Rooney Mara… You are an inspiration for short bangs.

Throughout the awards season it really has been a joy to see Ms Rooney Mara grace our tv screens and the pages of several fashion magazines of late. Looking at Ms Mara with hairdresser eyes, what is most impressive about this young lady is her confidence and willingness to wear severe bangs so effortlessly. Generating perhaps a desire for a bit of edge or coolness maybe?

The Lady with the Dragon Tattoo will always be a wonderful reminder of how brilliant visual aids truly are. Whilst having a hair consultation with a dear client he presented a picture of The Lady with the Dragon Tattoo. His wanting for an edger look and Ms Mara was his inspiration funny enough.

Bangs are a great way to add freshness or update your look striking the appropriate length and balanced is crucial. Too long they could grow out maybe a bit too quickly. Too short it might be awkward at first but at least there is room for growth. Ideally bangs ought to last a while peaking towards week 3 of a haircut. Bang trims in between haircuts are always advised.

Nonetheless bangs are still in vogue, thank you Ms Rooney Mara.

Brazilian Keratin Treatments… Harmful or risky?

Now that Autumn is here and suddenly we are noticing and feeling a dehydrated hair texture. The gloss has worn off and we are left with porous textured hair with split ends needing to be trimmed. If we didn’t hydrate our hair throughout the summer, brittle hair awaits especially after a Brazilian Keratin Treatment applied in June or July. Keratin treatments on the whole will put the hair at risk.

A straight keratin protein treatment, with or without Formaldehyde sealing it into the hair with a very hot flat-iron will be embracing brittle, fragile and confused hair. It’s a tremendous amount of stress to put the hair under. Because of the fumes Ireland and Canada has banned Brazilian Keratin treatments altogether. Several salons in Wash DC and NYC stopped this treatment because of the lack of air quality.

Keratin by itself is a strong body building protein. You would only use keratin when your hair begins to feels like over cooked pasta, followed quickly with a moisturizing treatment. Without moisture the hair looses the strength of the protein which was just injected, therefore the hair becoming dry and brittle over time.

My advice to all the ladies who have had this treatment and those who are thinking about it. Always build the hair with a moisturizing treatment at least once a week for a month before the treatment. And once a week thereafter the treatment. The after care is just as important. Always using a sulphate and sodium chloride free moisturizing shampoo, conditioners and treatment.

Oribe’s line of products will give the hair the moisture it needs and are sulphate and sodium chloride free. Best part all Oribe products are tested on human not animals.

Curly Hair… Where do we begin.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of meeting several ladies with different types of curly hair. And our common thread question is how do we make curly hair manageable without having to blow dry it straight.

Curly hair is full of personality and should be embraced as just that. If you are wanting to take the plunge of letting it go bonkers I’ve learned you can not control it, it will do what it wants to do. We can only work with it and not fight it. Finding and applying the right product is always key especially if there is more than one texture of curly hair within ones head.

Hydrating and moisturizing products are always a curly-haired lady’s best friend. The right shape haircut for your face and hair texture really makes a difference with managing your curls. Which can also translate well towards a blow dried finish.

On a Sunday if you have the time leave conditioner in your hair and allow it to air dry. Always massage the roots to give it a bit of lift. Try not to run your fingers through your hair whilst air drying. Your fingers act like a comb which disturbs the curl formation, which will then become bigger and starts frizzing. It’s always fun to switch a look up even if it’s just on a Sunday.

Good Bye Walter Reed Hospital.

Thank you Shawn Leonard of Easel Hair Studio for including me on something that is very close to your heart and now mine. I am truly proud of you and grateful you asked me to join your team at Walter Reed Hospital.

With Walter Reed closing next month there is a general sense of bitter sweet. The soldiers will now be taken care of at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Which folks are happy about for several different reasons. I guess the sad part is the history of the building and its premises which has been around for 102 years.

It always feels good to be able to put a smile on a persons face or make someone feel better even for a moment. I was amazed and super thrilled to hear we made 59 people smile on our very last visit to Walter Reed.

God bless the service men, women, their families and CauseUS.org

Haute Couture Fall 2011 love those Frenchies.

Couture shows are my favorite fashion shows. The whimsical nature of them are quite often the spectacular. Christan Lacroix comes to mind, his shows were optical delights I miss them dearly.

Couture is a true form of artistry the attention to detail is quite extraordinary on many different levels. The sketches on paper transformed with an army of seamstresses hand sewing garments. The production teams having to plan the theatrics and of course there is the backstage mayhem. Hair and make up artists getting the priceless models ready to perform their magic on the runway. The designer then takes his a bow and we are left still wanting more… love it.

My favorite Fall 2011 Couture show was Jean Paul Gaultier. I was especially excited and thrilled by the hair and the embellishments or rather the pieces of art in the hair. Such a stylish flirty way of dressing up hair outstanding.

Nice one Team Gilbert.

Grey hair, what is a lady to do?

More often than not several of my female clients have asked me my feeling towards grey hair. I say to my ladies its all about a comfort level.  When a client has 15% grey and she asks me if its time to colour I ask her “Do you want to be married to colour and if so do you have time every 6 weeks to colour your hair?” The response is typical no. Unless there is at least 35% grey and you really want to commit then I would say go for it if it really bothers you, even at 10%.

I had an interesting conversation with one of my clients recently who has coloured her hair for several years. She feels its time to go grey because she is approaching that certain age where colouring hair is no longer age appropriate and people that know her and her age assume that her hair colour is not natural, even though it looks really natural. My advice was to keep them pondering that thought until she is truly ready to go grey. But having said that I also advised her it was going to be a process and there will be awkward stages growing grey hair out.

Another way to go if you are thinking about going grey and have long hair or bob length hair. Is to gradually go shorter but still continue to colour until its at a length where grey roots isnt going to be truly unbearable. Three haircuts and its out is generally my rule. Once the grey is the over all colour then grow it out to a desired length. It’s a less dramatic way than going cold turkey, or maintaining long hair with five inches of grey roots.

I have two clients who decided to go grey recently. One lady was a red head with short hair and her grey short hair is just stunning. Another lady had shoulder length blonde hair and we went from long to short instantly. She thought she would go back to long hair once the grey was apparent but loves her short grey hair so much instead. They both look fresh and dynamic and are still receiving more compliments on their hair now than before. Which of course is simply marvelous and a choice that should be well thought out before taking the plunge.

Twenty five years later…

25 years ago today I began my career in the hair industry to the dismay of my mother god rest her soul. She so wanted my sister Michele and I to be a lawyers. I on the other hand wanted to do something more artistic and work with my hands.

My mother loved Coco Chanel and Chanel Number 5 was her scent. I only wished she were alive to know I had worked with the House of Chanel and Odile Gilbert. She would have been so thrilled and so proud and probably would have forgiven me for being a hairdresser instead.

It’s truly been a great journey and I would like to thank the wonderful folks at Graham Webb International who trained me. Without such great mentors and instructors I doubt I would be the hairdresser I am today. Thank you Suzanne, Gerard, Jamie, Debbie, Tania, Ms Raison, Ms Bavin, Sian, Simon, Karen, Chris, and of course Jed and Jacque.

To my fellow trainees at the time. Coltman, Sara, Michelle, Steve, Deena, Lisa, Laura, Deering, Helen, Lorna, Sketty, Gary, Paul, Niki for being such a great support through those intense junior days. We made a brilliant team and I treasure those years like gold. Those days were magic and I truly miss working with you all to this day.

You all shaped me into the hairdresser I am today. Cheers for that and you are all so very special  xoxo