Spring Is A Time For Love

"In dreams and in love, there are no impossibilities." - János Arnay

Does spring ever make you think of love? There is nothing more beautiful on a woman than being in love, and being loved. This is truly an aspect of life that gets put on the back burner, ignored, and taken for granted, maybe even unappreciated. The frustration of not finding love may take over, and our beauty subsides.

How open are you to love and your loved ones? Daily work and responsibilities can get in the way of your heart opening to the ones you love most. What do you do to remind yourself of love and opening your heart again to others?

A Huffington Post article titled, "7 Ingredients of a Healthy Relationship," by Rebecca Lammersen, she suggest some expected advice on love.

Love is one way we can get in touch with our creative self and our personal expression out in the world, in our work, in our relationships. The article, "Creativity and Love," by Lee Irwin (SIRR AL-BASIR) is quite beautiful and honoring of this unique relationship within ourselves.  He says:

"We create because we want to contribute, to add a nuance of insight or artistic or scientific discovery to the whole, to create an alternative to suffering or a lack of vision, to respond to human needs. We communicate our creative expressions to enhance the vision of others, and we receive from others the benefit of their insights and discoveries. The medium for this exchange is a deeply felt appreciation and love, a thankfulness whose heartfelt intensity is a foundation for individual freedom. We are free to assist others, free to be in dialogue for the improvement of human life, free to offer alternatives whose impact may change an inherited way of life, free to love others and to assist them in whatever ways we may discover together."

Here are some suggestions to inspire love: yoga, flowers, surrounding yourself with beauty and nature, igniting the senses, laughter, good friends, art, dance, poetry to name a few. 

People finding "the one" brings such a glow, ease, patience, appreciation, gratitude and a generosity, not to mention a smile on one's beautiful face. Living a true relationship with oneself can bring that very glow as well. Life looks different through the lenses of love. 

This Spring I've had the great privilege and honor of meeting my friend Sunni Sukumar and his partner and relationship coach, Milan Botica. They help people tune into the one, which happens the be the name of their work. Click here, or pass on to your friends who desire a loving relationship.  

I wish all of you a life of love and creativity.

Enjoy the rest of Spring.

*New Wedding page here: shineforth.com/weddings with recent wedding and engagement photos.

Touching Up a Sleek Style?

One of my styling tips was just tweeted by L'Oreal Professionnel!  Check it out!

Lumi Controle is a fabulous wax for medium to thick hair. It offers control, definition, and pearlescent shine.  Lumi wax contains Pearl Protein Extract, a UV Filter, Anti-Oxidant Vitamin E Acetate, and Incell® to help repair and reinforce sensitized hair.  The result is an illuminated separation and finishing for all styles.  Beautiful shine!  I love this stuff!

Hair Drying Tips

Have your ever wondered why your hair never looks like when you left the hairdressers?  Most clients haven't been taught proper hair drying tips!  Here are a few.

Think of hair as fabric.  What is the texture of hair you are starting with, and what is the "finish" you are trying to achieve?  The answer to these two questions will help decide what finishing product to use on the hair.  For most textures of hair, I would start off with a primer like Mythic Reinforcing Milk or Volumetry Spray by L'Oreal Professionnel, Prep Spray by Bumble and Bumble, or Shu Uemera Depsea Water, throughout the hair, and brush gently with the Wet Brush.

Then apply your styling product.  Some of my favorites are Liquid Fabric for texture to fine hair, Satin Design for soothing the cuticle by Shu Uemura, or any of the Thermiques by Kerastase for a conditioning, softer finish on the hair, or Texture Spray for hold and substance, or Curl Satin Mousse for shine, condition and volume without frizz, by L'Oreal Professionnel.  Apply throughout and distribute through the hair with a comb or soft cushion brush.

