Tips for selecting and styling men's hair

When selecting a hair product it  is important to think of what is it that you want the outcome to be. Are you looking for texture, hold, shine or a combination? Then, think of the strength you would like the product to have, how much hold, texture or shine do you want or need? Ideally your professional stylist will be able to guide you, educate you and give you suggestions on what best works for you, but if you still haven't found such stylist here are some tips to help you.

There are many options for styling your hair but I will focus on the two that I consider the best options for men, gels and creams. The propose of gel is to keep hair in place. The stronger the gel the stronger the hold, but very strong gel can cause flakiness, lighter gel is more manageable and allows some movement. Hair creams are extremely versatile and it can be use for hold, shine and texture. They have different finish, and they includes waxes and pomades and others.

 
To apply gel:

Step 1. Place a dollop of  gel in the palm of your hand.
Step 2. Emulsify product in the palms of your hands. 
Step 3. Apply product from roots to ends evenly, on damp hair.
Step 4. Work fingers in hair to get the shape, separation the product will give shine and hold
We recommend our own Muse Shaping Gel, which provides adjustable hold resilience and shine




To apply creams:

Step 1. with one finger scoop no more than a coin size amount.
Step 2. Place it on the palm of your hand and emulsify until is evenly spread into both hands.
Step 3. Apply gently with your fingers to the middle and outer portions of your hair in an upward motion towards the tips. Do not over-apply or apply to the roots.
Step 4.  Twist hair into bundles on the sides of your head focusing on the tips. Repeat along the neckline and near the front of your face. If hair becomes flat, repeat this action and use a scrunching motion.
We recommend our own Muse Styling Gum, which adds shine and control that will sustain styling throughout the day.

Monica Ponce
Muse The Salon
www.musehairgroup.com
monicaponce@musehairgroup.com
(813)258-2558

why is my hair brassy? Achieving The Perfect Blonde

Your Nature

Let me get to the point, the darker your hair is, the darker the red pigment is underneath your hair. Also,  if you have brown hair,  you have orange pigment in your hair and finally even if you are a dirty blonde you may have some traces of yellow orange underneath. Unless you were totally  blonde until the age of fourteen, you have some level of red inside your hair. The hairdresser didn't put it in your hair, nature did.
When we began coloring our hair in any level that is lighter than out own, we run the risk of exposing that red or orange pigment that we refer to as brassy.  For those of you doing at home color, let me tell you I don't care what the box says,  it is simply impossible to go from brown to blonde in one process without having warm tones come up , your hair will be brassy.

Correction by Monica Ponce

                                       

What can be done

Burnett to blonde by Monica Ponce

The first option is to stay with in two levels of your natural color, but if nature placed you too far away from your desire color then more can be done. Nowadays hair color can be lifted in one process and with the right formulation it can give you beautiful warm tones, not brassy but warm. If however you are set in more neutral or ash results then a double process is require and sometimes a triple process.  If you are a medium to light brown then a high lift color can be use follow by a toning color to control any unwanted pigment. If you are darker that a medium brown the a lightening process (bleach) has to be use follow by a toner or gloss to seal the cuticle. Depending on the look you want to achieve and your natural color you may need a base color, highlights and toner.                                              

That shade of blonde

Warm colors can be beautiful and not brassy, Jennifer Aniston and Jenifer Lopez both have warm shades of blonde.

Natural and Ash blonde shades have a violet or green undertone. Cameron Diaz has more natural ash pale blonde.

If you saw Kim Kardashian attempt to blonde, then you can see how difficult it is to get rid of all warm tones.   We can see clearly the warm tones when she started going blonde and also how towards the end, as she was getting lighter her hair was beginning to show the damages in frizziness which is probably the reason she went back to dark.

Things to consider 

 If you do other chemical treatments such as straighteners or perms, high-lift colors may not be an option for you.
A professional hairstylist should be able to identify the possibilities and options for your hair.
Achieving the desire shade of blonde can be a lengthy and costly process.
Some medication including blood pressure medication, cholesterol medication and some antidepressant and birth control may interfere with your hair color. Do a clarifying shampoo before coloring and once a week. Tell your stylist.
High levels of mineral on in your water may add unwanted brassy tones. Use a water filter.
Avoid any other chemical treatment, use professional products and limit the use of hot tools to maintain your hair in good conditions.
Finally, choose an experience colorist and listen to her suggestions.


Monica Ponce
Muse The Salon
(813) 258-2558

what not to do to your hair

Hair, like any other natural fiber, has its limitations;  once you have stretched, altered and abused your hair, it does reach a point of no return. Certain things accelerate the finale of your locks, such us over styling with hot tools, mishandling wet hair and, the most

common one,extreme or inappropriate use of chemical treatments such as perms, relaxers and color. There are things that are just not meant to happen, coloring more than three levels lighters besides producing unwanted brassiness, will begin changing the texture of your hair. If done properly lighter colors can be achieved, but something has got to give. Don't expect to color, bleach and relax your hair and not murder it. There are things you just should not do. If you hair has gone past this point, go back to a more natural color level and trim it regularly until all the damage is gone. No product that you use will repair it.  Think of it as a silk that you pour bleach on and then iron, what could you possibly use after to bring it back to its original state, nothing.Prevention and a good hair stylist are the best treatment.  Once the hair begins breaking, you just have to let it go.

