To Wash, Or Not To Wash...

So yesterday we addressed the topic of a couple of things that some of you out there may want to audition changing in the new year.  A resolution is only good if you follow through and these are some things that made need some changing regarding your hair regimen.  The first one to address is over shampooing,  something that most of you out there seem to be doing a lot of.  Men have the luxury of shampooing every day and having it not affect their scalps much ( Their hair is much shorter).  Women on the other hand have a bit more to contend with when shampooing ( Their hair is longer and more at risk) in regard to their scalps becoming over oily and their ends drying out.  


Most of you are unaware however that the more you shampoo the more you expose your scalps to becoming greasier.  When we over stimulate the sebaceous glands in our scalp (Through over cleansing and stimulation)  they begin to produce more natural oils.  So yes it is true that if you can get into the habit of shampooing less,  your scalp will begin to adjust accordingly and produce less oil.  Soo... what`s a good resolution here?  Easy,  invest in a good dry shampoo (Talc powder with moisturizers built that help to cleanse the scalp,  get rid of smells and create volume)  and try to push out that one extra day between washes.  As you progressively space out your shampoos more and more your scalp continues to adjust making it easier and easier to go a little longer.  Your hair and scalp will be healthier and more moist after making the change!

Resolution Ideas!

Hey Folks!  hope you all enjoyed the much needed rest over the holiday period... I can tell you that we at the salon surely did!  I am sure you were all spoiled with great family time and moments that hopefully will last a very long time.


But its time to start focusing on what it is your`e a going to change for the new year!  I for one would recommend maybe looking into your haircare regime.  How many times a week do you  flat iron your hair?  How many times a week do you shampoo? How many times a week are you blowdrying?  What type of products are you using and are they quality?


The answers to these questions only you have.  What are they?  Only you can answer.  The issue is if you are doing any of those things on a more than regular basis then you probably have to start treating your hair with a bit more love and respect.  It can`t look the way you want if you don`t give back ( Like any other relationship!).  Anyway,  we will move to explain why these things are troubling to your hair and what to do about it over the next couple of days.  We just wanted to plant a seed... 

Merry Christmas!!!

Who ever said that this whole Santa coming down the chimney thing was a fake needs to see this!


All of Us at evoke Salon would like to wish all of you out there a Very Very Merry Christmas! We Hope you share all the joy that the season brings!!! Happy Holidays!

Simplicity Reigns Supreme!

I am really happy about where hair trends are going right now,   have been waiting for this trend segment to come back for a while.  We went a little layer/volume crazy there for a while with layers that were just plain too short.  I really am a stylist that believes that less is more when it comes to hair and fashion,  its just more sexy that way!  We did a little too much in the way of teasing and lifting and pumping for just way too long,  and with this trend change upcoming we will get back to letting women look sexy just being natural.  That is something that I for one really embrace as a stylist.

With the upcoming changes in  hair fashion I feel like the image I have posted above will be one of the starting points.  In that,  I mean we will evolve from here and get into slightly longer and shorter variations of the same style.  Layers will get a little longer and blunt lines will be left a  little heavier taking the looks back to the mid 60`s feel that I personally LOVED.  In simple terms, the bob and the blunt are back baby! (Like they ever left?)  I hope that this sparks a change in my guests that will allow me to get back to doing the type of cutting I really love to do (Yippeee!).  Let those layers grow out a little ladies!  Forgo the volume for a more simple and healthy version of your everyday styling routines,  and with it embrace a whole new sexy look!

Christmas Do!

Check Out this great Christmas hair style tutorial by Lilith Moon, she does a phenomenal job and creates a very inspirational do!

As For Beards...

