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Are Hairstylists Essential Workers?

After being forced to shutdown for seven weeks because of Covid-19, I began to wonder what an “essential worker” was. Apparently, the government had decided that I and my staff were not essential. It seems, however, that our clients felt differently.
I was grateful when we were allowed to return to work and see our curly clients again. I was surprised, however, by how desperate many of them were to see us. I heard story after story of how they had tried to cut and color their own hair during the lockdown. Some had taken their household scissors and began snipping curls here and there. Only a little bit of fixing was needed for these people. Others had attempted to give themselves a complete haircut, and this usually required more work to correct.
One of my clients who had tried cutting her own hair said she thought she looked like a “homeless poodle”. “Please help me reenter the human race,” she begged.
Another woman tried to give herself a Deva Cut, but her hair ended up looking like an inspiring design for a skateboard park.
One woman convinced her husband to cut her wavy hair into an A-Line bob. Needless to say, it did not turn out as she had hoped. Her hair looked like a bumpy ski slope.
Some of my clients asked me to send them hair color and then they enlisted their roommate or significant other to apply the color for them. These people were usually satisfied with the results. Others experimented with coloring their hair using seemingly innocent products such as henna or box color that they had purchased in a supermarket. Fixing these color disasters usually took more than one appointment.
Our pandemic era meaning of “essential work” refers to work that’s needed to meet basic human needs and safety during the shelter in place order. In my conversations with my clients, I was amazed by the suffering that many of them had experienced when they were unhappy with how their hair looked. It occurred to me that being happy with one’s appearance is a basic human need. The amount of gratitude and relief that my clients expressed after I had done their hair again was humbling. It made me realize that we hairstylists are providing a valuable service and are in fact satisfying basic human needs. Hairstylists, it seems to me, are essential workers.

Tips For Safely Coloring Curly Hair

Color has the ability to spice up your curls by adding dimension and interest to curly hair. Curly hair absorbs more light than straight hair because straight hair presents a flat surface for light to reflect off of, whereas curly hair disperses light and therefore appears darker. Also, due to the fact that the cuticle layer on curly hair is raised more than it is on straight hair, curly hair isn’t as shiny as straight hair. Dimensional color can be very beautiful in curly hair because it reflects light throughout the hair. Also, curly girls who want their hair to look thicker will find that dimensional color creates the illusion of fuller hair.

When done by a professional colorist, color can be beneficial to the health and shine of your curly hair. But if done improperly, hair coloring can be hazardous to curly textures because curly hair is naturally drier and more fragile than other hair types and can react negatively to the chemicals in hair color. Read on for pro tips on how to get stunning hair color without compromising your hair’s health no matter what your curl type is.

Know Your Options

Depending on your curl type and condition, hair color that is high in chemical content, like a permanent formula, can dehydrate and damage your hair. Especially if applied repeatedly, the ammonia in permanent hair color can deplete curls of moisture and nourishment. Hair color experts agree that unless you need the strength of permanent color to change the level or tone of your hair, or if you are covering pigment-free grays, then it is better to opt for a semi-permanent or demi-permanent color. These types of hair color are less dehydrating, and if the semi or demi-permanent color selected is a professional brand, the hair color will actually coat the surface of the hair, smooth down the cuticle and leave curls glossy, bouncy and more nourished.

Expert Tip

Never use permanent hair color throughout the mid-lengths and ends of curls. Instead, opt for a demi-permanent or gloss color to achieve the desired look.

Always Go Pro

Coloring curly hair requires expert care. Visit a professional hair colorist to get your color correct from the start. This is no time for DIY, especially when going lighter. The inherent fragility and dryness of curly hair make it essential to choose the right salon professional and professional product to bring out the best in your curls. Professional color products are designed to enhance hair health, protect strands from UV exposure and bring out the shine. Your experience with a colorist should include a consultation about your choices, what it requires to get the shade you want, and how to maintain it between visits.

