Ask Karen - January 2005

January 26, 2005
Nordic Blonde?

Question

Dear Ms. Shelton:

First, can you recommend to me a line that caters to the organic and vegan environmentalist? By vegan, I mean that not only does it not contain animal by-products, but has not been tested on animals.

Second, I have very dark blonde hair with reddish highlights in the sun. I have green eyes that appear blue or gray from a distance. I burn first, then tan easily and it appears to me that I have gold tones, but I have been told in the past that I have blue undertones. I would like to go Nordic or cornsilk blonde. Is this a viable move?

Third, I am interested in keeping my thigh-length hair as healthy and strong as possible. I have dyed my hair only once or twice, avoid products and tools, using the much-advocated boar's bristle wooden brushes and detangling combs. How can I safely dye my hair without adversely affecting its health?

Fourth and finally, what shampoo and conditioning products can I use to maintain my color? I have oily, thick hair and usually shampoo twice a day, and in the past, have found that color maintenance shampoos and conditioners do not seem to clean well enough.

My sincerest thanks in advance for any advice you may be able to give,

Sabrina 

Answer

Dear Sabrina,

Thank you for your email. The only hair care line that I am currently aware of that caters to vegans is Aubrey Organics and I believe the Peter Lamas line.

There may be others but not any I am aware of, that does not have some sort of animal byproducts. Even if the animal byproducts are very minimal.

Although many product lines do not test on animals and can prove that point, they do use animal byproducts, even in the very smallest quantities.

I have talked at length with Peter Lamas, who is a fabulous hairdresser and very environmentally aware. He is also very concerned with avoiding any animal testing and providing the healthiest hair and beauty products possible.

With all of that said, I do not have any suggestions on how you might go from very dark blonde to Nordic or Cornsilk blonde without using some form of hair color products that contain either bleach, peroxide or ammonia or other "lifting" agents. It is virtually impossible to take hair more than 2 shades lighter without first lifting color from the inside of the cuticle.

The dangers that you personally face is the potential issue of pulling red as you go lighter. Since you already have noted the appearance of red when your hair is naturally lightened by the sun, that indicates to me that you probably have a significant amount of red in your base color. Which is why you would need to go with a hair coloring product that first lifts the current color from the root and then takes you lighter to the shades you desire.

It is definitely possible to have blue tones to your skin and gold tones to your hair but still pull red when you go lighter. For some blondes, they have minimal re undertones but others have significant red undertones that do not appear until they do remove the existing color and move lighter down the color wheel.

And yes, there is definitely the potential danger of damage as a result of coloring. Especially since you have worked so hard to grow your hair to thigh length and to keep it super healthy. It is a hard choice and one that takes long consideration.

While the demi-permanent and semi-permanent hair colors can add depth of color and brightness, if they do not contain a "lifting" agent from peroxide, bleach or ammonia, they will NOT take you lighter.

Color agents that take you lighter by means of peroxide, bleach or ammonia do run the risk of pulling out that underlying red IF you do not allow the product to remain on your hair long enough to lift it out of the red zone into the blonde zone. This is why some people when they use bleach and try to move from light brown to platinum, get stuck at orange.

Also, I am not aware of a single hair color line or company that is vegan friendly. So I can not recommend a hair color line that is vegan friendly that would lift your hair to the Nordic blonde color range.

There are choices you can make but only you can decide if they are worth the risk. What I would personally do, and have done myself to protect my own very long hair, is to go with very carefully placed highlights that focus lighter shades around my face and at strategic areas around my crown.

Limited highlights versus coloring or bleaching applied to the entire head of hair involves less potential long term hair damage. Going from your current dark blonde to a Nordic blonde shade that is layered around your face and hairline as well as carefully place throughout your crown will give you the open, airy lightness with less potential for major damage to your carefully tended thigh length strands.

A long hair expert once offered me a choice many years ago. She said, you can have super long, healthy and gorgeous hair OR you can be very blonde, but you can't be both. Why? Because hair color, bleach and lighteners will strip the natural oils from the hair cuticle and will always provide some level of damage to the hair.

Anything that in any way alters the natural cuticle will cause some sort of change to the overall healthiness factor of your strands. Just think about what happens when you paint a wall. It definitely does change the ultimate texture and feel of the surface. Maybe the paint improves the appearance and makes it look richer, but that natural feel of the base plaster or wood or stucco that is being painted is changed. Some would argue for the better but others would mourn the loss of the natural feel of a textured wall.

Regardless, it does not change the fact that the natural surface is altered by the paint. And yes, as the paint ages there is danger of chipping and cracking and fading.

The same is true with hair color.

