Is It Worth Paying More for Salon Products?

In a word: Yes!

And I know this goes against what I have said in the past but in all my years of doing hair I have found through experience that salon quality products are just that, higher quality.

To invest in healthy, beautiful hair, salon products are your very best option.

I know it's tempting, when you can spend less on a drugstore product that is serviceable, why spend double or triple the money on salon products? The answer... professional products are better for your hair, and you might also be surprised to find professional salon products could actually cost less in the long run if you consider the outcome of your hair's health and longevity of your salon results.

I know products found at your local grocery store are appealing because they are affordable and convenient but there is a reason for the price difference between what you get from CVS and what you get from your salon. While most drugstore products contain the same or similar ingredients as salon products, the ingredients are diluted, and the ingredients are usually of a lower quality. You are not getting all of the benefits that come with the professional salon products.  

Also to consider, if you've just spent $160 - $200 having your hair colored, does it make sense to use a $9 -$15 bottle of Dove or Pantene to shampoo your newly colored hair and potentially strip out your toner? Definitely not, you should invest in the right products to maintain that color and keep your hair as healthy and vibrant as possible between visits. Yes, salon products cost more, but you don't need to use as much product as you would with drugstore brands because the salon quality products are highly concentrated with quality ingredients. Instead of a handful of shampoo and conditioner you would normally use, you need only use a small amount and that should be enough to clean your hair completely. Your single bottle of shampoo will last you a lot longer than what you are used to from the grocery store bottles you've purchased in the past.

For the best results, listen to your stylist and find those brands that work best for your hair and scalp - your hair will thank you for it!

“INVEST IN YOUR HAIR, IT’S THE CROWN YOU NEVER TAKE OFF.” - Anonymous

Most of my clients know I am moving my retail over to a virtual store which can be accessed thru my website. I am only keeping a few special items and one very exclusive line in the salon. If you would like to order anything from me it's free shipping from my online store straight to your home. Go to my website and click the "Shop" button in the upper right corner. Use the link at the bottom of this post to find my website.

Happy Shopping! Lynn's Website

Studio Three Phasing Out OLAPLEX

 Hello All!

Many of you are already aware that I have adopted a new Bond Repairing System called K18 (click on the link for a short video of how K18 revolutionizes the process of repairing damaged hair). I've been using it in the salon for about 5 months now and I just no longer have needed to use Olaplex because K18 works twice as well at the same job. Right now I am offering K18 as a $10 ad-on service to any color or cut. and $25 as a stand alone treatment. 

I have not thought much about Olaplex since I started using K18 other than I never find myself using it or recommending it any more. Unofficially, I have just naturally been phasing it out by just not reordering inventory as the products have begun to sell out. Currently, I have two large bottles of the No. 3 (at home treatment) and two bottles of the No. 6 (smoothing cream). 

And now for the bad news... it has recently come to my attention that there is an issue with Olaplex No. 3 and an ingredient it contains called "Butylphenyl Methylpropional." Here is an excerpt from an article regarding this issue: 

"Back in 2020, a fragrance known as butylphenyl methylpropional - also referred to as lilial - was officially classified as 'reprotoxic' meaning it could have adverse effects on fertility, as well as on the development of a fetus.

As a result of this new classification, all products containing lilial must be off the shelves by 1st March 2022 in EU countries and Northern Ireland, while the Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association (CTPA) has confirmed a ban in Great Britain is expected to follow soon." 

The whole article can be found here:   Olaplex Fertility Issues with No 3

Needless to say, I have removed all the Olaplex from my shelves (only the bottles of No.3 and No. 6 were left anyway) and will no longer be selling them. From what I can tell, the only Olaplex product containing the chemical in question (Butylphenyl Methylpropional/Lilial) is the No. 3 and I wanted to make you all aware of it as soon as possible. 

Olaplex definitely does great things for the hair and I think it is a very good product (sans the issue w No. 3) but I had already favored the K18 over Olaplex for many months now so this news was basically a catalyst for the announcement Studio Three is officially a K18 Salon.

Everybody enjoy this beautiful sunshine!

Hugs!

-Lynn

Another No Heat Wave Technique...

