The balayage highlighting technique is referred to in many different ways and many designers claim to know the technique.  But at Michael's Salon and Spa, our designers are trained by a Balayage expert, Master Designer and Hair Colorist Jodi Schuh.  Jodi mastered the balayage technique at the Jacques Dessange Training Salon in Paris. Jodi says she loves the balayage hair color technique because it is natural-looking and very different  from traditional foil highlights.  With Balayage your colorist will actually "paint" the highlights into your hair. This gives your designer more creative control over the intensity and amount of highlights  in your style.    An added benefit, as your hair grows out the roots are more subtle than with foils.




Jodi recently conducted a balayage training class to certify more of Michael's talented hair colorists on this exciting technique. Designers go though several classes performing the technique on mannequins and actual models before they can provide the service  to  Michael's clients. This ensures that our stylists have practiced and mastered the technique, to provide the best possible hair color results every time.

This training is just one part of Michael's continuing education program for our staff. We offer many classes throughout the year to ensure that all of our stylists  stay up-to-date on current fashions and trends.

You've been hearing about the "Bronde" hair color trend for awhile now in the big publications (Glamour, Cosmo, Stylelist, etc.) - think Jennifer Aniston, Gisele Bündchen and 90% of Victoria's Secret models - but do you know the best way to get the look?


Balayage is the highlighting technique used to "paint" on highlights to achieve the natural-looking, sun-kissed highlights of the bronde look. Michael's designers studied this technique from the masters at Jacques Dessange in Paris and brought it back here to Dayton to train the rest of Michael's talented stylists.

We love the balayage hair color technique because it's a natural-looking alternative to traditional foil highlights. The stylist has complete control of the placement and intensity of the highlights.

What do you think of the bronde look? Is balayage a highlight technique you would like to try?

While perusing online, we found some beauty words of wisdom that we couldn't wait to share. This wisdom comes from Lucky magazine's article 10 essential beauty tips. Check out the entire article for great beauty advice for women of any age. Here are the 2 nuggets of wisdom to keep in mind at your next visit to the beauty salon:

7. The hairstylist/aesthetician/manicurist who spends her time trashing the job the last person did on you is the hairstylist/aesthetician/manicurist you need to replace, stat. Truly talented people focus on bringing out the best in you, not telling you what's wrong with you.
Sally Hershberger ain't cheap, but a cut with her is better than any outfit.

and

9. You wear your haircut every day, so think about that when agonizing over the price: You. Wear it. Every. Day. So it could cost more than your shoes and that would still be a reasonable thing.

What do you think? Have you spent more on your haircut than your shoes? What's the ROI (return on investment) of your new stiletto boots vs. a cut and color with a Michael's designer?

Once again, Michael's Salon was on a quest to beautify the people in the Dayton area. This time, we were looking for teachers who were ready to make a major change to their appearance. Teachers could either nominate themselves or someone else. The winners not only got their hair cut, colored, processed and styled by our hair designers, but our makeup artists were overseen by one of the top makeup artists in the country! Below are the two winners and their before & after photos!

The first winner was Caron Barks. Because of her busy schedule she could not seem to find time for herself. She found this as a great opportunity to make a change and nominated herself for the teacher make-over.





Ruth Sutton was the second winner. She is a regular at Michael's Salon and has been going to Sheena for over four years. After seeing the advertisement for the make-over, she nominated herself because she noticed she was in need of a change.

Yes, Salon City Magazine selected Dayton's premiere salon and spa number 9 on their HOT 100 Salons in America!

As we prepared for our quarterly photo shoot, our team discussed what works and what doesn't. The fashion magazines all display images of young, beautiful models with hair that is NOT wearable for the average woman. Could you imagine getting ready to drop your kids off at school, or heading to the office - but first taking hours and hours to style your hair like this?

Image by Intercoiffure

This is a fantastic image, but it doesn't fit the lifestyles of most of our clientele. We want to inspire our guests to try new looks, but each person needs to be able to envision the look on him/herself.

