Thinking about growing out your grey hair?

The pandemic is not the ONLY reason to grow your natural hair colour out if it is grey.  It can be many reasons including the commitment of time, the constant planning to ensure the demarcation line is not making an appearance during times you want to look and feel your best and over all wanting to embrace yourself in a more natural way.  This should, in my opinion, not be looked at as someone “Letting themselves go”!  When I hear clients, friends or family suggesting it is, I wonder if it once again societies way of creeping into the heads of both men and women suggesting that it is aging which of course is a curse these days for many.  There are a few ways of growing the grey out from subtle to extreme, just as it showed up to begin with.  Some started seeing grey from an early age (I have seen teenagers with up to 25% before the age of 19).  If one starts covering it up so young, even twenty or thirty years later, they become so accustom to colouring that they often simply cannot imagine life without haircolouring or should I say life with grey hair. 

Based on how long you have been covering the grey, I would like to suggest this:

If you are youthful, enjoy playing with your hairstyles and consider yourself to be a trendsetter: Try some fun highlights, why not? Life is short! It has become so acceptable to have fun colours in the workplace and is not considered unprofessional or “over the top” at all.  These colours could include some of my personal favorites such as: lilacs, pinks, purples, platinum’s, maybe some blue, orange, or green.  If your hair that is not grey is dark, try the latter, if your hair is lighter, try the first ones.  The grey hair will pick up these fun colours without the use of bleaching or pre lightening and gives a non-comital look that can be changed up as often as you feel like without any damage or dryness. Many people would like to play with these creative colours but choose not to because of the expense of the double process as well as the integrity of the hair afterwards.  All the sudden your grey is really working for you!

If you are a bit conservative and would like to “ease into it”, wait until your hair grows about an inch and a half of root and get some fine blended highlights that are light enough to tone with a combination of silver and grey tones.  The reason I suggest more than one tone of grey is because it will help to ease into it when you see the light and dark shades of grey.  There are so many beautiful shades Professional Hair Colourist’s having to work with, maybe not 50% of the entire head, but enough to break up the demarcation and give a slight taste of what would look best while pairing the highlights with the rest of the hair.  If seeing the demarcation will drive you nuts, a semi-permanent colour can simply “blend” them, disappearing over about 10-15 washes.

Start slowly around the hairline and parting.  Get use to seeing the light around your face and in the parting. This does not have to overwhelm your look; it is merely a preview of what you could work off moving forward.

If you are comfortable with a “shock value” or do not mind the opinions of others, because let us face it, our family, friends, and co-workers love to provide feedback or opinions when we do something dramatic (typically the ones to judge are the ones who do not have the nerve to do the dramatic things themselves; remember this). Have a complete removal of the artificial hair dye in your hair and replace it with toners with all shades of grey and maybe a bit of blonde, brown or black depending on what percentage of grey you have in the natural.  Once the hair dye is removed, the new shades can be replaced with bold streaks or fine ones, depending on how bold YOU feel.  Either way when your own starts to grow in it will blend.

None of my recommendations are to discourage anyone from having your hair coloured (always by a Pro of course!).  I have been classified as a Professional Hair colourist and am a Master of my trade for many years and many reasons, all based on experience and expertise.  I will always have a way of freshening up my client’s hair, leaving them feeling amazing and confident.  Everyone desires a change sooner or later and everyone deserves a Hair colourist who will have the right recommendation for them.  What I would like to achieve by giving these suggestions is to lose the idea that one must “cover” the grey for anyone or anything but themselves or feel that natural grey hair says that one is “letting themselves go”.  Going to the salon is fun, fashionable and can give you the change that makes you feel like a million bucks when you look in the mirror and smile at yourself with confidence.    Next time your roots are coming in, ask yourself if it is time for a change.  If it is, give me a call and I would be happy to consult with you on which route to take!  

Communicating with your Professional Hair Colourist does not have to hurt!

