping the Smiling over Sickness team raise over $7,000 for Camp Trillium!
And of course, this is all taking place in the month of Movember.
Everyone who is a part of these kinds of causes is pushing for positive change. And just like a haircut, those changes can be little things or big things. Or sometimes it seems like we aren’t doing anything different. But even when we look back on times of simple consistency we won’t fail to see something new about our journey or ourselves.
We all love seeing big change, the kind these organizations are working towards. But let’s also celebrate each positive step, no matter what size it is.
Because every step, just like every person, matters.
Do you know the story of John Paul DeJoria, the co-founder of Paul Mitchell?
He started out at the bottom. Early in his life his parents divorced, he was doing poorly in school and he joined a street gang. A teacher even told him “you’ll never succeed at anything in life”.
In 1980, he was living out of a car when he and hairstylist Paul Mitchell got together and, with a $700 loan, they started the John Paul Mitchell Systems line of hair care products.
Today, his net worth is around 3 billion dollars.
How did he do it? Well, according to this recent article in Forbes magazine, “He works hard and gives back as much, if not more than he takes in. With each undertaking, he thinks not only of how much money can be made, but how he can help people, animals and the environment. Each business decision is always in line with a philanthropic decision.”
He did it because he’s very good at giving and thinking about others. In another article for Business Insider, John Paul said this:
“If I had to pick one moment that truly felt amazing, it was when I helped Mobile Loaves & Fishes build gardens and homes for those in need of shelter and food…I helped give someone a place to live, a garden to work at, and another chance at life. To this day, that’s where I feel most fulfilled in life. It’s having the ability and resources to provide more resources to those in need.”
I love great hair. A thousand times yes, we are all about great hair and esthetics at our salon. But as I’ve always said, beauty goes much deeper than what’s on the outside. Actually, the beauty inside is what counts most.
John Paul DeJoria gets this too, which is another reason why we love their company and products. From the quality of their products, to their treatment of animals or their care for the environment, they show how caring for others is not just good business. It’s the best business.
That’s why at Eliegante we’re so pleased to be a Paul Mitchell Focus + salon.
I had a guest come into the salon a few weeks ago. She needed a hair product that could hold her style through all the wind and heat of the summer. We’ve had a few good days, right? I said to her, “I can give you something that you can wear to the beach. In fact, go swimming, and your hair will still come out looking great.” She looked skeptical, but she took it.
She came back later amazed. It worked! Great hair, even at the beach! The product I gave her was a texturing cream, from the Paul Mitchell Neon line called Sugar Twist. We love this stuff, along with all Paul Mitchell hair care products. As a certified Focus+ salon, we have the products you need and the ongoing training to help you stay looking your best. The Neon line is fun and flexible, and is infused with natural sugar to add some healthy sweetness to your hair.
But this isn’t all Neon is about.
Paul Mitchell Neon promotes kindness and well being among teens with their ongoing anti-bullying campaign, which provides tools and support to help fight bullying. You can find out more about it by visiting their website or checking out social media at #StickItToBullying.
September is coming and soon it’ll be back to school for many teens (I have 3 daughters, I know!) and I’m proud to partner with a company that helps make schools safer and more positive. Looking your best is great, but feeling you best is greater. That’s why at Eliegante we proudly carry Paul Mitchell products and support their Bully Free Zone campaign.
image credit: YouTube
What a big birthday we have around the corner! We are so blessed to call Canada home and I’m thankful to live in a country that people around the world look to for peace, freedom and opportunity. I came to Canada from Lebanon so many years ago now and got my own opportunity to start a business doing what I love. That opportunity has been a reality for over 17 years now.
I got a glimpse into my past just a few weeks ago. When I first started out cutting hair, I worked for a chain salon in West Hamilton. I didn’t know any English! I remember one of my first customers, a lady who has sadly passed on, was trying to tell me what she wanted. I had no idea! She said, “Elie, don’t you speak English?” I threw up my hands. No, not a word! When I came home, my wife gave me the suggestion of using numbers (like the settings on clippers) as a way to get by until my English got better. It worked, but it still took a while before I could communicate well with customers. Now I speak four languages— go figure!
A few weeks ago, a Ministry inspector came into our salon. I looked up from my chair and I recognized her immediately: it was the manager from that old salon. She hadn’t changed a bit. But I had a little fun with her because she didn’t remember me.
So I said hello, calling her by name. She was startled and gave me a puzzled look. “Umm, have we met before?” she asked. I then described her old position in that salon we worked in together all those years ago. Now she was really curious! She said, “How do you know all this about me”? I said, “See if you remember me now” and I told her my name. Her eyes got wide and she gasped. “No! The Lebanese guy!” We both laughed. Yes, it was me the Lebanese guy who couldn’t speak any English with his customers! So was so pleased to see that Eliegante Hair Design and Spa was going strong and that my English has gotten much better since then!
So when we celebrate on July 1, it will remind me again of where I came from, because we’ve all come from somewhere, we’ve all got a story. So does our great country. Happy Canada 150!