Now, for the pre-dry!  It may sound like we are adding an extra step, but truly, this will make your life easier.  Using your hand, and blow dryer, think about drying the scalp versus the ends of your hair to dry the hair in the cuticle direction to create smooth hair or against the cuticle of the hair if you desire volume.  Dry all your hair 80-90% with a medium to hot dryer.  Then, brush your hair using a soft cushion brush like the Mason Pearson.

Mason Pearson Popular Mixture Bristle/Nylon Mix Hair Brush

Then dry the hair, continuing with Mason Pearson, or round brush for volume, using concentrator nozzle a blowout, using high heat and moving in an arc movement, heat moving over the strand of hair, and cool before releasing.  Section your hair, separating the front from the back, securing with clips, the hair in front of the hair towards your face.  Then section out a 2-inch section at the nape, and clip the rest either to the sides for smooth style or up for more volume.  Continue this parting and clipping away hair until you have no hair left to section off.

Use Infinium #3 hair spray by L'Oreal Professionnel to ends, or smoke a Dry Shampoo into the hair, like True Grip by L'Oreal Professionnel or Pret a Powder by Bumble and Bumble.

Happy Drying!

NAHA Awards 2009

Just got back from Las Vegas.  I attended the NAHA awards ceremony at Mandalay Bay. I saw beautiful images of hair by some of the greats in the industry, like Vivienne Mackinder, Lucie Doughty, and Maureen Anlauf.

I felt inspired by these hair artists who are driven to execute their work to the level at which they do, and who then want to pass on their knowledge to those who are hungry to know.  I would love nothing more than to take a walk with a few of them, and hear about their creative process, see what they notice in their surroundings, what do their dreams reveal about their work.         

I sat in the audience, sometimes sad that there were not a more enthusiastic applause for the hard work, and hours of combing, teasing, and polishing hair that these stylists have spent on their creations.

And yet, the number of students present left me remembering the early days of my career, and wanting to be at every hair show possible.  They couldn't have chosen a more high caliber event on the West Coast.

Diana and I, the owner at Keter Hair Salon, shared in our mixed feelings of overwhelm, awe, and humility at the idea of even trying to compete next year.

Inspiration at Sassoons

 Okay, I'm breaking the mini-chronological order I had going.

I just found some photos, from November of last year.  A few of us from Keter Salon went down to LA for Sassoon's 2009 Fall Collection Release. 

Very Inspirational to say the least.  

Like I said, masters of any trade, make it look effortless, but the actual skill level takes years to develop.  I love the texture and the soft colors on some of the blonde models.  Of course, the execution by this team is nothing less than phenomenal

Audacity of Change- An Inaugural Fashion Benefit

In order to celebrate the election of President Barack Obama, we thought what better waythan to express it through nonconformity in a fashion show.

Girl Talk Band set the tone for the evening, and gave generously by playing melodic blues, latin, world jazz.   We were quite fortunate to have Angie Coiro MC our show, also giving her time for the cause.   She added flare, fun, humor and a feeling of generosity.   Denise Pate of Destiny Arts gave a brief introduction to the great work the organization offers in the Oakland schools.  To find out more about the great work Destiny Arts offers, check out www.destinyarts.org. 

Our sixteen models represented our coummunity; women of all ages, backgrounds, and body type. The show felt global as the first models walked to the chant from the Nicherin Daishonin Buddhism out of Japan, wearing masks that we had made, shedding them as they left the room.  They then sashayed to Gypsy Jazz. 

What I enjoyed most about this event was the gathering of creative people.  In the salon that day, there was a feeling of excitement and love of our craft, not to mention pure creativity as the stylsits, and owner of Keter Salon came together to contribute to something larger than the everyday at the salon.  

Our stepping out to the community was met with the community coming to us...130 people filled the space, standing room only.  At the end of the day, we raised some money, Giselle Shepatin gave generously as well.  She sold clothing before and after the event, and donated a percentage of her sales to the cause.   She also offered beautiful, handmade scarves as gifts for the raffle.