I was consulting with a new colour client when she asked me to “Mix Level 3”. I was confused so I asked what she was referring to by Level 3. She said she always has three. I realized that she was talking about the level of depth she likes her hair. You see, Professional Hair colourists use a level system to determine how dark or light a client’s hair is prior to formulizing a recipe as well as to determine how dark or light the client would like the result to be. In this case, the client is very happy that I did not do as she requested. The reason why is because I figured out that she was saying Level 3 and meaning Level 7. It is my many years experience as a Professional Hair colourist, coupled with having good consulting skills that led to me figuring this out. This blog is in no way to teach how to colour your hair, I simply want to share some insight with you, so you do not make the same mistake my client almost did by not having the tools to assist in asking for what you want out of your colour. It is a simple concept but can be the difference between having dark brown or black hair, or light brown or dark blonde hair. Here it goes:
Hair colour is seen by Professional Hair colourists on a level scale from 1-10. Level one is black, ten is the lightest blonde (that said, some colour companies may have a “level 11”). Colours also have a light, medium and dark aspect. When you are wanting a brown hair colour, think: “Do I want light brown, medium brown or dark brown?” Think of the darkest brown being close to the lightest black. Level 1 is dark black, Level 2 is medium black, Level 3 is light black. Level 4 is the darkest brown, Level 5 is medium brown, and Level 6 is light brown. Level 7 is dark blonde, Level 8 is medium blonde, Level 9 is light blonde and Level 10 is the lightest blonde. Yes, blonde has always been high maintenance, deserving of the “extra” Level! Knowing this, when considering being blonde, you now know that there are many levels of blonde from dark to light. Photo reference is always helpful for your Professional Hair colourist, but also having an idea of how we see the levels of depth to light is valuable as well. Look in the mirror at your hair colour and ask yourself what level you are. If you ever have questions about your hair colour or other beauty questions, just ask and it is my pleasure to educate you!

My Experience for Happy Hour at The Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver

My experience the new Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver

I have been watching renovations on The Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver for months now, anticipating what they were doing inside the big old theatre established in 1935.  It could not have been easy to start a new concept during a pandemic and my hat goes off to them!! 

From Tuesday to Saturday the Hollywood opens from 3:00 to 10:00.  Upon arriving on a Saturday evening at about 6:00, my friend and I were greeted by the friendly and professional staff.  We were literally “ushered” to our seats which were the actual theater seats.  We even received movie like tickets and movie popcorn.  They basically had me at the popcorn (who does not love movie popcorn?) Let me be clear: VERY COVID-19 aware here!  There were seating options which were very spread out, this theatre is so large that it was comfortable.  I do not venture out much at all during the pandemic so it was already discussed that if I were not comfortable with their seating or with the amount of people that we would not stay.  Myself and my friend felt they did a fantastic job.  Upon sitting at our table, we could not help but feel the presence of “Old Hollywood”.  They had an old black and white movie happening on the screen, great music and the décor was fantastic.  Red, plush, dark, very sensuous.   No pretense here, but the vibe is not your neighborhood pub or restaurant.  It is so fun to sit in a lavish space with so much to look at.  There were three bars, and they were all stunning. 

Let us talk food.  Their menu consists of lovely cocktails of course!  I went for the classic gin martini, which was wonderful, followed by a few too many classic margaritas on the rocks…no slushy drinks here, class all the way.  They have their signature chartreuse plate which is a super way to get started.  If that is not enough food for you, the option to order from the neighboring restaurants Nuba, Olympia and Yaggers is there for you.  This is such a great way to support the hood while being innovative to serve the guests many options.  Honestly, this collaboration is something I loved to see.  We opted for some chicken souvlaki from Olympia and were not disappointed.  We shared one meal and it was more than enough.  Our server brought it to the table, again, advising us of their COVID-19 protocols.  After our dining, drinking, and soaking up the fun atmosphere I would recommend it for a fun date night or get together with your allowed bubble for an afternoon Happy Hour.  Let me know how your experience at The Hollywood Theatre goes, maybe I will see you there.  

To Tone Or Not To Tone, That Is The Question!

I want my clients to know what a toner is.  Sometimes I get asked: “Will I need a toner?”  I have also heard: “Does a toner cost extra?”  The later leaves me feeling like the client may think I am going to try to “upsell” her or “supersize” her colour appointment.  If after reading this, you are comfortable enough engaging about whether you require a toner during a hair colouring consultation I have achieved my goal! 

I like to think of toner like a liquid make up or a mineral powder foundation you may use to cover your face.   Think about why you would wear a cover up liquid or powder….

You either want to:

A.: Cover up/ Neutralize what you do not want to see.  It may be to neutralize unwanted red, orange, or yellow. 

B.: To enhance what you would like to see.  After lightening darker hair, you may want to add some gold or red to it to emulate being kissed by the sun or to add some dramatic reds or vivid to the look.

