This past Monday we saw a great Emmy show hosted by the hysterical Jane Lynch from Glee. This night was fraught with hair triumphs and some fashion pitfalls but if anything, the stars of Hollywood had trend setters talking for days!

The biggest hits of the night were Glee cast members Heather Morris and Lea Michele. Heather’s dress is a beautiful color and length but some fashion commentators were not fans of the tiered detailing. I love it regardless! The lilac and dark lavender are great to offset the color of her hair. Heather’s hair on the other hand is a gorgeous toned down blond with a more subdued medium beige base color with balayaged blond on the ends. The updo is simple, soft and not overly done, as it is pulled loosely off of her face into a loose bun at her crown. This style is great to accentuate her high cheekbones, collarbone/neck and piercing eyes.

Lea Michele hit a home run with her entire look and has been unofficially deemed the lady of the night! I loved how her simple hairdo worn down helped amplify the drama of the high shoulders and open back of her gown. Her long, blunt bangs and soft, dark brown hue of her hair really showed off her energetic and dramatic personality. A great product to recreate this style is Kendi Oil by Alterna’s Bamboo line. Once towel dried, apply a nickel sized amount to the midshaft and ends, blowdry and flat iron. The Kendi Oil has Omega 3 and 6 in addition to fatty acids which help to repair, moisturize and smooth the hair’s cuticle. Its great to use on over processed hair to restore manageability and luster.

Like any of these looks? We can take care of it! Book with Emerson today!

Post by D’Arcy

I have a client named Amanda who is just fantastic to work with. She has an energetic personality with a real eye for color and has incorporated that into her hair style. Amanda is a big fan of cool shades and rarely strays from this palette. Originally, Amanda started out at as a bridal up do client and has forayed the relationship we forged then into an ongoing collaboration on her hair. Once the wedding was over, we cut and colored her hair either violet with natural black or electric blue and natural black. This is accomplished through the Balayage technique- hand painted bleach strips to create a soft “streaky” effect. Then the semi- permanent vivid shade is applied to dry hair and put under a dryer for thirty minutes to aid in the color’s longevity.

Although Amanda is stated with how she styles herself, she always consults with me regarding the best option for her aesthetically in addition to what will be the least damaging to her hair. Recently, Amanda asked my opinion on how to change her hair. What we decided was to take her usual one length, shoulder grazing bob into a slightly more inverted version (shorter in back and longer in front). Also, we shortened her bangs significantly from just below the eyebrow line to far above.

We weren’t completely sure where we wanted to go with color, so we decided to cover up the blue highlights with the natural black we usually use. This will help condition the hair by adding pigment while also creating a fresh palette for color in the future. I really like this subtle alteration of her hairstyle and think its a a great practical solution until we get inspired again!

I always shampoo Amanda with Advanced Color Protection by Italy Hairfashion because it’s economical and does not strip hair color. I then followed up with Anti Frizz Conditioner by Alterna’s Bamboo line. It truly minimizes those annoying flyaways and unruly hairs. To style, we used MoroccanOil to blowdry and flat iron her hair into place, making it look sleek and chic. It also works wonders for frizz and gives hair a brilliant shine.

You don’t have to be dramatic when you change your hair. Add some facial framing to a trim or choose a hair color level lighter or darker than you usually go. Sometimes a taste of change is just what the “hair doctor” ordered! Book online today!

Post by D’Arcy

There are so many professional product lines out there and so many products within each line that it may be hard to know what to use and how to use them. I decided to pick my favorite products I use on myself and tell you how I use them!

Products to protect and hydrate your hair:

Kevin.Murphy Damage.Manager:I started using this product because of the smell! It is a great heat/environmental protector, which is something you should be using every day in order to keep your hair healthy and smelling great. I cocktail this with Leave-in.Luxury in damp hair to make my blow out last longer, and it leaves my hair looking shinny and smooth.

Kevin.Murphy Leave-in.Luxury: I started using this to keep my ends healthy as I grow it out. I always see women coming in with hair they are trying to grow out but the last 3 inches are split and dry! Mine aren’t! This is a great leave-in conditioner that will hydrate and protect your hair, leaving it soft and tangle free. If you just use a little bit in damp hair it won’t weigh your hair down. You can also put it in your hair with a little of the Alterna Texture Glaze to keep curls looking great!