More quarantine experimentation with easy hair styling tricks. This time I used these noodle curlers two different ways. Both ways worked equally well for the most part, with the first lasting a bit longer than the second. The first time I tried it I put them in before bed and slept on them. The styling worked well but the bags under my eyes from a horrible nights sleep.. not so good.

I really liked the way my hair came out though so I tried another way. I showered as usual and blow dried my hair and then put the noodles in. Now this way requires sitting under one of these for 20 minutes at high heat while you scroll through your phone:

I know not everybody has one of these just sitting around their house like I do, so this might not be the most practical. Also, after the 20 minutes of your hair heating up you need it to cool completely in order to set the curl. I just did my makeup and picked up around the house and then removed the noodles. I love the way it turned out but now that I know about the bathrobe tie method, that is my preferred method. It's the post before this one, you can scroll down and read all about it.

Here's how the noodles turned out:

You can see in the bottom left square that the curls had loosened up quite a bit. They do come out of the noodles quite tight and curly and I prefer them loosened anyway but I thought I should mention it. The bathrobe method stayed consistent pretty much the entire day. I'm not sure if that's from sleeping on them overnight or what but in general, I do think the bathrobe method is superior. The only thing I prefer the noodles for is that I like to wash my hair in the morning everyday but I'm willing to sacrifice and just wash it every other day for the sake of awesome curls!

Happy Styling!!

No Heat Easy Waves

I saw this tip on TikTok and thought I would give it a try during quarantine. Needless to say it is an amazing hair hack and I am sure I will be using it weekly for a very long time to come. You take a bathrobe belt and wrap your hair around it, almost like braids, on either side of your head. Secure with Rubberbands. Important to use it on dry hair, not wet, otherwise it would be very unlikely to be dry in the morning. After I made the 'braids' with the belt, I gave it a once over with a light mist of water from a spray bottle. I will probably try using a little bit of Olaplex No. 3 next time prior to wrapping it on the belt. 

One of the best things about this is that it is super comfortable to sleep in!

I have an Instagram account and I posted the original TikTok tutorial on that account right before the post with these same photos if you are interested. 

Check it out on Instagram: @studiothreeseattle

When the Sky's are Gloomy and the Clouds are Grey.... it's time to SPARKLE!!

Just wanted to rave a little bit more about my GLITTER OBSESSION. Not to mention my ongoing infatuation with this cool little salon in LA where I bought EVERY SINGLE AVAILABLE COLOR of Major Moon Shine Glitter. I mean, check these guys out and tell me they are not the coolest:

Hair Los Angeles

Anyway.. here's some photos of yours truly wearing the hair glitter. I wear it relatively frequently and every time we go out and I have it on I get compliments!

My skin is looking my age in these photos, yet I still feel like I can rock the glitter. It's superfun and a little edgy, which I am totally into. And yes.. those top two photos are bathroom selfies at the International Beauty Show right after they painted it on me at the booth in June!

If you are feeling like you need a little pick-me-up we can ad glitter to any service, or - book a consult with me, come in with your hair relatively clean and styled how you want to wear it and we can add some sparkle! Won't take more than 5-10 minutes and it's no commitment at all as it washes out! And like I've said before I'm so psyched about this stuff I just love it so I want to pass that love and sparkle right on to you!

See you soon!!

Book Now: www.studiothreehairsalon.com

Joico Hair Shake Available at Studio Three!

This is a fun little product by Joico (The Healthy Hair People!) that I started carrying in the salon about a year ago. I thought this was a great tutorial on how to use it.

Joico Hair Shake available from Studio Three for $15.00

Ask me about it at your next visit, better yet - let's use it at the end of your service so you can give it a try..

See you soon!

Book Now: www.studiothreehairsalon.com

About Studio Three Products...

Every product I sell has been chosen because I have used it and believe it works well. I don't choose one particular line to follow, but rather the needs of clients and what product will be best to meet that need. I also have looked every product up online for prices and based my pricing on that rather than giving them the standard mark-up. In other words, I am taking the large profit margin out of the equation and choosing my favorite products and offering them to you at the most reasonable prices. I make $1-$5 in profit (full disclosure). I do this because I want my clients to have the best looking hair they can at the best value available.

