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ALOPECIA….

Wednesday, June 09, 2010 | Labels:

Throughout my career I have come across many cases of Alopecia (bald patches) in varying degrees of severity. My job is to work around the hair and give a haircut that can cover the areas as best as I can (if the cases are not TOO severe) Because this condition can affect both sexes (although most common in late teenage years, early childhood, young adulthood) it can happen with people of all ages so I wanted to write about the basics of Alopecia so people can understand and be made aware of it. We as hairstylists mostly come across Numbers 2 and 3 types (see below).

ALOPECIA AREATA
What is it?
It is a condition in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body, usually the scalp. It can cause anywhere from one or two bald patches (which is most common) to can spread to the entire scalp and epidermis. Alopecia is NOT contagious. What types are there?
1. Diffuse Alopecia Areata - Hair lost more diffusely over the whole scalp
2. Alopecia Areata Monolocuris - One spot of baldness
3. Alopecia Areata Multilocularis - mutiple areas of hair loss
4. Alopecia Areata Totalis - Loss of all hair on the scalp
5. Alopecia Areata Universalis - Loss of all body hair
6. Alopecia Areata Barbae - limited only to the beard


What does it look like?
Here are show some different stages of Alopecia as mentioned above:

What causes it?
Some of the strong suggestions lead us to believe that the factors that cause it are:
Hereditary – Families with 1 or 2 affected family members or members with Autoimmune Disorder (in which the body attacks is own hair follicles) Emotional Stress, or an infectious agent/germ can trigger off the condition.


What can be done about it?
With cases where there are small patches involved, Steroid Injections are used in the sites. Other medications (ointments and topical cream) can also be used in different combinations. In 90% of cases, the hair will ultimately grow back. In more severe cases of hair loss, there has been limited success treating Alopecia, and in the case of Alopecia Totalis, adapting to the disease rather than trying to treat and cure it, is probably the best way to go. For example, wearing your baldhead as is, or wearing wigs. Remember that Bald is Beautiful as shown below:

baldisbeautiful

I would like to thank Randy Sid for checking my facts and making sure I'm on the right road on this.

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Dekko’s Daily Grind - Cathy

Saturday, June 05, 2010 | Labels: ,

I wanted to feature some work from one of our other stylists from Dekko Salon. Joni Shibata Philips has been with the company since it started and here she is with Cathy, about to do quite a drastic change.


Cathy came in with long thick hair and wanted to donate her hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, I wrote an earlier post on Donating Hair and if you want to re-cap follow this link: http://www.jujuchan.com/2009/03/hair-donations.html


Most companies are quite strict and need at least 10 inches before they will accept the hair, but at least this one does accept colored hair, whereas some of the other companies needs the hair to be in its ‘virgin’ state. Cathy being the ideal candidate anyway, came in to see Joni and I couldn't resist documenting the change for you.


Here’s Cathy during the ponytail cutting section:

Joni cut the hair just below the shoulder and because the hair is so heavy and thick, she proceeded to layer it through and took LOTS of weight out of it to ensure that the hair is able to move and that it will be easy to keep. The hair was then blow-dried and a pomade was rubbed into the ends to give it a chunkier finish to the layers. Here’s Cathy looking very fresh with her newly shorn locks.
Thanks Cathy for posing for the photos : )

Hit or Miss…. Yarn Head!

Tuesday, June 01, 2010 | Labels:

bedhead


Well… to be honest with you, I’m not sure whether this woman is showing off a very creative updo, or whether she’s carrying her wool/yarn around on top of her head? Whatever it may be, its a very creative look and I’m sure it might have inspired this shoot below from America’s Next Top Model Photo Shoots!! (Shot at the Great Wall of China).


