Hair

Will you join us in going pink this October?

This October, Salon Khouri is once again partnering with Pink Hair for Hope and the local non-profit, Tigerlily Foundation. We will be donating $1 from every haircut to the Tigerlily Foundation this October. Additionally, we are once again participating in the Pink Hair for Hope campaign with So.Cap. Pink extensions are $10 each, and the proceeds are donated via the Pink Hair for Hope foundation to various breast cancer research non-profit organizations, including the American Cancer Society, National Breast Cancer Foundation, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Tigerlily logo
Tigerlily Foundation was founded by Maimah Karmo, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 years old. Maimah is committed to educating young women around the world about breast cancer and empowering them to be their own best advocates. She is dedicated to changing the young adult breast cancer landscape and seeks to impact the quality of care and lifestyle for young women affected by this disease.

Through education, support and advocacy, the Tigerlily Foundation is changing lives and helping women in the Northern Virginia area cope with their diagnoses and recovery. Tigerlily hosts two staple events each year, the Pajama Glam and the Pink Boa 5k. The Pajama Glam was created by Maimah’s 10-year old daughter, Noelle, who wanted to design an event to attract and educate young girls about their breast and body health, while raising awareness towards the younger generation.

Pajama Glam Umbrella Syndicate

Photo copyright: The Umbrella Syndicate

The Pink Boa 5k is an inspiring walk/run event that brings supporters and patients together to help raise money for Tigerlily Foundation.

PinkBoaRun

Photo by: Kipp Burgoyne

Why we like DS Laboratories hair regrowth products: The founder is ‘obsessed’ with finding a cure for baldness

One thing that intrigued us about the DS Laboratories product line was a simple statement made by Daniel Khesin, the founder and CEO of DS Laboratories: “I’m obsessed with finding a cure for hair loss.” Although he has not found it yet, his innovative products can completely reverse baldness for the vast majority of people when caught in the early stages. And, many people don’t realize this, but hair loss is not just a male problem. In fact, according to The American Hair Loss Association, approximately 40% of hair loss sufferers are female.

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Hair Growth Cycle

Hair grows in three phases: anagen (growth), catagen (regression), and telogen (resting). In successive cycles, a follicle replaces its hair strand with another that is either the same size (maintenance), finer (balding) or thicker (regrowth).

For the hair on the scalp, the anagen phase lasts anywhere from two to five years. In androgenetic alopecia for both male and female pattern baldness, hormones cause the hair follicles to contract and produce vellus (light) hairs.

Khesin notes, “Despite decades of intense research and interest, our understanding of follicle function remains rudimentary. The oldest known ion-channel opener for hair growth, minoxidil, works only on part of the scalp and only for a subset of users. Plus, it carries side effects.” His method of research is to gain a greater understanding of how ion-channel openers work, so that his company can create safer and more effective treatments for male and female baldness. “We test and explore some of the most innovative ingredients. We only introduce products when they have proven to work. There has been an enormous amount of research that has gone into these products. Our goal is to not just take up shelf space,” notes Khesin.

We are excited about what we are seeing in our clients’ hair regrowth when using DS Laboratories products. If you notice your hair thinning, please talk to your stylist about which DS Laboratories products will work best for your stage of loss and see for yourself what we are seeing with this innovative line!

The Wind Can’t Stop This Pony

The wind in the DC area today is enough to make anyone’s beautifully styled hair look like a bird was trying to nest in it. Thankfully, high winds don’t always have to mean bad hair days. Here, we give you a step-by-step on the high ponytail. Bring it wind!

Start by taking the front, top section of your hair ...

Start by taking the front, top section of your hair …

Gently tease at the root to provide a little volume ...

Gently tease at the root to provide a little volume …

Pull top section to back of head ...

Pull top section to back of head …

Spray with a medium to heavy hold hair spray ...

Spray with a medium to heavy hold hair spray …

Holding hair in a high pony, comb stray hairs back toward pony, then spray again ...

Holding hair in a high pony, comb stray hairs back toward pony, then spray again …

Secure pony with a coated elastic band ...

