Tag: hair colorist

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Rapunzel Rapunzel!

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Who doesn’t love long hair? Who hasn’t dreamed of having hair that gracefully lays down your back, with waves shining? Answer: no one. We all have wanted that kind of hair at one point or another. Shoot, I want that kind of hair!

Back in April, I attended a class on a new extension method: The Kacey Welch Method. I got to learn from one of the best in the business, Kacey Welch, celebrity extension specialist. Google her! The hair is hand-sewn silk wefts. Silk wefts? What’s that? It’s a 13 inch weft of human hair that is placed on a piece of silk, and woven together. No return, or “mustache” is present. There are several different methods to hair extensions: hand-tied, fusion/bonded, tape-in, clip-in, sew-in, and probably a couple other methods that I haven’t heard of!
What sets The KW Method apart from the others? There is zero heat, chemicals, or glue damage. The anchor is created with your own hair! Throw it up in a bun, ponytail, braids, etc. You can swim in them, workout, wash often, they’re a DREAM when it comes to extensions! They’re so low maintenance, that most of my clients forget that they’re there.

  • 2 rows and 2 wefts of 16″ custom colored hair to add just enough density.

Are you a candidate? I guarantee you are. It’s just a matter of how much hair is needed to achieve the look you desire. Most only need 1 or 2 rows. Can you believe that? Laying flat against your head, zero damage, and zero itch. Sounds like a dream- but its reality!

  • 2 rows and 4 wefts of 20″ hair to add density AND length

The specific KW Hair has 2 lengths, 16 inches and 20 inches. And there are 6 different colors available. Two of these can have lightener applied to them! All of them can be toned/glossed for a custom color and blend! As if the hair couldn’t get any better, you can PERM these extensions. Yup, you read that right; all my curly-haired babes can have fuller, longer curly hair!

Maintenance for these extensions is low. When you have the KW Method, I supply you with all the knowledge you need to know to maintain the hair; and I send all my extension clients home with a specific brush to keep them tangle free. The extensions will need to be moved up, every 8-10 weeks, to maintain the quality of the hair.

Okay, so we know this hair is amazing, right? We agree that it can add length, and density to the hair, and that its low-maintenance. Are you wondering about cost? Understandable. Pricing varies, depending on how much hair is needed. And the only way to determine that, is by setting up a consultation. The cost of the hair, and the installation are two separate costs. I will say this, the feedback I’ve been given from these women is incredible. Here’s a testimonial:

“When Kayla first told me about the Kasey Welch Method of extension installation and how much she thought it would suit me, all those years spent attempting to ‘make my hair’ do something it couldn’t do came rushing to the forefront of my mind. It seemed like another impossible promise or, at best, one that would end up being more trouble than it would be worth. Kayla’s dedication to excellence in her art, her refusal for anything but the best quality in her materials, and her straightforward integrity put a wrench in the cogs of my cynicism just long enough for me to sign up as her first Kasey Welch Method client.
As I sat in Kayla’s salon chair, I was reserved. Maybe I was even a little cynical. I’ve often described my natural hair as ‘thin, flat and useless’. It became apparent over the years that attempts to thicken it ended with disappointment, techniques to add volume were inconvenient and time consuming. I resigned myself to a pixie cut, believing it was the only way to achieve a cute style and an easy daily routine. Eventually, though, the nearly bi-weekly haircuts to maintain the style proved to be more maintenance than this low-maintenance gal with a packed out schedule could keep up.
So, as I sat in her salon chair and she began to carefully weave strands of hair and beads together and I began to see the outcome of this ingenious method of extending hair, my skepticism began to wane and I felt an unfamiliar excitement growing. I have been excited about many things in my thirty plus years of life but my hair has never been listed among them. In spite of all my previous pessimism, the promise of this method wasn’t empty. Not since my wedding day had I looked in the mirror and found real confidence and excitement by what I saw. I left the salon that day feeling not like a new person, but like myself.
Months have passed since I became Kayla’s extension client and I cannot speak highly enough of the experience. This method is, by far, the least damaging, least time consuming, most versatile and easiest to manage of all extension methods. I can work out, swim, sleep and live my whole life normally. I may spend a little more time with my hairdryer than I used to, but I’ve been enjoying every minute of it!”