America's Next Top Model

Difference in Straightener’s…

Friday, May 28, 2010 | Labels: ,

OK, so whats the difference between the Japanese Straight Perm and the Brazilian Straightener ?(Note: not to be confused with the Brazilian Blowouts) Alot of people have been wondering, so here are the most basic points for consideration…

  • Japanese is permanent and will grow out, Brazilian last about 3-4 months and reverts back slowly.
  • Japanese result is poker-straight and flat, Brazilian’s can keep waves and body in the hair.
  • Japanese gets the best results done on healthier hair and is not advisable for light blonde hair, Brazilian can be done on damaged porous hair, even ultra light blondes.
  • Japanese is more expensive because it usually takes longer, between 4 and 6 hours, whereas the Brazilian can be done in 2 to 3hours.
  • You will see a re-growth with the Japanese because the structure will have been changed, whereas the Brazilian will slowly revert back to its normal texture and there is no permanent change.
  • Japanese will allow any type of shampoo to be used with it once done, although a special conditioner is recommended, the Brazilian needs sulphate free shampoos to make the treatment last longer, any salt (ocean water) will reduce the life of the treatment.
  • When freshly done, both the Japanese and the Brazilian advises you not to tie your hair up or tuck it behind your ears for 48 hours.


My Pick….

Monday, May 24, 2010 | Labels:

This style is SO cute..it had to be my pick of the week!


My Pick 9
This hairstyle goes to show us all that even with a simple, slightly layered bob, all you need to do is add a bluntish choppy fringe, add some products, twist it up and dry it with a lot of texture and the result can turn out super cute!

Asian Afro Hair…

Thursday, May 20, 2010 | Labels: ,



You all know by now that I have a thing about curly hair, especially tight curls but here are some examples to show Asian Afro hair that some of you may or may not like so much (matter of opinion, I guess)


Asian-Afro_060209_m

(Personally I like the girls above, she looks very hip and suits her face shape and of course age, cant say I feel the same about the boy tho’)


But now here’s someone who ALWAYS looks good with her Asian Afro (this might have something to do with the fact that's she’s a goddess no matter what) MAGGIE CHEUNG MAN YUK
Maggie has mostly had afro textured hair whenever I see her with shorter hair, and I personally have had the honor of styling it and making it look as silky and normal as I could for a commercial (not the easiest of styling jobs, I must add)( I will show you in a separate post about my job) but she somehow manages to make Asian Afros look cool, hip and extremely beautiful regardless of age! Here she is in a scene from her movie ‘Clean’.


Maggie_Cheung_Clean_0019

Suitability – Features and Body Shapes

Sunday, May 16, 2010 | Labels: ,

Continuing from my post about face shapes I wanted to talk a little more about suitability in facial features and body shapes – 2 other important considerations to take into account when deciding on hairstyles.


Strong Facial Features:
Below are just a few ‘more extreme’ samples of how important features are when choosing hairstyles, the more experience the stylist is the more they can automatically access facial features as soon as they see the client.
(just in case you cant see the text very well, here they are again.)
  • Long fringes can accentuate a bigger nose.
  • A ‘Nefertiti’ style would accentuate a long chin.
  • A short style, particularly around the ears, will bring them out more.
  • A style with horizontal lines will not do justice for someone with a wide neck or double chins.
  • A short fringe will accentuate a protruding forehead.
  • A flat face is made flatter if the style is worked straight up from the hairline.
suitability


Height and Body Shapes:
These also make a difference to your choice of hairstyles. It is important for the stylist to see the client before she sits down so that you can take note of her body proportion.
If a tall, thin person had a hairstyle which is very short and close to the head, or very long hair that is straight and flat, then the body length will be accentuated more, whereas if the style had more width, the stream-line would be broken giving an overall better body proportion.


body shapes 1
On the other hand, if a person is small but in proportion, then anything that is not TOO wide would be suitable, but if the person was small, and wide in shape, then the situation would be different. To add a hairstyle with width would be adding width to the overall look, but if the style was very short and flat, this would also accentuate the roundness of the body. It is not always easy to reach a happy medium, especially if the client has a certain style in mind. The stylists job is to suggest styles which complement her all round. If the correct approach is used, most clients are willing to accept your ideas and styles, as long as you have a reason to back up your suggestions.


body shapes 2
Again, I am using extreme examples to show my points easier, it does not mean that all persons belong in any one category of body shape or that you cannot go against type but in general, we must remember to evaluate the body along with the face shape and features when choosing styles.