Secure pony with a coated elastic band, holding a small piece down with one hand…

Wrap strand around elastic band, then pin with bobby pin ...

Wrap strand around elastic band, then pin with bobby pin …

Spray again on a very windy day for good measure!

Spray again on a very windy day for good measure!

Tips for Curling Your Hair At Home

Curling your hair at home without the right tools and technique can absolutely, positively damage your hair. It can even cause your hair to burn completely off. Although we love to cut pixies, we really don’t want to cut one as a result of an at-home curling iron mishap.

So, our knowledgeable and friendly stylists have offered a few of their tips for safe curling at home.

Stylist Megan Purvis says it’s imperative you start by protecting your hair with a quality thermal protection spray such as Sebastian Trilliant Thermal Protection. She also stresses the importance of not having too hot an iron, particularly for fine hair. I completely agree. My hair is thick but fine, so I keep the temp at no more than 330 degrees. Megan also gives us a tip on keeping the curl modern and romantic: “Be sure to curl away from the face and curl bigger sections of your hair for a looser curl.”

Stylist Kristin Fletcher adds a great tip on achieving the S wave curl. “Hold the iron vertical as you curl.” Kristin also prefers a larger barrel curling iron for an up-to-date look.

An extremely important tip comes from stylist Kelly Stoneberger, “NEVER use hairspray on your hair prior to using any thermal tool.” Kelly is absolutely correct. Unless you want to stir fry your hair, absolutely, positively avoid spraying with hairspray while using any thermal tool. Only use hairspray after you are finished, and I mean, unplug your iron and let it cool before spraying so that you are not even slightly tempted to try to tweak a curl after applying hairspray. Which brings us to Kelly’s second tip — be sure to use a good shampoo and conditioner that will not build up in your hair. Hairspray can be pretty stubborn and without a quality shampoo, you may have hairspray residue that will fry your precious locks once you apply heat. We love Eufora’s Pure Cleanse shampoo because it offers a unique, non-sulfate cleansing system that gently yet thoroughly cleanses the hair and scalp.

We hope these tips have helped. If you’d like to know more, please ask any one of our professional and approachable stylists for tips for your specific hair type.

Tired of flat hair? Here are a few tips from our stylists …

Photo courtesy of TheHairStyler.Com

Photo courtesy of TheHairStyler.Com

A common question we get from clients is, “How can I keep my hair from falling flat half way through the day?”

We’ve asked a few of our stylists for their top tip for keeping hair full of body and volume. Here’s what they shared:

Kelly recommends a quality shampoo and conditioner that will rinse well from the hair and not leave residue and build up. Try Eufora Volumizing Shampoo and Daily Balancing Conditioner.  And almost every stylist you ask will tell you that it’s not a good idea to shampoo your hair every day as that will actually overstimulate oil secretions from the scalp.

Tessa recommends to her clients to always use a styling product before blowdrying hair. It seems counterintuitive to many, but using product will actually extend your blowdry and will keep your hair full of volume. “The trick is to not slather the product at the root,” adds Jonathan. Yes, this is a no, no. There are very few products that belong at the root of the hair. For most styling products, take a dime to quarter size amount — depending on the length of your hair — and work the product from mid-shaft to the ends in damp hair, then blow dry.

Eufora Powder Lift

Orie recommends a product that you DO want to put to the roots, and that is Eufora’s powder lift. I tried this recently on my roots that were super flat to my scalp, and I was amazed at the difference just a few shakes of this miracle powder made. Powder lift utilizes unique technology that turns liquid into powder, then back into liquid during use. It provides excellent lift at the roots while leaving hair feeling and looking thicker and fuller.

Heidi’s go-to is adding a volumizer to damp hair just before drying, such as Sebastian Professional Volupt spray. “Be sure to give it a good shake before applying, though, as it also has a shine enhancer that you activate through shaking.”

Megan, who gave a most excellent hands-on Styling 101 class last fall, swears by over directing the hair when you blow dry. Sounds difficult, right? It’s not. Simply pretend that you are giving yourself a Donald Trump comb-over while blow drying, but continuously switch the direction of your comb-over to provide volume at the root.

