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
@: emersonsalon@gmail.com

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Articles from ‘FAQ’

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Blonde Hair Color Questions

“Is it true blonds can’t color their hair or it will turn green?”

Whether you are a natural blond, have blond foils, or are all over blond, you must seek professional hair coloring care in order to correctly alter a blond to a darker color. If you are only deepening the hair by 1-3 levels, the process is quite simple as a hairstylist will choose a hue that will offset the porosity, warmth/coolness and lightness of the hair. If you are choosing to go significantly darker (permanently) it is called, color correction.

Each salon has its own pricing for color correction and it might seem pricey but if you skip steps you might compromise the integrity of your hair and its color. Trying to correct you hair at home could cause more mistakes in the color and end up being twice as expensive to get fixed. The perfect level of warmth must be chosen first to gradually bring the color down without turning it green. This is called repigmentization. Sometimes this must be done twice if the hair is over processed and porous. Then another final tint is applied and the color is permanent. Your stylist will recommend the proper products for your hair type. If you hair is overly porous the color might fade a level within a month because of the damage on the hair. If this happens, book a demipermanent color to refresh the hue after 6-8weeks.

“Can brown hair go blond without bleach?”

This depends on how dark the natural brown is and the desired hue of blond. If you are a medium brown naturally, yes, it is possible to get to a light to medium blond.

Remember: Tint does not lift tint. This means if your hair is colored brown it is not possible to go blond without bleach.

A haircare professional will be able to consult with you to determine what process is appropriate and whether the health of you hair can stand it. Each hair case is different and haircoloring can be a complex chemical process, so utilize your stylists knowledge in order to get to your end goal.


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TagsBlonde Hair, Corrective Color, D'Arcy Harrison, FAQ, Hair Color

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Why not color your own hair?

What is the number one reason you shouldn’t color your own hair? Allergic chemical reactions. For financial reasons, one of my clients chooses to color his own hair. I have warned him repeatedly about the dangers of doing so, not to mention how rarely over the counter colors come out like you would expect. And, as a result he has called numerous times seeking help on how to fix his latest color disaster. This time however he had to call his physician. He was sent immediately to the Emergency Room where he was diagnosed with 2nd degree chemical burns. He lost time at work. He spent hours in the ER, not to mention the pain and suffering involved with chemical burns.

Here are some pictures of the burns he received, a month ago, from using an over-the-counter box color. His scalp is still dry, scaly, red and sensitive.
The thing that you need to remember when you are using over-the-counter color is to read the directions carefully. If you have never used the color before, do a patch test. There should be instructions in the color on how to perform a patch test. If the color makes your skin burn, or tingle intensely, rinse it off and DO NOT COLOR YOUR HAIR!!! Don’t leave yourself open to scarring or potential hair loss.
At this point please seek out a professional colorist. Your colorist can help determine what color would be best suited for your specific hair and skin type.
Rusty
Manager/Designer/Colorist
Emerson Salon

TagsFAQ, Hair Color, Health, Rusty Jones

Monday, March 30th, 2009

The Biggest Hair Mistakes


Although our hair is technically dead keratin growing out of our hair follicles, there are many ways to “mess” your hair up. Here are some common missteps:

  • Coloring your hair with box color from the store: Over the counter box color uses cheaper ingredients and uses the strongest formula in order to cater to many different natural haircolors and textures. This causes undue damage on your hair and the box color might not be best suited to your coloring. In addition, it is possible to miss applying in spots and to cause “hot roots” where the haircolor is lighter at the root than at the ends. A trained professional will custom formulate your new haircolor, will generally pick shades that enhance your natural beauty, and will apply the color systematically in order to give complete coverage.

  • Over processing lightened hair: Ask your stylist if it is possible to formulate without bleach lighteners as well as avoid any color overlapping. This can cause added damage and breakage which can make the hair look frizzy and lack luster. Your stylist can always use a demipermanent toner with conditioners to add more depth and shine to your blond while lightening at the roots (dimensional or otherwise.)

  • Cutting your hair yourself: This could cause major problems since a non-stylist doesn’t know how the hair will behave once cut. If you have any wave/curl, cowlicks or whorls your self cut hair/bangs could end up crooked! A trained professional understands the effect of layering, graduation, texturing, thinning, and blunt cuts and can recommend the best techniques for you.
  • Using drugstore shampoos and conditioners for colored hair: Some store bought products use the cheapest ingredients that will not maintain your new haircolor. Some could dry your hair our, and some could actually alter your haircolor based on its ingredients. Professional products have UV filters, moisturizers and shine enhancers and some use natural ingredients that will aid in the health of the hair.