Products for beach waves:

Kevin.Murphy Hair.Resort: This product can be used a few different ways. I use it in damp hair to get the beach texture look, but it works great when you put it in damp hair and blow dry it! It will give you good hold to any blow dry style and is great to hold a formal style! Like all of Kevin.Murphy products, it smells great, kind of tropical!

Alterna Texture Glaze: I use this product a few ways. Most of the time I scrunch it in my hair damp and simply let it hair dry! It works great to show texture and give a little hold. Also, it helps control the frizz you get when you let your hair air dry. You can put it dry hair simply to hold down frizz. Cocktail it with any other product when your hair is wet to give a little extra hold and definition for a blow out style.

Finishing products:

Alterna Caviar Working Hairspray: This is hands down the best hairspray I have come across in my years of hairstyling. It is light weight but still gives a good amount of hold. It doesn’t flake or make your hair crunchy. My favorite thing about it is the smell! I use it every day to hold down my fly aways and to make sure all my styles have a little more hold for our crazy weather here in Seattle!

Kevin.Murphy Easy.Rider: I don’t use this product on myself often, but I use it on many of my clients so I decided to add it to my list of favorites. This product is an anti-frizz cream. I use it to show texture in a hair style without putting in too much hold. It controls the puffy look clean hair has, but you can still put your hands through your hair still! You can also use it for longer curly hair. It keeps the curl hydrated and bouncy. I also use it to finish a curled style. I smooth it through my hair to help separate curl, making it look more relaxed and natural.

Kevin.Murphy Fresh.Hair: If I was stranded on an island and could only have one hair product I would have to pick this one! It is an aerosol dry shampoo! Spray it in at your roots to dry up excess oils. It also will take out the smell of the bar from last night! You can also spray it all over to add texture and body to your hair!

Want to try out some of these products? Head over to Emerson Salon today!

Post by Ellen

Looking For Smooth Hair without using Harsh Chemicals? Alterna’s Bamboo Smooth Anti-Frizz Shampoo won the Best in Black Beauty award at Essence Magazine for Best Anti-Frizz Shampoo! This product line is good for anyone with frizzy hair, whether blown out straight and flat-ironed or worn curly and loose.

Bamboo Smooth was also featured in Italian Vogue and Glamour magazines. The Bamboo lines are free of sulfates, parabens, glycerin, synthetic color, mineral oil, paraffin, PABA, and sodium chloride. Also, Alterna’s products are never tested on animals.

Come into Emerson today to pick up your Alterna Bamboo products!

Post by Lancer

One of Emerson Salon’s partners in bringing our clients healthy, vibrant hair is Alterna Haircare. Alterna recently introduced their Bamboo Shine and Bamboo Smooth lines and these products are flying off of our shelves!

In keeping up with the 2011 Golden Globes, Bamboo Shine gives you radiant shine and keeps your hair healthy-looking. It’s secret to eliminating dull, lifeless locks, is its ingredients. An exotic blend of Organic Indian Gooseberry makes hair luminous. Organic Bamboo Extract strengthens and nourishes hair like no other!

Come into Emerson to experience these products for yourself!

Post by Lancer

Emma has donned many haircolors on her signature long layered locks and heavy bang. She has had dark chocolate brown, rich red and now blond . She changed her hue for her upcoming role as Gwen Stacy in the reboot of Spider Man. Transitioning red hair to blond can be tricky so here we have listed a few tips.

Book a consultation with an Emerson stylist to review exactly what is entailed in altering a vibrant red shade into a blond. It is not possible to put color on the red to make it blond as “tint does not lift tint.” This is the reason why it will be necessary to use bleach. If your hair is already damaged, your stylist may want to perform a test strand on your hair to see how it will behave once bleached. If the hair breaks when stretched following the strand test it might not be possible to lighten the hair without a conditioning treatment first. The Caviar Rejuvenation Treatment is a 3 step process that helps prepare your hair for bleaching if it is damaged. The treatment repairs and seals the cuticle of the hair. This is an in-salon treatment that is recommended to be performed at least 24 hours to a week in advance of bleaching.

Once your hair is bleached out, your stylist can either tone your hair, or balayage in dimensional high and lowlights. Either way, this hair will need a high quality color shampoo like Caviar Moisture which is also paraben free, sulfate free and uses moisturizing seasilk. Continue using the Born.Again Essential.Treatment as your hair will be dying for the moisture. Another great product for anyone who sees a little breakage on bleached out hair is Rapid Repair by Alterna. It shines brilliantly and aids to mask any flyaways. Once you have invested in coloring your hair it is absolutely imperative that you use what is recommended to you otherwise the color could fade or the damage to your hair worsened. You look great, now maintain your great look with us!

