New Majirel Cool Cover from Loreal

Ever since the February catalogue came out, I kept flipping to the L'Oreal page and looking at the swatches for the new Majirel Cool Cover series. The ad claims "11 new shades for opaque coverage and perfect neutralization".

 

The flyer that L'Oreal sent to our stores had beautiful imagery on Cool Cover being the "perfect solution" for:

-Deeper cool tones

Warm underlying pigment is neutralized even on resistant bases, for a true-to-tone result with no brassiness.

-Resistance to fading

Tested in extreme conditions of heat, sun, and frequent shampooing to create lasting color results that resist fading. (They had to add this testing was done in Mexico…. Not sure why we needed to know that?)

-Opaque Coverage

Specially formulated for a deeper, denser taste of color and maximum coverage of 70%-100% white hair.

 

The Cool Cover family was broken up into three categories, Blue, Neutral, and Gold, with all colors being between level 7 and 4. Sweet, but what really hooked me was that there were four gold shades. What?!?! How can a gold be part of a "cool" color family. What do you know L'Oreal answered my question on the FAQ page. :) "They are cool gold shades (huh?!?). They create a neutralized and subtle gold result. Because of the cooler tones, the Majirel Cool Cover Golds create an understated gold result without brassiness or overly warm undertones." I still didn’t get it.

 

This "need to know how and why" girl decided to put it to the test, and what better model than my lovely sister! My sis is one to color her hair only twice a year, so it was going to be a challenge, but she is a prime guinea pig because she always loves dark colors that look gold, but HATES "brass" and anything too warm. I ended up mixing a neutral and a gold for her base because mixing guidelines stated that for more opaque coverage with level 6 and 7 to mix with a neutral.

Her formula:

Base: 20g CC 4N+20g CC 5G+60g 20vol MajiCreme

Midshafts and Ends: 45g CC 4G+ 15g CC 5G+ 20g 4N+ 120g 20vol Majicreme (she has a ton of hair)

Before-

 

 

 

After-

 

LOVED IT! The consistency was almost like a hybrid of a gel and a cream color. Now I have never used Majirel before, so I can not really compare it to regular Majirel shades, but the consistency was really nice compared to the bubbly cream that Redken Color Fusion has sometimes. Fragrance was a little much but I may just be too spoiled with my fragrance free Chromatics. I usually have an issue with banding on my sister because she tends to have 4 inches of grow out that makes a global application very tricky not to overlap, but this was not an issue this time! The color blended beautifully. The end result almost looked as if I did an all over 4/5 N and then glazed with say, a 7G. Dark but with subtle golden hues without the nice "brass" in certain light. The color at the roots was to die for! So rich! These pictures do not do it justice. I had someone ask if it pulled extra dark, and I would say it wasn’t darker than the level I picked, but it was definitely more opaque than other color lines.

 

The true test will be in a few weeks after the color starts fading, but post application, I am happy with Majirel Cool Cover. It still a little hard to get my head around a "cool gold" but I am getting there. Next I want to try the Blue series!

 If you have a client that has that hair that lifts warm even when you put and ash or a green on it, this is a must try for you!

Sexy Hair Tools Review

I wanted to do a review today since February is Tool Sale Month at Salon Centric! After going to Vegas and getting my brain fried of information only to come home and get the flu, I am now rested and well enough to get back to blogging!!!!

I have a new found respect for Sexy Hair. I used to think they were cheap and almost (I am sorry) trashy, but after sitting down with the CEO and key members of their marketing team, my eyes have been opened to an amazing product line with a support team that CARES for its stylists and consumers and their wants and needs.

When I heard that Sexy was coming out with a tool line, I was a little confused. Here is a company that is known for its hairspray, what kind of business do they have making flat irons and blow dryers? Then they sent us samples and I fell in love.