For our May photo shoot, instead of having our designers or Michael select models, we asked our clientele. We sent out emails and asked for submissions on Facebook and Twitter:

Michael's is looking for real women over 40 to be a part of our upcoming makeover photo shoot. We're asking you to nominate yourself, or a woman you know who would be willing to make a major change.

We received more feedback from this online contest than any previous online contest. It was very difficult to select the winners, but we narrowed the field down to six. These brave women put their trust in Michael's talented staff to design their new look. 

Before and After Photos:

Our designers went above and beyond just cut and color to empower each woman to discover the best version of herself. Click the names below to see more pictures and to learn about each makeover:

We absolutely LOVE it when clients take time to offer us feedback on their experiences at Michael's. Good or bad, we want to know what you think (of course we love the good, but if we can make your experience better in some way, please let us know). On the left side of Michael's website is a 'Share your experience' box that goes to our general manager. It's like having her direct phone extension.

Here is a recent comment from an out-of-town visitor:

Not from Dayton, but was there this weekend and decided, on a whim, that I wanted a haircut...called in to make an appt and said that my only requirement was awesome bangs.  I was scheduled w/ Tasha and I can honestly say I don't think I've had a better haircut ever before.  My bangs were spot on and she was incredibly friendly and down to earth...seriously bummed that I live 2 hours away!! 
-Name withheld

Are you noticing that your hair isn't as shiny and healthy as it was ten years ago? It's true, with age comes hair that is drier, breaks easily and lacks body and shine.
The recent issue (May 2010) of More magazine tackled this problem in an article titled "Ch-Ch-Changes!" More offered up a six week plan to bring back the silky texture we all love. Here are some highlights from the article, with tips from Michael's included (direct quotes from More in italics). Update (5/26/10) More's article on tips for aging hair is now available on their website. Disclosure: All product recommendations in this blog are by Michael's professionals:

Trim, then tame
Visit your stylist to get rid of damaged ends, then explore conditioning treatments. "Nearly every stylist we spoke to said for the most dramatic results, you can't beat an in-salon keratin treatment."

We've blogged about keratin treatments several times, but the treatment infuses keratin into your hair follicles to promote healing, block humidity, and prevent environmental toxins from entering the hair. It leaves hair smooth, frizz-free and manageable.

Give your do some downtime
After a keratin treatment, you should not wash your hair for 72 hours to allow the treatment to soak in. When you do wash your hair, use a sodium-free shampoo like Keratin Care. Salt will strip your hair of chemical treatments, which means your keratin, or color process for that matter, won't last as long.

Also, skip a day or two from shampoo. Your hair produces natural oils which help keep it moisturized. If you must, rinse your hair in luke warm water, and use a small amount of conditioner just on the ends.
**Personal note: Jodi talked me into shampooing every other day, and I'm finally able to keep red color in my hair, after many attempts that faded quickly. And as an added bonus, my shampoo and conditioner last twice as long!

Finally, go easy on the heat. When you do rinse or shampoo, use luke warm water, not hot water. When you blow dry or flat iron, use a thermal protectant like Iron It by Michael's, Aquage Beyond Shine or Trilliant by Sebastian.

Color Care
After taking great care of your hair, you might want to amp up the color a bit. The More article recommends 'Ask your colorist if (s)he can use an oil-based bleach, which processes hair more gently than a traditional bleach." Michael's uses Wella color processes, which are oil-based, and condition your hair as they color.

More magazine is a great resource for 'women of style & substance.' They celebrate women over 40, and offer tips on fashion, beauty, love, careers and more.

What do you think of these tips? Do you have other tips to share? Let us know in the comments!

We've established that professional products are better than store brand products. Now, I would like to tell you about Michael's "Brown Label" products.

This is the only full line of all-natural, gluten free products available in the Dayton area. Not only are the products gluten free, but they are also free of parabens, preservatives and salt, ingredients that can damage your hair follicles, and that are commonly used to dilute products. Michael's line of products are highly concentrated - it takes less product for each use, so one bottle will last much longer!