After By Muse The Salon

For an appointment call 813-258-2558

Corrective Color, the unpredictable truth

Hair by Monica Ponce. - Muse The Salon

Corrective color is a process that requires two or more steps  and will leave the client with a noticeably different look. Sometimes corrective color can be resolved in one visit and sometimes it may need to be done in steps over a few appointments, depending on the individual situation.

There are many factors as why color goes wrong, if you did it at home you may not realize that the porosity or condition of the hair can affect the result.
 If you have a bad result due to a previous visit to a salon, you may have been working with someone inexperienced. Therefore it is imperative that you seek a professional colorist when seeking a color correction service.
Don't try to correct the color yourself or you could make it worse. I have seen clients coming in with blue and green hair because they tried to make a blonde color darker. Sadly I have also seen clients come in with fried broken hair because an inexperienced stylist tried to lighten a color gone too dark.
Since previously colored hair becomes unpredictable to color, only an experience colorist can help you achieve the best possible results with the least damage to your hair.


What you should know before your color correction appointment

• Make sure you choose an experienced colorist. 
• Set clear expectations: it is important that you listen to your stylist and ask as many questions as you need.
• It is important to realize the affects that the previous color services may had have on the hair and the limitation that this creates.
• The desire result might take several visits. 
• You are likely to require special after care for your hair, your stylist should guide you in telling you what to do and what to use for at home care.
• There is no price set for corrective color, the price is determine depending on the amount of steps necessary to achieve the desire outcome

Monica Ponce
Master Colorist

Muse The Salon

Tampa, Fl

(813) 258-2558

What can be done in one process hair color?

Selecting the right hair color for you is the first step in achieving the hair color results that will work best for you (and avoiding hair coloring nightmares that find you looking for a good color correction specialist). There are guidelines that a professional uses to give you the results you desire. It is however important to know that hair color have limitations. If you are considering a one step all over color process, here is what you need to know:

• A one process color can be use for lightening and darkening hair, it creates a new base in one easy step and it can add shine to dull hair.
• Lightening in one process can only be done on hair that HAS NOT previously been color. Color alone WILL NOT lift color.
• When Darkening hair that has previously been color it is better to use a demi-permanent color  to even out the porosity of the hair.
• For gray hair to get 100% coverage, permanent works better.
• When lightening in one process it is better to stay with in two levels of the natural color to avoid brassy undertones.
• To even out different shades on the hair and obtain a more settle look a color toner is recommended.
• When darkening hair that has been previously bleached a one step process will not work over one or two levels darker. Do not try to go from bleach blond to brunette in one process or you will get a shade of green, blue or ash tones.
• To add shine or different shade with in the same level or one level darker to previously bleached hair, a one step full color does wonders making dull highlights come alive.

M. Ponce
Muse The Salon

SHELLAC NAILS

beauty by muse

So the secret with Shellac is that the varnish is secured under a UV lamp and dries within seconds. After that it stays and stays, so you only need to have your nails done every 20 days or so, depending on how fast they grow (nails grow on average 0.1 mm per day, but quicker in the summer and also quicker when you're pregnant). Shellac doesn't damage the nails (unless you start picking, which you won’t because you won’t be tempted to pick something that is perfect), rather on the contrary, Shellac strengthens them from underneath. It sets in a base coat (in other words: no harmful buffing involved, like most of the competitive brands choose to do) and applies like a nail polish. This is simply a color that stays on your own natural nail perfectly until it grows out or you decide to remove it.

WHAT IF I WANT TO WEAR A DIFFERENT COLOUR ONE DAY

You can put any regular nail polish on top, but make sure you use a non-acetone remover when you want it off again - as long as there's no acetone it has no effect on the Shellac underneath. If you just want to strengthen your nails, try a clear Shellac colour. That way it is easier to apply sheer colours and your gorgeous nudes.

HOW DO I REMOVE SHELLAC

Have your Shellac removed in the salon, or buy acetone, soak a cotton pad with it and press on the nail for a couple of minutes. Gentle rubbing with a nail brush or cuticle stick can speed up the process.

MAINTENANCE

For easy maintenance you can touch up the cuticles of your nails by using a similarly coloured nail varnish as the nails grow. But remember that base coat should always come first!

FOR YOU NAILBITERS

Try Shellac for two months and your nails are long and strong and healthy. You don't want to put them in your mouth ever again.

article by beauty books

Tips on selecting a safe keratin treatment

As we discuss in the article safe keratin?  there are different types of keratins and some are very unsafe, so these tips are to help guide you into selecting the right keratin and the right stylist to do it, so that you may too enjoy the benefits of this innovative treatment.

• Only a license professional should do these treatments.

• I recommend that you see a certified specialist; but this alone It is not enough. Your stylist should be certified in more than one treatment or have knowledge of more than one keratin treatment and know the differences.

• A stylist loyalty should be to the client and not to a particular line, so that when a product is selected it is because of it consideration and benefits to the client.

• A product that requires that you or the stylist wear a mask (unless one of you is sick or suffers from allergies) is probably not good.

• A product that suggest caution to on scalp contact is probably nor the best one.

• A Brazilian Keratin or any other Keratin  product that promises to achieve the same results in one day and last months is probably not safe. (The stronger the product the sooner it will work)

There are safe keratin treatments, which eliminates frizz and makes your hair easy to blow straight and frizz free for 2-4 months.  

We currently use 3 different types of Keratin treatments, including the only non toxic, formaldehyde free, rich with organic and natural ingredients, all of our products have been deemed safe but we will continue to educate and remain on top of the industry. Our loyalty and commitment is to you.