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For this hairstyle, you will need hairspray and a large barrel curling iron. If your hair is curly, blow dry it straight first. If your hair is straight or wavy, let it air-dry if possible.

First, part your hair slightly to the side. Starting with the bottom layers, grab 1 to 2 inch pieces of hair, spray each piece with hairspray, then curl. Stop winding the hair around the iron a few inches from the root – you want to keep those semi-straight.

Slip on a stretchy headband over your finished hair, then arrange the front sections so that your bangs are tucked behind your ear. Again, spray with hairspray to keep everything in place.

Here are three styles which we have created for our clients recently:

BLONDE BOB

The sleek shoulder-sweeping bob has been a recent obsession thanks to stars and celebrity A-listers. But moving on with the classic style, here is a softened version, skipping a blunt fringe and instead focusing on a slight graduation around the top layer and from the chin to the collarbone. The benefits of having slightly shorter pieces are that your hair will have a bit of “life”. Not layering as such but it means that when you ruffle it with your hands you will get immediately a bit of texture. Also the way it sits on the collarbone gives it a bit of a “kick”.

Once the hair is coloured and cut apply a walnut-size quantity of Wella SP Volume mousse along the root line with your hands. Then blow dry the hair with a large round brush, lifting sections out and around to create a smooth, slightly curved shape. Apply the finishing touches by spraying a strong hold hair spray such as BedHead Masterpiece hairspray directly onto your fingers and put it into the roots and give them a little shake on the skalp, ruffling hair as ou pull them out. This will give a slightly dishevelled finish without using too much product.

The sandy blonde hue was chosen to boost the model’s natural mousy shade, with highlights scattered throughout to liven up the colour a bit and give the skin tone a boost without looking too harsh or obvious.

CURLED BRUNETTE

Volume is back this spring and this is great news for everyone, a bit of lift to your hair does the same for your face!

The idea here is to create a smidgen of height and width without going overboard. Then you can add a beachy texture, those tousled waves which are a perennial fashion favourite or go for the more polished, smoother curls.

To achieve this look after a fresh layered cut use light hold mousse (Wella SP Perfect Hair) all over hair to tackle volumen and hold curl. When you dry your hair use a big round brush, pulling the roots up and directing the dryier up underneath to create that narural-looking wave. You can finish by using a large hot tong eveny all over. Start from the front and use the tong on section by section working your way to the back and pinning each curl to your head. Leave until it is completely cool and then undo and tip your head over and brush out with a cushion brush. Flip back and apply strong hold hair spray such as BedHead Maxx out hairspray from a distance. Give it a quick scrunch with your hands and you are done.

In this style, a graduated fringe, parted in the middle and swept back gives it a 70s feel and showcases the cheekbones.

The style gets an extra shot of volume thanks to the rich chocolatey shade, shine boucing off carefully lightened sections created with a “painted on” highlighting technique.

Keen for a new look? Our senior stylists are taking appointment now for the new Spring 2011 hot styles.

Usually, however, it ends with TEARS and a big woolly hat and a trip to your trusted hairdressers salon, begging your stylist to perform a miracle and salvage the salvageable and try and give you that WOW factor that you were after in the first place.

Yes, it has happened _TWICE_ this week, same scene as above, including the tears and the woolly hat.

Under the hat, well, something had gone horribly wrong. Straw-like hair half orange and half white with some bright yellow patches. Oh dear… But luckily our expert stylists were able to use their knowledge and a bit of a magic touch and recreate something beautiful.

The reasons why home dye kits do not work that well are several.

• Using bleach on your own hair is very difficult because bleach is rather unstable, it is very hard to control and therefore it can easily over-lighten or under-lighten your hair, often _both_ at the same time.  You will end up with light and bright roots and dark orange tinged ends and hair the texture of … straw.
• Home hair bleaching kits do not have toners with them. Toners are required to even out the lightening effect on your hair to finish your colour and to avoid the raw look. Colour changes done at the salon are much more subtle and great effects can be achieved by using foils and utilising two or three different colours. Our hair colour is naturally formed by several colours together (for example, a blond will have ash, as well as gold, toffee, honey and at times red in it). Bleaching at home is very rarely subtle and the overall result is that of one uniform colour which will give the most undesired WIG effect, often resulting in a more expensive trip to the hair salon for colour correction work and a hair repair treatment!
• Changing your hair from blonde to brunette is not that easy either. Even without using bleach, the home dye kits usually only have one colour and give an overall uniform effect (see the WIG effect above!). When you apply colour on your own hair it is hard to distribute it evenly and you will end up with patches of colour and over colouring, where you obtain a very dull result (no brilliance in the colour) due to colour build up.
• Not all hair types react to colour in the same way. It takes an expert to determine whether your colour should stay in your hair for 40 minutes or 1 hour safely and to get the results desired. Whilst it is tempting to buy a home dye kit and do your hair, wrap it up in a towel and carry on doing your chores, it does not necessarily follow that if you leave the colour in longer, your hair will get darker… You may in fact end up with strange looking hair that feels like chewing gum…
• Let not even discuss stains on the bathroom tyles, or on your towels, or your clothes, or your skin!

