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!
It’s growing season! At Eliegante we’re busy these days making things beautiful inside and out. In between making bridal parties gorgeous and getting young prom princes and princesses ready for the ball, I’ve been outside fixing up the garden in front of the salon. We’re closed on Wednesday’s, so I spent yesterday afternoon weeding and cleaning up (my poor back!). Today I unloaded a heap of mulch to help curb weeds and hold the moisture for our tulips, hostas and daffodils that are already showing their brilliant colour.
There’s a lot that goes into making your garden ready for growing season: weeding, trimming, cultivating, adding mulch, and giving it plenty of water. Gardens don’t just grow beautifully on their own: they need care!
And, really, it’s a lot like caring for your hair.
When someone walks by my salon on Upper James Street with luxurious hair blowing in the hot summer breeze, I know she doesn’t have that look by accident. Her hair is the result of proper care. The summer can do damage to your hair if you’re not careful, so here are 5 tips to help you have great summer hair.
1. Start with a trim
Warmer weather leads to dryness, which for most people means split ends. Split ends are like the dandelions of hair! Some people are surprised to know that no product can fix split ends; they can only prevent them. So starting with a trim means that split ends can be cut away and we can work on strengthening the rest of the hair.
2. Add plenty of moisture
Here’s an easy tip to remember: give your hair what you give your face. If you apply a facial moisturizer for dry skin, chances are your hair needs moisture too. Using a leave-in conditioner or a once-a-week treatment will keep your hair looking shiny and soft.
3. Get the right shampoo
Make sure you choose the right shampoo for your hair. Professional products are designed to give your hair exactly what it needs, and there’s a product out there that’s suited to your needs. At Eliegante we feature Paul Mitchell Awapuhi and Phyto products.
4. Don’t forget to masque
Applying a hair masque every week to two weeks will ensure your hair is protected. If you have coloured hair, make sure you use a colour-safe masque.
5. Enjoy yourself
Once I get my garden all spruced up, I’m going to stand back and enjoy its beauty. Similarly, once you’ve taken these simple steps, it’s time to stroll into summer with ooh-la-la hair!
If you’d like to learn more about how to get your hair ready for summer, come by Eliegante Hair Design and Spa and we’ll provide you a free 15 minute consultation. I promise to leave the gardening gloves outside!
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.
