VAIN Blog

Hello, VAIN people. Last week Victoria and I talked about the best way to prep for color services. As we’re prone to doing, this led to a much bigger conversation, on proper shampoo techniques, frequency, and just why a large corporate SHAMPOO COMPANY might advocate for more frequent washings. Hmmmmmm.

Here’s a bit of what Vic and I talked about in the wild world of protecting your hair:

“If you learned how to wash your hair from watching a shampoo commercial, you are doing it wrong. The surfactants in shampoo are designed to emulsify oil that are then carried away when you rinse. I have always recommended less frequent hair washing to my clients, and to focus the shampoo to the scalp area + first couple inches of hair. For most people you would have to go a week with out washing for your natural oils to build up beyond the first couple inches. On longer hair, as the lather rinses down the hair shaft that’s sufficient to wash away smoke, dust and pollution and refresh the hair. If you are lathering up the ends of your hair the surfactants with no oil to react with are busy drying out and breaking down your hair. Only if you use exccesive amounts of product or are a super athlete would you need to shampoo more than three times a week. If you have naturally dry hair you could go longer.”

So, less breakage + less wasted product with proper technique? I love it! What other benefits could there be?

“The benefit of less frequent washings is the natural conditioning effects of your own home grown hair oil. Textured hair also gets benefits from an undisturbed curl pattern; with less frequent washings of curly hair there is less frizz and less need for product to control it.”

We’ve compiled some additional info here for those of you who might be literally washing dollars down the drain - while simultaneously doing more harm than good! A step by step shampoo party, with a little styling bonus:

- using a natural bristle bush gently brush your hair and scalp
- if you part on a consistent side, brush you hair back over your part
- this exfolliates your scalp, breaks up product + distributes natural oils
- it also feels great!
- wet your hair
- if you use an oil-based pomade try working the shampoo in before wetting
- put a small amount of shampoo in the palm of one hand
- emulsify the shampoo using your fingertips
- apply small amounts to the root area and scalp first
- then the sides + front, then the crown
- then reach under your hair and apply to the nape of the neck
- lather and massage the scalp
- rinse using cool-warm water
- apply conditioner starting at the ends of your hair
- for dryer hair and scalp work the conditioner up to the scalp
- for oiler hair keep conditioner away from the scalp
- dry hair by blotting and squeezing, not rubbing
- for textured or shorter hair, finger comb out the snarls.
- for longer hair, use a wide tooth comb starting at the ends
- sink teeth in a couple inches at a time working your way towards the head
- to avoid breakage never start at the head and pull down.
- gently queeze extra moisture out and proceed with styling

Voila! An in-depth look at how to treat your ends right.

Not to say I’m not a shampoo lover. There are, no joke, 9 different kinds of shampoo in my shower right now. NINE! Kevin Murphy, you are largely to blame, you little dear. I can’t help it, I love them all. But I also spare my poor color battered ends the cleansing they don’t need, and just keep my bangs + crown from looking shiny.

If there are more shampoo questions out there, bring ‘em on. We welcome the chance to talk clean!

You can also ask questions with your own appointment at VAIN. We’ll be happy to educate you on all matters of beauty - 206.441.3441 for Downtown, and 206.706.2707 for Ballard.

xo,

Sarah Jo, VAIN’s compulsive shampoo purchaser

Well, hello, VAIN Downtown!

I hope you all remember me; I know it’s been a minute. You haven’t seen me at VAIN in a bit, but the beauty world is on my mind all the time. Right up there next to my own hair, how to care for it, and how to make it look lovely.

Flipping through a magazine the other day, I saw an advertisement from a big brand shampoo company. It had a ‘helpful’ Q+A regarding beauty myths - except that it didn’t answer questions for me, only raised them. One of the statements they contradicted was something I had told clients every day - don’t wash your hair before a color service. The advertisement stated you should wash your hair, so that your colorist could properly identify the existing color. Confused [and thinking about my roots] I emailed VAIN owner, founder, and styledriver Victoria Gentry. Here’s what Vic had to say on the matter:

“Unless you ran a marathon your hair could not possibly have enough oil built up to effect how the color appears to your stylist on the 2nd day after shampooing.”