Leave it to the experts, who will ensure total coverage of grays, brilliant colour, natural looking hair and will be able to offer their advice on the appropriate hair treatment for your type of hair.

What  you CAN do to make your colour last longer is to use a colour saver shampoo (for example Wella SP Colour Saver) and utilise a colour saver mask instead of the conditioner. Your hair will feel silky and look healthy and shiny and your colour will last a good three to four weeks longer.

Here is some hair advice that you can trust. Let the expert stylists of Absolutely Fabulous Hair pamper you and give you that WOW look that you want.

While split ends are inevitable due to heat, shampoo, and general wear, it is possible to reduce their occurence. Use these tips for keeping the split ends at bay.

Regular Hair Cuts

Visit our salon for regular trims every 6 to 8 weeks. Generally, this is when hair starts to weaken and lose its shape. Frequent trims will not only keep your hair fresh and attractive, but they actually encourage stronger ends, which are less likely to damage from simple brushing or styling.

Moisturize

Use a moisturizing shampoo often and a conditioner. Concentrate on rubbing the conditioner into the ends and leaving it there for a few minutes. Seal the ends of your hair with a blast of cool water. Every few weeks, put an intensive conditioning treatment on your hair such as Well SP Hydro Mask or a Colour Saver Mask. Apply the treatment to your hair according to directions. In some cases, you leave it on for a few minutes and wrap your hair in a warm towel, before rinsing your hair out thoroughly.  This will leave your hair silky and manageable. Do not use conditioner after a mask as this will make your hair heavy and difficult to style.

Avoid washing your hair every day. Waiting a few days between washes  as this actually lets your natural oil coat and protect your strands. Wear your hair in a bun or ponytail on days you skip washes.

After washing your hair, gently squeeze the water out of it to help it dry. Avoid twisting your hair into a towel turban on top of your head or wringing it violently. This can lead to breakage and weaker ends.

Use a wide tooth comb to detangle your hair. Gently move the comb through your wet hair starting at the roots and sliding through to the ends. Avoid yanking or pulling on it. Apply a bit of detangling lotion if your hair is thick. Never use a brush on wet hair.

Blow Dry

Using a hair dryer can give you sleek smooth locks, but heat is a major cause of end breakage. Let your hair dry naturally a few times a week or wait until it is damp before using a dryer. In winter, when you need to use a drier more often to style  your hair, make sure to use a heat protector such as Wella High Hair Flat Iron Spray, Wella SP Split Ends intensive repair or Bedhead Some Like it Hot. These products will help sealing the ends. Apply a small quantity on your towel-dried hair and ensure that the ends are well care for and then style  your hair as usual.

When you brush your hair make sure you alway start from the ends and move your way up along the lengths as opposed to start with the brush right at the top and push the knots down. Brush gently! Especially if you have long hair. In doing so you will reduce breakages and keep you hair looking healthier for longer.  Avoid brushing your hair too often. In the past, beauty experts used to recommend brushing your hair 100 strokes a day, but this grooming rule is outdated. Brushing can actually damage the cuticle, causing the hair fibers to separate.

Avoid Over-styling

Curling irons, flat irons, and hot rollers all weaken the hair over time. Use a heat protector on your ends if you’re styling with any of these approaches.

Otherwise, experiment with heat-free styling such as foam rollers, pin curls, or braids. Wash your hair at night and wait until it is damp. Put in rollers or pin curls and sleep on it overnight. You’ll wake up to hair with lots of texture that needs minimal styling.

Finally, purchase hair ties and bands without metal pieces which can pull on or snag your hair. Also, consider sleeping on a satin pillowcase, which can reduce tangles.