Want Strong Healthy Hair? Stop Doing This...

We all want those lush shiny locks that always seem to curl or straighten perfectly, but getting hair to do what you want it to do can sometimes be quite a chore. We’re here to help with a few tips on what you should be doing and what to stop doing in your quest for #hairgoals

1. Moisturize: Healthy hair is conditioned hair. Using a deep conditioning hair mask once a week can help to drastically change the look and feel of your hair. We are loving Living Proof’s mask treatment from their Restore collection. This creamy formula wraps around each stand, leaving your hair nourished and visibly healthier. It’s easy to use too. Just sub the mask in place of your regular conditioner once or twice a week. If you really want to amp up the restorative powers, use this deep conditioner along with the Restore daily shampoo and conditioner combo.

2. Protect: Getting your hair prepped for your styling session is just as important as the styling session itself. If you want to reduce the risk of damage to your locks, you’ve got to show them some love! Always prep your hair with a heat protectant. There are lots out there to choose from but the one that we always find ourselves reaching for is Redken’s Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express. This product is a multitasker! It provides heat protection up to 450 degrees, gives a solid blast of volume, offers up priming capabilities to prep your hair for other products you might be using all while cutting down your blow drying time!

3. Air Dry: Letting your hair rest and air dry for a few minutes before hitting with the blow dryer is a great habit! In salon we don’t have a ton of time to hang around and wait, but at home, consider doing your makeup or picking out your outfit for the day while you let your hair have some time to dry naturally and soak up those protectant products you just applied. The less time you have to spend under the blow dryer, the better!

Now, here is the biggest, most important take away for the day - STOP DOING THIS - stop cranking up the heat on those styling tools. Say it with me, turn down the heat!

I know, it seems counterintuitive, you want the style your are creating to hold, so you think the higher the heat, the better the hold. I’m here to tell you that you can achieve the same stellar results utilizing less heat. The overall process may take a few seconds longer, but your hair will thank you for it in the end. Keep those temps on the lower side and work with small sections of hair, this will ensure that you aren’t passing over the same section multiple times and will keep your hair from being burnt - Hello, split ends!
Once you’ve completed your style session, finish your look off with a little finishing oil, we like Living Proof’s Nourishing Oil to replenish luster and moisture.

When it comes to keeping your hair healthy and looking great, stick to these simple tips and you’ll find yourself with hair that is manageable and shiny, with fewer split ends!

If you want to know more about the products mentioned in this blog, let’s chat! All products are carried in salon and are available for purchase, and our expertly trained stylists are ready to help you find the products that will be best suited to your hair type and needs!

Meet Ali - Owner, Rush Salon

Ali Halat is the brains and muscle behind Rush Salon

He brought Rush Salon to Sliverado in 2013, and has been clipping great style into the community ever since. We think that our clients getting to know a little about their stylist is just as important as stylist’s knowing their clientele. We sat down with Ali to ask him three questions about how his career got started, his specialities and where his passions take him when he isn’t behind the chair; here’s what he had to say!

1. How did you get started in the industry? I started practically fresh out of high school. I began an apprenticeship for heavy duty mechanic the summer I graduated, but quickly came to realize it just wasn't for me. I grew up around the hair industry and had an early interest in the latest trends and styles(aka the only kid with frosted tips in third grade, with gel in his back pack) I leaned into my friends and family that had hair salons and asked to learn the business. I enrolled in school, graduated and got to work, always with the goal of owning my own shop. Rush Salon is my passion. All my effort and free time goes towards the betterment and education of the salon and our team.

2. What do you specialize in? I specialize in precision cuts and fades for both men and women, along with complex colors, which I have always been passionate about. I have over a decade of salon experience perfecting my knowledge of top brand lines like Redken, Kerastase and Living Proof.

3. Where can we find you when you aren't behind the chair? When I’m not behind the chair I’m spending time with my wife, family and friends - they always keep me grounded and inspire me to go and excel in this fast paced industry. You can also find me on the ice, playing hockey or on the fairway working on my golf skills.

Considering Color? Consider Fab Pro!