I want to thank some of the Fourth Street merchants in Berkeley, CA, and the people listed for their donations:           The Nail Lounge      GirlTalkBand - www.girltalkband.com      Angie Coiro      Peet's Tea & Coffee      Bette's Diner      George's      Bare Minerals      The Vivarium      Patrick Gilligan      Lori Cheung - www.theportraitphotographer.com      Marcia Walden Skin Care      Dee Conway - Photography      Earl Crabb - www.humbeadenterprises.com      Cordelia DeVere - www.renegadeart.com      Molly B Clothing Store      Castle in the Air      Scarlett Garcia      Cafe M      Another Planet      Simma Leiberman      Dana Argenzana      Stacy Appel

Audacity of Change

This year has been all about the visual. I coordinated an Inaugural Fashion Benefit, called the Audacity of Change, for Destiny Arts in Oakland, California, Giselled Shepatin, and Keter Hair Salon.  I had six weeks to plan an event I had dreamt of doing for years.  Giselle Shepatin sat in my chair one night, and we talked about new ways for her to market herself, and so I suggested she come to the salon and have an event...before I knew it, I volunteered to create a benefit.

Thank you friends, loyal clients, and coworkers for all your support! 

The Hair Left Behind

I think of all the thousands of heads of hair I have cut in my career, and all the hair left behind, and the clients who, walk out the door with a bit more bounce in their step.  I think of all the things I could do with the millions of strands that fall to the ground.  I imagine how heavy that pile would it have accumulated into one massive hair ball, or creating walls, tunnels, out the door and onto the street.  I could stand the piles up, side by side, the difference in textures, and colors would be as disparaging as the clients who have sat in my chair.  Some piles would be 1/2 inch by 1'', some would me 5" deep, depending on the client.  If I could flatten out the piles, I could make squares, like a quilt, connecting their lives.  I could create a time line with the squares from when I began, til' now, building a path laid out into infinity.  If I could stack the flattened squares, I would stand on top and feel how tall these clients have helped to make me feel.  If that quilt of hair could float, it would surely buoy me a long ways out on a turbulent ocean, and keep me safe.  If these piles could tell the stories of the clients that leave the salon, carrying on in their day, and into their lives, as a new person, in their new look, it would be a very interesting story.  If I could jumble the pile up, mixing, tossing, like a summer vegetable salad, I would have a very colorful, unique, wondrous, and very deep mix of personalities, experiences and preferences.

http://search.creativecommons.org/freeparking

Will This Haircut Make Me Look Thin?

Yes.  A client did ask this very question the other day, albeit, with humor in her voice.  We laughed.  The question made me pause.  As a hairstylist, I am asked many things or am considered many things, some of which are spoken and not spoken.  Sometimes I am seen as a magician, who performs daring acts of color combinations, or haircuts that make one take a second look. No, I don't pull rabbits out of hats, and I don't disappear in front of the mirror or make lines disappear on the face. But yes, I can make someone look thinner with a haircut. It's all about the shape of the head, and of the haircut.  What type of hair, the texture, the condition, and the client’s willingness to let go of the concept "more hair is better", are all elements to consider before I cut.  Different line designs accent different features or facial shapes, or they can completely drag them down.

In general, when someone has a broad, square shape face, I am going to go in and soften the face by cutting a nice, layered haircut, how short the layers depend on, again, how much hair a person has, or texture.  I am not talking about bulky, fat layers, but square layers, more shaped around the face.  The length can be mid-length, or shorter, again depending on hair type and texture.  If a shorter length is desired, I would go in and do round layers quite short, leaving some hair in front of the ear, but shorter above the ear, leaving some hair on the neck.  In front, I tend to cut asymmetrically.  It works to offset a long, and or broad face.

If a client has a round face, I would tend to want to elongate their look and take hair away from their face, by creating an oval shape in the perimeter.  Then graduate into round layers, and a bit more movement  Again, this is very general.