What's the big deal about gluten-free?
For those who suffer from celiac disease or gluten allergies, ingesting gluten can lead to reactions that range from uncomfortable to downright dangerous. The skin is the largest organ in the body, and it absorbs everything you put on it - even hair products that touch your scalp.  Although it's not very common, severe reactions of gluten allergies have included hair thinning or falling out at an alarming rate. A good rule of thumb is if you can't put gluten IN your body, you shouldn't put gluten ON your body either.

Even if you don't suffer from gluten allergies, Michael's line of products is specially formulated by cosmetic chemist Irma Jobst to protect your hair from damage caused by environmental factors - it protects against sun damage and fading - and from over-styling. Irma (right) was here this morning training our staff on product chemistry.



Are you ready to try our new line of products yet? I understand if you're a little hesitant, so ask your designer at your next appointment. She or he will be able to recommend the products that are best for your individual type of hair. And, here's a good deal to sweeten the pot a little more:

Our short answer: YES

 

Yes salon products are better, and here’s why. Look at the ingredients on your shampoo that you purchase at any retail store. I’m willing to bet that one or more of the following will be the top ingredients: water, salt (sodium chloride or ammonium chloride) or a sulfate.

 

What are these ingredients?

While water is a necessary ingredient, most store brands are highly diluted – to the point that it takes much more product to get the job done. For products that are diluted with high quantities of water, there will be lots of salt. Salt is a thickening agent, so that your product will seem to be of a good consistency. Sulfates, often listed as ammonium laurel sulfate, sodium laurel sulfate, or sodium laureth sulfate, are lathering agents. They make your shampoos or foaming products get bubbly to make you think they’re working. Salon products include these as well, but in smaller amounts, and at gentler doses. Sulfates at high doses are harsh on your hair, especially your hair color.

 

Why are they bad?

If your product is diluted, it will take more of the product to achieve your desired result. Which means that one professional bottle might last longer than 3 or 4 bottles of store products. Multiply the cost of a store product by 4, is it still cheaper than a professional product? Still, why are you spending so much on salt and water?

Salt is very hard on your hair, especially if your hair has been processed. If you are willing to pay 70, 100 or 150 dollars on a process, why would you strip it with cheap products?

 

Professional Recommendations

Of course, not ALL store brand products contain harsh elements, and some professional products do. One of the most important reasons to use professional products is because you can get specific recommendations from a licensed professional. Michael’s designers train with cosmetic chemists and understand what ingredients are in the products we offer. They will recommend the products you need to get the style you are looking for. And the best part – Michael’s guarantees the products we sell. If a product you purchase doesn’t work out for you, bring it back within 30 days and we will be happy to find another product better suited for your needs.

What do you think? Do you use professional products or store brand products? Are you satisfied with your hair's texture? Does your color last as long as you think it should? Let's get a discussion going.

Congrats to the MIX 1077’s morning show hosts Jeff, Kristi & Dave for winning Dayton’s CW’s ‘Life Unexpected’ DJ contest. Jeff Stevens, Kristi Leigh and Dave Alexander won the opportunity to have walk-on roles the show. Our favorite morning show hosts won the contest because more listeners cast their votes for them in CW’s online contest – beating out larger markets in 46 cities. GO Dayton!

At Michael’s Salon and Spa, we are so proud of Jeff, Kristi & Dave that we wanted to offer our services to them so they would look awesome for their big TV appearance. Kristi took us up on our offer and enjoyed a fun day of getting pretty. She started her visit at Michael’s in the spa. After picking the perfect shade of red for her finger and toes, she enjoyed a relaxing manicure and pedicure with nail technician Samantha Schuh. Next, she was off to meet with hair designer Abby Norbeck for color, cut and style. Abby worked with Kristi to select a hair color that work well with her skin tone and eyes. She then cut and styled Kristi’s hair in long layers to add texture and volume. Kristi loved her new do and looks amazing!

Check out the photos of Kristi and her day at Michael’s Salon and Spa.

If you missed the first episode of ‘Life Unexpected’ you can check it out here: http://apps.facebook.com/lifeunexpected/

 

It's How To Tuesday again at Michael's! Do you have problems recreating your salon look at home? Michael's is putting together a new how to video each week to teach you how to style your hair at home. But here's the difference: our designers are demonstrating the styles on themselves!

