I looked out my window today at the salon and thought, “Where is all the snow?” It was warm and drizzling outside- in February! Do I mind? No. My family is from Lebanon so we don’t do skating and my girls have grown too big to do much tobogganing (they do volleyball instead). So I’m ok with a warm winter, but I know it can cause havoc with your hair.
Cold Canadian winters usually dry hair out. If you don’t have long hair you may think that all this warm, wet weather will help this problem. Here’s some chair education: the dryness is still there! Warm, winter air usually results in dry, elastic or bouncy hair. And unless your workplace or spouse is okay with you wearing a toque all day, you’re going to have to tame that mane!
The key to taming any winter hair, whether it’s warm or cold out, is moisturizer. A good soaking from a quality moisturizer will help keep your hair and scalp soft and resilient to the drying effect of our Canadian winter air. You’re going to want a product that doesn’t add a lot of build-up, and keeps your hair from actually feeling wet all day (not good out in the cold). I like the Awaphui Wild Ginger lineup from Paul Mitchell for these reasons. They’re purposely designed to repair dry, damaged hair, are lightweight, don’t add a lot of build-up and give you the right amount of elasticity to help your hair keep its bounce and shape.
And while I joke about wearing a toque all day, hats do offer your hair 
protection during the winter. There are lots of cute caps in style now to protect your hair when you’re going to be outside for a long time. And gentlemen, if you’re not already using a styling product, consider applying a flexible cream like Mitch Clean Cut or using a moisturizing conditioner during your shower.
I’m sure that you’ll have to break out your shovel sometime this winter and do some digging. But whether things get white or stay green, look good while you’re out there!
One of the things I love about Christmas is the spirit of giving. It’s a feeling that stays with me long after that one day on the calendar because whenever I pull out a gift someone gave me, it reminds me of that generous spirit. Which is why I spend a lot of time trying to pick just the right gifts for the people I love. Most of the time I think I’ve gotten it right. But I’m sure there have been times where one of my gifts found its way to the back of a closet, became someone else’s gift, or got put in the trashcan. I’ll be honest: I’ve had a few of those gifts!
Have you ever gotten a gift like that… for your hair?
Over the years I’ve seen that hair and beauty products are popular gift items at Christmas, and why not? They’re needed every day and they make you look and feel your best. That is, unless it’s totally wrong for a person’s hair.
This often happens when people lack ‘hair product knowledge’. It’s not enough to simply choose a product based on price or brand name. You need to understand what the product will do to the hair and why. Otherwise, you won’t be giving your hair what it needs or, worse, you may end up damaging your hair or someone else’s!
That’s why at Eliegante Hair Design and Spa, I’m passionate about sharing knowledge with my customers; not only about cuts and style, but also about proper product use. It’s true we carry professional products like Paul Mitchell, Phyto and Awapuhi, but we don’t sell product just to sell it. Every product we sell we use in our salon, and when you ask how to keep your straight-from-the-salon look my staff and I are happy to explain. We call it ‘chair education’, and with a few tips and the right products we can help you keep your hair healthy and looking as great as right after your visit with us (well, almost!)
Chair education isn’t complicated and doesn’t take long. Hair is my business and my passion, and after 30 years no one has ever come back and said they hated a product I recommended.
For example, if you have fine hair and it looks flat, it’s probably because you’re using a heavy product. You need to switch to something that adds volume. If you apply product by simply scooping it up and spreading it around (this means you too, guys), stop! You need chair education!
This year, whether you’re buying that special gift for others or yourself, save money and buy a product that will do what you want it to. You can even bring in your old products and I’ll tell you which to use and which to get rid of.
And ladies, if you can’t find it in your heart to discard them, re-gift them…
Give it to your husband.