It`s the time of year that a big fat man with a beard starts out on his journey of visiting everyone`s houses.  And wow what a beard!  Its funny that the big old guys beard always seems to be the same length,  Mrs. Clause must really know how to work that trimmer for him!  His beard always seems to be very well trimmed and maintained.  So it reminded me that I have yet to address the beard!  Believe that or what?!  I mean I sport one so what was I thinking?!  Maintaining your beard is something that most men seem to do pretty well.  I have taken notice of this recently because more and more men are sporting them fashionably and they are more in style today than they have been in a while.  The key to a well maintained beard is simple... Don`t forget that its on your face!  I find that the ones that look scruffy are the ones that are not trimmed down to a consistent length,  the sides are not well lined up.  It is imperative to keep the lines of the beard well formed and trimmed because it looks neat,  the right tools are important when doing just that.  A good trimmer with varying guards to adjust the lengths is very important. You wanna make sure that even if you decide to leave it a little longer it can still be a consistent and even length.  This will ensure that you do not see darker and lighter areas of hair.  A great trimmer I personally use is the Andis T-liner.  A phenomenal and professional tool that has a good strong engine and never seems to miss hair or pull hair with its blades.  A fabulous last minute gift idea for your wife and kids to buy "the man who already seems to have everything!".

Stunning... Hair Done By: YOU!

A really beautiful way to put your hair up quickly this holiday season! Why not stun the fam with your gorgeous looks this holiday!

Just A Light Kiss...

So,  more and more style is going the way of the bohemian,  free flowing, natural feel.  We are being asked in salon on a regular basis what the new trends are regarding colour.  The answer to that question is  simple,  literally.   More and more women are moving away from over done obvious highlights and moving into natural soft colours that blend give more of a "sun kissed" look.  Lots of salon brands have started rolling out products that make it easier to achieve that style.  As an example we in the Bloor West Village location of evoke use a colour line called Davines.  A fantastic  and trend setting line out of Italy that always seems to stay cutting edge and on top of the needs of stylists.  Davines recently launched a new segment to their line called "Flamboyage".   A play on the term "balayage"  which the technique is most commonly called.  This technique involves highlighting the outside of the hair to create the effect of very light tonal highlighting.  The kind of colour that most women want,  (you know the one your little girl has when she's been outside all summer)  but have a hard time achieving.  A lot of women may never get that colour naturally for varying reasons such as not spending enough time out in the sun (because we work in North America!)  or not having a light enough base colour to begin with hence making it impossible for the sun to lift.  Balayage is a fantastic effect for the hair and a wonderful new way to approach lightning,  if you have been waiting for this type of colour for a while then now is the time to try it out!

Feeling Generous?

This Holiday season I would like to give you ladies and gents out there something to think about, as gifts come in many forms....

Save Yourself the Grief!

So every once in a while there is a brilliant invention,  from the little pizza tables inside your delivered pizza ( You know the one that keeps the box from squishing it)  to the amazing Apple iPad.  There are also some great ones in the hair world like feather hair extensions and the TiGi curl stick which we have covered.  Today I am bringing you another one that we are absolutely thrilled with in the salon,  the particular one that I have chosen to post above is called the Tangle Teezer which was the original.  This brush is phenomenal!  There are different lengths of bristles which makes it easier to get to the tangles on the outer and inner layer of your hair at the same time ( BRILLIANT).  They were also intelligent enough to make the bristles flexible enough,  to ensure that the brush ALWAYS gets through your hair. 

We are selling these things like hot cakes in the shop and the sale is an easy one considering it saves time and damage!  A great tool that I recommend you all take a look at this holiday... It will make you very very happy you did!

There`s A lot of Buzz Out There!!!

Its that time of year... The time when we are all going absolutely batty trying to get everything together.  Whether your out shopping for gifts (that are absolutely necessary to purchase or else!)  Or have to get the tree up,  decorate the hallway,  get lights on the front of the house or... or... or!  Its Crazy!  Its absolutely amazing to me that we go through all this!  That however is a total side note.  The other thing that most of you are probably out there doing is getting ready to attend Christmas parties (that was my segway right there... hope you liked it!)  If that is the case then you will hopefully pick up the phone and give your local salon a call (416-482-4247 Yonge St. Location or 416-766-4247 Bloor St. Location)  and avoid yourself some stress this season.


