Your Guide to the Best Spray Tan

quick tanningAre you ready for a confidence-boosting tan without exposure to UV Rays?  You are only minutes away from looking and feeling amazing with our NEW sunless tanning booth.  Before you step into the booth, be sure you are ready with these tips for preparation and aftercare.

  • Prepare yourself. The morning of your appointment, use a non-oily scrub to exfoliate your skin, particularly the knees and elbows (which tend to absorb more tanner and turn dark), as well as the neck, chest, shins, and face (where the skin is thinner and streaks show up). Coat any scabs or recent scars with Vaseline.
  • Skip the lotion and makeup. While moisturizing your skin in the days following your tanning session can make it last longer, applying moisturizers and lotions can interfere with the bronzing spray absorbing into your skin. If you do wear makeup the day of your tan, remove it before entering the booth to get the most even tan on your face. Also, use deodorant sparingly.
  • Make Strategic Wardrobe Choices.  The worst thing you can do post-spray tan is put on tight-fitting clothes, which can cause the tanning pigment to transfer and leave your skin looking patchy. Instead, wear loose, flowy garments to your appointment so that you’re set up for success.  The tanning solution washes out of clothing pretty easily, but you may want to opt for dark colored underwear and clothing just in case.  Additionally, leave jewelry off until the tan has had time to set.
  • Make it last. It’s best not to let your skin get wet for eight hours post-tan. Don’t exfoliate for at least a week, shave your legs as infrequently as possible, and moisturize from head to toe after you shower.

Thats it!  You are ready to tan.  If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know and we would be happy to answer them for you.

Dry Shampoo Tips and Tricks

Dry shampoo is a one of our favorite beauty products and a total life-saver.  If you’ve dry shampoonever used it, we highly recommend grabbing a bottle next time you are at the salon. Dry shampoo allows you to keep your hair looking clean and refreshed even if you haven’t washed it in a day or two.  And, as we all know, washing your hair every day can strip it of natural oils and dry out your hair.  So the ability to have clean looking hair without actually washing your hair is essential for the long-term health of your mane.

What is Dry Shampoo
Essentially it’s a powder or fast-drying spray that provides a water-free option for cleansing your hair. Dry shampoo absorbs excess oils from your roots, freshens up your hair and leaves it smelling fresher.
Why Use Dry Shampoo?
There are many reasons why you should use dry shampoo – that’s why we love it so much!
  • To be able to shampoo less frequently. As we mentioned, dry shampoo lets you go longer without suffering matted or oily roots so you can go a few days without washing.
  • To stretch out a blow-out.  After you walk out of the salon with gorgeous hair, you want it to last as long as possible before shampooing. You can easily add a few days to your blow-out with dry shampoo.
  • To conserve your color. No matter what shampoo you use, hair color definitely loses some vibrancy after a certain number of shampoos.  Swapping out a few regular shampoos for a water-less option between color services will prolong the life of your hair color.
  • To eliminate odor. Many dry shampoo formulas feature a pleasant fragrance to instantly refresh your hair.
  • To add volume. This is one of the best bonuses of a dry shampoo. Not only does it make your hair look, feel and smell fresher and cleaner, it also gives you a real boost! Directing a powder or spray dry shampoo at your roots immediately adds volume and fullness—as if you’ve just blown-out your hair!
  • To save time. Whenever there’s no time for a proper shampoo and blow-dry, dry shampoo is your friend and savior.
  • To add texture. Silky hair is lovely and desirable…most of the time. Sometimes, though, a little bit of grit is helpful—like if you’re doing a messy bun or a cool, Pinterest-worthy braid. Dry shampoo gives too-silky strands the heft they need to form and hold a textured upstyle or braid.
How to use dry shampoo
This is the best part – its SO easy to use.
1) Spray into hair at roots (don’t spray all over, stick with just the roots).  Your best bet is to lift your hair in 2in sections and spray 10-12 inches away from the roots
2) Blend.  Use your fingertips to work excess dry shampoo into your hair.  If needed, you can use your blow dryer on a low setting as well
3) Volumize.  Use your fingers or a brush to work the product through the rest of your hair.  
 
Extra Tips
- Don’t spray it to close to your head.  As we said, 10-12 inches from the roots is your best bet
- Don’t blend it right away – give the dry shampoo a chance to absorb the oil in your scalp before working it though your hair
- Less is more.  You can always add if needed, so stay conservative with your application

 

The Truth About Salon Products

We know what you are thinking – are professional shampoos really THAT much better than the products I can buy at the drugstore?  Aren’t they all basically just soap?  In short, YES!  Professional hair products really do have some serious benefits for your hair.

