Capitol Hill's Premier Haircuts & Color

Emerson Salon is the best hair salon on Capitol Hill, Seattle. Our experienced hair stylists and colorists have been fusing the latest trends with top hair techniques for years. Whether you’re looking to transform your look in Seattle with a new haircut and color or just maintain your already hip style, we are here and ready to help.

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909 E Pike St, Seattle, WA 98122
T: 206-323-7437
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Articles from ‘Brunettes’

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

How to get Blake Lively’s hair from the Green Lantern

On June 13, the long awaited movie adaptation of the DC comic, Green Lantern, will be in theaters (starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Peter Saarsgard.) The film follows a young test pilot who suddenly gains super powers when a green ring is given to him from another world.

With-Ryan-Reynolds-in-Green-Lantern

For this movie, the usually blond Blake Lively (of Gossip Girl) had to darken her hair in order to look more like the comic’s rendition of Carol Ferris. If you would like to attempt this rich, warm, medium chocolate brown after being light blond we recommend the following:

Book a consultation with an Emerson stylist to review pricing, maintenance and product recommendations as having realistic expectations about the service will only aid in the satisfaction with your hair.

If you have been a light blond for awhile and have any amount of damage we recommend a conditioning treatment to prep the hair prior to the service. (Try Born.Again by Kevin Murphy on towel dried hair after shampooing twice a week)

This is considered a “color correction going darker”. This means that due to the lightness of the hair that a first step of staining the hair with a orange or copper color needs to occur before the final color is applied. This aids in stepping down the haircolor in order to prevent unnecessary fadeage or “hollow” color.

This process can take anywhere from 2 -4 hours depending on the hair’s length, condition and density. If the hair is extremely damaged it still might fade even with the right service or support products as damage stays in the hair until it is cut out.


This movie’s special effects and story look literally out of this world- and you can look and feel out of this world if you come on in to Emerson today!

Post by D’Arcy

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Total Color Change

LanceBefore

Lance is a natural blond and has been growing his hair out so that he can eventually have a “Steampunk Pompadour”. He expressed that he wanted to change his hair color to ash black with green streaks, and he had never had Crayon color in his hair. Since he is a natural blond, black might have been too dark for his skin tone. Instead, I customized his color change to a dark ash brown, which suits him much better and looks great with his skin tone and eye color.

LanceAfter2

I created a unique shade of green for the streaks, as green can be tricky to get right; I wanted it to accent his ash brown color. I placed the green along the sides of his hair, so that, as his hair grows into the hairstyle he wants, the color can be maintained and still look awesome, without the look of grow out.

LanceAfter3

Lance is very happy with his new color change and is happy that it looks good in the daylight as well as in a club. Lance is a performer and will be performing in his new persona, “Boi Middler” for the first time this Sunday, April 3rd, in Olympia at “So You Think You Can Drag?” a benefit for Capital City Pride.

Post by Lancer

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

“Sock it to Me” with the Hair from Sucker Punch

This past weekend the film Sucker Punch was released. Directed by 300′s Zack Snyder and starring Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Carla Gugino, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Jon Hamm and Scott Glenn.

This much hyped about and star filled film is rich with great cinematography and visual effects work. The story surrounds Brownings’ “Baby doll” character who has been sent to the mental institution by her abusive father. She plunges herself into a fantasy world to cope. In this world, her (and the other girls) reside at the asylum and are forced into sexual work by the Orderly, Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac), and taught to dance by their therapist, Russian Dr. Vera Goski (Gugino). There, they are coached by a Wise Man on how to escape their horrible reality and slay their inner demons.

Gugino’s haircolor is a beautiful auburn shade that is a perfect balance between copper and a soft red. This can be achieved through an all over color service on naturally colored hair unless your hair is a dark brown or black shade. If you have previously colored or dark hair, a bleach lightener must be used before a second step of a permanent toner. If you have a lighter blond shade, a color correction may need to be performed to add the necessary red gold hue to transition the sensitive blond hair in order for it not to wash right away down the drain. If the hair is too light and too damaged it may not hold the color well if performed in one step.

Carla Gugino

We recommend a consultation prior to the coloring service in order to determine the correct method of applying the haircolor in addition to the necessary support products of shampoo and conditioner to maintain the fade prone red haircolor. We suggest using the Luminous Shine Bamboo line from Alterna as it will maximize reflection to the hair in addition to being paraben, sulfate, and sodium chloride free. Its even eco-certified!

Empower yourself like the women of Sucker Punch and fight fadeage with the correct color application and product sword!

Post by D’Arcy

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

The Secret of the American Teenager: They have great hair

I don’t watch a lot of TV but my guilty pleasure is The Secret Life of the American Teenager. There is something about this show that I can’t seem to get enough of!  Every time I watch it I wish I had the girls’ wardrobe and a hair team to make me look this great!  Three of the show’s characters have amazing hair color. Here are some great examples of blond, brown and red color done right.

