One of the main hair services at Randle and Randle is colouring. Glynn, Rob and Danielle love to get creative and use colour to change the feel of a haircut, keep up with the current colour trends as well as using it for coverage of the dreaded grey hair.
From their experience they are able to select and mix appropriate colour for the hair type and condition, then apply and develop it correctly without causing damage. Since I’m not a hairdresser but have watched with interest the colour work, I decided to interview Glynn over our 6am morning coffee (bit intense for a Saturday morning but he went with it!) to find out what makes a colouring treatment successful.
At consultation your hair will be assessed for suitability; the team are looking for clues that might cause the condition of your hair to change for the worse during the colouring process. Healthy hair feels smooth to touch, is uniform in texture it will shine and separate easily. Unhealthy/damaged hair looks dull, there is hair breakage with uneven lengths and texture, the hair cuticle is open so it feels rough to touch and it will “mat” together easily.
One of the key factors they consider is porosity. Glynn describes this “as the allowance of moisture capable of being absorbed and retained in the hair”. Good porosity allows the hair to be flexible an
d strong, keeping in moisture and protein. If a colour is attempted with poor or uneven porosity then the results won’t meet the clients expectations, it will look very patchy and irregular. To ensure excellent results and client satisfaction, if the team feel the hair can’t accept the colour due to poor porosity all is not lost! By using clear gloss treatments and suitable products, over a few weeks the hair can be prepared and conditioned to even out the porosity, after which a colour can be applied.
The hair cuticle
Chemical damaged hair
The use of correct shampoos and conditioners is often seen as a major extravagance and as we’re constantly bombarded with media advertisements (the celebs don’t use them by the way) for super smooth hair we invariably are brainwashed into buying them. This is where professional knowledge on ingredients comes into it’s own. A lot of the high street brands include a silicone formula to smooth the hair – it works instantly, however it coats the hair and causes a build up of product which stops moisture penetrating, eventually making the hair dry and frizzy.
Silicones: These are found in most hair products; they are very good detangling agents and coat the hair strand giving it a smooth feel and appearance. However, most silicones are water-insoluble and can only be removed by cleaning agents like Cocamidopropyl betaine, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, etc. If you don’t use shampoos containing these agents regularly and you use silcone containing products, this can lead to product buildup. Most silicones have the suffix -cone. Examples include dimethicone,cyclomethicone, amodimethicone, etc. Examples of water-soluble silicones are Dimethicone Copolyol, Lauryl Methicone Copolyol
Another culprit is sodium lauryl sulphate which is a soaping agent giving rich lather to a product. The ingredient coats the scalp in an invisible milky film which causes the hair at the scalp to become greasy more quickly, therefore this increases the number of times the hair needs to be washed and you’re trapped in a vicious circle! A small quantity of sodium lauryl sulphate is acceptable, a large amount will prevent great hair health.
Conclusions?
I learned a lot in the time in took to drink the contents of the cafetiere. I have experienced first hand the result of product build up through using shampoo’s and conditioners with silicone in them. Those of you who know me, also know the story of how Glynn came to be my husband after getting me some products to sort out the frizz that was!! Those that don’t, please ask next time you visit the salon, there will be no charge for the added comedic value to your experience!!!!!