If you want to go to your ideal lighter Nordic blonde shades I would recommend that you take your time and shop for a long hair expert in your area or a professionally trained expert colorist that you trust will not want to chop off your beautiful strands first before highlight them.

Look for a long hair expert or colorists that seem to be conservative and slow to act. This is the type of hair expert that will respect that fact that you took a long time to nurture and grow your magnificent strands and they will not wish to harm them in any way.

Schedule a consultation ONLY. Make it clear that you do not want to take any action at the initial visit but only wish to discuss the pros and cons of hair color application and wish time to mull over the decision. If you don't make that clear, the colorist or long hair expert may apply pressure that you do something at that consultation. Which is why I always pay them for their time rather than do a "complimentary" consultation that could potentially get me in trouble with my hair.

Ask hard questions. Would they be able to take you light enough around the perimeter of your face to give you the Nordic color you desire? How would they accomplish that? Would they use a product with bleach or ammonia, peroxide or what? Do they have products that are vegan friendly? I would seriously question that since I have never heard of any. In fact, some of the hair colors that are considered to prevent allergic reactions like are reportedly made specifically from byproducts of antelopes, reindeer and similar animals.

If you hear the answers you like and feel comfortable that there is no danger to your current strands, then you can make the decision to go forward. If not, no harm in visiting and getting a consultation.

Matrix does make a color lifter that has is not a bleach product although it does contain ammonia. It is called SoColor and depending on your natural base colors, can take you to a very light blonde without bleach. The color is still "lifted" from your cuticles but it is gentler. That is what they use to gently lift my hair when I have highlights done. To protect my hair from excessive damage I limit my own personal highlights to 2x a year.

Having highlights done in the Spring takes you into Summer with a lighter look and feel. Having them done again at the end of Fall can keep you highlighted through the dark days of Winter.

As far as SoColor being vegan. I doubt it seriously. But it never hurts to ask for those types of details. A hair colorist or stylist that uses Matrix should be able to provide you with details of what the product contains and either confirm that it is vegan or not.

The other option you have is to try a home hair color highlighting kit and apply only one or two strips of highlighted color formula to an area of your hair that you could hide if you don't like the results.

Please keep in mind that while highlights do fade over time, if they are created with permanent color, the only way to permanently remove their lasting effect is to cut them off. Yes, they can grow completely out but you will still have some color left at your ends over time.

I hope that answered all of your questions. I am happy to see that you are taking your time as you move forward. The worst thing you could do is to rush into any coloring and then spend forever regretting damage to your carefully tended healthy strands.

For more information about hair coloring issues, please visit HairBoutique.com at http://www.hairboutique.com which contains several articles on the topic.

Good luck to you.

Regards,
Karen

January 20, 2005
John Frieda Styling Suggestions?

Question

Dear Karen, 

My light brown hair is medium to slightly thick in texture and currently falls right below my shoulders.  I don’t like to wash my hair more than every 2 days or else it starts to get very dry. 

I like the way my hair looks the day that I shampoo and blow dry straight but the second day of my shampoo cycle is always a challenge for different styles to wear.  My hair holds curl pretty well and I would like to try to add curls back without washing every single day. 

Do you have suggestions?  Also, I am on a budget and prefer to use products by John Frieda which work well for my type of hair.  Can you make recommendations with that product line for me? 

Thanks in advance,

Genevieve

Answer

Dear Genevieve,

The following curly style should take you approximately 30-45 minutes to create on hair that has been washed the day before.  The fact that you strands have had time to build up a little oil is an added plus for creating curls that hold.  Start by using a “hair friendly” pick or 100% boars head Mason Pearson or similar brush to detangle your strands completely.  Freshen you’re your favorite part and arrange your bangs, if you have them, in your desired way.

Using a water bottle, lightly dampen your strands.  Apply a quarter sized glob of John Frieda Frizz Ease Corrective Styling Mousse Curl Reviver or similar product to the palms of your hands.  This styling mousse offers a soft-hold alcohol-free formula for adding bouncy curls and waves. Distribute throughout your strands. 

Roughly blow dry on a medium speed with a finger diffuser attachment or use your fingers to lift and separate your strands as you rotate the air current throughout. Blow dry until hair is completely dry.  Spray John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls into the palms of your hands and lightly distribute throughout your newly dried strands.

Working from the ear level down to the ends, use a 1 to 1 ½” barrel curling iron to tightly curl individual sections of your hair that are approximately 1 inch in thickness. Hold the iron in place 4-6 sections.  Release the newly formed curl and let it cool as you move to the adjacent section of hair. Continue to curl and release until the entire lower section of hair has been curled.

Note:  For tighter curls use a smaller barrel curling iron and separate hair into smaller sections.  If you prefer, use hot rollers that are small to medium in size and pin in a circular direction from ear to ear.