This week Kinley is demonstrating a great style for the day between shampoos. Most people don't need to wash their hair everyday - by simply rinsing your hair every other day in lukewarm water you can extend the life of your color and keep your hair healthy.

Kinley used TIGI's Dirty Little Secret Dry Shampoo to give her second day hair life and shine. She secured her style with TIGI's Bedhead Masterpiece Shine Hairspray. 

Abby began her career in the beauty industry by attending the Aveda Institute in Cincinnati and became a licensed hair designer in 2006. Abby says she has always loved doing hair from the time she was a little girl. Actually, one of her fondest memories is playing in the beauty shop where her grandmother worked. Yes, her grandmother was also a hair dresser.

Abby loves everything about the beauty industry. She enjoys creative color, highlighting and styling, but her favorite service is hair cutting. She says with so many new styles every cut is different and this keeps her skills fresh. Abby is a very visual person and gets her inspiration from fashion magazines as well as television and films. She’s always seeking out new trends and feels that the media seems to direct the way styles are going.

Abby truly loves being a hair designer and she finds it extremely rewarding. She’s been very successful in her career and her clients love her. She was even chosen to be the on location hair stylist for movie being filmed here in Dayton, Ohio. The movie titled ‘True Nature’ is currently in the final stages of editing and expected to be released in the very near future. The movie stars Carolyn McCormick of ‘Law and Order’ as the leading actress. Abby was the only stylists on the set for 5 straight weeks of filming.

Abby said working on the movie set was a wonderful experience. She was honored and happy about the opportunity. However, she would never consider it as a permanent career because she would miss her friends and clients at Michael’s Salon and Spa.

For more information on the movie 'True Nature' visit www.truenaturethefilm.com

Grab the current issue of Sophisticate's Hairstyle Guide and flip back to the 'Clip & Snip' section. Look closely, and you'll see that Sophisticate's selected several - actually 9 - photos that were submitted by Michael's Salon. Some are older and have been published before, but there are some that haven't been published!

Balayage is an advanced highlighting technique where your designer "paints" the highlights onto your hair. It is NOT traditional foil highlights that you might be accustomed to. Balayage gives your hair a natural "sunkissed" look and is an easy way to add dimension to all-over hair color.

Jodi highlighted Nikki's hair using the Balayage technique in the photos above. Notice that the difference is subtle, but just enough to make Nikki's hair stand out.

What is different about Balayage is that the color solution is "painted" on by your designer. This gives your stylist more control over how much of your hair receives the color. Why is this important? Because, if you weave a strand of hair and put it in a foil with the lightener, you are going to have the same amount of lightened hair throughout the strand.

This means if someone wants to have a lot of blonde color towards the ends, you are going to have a lot of blonde at the roots as well. If the hair ends are thinner you end up with lighter hair at your roots.

Balayage is also great because as it grows out, the roots are more subtle than with foil highlights - no more lines a few inches from your roots telling everyone that it has been a couple of months since your last color treatment!

Master designer Jodi Schuh was trained in this technique in Paris at Jacques Dessange years ago, and she has trained the rest of Michael's staff through our comprehensive continuing education program.

Ask your designer about Balayage highlights at your next appointment!

Our website has a "Share your experience" box for clients to leave feedback on their Michael's experiences. Here are two recent comments we received:

• "I went to Myka for the first time on a friend's recommendation and am SO happy that I did. In one word, she is AMAZING! And I'll definitely be back to see her."

Since we started carrying MoroccanOil products earlier this year, all of the hair designers here at Michael's Salon have been going crazy over how great this product is for your hair. Designer Kat Bissonnette loves it because "it is great for all hair types. Moroccan Oil actually heals and repairs hair with every use, and adds shine to lifeless hair. I love it!!"

We love the product, and now we love the gift box set that MoroccanOil has put together for the holidays.

