Hair Tutorial Gone Wrong...

Good Morning, It's Friday, the most wonderful day of the week isn't it?!

I know many of you have already had the pleasure of watching this but I figured anyone who hasn't is missing a REAL funny Vid. I know that isn't nice because the poor girl must have freaked out but when I saw her laughing at herself on Ellen I realized it's all good. A must see...

Seduced By Smooth!

Today we are going to cover the second last in our series of potential new year resolutions.  Tomorrow being the last one I listed in the blog entry regarding possible hair resolutions,  products of choice.   I hope you have been getting a lot out of these because all of them keep us in business and you spending your hard earned dollars!  


These are a few ideas that can help you to minimize your exposure to damage and at the same time keep your hair looking healthy, happy and shiny!  We are going to talk about flat ironing today and figure out a couple of ways to avoid excessive use of this amazing yet damaging tool.  So,  we should start by looking at how you can start to get a little more time out of each wash.  Start by using a good heat protective product.  These are commonly called smoothing balm or relaxing fluids.  They are designed to go on the hair shaft wet and not only create an easier smoothing experience but also keep away humidity.  When the humidity is kept away the style can last longer,  not just in the summer months but also in the winter.  Another way to get a bit more time between washes is to avoid applying any "finishing" products aft flat ironing.  An example of these are shine drops or oils,  these can add the humidity you are trying to fight back onto the hair shaft.  When the hair has been ironed it is at its flattest point and therefore reflects light very well.  Meaning you will not need to enhance the shine as it should already be there very intensely.  If you find that the iron has left you with a little bit of static,  believe it or not I recommend a fabric softener sheet!  It is by far the best way to control that static without applying a topical product.  It will control the static AND ensure that you avoid that keep your style looking smooth and "soft"!  

Don`t Rush! Pick The RIGHT Brush!

Hey guys,  hope you found yesterdays video post as hilarious as I did when I first saw it!   I think I need to take it back a little more serious today.  I know you all love the videos and interactive stuff BUT I think you really  would prefer some help with your hair.  I think the majority of our readers would prefer to hear about some good tips and advice,  well let`s be honest they probably would just prefer I move in and do it everyday!  Here we go with today`s question....

"Hi there I was just curious about what brush I should be using when blowing out my hair.  I have a bob cut currently and my stylist dries it with a flat brush that has white bristles.  He always seems to get it laying just right and I was wondering if I had trouble because I was using the wrong brush?  I have a round brush that I use.  What do you think?"

I think that to be honest you would have an incredibly hard time using a Denman brush ( which is what the flat brush with white bristles is called)  to dry your bob.  The stylists will always make that look easy because we have done it 1,000,000 times!  The Denman was the original brush used by Vidal Sassoon when he created the bob in the first place,  and it is an optimal tool to use when used correctly.  However,  if you do not have experience with it it can be difficult to get your hair to sit under well.  I recommend sticking with the tool you are more comfortable with ( the round brush) because it will achieve a great result and you can duplicate what he did with ease.  OR come visit me and I will give you lessons for like 2 years on how to use the Denman (haha)  anyway,  thanks for your question and have a GREAT day!

We`re Ba ack!

Hey everyone!!!! 
So Happy to be back to the sunny and warm T.O!!!  Banff,  Jasper and the whole of the rockies is absolutely gorgeous! There is not a thing about that area that I did not enjoy.  The people are laid back and very relaxed ( you would be too if surrounded by breathtaking scenery!)  and the pace of life seems to move a little slower.  Although it is gorgeous it can get a little colder up there at that altitude and it is nice to get back to the heat!


Anyway without any further adieu lets get to today`s question!


"Hi there,  I was wondering if you could refer me a good product to use on fine hair that might help me get some more body and lift throughout the day?  I find that I can get it pretty full in the morning but by about 1pm its as flat as a board.  Something that can give me a little jolt mid day would be fabulous!"

Of course!  I must say that having worked as a stylist for 11 years in areas of the city that seem to have quite a few fine haired clients I see this a lot.  The most common complaint is exactly that,  volume is achieved at first but then disappears.  I will say this... Gravity sucks!  There is very little we can do to make hair that is supposed to fall flat stand up at attention!  However,  there have been some great progressions made in regard to volumizing products.  The objective is not so much to create body at the root as much as fullness everywhere,  and there are quite a few products that can "swell" your hair up!  I use the word swell because that is exactly what they do,  they swell the hair shaft making it seem fuller all over.  My favourite so far in this family of products is called "Dust it",  a talc powder that can make even the flattest hair seems huge!  You apply this product on dry hair by sprinkling a little into your palms,  emulsifying it slightly and then massaging it in all over.  The results are fantastic and the bottle is so small that keeping it in your purse because easy, care free,  and extremely beneficial!  This stuff has saved many of my clients from cutting it short in desperation so please give it a go... it works!