Typically, after either a full bleach out or a classic/modern day highlight/balayage/ombre; your hair is made several levels lighter than it is naturally.  In this process your hair is left with an underlying tone you may not like such as “brassy orange” or “yellow”.  In this case, we would use a toner mentioned in A.  To Cover up/ Neutralize what you do not want to see. 

You may have dark or black hair to start and wish to B. Enhance or add a lighter very warm, chocolate brown or a red tone to the look; typically, the modern balayage or ombre style.

Maybe even a colour melt where the hair is first made a little lighter to be toned at the scalp dark, painted down to the middle of the hair with a medium, ending with the lightest toner on the ends.  Hair must be “Pre-lightened” to use a colour that is a few shades lighter than it currently is.

The desired result will determine whether one will require a toner.  When the natural or previously dyed hair is lightened, a toner will balance it out to create a more even or flowing colour.  It will have a “seamless” appearance to the highlight for the one who does not want to see any lines or stripes in the highlight (especially on the sides), but mostly for eliminating the warm tones after lifting hair to a lighter colour.  Note that ALL drugstore colours basically require a toner.  You simply cannot colour your own hair in between a Professional and expect it to fall right back into excellence. *sorry

Do not mistake a toner your Professional Hair colourist will do at the salon for any services you may do yourself at home.  The Professional Hair colourist has many years experience and hours of education to support that experience.  We understand the Colour Wheel, the Underlying Pigments and what to do with them, and we understand all fundamentals of the hair structure and what happens both physically and chemically with the hair during the process and after, ensuring that one leaves with the products to maintain their colour with at home. 

We all feel great after a little change.  Perhaps the next time you feel like having your hair bleached out or highlighted you take into consideration a new tone to it.  Perhaps you are currently an icy or cool blonde…try some gold or lovely rose gold to bring some warmth to the hair.  If you are already a warm or golden blonde, why not try some cool shades of blonde, think platinum or silvery and see what happens.  Either way, I sincerely hope that this gives you some insight into what a toner is.

Wigs, Hairpieces and Extensions, oh my!!!

This week I had the pleasure of assisting with the purchase of, fittings, customizing, installations and delivering (safely, of course) of a lot of hair to some of my favorite clients.  In the end, over a thousand grams of hair was distributed which I find so exciting. 

To witness the pure joy when a woman enhances or extends her hair is very satisfying. (I have yet to work on a man with a toupee or hair-enhancement).  To each their own, and everyone has their reasons for adding a little or lot of extra hair to their lives.  What a treat for me to be a part of it.

This is me sharing my three very unique experience with my clients:

One fitting and consulting on customizing a wig was for a woman going through cancer treatment.  Although she has hair, the treatment is leaving it very frail and at times she simply does not want to have to style her own hair.  The wig I found for her within budget required me to stich into it some grey, so it was peppered like hers was naturally.  I was up for the challenge.  It made her feel so good that I would customize it for her.  Some things that come easy to us can be so complicated for others; there is nothing better than helping someone with something you are confident with.

One Mother, One Daughter and Two ponytails made of real hair which attach high or low for volume, density and length were so fun and easy.  The ladies were so excited they picked an extra one up for the Sister that was not able to join the hair shopping tour.  This was a shame as we visited several local hair and wig shops;( All of which adhered to the Covid Codes of Conduct).  Watching Mother and Daughter bond over 22 to 24-inch ponytails was so fun.

Here comes the bride.  She is getting married soon and even though it will be small keeping in compliance with covid wedding rules… it is still a stressful time.  She flew in for her hair fitting.  We decided an integrated hairpiece which literally sits on top of her head using four to five small clips; its genius really!!!  If your wondering why everyone does not have one, it is because it is expensive.   It fit like a glove.  I tried to convince her to save it up like the dress so the groom doesn’t see it before the wedding but I know the moment I finish blending a few colours into it she will want to wear it.  I have already taken the liberty of customizing two. 

The benefits of wigs and hair pieces are varied for everyone.  What better time to try new styles?  Show up at the next Zoom meeting with a totally new hairstyle and see if anyone notices. 

My Beauty Culture Prognosis: After Covid19

With the Coved 19 restrictions, the news ladies are doing their own hair and make up. Kelly and Ryan are doing their own hair as well on Live with Kelly and Ryan as they are working from home. I saw a car commercial where every actor in the car had imperfect hair

I LOVE IT!!!

