Do You Know These Industry Secrets?
How Well Do You Know Your Hairdresser?
Elena is one of our talented stylists at SunnyHair. Boasting over 25 years in the industry she is very passionate about her job and finds great delight in helping women feel more confident in their skin.
One of Elena’s greatest skills is being able to judge what styles will best suit her clients and she works with them to create a look that compliments both their personality and beauty.
Many of you know Elena and love her as much we we do. So we decided to feature a Q&A with her, asking questions to delve deeper into her personality and to get some exclusive industry insights. Lets get on with those questions….
1. What is your number 1 hair care tip? That's an easy one! To look after your hair you should trim the ends every 6-8 weeks.
2. What is the top trend for Autumn/Winter 18? The upcoming trends for this season is Icy Blonde tones, 2D highlights and of course nontouring - which means using colour to soften statement styles and cuts. 3. What is your top tip for busy people, who don’t have a lot of time to spend on maintaining healthy hair? This will depend on the person's hair type, but ultimately try to find an easy wearing hairstyle according to your needs. For example, for thick hair put layers in to make it thinner and more manageable, whereas for fine hair, opt for sharp and blunt cuts.
4. What is the biggest hair mistake people make? The biggest hair mistake people make is not matching their hair style with their personality! Not all styles go with all personalities, so when the style doesn't match your personality, this can cause you to dislike the results. And of course when you aren't comfortable with how you look, this lowers your self esteem, which can be a big issue.
5. What is your go-to hair product?
Oh it would have to be the Wella Professionals Oil Reflections Light Luminous Reflective Oil. It's a lightweight product that adds instant shine and luminosity to your locks. It contains Macadamia, Avocado Oil and Vitamin E which really nourish your hair and smooth the cuticle. It's definitely one of my go-to products!
6. What top 3 tips would you suggest to keep coloured hair healthy?
I would firstly suggest using a colour save shampoo and conditioner, that will help preserve the colour for as long as possible.
Then I would suggest doing your roots every 4-6 weeks to keep it fresh.
Finally, I would never recommend, going from one extreme colour to another e.g. Black to blonde or vice versa as this will increase the amount of chemical damage on the hair as well as make it harder to achieve and maintain.
7. What is your favourite hairstyle trend right now and why? I must admit I do love a balayage. It's such an elegant, natural style but still very glamorous and fashionable. It's also great because it's a low maintenance style and offers the client more freedom and option to change later on, should they wish. 8. What is the craziest hair style you’ve been asked to do? In the early 2000's I was asked to do a blended rainbow coloured hairstyle, with natural roots. This was very unheard of at the time, but now we are starting to see it more and more.
9. How often should you wash your hair per week? This very much depends on each individual person and their lifestyle. For example, someone who plays sport every day should wash their hair every other day, and in between days they should co-wash (conditioner wash) or deep rinse. For a person with fine hair, I would recommend washing your hair every 3-4 days; washing too much can cause the hair to become brittle and break, however not washing enough can make your hair look oily and flat. Whereas, for normal hair, once or twice a week should be enough.
10. Have you got any advice for thinning hair? I would first recommend speaking with your GP as to why this could be happening, because your hair health is greatly affected by your body so it could be a lack of vitamins or another issue that your doctor can help you target. I'm also a big advocate of the NIOXIN range - they have some really fantastic products that can help thicken your hair, whilst also being lightweight. A lot of clinics that specialise in thinning hair recommend this range too.
11. What inspires you?
Generally I try to read between the lines as it were, with a client and try to figure out what sort of personality they have. I always look to see what type of clothes they wear and what colours they feel comfortable in, as well as look at their current hairstyle and try to match it all with the aesthetic rules. I.e. skin type, eye colour and face shape. So in essence...each individual person inspires me!
12. What advice would you give an aspiring hair dresser?
Well firstly, hair fashion is constantly changing and evolving, which means there are always new techniques to learn, so all good hair dressers need to ensure they are in touch with these developments and always stay on top of these new techniques. They must also be reliable and have a professional attitude toward their clients and work.
13. Finally, what do you love most about your job? I really enjoy the creative side of the job, I view each client's hair as a new piece of art to work on. This makes it difficult to get bored as with each client you're set with a different challenge. I'm also a people person, and enjoy having people around and building friendships with my clients. It's a very rewarding job!
We hope you've enjoyed getting to know Elena and you've managed to take away some tips and tricks for your hair. Book your hair appointment with her online now!