Thanks for your patience guys and hopefully you missed me as much as I missed you!

The Quick Dry Love Glove!!!

Have too much hair?  Are you having a hard time figuring out how to get all that hair dry fast enough?  Well,  you are in luck!  I was asked a question that directly relates to the situation and we are using a solution in salon that rocks!  One that makes it faster,  easier,  and a lot more fun to get it dry fast!  Check it out...

"Hi Jon,  I am enjoying your "Look Of The Day" and all the hair advice,  thanks for putting it out there.  I finally have a question to ask of my own,  I was wondering if you new any other ways that I could dry my hair quicker and with a little more ease.  I am a new mom and finding the time to dry my hair correctly is hard to do.  Thanks for your help and keep up the fun!"

Okay so before I get started I gotta say that I absolutely love this product!  I mean we have been using this product in our salons for the past couple years and we have never had any problems.  We use it on most guests and have seen them last quite along time for the amount of usage they get!  The product is called the "Hand Dry Hair Glove" an amazingly innovative tool that allows you to dry your hair faster and smoother before picking up your brush and blowdryer.  I love it and recommend it to most guests,  even if you have fine hair.  The only difference is that for a fine haired client it will be even more effective!  Anyway, awesome product great results at a fair price ($24.95 Canadian per pair) Check them out they work great!

Seriously Rockin "hair" by The Cowsills

This is the latest Youtube video to put a HUGE smile on my face! Anyone who watches this video will immediately be brought a wonderfully huge grin. I mean what I find amazing about this clip is that most of us will watch this and think that there is NO way, I repeat NO way that this whole group isn`t high while recording this! First of all hair should never ever be this big! Second of all, they either hair more than life itself or got paid A LOT of money to dance around like this.


The funny part about it though is that this was a group that did the family jam well before the Partridge family did their thing! This family was seriously PUMPED on hair! It looks to me like the one thing that had them all moving and shaking... Literally. I think that big hair is back, and if not all the way yet than very soon. However, Cowsills I don`t think its coming back like this! Check Out this CrAzY tune performed by "The Cowsills" in concert in (1969)...





Jon Di Mauro

SXSWi... Incredible.

We had an absolutely incredible experience at this years SXSWi;  we went down there to do the hair of one specific person and came home having made great connections with some fantastic people.  Quite frankly, it feels like the book "the secret" played itself out for us in Texas.

Originally we had contacted Gary Vaynerchuk and were heading down to "South By" (as I have learned to call it) specifically to cut his hair live on stage after his keynote.  Unfortunately, rules and regulations governing this event didn't allow for this to happen as planned, which we were informed of the night before we were scheduled to leave!  Well,  it all worked out in the end as the crew at Vaynermedia were quick to make other arrangements.  We were told that although this could not happen on stage,  Gary would  be happy to have us back at his condo where we could cut his hair and talk shop for a while.  This was a trade off we were happy to make,  as any face time with a guy as inspiring and cutting edge as Gary is Great time!

What made this whole story feel like something so special was that it did not stop there!  Just before Valentine`s Day of this year, we were invited to an incredible event called #LoveAHeart.  So, citing the fact that we are inspired by being social busy bodies, we gladly attended.  This event was amazing for many reasons, primarily because we were able to donate a substantial amount of money to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  We did this by bidding on and winning dates with some cool cats (our party is on the way folks... stay tuned) that were auctioned off for charity.  The other reason hammers home the point of "the secret" in that we met a Great new friend in Leora Israel.  If we thought we were social busy bodies, she is incredible and turned out to be in contact with some of the sweetest and most influential people in the social media world!  Through Leora (who we kept looking Great the whole trip!) we were able to get off a plane and go straight to work... which did not end!  We were able to meet and style hair for the Facebook team,  who were great hosts.

Randi Zuckerberg is the sister of Mark Zuckerberg and is an absolute sweetheart!  It honestly felt like I was doing her hair in the salon,  because she reminded me of so many of my great clients.  We also were  happy to style the hair of Erin and Charles,  two key members of the Facebook team (We love our T-shirts!)   


                           


We had an incredible time and were very happy to have encountered some amazing people who we learned a lot from.  A special thanks goes out to Leora for having been so influential in us building so many great relationships.  Keep your eyes peeled,  because this is the beginning for us!  We are so pumped and excited by the ideas and opportunities running through our heads,  and look forward to sharing.

Jon DiMauro