Aha! I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any marathons in my future. Though, it would be awesome if we did! So, we know that second day hair won’t mystify colorists. So what are the reasons why we would be sure to skip the shampoo the day of our services?

“The main point of not washing your hair is to have some oil in your skin to protect you from the effects of the peroxide and/or ammonia. It also helps to buffer staining from the pigment and would give added protection if someone had a mild allergy to the pigment and still insists on getting hair color. When you shampoo, you also rough up your scalp. Vigorous washings or brushing could create tiny abrasions on your scalp adding to the irritating effect of hair color.”

The moral of the story?

Keep your home grown protection and don’t wash or brush your scalp the day of your hair color appointment.

And, for your next color touchup, visit us Downtown [206.441.3441] or Ballard [206.706.2707] - we know the real answers to your Q+A.

More sudsy news, soon.

xo,

Sarah Jo, VAIN’s far-flung shampoo-skipping beauty correspondent

My suitcase was the punchline of almost every joke I heard on my trip to Spain. It’s true, I took my flat iron, a train case of makeup, 5 pairs of shoes; it’s true that every cab driver hated me. But in terms of beautification, this is what I would’ve had to work with had I not lugged around that giant bag:

What is that, you ask? That, dear VAIN friends, is the blow dryer in my 5 star hotel. It functioned on a level even below what the aesthetics suggest. For the $10 spent on an adapter at the airport, it was worth that + more to use my own trust dryer - purchased at VAIN Ballard, of course.

It is worth mentioning that by the end of the trip, in Granada, I abandoned all appliances in favor of Kevin Murphy’s Fresh Hair every other day, and letting my hair air dry after mid-day swims in the creek. But that’s at the opposite end of the spectrum - if I did want or need to look polished while we were in the larger cities, I would’ve been lost.

My best advice after 10 days lugging an 80 pound bag? Choose one pair of shoes, ditch the train case in favor of just mascara + lip gloss, remember you’ll probably only wear one pair of jeans and one dress anyhow; but don’t scrimp on the blow dryer + adapter.

xo,

Sarah Jo, VAIN’s on-the-go beauty correspondent

VAIN downtown + Ballard hairstylist Carinn does some of the most amazing, vibrant hair color around (she did the color pictured above), and now she’s sharing her expert tips for keeping your hair color looking bright and fresh for as long as possible. Here they are from the color queen herself:

1. Wait 48 hours to wash your hair after a color service.
2. Use color-safe shampoo and conditioner. This really helps your color last longer and retain its vibrancy. I love Pureology. With their anti-fade color technology and their garuntee to help color last longer I can really see the results with my clients. I also like the Redken’s Color Extend. It is dedicated to the semipermanent color line we use at VAIN to help keep the color vibrant.
3. When rinsing your hair after shampooing and conditioning use cool water. This helps keep your hair cuticle closed and your color in your hair and not down the drain.
4. Use a color depositing shampoo or conditioner once a week. This will help keep your color looking brand new. This is only recommended for hair color that is all in the same color family. Example: Your hair is red with copper highlights. Use a copper colored shampoo or conditioner. Not reccomended if you have multi colored hair in different colors i.e. red hair with copper and blonde highlights. The color in the shampoo or conditioner will color over your blonde hair.

Carinn says: “Each of the steps alone are helpful and when used all together they will markedly improve the overall longevity of your color and its vibrancy!”

To make an appointment with Carinn, call VAIN downtown at 206.441.3441 or VAIN Ballard at 206.706.2707. Oh and don’t be afraid to bring in some random deep red leaf or cool colored plum that you want your hair to look like- Carinn will make it happen.

Hair + photo by Carinn.

Now on VAIN’s shelves, right next to your favorite curl-loving product:

These Jersey towels are handmade by VAIN stylist Aran. They’re perfect to use when plopping curls, and much more aesthetically pleasing than keeping an old t-shirt in your bathroom.