Love your hair!
Book today. www.studiothreehairsalon.com

Product Shout Out!

So, this is just one more endorsement for the Coppola Total Repair Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner. We heavily bleached foiled in platinum highlights and still it was shiny and amazing after we washed it with Total Repair...

See:

Pick it up next time you are in, or ask me for a sample to try it out.

They are $20 each ($40 for both).. you will love it and so will your hair!

xo

Lynn

“I think that the most important thing a woman can have- next to talent, of course- is her hairdresser.” ― Joan Crawford

I had the best time last night making someone who had a really bad experience with a haircut (not at my salon) feel like her hair looked even better than before the miscommunication happened. It was one of those times when you meet someone and really get to see them completely light up because they are happy with what you do - and THAT is what I love about my work!

This client is the sister of a long-time client and she had gone in to a walk-in salon for a trim. They discussed layers and I guess there was a miscommunication. One very aggressive snip later this clients hair was what I would categorize as "extremely" layered and not blended at all. As she had one length hair that was about 14-16 inches long this was a very dramatic change. Unfortunately, when she washed it herself and tried to style it at home, the un-blended layers coupled with the extreme difference in the shortest to longest lengths made things quite difficult. She couldn't even really wear it in a ponytail because it just accentuated the 'shelfiness' of the new layers.

Here is what her hair was like before the bad experience at the other salon:

Here are some photos of the ponytail that really show how choppy these layers from the other place were:

And then the fun starts!! We agreed we wanted to keep it as long as possible.. but make the layers more manageable. So I washed and flat-ironed it using Keratin Complex Anti-Frizz Creme (for added conditioning.. since, why not?). Then, I took down a section and determined the minimum I should cut to make the bottom as healthy and full-looking as I could, while still maintaining really long hair. (Sure we could have cut 6-8 inches off, but what's the fun in that?) This photo is that first section and I decided to start at about 2 inches to even it all up:

Now this photo is the super exciting photo of all the hair trimmed, section by section (after flat ironing w anti-frizz creme)  but not yet blended. You can see even here, though, that meticulous layer cutting pays off over one big snip and letting them fall... especially with fine textured hair! My peronal opinion is that being meticulous in a haircut is the only way to be sure that hair cut is going to hold up over time and grow out well. I love my clients but I want them to be able to go a really long time between visits. That's why I do a really precise cut, every single time, that I know they can count on to have built in structure and style! Anyway..here's the photo (pre-blending): 

At this point I was feeling really good about the cut because the over-all foundation was solid again. The rest was details.. blending the layers, taking out weight here and there so she should get height and volume... here's the photo's her sister took as well as some I took myself:

And then I did a quick curl with the flat iron to show her another 'look' she could get with the layers. She was really happy - and so was I! 

Such a fun evening!! And so much more fun than just throwing in the towel on that length and cutting a bob to start growing out. With regular one inch cuts every two months her hair will be easier than ever with solid, manageable layers and she wont have the pain of the "growing out short hair" feeling to go thru. I'm so excited for the evolution of her hair! I just love it when people walk out loving their hair...

Peter Coppola Total Repair Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner

So my current favorite shampoo and conditioner is the Peter Coppola Total Repair Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner.

It's fantastic not just for people who do the Keratin treatment but also for anyone who has any kind of dryness or damage issue. The following photo is a selfie taken by a client who I had just bleach-balayaged the HELL out of because she wants to be uber-icy blonde. I used this on her and she was after me to make sure she got a back-bar size of the product. (I really only stock the retail size but I did order it for her).

This is the moment I fell in love with the conditioner:

That is not normally what highly bleached ends look like in a shampoo bowl. I've been a convert to the Coppola products ever since and decided to make them my main retail brand for the salon. I like that I don't have to sign a contract to sell x-amount of product a month or whatever and I want everyone to know I am recommending them because I just think they are fantastic products that deliver great results.

Here's a little of the "Hype" from their literature:

Summer Hair Prescription...

