I Was Born With Bad Hair!

For as long as I can remember I have had bad hair.  When I was about 4 years old my mom took me to a hair dresser who made such a big deal about how fine and thin my hair was that I have had a complex ever since.  I started getting perms for volume when I was 8 years old.  I have since tried Nioxin, teasing, volume products, hair extensions, Bump-its, hair pieces, etc.  It’s probably one of the reasons I became a hairstylist.

For women, hair loss goes deeper than the hair follicle.  It affects their self-esteem.  They dread going to the hairstylist because we will inevitably ask the client about it.  Even though we just want to help it forces the sufferer to rehash something they are sensitive about.  But there are solutions.  Hair loss is a symptom that something else is going on.  The first thing you should do is go see your doctor.  Your doctor may perform blood tests to determine if you have a medical condition that causes hair loss, such as thyroid disease, diabetes or lupus. This may result in switching to an anti-inflamitory diet and/or drugs to reduce inflammation and suppress your immune system, such as prednisone.

According to The American Hair Loss Association you should ask to be tested for the following: 

*Hormone levels (DHEAs, testosterone, androstenedione, prolactin, follicular stimulating hormone, and *leutinizing hormone)

*Serum iron

*Serum ferritin

*Total iron binding capacity (TIBC)

*Thyroid stimulating hormone (T3, T4, TSH)

*VDRL (a screening test for syphilis)

*Complete blood count (CBC)

Some other things to take a look at are:

Family history. Your risk of hair loss increases if relatives on either side of your family have experienced hair loss.

Hair treatments. Overuse or improper use of hair-coloring products, hair straighteners and permanent waves can leave your hair brittle and prone to breaking off at the scalp. Excessive hairstyling or hairstyles that pull your hair too tightly cause traction alopecia.

Poor nutrition. Your hair may thin out if you skimp on good dietary sources of iron and protein, such as red meat, nonfat dairy products and iron-fortified cereal. Hair loss related to poor nutrition often accompanies eating disorders and crash dieting.

Oral contraceptives. Some birth control pills can raise or lower hormones that affect hair loss.

Hair loss can also be caused by drugs used to treat:

*Cancer

*Arthritis

*Depression

*Heart problems

*High blood pressure

So now that we have all the medical stuff out of the way, let’s talk about cosmetic treatments.  Of course there is minoxidil, a topical product, and hairpieces, but an even simpler solution is a topical powder dusted onto your scalp that matches your hair color.  This gives the illusion of a full head of hair.  It’s really no different than filling in your eyebrows and it doesn’t cause further damage to your existing hair!  Another more permanent method would be to contact a cosmetic tattooist.  They tattoo small dots on you scalp to resemble the look of hair growing out of your hair follicle.  I can recommend my personal favorite cosmetic tattooist; Linda Clarke in Hillsboro at (503) 648-6878.  And if you would like to come in to Ritual Hair Design, I have some Eclipse Instant Hair Filler I can try on you or we can talk about hair extensions!

Sea Salt Spray

                I have very fine hair, lots of it, but very fine. Those of you who are like me know what comes with fine hair; the fluffiness, the fly-a-ways, the easily broken strands that cause that breakage layer at the ponytail line are all constants that must be dealt with regularly. As a guy I was able to avoid these burdens for a long time, but alas I am growing my locks out again and am running into these all too familiar problems again.

                These issues became the catalyst that began my search for a product that might combat the fluff. I am getting more and more pressure to flaunt my locks at work, as a stylist I should showcase my ability to be stylish, instead of hiding my mass of fluff under an extensive collection of hats, therefore, I needed a product that would not weigh my light and fluffy hair down, but would also control it and keep me from looking ridiculous. A while back the salon got a few new Session Series products from Catwalk to try, one of them being a salt spray. Other product lines call it an ocean spray, sea salt spray, or beach spray…but a rose is still a rose right?

                This product does a great job of making my hair feel coarse and thick, even dirty; just as if I had spent the day swimming in the ocean.  This may not sound all that good, but trust me it is. By making the hair coarse, it is less fluffy and has less fly-a-ways. By making it feel thick, it makes it appear fuller and more stiff so it doesn’t fall flat and has more volume. As for the dirty…well that just means you can still tell there is product in the hair, but I am willing to deal with that since it makes it more of a full styled look as opposed to a dried dandelion head in the wind. It works best if you blow dry right after spraying, and remember this product alters the texture of the hair from smooth and flat to course and full, and though it has a bit of a hold quality, some hair spray may be needed once you get your hair the way you want it.  

Color Has Arrived at Ritual Hair Design!

Color Has Arrived at Ritual Hair Design!

Bright colors are hot!  You see them everywhere.  Go ahead, take a look around.  Celebrities are going bold and chances are you will see both teens and moms alike with a fun streak of color in their hair.  Especially here in Oregon where grey is the prevailing color in the sky for 8 months of the year.

          Commitment-Free Color!

Permanent hair color is great but it’s not easy to get those fun bright and pastel colors on just everyone. Achieving bright colors, on dark hair for example, can be damaging.  They also tend to be high maintenance.  Here at Ritual, we have custom colored hair extensions that take just a few minutes to put in!  No commitment or damage needed!

Prices start at just $18 for 3 pieces, or $25 for 5 pieces.

So if you have a tween that has been begging you to let her put color in her hair; you can finally say yes.  Better yet, you can both get some!  You’re welcome.

Dry Shampoo- Get Some!

I love, love, love dry shampoo! Ask any other stylist and they will probably back me up on this. It’s one of three products EVERY woman should own and use. Never heard of it? Not sure how to use it?  Well, that’s about to change.

What is dry shampoo?

It’s a powdery spray that absorbs oil and refreshes hair.  I don’t know about you but I have oily skin. Throughout the day that oil migrates into my hair and by nightfall I look like an LA County Sheriff’s Department mug shot of Lindsay Lohan.

Why is dry shampoo so marvelous?

Dry shampoo not only absorbs oil, it ads texture, volume, can improve the health of your hair, and even hide grow-out on blondes!  Wait a minute! Dry shampoo can improve the health of your hair? Yep! After years of over-washing my hair, in an attempt to win a never ending war on my over productive oil glands, I discovered this miracle product. I now wash my hair every other day at most and have seen a lot less breakage.  I have actually been able to grow my hair out while using bleach!  Now this doesn’t mean you should stop showering...  Please keep doing that every day. Thank you.

How do I use this powdery awesomeness?

Easy!

1.       Lift your hair up and away from your scalp using the fingers of your less dominant hand.  I usually concentrate on the area close to my face.  

2.       In short bursts, spray the dry shampoo at the roots of your hair and scalp.

3.       Massage the spray into the scalp. Just like you would if you were using real shampoo.

4.       Brush through with a hairbrush.

5.       Style like you normally would.

6.       Go show off your fabulous hair!

(Post By Lindi)