Navigating a Salon as an Allergy Kid (Survival Guide)

If you ask anyone gluten free about dining out at a particular restaurant, chances are the first part of their recommendation will be if there was any illness/reaction to the food.  Sorry folks, but that issue actually rates as high as if the food was amazing.  Sad but true..

So why do I mention this...going to a salon can be just like a restaurant...Why?

In a salon you can be in contact with gluten from the first shampoo to the final hairspray.  There can be hidden gluten in many of the color and product lines.  My purpose is not to make anyone run from the salon, on the contrary I hope we all can be more informed and prepared.

The unfortunate truth however almost 99% of salons and hairstylists are not prepared to handle us allergy kids.  Sorry I don't have the ability to hop all over the country!

My Guide to Survival:

Consultation - Schedule a consultation with the stylist (although most stylists do not charge for a consultation, please tip them hint hint).  During the consultation, please explain you have allergies and therefore cannot be put at risk of a reaction.  Feel free to discuss color and product lines the salon carries.  Be prepared to take notes and look up the color and product lines yourself. 

Good news - a lot of product lines are now offering gluten free.  Bad news - a lot of hairstylists are not gluten free and do not know that the products they use are or are not safe.  Have you ever been asked if potatoes are gluten free?  Yep, people just do not understand!

Scheduling an Appointment - Please, please, please heed this advice.  Do not make an appointment for a Saturday morning at 10 am and expect a hairstylist (remember non-gluten free) to be able to accommodate the client (gluten free).  I would suggest kindly, make an appointment on a Tuesday or a Wednesday.  Make the appointment during the day and ask the nice phone person to make a note that you are the allergy client.  When there are more things to juggle, it's hard to concentrate on the actual job of coloring hair, or giving the blow dry we are trying flawlessly to finish.  Make sense?

Day of Appointment - Show up a few minutes early, ask the hairstylist if there were any complications with accommodating your allergies.  If they tell you up front the only color that they are able to offer you is Redken (most of Redken is NOT gluten free) then suggest only getting a haircut, or worse case only a blowout.  That way you can see the skills of the stylist and maybe score the best haircut of your life.  There is nothing wrong with having a hair cut hairstylist and a colorist. 


A few more words of advice, to all allergy clients... 

I have to address this...There is a major reason why we will not allow color or products to be brought into the salon.  No color from Whole Foods, no shampoos from your favorite organic line!  Why?  We as professional shampoo triers...(yep, it's a thing) we know how much over the counter products and color are not professional quality. 

We simply do not have the ability to stand behind the work we would be doing and we get very nervous using products that we have not tested.  I am a hair nerd, I test everything, I research, I double check.  Please do not tell me that a box is safe, please trust us, it's not!

Keep researching, researching, researching for yourself....



 

Getting on the Balayage Bandwagon!

What is balayage?  It’s the most innovative look in hair today, it’s a very technical color with natural or purposeful results.  The greatest secret to balayage is longevity, once completed there is no set time limit to adding more.  Save the length, save the time!

My obsession is balayage!  I am always looking for more ways to extend the look of color to reach new heights of modern...from natural beachy blonds, sun kissed brunettes and multidimensional reds, there is a new look for anyone… Did I mention I am obsessed with balayage??? Caramel blond with bright blond? Chocolate with Caramel? Red with Copper?  Oh and did I mention how amazing pink can look with a chocolate base color? I could go on all day!

The process is done at a slower pace than traditional highlights, however it's a long lasting result.  I personally do not have to highlight my hair as often, I normally wait up to three months in between sessions.

The upside to balayage is maintance, pay the larger amount to get your hair done, then see the benefits for months to come.  The downside to balayage, well... I had to think about this.  I don't see many.  I only could think that someone who likes drastic changes every visit may have a hard time with the soft beachy look of a balayage.  And there is an investment for the first session, but results can be lasting. 

Ok so what does it look like?  A little like this.....

Here is a look at what balayage or hand painting looks like, some hairstylists even use a paint brush to do this French technique, it is a longer process than a regular highlight but with the glaze of color, there can be a seamless result between color and highlights...

Here is the results on the same client with the results, Pumpkin Spice anyone?

This before was color that had not been touched in six months, now with new babylights, full balayage and a glaze of caramel...

Several after photos of how soft and fluid balayage can be, three different first time balayage clients that made the leap and have never looked back.

A photo collection would not be complete without a picture of a non traditional color.  This look was achieved with a base color of chocolate with the mid section of turquoise and the ends are a rich inky blue.