The Dryer:

At first glance, the packaging steals my heart. I am a sucker for marketing and packaging!!!!! You flip open the box and BAM, the classic red and black remind you that Sexy made this dryer. Pick it up and you will feel that it is surprisingly light and not top or handle heavy, its perfectly balanced. It also has a very comfortable handle to its classic shape. Being a carpal tunnel surgery survivor (teehee, I like to milk it still) I have come to really care about dryer handles, they have to be comfortable and feel natural. This one passes my test. Turn it on and you will be amazed at how powerful it is. I has a DC motor, which before this dryer came out, only the Sam Villa and Ferrari dryers had. DC motors are smaller yet more powerful than its counterpart AC motor. This type of motor also lasts longer, this is how Sexy was able to attach a 2 year warranty to its dryer! And my final rave about this dryer…… the ionic switch! If the ionic switch is turned on, the dryer sends out negative ions that are ideal for smoothing thick coarse hair. If the switch is turned off, the dryer sends out positive ions that are ideal for creating volume on fine or normal hair. GENIOUS! It is not a Ferrari dryer by any means, but it is a solid piece of equipment at a reasonable price.

 

 

 

The Flat Iron:

Once again, the packaging is beautiful. The consumer is able to open it up to a fancy display of the iron and its super cool thermal travel case. Take it out and feel how narrow and light the iron is. The buttons are easy to access and easy to understand. You have to press and hold the power button so there will be no "accidently turning it off" mid use. The plates are very cushioned so you don’t have to use too much tension. It does go up to 450 degrees, but like I said in my first post, THAT IS NOT FOR DAILY USE!!!!! Hair melts at 400 degrees, so 450 should only be used for Brazilian Blowout type services! It is super smooth and I didn’t get any snagging or pulling when trying to curl with it. The plates were extra long and had beveled edges too so curling with it was a breeze. There is also a "lock" feature so when you are done with it and put it in the super snazzy travel case it comes with, you can lock the plates together while its stored. This might come in handy in situations like when my previous flat iron was cooling down on my bathroom counter and accidently melted my toothbrush AND hairspray…. Lesson learned. The flat iron also has a 2 year warranty.

 

So what it all comes down to is that I am impressed by these new tools from Sexy! Innovative, pretty, and superb performance. They really thought of everything with these tools, even adding a promo of "buy one tool, get one of their new Style Sexy 450 sprays for free" (450 protect just so happens to be my new go to heat protectant spray). I do get incentives and spiffs for selling certain products, but I NEVER EVER put that ahead of what is best for my customer. I do not get any incentive for selling these tools so I am able to put my full recommendation behind them without looking like a car salesman! Come into your local Salon Centric and try them out, each store has a demo of each!

The Dirt on Dry Shampoo (see what I did there?!)

I will be honest here…. I HATE washing my hair. I could come up with some silly excuse as to why like "Oh I am trying to preserve my color" or "I am trying to use my scalps natural oils", but no… it is just pure laziness. It takes me almost 30 minutes to shower (sorry sis), then a good 30 minutes to blow it out, then 15-30 minutes to heat style it. So when the alarm goes off and I would rather sleep longer than wash my hair, I press my snooze button and grab a can of dry shampoo.

 

Like I said before, skipping the suds can help preserve your color and use your bodies natural sebum (fancy word for oil) to increase "suppleness". I just love that word. It also helps the integrity of your hair by giving your it a day off from a blow dryer and hopefully, hot tools. Dry shampoos are HUGE right now. People are "embracing the filth" and not shampooing everyday, but most consumers only know what a dry shampoo is, not really what it does and how.

 

That’s where I come in! I picked up every dry shampoo that we sell at Salon Centric (I have used over half of them on myself) and dissected the ingredients. I put my Google search to work and got the scoop on what's going on inside!

 -Look how pretty they are! And how many there are......

Dry shampoos are all about absorbing oil. Greasy and oily hair is not pretty… or cool. It also stinks. Starches, silica and/or talc are used to absorb the sebum. Simple as that! Sometimes ingredients like isopropyl myristate or zeolite (a mineral) are added for more absorption (sorry I had to go all hair nerd there).  Usually the main ingredients in aerosol dry shampoos are propellants, used to get the starches out of the can. These are almost always butane, isobutane, and/or propane. This makes most dry shampoos highly flammable. Listed after the propellants and starches comes a list off oils (ironic when we are absorbing oil here, but just go with it) and softening ingredients. Funny because my hair still feels dirty after application… whatever! And last but not least, FRAGRNACE!!!!! Scent can make or break a dry shampoo. You are going be smelling this thing for (hopefully) a few days, so you gotta like it! Most people choose their favorite based on scent, amount of absorbing agents, or how they feel in the hair.

