Emerson Salon - Capitol Hill Seattle » Men’s Hair

How to Get Matt Smith’s Look from BBC’s Doctor Who

Franz — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:00:58 +0000

I’m a huge SciFi fan and one of my favorite shows is Doctor Who. The role of the main character, the time traveler enigmatically named The Doctor, is played by actor Matt Smith. Nearing the end of its fall season, Matt Smith returns to the role.

He has very long hair that is cut to give him not only long bangs, but a far left part. For the show he usually has it somewhat neater (though it always ends up a bit more messy by the end of the episode). This style would best be styled with our good friend, Kevin.Murphy Body.Builder. This volumizing mousse can have a tremendous effect on the hair.

First, part the hair with a deep part. Apply a small handful of the mousse into slightly damp hair. Then using a blowdryer and a Denman Brush, dry the roots of the hair away from the direction you will eventually want them to go. Do this section by section. Blowdry the rest of the hair straight. Brush the hair with some Alterna Caviar Working Hairspray and you have a nice clean style. For a messier style, use Kevin.Murphy Gritty.Business or Sticky.Business rather than hairspray.

This this is a great style for you? Do you have any question for me? Book your appointment with me at Emerson Salon, today!

Post by Franz

Hair by Franz: Adam’s Haircut

Franz — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:17:02 +0000

Adam’s haircut was really fun to do. He came in with his hair bleached yellow all over and a bit longer all over. He also had a rat tail that he had been growing out for a while. We talked about what we wanted to do and decided that the sides and back needed to be cut shorter, while we left the rat tail and the top long.

This gave his haircut a great two-toned effect with his dirty blonde natural color and the yellow that remained in the top and the tail. Overall, this was a great cut for Adam’s more grungy style! For more of a textured look, we connected the shorter sides to the longer top and layered his tail. To add hold and emphasize that texture we used Kevin.Murphy Gritty.Business; the cherry on the grungy rocker sundae! This was a really fun haircut to perform.

This this is a great style for you? Book your appointment with me, today!

Post by Franz

Hair by Franz: Seth’s Cut and Color

Franz — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:45:24 +0000

I used Seth as a model a week or so ago. He came in with longer light blonde hair that was nice, but not entirely even. He hadn’t had a cut in a long time and was open for me doing anything. I really liked the idea of him staying lighter but I wanted to give hima little bit extra.

We started with his color and used a low strength bleach to lighten his hair a bit more and create a more even color. We then toned with a cooler toner to create a more white look to his hair. While we toned his hair, we feathered in some black on the ends of his left side, following his jawline.

Once the color was complete, we worked on his cut. I really liked the longer and shaggier look for him, but with some Capitol Hill edge to it. We cut his right side down to about an inch, short enough to be dramatically shorter, but long enough to style back with product. That was then blended up through to the longer hair in the back. We then cut layers into his hair to give him a bit more of a shaggy look.

For styling we used MoroccanOil to give the hair a little bit of moisture and protein from the chemical processing and heat styling that it had been exposed to in the past. It also helped the hair dry faster. Seth’s hair is pretty straight, so we used our flat iron to curl the down at the root and up on the ends to give the appearance of wavy hair. We then used Kevin.Murphy Night.Rider to hold the short side down and give hold and texture to the longer hair.

Think Seth has a great look? Schedule an appointment with me by calling Emerson Salon at 206-323-7437 or booking online at

Post by Franz

Bringing back the Part: Alexander Skarsgård’s Look in True Blood

Franz — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:09:08 +0000

Not many men these days have parts in their hair. Its a trend that is definitely finding its way back in men’s hair fashion but few can pull it off like Alexander Skarsgård, from True Blood.

The trend of parting the hair is making its way back slowly but surely. Skarsgård usually parts his hair on the left. Finding where to part your hair is a combination of observing where your hair naturally wants to part, and fighting against or working with any strong growth patterns in the front hairline. If you have strong cowlicks that prevent you from styling your hair like you would want to, try using a blow dryer to dry the hair where you want it to go.

Skarsgård has his hair relatively short, yet long enough to give it style. To achieve this look, you’ll need a finishing product that is going to give you hold without the ‘crunch.’ That’s why I recommend using Kevin.Murphy Night.Rider for this style. Use a small amount and add more as needed to give the style hold and some of that clean cut, bad boy charm. It is a product that ‘sets’ which means that you have about 60 seconds to manipulate it to your liking and have it hold that style. This is great for taming down unruly or poofy sides.