New Invention for Barbers??

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 | Labels:

Found this patented new apparatus online…..




6526663-0-display


Well… Not sure what to think of this one. Four guys have come up with the idea of designing a detachable comb/shears apparatus, so instead of using 2 hands to do your scissor over comb technique, you can go ahead and just use the one hand!!!!
Sure hope they get this one made, I would love to try it for those full on barbering days and especially when I’m feeling lazy!!

Post Pregnancy Hair..

Saturday, May 08, 2010 | Labels:

I wanted to write this post for you because I know alot of woman become frantic when/if they start to lose their hair after they have had their babies.

I wrote a post earlier about Hair during Pregnancies, and if you want a re-cap follow this link: http://www.jujuchan.com/2009/06/pregnancy-hair.html


Anyway, this one is to show how your hair will (90% of the time) grow back to normal thickness and healthiness. Here is Mina again 10months later when all hormones have settled down, with her hair looking thick and healthy again.


Before: (recap)
DSC05857

And here is Mina after: (looking all cute)
We cut Minas hair into an asymmetric bob shape, giving her lots of layers for body and fun, we didn't use any razoring techniques as we wanted to make sure the hair didn't end up looking too thin, so we used scissors to texturize the ends.

Thanks Mina.

Japanese Straight Perms….

Tuesday, May 04, 2010 | Labels: ,

I know, there are so many straighteners, straight perms, relaxers etc on the market I want to make sure I cover them all.. I will write a future post on the differences between this Japanese Straight Perm and the Brazilian Straightener but for now I enlisted the help of Jodi Ninomiya, one of Dekko’s top- notch technician to help explain the technical side of what its all about…..


Japanese hair straightening, also known as thermal reconditioning, is a method of permanently straightening hair. The iSTRAIGHT system which we use at Dekko, utilizes 3 strengths of solutions to meet the needs of each individual’s hair texture and condition. The hair is treated with a soy based relaxer which is rinsed out after a 10-25 minute processing period. The hair is then blown dry, flat ironed, and neutralized for 5-10 minutes. The iSTRAIGHT formulas use negative ions to relax and positive ions to neutralize and, at the same time, keep hair healthy and vibrant. Ingredients include Ceramide, a natural resource, that is part of you intercellular bonds which aids preventing cuticle damage and keeps the hair healthy from the inside out.


Thanks Jodi…..
Here are some samples of the Japanese Straight Perm:


So, who would benefit from this?
People with coarse frizzy hair, People who spend alot of time blow drying their hair and finishing with a flat iron, People who love their hair very straight and flat,
How long does it take:
This process depending on how long and thick the hair is can take anywhere from 4 to 6hours, so be prepared for alot of sitting around.
How long does it last?
Once the hair has been straightened in this way, it stays straight for good, the hair will not go back to its original state, therefore the re-touch is only necessary or the roots. so if your is hair is not too curly/way, the re-growth is not so obvious and you could go up to a yea without redoing it, but it your hair is very curly and stands out when it grows out then it is advisable to have it done between 5 – 6 months also depending on how fast your hair grows.


Here is a photo showing the re-growth from the Japanese Straight Perm..


DSC00741

Dekko’s Daily Grind - Meng

Friday, April 30, 2010 | Labels:

Here’s some more work from Dekko to share with you…


The very first time Meng came into Dekko to see us, she had long hair, the texture looked fairly straight and it was slightly frizzy. We actually chopped all the hair off that first time and revealed some fabulous curls that had been hidden away underneath all the weight of the hair. Here’s a photo of Meng before we attacked her with the scissors!


Meng - long

Because we did the haircut before I even started writing my blog the starting point with the before and afters below start at the grown out length of that first haircut.
Here’s Meng after her hair had grown out about 4months, I know she still looks cute but the length again made it look frizzy again and the shape was lost and heavy looking.