Sorry for the lapse in posting. This is going to be short and sweet.
This is my answer to dry, flat summer hair:
1) Joico Moisture Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner

2) and because all that moisture will make your hair feel great but seem a little flatter than usual ad in Matrix Big Trix Mousse. The packaging is cheesy but I'm not a snob.

3) Joico Protect & Shine Serum

3a) if you have long hair add Joico Split End Mender into the mix. Put it on before the Repair Serum.

None of these products are very sexy, but I have been on this regime for a month and my hair feels great. If you have specific hair questions on how to beat the summer hair headaches, please email or comment on this blog. Send photos if possible and I'll make a reccomendation on what to do.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.. Me and my Hair are!

My Stance on Drug Store Brands...

There is something to be said for exclusive salon products and department store make-up. There really is. But I am not against using drug-store brands. For instance, I've used every facial cleanser you can think of - paid as much as $200 for a skin care regime (yonka, murad - you name it I've probably tried it) but I just keep coming back to gool ole Cetaphil. $10 for a big bottle of the "Galderma" and a washcloth and I love it. I started using it because a doctor recommended it to my mom for her rosacea and I figured, genetically, I might be at risk too so I better start early. It's gentle, moisurizing without feeling heavy and it cleans my skin and removes make-up great.

Shampoo and conditioner is another story. That has to be considered on a case by case basis. If you are spending money having your hair colored, a $20 bottle of shampoo is really just protecting the investement you've already made in your hair. If you spend $200 on amazing color and then wash it with an inexpensive shampoo with wax and sulfates you should not be suprised the color fades quickly. If you are blonde - not SUCH a big deal, since you want to remove pigment from the hair, but it could mess with the tone. For instance, Pantene: I actually love Pantene. It makes your hair feel super soft and shiny, but I would only recommend it to someone who has natural (non-colored) hair. Pantene will coat your hairshaft (which helps it feel good) but coating and rinsing over and over is like putting a mud mask on your face, it just sort of sucks the color out. This can be usefull if you colored your hair darker than you wanted - I did that once, colored it black and hated it so I used Pantene for a month and ended up about a shade and a half lighter. Great! But like I said, it's a case by case thing. Some of my clients just don't like to spend a lot on hair products so I like to be educated on what's available as a "drug store alternative." That's just the way I roll - I'm not a "Salon Product" snob. *But* I must also say, that salon hair products just outperform drugstore hair products, hands down, on the whole, every time. Still, it is "just hair" and for people who don't have hair on the top portion of their bugetary priorities, there is probably a good enough drug store brand available that will do the job well enough.

There are few exceptions where the inexpensive, tried and true drugstore brand just gets it right on, but it does happen. One example is Clairol's "Shimmer Lights" shampoo. If you are a bleached blonde who tends to get yellow - this shampoo is hands down the best you can get. ArtTech is close, but Shimmer Lights is much less expensive and, I think, works better.  It's good for getting white hair silver too...




note: I am not inferring that Meryl, Emmylou or Helen use Shimmer Lights. I  just think posts with photos are way more interesting!

Catch Up!

The last time Cynara had her hair colored or cut was 8 months ago when I brought it from medium/dark brown to dark blonde. She had about 4 inches of grow-out (though admitedly it blended pretty well). So, We had our work cut out for us, but I think it turned out beautifully! What do you think?

Because she wants to keep growing her hair out I suggested she start using a weekly deep conditioner. Keune makes a good one (care Line, Hair Mask) but if you want to purchase it, call the salon since it's not in stock very often -we can special order it for you. Here's a link Keune Hair Mask.

A drugstore alternative would be Neutrogena's Triple Moisture Hair Mask Read about it here.

When you are growing your hair long, deep conditioning is a must. Additionally, a drop of olive oil to the ends of your hair will keep your ends from splitting (a TINY amount, so little no one will notice you are putting it in! Just a drop in your palms, rub them together so your hands are shiny and then run your hands through the end of your pony tail). The pH of the olive oil causes your hair shaft to close down tighter and makes it compact. Also, jojoba oil can be used, but olive oil works fine and most everyone has it at home - extra virgin. The pH of jojoba oil is closest to the oil your scalp produces, but olive oil is next in line and as I said, typically everyone has it on hand. Hope that's helpful!