Robin, Natural Brunette
When Robin first came to me, her heavily highlighted hair was almost all blonde. It was pretty, but she was seeing roots at 4 weeks and wasn’t making it to the salon but every 6 or 8 weeks. Life happens. Robin is busy taking over the world, networking and generally being awesome. This left little time for color touch ups. She wanted to gradually go back to her natural color, while still covering a few grays. “I don’t want people to look at me and know I got my color done.” Reasonable request. I gradually did away with the excess blonde by painting a demi- permanent color throughout her hair, leaving less and less blonde over a series of visits, ending with just a few face framing tendrils exposed.
When rinsing, I “smushed” the color around, which toned down the lighter pieces while still leaving a good deal of dimension. Robin is in and out all day seeing clients, and the sun exposure is actually to her advantage, causing a slight bit of fading between visits that just leaves her hair with a soft sun-kissed look at the ends. I opt to leave a few of these pieces exposed when I refresh her color. This gives her hair continuous dimension without the additional damage, time or cost of highlighting.
Robin uses a high quality sulfate free shampoo like L’Oreal Delicate Color, Ouidad Climate Control, or sometimes even Ouidad Curl Quencher shampoo, which does contain sulfates but we’ve found that her hair likes this in the rotation. She leaves in a little conditioner and always adds Ouidad Moisture Lock before applying a little Climate Control Gel before she’s out the door. Her curls stay in their best shape with just a light trim at each visit instead of a “bigger” cut less frequently.
I know that even if I’d like to see Robin in 6 weeks, it realistically might be eight weeks until her schedule allows her back. The process we’ve developed tailored to her needs can hold up if necessary. (I know you’re reading this, Robin and I know you’ve been good lately, I just need to make my point”> Really listening to my clients — understanding what they put their curls through each day, their lifestyle, activities and the amount of time they are willing to and the time they actually have to devote to their curls — enables me to develop personalized product prescriptions, services and styling advice that will really work for them.
Final Thoughts
All of these women have 3 things in common:
- They’re awesome.
- They have great curls that stay looking great in between visits.
- (whisper this aloud”> They all did what I told them to do. Wink.
These women only did what I told them to do because I took the time to find a routine that fit their lifestyle and their budget. No two curls are the same and no two clients will have the exact same needs.
Ask your stylist to work with you to create a customized plan to keep your curls and color looking their best. Minimalist to diva, it can be done.
It’s not too late to send in your RSVP for the Curly Pool Party!