The easiest way to explain it df5b7fceaf007de9e925d3242a93dbfeis like this – all wine is made from grapes and undergoes a similar process.  But some wine is $3.99 and some wine is worth hundreds of dollars.  In the same way a wine steward can tell the subtle difference, a professional hair stylist can help you differentiate between hair products.
So what makes professional shampoo worth the price? Salon shampoo costs more because they are highly concentrated with quality ingredients They contain vitamins, oils, and minerals that are highly nourishing for your hair, yet too pricey to exist in drugstore shampoos.  As a result, drugstore brands contain fillers which can make your hair feel soft, but result in a waxy buildup.
Professional shampoos are also highly concentrated, so a little bit will go a long way for your hair. Therefore, the product lasts longer and the cost difference isn’t as great as it appears to be.
Not sure what products are best for your hair?  Ask your stylist for advice on what to use to make sure you are maximizing the benefits for your particular hair type.

Everything You Need to get Prom Ready

Untitled Design (3)You’ve got the perfect dress, perfect shoes, and the perfect date.  Now its time to make sure your hair and brows are ready to go so you can look your best on Prom night.  Here is a timeline that you can use to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered.

Two Months Before Prom: Book your appointments
Make sure your hair and makeup appointments are booked and ready to go.  Start looking on Pinterest and in magazines to get an idea of what hair style might suit you best so that you can give your stylist direction when she is doing your hair.
One Month Before Prom: Get serious about skincare
Cleansing your face once in the morning and once at night, followed by a good moisturizer is key to getting clear beautiful skin.  Be sure you are using products that are made for your skin type.
Two Weeks Before Prom: Get a Facial
Facials have SO many benefits for helping you look your best, including clearing up congestion, exfoliating your skin, and supplying much needed moisture.  In the day or two after getting a facial, people can experience break-outs, which is why you don’t want to schedule your facial too close to the event.
One Week Before Prom:  Brow Maintenance
Getting your brows in check before prom can drastically improve your overall look. Heading to the salon to get a good waxing in can help you get a brow shape you really want. Don’t leave your brows to yourself for prom, though. They are far too important to your look to mess up!

Skincare Tips for Winter

If your skin is feeling extra dry lately, you aren’t alone.  Cold weather, harsh wind, and dry indoor air all conspire to suck the moisture out of your skin during the winter months.  Follow these simple tips to help keep your skin smooth and hydrated.

1) Avoid hot water.  We know, hot showers and baths feel especially good when its cold out.  But prolonged exposure to hot water can strip your skin of excess oil needed to keep it moisturized.  Particularly when washing your hands and face, opt for lukewarm water to protect your skin
2) Moisturize Immediately.  Moisturize with essential oils or a moisturizer immediately after washing, while skin is still damp.  This will seal dampness into your skin, helping your skin stay healthy.  Be sure you are using the right moisturizer as well – if you aren’t sure, ask Allison next time you are in the salon for a recommendation that will work best for your skin type.
3) Humidify.  Use a humidifier in your home and office to help combat dry indoor air.  A humidifier will put moisture back into the air and help  prevent your skin from drying out.
4)  Hydrate.  Aim to drink 8-10 hydrating drinks each day (Coffee, tea and soda don’t count!).  This will hydrate your skin from the inside out.  Also, try to reach for watery foods, such as soup, fruits, and veggies and avoid crunchy, salty foods.
5) Facials.  Treat your skin to a moisturizing facial.  During a facial, your skin can get exfoliated and moisturized, creating lasting results that will help keep your skin looking fabulous all winter long.

 

Tips for a Successful Makeover

IMG_3483Ready to change up your look?  We are all about helping our clients make over their look and try new things.  We put together some tips to help make sure you walk out of the salon THRILLED with your hair style.

- Go online and see what you like! Pinterest (and especially our Pinterest page) is filled with trendy, awesome new hair looks.  Or identify a celebrity that has hair similar to yours in length and type and google some hair styles they have had.  Just keep in mind, a lot of photos online are altered or edited and might not be totally realistic

- When you make your appointment, make sure you tell the Monica and the front desk what you have in mind.  If we know that you are changing your look, or what you want to do with your new style/color/highlight we can make sure the appropriate amount of time is booked for your appointment so that everything can get done and your stylist isn’t rushed.

- Ask your stylist for recommendations.  If you found a photo you like, feel free to run it by your stylist when you are in the salon.  They can tell you if it’s realistic for your hair and what it will take to get there.  Some styles or color may take more than one appointment to achieve, depending on how big of a change you are making.

- Don’t forget to ask your stylist for tips on how to maintain your new style and if there is any product that will help you achieve the look on a daily basis.

Most importantly, have fun!  We love seeing people try new things and will do everything we can to make sure you walk out of the salon totally satisfied with your transformation.