With many heads to coif, moms sometimes let their own hair care fall off the radar. If this is the year to give your ’do its due, here are some tips from salon experts.
Style Trends
“Curls are very hot,” says David Anderson, part owner and stylist of Edge Salon and Spa in Moorestown, NJ. “Women always want what they can't have, but it's not so true anymore. Women are bringing out their natural curls. Natural is very big.”
Hal Bloss, senior ttylist at Jolie Salon & Day Spa in Blue Bell, PA, agrees that women are looking to emulate the curls of Kim Kardashian or the Victoria Secret blown-out bouncy curl look. He has seen a decline in chemical treatments for straight hair and says chemical-free treatments that make hair smooth and easier to care for are popular. These include:
Brazilian blowout & keratin treatments. These treatments, which withstood some bad press a few years ago related to formaldehyde concerns, straighten hair by sealing it in liquid keratin with a flat iron. They typically last two to three months and are used by woman with very curly, coarse or damaged hair. “Keratin creates a shell-like effect on the hair strand that elevates frizz and damage,” says Milena Dobrikovic, master stylist at Blush Salon in Newtown Square, PA. The result is less time spent styling and smoothing. “I find it best to air dry,” she says.
Power Dose. To restore a healthy, shiny look, many salons offer L'Oreal Professional Power Dose treatments, which add protein. “I swear by the Power Dose,” says mom Sangeetha Sangor of Gwynedd Valley, PA, who gets a treatment with her haircuts. “It keeps the hair stronger, especially if you color, go swimming too often or just haven't taken as careful care.”
Hair masks. Hair masks coat the hair and can also be used to give hair a temporary smoothing boost. Unlike Power Dose treatments, which can only be done in a professional salon, you can find over-the-counter and homemade mask recipes.
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Drew Barrymore sports Obre highlights |
Color Trends
“Highlights are always popular; always will be,” says Bloss, “especially face-framing highlights, which help women stay more youthful.” Other coloring trends that have made their way from Hollywood to the soccer sidelines include:
Ombre highlights. “Deliberate roots” is how Amanda Ortega, owner of Spice Hair Salon in Wilmington, DE, describes this new highlighting trend in which the hair graduates from a darker color at the root to a lighter and blonder color at the ends, resulting in a grown-out look. “Ombre is not as much upkeep,” says Ortega, but she advises using an experienced stylist. “If someone has never done it, I would not go to that person.”
Dobrikovic adds, “Look out for reverse ombre, it's the next big thing.”
Balayage highlights. Balayage, which means “to sweep” in French, offers the ultimate control over color application; the colorist paints highlights onto the hair. Not constrained by the linear pattern that sometimes result form foils, Balayage produces a more scattered look. “It's often done on the crown and around the face to create a natural, sun-kissed look,” says Bloss.
Jo Rizzo is a local freelance writer.
