Welcome to my column where you get a chance to ask any question you have. It will give you a chance to help yourself, as well as many others. So if there is any burning questions such as do blondes really have more fun, or is there such a thing as a good perm? Whatever. Think Sex in the City or Savage Love but for beauty as our topic. Let it roll, I want it all.
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06.24.08
Q{michelle writes}:
Me again! Sorry! I thought i would let some time go by before my next email, but i thought of something, well two things....
1. How do you normally give a highlight on the top of the head? Do you split eyebrow to eyebrow or splint down the middle. What's the norm for you, for a natural-looking highlight, not slicing.
2. Can you continually put color on color. Like say if my hair is real porous and I do low lights and by the next time to do hair again it has faded a lot, is it okay to redo the color? Color isn't damaging right, it's bleach that is damaging. Or someone who just wants the overall color when its time to do roots because it has lightened, doing it again is okay right?
-Michele
A:Hi Michele!
Sorry for my tardy response on this one. It got away from me. Better late than never, here it is:
1. I normally do my sectioning eyebrow to eyebrow. I find i can get closer to the root. To get a normal highlighting look, one really has to look at the texture or kind of hair you are working with. This will affect the desired look. So for normal thickness hair take your section, and weave out parts of it. This will make it look more sun kissed.
2. Yes you can continually do colour on colour. The damaging part is bleach. Colours today are filled with proteins and conditioners which will actually rejuvenate the hair (only professional colour of course). Do remember though - colour does not remove or lighten colour. You can only stay the same lightness or go darker. If you want to lighten, use bleach. If you are doing a root retouch then I usually will put the colour only on the roots, and then put remainder of colour on the rest of the hair to ensure even tone and to boost up the luster.
I hope this finds you well and successful with your friends do's !
Asha
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05.04.08
Q{michelle writes}:
I have a hair question I was wondering if you could answer. I do my own hair highlights and low lights at home along with friends. I've been working in salons for years and actually have my nail license, but never went for the full cosmo license. Anyways, my question is this...it seems like every time I get to the top of my head, I always have to redo the streaks from root to tip so I don't get that patchy look that is underneath my hair.
1. Is it okay to continually do the top of your head highlights/lowlights over and over? Won't it eventually be too much for the hair. How can I achieve just doing the roots by getting in the same exact spot as the previous time?
2. Is it bad for your hair to continually get a root to tip job when it is redo time?
Thanks,
Michele
A:Hi Michele!
Thank you for your question!
1. It IS ok to do highlights/lowlights over the top of the head over and over. The way to achieve this is by doing ONLY the roots. You must wait until you see the root reach the same level of desired lightness before rinsing. It is very important to shampoo the bleach out of the hair, as it can continue to bleach if not. DO NOT condition yet, for here is where getting it even highlights really happens - toner. A toner is either called just that or is a very light all over colour such as a level 9 or 10. Now the toner will only do part of the work. It is very important that the bleach is left on until you see the desired lightness. The toner will smooth out any left over patchiness. After the toner, the last step is the conditioner. This is because the conditioner seals the cuticle.
2. Yes it is VERY bad to continually get a root to tip job every time. The only time i do root to tip is the FIRST time i do the highlight. After that, every job is root touch up. It is too hard on the hair to pull bleach through to the ends. Think of how long your hair is. Then think of how many months/years it has been since it left your hair follicle. Now, how many summers is that? How many times has it been bleached? That could be a lot. So yes you are right it is very damaging to your hair.
I hope all goes well with your next hair adventure for you and your friends! And hopefully my tips will help you all become even more beautiful while maximizing on the health of your hair!
Asha
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08.01.2008
Q{Lisa of Vancouver writes}:Hi Asha,
I want to ask you about hair dyes. What are the differences between a $10 box dye from a drug store and a professional hair colouring? Can a cheap box dye wreck your hair, and how? Does it affect future hair colouring/perms/straightening etc.? Do they use different materials or just lower quality ones? And so on.
Also, I’ve been told that my hair is very porous – what does this mean and how does it affect my hair endeavors?
Thanks,
Lisa
A:Hi Lisa!
Thank you for submitting your questions to 40 vol.