Think this is a good look for you? Come on in and schedule an appointment with me, today!

Post by Franz

How to get True Blood’s Joe Manganiello Look

Franz — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:00:08 +0000

Manganiello plays the devilishly handsome werewolf in HBO’s hit show True Blood. His character, Alcide Herveaux, is a werewolf so he needs to have a style to match his wild persona. His longer hair and beard give him a great look that can cater to the rugged look he needs for the show, while giving him the ability to have cleaner looks for events.

His longer hair allows him to push his hair back for a more clean look. This is a great time to use Kevin.Murphy Night.Rider. Simply wash the hair, dry it, and comb it with your fingers. Use a small amount of Night.Rider, rubbing it in your palms and dispersing it throughout the hair and pushing it back lightly, combing it with your fingers. Try not to push it down, because we want to keep the volume.

Longer hair can be a great look, but it can need a little more attention. This is especially true if you have resistant cowlicks that need to be blown dry for you to be able to work with them. Even using a small amount of Kevin.Murphy Easy.Rider for a flexible hold, defining texture and fighting frizz, can make these kinds of looks much more manageable and attractive.

Interesting in trying out some of these products in your hair? Think this is a good look for you? Make an appointment with me at Emerson Salon today!

Post by Franz

A Look at the Hair from “Midnight In Paris”

Franz — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:54:13 +0000

When one of my clients told me that Woody Allen had another movie coming out, I had to do some research. I hadn’t seen a recent Woody Allen film in awhile, though I have always enjoyed his movies.
Midnight In Paris, written and directed by Allen, stars Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. It is, of course, a romantic comedy, about a family traveling to Paris for business. Owen and Rachel are cast as a young engaged couple who confront the “illusion that a life different from their own is better.”

I believe that both Wilson and Allen have had hair transplants. They both look great and their haircuts suit them very well. Allen’s hair, all white, is cut short. When hair goes white (or gray), is coarser and thicker than the hair it replaced. As we all age, lighter hair makes us look younger, as our skin also pales.

Wilson’s hair, while not white, has been highlighted. His hair is cut longer, with casual layers. The combination of his hair color and style gives his hair texture, movement, and warmth, and keeps him also young-looking.

McAdams’s hair for “Midnight In Paris” is cut into an A-line bob. She wears it curly and tousled in the front, which helps to blend her bangs into her new bob cut. Personally, I like her hair better here, with her bangs worn down and separate from her longer hairstyle. Bangs suit her face and show off her eyes better.

This movie looks fun and after viewing “Match Point”, I am excited to see Allen’s newest movie!

Post by Lancer

Hair by Franz: Jer’s La Roux Inspired Haircut

Franz — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 19:49:16 +0000

Jer’s haircut was really fun to do. After we consulted we decided that we needed to break away from the normal “shorter on the side longer on top” look that he had been toting for the past few years. We wanted something with a bit more edge, yet something that could be business professional when he went to work. His red hair reminded me of La Roux so we made him a shorter version of her haircut in the form of a faux hawk.

To achieve the look that we desired, we needed it to be much longer on top than it is on the sides. We choppped down his sides and back to a shorter length to accentuate the length on top. we then cut his Faux Hawk origination from the center of his crown to his left eye. This created that La Roux “peak” without the super long hair.

To style his hair we used Kevin.Murphy Body.Builder Voumizing Mouse and Kevin.Murphy Gritty.Business. We sprayed a little of the Body.Builder into my hands and distributed it throughout the top lengths. We the blowdried the hair up and to the left. trying to achieve as much volume as possible. Once the volume and direction was achieved we held and textured the style with Gritty.Business for a bit more of a rocker look with a pliable hold.

Think this is a good look for you? Book an appointmnet with me by calling 206-323-7437 or book online at Emersonsalon.com or emersonsalon@gmail.com.

Post by Franz

Hair by Franz: Joe’s Haircut

Franz — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:50:50 +0000

This Monday I cut Joe’s hair. Joe came in with a grown out haircut that he had been living with for the past three years that he was bored with. He needed something that could be styled up, out of his face and show off texture, while still being business friendly when he goes to work. We decided that we should keep most of the length up top, but trim down his sides.

