I wanted to piggyback off of this post all about my tips on visiting the hair salon. As I started to write and write, I realized there was SO much to chat about when it comes to hair. With the help of Nichole Abad who cuts my hair (she also does color services), and my best friend Alexandra who owns Coleman Alexander Salon and is a coloring wizard, we’re answering your burning hair questions. Here goes!
1. Should I come in with clean or dirty hair?
For color, we recommend coming in with slightly dirty hair. This makes foiling your hair for highlights easier. Plus, if you’re doing a base color, a freshly washed scalp can be more easily irritated. – Alexandra
For a cut, it’s a good idea to come in with your hair styled how you would normally wear it. Then let them know that you occasionally like to curl or flat iron it, or do nothing at all to it. After your stylist knows you and what you like, then come in however you feel. Still, ways let them know if you want to try something new and get their thoughts on it. – Nichole
2. Should I come in with makeup on?
This really doesn’t matter and we don’t recommend one way or the other. Some people just feel better with makeup on and the salon lights can make you feel less pretty. Plus if you’re going for a big change, it can be fun to have a full face of makeup on so you can really feel like a new woman afterwards. – Alexandra
3. How often do you recommend I get my hair cut?
For short hair, you’ll need to go more often to maintain the look. Since shorter hair can carry a lot of weight at the bottom when it grows out, you’ll want to head in every 6-8 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows and how out of whack it feels.
If you’re trying to grow it out, I still advise 10-12 weeks to keep it clean and to make sure split ends don’t travel up the hair making it look weak and broken.
And please get your hair cut! I really don’t advise a once a year haircut. If you absolutely hate going and just don’t want to put in the effort, I recommend going at least twice a year. – Nichole
PS I typically go anywhere from 8-10 weeks and try to go closer to 10 since I’m growing it. I definitely feel a big difference in my layers once I creep up around the 8 week mark and my hair just feels blah. I highly recommend scheduling your next appointment when you’re already at the salon to ensure your stylist can fit you in and you don’t go too far past the recommended time.
4. Should I do a hair mask and how often?
For blondes, we recommend once a week and brunettes, every other. Right now I’m loving Mizani conditioner (specifically the one that’s for dry and brittle hair). It’s not necessarily a treatment, but it’s an incredible conditioner.
I suggest the second you get into the shower to shampoo and then ring out the water and add in the conditioner. Clip your hair up and go about your business and rinse at the very very end. If you can, leave it in overnight. But this is a really great product that can help nourish your hair in the shower which is great if you lack patience.
5. I hate going to the salon and don’t want to get my color done often, what do you recommend for low maintenance highlights?
Same girl, same. I despise getting my hair colored so when I learned about balayage I was super excited that it meant NO maintenance for me. It’s a great way to add some dimension to your hair with very little maintenance. The idea of balayage is to lift your natural color just a bit, to give you the look of natural highlights in the hair.
PS both Alexandra and Nichole offer balayage services. You can reach out to Alexandra here and Nichole here.
