VARTALI SUMMER 2014 HAIR TRENDS & TIPS by Fern Framberg

It’s Finally Summer 

Take the Plunge
With a Sassy, Sexy Short Cut
(by Fern Framberg)

Cropped, chopped, feathered or polished – short hair is back and it’s sexier and more versatile than ever.  Everyone from Emma Watson to Halle Berry, Jennifer Hudson and Jennifer Lawrence have shorn their locks for styles that run the gamut from girlish gamines to piecey pixies.   Swept back, like Beyonce, or to the side, like Charlize, short cuts can be tapered down the back, layered at the crown, slicked back or spiked up.  Longer bangs, worn swept over the eye, give hair movement and add allure

According to Piet, “The secret to the sudden popularity of shorter styles is the wide range of styling options they afford. You can look trendy on the weekend with a spiky, tousled look and then polish it up by using gel or a roller set for a sleeker, lady-like look.   We do lots of Velcro rollers to add body and volume or to tame frizz and curls.   Short cuts work with every hair type and texture and are easy to style and maintain.  

For those who prefer longer looks, Mika says, “Bobs never go out of style.  For a fresh take on this perennial cut, Mika does a shorter, shaggy bob. 
A big believer in conditioning – especially during the summer  -- Mika tells his clients to take a break from their blow dryers and use gel or mousse to create texture or add control.

PHOTOS & HAIRSTYLE BY RODNEY GROVES

Turn Up the Heat 
With Sun-Kissed Color
Color Goes Lighter, Brighter, Warmer With Sun-Kissed Effects

“Most people like lighter hair in the summer, says colorist Michael Stinchcomb.  “It doesn’t have to be blonde, just softer, brighter and WARMER! I think the word ‘sun-kissed’ describes the effects we aim to achieve for clients, whose natural or base colors range from blonde to red or brunette.  Hair naturally lightens when exposed to the sun, but so many of my clients are concerned about skin cancer, they try to avoid exposure to the sun.  Much like spray-tanning, haircolor is a safe way to get a summer look without damaging your skin. It warms up the complexion and brightens the hair for a healthy outdoorsy glow.

Damage Control for Heat,
Humidity, Sun & Chlorine
Vartali Recommends Intensive Conditioning All Summer Long

Sun, salt and chlorine can turn the healthiest  hair to straw. Nature’s elements rob hair of its moisture and shine and fade color or turn it brassy.  The experts at Vartali recommend the following treatments you can in the salon or try at home to restore lost moisture and keep color true.

1. Hydrating Oil Moisture Bath Treatment
A rich combination of essential plant oils like sage, rosemary and juniper berries, applied to hair before a shampoo, smoothes split ends, restores moisture and adds overall shine to hair.  Have your first treatment at the salon, prior to your cut and styling service, and then continue using at home..

2. Heat It Up: Slick hydrating oil on wet hair before a game of tennis or while tanning to add a protective barrier from the sun.

3. Deep Conditioning Hair Masque
All-natural French hair masque provides intense conditioning and keeps color bright and true for 4-6 weeks.  Applied with a cap for 30-40 minutes, this is the ultimate color enhancing conditioning treatment.  Try it before your next color application.  It leaves hair feeling like silk and looking radiant. 

4. Use Masque at home  – under a hair dryer, in a sauna or while gardening – to repair sun-damaged strands or for extreme moisture care.

5. Split-Enders:  Make sure to trim your ends more frequently during the summer to prevent splits from traveling up the hair shaft and causing hair to look dry or frizzy.

6. Limit your use of blow-drying, hot rollers and styling irons during the summer months.  They can compound the damaging effects of sun and salt and result in further drying.

Tatyana’s Martini Bikini Wax!

Drawing upon 30 years of experience (16 at Vartali), Tatyana offers a complete menu of waxing services for both men and women.  Expertly trained in the science of epilation, the results she achieves are always smooth, soft and personalized to complement the clients’ skin type and lifestyle.  Her gentle touch, speedy and precise technique ensure a relatively painless experience and a flawless result, with minimal risk of irritation.

Choose from a Brazilian (the barest bikini ever), a bikini, leg, under-arm or a full-body wax.  She can also create custom designs, like hearts, champagne flutes and the tantalizing martini bikini!        

The whole process takes about 15 minutes for a bikini or leg, and 30 minutes for a full body service.  Tatyana uses high-quality, slow heating wax and a cooling astringent to reduce redness after the treatment.

To prep for the Brazilian or bikini wax, Tatyana recommends that clients have at least ¼ inch of hair for the wax to grab on to and 1/2 inch of growth for the smoothest, most effective treatment. “Try to resist shaving in between waxing,” Tatyana says.  Treatments last three to five weeks. Clients are advised to stay out of the sun for 24 hours and avoid steam or sauna treatments for 48 hours after waxing.

Get Your Feet Sandal-Ready
With Elizabeth’s Sweet Cream & Sugar Pedicure

Treat your feet to a cream and sugar pedicure from nail specialist Elizabeth Moise. Fresh cream and sugar are natural exfolliants, Elizabeth explains.  They nourish and hydrate rough, dry skin.  Sun, sweat and salt water strip skin of moisture and leave feet dry.  Elizabeth massages the feet with her pampering potion and then uses a foam loofah to slough away dead skin cells, remove calluses and leave feet feeling silky and soft.  She softens cuticles with a lubricating oil, carefully files and shapes nails, and then artfully applies the color of your choice for a sandal-ready finish!
You will think you’re walking on air!