While we are all following the  new Covid 19 restrictions, we will have some grey and or dark  roots, damaged and or cracked nails, fillers and Botox wearing off   on  the face, not to mention a lot of hair where  no one thought it would be if you have a standing appointment for hair removal no one else knows about.  What about the man who gets his “toupee” adjusted regularly that he thinks no one knows about? Or those clients that literally have a trim up every two to three weeks? I wonder: How are they holding up? Are they cutting their own hair? What is the client doing with the long hair extensions that are barely hanging in by glue that needs to be re-bonded? The struggle to keep up all the necessities is real.

It is my hope that we will all come out of this more natural looking and (maybe) ok. with it. I see a future where peoples styles are adjusted to reflect a curvier body as I would say most will all gain a few pounds during isolation. After putting pajama and track pants/yoga pants on for so long, we will feel great in whatever we put on from our closets. Our hair will all have grown out so we will all have a little fresh start. It is fun to make a change in your haircut but is not always easy to grow it out so consider this a good time to change instead of going back to what you had before Covid 19. Just a suggestion. So many women and men are always held captive by their grey roots and keeping them covered, this is a great time to blend them out or seek options for changing to a less committed appointment cycle. As a Stylist myself, I would rather a client come and enjoy their appointment time than the client finds it a burden to keep up with. I want the client to have an excellent experience.

We will be like bears coming out of hibernation. We will want to go out and have dinner with friends and see our families to catch up. When we do, be gentle with your opinion if your friends and family are looking a little less spiffed up than you have seen in the past or if they have grey hair showing. Enjoy seeing some forehead movement amongst a more natural face. According to my mother, Covid 19 is the work of God to give us all the much needed reining in of all the superficial and surface beauty and technology we are so addicted to that is messing with the way we see beauty as well as the environmental abuse.  Apparently, only days after my mother shared her theory, Dolly Parton was interviewed basically saying the same. I cannot help but notice how clear the ocean is on my walks and how clean the air is. This has made some significant change to the environment. Let us see if it makes a change in our beauty routines as we know them. Until then; Breathe in……Breathe out…….

Cynthia Skabar

Letter to my clients during the Coronavirus 2020

A letter to my clients….

I know it’s a difficult time. All the sudden we cannot visit our aging parents, we cannot meet up with our friends, we cannot go to work…. We cannot cover our grey, we cannot…

WAIT!!! WHAT????? CANNOT COVER OUR GREY????????????????

What if I come alone?

What if you come to me?

What if………….ok.; what the hell am I to do??  What about my lashes, my nails, my…weekly blow out?  Surely, I can call “My gurl” and she’ll do a blow out….

NOPE!

All the sudden I am no longer a Hairstylist; I am a highly sought after “maybe”.  I cannot give in.  I know if I do, someone will see me and report me anyway.  I have seen some serious shaming online for those Stylists’ who have crossed the line.  I choose to lay low for a while.  As an empath it is not easy while receiving message after message by text, email and pigeon (ok., maybe I am exaggerating a bit) but seriously, the guilt is real. 

My dark roots are growing in too, my nails are also growing out, as is the additional 100 grams of hair I have added to my natural; I understand one hundred percent.  We live in Vancouver, one of the world’s sexiest cities!  We always must look our best!

Here are some ways to remain feeling good by looking good. 

My first recommendation is and will always be to surround yourself by those you love and make you feel love.  Nothing is more inspiring and strengthening than feeling loved.  You don’t have to be with someone to feel their love: Call, Email, Text Message with those you love.  They feel it, you feel it.

Don’t stress about not being at work.  No matter what you do for a living, if you are not “essential” don’t go to work.  You are already used to going somewhere every day for up to 8-10 hours so instead, do a list of things that will give you purpose: Call your family, Call your friends (one a day is enough to lift your spirit), engage with your neighbor in case there may be something you can do for them from a distance.  Your new “job” could be helping that neighbor that lives alone across the hall.  If you have children, this could be a great time to teach them to help their elders, single mothers and other neighbors.

Basically, your roots can wait.  There are bigger things happening right now.  No one will even notice as we all have our own concerns.  Wear a hat, a cap, a toque,

Wear your roots!  Who cares!  You’ve got this…

Working With Your Lover

Working with your lover will not come without its challenges.  After doing this for over three years now I have a few tips for you.

