A few months ago we ran a blog showcasing how expectations of what can be achieved with hair and the somewhat warped idea we are all getting thanks to images on Instagram...
Well things are certainly not getting any better...
I feel a bit sorry for our young generation who are fed all this totally misleading information.. but it is a vicious circle that is never gonna go,.... because while there is an audience there will also always be the exhibitionists and the ones in question here are the hair stylists themselves!
But mostly celeb culture..
because some of us may get it.... but others dont when you see the Kardashians changing hair colour from one day to the next... it's not because hair can do that... it is because they are wearing a wig!
And when they aren't they did not have that change during the 3 hour slot you booked at the hair salon.
A few weeks back we had a client who booked for a balayage, but wanted her dyed black hair to be turned into an ombre from black to Platinum. We decided to try to accommodate...explained it will all depend on the result with the bleach, but most likely it would be impossible in one session but could start with going lighter and then achieve lighter results in future ones.
The build-up of black was too much to achieve a clean blonde, so we went for a Hazel tone, it suited her, and even thought that may be light enough after all.... we were all happy.
What followed that instead was the first negative encounter on social media we ever had... not to go through it all, she thought the colour was not as blonde as she wanted, it washed out straight away and the price tag (your regular highlights bracket - including Olaplex) was too high.
What we did not understand is that instead of contacting us to fix the problem (which we obviously would have - and all it would have needed was a colour on top of the existing one - as it may have not held after the bleach) - she just went and wrote the review. - which makes me wonder: perhaps the venting made you feel better - but if there was a problem with the hair surely that did not fix it!
Are we living in such a bubble that taking your battle to social media is the solution?
Once again though this is a perfect case of client expectations and what can be achieved in a small amount of time....
because when you see that amazing picture with the #balayage - it is just the technique used - but you got to start with what the hair was like before that technique.... (not to talk abut the misuse of the word balayage)
But let's get back to Celebs, or rather one celeb in particular.... one of the most active, most reposted, followed, copied etc. on social media.
Miss Kim Kardashian....
but this time let's focus not only on her hair - but also her hairstylist....Chris Appleton.
Appleton is one of the most sought after Stylists of our time, his eye for detail and creative vision has made him a firm favourite with fashion mags and Celebs alike. Creating some of the most memorable covers as well as Rita Ora's signature blonde look. but also videos with iconic superstars like Madonna.
Kardashian's first flirt with the futuristic silver blonde was a messy lob at Paris Hilton's birthday Party back in february - but guess what - that was a wig.
...and that is something all of us should do before taking the plunge with a dramatic colour change - get a wig! go out with it get a feel of it- see people's reactions - you may love it - you might not.... but at least your hair (and your wallet) would have not gone through all that for nothing! - just be realistic as always - try a wig that is similar to your hair... don'y get a super full on Barbie look if your hair is straight and flimsy.
However Kim wanted the real McCoy! a wig was not gonna cut it so together with Appleton she decided to take the plunge.
Appleton explains:
“This is not only one of the biggest transformations your hair will undergo, it’s also one of the most compromising. Do not try this at home. If you’re not going to be patient with the process and committed to looking after your hair, then it’s not for you. Start prepping the hair a month before with a conditioning mask. Get the ends trimmed and try to stop using excessive heat on the hair. Kim’s hair was in really good condition to start with and that made a big difference, but we still took more than a week to do the color. We lightened it section by section and then treated the hair for a couple of days with Olaplex before going back and [dyeing] some more.”
[edit Vogue Sep17]
For a week Kim had to post some #tbt images to conceal her in between yellow colour while they gave the hair time to rest between sessions... concealing the look to her millions of followers till it was 100% ready!
We've all seen that image of Kim Kardashian's fabulous Silver Hair - but none of us saw the behind the scenes.... as you can see it wasn't a 3 hour session at the hair stylist. The Hair was prepped and done slowly to preserve the integrity of the hair.... and a few extensions thrown in too!
So next time you decide to have a dramatic change ask your stylist what he/she thinks before going in adamant the result needs to be the image you carefully selected from your Insta feed.
We would suggest to book a consultation first if it's a big change - you might need more time on your (stylist's) hands - or even more than one session.
Hair is an art, and a time limit is not very artistic at all....
The country needs some serious education.
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