When we we cutting the sides of his head, we chose to have it go shorter the higher we went, so as to avoid any “poofiness” that might occur in those areas. This also gave us the added bonus of additional support for keeping his hair up top to stay up. we also too out a lot of bulk up top that was just making it harder to style up.

When we were done, I styled his hair with Kevin.Murphy Texture.Master, a new texturizing and volumizing spray, and Gritty.Business, a gritty pliable hold paste. We blow dried the hair out of his face and to his left to get it big and poofy. then we sprayed the Texture.Master on the hair until we felt that the amount of texture we wanted was acheived. After that, we finished up with the Gritty.Business, messily working a small amount into the hair to add hold and give a bit more of a rocker look over all.

Think this look is for you? Call or book your appointment with me online today!

Post by Franz

Ellen’s Adventure in Hawaii!

Franz — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:01:04 +0000

The sand is gone, my tan is fading and “Ya?” doesn’t follow every sentence…..Guess that means I’m back in Seattle!

As many of my clients know, I just got back from an amazing vacation to Honolulu, Hawaii! Here I wanted to write about the fun people’s mops I chopped along the way. I originally brought my shears to cut my friend’s hair (the one I was visiting) but quickly realized that I could trade my hair services for great connections and fun experiences in Hawaii. Plus the island vibe makes it easy to meet people, especially when you travel in a group of 4 girls who start conversations with ANYONE.

One of our first nights there we met a fun group of local guys who surf. We soon began negotiations to trade surf lessons for haircuts. A few days later, there we were in one of the guy’s apartments. I cut his hair in trade for paddle boards, beach chairs and umbrella service on Waikiki.

Meet the first connection I made in Hawaii, Shawn Pila. He’s a photographer/musician/surfer brah living the life in Honolulu. If you want a glimpse of Hawaii through a great perspective, check out his website and if you REALLY want to feel the Island vibe check out his band’s Facebook page, Surewhynot. Pretty awesome!

Shawn wanted a shorter but still shaggy haircut. Basically he wanted to get out of the water, shake his head and go. So I tapered in the back neck line using shear over comb technique. I took the back shortest and left the sides a little longer to allow it to flow into the top length. The top length was left longer so he could still style it. The whole cut was texturized, meant to lay messy and in no way “clean cut”.

Now for the second connection I made in Hawaii. We went to Sansei on Waikiki for sushi and karaoke one night. Our fantastic waiter, Daniel Sobalvarro, made the experience totally worth the wait at the door for happy hour! Through conversation, again, it comes out that I’m a stylist and the next day I find myself arranging another drive by haircut. In true Hawaii fashion we venture to his house for a quick haircut. While chopping his mop I find out Daniel is getting his own catering company off the ground. He has a passion for food and the gift of conversation, I have no doubt his catering company will be doing big things soon. Now my girl friends that live there have a friend at Sansei, 50% off happy hour!

For his haircut he just wanted it cleaned up, over the ears, with a little more length on top to wear it forward. Easy enough right? This time I was smarter and took some fun before and after shots.

Before:

After:

Hope this was a fun blog to read. I thought Seattle could use a little Hawaiian spirit. Refreshing and fun, ya?!

Enjoy, Mahalo!

Post by Ellen

How to Rock Out with Kevin.Murphy Gritty.Business

Franz — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:47:48 +0000

Want rock and roll hair without the greasy effect? Kevin.Murphy’s Gritty.Business will help you achieve dry, dirty-looking rocker hair. It’s main ingredients are Bentonite Clay, Kukui Nut Oil, and Beeswax. The clay’s properties are healing and draws out any oil that might reside on your hair or scalp. When hair is oily, it will lack volume and won’t hold well. Kukui nut oil is rejuvenating and helps Gritty.Business emulsify in your hands so you can work it through your hair easily, without leaving a greasy film on your hair or scalp! Beeswax also acts as an emulsifier and lends strength and thickness to the hair strands, acting as another volume builder to give more control and texture to your hairstyle.

Here we display two great rocker looks you can get with Gritty.Business:

How to style with short hair:

How to style with longer hair:

Post by Lancer