If a client has a heart-shaped face, I would tend to do bobs, shorter, more dramatic looks, unless they prefer length, too long is too much of a drag on the face, but some women want it anyway.

Although I don't do facelifts or weight reduction, a great haircut can make a dramatic change in someone looking more alive, taller, chic, and definitely thinner.

Liberation

I'm convinced that cutting my hair off is not only allowing me a certain kind of freedom, but evokes a discomfort for some clients, and the hope of freedom for others.  I knew when Savanna left, I would cut my hair.  Something about her leaving the salon, and moving to the UK that set in motion a personal change within myself, an affirmation that when one person changes-everybody around them does as well.  The minute some of my clients have entered the salon and they see me, they gasp, do a double take, blink a few times, the words tic-tac across their forehead, "No, you didn't, did you?", like clouds moving across the sky. 

My change affects them, whether they like it or not.  Their reality has shifted, and I see how they struggle to find the old me to relate to, searching for our connection, as if it lies in the hair.  As if that weren't enough, my new cut reveals the grey hair I've been coloring for a long time for reasons of fun, beauty world infused ideas that grey hair just makes people look old, and I'm a hairdresser after all.  Some clients inquire if I'm going to keep it grey, asking, "You want to show the grey?"  As if to say, why would you want to.  Some people jump into defending their color and why they do it, and my grey hair clients, say why fight it, let it be.  There is plenty of conversation in the chair about why women should color their hair, why it's nice on some, but not everybody.  So who decided when and if it is okay?

Frankly, as a hairdresser it is absurd to possibly turn away hundreds of dollars, if not, thousands, by setting the example of how a woman can grow their grey hair out.  And, I am aware that to encourage clients to show their grey hair goes against most beauty industry professionals out there.  But truth be known, after 26 years of doing hair, I can operate my buisness as I see fit.  I want clients to see what they look like without color, at least once in their life.  Why not?  Then they can make a concious choice based on what they see and experience.  Then color can take on a whole new meaning.  Is it for fun, or is it stale?

I stopped coloring my hair because of the maintenance, and I felt ready to see the real me.  What do I look like at 48, and as my acting coach use to say, warts and all?  The freedom of cutting the dead, dark hair off, made me happy, and yet vulnerable.  I wanted to see what I had underneath all the dark hair, and have my look on the outside mirror the change going on inside.  I don't always love the way it looks, but I didn't the other way either. 

Some clients look at my hair, and say, "Wow, I want to do that!  Can I do that?"  Their tired of being slaves to color for all sorts of reasons.  They are terrified to see themselves without hair color.  They say, "You're leading the way. " I don't know about that.  What I can say is that I feel completely at home with it, and I love how bold it is, both energetically and visually.  Although, I have never felt I needed hair to make me look feminine, shorter hair does move into the sterotype of the older and less feminine realm.

And yet, this shorter, new, grey look makes me feel better.  I wish this feeling for every client, every person.  Right, or wrong, fashionable, or unfashionable, I love it.  Every woman needs to decide for themselves what is right for them, regardless of what others say.  If your hairdresser is stuck on you coloring your hair, than I would find someone who is willing to take you through the process.  Take the leap!

Photo:  http://search.creativecommons.org/mag3737's photostream

http://search.creativecommons.org/Magic Lantern Shows' photostream

http://search.creativecommons.org/angusf's photostream

Unsolicited Hair Stories

I can pretty much guarantee you, the moment I let someone know I am a hairdresser, that I will inevitably hear a hair story.  But the one I heard the other day, came unsolicited.  I was at the hospital with my sister waiting long hours while she healed at an imperceptiblespeed.  During the day, I had made runs out to the nurses station for various requests, i.e., water, cotton swabs for the mouth, robe change, etc.  The last run out to the nurses station was complicated for me.  I was looking for a sign that it was okay to leave, and that my sister would be in good hands if I left.  The nurse Becky, upon seeing my awkward attempt at having her absolve my guilt, said, "No problem!  We will take care of her. In fact, we will check on her more since you are leaving." I said, "Oh good. I have got a 5 year old I need to take care of at home." 

