Many times, as a 30 Year Veteran Hairstylist, I get asked “How come, I’m not able to duplicate My hair on Myself, at home, what You (Hairstylist) do at the Salon?” Well, then I go into my series of questioning about the steps or procedures My Client takes to perform his or her tasks when styling the hair. Usually what I find is that there are missing elements of how to produce such a style at home because there are missing tools and techniques.

Like many things in Life, there are building blocks to get to a final outcome.

When building a home, there is a foundation, floors, walls, ceilings and finally a roof. Without the foundation, the ceiling and roof will never happen. The same is with creating foods, putting on makeup, or hair designs. All major projects begin with a base or a single idea and then progress toward the outcome moving forward.

Hair Designs are definitely no different. There isn’t one magnificent hair style that has been created with just water alone and then left to dry. The design is in the molding of the hair into a desired shape that is “set” into place. This usually requires a type of hair product in order for the hair to be molded, polished into shape and set into place in order for the design to have lasting staying power while closing the cuticle layer of the hair shaft to give an appearance of healthy, glowing hair.

There are 5 Elements to preparing and building a Long Lasting Hair Design:

1) Priming or Preparing – Cleaning, Healing, Filling, Therapying, Rebalancing the hair

* Cleaning is obvious for Shampoo and Conditioner, however, sometimes the hair needs filling with Special Therapies to Fill the hair ends, Repair the Moisture Balance & Rebalance the Porosity in weaker areas of the hair.

* Porosity is when the hair has been broken down with heat, wear & tear and some parts of the hair are highly absorbent and some parts of the hair are not as absorbent. Weaker hair will be empty of the structure (keratin, moisture, lipids). Fragile hair has open cuticle layers on the hair shaft and will be more susceptible to absorbing more chemicals feeling weak mostly at the ends (older hair) and may have a tendency to break. Therefore, keeping an even Porosity throughout the hair with moisture, lipids and protein help to strengthen and rebalance the hair with quality Restorative Products.

* Fragile broken hair cannot be fully repaired. It would be better to trim or cut any really damaged hair for the hair to have proper luster and vitality again. Traumatized hair can only be Therapied with Quality Restorative Products to Fill & Re-Balance the Damaged Hair to give an artificial visual appearance of healthiness. “Fill It Up or Cut It Off” is the Motto!

2) Styling or Molding – Shaping or Forming with Tools on Wet Hair, Types of Product Tools & Equipment Tools, Longest lasting Style.

* Styling the hair IS Molding, Shaping, Forming the hair using Professional Hair Products to take the Hair from Wet to Dry using a Round Brush, Paddle Brush, Diffusing Curl, or using Rollers with a dryer. This will close the Cuticle Down on the Hair Shaft & give the hair a smooth appearance. Once the hair is completely dry, the Hydrogen bonds in the hair have gone from Pliable to Firm and therefore, the dried style will stay maintained until washed or reactivated with moisture or water.

* The Cuticle of the Hair Shaft on each strand of hair is similar to the shingles on a roof. The cuticle layer (shingle) points downward on each strand laying on top of each other from the top of the strand (newer hair) at the scalp to the bottom of the strand towards the ends (older hair).

* This Stage of HairStyling, besides giving the Hair its needed Therapy in the Priming Stage, is one of the most Important steps to creating a Beautiful Hair Style

* Air-dried hair, unless it is very short does not provide the best possible long lasting Style

3) Thermalizing or Heat Protecting – Heating with Tools to Mold, Form or Shape on dry hair.

* Flat Irons and Curling Irons as well as the Blow Dryers administer heat to the hair to help Form and Re-Structure the Shape of the hair. Thermal Protection Hair Products protect the hair shaft from persistent repetitive heat application to the hair

* Thermal Protection Hair Product Tools not only Protect the hair from Heat but will also Hold and Set the New Form/Shape/Structure into place. Many Quality Professional Hair Products will provide a Trifecta – Heat Protection, Setting in the New Shape & Provide Shine all at once

4) Texturizing or Enhancing – Creating Essence in the Design on dry hair with Product Tools to create Separation, Piecey-ness, added Shine, Movement or Pizazz.

* Texturizing or Enhancing the Newly Formed/Shaped dried hair design is not Essential, however, it provides extra Pizzazz, Vavoom, and Edginess to the hair. The Priming (Step 1), Styling (Step 2) and Thermalizing (Step 3 – if using heat) Steps are mandatory for an excellent Style

* The Texturizing Step is to take the Finished Hair Design 1 level further to make the hair appear Unique or Fashion Forward. Many Women with longer hair may avoid this step, however, many men prefer this step with Texturizing Cremes, Pomades or Tacky Products to create Polish, Control, Spikiness, Stiffness and/or Piecey-ness

5) Finishing or Finalizing – Locking in the Finished Design for lasting staying power without the hair feeling sticky or looking like a helmet.

* Finishing and Finalizing the hair is used to Lock in the Finished Hair Design

* The Hairspray is not a Professional Tool designed to be the “Be All, Do All” Hair Product. The hair in this stage is already complete and a few bursts of hairspray to hold the desired shape is all that is necessary to maintain the Hair Design throughout the Day and even throughout the week depending on how often one washes his/her hair. Many Hairsprays are humidity resistant protecting the hair from spoils of reverting to the original/natural hair texture

* Hairspray is NOT a Styling Product to be used on wet hair, NOT a Thermal Protecting Product to protect the hair from heat damage, NOT a Texturizing Product to create Piecey-ness or Separation without Stiffness. Hairspray with a few (I mean few) short bursts is what holds the touch-able style in place providing humidity resistance and shine.

Well, that’s IT! Now let’s Beautify America and do Our Hair for Ourselves & For Who Looks at Us too!

I Promise It will Cheer You Up as You bring Your Best to the World and will even get You a Sweet Compliment Now & Then! Now, Who doesn’t Love a Great Compliment?