Springtime creates change

Part 42 in a series by Karen A. Stevenson, President, Studio K Salon

Ahhhh, springtime.  Flowers are blooming, air is warming, and the horrifying thought of wearing a bathing suit on the beach is starting to mount.  The frustration that you’ve ‘let it all hang out’ through the winter months, gladly hiding the multitude of sins is now haunting your every trip in front of the mirror.  Now what?  Without a doubt, the summer months are dawning. 

‘Tis the season where women tend to get frenzied about their appearance.  We see it at the salon annually beginning around March.  Women tend to take out their frustrations of their overall appearance on their hair.  “Change the cut!” “Can we go lighter with the color?” and “This just isn’t working for me anymore!” Are frequent comments once the weather breaks. 

It’s not your hair’s fault.  Matter of fact, it’s usually the rut of winter months that create the frustration of spring.  After all, we hide in our overly layered clothes, we hibernate in the early darkened evening.  We eat comfort food all winter long as the fireplace is blazing,  and continue our holiday food frenzy because we’ve embraced all the comforts of living like a hermit. 

Women usually tend to color their hair darker beginning in the fall, with deeper, warmer tones because they seem appealing after a hot blazing summer.  It is a welcomed change to create richer, more intense looking hair.  It’s time to kiss the sunshine created highlights goodbye, and start complimenting our heavier clothes for the cooler months. 

Given that in mind, it seems only normal that in the spring women desire the bronzed look in their skin, the lighter colors to brighten their tans, and the sharper, freer ‘beach’ hair. Fun, perky, zingy, easier, uplifting, brighter, are just a few of the words women use to describe what they want once the sun breaks out for the season.

Summer hair needs to be low maintenance.  Thank goodness, hairstyles with strong texture are ‘in’.  The more texture in your hair, the more awesome it looks!  No more need in trying to overly smooth out your hair.  Better to have your hairstyle look like it’s two days old!  (But still clean, mind you…)   Most of these springtime styles are achieved with a texture cut, and a great line of products!

What would we do without hair products?  There are products to help blow dry volume into the hair, products to help straighten, products to separate, lift, control frizzies.  Products for locking color in, products to block the sun damage out,  permed hair products, products to keep chlorine out.  Products to strip the green cast of chlorine from blondes, products to help get the yellow out of white hair.  You name it there are products for just about everything!   There are products at the supermarket, there are products at the drugstore, and there are salon quality products at the drugstore that are or are not black-marketed by the manufacturer.  There are wanna-be name brand products that are made in the likes of salon quality products, there are cheaper products, more expensive products, and to be honest, it is certainly more than confusing what products are right for YOU. 

Your hair certainly needs the right products for you to achieve the hairstyle you are hoping for.  With out them, you might as well row up a river without a paddle.  You will only become frustrated, and realize that the hairstyle you wanted is unachievable unless you go to the stylist each morning or hire yourself a personal image consultant to style your hair before you go to work. 

When you go to your stylist this spring, take hair pictures.  Go early and look through the hairstyle books they have in the receptionist area.  Talk to your designer about what you do and don’t like about your current style.  See if they understand your concerns.  Have your stylist take the time to consult with you about your style, your color, your lifestyle.  Your stylist certainly should know if the hairstyles you are looking at are achievable for your hair or not.  Be honest and direct with your stylist.  Let them know what is going on with your hair.  They will never know if you don’t tell them. 

The biggest mountain that I see coming into a hair salon is a person that wants a change with their hair and is afraid to get out of their box enough to try the new style.  Let your designer offer you a few different alternatives to your current style and you can choose from his or her option.  Weigh out your options that are wearable with your lifestyle and your image goal.  Don’t be afraid to make a change.  Designers with a good eye can certainly help you ascertain what styles would look best on your face. 

At our salon, each designer is fully trained to offer alternative looks for your hair.  They consider many facets of your life in order to make that analysis.  You are welcome to ask any designer what they think would be great alternatives.  Once a style is agreed upon, ask the stylist to show you exactly how to style your hair.  What products are being used.  What blow-drying techniques are necessary.   Don’t be shy or intimidated.  That is your stylists’ job.