To finish off your style and to keep your hair from falling limp, use the cool blast setting on your dryer. Yes, many a gal has wondered, “what in the heck is the blue button for?” Always finish your style with a shot of cool air from your dryer to lock in the style, tame frizzies, and to add volume to your hair.

Tips to extend your blowdry

We hear it so often from our clients: “I can never style my hair the same at home — the blowout never lasts as long as when you do it.”

Well, we are here to tell you a few tips as well as the number one secret to extending your home blowout. Extending your blowout so that you are not washing and using heat on your hair daily is the best way to maintain healthy hair — styling your hair daily with hot tools is one of the worst things you can do to your hair. And, healthy, resilient hair is much easier to work with and will behave far better than dry, damaged hair. So read on to find out how you can achieve the same lasting salon blowout at home:

Tip #1: Product, product, product. There is a reason why one of the first things stylists do when you sit in their chair after a shampoo is to apply product. Product is the number one secret to extending your blowout. It helps shape the style but will also help your hair hold the style. A good stylist should be telling you about the product they are using and why, as well as telling you how much to apply and how. Not every product is a good fit for every hair type.

Tip #2: Use a quality blowdryer with various heat settings. These are usually available for purchase at a salon, and yes, they are higher in price than something you will find at a drug store. But there is a reason why they cost more: they work better. Their motors are better built, and will therefore last longer, but more importantly, they produce higher heat and air velocity than drug store dyers. These two elements, heat and velocity, make all the difference in drying your hair. Currently, the best dyers are professional dryers with ionic-ceramic technology, which will result in smoother, softer, and shiner hair, and in half the time.

Tip #3: Purchase a good dry shampoo. Eufora has a fantastic dry shampoo called Touch Up that we love. The best thing about this dry shampoo is that is comes in tints to help cover root demarcation. Dry shampoo is perfect to use to get another day out of your blowdry.

Tip #4: Section, section, section. This especially goes for you ladies with thick hair. You will not get staying power in your style if you are trying to dry too much hair at once. Plus, if not sectioned carefully, you could be overheating areas of your hair causing damage. Our advice is to purchase at least two quality clips and begin to section your hair as you blowdry.

Tip #5: Tossle-dry your hair 85-90% before sectioning and drying your hair with the round brush. This will speed your blowdry time but will also keep the majority of your hair from direct heat longer. The best way to tossle-dry your hair is by using a vented flat-brush and combing in various directions while drying. Once the hair is 85-90% dry, then section and use the round brush to smooth and dry small sections of the hair.

Tip #6: Use a blast of cool air to set the style. Once the hair is dry, but still using the round brush, finish off each section with a blast of cool air to set the style and tame frizzies.

Following these simple tips will help your blowout to last at least two to three days! All of these tips were covered in our Styling 101 class at Salon Khouri. Be sure to Like us on Facebook to hear about other events offered at our salon.

Holiday Hair Tips

We had our first ever Holiday Hair class in November, and hopefully shared a few tips on how to create a simple holiday hairdo at home. Yes, some would call us crazy. Aren’t we supposed to be luring you into the salon to have us do your updos and holiday hair? We aren’t crazy, we are realistic. We understand that not everyone will have the time or the wallet to come in to have their hair coiffed before their event. So, we wanted to share a quick recap of a few things we learned during our event:

  1. Be sure you have the right tools and products. Bobby pins, a thermal protection spray, a good hairspray, and a curling iron or a flat iron (you can curl with a flat iron) are essentials.
  2. Never spray hairspray on your locks BEFORE you use your heat tools. It’s a no-no and it will fry your hair.
  3. The relaxed updo is completely in fashion. Don’t try to put every hair in place. Trust us, that’s almost impossible to do at home.
  4. Pick up some cute accessories to finish off your look. For short hair, you can’t go wrong with a thin, cute headband. For long hair, rhinestone pins look stunning.

We found this GREAT low side but with tutorial on a low side bun at loveMaegan: Image