Your questions have been asked to me many times. Yes, lets get this info out there so everyone can share in the knowledge!
The difference between $10 box dye from a drug store and a professional hair colouring is the ingredients. Drug store box colour is full of wax. This is how they achieve the shine that you see on tv. If you choose to only ever use a box colour then there shouldn't be any problems with your hair other than it being dry and maybe slightly synthetic feeling. But if you ever want to change the colour, change the texture (ie. perms or chemical straightening) then you will run into serious problems. Nothing will be predictable. The bleach, perm solution or chemical straightening solution will have to somehow permeate through all those layers upon layers of box dye with all that wax (depending on how many times you've dyed it) The result can be hideous. If you ever want to change from continuous use of box dye, leave it to the professionals. And even then, no one knows what can happen, not even them. But at least they have the tools and knowledge to help somehow. The professional hair colour does not contain wax. The way professional hair colour achieves shine is from many different conditioners and systems that are unique to each hair colour line. I use Wella Hair Products in my studio. They use a 6 point synergy system unique to them. "The Creme Protector Base - Provides the cosmetic base for excellent results. The Multi-Color Complex - Allows uniquely vibrant color action. The Stabilizing Complex - Gives optimum balance of coloring action. The Color Deposit Action - Anchors the color for lasting beauty. The Shine Enhancer GDS - Transports crystalline shine and vibrancy. The Care Control System - Cares for hair leaving it in excellent condition." These are the types of systems that every person should look for in their professional hair dresser to ensure that they are getting the best results and getting what they pay for. Now Lisa, in terms of professionals saying you have porous hair? It means that you hair has many holes in it. This can happen naturally, or also when you have over sensitized your hair to over processing ( ie. many bleach outs, etc). The result of this means that when colouring your hair, for example, the hair will soak up the colour very quickly like a sponge, and your professional will have to use more colour to properly cover. Now since there are holes in the hair strands, product can go in very quickly and at the same time go out of the holes very quickly as well. An example of this situation, is the hair has been bleached out very blonde from very dark. A toner is then put on the hair, and what can happen is the light toner goes very dark very quickly, also known as "grabbing". This can be a very scary experience for anyone. The thing to remember is that with all these holes in the hair, as fast as it "grabs" it comes out just as fast.
So Lisa, since your hair is naturally porous the only thing for you to worry about is that if you see a professional that charges by the amount of product used as opposed to charging by the service. Since yours soaks up so much, just make sure to check first before they start, so you don't get to the counter at the end and get overwhelmed by the price. And on that note, I think its best to discuss price with all hair professionals to see what to expect for what price. I always hated getting to the end and finding out what I got done, didn't reflect what I thought should be charged. And who knows, maybe by talking about it first will create a "hair do, not a hair don't!" heh heh yes I did just say that!
Good luck Lisa! I hope I have answered all your questions.
See you soon!
Asha
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25.09.2007
Q{Nikki of Vancouver writes}:Well Hello there Asha
Now this question is not Sex in The City nor is it Savage Love worthy...but it is still a question.
I was wondering if you could tell me how valid it is for a shampoo and/or conditioner to say it straightens your hair. Does it REALLY? And if it does what is in it that makes it do this? I ask only because I received some samples in the mail and it just seemed a bit like a garbage claim to me.
Thank you for taking the time to read my question Miss Burke.
A:Why Hello there Nikki!
Thank you for sending your question to 40 Vol.
Straightening Shampoo and/or Conditoner you ask and its ability to straighten hair. Is it a hoax? Or is straightening it little by little with each application? Hmmmm......good question. Well, there may be a little of hoax and truth in there. It might straighten so little that you don't notice it? But seriously, you want to know my honest to god feelings on the subject, and here goes. Its bull shit. The manufacturers of drug store brand hair products know they have to put something on the label to entice you to buy their products. They think of the average curly/wavy haired woman who doesn't have alot of money,they lie and tell them what they want to hear so they buy their bull shit product.
This is only an opinion of mine, and until they start sending me copious amounts of money, I will keep saying it out loud. The only products that have a chance in hell of standing behind what their labels say are made and sold by professionals. And even then, some products only do a little.
Thank you for your question.
Always ask.
Asha