  • Not using a barrier protectant when using high heat blowdryers and flat irons: High heat can burn holes in the hair’s structure when not protected. This can lead to breakage, undue color fadeage, dryness and difficulty styling.

  • Not scheduling regular appointments: If you don’t stay on a regular cut or color schedule, it can be difficult to get in with certain stylists if you decide not to pre-book your next appointment before leaving the salon. Your stylist will usually recommend a good time to return for a touch up. Otherwise, your color will not look up to par for special occasions or that presentation at work. Your haircut could look scrappy in just 4-6 weeks. Take them up on it, you can always reschedule! (And don’t forget to arrive a little early to your appointments, stylists love that you respect their time!)
  • Not Sharing Yourself In a Consultation: You know your style and your hair better than anyone so make sure to tell your stylist what styling regimen you prefer (time committment, products, etc) if you liked your last cut, when was your last cut, when was your last color, did you like your last color, what your end goal is, what your pet peeves are, what hasn’t worked on your hair in the past, etc etc. The more you share about yourself the more empowered your stylist is to satisfy your hair wishes and needs. There is no such thing as too much communication!

These are but some hair mistakes but if you make one not listed here, call us STAT! We will help you fix it!

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Emerson Salon 909 E Pike St Seattle (Haircuts & Color)
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TagsAsk A Stylist, D'Arcy Harrison, FAQ

Friday, March 27th, 2009

Long Hair Is Sexiest – Right?

That is a difficult question to answer, both personally and as a hair stylist.

Long Hair can be sexy, on the right person, and hair is used both as a symbol of power and as a symbol of control, and both power and control are decidedly sexy!

When is long hair sexy? Long hair is sexy when the wearer views their long locks as sexy. Sexy is all about confidence. Long hair admirers find long hair sexy; it is a matter of preference.

The sexiest long hair is healthy, shiny, moves freely, is soft, and without split ends.

People are attracted to healthy looking people biologically, because healthy people are desired for their good genes, which are desirable for reproduction. Even for those who don’t want children, this biological urge exists.

Long hair frames the face, like a pretty picture, without overpowering it, and accentuates the person without BEING the person.

Long hair can be flipped, played with, brushed, shampooed luxuriously; it can be styled or unstyled. Long hair looks range from straight, shiny and sleek, to messy, tousled, and loose. It can be pinned up into an elegant or fun updo, or sleeked back into a severe ponytail or be worn sleek with a severe geometric part. There are many options.

Long hair is seen as more natural, untamed, wild, effortless; a symbol of freedom, or anarchy to some.

Long hair is feminine; a source of feminine power. Even on men, long hair is seen as a symbol of power, or wild abandon. Take Samson, for example. His long hair was his power; when his hair was cut off, his strength left.

Women who leave a relationship sometimes cut off all their hair, especially if they feel that they kept it long for their men. Wanting a fresh start in life, they cut off their locks to try and erase the years of a bad relationship. Others will change their hair color instead.

Long hair can also be decidedly un-sexy.

  • Some long hair lovers don’t care how good the long hair looks; just that it IS long.
  • Equally dangerous are long hair wearers who don’t take care of their long hair.

Hair that grows out as wide as it is long is probably not going to have movement, and hair that isn’t conditioned may be harsh to the touch or it may look like you put your head into a light socket.

  • Hair that hasn’t been cut in a year is likely to have many broken ends and it also has lost its shape.
  • Heavy long hair can give the wearer headaches and the scalp may not be getting air to it, resulting in ill scalp health.

So if your going to sport some long hair make sure to keep it conditioned, healthy and with out split ends.

-posted by Lancer

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Emerson Salon 909 E Pike St Seattle (Haircuts & Color)
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TagsAsk A Stylist, FAQ, Health, Lancer Forney, Long Hair, Styling Tips

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Color Issue Troubleshooting


Sometimes, there are factors that contribute to a shorter/longer shelf life for your custom designed color after you leave the salon. Here are some effects, causes and possible solutions.

  • Fadeage: Color will always fade over time but the more you take care of your hair, the longer it will last. If your hair is porous, you use heating implements and if you don’t use the professional products designed for colored hair and recommended for your hair type. (Example: Leave In Luxury by Kevin Murphy or Rapid Repair Spray by Alterna.) Always use a color safe barrier protectant before using high heat and make sure to schedule regular trims to rid your hair of split or porous ends that don’t hold color well.