Expert Tip

Three days before you color, give your hair a boost with a deep conditioning treatment like Ouidad Deep Treatment Curl Restoration Therapy or DevaCurl Heaven In Hair. These deep conditioning treatments will infuse your curls with essential proteins, amino acids and moisturizing humectants which will improve your hair’s ability to retain hair color and moisture.

Handle With Care

All hair types get a little dryer once color is introduced, so those with curly hair have to be especially mindful of combating the drying effects of a new hue. Parched hair only leads to dull color and no one wants that. One way to boost moisture levels in colored strands is to rehydrate with top-notch products. Try Ouidad Color Sense Color-Preserving Shampoo and Conditioner. They contain a protective Color Lock complex of broad spectrum, plant-based sun filters which help affix color to the hair fibers and prevent fading due to UV exposure and styling. The shampoo also removes mineral deposits and build-up that can lead to premature stripping of color for healthy-looking, radiant curls. Plus, a good hydrating conditioner or deep treatment designed to work with colored curly hair will rebuild and strengthen strands so curls hold color longer.

When done correctly by a talented hair colorist, hair color can make your curls look more beautiful than ever.

Is your naturally curly hair colored? How do you maintain it?

Balayage vs. Pintura Highlighting For Curly Hair

Two of my favorite methods for highlighting naturally curly hair are balayage and pintura. In this post, I will explain the difference between these two hair coloring methods and offer my opinion on which technique works best for different curl types.

Balayage Highlighting

The history of Balayage

Balayage was created by the French in the 1970’s and has been slowly gaining popularity in the U.S. It is a hair highlighting method that creates the beautiful natural sun-kissed looks preferred by Hollywood starlets and Victoria Secret models. With both the Balayage and Pintura highlighting techniques, the hair appears darker near the roots and lighter on the ends as if the hair has been exposed to the sun for a few months.

How the Balayage Highlighting Method works

I took a class in Balayage offered by the L’Oreal Soho Professional Academy. The teacher was Min Kim, who has been one of Nancy Braun’s assistant. Min Kim and Nancy Braun are widely recognized as experts in the Balayage technique. As taught by Min Kim, when performing Balayage, a stylist applies lightener by first sweeping it onto the mid-shaft of the hair, then blending it lightly toward the roots and heavily onto the ends. This causes a slight lightening of the roots and more intense lighting of the ends. This is particularly important along the front hairline and along both sides of the part. It takes practice to do it well, but when it is done by an experienced colorist, the effect is gorgeous.

Pintura Highlighting

A little background on Pintura

I studied Pintura highlighting at the DevaCurl Academy in NYC, where I took a class with Dennis Da Silva, the cofounder of DevaCurl. As far as I know, Dennis created the Pintura technique. Dennis is Brazilian and “pintura” means “painting” in Brazilian.

How the Pintura Highlighting Method works

In Pintura highlighting, the lightener is painted onto the hair, however, it is applied first at the roots rather than at the mid-shaft. Also, more lightener is deposited at the roots than is done in Balayage. This creates lighter roots. In order to mimic the natural lightening of the sun, even more lightener is applied to the mid-shaft and ends of the hair than is applied to the roots. This is the same in both Balayage and Pintura.

How to Choose

The question remains, when is Pintura better than Balayage and vice versa?

The answer lies in the size of the curl.

Tightly curly hair such as fractal, corkscrew, botticelli, and corkicelli diffuses more light than loosely wavy hair. This is because the tighter curl creates a surface that reflects light in different directions and thereby diffuses the light and makes the hair appear darker.

For this reason, it is best to use the Pintura technique on tighter curls because the highlights need to be brighter in order to be seen. In the case of looser curls, such as wavy and swavy hair, the hair has greater light reflection, and therefore the Balayage technique looks better.

What questions do you have on Balayage and Pintura? Have you tried a special coloring method on your naturally curly hair?