FROM THE MASTER ARTISAN, PK'S UNIVERSE, "To Ombré, or NOT to Ombré"

'Ombre'', The French termed hair trend,

is the hottest trend now! This look has been spotted on many A-list Celebrities…but is it right for you? This look is not for everyone..... Remember, trends come and go, so don’t think you need to jump on the bandwagon to be cool! This trend features darker more natural hues at the base with a gradual dyed lightening at the ends.  

A Few Positives:

1) It has a grown out look to begin with, so maintenance can be stretched out past your average time frame (5-6 weeks).   2) You get that sun kissed, summery, beachy, look any season....creating fun dimension and movement at the stroke of the brush at anytime you want!

4 things to consider before taking the plunge into Ombré:

1) Consider your profession and lifestyle

Not every workplace is supportive to the funky, high contrast bold version of this trend.  A more subtle approach is your safest bet, with tones only being 1-3 levels apart.

2) Shades must compliment your skin tone and wardrobe choicesYou can choose 1-3 shade to create the Ombré effect, but the colors must work with your complexion, and not distract from your clothing.

3)The more creative the color choice…the more maintenance required to maintain vibrancy or depth of the color

4) Make sure you see an experienced professional.  An Ombre' can be beautiful, however an Ombre' gone wrong can be a disaster resulting in a bad look, more investment to fix and/or compromising the condition of the hair.

The Paul Kenneth Professionals are well trained to deliver beautiful, rich Ombre' techniques to all types of hair.  www.pksalon.com call or stop in for a quick, complimentary consultation.

The paul kenneth salon and spa, the leading haircoloring salon in greater Boston

"To Ombré, or NOT to Ombré" written by Master Designer, Amy

FROM THE MASTER ARTISAN, PK'S UNIVERSE, "Red, The 'New' Blonde, What 'Red Hot Red' Do You Want To Be?"

Red Hot Thrill

There's nothing natural about Fiona's dramatic red hair, but what's the point of color if you can't have fun with it (especially if you're a rock star)? She nails this supersaturated shade—created with permanent color—without becoming to cartoonish. This permanent shades will only take on those with naturally light hair. "People are attracted to things that make them stop and look," Paul Kenneth says. "And this is absolutely a showstopper."

Coppery Apricot

Emma puts a vibrant, youthful spin on red, perfectly complementing her aqua eyes. "The lighter your eyes are, the brighter you can go," Paul Kenneth Says. Paul Kenneth believes you should always go for the dynamic red.  This Red can be either soft and pretty or sleek and sexy.  Reds definitely are a higher maintenance color.  If  you are fading quickly, make sure to ask your stylist to deep condition your hair or formulate differently at midshaft and ends. These are two of the biggest reasons for fading, condition of hair and incorrectly formulating.

Strawberry Delight

Skin tone is one of the most important factors to consider when going red, says Paul Kenneth. "Kit's skin is fair, and this strawberry blonde shade has just enough red to work with the pink undertones in her skin," he says. This hint of red tends to look prettiest on women with naturally medium to dark blonde hair.

The Paul Kenneth Salon, the leading color salon in greater Boston.

FROM THE MASTER ARTISAN, PK'S UNIVERSE, The Hottest 'Knot' Look For Long Hair?"

Spring 2013 brings in an easy to do and easy to wear updo.  The Looped Updo is what Salon Owner and Celebrity Stylist see as one of the hottest trends of the season!  With the right products just about any guest can create this look at home.  First a guest needs to have hair that is collar bone length or longer.  So this look is reserved for those with longer hair.  To keep long hair strong and shiny, try Long and Strong by Paul Kenneth Professional along with Spa Md Shampoo and Conditioner.  They add extra strengtheners to help prevent split ends and give long hair lots of body.  Next to create The knotted/Looped Updo, start with dry hair.  Part your hair in the center or into a deep side part, another hot trend for this spring.  Squeeze a small amount of Smoothe by Paul Kenneth Professional, a flexible holding hair groom, into your hands and gently work thru dry hair lightly scrunching with your fingertips as you go.  Although this cream is traditionally used to blow dry wet hair, it also works great to create this new spring 

trend.  You don't need to apply a lot, just enough to add the texture you need to achieve this look.  While the product is still slightly damp, work  hair back into a very low ponytail and secure with a hair band.  Next, form the ponytail into a 

small to medium size loop and wrap part of it around the hair band to conceal it.  Pin loosely into place.  This look is supposed to look a bit undone and imperfect.  For a light hold to keep everything in place and to tuck in loose ends, mist on a few pumps of Flexible Hold Spray.  This spray is easy to work with and gives hair more hold as you layer.

paul kenneth salon, the leading color salon in greater Boston

FROM THE MASTER ARTISAN, PK'S UNIVERSE, What Blonde Bombshells Are You?"

