A week or so ago whilst perusing Instagram (which according to my husband is my favorite hobby) I happened upon a post from celebrity stylist Riawna Capri. She is a California hairstylist famous for styling the locks of Julianne Hough, Nina Dobrev, Steven Tyler, etc.
She also co-owns the ultra-popular 901 Salon. In this particular post she eloquently detailed how she took a very dark brunette Selena Gomez to a very pale and gorgeous rooted blonde.
The answer was not “because I am magic” or “yes, we did it in an hour because I am awesome” or “I waved my hairdresser’s wand and POOF, blonde.” Her response to the hundreds of individuals and hairdressers that asked was a very detailed and drawn out process.
This process involved 2 stylists (Riawna and her business partner Nikki Lee) a minimum of 300 foils, 8 bowls of lightner (bleach), and a very tedious reapplication of bleach to each and every one of those 300+ foils to ensure a perfect, even lift.
All of this dedication happened over 9 hours in the salon with neither stylist taking on any additional clients. 9 hours, 2 stylists, working on 1 Selena.
As a stylist that admires another’s work, I had to (and did) give kudos to Riawna for her transparency and methodology behind Selena’s transformation.
A major color change takes WORK. While it is fun to envision and execute the transformation, it is important to recognize the planning behind it.
I feel I was so drawn to that Instagram post having taken (along with the lovely ladies I work with) an extraordinary class called Color Change vs. Color Correction taught by our friend, Dawn Shenk.
Change can encompass a wide variety of verbs – transform, redesign, conversion, metamorphosis. Change can also be large or small.
Do you want some warmth in your hair for winter? That is a change. Would you like a few highlights when all you ever had was dark hair? That is a change. Road testing blonde all summer and then switching back to dark locks for fall and winter? That is a change – albeit a more in depth one.
A color correction even falls under the umbrella of change – with the exception that a correction tends to follow an “at home” color attempt.
Typically correction is an individual that has tried to master a massive color change themselves and it didn’t transpire the way they anticipated.
Cue professional help…but I digress.
Transformation can be fun and here at Salon Enso we love when guests want to take risks as we love challenging ourselves. However it should be understood that a change, as with any kind of redesign, requires a blueprint or map to establish what is desired and what steps need to be taken to get there.
Many times change is a gradual effort to keep the health of the hair and our guests pocketbooks in mind.
If you are thinking about a major change, the best way to approach it is to book a consultation. We invite you to do so whether you are a current client at Salon Enso, or someone looking for a new salon.
A consultation is 100% free, yet it enables us to discuss what is desired and the steps, time and processes to achieve that goal as well as the cost. Typically within our salon guests are scheduled for approximately 2 hours for a color retouch, partial highlight and cut.
However if the color selected is a bit more involved it may take longer or several appointments. The point of a consultation is so both you (our wonderful guest) and we (your stylists) are aware of the processes, time and cost of your desired transformation.
As highlighted by Ms. Capri and Ms. Lee a big change entails work. It is not to say it can’t be fun and set the world (or Lancaster PA ) on fire – but understand where you are coming from and where we, the stylists need to take you.
Remember you wouldn’t run a marathon having never laced up a running shoe. If change is on the horizon for you, make sure you, your schedule and your pocketbook are up for the challenge.
Whether blonde to red, red to blonde, blonde to brunette or brunette to blonde the transformation can happen, one step at a time.