"Oh, no.  She doesn't need you."  You know, when I was five, I cut my hair and stuffed it in my father's shoe, thinking he would never find it there." 

"Really?"  I asked.  "Did you know I was a hairdresser?"

She went on to tell me her father found the hair, and they did cut the rest of her hair off.  (I would have liked to have seen how that story played out)

It seems to be a theme. Because when I returned home, I slept most of the night, and although it was hard to get up in the morning, I was excited to spend the day with my family.  We get to the park where a July 4th party is in full swing, put on by the city of El Cerrito, and I run into a friend, who's daughter I get to finally meet.  The girl is beautiful, and her hair is cut as short as mine is now. My friend says, "She took the scissors to it yesterday," as she motioned at the front of her daughter's hair.  "We cut the rest of it to match."  Her daughter covered her head in embarassment.

I guess I better keep scissors out of hand's reach of my five year old.

Nobody is Brushing Their Hair

It came to me yesterday that as the world becomes more intense all the time, with people killing each other, starving in most of the world, and holed up in their homes craving touch, I had a solution to the ills of human nature.  Brushing your hair.  Nobody is brushing their hair anymore.  When did it stop?  The stress goes right to the scalp.  In fact, I will start polling scalps and give you an update on how many people have tight scalps, and how many people brush.  I can guarantee you this, most people do not brush their hair.  I touch scalps all day long, and at least 75% are tight. So, now we have tight scalps, and more people do not brush their hair because of hair color, or hair products, and then we go to bed with unbrushed hair(yuck!), then we wake up and do it again.  More product, more air pollution, more stress, and no brushing, then back to bed again.  Then we do it all again.  I wonder what goes on for our skin too, resting on that yucky pillowcase over and over.

The perfect anecdote is to BRUSH your hair!  Not only does brushing feel good, it relaxes every part of you, but all the toxins, and tension gets brushed away.  And as if that wasn't sweet enough, the oils get brushed out to the ends of the hair, which mostly are dry.  The softness starts to permeate everywhere.  You can't just use any brush...you have to check out the Mason Pearson brushes at www.masonpearson.com.  These brushes feel so good, and last a lifetime they say.   You will never need another brush, nor will you want one.  These brushes get right down to the scalp, without digging in, and without little plastic, tips coming off.

While you are at it, brush right down over your body, with your clothes on.  Brushing in downward strokes the arms, the sides of the body, your legs, your back, your legs, right down the feet.  You've never felt anything like it.

When you brush away your stress, you are tuning into your own body, you can feel your own energy again, and you are tending to yourself.  Isn't this where world peace begins?  Maybe you will want to do it for someone else.  We will have hair brushing parties...we will do it for our kids.

Feeling Poor and Ugly

Because of the way she carries herself, unafraid of who she is, unafraid of looking different, my client Francois is somebody I loved the minute I met her.   Always giving a yes to my ideas for her hair, after-all there is always a chance we shall land upon something better.

"A big girl" she calls herself, as if to saythe sensuality that oozes from every cell of her body, or the way her nose turns up, and her green eyes flirt, she will not get what she wants.

Artistry is the fiber from which she is made, generosity abounds beyond her ability at times and most people's capability, and yet where both are concerned she is an expert.

As she said to our friend, "It's one thing to be poor, but another to be ugly and poor."  Feeling the pinch financially, having the appointment set, but not knowing if she would be able to do it.  I bow to you Francois, and for me and your good friend to give to you your hair services because money is short...is nothing short of an honor.

I can only say, our ties go way beyond the confines of time and space.  We must help each other, and together is easier, even though individually we may hurt in our own particular ways.

Because it is the right thing to do.  And you would do the same for any of your friends.