For those already using the plopping technique, you know it is great for long curly hair. If you haven’t tried it/heard of it, you’re probably wondering what on earth we’re talking about. Here’s a quick rundown on how-to:

- After washing + conditioning, apply your favorite product to wet hair
- Put a jersey towel down on a chair or the bathroom vanity
- Lean over the towel with your head hanging down, bent over from your waist
- Position the wet hair onto towel so the curls are all concentrated on top of the head
- Pull the towel taut against the top and sides of the head
- Grab the 2 sides and twist them into long rolls near each ear
- Pull the towel extensions to the nape of the neck + tie together to secure
- Leave on hair for 15-20 mins
- Take the towel off and gently shake down the curls, then diffuse or air-dry
- For extra control, scrunch in a bit more gel after removing the towel

Not only are the Jersey towels a lot prettier to look at, the material helps prevent the frizz that terrycloth towels can cause. Aran’s towels are currently available at both locations. Appointments with the creator herself are available at VAIN Ballard - call 206.706.2707 to schedule!

This last Sunday, I had big plans, so I made it a point to spend some extra time on my hair. I protected it with Pureology’s Colour Max + Instant Repair before blowing it out, to shield from the heat and give lightweight conditioning. I used the equally featherweight Glossing Mist before flat ironing, which always helps me prevent flyaways without weighing my fine hair down.

To my dismay, my roots lay flat against my scalp. Despite all my attention and all the best products at my disposal, it was greasy and lifeless and lost. I try to shampoo my hair as infrequently as possible, and this time I’d missed the mark. There was no time left to wash it and start from scratch, and no Fresh Hair by our darling Kevin Murphy to save me. Talcum powder can do in a pinch, but of course I had none of that either. In desperation, I looked to my train case full of makeup. Mineral powder foundation? In a move either insane or inspired, I sprinkled it in my bangs and shook it through with my fingers. Low and behold… it worked!

Keep in mind that my partial foil and my skin tone are similar enough to pull this off - I certainly wouldn’t have done it if I had jet black or bright white hair. But it’s my new favorite in-a-pinch trick, and I couldn’t wait to share.

What do you say, stylists, to my earlier statement - inspired, or insane?

xo,

Sarah Jo

Riders, don’t forget your helmets - your heads will thank you!

This season has given us plenty of beautiful days that would inspire anyone get outside and take a ride on a bike. We’ve also seen astronomical gas prices this summer which are none too fun. I see it as a great opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise and save our hard earned cash for things that we really need - i.e., anything but gas. So I decided at the beginning of Summer, at least a few times a week, to put on my helmet, get on my bike, and huff it out for work or play. Let’s be honest, helmets of any kind don’t necessarily leave you with the most immaculately executed coif after a fun day of riding. (I won’t give a treatise about why you should be wearing your helmet, but if you are planning on being on the road, please be smart and put one on). I’d nearly given up styling my hair on days I was biking knowing that it would end up in a mush no matter what I did beforehand - that is, before I turned to the help of the stylists at VAIN to seek advice on how to master the art of riding with great hair. They assured me that there is hope for us bicyclists, scooterists, and motorcyclists out there.

Jen C, who, along with fellow stylist Sharon, will be riding her bike from Seattle to San Francisco for the American Lung Association this month (see below for more info!), recommends Wool Shake from the Redken Urban Experiment line for helmet wearers. Spray it on before you ride and it bestows your hair with serious volume and texture - apparently this works on all kinds of hair; straight to curly. Literally shake your hair out after you take your helmet off, and you are left with a sexy, nicely tousled look.

If you’ve got short hair and normally use pomade, clay, or wax to bring out the definition and texture in your style, you might find that your edge is all but gone after a session under the helmet. Valentine, a VAIN stylist with serious short hair skills, suggests spraying some water on your hair to reactivate the product and doing a quick restyle with your fingers.

Liza Jo suggests getting a chin length cut with layers that will allow you to play up texture to avoid have hair that sits flat on your head. She also warns against putting your helmet on a wet head of hair; if your hair dries while you bike you will be left with the imprint of your helmet on the surface of your hair for the rest of the day!

The next time you decide to ride, know that you can still rock a hot style and keep your noggin safe.

Ride on!
-Sylvia

You can still donate to Jennifer Cassady and Sharon Blyth-Moss before they leave this week for the Big Ride Pacific Coast to support the American Lung Association! Please visit Clean Air Adventures and click on “Sponsor a Big Rider.”

DIY dye: good on your hair, not so good splattered on your stuff.