Grace –Blond
I am tired of the over-processed, solid blond look. Here is a more flattering blond option.  Grace has a darker base of a level 6 (light brown) that gives the blond dimension. There are two different levels of blond in her hair, Level 11 (platinum blond) and a darker level 9 (yellow or honey blond).  The platinum is more prominent, to give hair that overall light blond feel and is broken up by a few light pieces of the darker honey blond.  Foiling with two different blonds and having a darker base makes for a perfect blond.

Amy – Light Brown
Amy is a great example of light brown in this picture.  It is a warm (red brown) level 6.  It is a simple all over color but, at a level 6, it shows a lot more of the red brown tone.  This color, with her skin tone and eye color is very striking and shows why not EVERY woman is a blond!

Madison-Red
Although she is a natural redhead, you too can have this amazing red even if you’re not!    She is considered a copper (red /blond) level 7.  There are many different types of red you can pick from. This one is so great on her because of her skin tone and blue eyes.  Red works really well with blue or green eyes and with a fair skin tone. Don’t rule out being a redhead, it is a great option for a lot of girls!

Tired of your basic over-processed blond or dull brown color? Maybe feeling like a dramatic change and want to go red? Take a cue from these beautiful stars, and make your appointment at Emerson today!

Post by Ellen

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Little Boots: Stuck on Repeat

little-boots_1217885c

We have seen many strong female pop artists emerge in the last few years including Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding, Peaches and Little Boots. Little Boots is an electro pop star from the U. K. and her newest album, Hands, drops on March 2 in the US. Soon, she will be touring all over the US and Canada playing shows and promoting this fun, effervescent album. She will even be playing Neumos in Seattle on Saturday, March 6th!

Last year, Little Boots became known for her song, Stuck On Repeat, with its unique hook and surveillance style video.

In this video Little Boots has a European hipster style with a black/brown colored long bob. To achieve this look:

  • For color, consult with your Emerson Stylist to determine the perfect shade of dark brown for you. To make this decision, it is important to share with your stylist your if you intend to keep this color long term. Sometimes if you are going significantly darker, you might want to try a temporary version of this hue to avoid costly color corrections in the future. If you are starting out blond, going this dark will require a repigmentizing session (replacement of warmth/depth to hair) before the final application of color.
  • The Cut: This is a longer version of an inverted bob. To achieve this perimeter in the back, cut the line just below the curve of the neck into the shoulders. Then, create the inversion by over directing the sides towards the initial cut. You can customize this style to a side part or create balance and versatility by cutting while parted in the middle. This is also called cutting with the “natural fall”. After creating the perimeter, the layers in back will be concave where weight is removed from the top and shifted towards the bottom. In addition, it seems there was removal of interior weight through texturizing/thinning within vertical sections in the back. Chunky texture is created on a soft diagonal on the top side layers by slithering or slide cutting. Once styled, a textured swoop bang is carved by following a diagonal line from the midforehead towards the temple.
  • The Style: Once towel dried after shampooing and conditioning- apply Volume Sculpting Creme by Alterna Caviar to create a more voluminous but pliable style. Rough dry the hair 80% and then take a large round brush to bevel the under and top layers. Apply some Easy Rider by Kevin Murphy to the ends and aggressively “tousle” the back and the interior of the sides for a messy quality. Spray small spurts of Firm Hold Spray by Alterna Caviar on the interior and bangs (after cutting) to create a soft, full finish.

Ironically, Little Boots decided to completely alter her hair color and style with her newest video for Earthquake. She now looks very similar to Lady Gaga with bleached platinum hair. The hairstyle seen in this video is highly sculpted and coiffed into a more modern version of a blond Princess Leia! Check it out!

Want the hair color and/or hairstyle in this video? Here’s just a tad of what it entails:

  • Bleach and Tone/Color Correction Service: Getting the exact shade of lightest blond can be very challenging when starting with all over dark hair. It also can be damaging if not done correctly. All previous color history should be shared with your stylist in order to avoid loss of length through excessive breakage. It is difficult to guarantee a specific shade in color correction so be open to creating this look in 2-3 sessions with your stylist.
  • Styling: Put your hair in slightly asymmetrical pigtails and style away! Some products that could be used to achieve this style are Hair Shaper by Fudge (for sleekness and sculpting), Hemp Spray Shine, Working Spray by Alterna (first), and lastly Session Spray by Kevin Murphy for extreme hold.
  • HINT: If you have trouble getting all the pieces smooth without flyways, try using a medium heat curling iron to set the hair in place once pinned and sprayed with Working Spray. Have fun! Add hairpiece jewelry like Little Boots and push the envelope! Being brave with your hair sets you apart from the crowd!

Want us to make this style work for you? Book today for a consultation!

post by D’Arcy

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Study: Blondes Spend More Time Getting Ready Than Brunettes


Researchers found that blondes will take 72 minutes a day on their beauty routine compared to 66 minutes for brunettes. This equates to blondes spending 22 days a year getting ready, compared to 19 for brunettes. (Telegraph)

So I guess Blondes do have more fun! How long do you take getting ready in the morning?

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