BUTTERY BLONDE

Blondes with brown or hazel eyes, like Stacy (similiar to Carrie Underwood), need to build dimension from the roots. "Whatever color the lightest flecks of your eyes are, that should be your base," PK says. Request a quick "base bump" to warm up the roots first, and consider caramel or honey lowlights to bring out your eyes. Otherwise, a color like this could wash you out.

BRONDE

Your mom may have called it "dishwater blonde," but model, Heather (similiar to Taylor Swift's dark blonde), almost brown shade is now the most coveted among our clients.  It's the most natural and the hardest to get," PK says. Ask your colorist for a dark ash blonde base with subtle highlights through the ends and around the top.  "This is definitely on the darker blonde side," PK says.

 

SUN-KISSED STREAKS

Highlights are a great way for brunettes to experiment with going blonde. gently hand-painting on different shades of lightening cream without foil to mimic the effect of the sun. The technique, called balayage, requires skill, so make sure to find a colorist who specializes in it before booking your appointment.

FROM THE MASTER ARTISAN, PK'S UNIVERSE, What Blonde Bombshells Are You?"

 

ROSE GOLD

Taylor (similiar to Blake Lively's warmed-up marigold shade is perfect for transitioning from winter to Spring. Paul Kenneth, Taylors colorist, mixes golden, honey, and apricot hues to create the multidimensional color. He finishes with nearly ivory highlights around the front to brighten her face. Because the lowlights underneath are prone to fading, he recommends frequent conditioning masks, like PK Spa MD, Rich Repair 60-sec Treatment (a favorite among his busy clients).

 

VANILLA BLONDE

If you want to go baby blonde like Michelle (similiar to Michelle Williams), be prepared to make a similarly major commitment. Paul Kenneth recommends touching up roots every three weeks. Ask your colorist for a bright golden hue with pale highlights—and because bleaching the hair this often is damaging, consider keeping your hair short to prevent breakage.

 

BLUSH BLONDE

Even women with very fair skin can pull off blonde hair without appearing washed out—just look at Suzanne (similiar to Emma Stone). The trick is choosing a hue that will add warmth to the cheeks, like this blush blonde. "She has warm tone blonde undertones with flecks of gold highlights all over," Paul Kenneth says. To maintain it, ask for a strawberry toner to use between salon visits. This will fill in the gaps where color has faded and keep hair from looking brassy.

paul kenneth salon, the leading color salon in greater Boston

FROM THE MASTER ARTISAN, PK'S UNIVERSE, Who Are The Experts "

From my firend, Patrick Mcivor......These days, anyone and everyone can pose as an expert, and they do. Do we want a 13-year-old blogger telling women how to use products because we, the actual experts, haven’t gotten around to posting content?  I have news for you, that’s what is happening now, and if you don’t take the time to utilize social networking to promote your business, that 13 year old will pull your business right out from under your feet.
Personalities/brands like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton are also taking a piece of the pie – they recommend products and people buy them – and they are NOT experts in the beauty field, they pay people to do their hair and makeup! They pay us! It’s happening in other industries too – a book recommendation from Oprah a is more powerful than one from the New York Times – she’s not a trained expert, either is the 13 year old girl, but they know how to market themselves as experts and it’s time that the REAL experts make some noise.
Start with Facebook – create a salon page separate from your personal page because professional pages offer valuable analytics about who visited your page and how often.  Professional pages also don’t max out at 5,000 friends – something I found out the hard way.  Having to accumulate those 5,000 again takes time, so do it right the first time.
YouTube is the other way to offer tips and advices to the public. I advise salons to create their own channel, because on YouTube, the more videos you have, the easier you are to find. To increase traffic to your channel, include QR Codes on your retail products and advise clients to scan them with their smart phones to access expert info on how to use the products.
At the very least, utilize Twitter to share quick tips and ideas and let people know what’s going on in the salon and on the road.
Just because we’re hairdressers doesn’t mean we have to shy away from computers like we did in the 80’s. Have fun and take control of your social network. Hey, if a 13 year old can do it, so can we!

Another very powerful tool that my friend did not mention, Pinterest.  This tool allows followers to like several different looks as well as use it as a communication too to discribe for their own style to the hairdresser.

Remember, we are the professionals and it is our responsibility to advise our guests on beauty!


paul kenneth salon, the leading color salon in greater boston

FROM THE MASTER ARTISAN, PK'S UNIVERSE, Happy Valentines Day"

Happy Valentines Day from the Paul Kenneth Salon & Spa!  Make sure you take time to indulge in some pampering today!  Valentines Day is not just for romance between two people…Love YOU!

Come in today and take advantage of some juicy specials… like a fun style and makeup application for only $40! Then you are ready for a night out with some girlfriends, or get pampered with a $10 manicure, style or eyebrow wax!


paul kenneth salon and spa, the leading color salon in greater Boston