We have a lot of clients get their DIY hair supplies + advice at VAIN, so we wanted to share the love online with you, our loyal VAIN Blog readers. A client we’ll call “Pink Tips” wrote in with a common DIY complaint from home hairstylists: when your hair isn’t the only thing that gets dye on it. Let’s hear it directly from PT:

“Ok, so I re-pink my hair at home. I have gloves. I have the special black button up shirt. I have the tinfoil. I am always very careful … but EVERY SINGLE TIME it seems like I get a tiny splat of pink on the bathroom wall or floor or a towel hanging 8 feet away. Any tips for using veggie dyes at home without turning your entire house the color of your hair?

Great question, P.Tips. We went to VAIN Ballard stylist + DIY specialist Rachel for answers, and here’s what she had to say:

“Squirt the veggie dye slowly and carefully onto a regular comb and comb into your bleached parts. Foil and such makes it more difficult. If you get pink where your hair isn’t bleached don’t worry, it will not stick. Still wear your gloves and shirt though.”

So there you have it- a comb’s the key. Thanks for asking, Pink Tips! Hope this helps keep the splats contained.

Do you need DIY hair advice? Send your question to vain(at)vain(dot)com and we’ll do our best to get an answer posted.

Hot hair in the summertime. Photo by Sarah Joann Murphy.

Happy August from VAIN! Summer took its sweet time getting here, but now that it’s officially, no really, wait-you-mean-I-don’t-need-a-sweater-anymore? arrived, VAIN has a few tips to keep your hair stylish for the season.

VAIN dowtown + Ballard stylist Jake says:
After an afternoon at the beach filled with sun, sand, and saltwater I absolutely love the feel of my hair. Kevin Murphy’s Gritty Business and Hair Resort are my number one and number two hair product choices when combined (in moderation) to help create a true day at the beach feel (without the sand in my shorts).

VAIN resident makeup artist Christine Cherbonnier offers this for summer do’s:
I like to air dry my hair during the summer since it’s too hot to blow dry (I would usually avoid this at all cost since I have a not-so-flattering eighties perm when I let it dry naturally). Once it’s totally dry I scrunch TIGI Mousse Wax throughout, reforming my curl to look like a slept-in, effortless summer wave.

VAIN front desk manager Mel has this tip for summer swimmers:
A lot of VAIN customers have been asking how to protect their hair color from chlorine. I tell people to get their hair wet with non-chlorinated water before jumping in the pool so their hair won’t absorb so much chlorine. They can also put a little conditioner in their hair before getting in the pool.

Color expert stylist Scarlet concurs and adds:
Using products with natural sunscreens in them, like all Pureology products, will help keep your hair color looking vibrant when you’re spending more time in the sun.

Finally, a word from VAIN owner, styledriver, and perenially hot-coiffed Victoria Thomas Gentry:
Summer is a great time for iron-shaped hair. On fine hair like mine, there’s usually no point in curling my hair when we have rainy or misty weather. But during the summer an iron set can last for days. Even if you just curl the mid shaft of ramdom sections you can have volume like the curly kids!

So there you have it- summer hair tips straight from VAIN to you. To get more info on any of the products mentioned or to schedule a summer spruce-up, call VAIN downtown at 206.441.3441 or VAIN Ballard at 206.706.2707.

As I was taking photos for this post, people were peaking over my shoulder and exclaiming - “I love that stuff!”
Alexis says it not only “smells like a vacation” but says it’s perfect for restoring ash tones and ridding the dreaded brass. She recommends it to all of her blonde and brunette clients. Rachel concurred, saying she loves that “does exactly what it’s supposed to do.” In other words, it really is a toner!

Keep your blondes (and light browns) looking cool this summer with A/G Silver toning shampoo + conditioner.
xo,
Sarah Jo (reporting via VAIN Ballard)

Hot rollers were a mystery to me. I’d try time and time again, but every time I’d end up flat on top with overly springy ends. The effect was unbalanced and a little like the dreaded triangle. All that’s changed now, thanks to a tip from Roxana - start in the middle.

It turns out my fatal error was starting from all the way at the ends and rolling up. By placing the hot roller halfway down the section of hair, the volumizing effect would be more evenly distributed. I curl from the middle to the ends, then roll the rest of the way up to the roots. Voila! My fairly fine hair suddenly has volume - and volume where I want it, at that!Thank you, Roxana. My curls are eternally grateful.

xo,
Sarah Jo  

PS - Roxana is currently on a hair sabbatical.  However, the front desk would be happy to include your name on a waiting list when she does begin scheduling appointments.  Contact either VAIN Downtown or Ballard for more info! 