We cut the hair using both a razor and scissors. The back area was taken in more but left long enough to see from the front view. We decided to work on an asymmetric shape through the front area. The whole of the head was chopped into and texturized to give the curls more freedom to stick out and do whatever it wants!


We styled Meng’s hair with Davines’s Invisible Styling Paste, rubbing it into the ends so the ends stick together more and using a diffuser we dried the hair without disturbing it too much. Once dry, we messed the hair up and shook it around abit.


Thanks to Meng for being such a great model!

Just My Opinion….

Monday, April 26, 2010 | Labels:

Aron Kwok


I’m sorry Aaron Kwok, (Canto Pop Star) Nice hair and good body but what the hell were you thinking when you donned this outfit?!!!! EWWWW!!!! This is the most macho killing outfit I have ever come across!

Cool Mops..

Thursday, April 22, 2010 | Labels:

I was just wandering around the streets of the Sunset area of San Francisco and came across this wonderful hair belonging to Victoria Sunkat.

I felt like she deserved to have her own section of Cool Mops just for maintaining such a fabulous cool look!!


Thanks for sharing Victoria…

My Pick…

Sunday, April 18, 2010 | Labels:

My Pick 8


Fantastic use of stiff strong hair texture…
Combination of soft longer layers and ends with a dramatic heavy asymmetric fringe and side, nice to see creativity at its best, while keeping the hairstyle suitable and soft.

Modern Curly Perm….

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 | Labels: ,

Here we have another perm done by Jodi Ninomiya from Dekko Salon, this time we have a much curlier look.
Maria came in with wavy-ish hair, and wanted to have a change of texture. After the consultation, both Maria and Jodi decided that a much curlier spiral look would be better than a soft perm as Marias hair is quite heavy and thick. I would like to add that personally i think Maria looked so good with both hair textures because she wears her hair well with her style of clothing and confidence that Jodi had her job made abit easier because of this factor…
Here's Maria before the perm..

As mentioned Maria has wavy hair already, her front area was a little bit too short to perm so Jodi wove it out to blend with the parts that would be permed. The perm solution that Jodi used was by Goldwell – Definition for Normal Hair. She used 2 different rods, white and orange colored and it was left to process for 20 mins. The perm rods were positioned in a downward spiral.



As we all know with curly hair, it is so important not to disturb the curls while it is drying, this will ensure you have a definite prominent head of non-frizzy curls. Use a curling cream of some kind and either use a diffuser or leave it to air-dry, the diffuser usually gives abit more lift.
She looks great doesn't she? Well done Jodi and thanks to Maria for letting me post her looks to share with you all.

Haircuts for Emo Girls

Saturday, April 10, 2010 | Labels: ,




Another great video from videojug I love these tutorials, they are fun and creative. Keep them coming guys...

The Brazilian Blowouts..

Tuesday, April 06, 2010 | Labels: ,

I wanted to update you with the latest product that we are using in Dekko Salon, (Thanks to Jill Tucci, one of Dekko’s fab stylist/technician for her big help in writing this article)


Brazilian Blowout is the name of the ‘keratin conditioning treatment’, (not to be confused with the Brazilian Straighteners that usually contains 2 –4% formaldehyde). This is a fantastic new treatment that is safe for all hair types and has become sooo popular I didnt want you to miss out on the news…

The BB not only smoothes, softens and de-frizzes the hair, it also adds alot of shine. It does not completely straighten the hair, it relaxes the wave/curls on curly hair , and it leaves you with volume and body on straighter hair. It is classed as a blow drying aid, which helps to speed up drying time. So with this treatment, you can either air dry your hair which will leave the hair wavy/curly minus the frizz OR because this treatment is heat activated, if you do blow dry your hair, you can do so usually without a brush in a fraction of the time it usually takes you and you can have straighter smother hair faster!
Once complete you can go about with your usual routine, tying your hair up, tucking them behind your ears and washing it immediately. It is recommended that you use a the BB’s own sulphate-free shampoo/conditioner and treatments to help extend the life of the BB, any salts such as ocean water will revert it back quicker.