  • An odd greenish tinge to highlights: This could be for a number of reasons: You swim a lot in chlorinated pools. This can be remedied by wearing a swim cap on top of predampened hair with a light conditioner in it. This acts a barrier against the chlorinated water that can react over time to create the greenish hue. The other reason is you recently had your color done and the toner used on you hair over deposited on your porous ends. If your stylist doesn’t remedy this in the salon you can use this home remedy. Saturate your hair with hot water, shampoo once and then add cheap dish washing liquid (like palmolive or Dawn) to the area that is unsatisfactory. Leave this in with a towel around your head for 10-30 minutes. Rinse and condition. If you suspect your tap water to be an isssue (Minerals, chlorine,etc) you can use distilled or filtered water to rinse your hair when shampooing and conditioning. If any of these solutions doesn’t work, call your stylist.

  • Flat, dull, dry hair: You can either start using a deep conditioner 1-2X a week for 20 minutes (like Alterna’s Caviar Hair Masque or Kevin Murphy’s Born Again), schedule a warm or clear demipermanent or permanent gloss with your stylist, or you can use a shine spray daily (like Rapid Repair Spray).

  • Inconsistent color: This could be caused by fadeage on color corrected or bleach and tone hair. In this case, the hair has been compromised by inequal porosity in the hair. Schedule an all over color with your stylist as damaged hair’s color life is determined only by it’s condition. Most likely, you have been warned of this possible factor and know already that you must have continued commitment and investment in your color in order to reach your color goal. Use only the products recommended to you and make sure to always use a light leave-in conditioner (Staying Alive by Kevin Murphy) to help keep in the color that did deposit well. If you don’t have these hair condition factors, call your stylist for a recommendation.

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Emerson Salon 909 E Pike St Seattle (Haircuts & Color)
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TagsAsk A Stylist, Corrective Color, D'Arcy Harrison, FAQ, Fudge Hair Products, Hair Color

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

10 Tips For Getting A Great Haircut Out Of Your Stylist


1. If you know what you want, be specific. Tell them what you like.
2. A Picture is worth a thousand words.
3. Let them know your hair history. (length of time since last haircut or color service)
4. If you like the cut ask them to take a picture of it so you can save it for reference.
5. If you aren’t sure what you want, don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions.
6. Let your stylist know what type of profession you are in.
7. Let them know what you do for fun. Skiing, tennis, music, concerts etc.
8 Let the stylist know what you DO NOT like. (razor cuts, blending shears, straight bangs, neck line blocked off etc)
9. Let your stylist know about your bad haircut experience and why.
10. Let them know about the hair products you use.

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Emerson Salon 909 E Pike St Seattle (Haircuts & Color)
www.EmersonSalon.com

TagsFAQ, Hair Tips, Styling Tips

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

FAQ: Emerson Salon Seattle


I’m driving, where do I park?
There is actually a ton of metered street parking all around the 10th and 11th blocks of Pike and Pine. There is also paid parking lots under the QFC at the corner of Pike and Broadway, and across the street from QFC.

Do I need an appointment?
Walk Ins are always welcome, we love our walk ins.

Do you do bridal updos?
Yes we do wedding bridal updos. We can do your entire wedding party but we need some advance notice. Please contact us to set up a consultation.

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Emerson Salon 909 E Pike St Seattle (Haircuts & Color)
www.EmersonSalon.com

TagsFAQ

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

Snowpocalypse

Hardcore Clients!
I want to thank all of our clients at Emerson Salon for trudging through the unclear roads and sidewalks of Capitol Hill this past week. Hopefully the adverse weather will slow down or come to a halt soon.

Online Booking!
Some benefits of booking your appointment online are:

1) You can use online booking at any time!
2) One of us will get back to you promptly, as we check the online bookings regularly.
3) It ensures that you get the stylist that you want to see.
4) You will get the earliest available appointment with your stylist.
5) You don’t have to use the phone!

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Emerson Salon 909 E Pike St Seattle (Haircuts & Color)
http://www.emersonsalon.com/

TagsEmerson Salon, FAQ, Lancer Forney

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

Ask A Stylist?

Have a question about hair or styling? Email us your question and well answer it in an upcoming blog post. EmersonSalon@gmail.com

Emerson Salon 909 E Pike St Seattle (Haircuts & Color)
www.EmersonSalon.com

TagsAsk A Stylist, FAQ, Hair Science