Sure, it’s great when you can share everything with each other, but when your home life and work life is times two it can get a little stressful at times.  The struggles will be different for every couple.  Whether you start a business together or one hires the other, there are a few tips to make it easier for the long haul:

1.        Make sure there is a Lead.  This is not an ego thing it is a reality thing.  Clients, distributors and potential business opportunities are going to benefit from knowing there is someone in charge.  If one already owns the business, simply keep the role of the owner in charge the same for staff continuity.  You do not want to look like nepotism and annoy current loyal staff by giving your lover all the benefits without working for it first. If opening together, perhaps make the decision about who has the final word based on percentage of ownership or expertise.  If you cannot come up with one between the two of you, hire out.  If you cannot afford to hire out because you are starting up; this may be a sign that there will be a struggle later and you may want to re-think partnering up with your lover.  you also risk staff putting you against each other if you are “one” in the workplace. 

2.       Plan your schedule well and take separate days off. When you live and work together, you may feel like you never get “alone time”.  Set your schedules so you have one day off together and one day off separate from one another.  This gives you time alone at home as well as at work.  Independence is important in both areas of your life.  If you are going to open a business together, it will give you the opportunity to share duties at home as well since your life is so busy when starting a business.  If one of you is being “inducted” to the other’s workspace, this is important for another reason.  If you hire your lover, they may feel alienated at work if you are always there together.  It will give the opportunity for bonding at work to happen and to establish work friendships that may not happen with both of you together.  When planning the schedule, consider one taking Monday and one taking Tuesday off for long weekends.  It is easier to have a colleague cover one of you than it is to find two.  There will always be long weekends.  This gives you the opportunity to take advantage of having something to look forward to.  If you are doing business in Vancouver, you will be working hard and long hours, but you have access to so many beautiful places.  See my blog on Whistler for one easy and inexpensive over night or day trip.

3.       Do not try to make your lover do push ups if they love doing sit ups. Talk a lot with each other about your strengths and weaknesses as well as your passions.  If you are starting a business together, think about delegating job duties/ description based on what drives you.   If you are looking for help with your Social Media and your lover doesn’t even have an Instagram or know what Snap Chat is, maybe re-think hiring them as it may cause issues. Everybody has something to bring to the table.  Make sure you both know what that is before working together.

4.       Don’t NOT talk about work when you’re not at work. These “rules” can put a damper on things.  Be open to talking about work.  It’s what we spend so much of our time doing (working).  Learn how to work together and you will enjoy work and enjoy talking about work even on your time off. 

Working together can be a great experience.  It takes much of the same practice it takes to keep a healthy relationship; Commitment and trust.  Don’t get into business with or hire a lover that you do not trust one hundred percent or allow yourself to think this will make all your dreams instantly come true.  Do it to have an experience together that will over time build just the same as your relationship does.  Treat each other with respect and do your jobs.  Be the best colleagues to each other you can be while growing together.

We All Speak Hair….

Today I came back to work after arriving home from Beverly Hills California.   I was invited by my favorite fellow entrepreneur Jessica from Bombshell Beauty Bar to join her for the J. Beverly Hills Global 2019 New World Hair Show for a few days of fun and education.  Did I mention how easy it is to have fun in Hollywood??

I want to tell you about Stefano Bugada (@thereal_bugada) He and Emiliano Fratarcang (@emiliano. fratarcangeli) taught a Hands-On class we took which included two haircuts, three epic texturizing techniques and a colour application which was amazing.  I am big on education and I believe one should never stop learning.  The thing that was as unique as the techniques themselves was the fact that Stefano literally did not speak English.  My thoughts were: “How is this going to happen?” I do not understand ANY Italian! It turns out we all speak Hair! Help from his lovely team including Emiliano and others from the J. Beverly Hills helped the class along but at the end of the day it was the ability to relate over the love of education and hair.  It leaves me thinking that the coolest experience I have had in a while that deals with humans being open and loving to make things happen was taking this class.  The teacher taught so well because it was his mission to get the participants to love what they were learning, and it helped. After my inspiring days with J. Beverly Hills I came to work today and taught the haircut to my two newest students.  I thought if I could learn it without speaking Italian, my students could learn it from me, and they did amazing!!  They were so proud when I said I had learned the haircut the day before from amazing Platform Artists from Italy.  My students were inspired because I was.  Today I decided that I would look for inspiration in every client, from my students and from other Stylists’ who love to share what they know however they can with enthusiasm.  After all, hair is a beautiful language when spoken with love.