Another great thing worth noting about the BB is that the technician has control over how straight or wavy the client would like the hair to be. This is obviously discussed in the consultation and by varying the tension and strokes used with the flat irons, hair can be left wavy or curly but eliminating the frizz only. The process still takes up to 2 to 3 hours(altho on finer hair 90mins is possible) depending on the hair thickness and needs and will last from 8 (on virgin hair) to 12 weeks before the frizz slowly comes back in.

It should also be noted that the more damaged your hair is, the more noticeable the results, this is completely safe to use on brittle damaged hair, in fact with colored hair it improves the health of the hair and by sealing the cuticle. The more you have the BB treatment the healthier the hair will be and the longer your results will last! WOW! What more can you ask for?

Dekko has been doing so many treatments and so far 100% of the clients have been happy. We decided everyone should be able to try it at least once to see, so the technicians at Dekko salon are giving $100 off your treatment for the next couple of month!!! (April May 2010) Woo Hoo!
Thanks to Jodi for posing with her BB:

Smooth Look Finishing Cream..

Friday, April 02, 2010 | Labels: ,

Davines Glossy Modeling Putty for Wizards,#4

IMG_0162

What I call the ‘other one’ to the Davines Matt Pliable Stucco. This finishing cream gives you shine and movement without the stickiness of the Stucco. Ideal for longer hair with layers and movement that you want to bring out. Put a small amount onto the palm of your hand and roll the product into the hair, comb through with the fingers to separate if necessary.

My Pick….

Monday, March 29, 2010 | Labels:

I chose this because I Love the color combination…

My Pick 9 Unfortunately because I found this picture in a hair magazine, I don't know who did the color so I cant even give them credit for it : (

But as you can see, the absolute perfection involved in doing this just to create the clean lines and perfect shades in color is amazing, no bleeding of colors, straight lines and perfect shade of blonde.

Hey… in fact, its so perfect that I hope it hasn't been touched up afterwards !!!!

Face Shapes….

Thursday, March 25, 2010 | Labels: ,

I want to talk alittle about face shapes and suitability, giving a rough guide to advise both clients and stylists when discussing hair styles for individuals. Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, people who like to go for character and fashion rather than being safe and being suitable all the time, but I hope it gives you a clearer general idea…
The perfect face/head shape is the Oval (egg) shape. It would be ideal for hairstylists if everyone's head shape was a standard oval shape, unfortunately life is not so simple. Head shapes vary from square to triangular to rectangular. Here's some examples I’ve drawn to show you:

face shapes 2

There are many other face shapes which are a mixture of the ones above. A stylists job is to create hairstyles which are as close to the perfect oval shape as possible., but you also should take into consideration other facial features egg. nose, ears etc, which we will go into in another post.

Guides to suiting face shapes:
Round face – People with round faces should consider a style which adds more height and less width. If the face is very round then length and softness can be added to frame and soften the edges, but still keeping the shape as close to the sides as possible – see below..

round face

Square face – This does not necessarily mean that the face shape is actually square but gives the appearance of a wide jaw line etc. With a square shape he style ideally should be made to frame the face and depending on the length of the face, height can be varied as long as there is not too much weight build up about the temple area. All lines should be rounded and not angular, see below…

Square face

Long/Rectangular face – With the rectangular shape, as you can see from the 2 face shapes combined, alot of width is needed to fill out the sides. Ideally hair shouldn't be swept onto the face, as this will only crowd and make the face narrower. No height is needed here as this will lengthen the face even more, also try to keep some hair onto the forehead to help shorten the face, see below….


Long face

Triangular/Heart Shaped – The heart shape is one of the easiest shapes to disguise as it is very similar to the oval shape, only height is needed. Width at the temple areas should be avoided as this will create a wider top half. This head shape is sometimes quite difficult to assess. If the protrusion at the top of the head is minor, then it can be classed as an oval shape, see below…


Triangle face


Pear shaped face – also known as the upside down triangle. This is not a very easy head shape to work with, particularly if the shape is very prominent. In this case, the style chosen should be built out at the temples and preferably with hair working onto the jaw line to soften out the wider proportion, see below…


Upside down triangle face

The styles shown here are merely a guide to what can be done to counteract different face shapes, but obviously with the stylists experience and imagination, many other styles can be varied to suit the individual. Come visit again as I will go into more suitability details.


