“One of the most important things about looking youthful is to have a modern haircut.” – Evelyn Lauder
A new haircut, fresh style or colour change can have a huge impact on our self-perception and resultant behaviour. Everyone wants to look the best they can, right? A bad hair day can transform to a bad day overall, there’s no question about it!
Therefore, it’s completely justified to ask lots of hair related questions to your stylist. We are going to go over some of the most frequently asked questions that hair salons are asked by their clients, as well as questions that our own stylists get asked on the regular so that you can be sure you’re armed with all the information needed to get the most out of your hair.
1. What is the Best Way to Deal with Split Ends?
Split ends are a common problem experienced to some extent by most men and women and is especially common in those with medium-long hair. Likewise, there are a lot of common myths flying around both the internet (and the salon floor) on how to treat, prevent and deal with split ends.
For most cases of split ends, the problem is rooted in excess styling, particularly for those with fine or brittle hair to begin with. When blowdrying your hair, always aim the nozzle at the roots and mid-length of your hair – never the ends – as this will likely dry them out and create the splitting effect on your follicles. Also, if you need to use a flat iron, then do so a maximum of two times a week and with some form of heat protection product. It can also help to allow your hair to air dry as much as your lifestyle allows.
In terms of prevention, a proven method to help stop this pesky problem at the source is to coat your split ends in conditioner before getting in the shower. Sound a bit like you’re doing things the wrong way round? Trust us, this trick helps to seal in your hair’s natural moisture whilst preventing shampoo from damaging your hair by taking away its natural oils.
We also recommend using a nourishing conditioner that is rich in proteins, helping to restore any underlying nutrient deficiencies whilst also containing lipids. Lipids work to form a shield on the fibre’s surface to protect it from drying out.
2. How Should I Blow dry my Hair?
The answer to this question depends highly on your hair type, desired style and skin sensitivity. However, there are certain ways of blow drying that should be avoided at all costs to prevent causing long term damage to your hair. This is an area that gets a lot of questions from our clients. This is because different stylists may implement a different technique when blow drying your hair – dependant on their own experience and know-how.
To avoid heat hazards and causing excess damage, you should ensure that you keep the hair dryer a minimum of one inch away from your hair. Also, if the heat level is painful, then this is almost certainly too hot for both your skin and hair type.
Make sure you are constantly moving the dryer from the roots along to the ends of your hair as this is vital to avoid burning out your roots. However, this is admittedly a technique which is far easier to be implemented in the salon by a stylist standing behind you than it is to do yourself. Our expert stylists will always use modern blow drying techniques to ensure we’re drying your hair with the utmost care whilst styling it appropriately.
When it comes to blow drying the back of your hair at home, one technique you can use to avoid this damage is to clip up the top of your hair beforehand.
3. Why Do I Lose so Much Hair in the Shower?
When you’re constantly finding clumps of hair in the drain or seeing a few extra strands in the palm of your hand when shampooing or conditioning, it is totally normal to panic over the prospect of excessive hair loss.
However, minor hair shedding is a completely natural pair of your hair cycle, with each of the 100,000 (on average) follicles in our hair switching between a growth (anagen), intermediate (catagen) and rest/shedding (talagen) phases.
On average, dermatologists suggest that it is normal to lose anywhere between 50-100 hairs per day. A good way to check if your hair loss is normal, or in fact a sign of excessive shedding, is to carry out the pull test. Grab around 100 hairs from your head and gently pull them away from your scalp – if more than 10% fall out, then you may have an underlying problem that may need further investigation.
If you’re worried about hair loss, feel free to make an appointment at our hair salon in Solihull. Our expert team will be able to assess your hair health and offer useful treatments.
4. What is My Hair Texture?
Ultimately, there are so many different ways of describing hair texture – particularly going off the vast number of haircare products on the market. Ranging from fine, thick, limp, thin, coarse and brittle, there are many ways to describe hair texture. Conducting an accurate self-assessment of your hair can be a difficult task, which is why so many of us ask our hair stylists what texture our hair is so we can know the best way to style it.
Assessing how long it takes your hair to dry naturally, alongside how it looks when dried without hair care products, is an effective way to get an understanding of your own hair texture. As a general rule: If it takes much less than an hour for your hair to air dry then it is likely to be fine – with a smaller circumference of individual strand thickness.
Once we’ve figured out your hair’s unique texture, we can work with it using high quality hair products to style it, as well as offer you insight into what hairstyles would suit you,
5. What’s the Quickest way to Grow Out my Hair?
On average, hair grows somewhere between a quarter to half an inch a month. Some of the most common myths in the hair styling world revolve around the best and most effective way to grow out your locks. Whilst there are some effective ways to grow out your hair, many of these are purely speculation.
Whilst it may sound counterproductive, you can actually help your hair on its growing journey by having your ends trimmed. Whilst your hair is not exactly aware that you are getting a haircut thus promoting follicles to grow, trimming dead ends can keep hair in good condition.
Hair is able to grow stronger and longer when it is healthy, so it’s important to have split ends cut off before they travel further up the hair strand, causing further breakage and stopping growth in its tracks.
In terms of vitamins, biotin is a proven supplement for promoting healthy and strong hair growth. If you prefer to fuel your hair growth from a more natural source, then the likes of almonds, eggs and fish are highly rich in this food group.
Increasing blood flow to the scalp is another proven way to promote hair growth. This will help essential nutrients reach the scalp far quicker. Head massages are one way to achieve this blood flow and are available at our hair salons in Birmingham or can be performed at home. Also, peppermint is proven to be a natural hair growth stimulant through promoting blood flow to the scalp.
Working with a Hair Salon You can Trust
It is vital that you feel confident in the stylists at your hair salon in order to get the best out of your hair. Receiving the care, professionalism and attention to detail that you deserve is something we take seriously here at our hair salon in Solihull.
Want to know how to unlock your hair’s true potential? Our expert stylists at James Bushell have been delivering expert hair care to the Solihull area for years. Get in contact today to book an appointment.
