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Our Guest Blogger, stylist Daniel Pennington gives you top tips on refreshing your hair from the Office to the Bar…

So you’ve been slaving away at work all day and you’re heading out for a few drinks. You’ve got a half an hour turn around at home and don’t have time to wash your hair. What do you do? Work with what you’ve got.

Try this simple and sleek look for long hair..

How to use:

Shake directly onto roots for targeted volume. To add body and texture to the mid-lengths and ends, shake onto hands and work through hair.

*powder grip 03 is a highly concentrated formula, so only a small amount is needed to achieve noticeable results.

“To achieve healthy hair, zinc and vitamin supplements and drinking lots of water can make a massive difference as it is similar to skin. It’s a little known fact that your hair is made up of 10% water, and 90% protein so moisture is important, therefore protein protection is paramount. So drink 6/8 glasses of water a day to also keep hair hydrated and eat lots of protein in any form, by just increasing your normal amount, will have added benefits. If you find your roots getting greasy, keep your conditioner 2/3 inches away from the roots. I particularly love Redken All Soft Shampoo and Conditioner, you only need a very small amount to see a big difference. Rinse for as long as you can as residue from shampoo can leave hair looking dull and any left on conditioner, can leave hair feeling heavy!”

Healthy Hair

Everyone knows that if you eat a good diet and exercise, not only will your hair respond, but your skin will too.  With plenty of water and foods like beans, fish, cheese, nuts and leafy green vegetables you can see a big difference and this will keep your hair hydrated and healthy. Vitamin supplements like Zinc and Vitamin E can also help. Be aware that excessive chemicals on the hair will only weaken the hair and this is not the time to be creating chemical damage.

Detox – Your hair responds brilliantly to a regular Sunday night detox, remove all that product build up and pollution, with a shampoo and conditioner that allows your hair to reveal its natural shine. Hair in need of detox can appear dull and the brightening effect of a detox makes hair fresh light and glossy.

Oily/Dandruff Hair – People with oily hair tend to wash their hair everyday, that’s fine if you like the fresh feel of clean hair, but it reduces the amount of conditioner you use.  Your own natural body oils are nature’s perfect conditioner, adding conditioner can only increase the oil problem. Dry shampoo is the perfect way to soak up oil during the day.

Dry Hair – Intensive conditioning and less shampoo will really improve your brittle hair. Take particular care of the mid lengths and ends of your hair to keep them shiny and strong, use conditioner as a leave in product or simply wear conditioner all night long twice a week, to see great results.

Growing your hair

It all depends on your genes but hair grows on average 6 inches a year. so, once a day, try massaging the scalp rigorously with your fingertips.  This will help to stimulate your hair follicles and improve the circulation of blood to your scalp.  Trimming your hair helps to remove split ends and stops hair breaking, but  will also help the hair “appear” to be growing longer because even light breakage can reduce the appearance of length, so tell your stylist you simply want a minimum amount trimmed. Hairdressers can and do cut off your new length if you don’t make it very clear at the beginning of the appointment, that you are growing your hair!

Choosing your hair design and what to ask your Hairdresser?

A few little tips before you come to our salon or visit any salon to help you get the most out of your stylist and your salon visit.

Ever heard of the saying “honesty is the best policy”? Well, nowhere is this truer than in the salon. To get the very most out of your stylist and salon experience, open and honest communication is an absolute must! When we buy jeans four sizes too small in the hope that it’ll inspire us to shed the pounds to get into them, we often end up with clothes we can’t wear, the same goes for our hair. So first tip, be honest and realistic about what is achievable. take images with you to the salon, hairdressers need boundaries and also a clear idea of what you’re thinking. Images can make all the difference in the end result.

Kate Middleton: Loose Waves

Kate Moss: Naturally Elegant

1.  Be honest with yourself. Did you honestly love Kate Middleton or Kate Moss’s wedding hairstyle for you, or are you simply in love with them and their lifestyles? Do you really love the  way your hair looked at Aunt Susie’s wedding 10 years ago, or did you just have a really good time at the reception?  When I ask what they like about a particular star’s hair, I often find that clients can’t identify what it is that they like. I get the same reaction when a client brings in a very old  photo of herself, with answers like, “I just think she’s really pretty,” or “that’s when I met my husband,” which leads me to believe that it really isn’t so much about the hair and much more about the admiration for the celebrity.

2.  Your choices for your current hair type, appearance, and lifestyle.  Highlighted  Blonde, Bohemian Loose Long Curls or Dark Brown Sharp Sleek updo knot, whatever your preference make sure you plan in advance whether you are growing it longer or making it lighter. If growing your hair for your wedding day, be careful when you visit the salon, do not let them cut too much off, literally say “ants eyelashes” so less than 1/4 inch every 2/3 months is fine, otherwise you are simply losing what you’ve grown.

3.  Do not overwhelm your stylist by bringing in 20 magazine cut-outs of the style or colour you think you want. Three is more than enough for them to determine the common denominator. Maybe it’s a warm brunette, or certain caramel highlights in a long tousled half updo that you’re after. If you narrow it down for us, a good stylist will be able to figure out what it is that you like about all three pictures and suggest a variation that is best for YOU. Sometimes I see stylists and clients confusing each other during a consultation by simply overwhelming each other with pictures and styling books. Also try and show your stylist looks you DON’T like, create boundaries like ‘that’s too short’ or ‘that’s too long’, so that you both end up with the same vision in your heads!!! By the same token don’t be led by the stylist into looks you really don’t want, be honest they are use to it, they are not offended and much happier that you are giving clear guidelines. It’s really helpful.

4.  Trust your stylist. Don’t forget that your stylist is a professional whose job it is to make you look as good as you possibly can look. If you ask me for something that’s impossible or doesn’t fit your hair or style, I’m going to be really honest and tell you it’s not going to work. A good stylist will always give you an alternative that will work, but you, as the client, have to be open to that recommendation.

“Whether you want hair up or down for your wedding day Salon Confidential’s Hair Extensions can help add lots of volume that lasts all day, but also remain so natural looking! If your looking for a romantic style Salon Confidential Hair Extensions in Volume Wave are the most popular style for weddings.  Very Kate Middleton in gloss and style!” - Steph Stevenson

Tracy Anderson said “We are so excited to have partnered with David Babaii on the blow dry bar that we’ll be offering to members of our flagship studio located in Brentwood, CA. As our members transform themselves into the women and men they want to be [in the studio], the David Babaii team will design a hairstyle customized for their face shape and lifestyle, as well as a product regime of what to use to keep them looking their best while [they're] on the go.”

It’s a fab idea but lets be honest, we’ve been transforming normal men and women in our salons for years!!! It gives you a warm feeling when a customer enters your salon, not knowing how great she could look and feel, and then when she leaves she has a bounce on her and a new sense of confidence. I love it!