We love it when our clients take the time to offer us feedback! Here is a comment that was submitted yesterday in the 'Share your experience' box on our website:

I promised Laura I would give an update, so here it is. Laura gave me the Keratin treatment on Wednesday. She did an excellent job. I loved my hair walking out of the salon. I had to wait three days to wash it. Saturday was the big test. Would I be able to cut my styling time in half??

I am so excited to say that it only took me about ten minutes to style my hair and walk out the door the way I like it. I was absolutely amazed. On top of that, my hair stayed completely straight without any frizz or curl. I am so excited about this treatment, and will do it again next year, just in time for the humid weather to start. Thank you so much to Laura for doing such an amazing job. You rock!!!!!  :) :)
-Name withheld for privacy

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!

Have you noticed how many celebrities have been wearing their locks in wavy curls? Have you tried to style your hair like this at home, just to end up with a tangled, half-curled, half-frizzy, doesn't-look-good-at-all mess? Here comes Myka to the rescue! She wears her hair in curly waves every day, so she took some time to show us exactly how to make your hair look naturally wavy, when it's not:

To style, Myka used products from Aquage and TIGI.

• While her hair was still wet, she used Sea Salt Texturizing Spray from Aquage to add volume, texture and separation to her locks.
  
• Once her hair is dry, she preps her strands with Bed Head Masterpiece shine spray by TIGI.
  
• When curling, Myka takes vertical sections of her hair, and curls by starting mid-shaft,  and working her way down
• She makes sure not to curl the ends, to keep the look loose and natural
• Once she curls the top front sections, she works on the bottom layers around her face, then curls sections in the back
  
• You don't have to curl every strand
• To finish, use a pea-size dollop of Bed Head AfterParty by TIGI to separate strands and add a smooth shine
• Flip head upside down and shake out curls, then use your fingers to separate and shape

What do you think - can you get this look at home? Is there a style or beauty tip you would like to see featured? Let us know, leave a comment here, on Michael's Facebook, or @michaelssalon on Twitter!

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.

Do you suffer from thinning hair? If so, you are not alone. 30 million women in the United States suffer from thinning hair. Laser hair treatments, available here at Michael's in Dayton Ohio, provide hope. This is not just another false claim saying "we can re-grow hair instantly!" For laser hair treatments to be effective, it takes patience and time. The FDA approves this treatment, and studies have shown a 97% success rate in increased hair count after 18 weeks of treatment.  It typically takes one year to achieve ideal results.

The Doctors television show featured this treatment on a segment about thinning hair. This video explains how the laser works:

We've had a lot of questions from clients asking about Axxium manicures. We have written blogs about it, but we thought the best way to explain it would be to show you in a video!

Here is a video featuring Samantha, one of our newest nail technicians, demonstrating the Axxium manicure:


Some key points from the video:

• Plan an hour for this manicure - the process is the same as our regular half-hour manicure, but the polish application takes extra time
• Each coat of polish is cured under a UV light - drying the polish instantly
• At present, Michael's has 14 colors to choose from for an Axxium manicure, as the service becomes more popular, we (and OPI) keep adding more
• Removal of the Axxium gel lacquer polish doesn't damage your nails like other nail enhancements
• Axxium is available for pedicures also!
  

Have you tried the Axxium manicure? What do you think?

Last month, Michael travelled to Chicago to attend America's Beauty Show. In Chicago he found several new products, but one really stood out amidst the sea of wrinkle reducers, moisturizers and skin care products.


Instantly Ageless is a revolutionary cosmeceutical product that works instantly to reverse the signs of aging. The clinically-proven formula is safe and effective, is fragrance free, and is not tested on animals. It can be used daily to:

• diminish fine lines and wrinkles
• minimize lines around the eyes (aka "crows feet")
• reduce or eliminate frown lines between your eye brows
• smooth lines around the upper and lower lips
• shrink the appearance of pores and improve skin texture

We tested the product on employees here at Michael's and each person had dramatic results. Here is a photo of Debbie with one eye treated and the other untreated:

Today must be client feedback day - thank you all so much for sharing your experience with us! Here are two more comments that we received today:

"I went to Kellsey yesterday for a big change...a huge cut and highlights for my hair. Kellsey did a FANTASTIC job!! She has always done a great job and I wasn't disappointed with this big change! Thanks so much Kellsey!"
-Michelle

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

I always get my hair cut styled and colored by Amanda, she is great and always listens and gives you exactly what you ask for. Always satisfied with Amanda.  Thanks Amanda!!

Amanda

Thank YOU for taking the time to leave us a comment. We encourage client feedback, and have several places online where you can let us know how we're doing at Michael's:

• First is the feedback box that Mary used - which is located on the left of every page of our website - www.michaelssalon.com
• Also, please feel free to leave a comment here, on our blog (www.michaelssalon.com/blog)
• We also have a Facebook page: facebook.com/MichaelsSalon
• And you can send us an @ message or direct message on Twitter: twitter.com/michaelssalon