You know what I find funny about hair styles coming back into fashion? They never left! Some of the so-called “hot new trends” for 2017 are considered comebacks of old styles. But they didn’t somehow disappear.
Let me explain.
Parting the hair down the middle, for example, is in-style for men this year. This was considered big in the 90s, with the grunge look finding its way into music and movies along with longer, parted hair. For women, 80s curls are back in, as are high pony-tails, the wet-look and extreme layers. Every year, aren’t we always reading that a least a couple different styles are “back in?”
The truth is, we shouldn’t be surprised at hair style comebacks because they aren’t really coming back. They may have had a bit more attention at certain times, but the basics of hair — long hair, short hair, curls and straight — have never changed. The only things that change are the ways we play with these basics. There were women with curly hair in the 80s just like there are now. There were men with long hair in the 90s, just like there are now.
The whole thing about style isn’t about when something is “in” or not, it’s about what works for you.
The truth is, we shouldn’t be surprised at hair style comebacks because they aren’t really coming back. They may have had a bit more attention at certain times, but the basics of hair…have never changed.
Getting your part line cut for men is still in from last year, but I haven’t cut it into my hair. Am I not in fashion? Of course I am (LOL)!! It just doesn’t work for me. But for the man who visited my salon this morning, it worked for him.
At Eliegante, we stay on top of fashion trends and styles not so we can tell you what you should look like but to be able to share options to help you find a style that works for you. You don’t have to fit fashion; fashion has to fit you. And with the products we have today for hair care, as a customer you have the freedom to really find your style and make it work for you every day.
I like what actress Anne Hathaway said about the fashion industry. She said, “There’s nothing wrong with the fashion industry. What’s wrong is changing yourself for something you don’t really care about just to get somewhere faster”. People are trying things more and more these days, because today’s customer has more options and power than ever before to be an individual. This might make bloggers and fashion writers say there’s a comeback for this or that. Maybe, if the fashion world is there to make everyone fit into a mould, we could call it a comeback.
But, if fashion is what you make of it, then good style never left.
They say that beauty is only skin deep, but I disagree. I look at it from a different perspective. Just like love, beauty starts not on the outside, but the inside.
There’s something amazing that happens when someone sees themselves in the mirror with a new hair cut, colour or style. It’s not just the “oh wow” moment, which feels great but lasts only a second or two. Sure, we all love the big reveal: we see it all the time on TV shows. But the amazing part for me is what happens after that moment. You see a person’s eyes shine a little more, their smile gets brighter and they stand a little taller.
That’s the growing sense of beauty on the inside. It’s the feeling of joy and confidence that rises up when a person truly feels and appreciates his or her natural beauty. Really, it’s always there, but sometimes it just needs a boost to make it come out.
A friend came to the salon a while ago and asked about getting a new hair style. This friend, a man, had had the same haircut for a long time and was looking for something different. We talked about his hair and I gave him some consultation, and then we went for it. You know what was so great for me? It wasn’t just seeing the reaction of him and his wife (which was very good). It was hearing that he received so many complements from people that his new style really suited him and looked great. I bet he was smiling wider and standing taller…on the inside.
The whole thing comes down to loving yourself and appreciating who you are. At Eliegante, we want to bring the best out in you. We want you to love your hair and feel good about how you look, and all of that starts with having inner beauty. You have it! Let it shine!
You know, we say to our customers that we want to be your Day-Maker. Coming to our salon and sitting in our chairs may only take a short part of your day. But what we hope to leave with you should be part of your everyday.
Last month it was so great to be part of McMaster’s Shave-for-a-Cure event. Seventeen people sat in our chairs and offered up their hair to support this great event. One was even a Mac professor and his son! You can see pictures of the event on our Facebook page.
It takes bravery to shave off all your hair. It’s one thing to grow a moustache for Movember, but to lose your locks takes real courage! Not only is it a whole new look, but often people have never seen what their head looks like fully exposed. And sometimes, as one gentleman who came to me for a head shave found out, there is something hiding underneath: dry scalp.
Dry scalp is very common, especially around this time as the weather gets cold. Your hair and skin lack moisture in the dry, cold air, and your lack of vitamin D in the wintertime can also affect your skin. The result is a dandruff snowfall that’s far from flattering.
There are a few things you can do to fix dry scalp and keep the snow from falling. First, drink more water. Yes! Make sure you’re hydrated to give your skin and hair a chance to gain extra moisture. Keep an eye on your diet, too. Your food intake affects your hair and skin just like your water intake.
Rinsing your hair thoroughly after a bath or shower is important too, to make sure there is no product build-up to sap your hair and scalp of moisture. The longer or thicker your hair is, the more rinsing is needed to get all the shampoo and conditioner out of your hair and off your scalp. Just take a bit more time to make sure this is done properly.
And finally, if you are in need of a medicated treatment, there are lots of options. One product we carry that is an excellent solution for dry scalp is Phytopolléine Scalp Treatment from Phyto. It’s 100 % botanical with a mix of essential oils and corn germ oil, and is good for all hair types. This is the treatment my customer used and it worked great. Keep the snow outside where it belongs!
On behalf of everyone here at Eliegante Hair Design & Spa, I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
