Brunettes are Easier... And other professional insight

Sam Villa, Education Artistic Director for Redken 5th Avenue, suggests the following tip for controlling wayward strands:

Spray a makeup powder brush with Redken vinyl glam 02 mega shine spray and gently brush the top layer of hair from roots to ends to smooth hair, add gloss and tame frizz. Make sure to concentrate on the hairline which can tend to have shorter, finer pieces of hair.

Krista Beahm, stylist at patrick mcivor color studio, explains how to get Soft Waves with a Center Part:

· Clip up top half of hair

· Divide bottom half of hair into three sections and spray with Matrix Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-in Control Protective Dry Mist

· Wrap hair around a 1½ inch curling iron, count five seconds and let the hair drop out of iron (repeat on all three sections)

· Take down the top section and divide into three parts. Only wrap hair about half way down the strand - this will give the look of loose relaxed hair.

· For the center part, make a messy middle line (not a perfect straight line), to compliment the casualness of the waves

Colorists from patrick mcivor color studio explain why Brunettes Are Easier:

“Brunette hair is definitely easier to manage. A brunette can get highlights a couple times a year, and with the proper maintenance, they can look shiny and vibrant for a long time because the new growth area blends more gracefully. Blondes are a whole other story. A blonde with a natural color that is a couple levels darker than highlights (most blondes), will show contrast much sooner and will need to be on a more consistent touchup schedule. Blondes also tend to oxidize in the sun very easily increasing the need for toning and glazing on a regular basis,” explains Lisa Grealish.

“Brunette hair typically requires less maintenance…since the number of natural blondes is dwindling. We colorists are working toward a new concept - providing guests with haircolor that doesn't enslave them. Softer, more natural base colors with off base "endlights" instead of massive highlights allows more time between services and less overall time at the salon – something everyone from moms to celebs appreciate,” says Amanda Lenz.

Emily West explains, “It depends on the natural color of the hair. Obviously, on naturally dark hair, darker colors/highlights will be easier to take care of. Highlights that contrast with natural color and are not tone on tone, will definitely require more upkeep because new growth will appear faster. I believe people look best with the color they are born with, accented with tone on tone color.”

Thanks to Suzanne Quinn of Glow Communications for the great post title line.