 

After breaking down all 13 dry shampoos that I sell, I laughed because they are all pretty much the SAME ingredient wise. The only ones that are somewhat set apart are:

• Pravana Fresh Dry Shampoo- Actually has PPG-12-buteth 16 which is an active ingredient in antifungal creams and sprays. Interesting….
• Surface Trinity Dry Shampoo- Contains amaranth protein for strength and babassu oil (a penetrating, silicone free oil) for superior moisture. No silica or talc here, only the absorbing mineral zeolite, making it the clearest dry shampoo I have ever used and my personal favorite!
• Alterna Caviar Dry Shampoo- The only powder dry shampoo that we sell, therefore you get far less "chemicals" than the others. It contains more rice starch than the others and has added tapioca starch. It also has caviar extract, it doesn’t really do much but it sounds fancy! This one is ideal for blondes since they can get away with the white residue as well as people with respiratory problems who get irritated by the spray forms.

Some things that a dry shampoo will not do:

• Remove dirt or debris… it is not an Oreck.
• Magically make your hair clean. Its just going to help you prolong some "freshness".
• Attract men. Hasn’t worked for me yet. I think they like clean hair. Dang.

 

Hopefully those of you that are still timid to take the" Dry Shampoo Plunge" gained some knowledge and confidence to try it out! It honestly can be your best kept secret AND save you some time, water and dollars! Good luck!

5 Things That Hairstylists Forget (And REALLY Need to Remember)

 Every day I see so many customers come in who are all at different places in their careers. Some people are super slammed, crazy busy, and booked out for two months. Then you get the people who haven't done hair professionally for 14 years but need help formulating for their new friend who wants to go (my least favorite word) "mahogany". And then there is everyone in between. I have come to realize that no matter where each stylist is at in their career, there are so many key things that people either forget or do not know about in this industry. Here is a list!

 

 

1. Color CAN NOT lift color. I don’t care who you are, what level peroxide you use, or what color line you use….. It is impossible for hair color to lift through previously colored hair. The only thing you can do when putting color over color is darken, deepen or add shine or intensity. This goes for hi-lift colors as well. Color has already been deposited and melanin is in place. The only way to get it lifted (lighter) is to use a lightener (bleach) or color remover.
2. "Color Safe" does not mean anything. No hair color is going to last forever. The sun, water, and free radicals will take their toll on your freshly colored locks. The only way to extend the life of your color is to shampoo as little as possible and use a sulfate free shampoo. If the ingredients list Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfate, you are using a detergent that is used in auto degreaser and carpet cleaner…. Ponder on that. Do your research though, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate look similar but are COMPLETELY different! (I am planning a big blog post about sulfates!)
3. Dandruff vs. Dry Scalp. They could not be any more different. Too many stylist over recommend dandruff shampoos. Most people just suffer from dry flaky scalp where as the Pyrithione zinc in dandruff shampoos is actually an anti fungal agent that will do nothing for their dry scalp or possibly make it even more angry! I have also seen some people recommend purifying or chelating shampoos. These will just throw off the skins PH balance and possibly make it worse as well. This is defiantly a future topic to discuss but I would suggest some essential oils or Framesi's Dry scalp fluid and shampoo.
4. Mixing a Demi or Semi permanent hair color with anything other than the recommended volume peroxide will not make it "More Permanent". The deciding factor for hair color to be permanent or not is in the actual tube or bottle of color itself. If there is ammonia (or a derivative, usually MEA) in the actual color, when mixed with a peroxide the ammoniated color is able to penetrate the hair shaft and alter the melanin inside. Anything that happens in there is "Permanent". Demi or Semi permanent colors hang out on the cuticle or penetrate just a tinsy bit, but due to the lack of ammonia, even if you mix it with 30 volume, its not going to do magical things and break the law of hair color. 
5. Unless you are cooking a turkey or doing a keratin/smoothing treatment, NO ONE should be setting their flat iron to 450 degrees. That is just crazy talk. I straighten my afro at 390 and even that is pushing it! A setting that high is just melting your ends, frying your hair color right on out and most likely burning your fingers. If you have to use a glove to protect your hands…. You probably shouldn’t be putting it in your hair.