Does your hair need an insta makeover?

A lot of Instagram is not as it seems; permanently groomed, toned and tanned influencers everywhere with just about every filter available used to make it look “insta-ready”. Many hairdressers will post the success stories of their work, but omit work that shows the transition in between colours or have been tweaked using filters to give the illusion of blonde or brunette perfection.

We see a lot of clients coming into the salon with hair goals (from their love of their favourite Instagram influencer) that exceed reality goals; shades of blonde that will leave your hair breaking off, too much brassy yellow or orange tones, or hair that is in poor condition and lacks shine, so no matter what colour is achieved it does not reflect light and looks dull.

We refer to our hairdressers as hair-heros, and we look at ways in which we can help our clients to achieve their desired hair goals (even when they are quite extreme), but also look to manage their expectations in line with maintaining the condition of their hair. We have a valuable box of tools at our disposal, which many Instagram influencers fail to mention, giving the illusion that they have simply “got” amazing hair in an instant, when the truth is it has taken a lot of hard work and many visits to the salon.

Condition:

Bond strengthening from the inside; we are huge advocates of the Olaplex system; to repair the bonds within the hair and also to protect it during the colouring process. The system is designed to put new disulphide bonds into the hair, which get broken down during the colouring process. The system can then be used on a regular basis to put further bonds into the hair and then the Step 3 part of the system which is a home maintenance system will keep hair strong in between salon visits.

Keratin strengthening treatments on the exterior of the hair

We use keratin treatments designed to fill holes in the cracks of the outer cuticle of the hair and also provide additional moisture to the hair, which is essential after the colour transformation process. The treatment will re-hydrate hair and will allow hair colour to reflect more light, ultimately giving more depth to the hair.

Texture

So you see your favourite influencer in the Maldives wearing couture swimwear with the perfect hair (of course), even after stepping out of the pool, there isn’t a frizzy hair in sight. The truth is they are using smoothing treatments such as the British Blowdry or Brazilian Blowdry to maintain their locks in even the most humid climates (something that no filter can currently do). Where as the normal mere mortal will be blow-drying and ironing their hair to death, the savvy influencer knows that their hair will dry effortlessly without minimal styling to get in the way of their hectic photo session and it will stay that way in-between washes. It is this constant styling that leaves hair dry and parched, so eliminating this by using a Brazilian treatment or British Blowdry will save your hair in the long-term.

Bold changes of colour

What you tend not to see is that the influencer has had 2-3 sessions at the hairdressers to transform their hair from dark chocolate to impossible-yet-amazing platinum blonde with-a-hint-of-grey. Their hair will most likely have had several treatments such as Olaplex, but is also likely to have hair extensions to build up the volume of the hair; it is particularly good for colour transformations that are taking the hair more than 5 shades lighter. Tape weft extensions are a fast way to add additional pops of brighter colour to the hair and they are gentle on the hair also as they can be easily fitted and removed without putting too much stress on the hair follicles. Rapture and Great Lengths both offer great tape systems which can be coloured to match your own hair.

For more Instagram-ready hair tips, see one of our Hair Heroes @ www.edwardjameslondon.com
Edward James Salons, British Hairdressing Business Award’s winner of Salon of the Year 2018.