We can’t wait to see what hijinx Emma gets into on her rise to the top! Get into some hijinx with us at Emerson Salon today!

Post by D’Arcy

During these cold winter months, many clients complain that their scalp feels dry, tight, and itchy. This is usually due to inside heating and its lack of moisture in the air from heating coils, radiators, etc. In order to deal with this seasonal issue there are a few things you can do:

• Purchase a humidifier in order to infuse the air in your home with steam moisture. The moisture will help to eleviate the tight scalp with continued use over time. This is also great for people who complain of sinus problems as it can aid to lubricate and open airways.
• Use a shampoo and conditioner used to balance scalp conditions. Try Balancing Wash by Kevin Murphy which uses green tea and essential oils or try using Life Solutions by Alterna. These products are specifically designed to treat the scalp and its issues. When shampooing, make sure you scrub your scalp aggressively in order to aid in removing dead skin cells in addition to increasing blood flow to the follicle.
• If these solutions do not work for you, book a scalp treatment at Emerson Salon using Moroccan Oil Dry Scalp treatment. It uses argan nut oil in addition to salicylic acid to battle tight scalp and dandruff. Salicylic acid opens clogged pores/ follicles and eliminates underlying bacteria that could cause follicle blockage in the future. This treatment can be added on to a haircut or shampoo blowout, includes a vigorous scalp massage and then is allowed to penetrate the scalp for 5-10 minutes. It is essential to shampoo out the treatment after as salicylic acid is not intended to be left on the head. This treatment will last anywhere from 3-4 weeks.
• Use a styling product that aids your scalp in maintaining moisture balance like Anti Gravity. This oil free volumizer is great for medium to fine density hair and its botanical and essential oils help to equalize the oil/sebacous glands of the scalp.

Once you have a healthy scalp you will be building conditions which are essential to creating and maintaining healthy hair. Every detail counts. Having a scalp issue? Book with a consultation with an Emerson stylist today!

Post by D’Arcy

As we come ever so closer to the end of the year we all start to think about our personal New Year’s resolutions. We try to find ways that we can improve ourselves. One resolution that I recommend to people is to work with your stylist to find the right shampoo for you.

Shampoos and conditioners are the first steps you can take to having beautiful, resilient hair. Many people think that all shampoos are the same and that it doesn’t matter what they get. When people use lower quality products their hair won’t be as shiny and strong as it would have been with a quality shampoo and conditioner.

• Angel.Wash and Angel.Rinse by Kevin.Murphy is a great shampoo for hair that is fine. As well as being color safe, it is very light and won’t weigh the hair down.
• Luxury.Wash and Rinse is developed for coarser, thicker hair. It is a heavier formula and will help weigh hair down that would normally be unruly and everywhere. It also has Leave.in.Luxury, a leave-in conditioner which helps to add that extra bit of softness for very rough hair.
• Alterna Caviar makes two, toned shampoos and conditioners. One is for Blonde hair and helps prevent hair from turning brassy. The other is for Brunettes and helps eliminate red and orange tones.
• If your hair is dry, using the Alterna Moisturizing Shampoo will be wonderfully hydrating for your hair.
• When you have intense damage to your hair, whether it happens from the environment, heat styling, or chemical processing, Kevin.Murphy Born.Again Wash and Rinse is for you. It will give your hair the moisture therapy that your hair will be needing. It is great for all hair types and amazingly effective. If you have great amounts of damage, you may want to consider combining Born.Again with the Leave-in.Luxury. Though it will add some weight to your hair, it will help supply it with conditioning nutrients it needs to be healthy.
• To prevent damage in the first place, using a quality thermal shampoo and conditioner if you heat style (blowdrying, curling, or flat ironing) can save you a lot of headache. It will allow you to heat style your hair while shielding the hair from the damage.

Shampoos and conditioners are the first step to beautiful healthy hair. Come into Emerson to talk with one of our skilled stylists about which shampoos and conditioners are right for you.

Post by Franz

Overnight repair treatment ideal for those with severely damaged or color treated hair.

Benefits:

• Repairs and replenishes severely damaged or color treated hair while you sleep.
• Absorbs instantly and won’t leave residue on pillows or sheets.

15 Perscent off today only!

Day 1 of our 12 Days of Christmas Sale and we kick off with 20% off Alterna Caviar Hairsprays. Stop by Emerson Salon and take advantage of our special.