Aren’t you just loving these photos? Do you have more questions? Send them my way! Let’s set up an appointment and create the hair of your dreams!

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Toner? What’s That?

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If you’re a client of mine, chances are you’ve heard me say “let me mix up your toner, and then we’ll rinse you out.” Toner? What’s a toner? You may have heard it called a “gloss” or “rinse” as well. They all do the same thing: manipulate the hair to imitate a certain color.

Let’s talk the basics…when you lift the hair with lightener, you are removing pigment, and exposing the undertone. Everyone has these pigments in their hair, it’s just a matter of how much. The chart below is a perfect explanation of how much is present depending on how dark or light your hair is. The darker the hair, the heavier the red. The lighter the hair, the less red and more yellow/golden.

When I first started doing hair, I didn’t understand color theory. And that was mainly due to a lack of education during cosmetology school. Let me be blunt: certain schools do not dive into this. Other schools do; and I had a rude awakening when I graduated and got behind the chair.
So I read articles and blogs, I watched videos, I researched, and I asked for help. I spent a couple years afterwards, doing trial and error. Slowly experimenting, always learning.

Fast forward ten years, and here we are. When using lightener and exposing the underlying pigment, this is why its important to lift to the correct level and formulate accordingly. Now back to the main topic of this blog: toner. Once you’ve lifted to the level you need, toners help enhance or dilute the underlying pigment.

Platinum, ash, golden, copper, etc. they’re all colors. They have to be created or enhanced with toners. If someone wants platinum or silver, combative colors will be applied to eliminate yellow, or golden tones (blue and violet). If you want copper, golden, or warm tones, the same thing applies…but it’s not as intense as if going blonde. Here’s the difference: you need only to lift to the level needed. If a brunette sat down in my chair with level 3 hair, and wanted a copper/golden tone; I need only to lift her to a level 5 or 6, because of the underlying pigment! We’re enhancing that tone, not trying to eliminate it.

If you’re still reading this, then let me throw in this last bit of information; and it’s something that I think is the most crucial when lifting. There is only so much you can do in each session without causing major stress or damage to the hair! The picture above is a prime example of the phrase “I don’t want to push your hair over the edge.” In a later post, I will explain in detail the “why’s” of lifting. But for now, I think this is a good stopping point! Confused yet? It’s okay, because that’s what a colorist is trained to know. Leave it up to me to get you to your desired hair goal! Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day; great color usually takes multiple sessions to achieve.

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Hello World!

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“I get to do what I’ve dreamed of doing since I was six.”

That’s a sentence that I say, pretty often. Whether that’s to a client, who’s curious about how I got into this career…or to myself, when I’ve just been put through the ringer at work. How many of us get to live out their childhood dream?! I do not take it for granted, either. This is what sums me up in a few words: a daughter, a sister, an Aunt, a Christ follower, a business owner, a stylist.

So here I am, 10 years into this business; and I’m more excited about it now than I was when I first started. In 2009, social media did not have the same impact that it does now. Not even CLOSE. How lucky am I that I get to display my work for the world to see, and communicate with my clients this way? I strive to create relationships with all my clients, and I’ve been successful; but thanks to this site, I get to take it to a whole new level.

A blog…this is the newest level that I decided to dive into. Another way that I can connect with my clients, my followers, the world. When I’m behind the chair, I like talking my clients through the process, explain what I’m doing and why. That’s probably because I’m a control freak! When I was a teenager, I was always so anxious to get my hair done; I would have this vision in my mind of what I wanted, and usually left with something that was close, or just missed the mark completely. I talk through what I’m doing; because that was never done with me. I never had a stylist talk to me about how the colors work, why they were using the products they close, why they decided to use a specific toner, etc. I want to give that to my clients! Not only do I want them to leave my chair feeling beautiful and confident in their new look; but I want them to leave with some knowledge.

The BEST compliment I can get, is to have someone sit in my chair, and say, “do whatever you think needs to be done. I trust you.” I trust you. Those are the important words to me, and they hold much value.

I’ll be writing about my experiences behind the chair, exploring product reviews, sharing color knowledge…the options are endless! I’m excited for this next chapter, for this blog, for this chance to connect with you guys on another level!