By VAIN client + special guest VAIN blogger Ariel Meadow Stallings

I’m a marketing manager in my mid-30s. I work on the Eastside in a windowless office where I do stuff like social media campaign strategy (zzz), PR planning (*blink blink*) and mulling the return on investment of corporate communication strategies (yawn!). I go to tech industry conferences and speak about public relations (honk-shooo).

…I also have bright pink hair.

Almost three years ago, I made an appointment with my beloved Jenny Slay, who’s been doing my hair ever since I hacked off my rainbow dreadlocks in 2001. In late 2005, my hair was long, straight and medium brown, and I told Jenny “I like it long, but I’m bored with my natural color. But I hate doing root maintenance! I want less boring, but low maintenance.”

Jenny’s solution was to bleach the tips of my hair, and then dye the ends with Special Effects’ Atomic Pink. So, for the last three years, the bottom six inches of my hair has flamingly bright pink.

It’s incongruous, I guess: a 30something professional with pink hair. But honestly, the pink hair fits perfectly into my professional life, and I wish more established professionals would go for wild colors.

Here’s a short list of why:

• Personal branding, people!
  Bright hair makes you easy to recognize and remember, which is extra awesome at industry events like conferences and networking thangs. It helps you stand out during job interviews. Personal branding is a big deal, and standing out in a crowded workplace is awesome!
• Gives your coworkers street cred
  My boss told me that he actually bragged to some higher-ups that he has a pink-haired employee, explaining that my weird hair makes him look cooler by proxy. Granted, I work in marketing/pr where such things matter. But everyone wants to feel cool.
• When you combine wild hair with solid skills and industry authority, you blow people’s minds
  Yes, there are a lot of assumptions about bright hair and immaturity. But when you’re actually good at your job, you can see people’s minds shifting. “You mean … pink hair and 10 years of industry experience can go together? Woah….” I think it’s easier to get away with bright hair if you’re an professional in your 30s or 40s … you’re already established in your industry, and people are forced to respect your experience, even if your hair confuses them.

Despite all this awesomeness, there are definitely a few considerations for professionals thinking of going for bright hair. Here are a few:

People will ask a lot of questions
…and you need to be ready to answer them with graceful articulation. Coworkers will ask you all sorts of silly things (”is that permanent? why do you do that? is upkeep hard?”), and you can’t act like a petulant teenager and huff, “Why can’t they just accept me for who I am?! Why is everybody staring!?” You look different. People are going to ask questions. Deal with it! Think of yourself as a Ambassador of the Funk and answer their questions with patience, tactfulness, and a good natured smile.

Compensate for your weird hair by being hardworking
The best way to get away with being a weird-haired professional is to, well, be really good at your job so that’s what people focus on. You need to be so good at what you do that people are forced into respecting you despite the hair. If you’re more the slacker type who shows up hung-over, then the bright hair may be more of a challenge, because then you’re the scary weirdo with purple hair who smells like gin in the staff meeting. If you have weird hair, you need to to overcompensate a bit with more hardworking awesomeness. The squares with their frosted Rachel cuts can get away with slacking. You, blue-haired assymmetrical bob, probably can’t.

Go for bright hair you can hide
Ok, I’ll admit it. Sometimes, you just need to blend in with the crowd. I had an appearance on The Today Show a few months back to talk about tech issues, and I just knew that if the pink hair was showing it was going to mess with my credibility as a technologist. Thankfully, my pink tips are easy to sweep back into a nice tidy bun — from the front, it’s all business with brown hair and a tidy up-do. From the back, you just see a flash of pink knot. Who even knows if it’s hair? Could be a ribbon or something.

In closing, I leave you all with this video of me answering questions at a PR industry event (zzzz) but look: PINK HAIRED INDUSTRY CREDIBILITY!

In addition to being a pink-haired professional + VAIN client, Ariel Meadow Stallings is a superstar of the blogisphere- check out her Offbeat Bride and Electrolicious blogs to see why.