The box itself is a perfect makeup case, and inside it is stuffed with wonderful MoroccanOil products. The Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner is sulfate-phosphate paraben free and is designed to soothe and repair chemically damaged hair. The Oil Treatment has the unique quality of instant absorption into hair, creating an instant shine and long term conditioning without leaving residue. And the Restorative Hair Mask offers a therapeutic remedy that penetrates deep into the hair to help reconstruct and rebuild, undoing damage done by chemicals and other environmental elements like sun and wind.

We also have a box set for curly hair, which substitutes the Restorative Hair Mask for the Intense Curl Cream. With impressive antioxidant and intensive hydration capabilities, this breakthrough styling product is used to enhance and define curly hair. Repeated use will result in extraordinary hold, shine and protection.

This MoroccanOil gift set is available at Michael's Salon and Spa in Dayton, OH while supplies last.

The entire Michael's Team is excited to be able to support the UD Flyer Cheerleaders. The University of Dayton has a great community, and we are happy to be a part of it.

Along with providing services for the cheerleaders, Michael's staff will wear UD shirts on game days, and will get to attend some games as well.  Go Flyers!

As the premiere hair salon in Dayton Ohio, Michael's Salon is dedicated to continuing education for all designers. In October Michael took his Retail Team to New York City for the annual Intercoiffure Fall Altelier, where they were able to learn new hair trends and styles from the best of the best. Allison, Kristen, Megan, Michelle, and Nikki were impressed and almost overwhelmed by everything they learned over the weekend.

Michael's is proud to be a member of Intercoiffure, which is an exclusive international organization for the best salons and hair stylists. Michael Schuh Jr., owner of Michael's Salon and Spa, has been a member since 1978, and Master Designer Jodi Schuh has been a member since 1993. 

Below is a slideshow of photographs taken by the Retail Team with pictures of them seeing the sights in New York, along with photos of daring hairstyles presented at the show. In addition, there are photographs by Rob Brinson featuring Scott Cole's collection "Post-Modern Jazz." Music by Jay Z feat. Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind."

Moroccan Oil treatment is flying off the shelves at Michael’s Salon and Spa – everyone who tries it, seems to love it. One of the main ingredients in Moroccan oil hair treatment is Argan oil -- and you won’t believe how this amazing oil is harvested. The October issue of DAYSPA Magazine featured an extremely interesting article on the topic, so interesting we just had to share it with you. DAYSPA Magazine’s Trend Watch / Argan Oil October 2009 Every decade or so the beauty industry names a new “liquid gold”. In the 1980’s, it was jojoba oil, a superior moisturizer and surefire wrinkle fighter. The new superstar ingredient claiming the crown has been around for centuries: Argan oil. The difficulty in obtaining this fountain of youth adds to its luxe reputation—and hefty price tag. The oil is produced by the seeds of the Argan tree, which only grows in a 10,000-square-mile region of southwestern Morocco. The seeds must be harvested, shelled, ground, strained and pressed to produce the oil. It can take up to week to yield one liter.

Local goats, however, often complicate matter. The tree-climbing critters excrete the seed after feasting on the Argan fruit. Indigenous Berber women then retrieve the seeds, clean them and put them through the same process. The women rely on sales of this oil as their primary source of income and have formed government-sanctioned co-ops to retain their independence. Argan oil is high in essential fatty acids and vitamin E. It’s safe for all skin types-hydrating for dry, clarifying for oily—and is purported to treat a range of ailments from acne to burns to diaper rash. Moroccans rub it on their skin, hair and scalp; and eat it mixed in salad dressing or spreads. “Argan oil is to this decade what the discovery of extra virgin olive oil was to the early 80’s in America. So there you have it . . . interesting stuff. www.michaelssalon.com

If you want longer, thicker and fuller eyelashes stop by Michael’s Salon and Spa in Dayton, Ohio. Michael’s now carries Revitalash Conditioner and Mascara by Revitalash. Used together, the results are even more stunning.

www.michaelssalon.com

Michael presented designers Nikki Hansen and Dennis Milburn with Rolex watches this morning in recognition of each of their 20 years of service at Michael's. Congratulations Nikki and Dennis!

Nikki Hansen, Michael Schuh, Dennis Milburn www.michaelssalon.com