When all of the curls are completely cool, bend forward at the waist and let strands fall over towards the floor.  Using your fingers, lightly shake and fingerpick the new curls to slightly shatter them and break up the pattern.  Strand upright and carefully smooth hair and lightly arrange curls into the desired formation.  Spray well with John Frieda Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray which will help to hold the new style and prevent any formation of frizziness. 

If you want to crank up the curls later in the day for an evening night out, lightly spritz hair with water and spray John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls reviver through your strands. Set blow dryer on a low speed and scrunch in new curls from side to side. 

Of if you prefer, apply the John Frieda Frizz Ease Dream Curls and then set in big fat pin curls for a wavier pattern  Blow dry lightly, spray with hairspray and then release the pin curls one at a time.  Use fingers to fluff and pick.  Viola!  You have two different curly looks that were created in one day on “aged” strands.

But don’t stop there.  Experiment with a range of curling or waving irons with different sized barrels used on different sized sections of your tresses.  Consider dressing up a section by adding a tiny braid along the side or near the roots.  Only your imagination is your limit to creative new styles.

The entire John Frieda line is available at HairBoutique.com or by calling 1-866-4MY-HAIR.

Best wishes,
Karen

January 20, 2005
Busy Schedule Hair Care Needs

Question

Dear Karen, 

With my busy work and school schedules I find if difficult to always shampoo, blow dry and style my shoulder length hair every single day.  I would love to get to a point where I only shampoo every 2-3 days.  T

he problem is that my hair tends to get greasy and oily after just one day of not washing.  A friend of mine suggested that I try spritzing lemon juice onto my strands and letting them aid-dry.  She swears it will instantly remove oil. 

Another friend suggested that I sprinkle baby powder all over my strands and then brush out.  Honestly, I am confused what to do. Any ideas? 

Thanks in advance,

Maggie

Answer

Dear Maggie,

While lemon juice will definitely dry out an oily scalp in no time, it will also dry out all of your strands making them prone to split ends, breakage and excessive dryness over time.  I certainly don’t think you want to substitute a daily shampoo for dried out strands which acidic lemon juice will most likely provide. 

Baby powder may also not be the best option.  Not only is it very messy and hard to control, too much can leave hair frizzy and with lots of little flyaway strands.

There are several options that you might consider which include:

1.   Shampoo every day but skip or minimize blow drying and let hair air-dry naturally. Experiment with various twists, buns and braids that you create on damp hair and let dry throughout the day.  You may be surprised at the cool texture that you can create without becoming a slave to hot styling appliances.

2.  Apply shampoo suds every other day but experiment with a range of easy, on-the-run styles that are slicked back, pinned up or messed up, to minimize appear of oily strands.

3.  Experiment with headwear such as cool hats and caps to tuck oily or queasy strands away fro prying eyes.

4.   Try out dry shampoos that are specifically designed to remove oil and grease without drying out delicate strands. One great product is Rene Furterer's - Naturia Dry Shampoo is specifically designed to dry clean hair in just an instant for time crunched people. 

Keep in mind that when you shampoo, the hotter the water you use, the more oil that your scalp may tend to produce on a daily basis.  Try turning down the heat and using lukewarm to cool water.

When possible, always do a cool water final rinse.  This helps to naturally cut down on oil production in your scalp and will help extend the life of your shampoo. You’ll be happier and your strands will stay cleaner.

The entire Rene Furterer hair care line is available at HairBoutique.com by calling 1-866-4MY-HAIR.

Best wishes,

Karen

January 18, 2005
Gray Hair Turning Yellow 

Question

Dear Karen, 

I love my newly graying hair but it tends to take on a yellow tinge.  Can you recommend a shampoo or other hair product that might help with the yellow? 

Thanks in advance,

Patti

Answer

Dear Patti,

The fabulous hair experts at Phyto had just the product for you.  Phytargent Shampoo was specifically formulated to remove yellow from gray or white hair.  Even better, celebrity hairdresser, Laurent D of the famous Prive salon has used Phytargent to remove brassiness from blonde locks. 

In fact, Laurent D has reported in the past that he has used the Phytargent shampoo on Elisabeth Shue’s blonde locks to remove brassiness with great results. 

Phytargent along with the complete collection of Phyto’s award winning hair care products are available at HairBoutique.com.

Best wishes,

Karen

January 6, 2005
Madonna?  

Question

Answer

Dear Anna,

By submitting your question, you grant full permission to  HairBoutique.com  to publish it. Due to the volume of mail we receive, Karen regrets that she cannot respond to every question personally. To AskKaren questions please read Before You Contact Us Tips and then send e-mail to: askkaren@hairboutique.com.