I could sit here all day and give you guys some tips on how to self style for the holidays but I will tell you that in the end it will not look like we can make it look as stylists!  That is the cold hard truth,  I mean I could tell you that I am sure whatever you do will look great (and for some of you it will)  BUT I would be lying for most of you.  WE DO HAIR.... That is what we specialize in,  it`s our trademark,  and really you wouldn't try to install your own pot lights would you?  So why would you gather that your hair is any different when you heading out to your big office Christmas bash?!  Most salons are right now offering some form of discount that will entice you to allow them the simple pleasure of saving you stress,  time,  and well embarrassment!  I`m Just Saying... Let us focus on your do so that you can focus on just doing you!

Going Bald With Envy!

Even Bald Cats are jealous of luscious locks! Check It Out!

Looking For Some Feedback...

Hello guys I hope everyone is doing well out there and handling the weather shift well.   I wanted to chat with you today about drug store products.  I have been in this industry for 12 years now and seem to meet at least 5 guests a day that are cooked on their "Shoppers"  brand of choice.


My curiosity has led me to enquire with you all what exactly is it that gets you guys hooked?  Is it the television adverts that keep you going back every six weeks for that next shampoo and conditioner or what?  We know that it is not the most ideal product to be using on our hair,  we know that the shampoos and conditioners generally offer little to know actual nourishment for our hair shaft.  Is it price point driven?  that would make logistical sense however I feel that most guests are willing to pay for what they get.  It could be that the marketing behind big brands is so strong we forget that regardless of how professional they try to appear they are mass produced brands.  Gone are the days of people realizing that when a company makes everything in the world (from household cleaners to laundry detergent,  floor cleaner, windex AND hair products) they seldom make all well.  Traditional drug store brands are often only a few chemicals away from being the same formula as your floor cleaner yet we feel like they are enough to use on our scalps?  Anyway I don`t want to go on a rant here (hehe) I would love some feedback from you all to find out how we the professionals can market to you better,  and get you using products both you and your scalp can be proud of!

Going GAGA at Barney`s

So every year in good old NY they go crazy at department stores dressing their windows,  this year was absolutely NO different!  The real exception though is one from Lady Gaga who apparently has some pretty outrageous dreams.  Gaga designed the Boudoir window at Barney`s this year and she took her inspiration from a dream she had,  pretty crazy dreams I guess!  She designed the entire interior of the window using hair!  Both human and synthetic.  For me this is a real treat as one would imagine and so I decided to share it with you, check this out. I thought it was truly impressive and very very well done!

Why So Squeaky?!!!

I heard a client the other day say "Wow that shampoo really made my hair squeaky, eh?" the perception of what our hair should sound like seems to be very important to you guys.  The important thing to remember is that there are many factors to our perceptions.  When we have always used certain types of products on our hair we are accustomed to what they make our hair feel like.

As an example,  I am pretty sure that there aren`t very many of you out there that are currently using river water,  berries, lemon, and gelatine to wash your hair.  In early times these were very common cleansing concoctions mixed by women when attempting to wash their hair.  Nowadays we are way to comfortable with that silky softy feeling that we think must come with every single wash.  Problem is we aren`t willing to look into what exactly it is that is formulating that softness.  

Let`s take a look at a couple of things here... 1)  Your hair shaft is a natural fibre,  2) You have probably used some form of colour or chemical service on it in the last two years,  3) You probably hot style your hair at least one or two or more times a week,  4)  When you have it style you probably use some form of styling aid either when it was wet or when you finished the look.  All of these factors lead to one very important fact... Your fibre is being ruffed up.  When our natural hair fibres are ruffed up or compromised we can expect a dryer hair shaft,  the only reason your hair feels any "better" is because you just slathered it with silicone.  99.9% of shampoos on the market place currently use some form of slicking agent (anything that makes the hair feel silky) to "re soften" the cuticle layer.  The problem is you aren't re softening at all,  you are masking the real condition of your hair!  This all came up ironically when I used a local, certified organic, vegan, gluten free shampoo and conditioner system on that guest.  Funny... we are all starting to worry a bit more about what it is we put in our bodies (organic food, boycotts of fast food chains, etc...) but we haven't yet realized that when we slather on the silicone we aren't worrying about what we are putting ON our bodies!

In Summary,  when we lose the chemicals and start to care about what we`re putting on our bodies,  we may find that the transition can have a few squeaks in it.  If and when we stick it through,  it all gets silky yet again.