Maggie Q

Sunday, March 21, 2010 | Labels:

Maggie Q - International star, most memorable to date, being Mission Impossible III.
I made this slideshow because even though I think Maggie's style in hair is a little on the classic side, she wears the styles well. With a face like hers you certainly cant go wrong with any style really but being an actress I guess staying basic and classic is the way to go. Enjoy my selection : )

Clippers versus Scissor Over Comb..

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 | Labels: ,

So what's the difference and can you really tell?

The ongoing question that clients ask: Do you use the clippers or the scissor over comb technique? There is no right or wrong method to use but individual stylists have their own preferences and reasons behind using them, and clients too have a preference so there are some things that you might need to consider about both methods. Here I am going to outline the main basic differences between them, and trying my best not to favoritise !!

clippers Clippers technique:

1. Clipper haircuts done mainly in barbershops or fast moving salons.
2. Gives a blunter sharper look to short hair.
3. Follows the head shape so therefore is you have someone who doesn't have a good head shape, this will show up more.
4. Fast to achieve, so more clients can be fit into the schedule.
5. Simple choices of clipper guards, depending on how short someone wants to go.

scissors-comb_full

Scissor over comb technique:

1. Takes longer to achieve as the shape is being built up
2. Can be controlled more when working around strange head shapes or bumps on the head, as the weight can be built up separately to hide flaws as the comb does not need to follow directly onto the head shape.
3. Hairlines can be abit softer and natural looking, blending into the rest of the hair.
4. Most medium high end salons will use this technique, opting to use the clippers to cleans necklines and edges only.


OK, I know, I know, I’m definitely into the scissor over comb technique as I can tell the difference in most cases, I know its great for young kids who want the fade or military look but for me, I prefer a style to look more natural and to have a nicer head shape and build up and to be able to work in a more detailed manner rather than just whipping the hair off. Hey but each to their own!

Dekko’s Daily Grind - Jason

Friday, March 12, 2010 | Labels: ,

Asian hair can sometimes be so thick that it can easily look too bulbous and round. On guys hair, this is the case when the sides have been taken down short and then the weight build up is too low, creating a ‘bowl’ look.
Here's Jason with his old hairstyle..


We decided to go shorter with Jason so that the weight line through the sides can be lifted higher, this not only gives a trimmer look to the face shape, but it gives the haircut a ‘squarer’ masculine look.


As you can see, the top area has been left slightly longer and razored to give it more texture, and the scissor over combed area has been left to blend into the hairline in a natural way and not clippered into a hard outline, which I personally don't like because especially with coarse hair it can make it look like you have a ‘lid’ on your head.

Thanks to Jason for posing for me…

Magic Spray…..

Monday, March 08, 2010 | Labels:

PRIVE – FINISHING TEXTURE SPRAY

This product comes with my highest recommendation…. in my many years of doing hair, this one is not only original but actually works REALLY REALLY well on finer hair. My clients call it their ‘crack’ of hair products and come in to buy 3 or more cans per time.. (just in case, they or we run out!!!!)

This product is sprayed on like a hair spray after the hair has been styled and finished. You would imagine it to be exactly like a hair spray but the difference comes when you actually touch the hair.. there is no stiffness or stickiness but PLENTY of volume. You can continue to touch the hair and it still Poofs up, even after afew hours. Unfortunately for me, (with my heavy coarse hair) it doesn't work so well, this one is made for fine hair. Now if they can come up with one for heavy hair, that would be Perfect!!

China Boys

Thursday, March 04, 2010 | Labels: ,

(Apologies for the sudden ads above, just x them out!!)

Want to say a big thanks to David Yu for taken these great pictures in China and allowing us to post them and see what styles are hip and happening for the boys in the streets of China.
Cheers David : ) Keep them coming on your travels.

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