"Advancements in Hair Color and Hair Care"

By Philippe Schaedler - 9/17/04 Philippe has been a hair stylist working in both Europe and the United States for 26 years. Originally from Austria, he moved to the United States in 1985 and opened his first salon six years later in Marina del Rey,CA . Phillipe soon saw tremendous potential in the quickly developing beachside community of Santa Monica, and opened his second salon there in 1998. He currently owns and operates Hair Cafe International in the heart of Santa Monica, CA. Visit HairCafe.net for more. More Featured articles>

The hair industry certainly has gone through some major changes in the past 30 years. One of my favorite developments is the fact that today we have so many customized hair care products that make it much easier for our clients to make their hair look as good at home as we do at the salon (or almost as good). Our clients often complain about having difficulties duplicating what we do in the salon. We solve this problem by teaching them what styling aids to use and how to use them properly. In the 70's, when I started in this industry, there was just pomade, mousse and hair spray!

These days, we can give lift at the root with a Root Booster, and shine throughout the ends with finishing products. We can make thick course hair feel finer, and make thin hair thicker without looking greasy. Build up removal products are also very popular in our salon. Professional salon products leave very little if any build up on the hair. Certain products on the market, however, do leave build up on your hair. Product build up and mineral build up (shower water) on your hair can leave it very flat and dull looking, and can even cause discoloration. Tap water from older, rusty plumbing pipes is especially brutal, and I recommend installing a water filter in your shower to remedy it.

Another area that has made dramatic advances is hair coloring. An amazing new product called Magma is able to run through previously colored hair and it's color, but it's doesn't contain any ammonia! Usually only bleach is able to do that with previously tinted hair, and even then the ends don't come out as the exact same color as the roots, or the midshaft area.

I have switched over many clients of mine from bleach to Magma and the results are amazing. The color result is far better then bleach, and provides a nice, even color from the root all the way to the hair ends. There are some important guidelines with this color, and your stylist needs to know them to ensure a full success. So when you get your next color done, make sure to ask your stylist about the latest color techniques and products. This way you don't have to wonder why that blonde you saw at the check out stand has such wonderful blonde highlights, but without that damaged and dried out look that usually comes with bleach!