Lifelong success comes from being a lifelong learner. We can all agree that you learn the bulk of your industry knowledge once you are in your applied field. Textbooks and simulated situations will only take you so far, and that’s why we believe in ongoing, real time education for our staff. Keeping our skills sharp and our knowledge of the hottest trends is an incredibly important factor in providing you with a superior salon experience. This month we got to sit down with the pro’s from EVO and expend our knowledge of their product lines! If you are considering a color service, have a quick read on what EVO has to offer you!

If you are considering a color service, this is a love letter for you and your locks!

Evo Fab Pro: Fab Pro is a highly customizable coloring system that allows your stylist to expertly match your existing color by mixing a unique-to-you coloring cocktail to get you that perfect hue you’ve been looking for! With Fab Pro’s unlimited coloring range the only limit is your sense of adventure!
To keep your color day-one fresh, your stylist can send you home with a customized color maintenance conditioner that will ensure your hair is nourished and getting a small dose of your salon color every time you condition those locks!

Staino: Fab Pro’s funky little sister. She’s got serious style and lots of personality, and if you are looking to make a bold statement, she is the one you want on your side. Staino offers a pigment heavy ROYGBV(remember that one from middle school?) of colors to suit whatever pastel hue you are looking for! This spunky color system doesn’t call it quits easily either. It will sticking with you through thick and thin for at least 50 washes! That’s A LOT!

Both Fab Pro and Staino hair dyes are ammonia and peroxide free(Yay!) making them a gentler option for you coloring needs and with unlimited options you can be sure that you’re going to get a color you LOVE! Chat with us about Fab Pro or Staino next time you’re in, part of why we love our job so much is that we get to educate our clients on not just what we are doing, but how we do it! The more you understand about the products and techniques used in your styling session give you more power to maintain and product salon quality effects days after day!

Olaplex: What Is It? Do I Really Need It?

Olaplex has been blowing up on the salon and beauty scene with thousands of stylists singing it’s praises and backing it’s incredible results. But what exactly is it and why is it important you you to use during and after a chemically strenuous salon treatment.

Let’s break it down and get to the simple science behind Olaplex , explaining what it is, and why you do need it.
Hair is made of up Keratin proteins. Keratin is rich in the amino acid cysteine, and cysteine is important here because it contains a sulfur atom. Typically, two sulfurs will join together to form a disulfide bond creating a link between two proteins - and that is where the Olaplex magic begins. Disulfide bonds can be broken down by chemical treatments, daily heat styling and the general wear and tear that our hair goes through on a daily basis. As a bond multiplier, Olaplex takes the already existing bonds in your hair, multiplies and repairs them, producing stronger, healthier hair. It actively reverses damage, while proactively protecting your hair against future damage.

Olaplex has products formulated for the salon and for take home use. Olaplex No.1 Bond Mulitplier and No.2 Bond Perfector, are strictly for professional use.
We utilize the Bond Multiplier on clients having any sort of intense chemical treatments done. The Bond Multiplier gets mixed into the hair color/lightener and begins the process of mending those broken disulfide bonds, while working to prevent further damage.
No. 2 Bond Perfect is worked into the hair once the color/lightener is removed. This step fortifies the work that has already been accomplished by the No. 1 Bond Multiplier and continues the repair work while the hair rests.

No.3 Hair Perfector is where YOU come in! This is the take-home part of the treatment. You’ve been in salon, had a beautiful color applied and your hair has been protected and nourished throughout the entire process, now we need to continue to provide your locks with some TLC. That’s where No.3 Hair Perfecter comes in! This little bottle of magic sure does pack a punch, and when used properly, it will give you smooth, silky, strong hair.

Here is a quick run down on how it should be used:

1. Wet hair as if you were going to wash it, then towel dry.

2. Apply a generous amount of No.3 Hair Perfecter from your scalp the ends of your hair

3. Ensure hair is well saturated with the product, massage into hair and comb through to evenly distribute(be gentle!)

4. Leave on for at least 10 minutes. The longer you leave the treatment, the better your result.

5. Rinse your hair, shampoo and condition as normal.

It’s a quick and easy step to pop into your weekly routine; build it into your self-love routine, slip on a face mask and enjoy some quiet time while you rejuvenate your hair, skin and mind!

Next time you are in the salon to visit, be sure to ask about Olaplex. It’s such an easy and low cost investment in the health and maintenance of your hair. It’s tried and tested and a product that we love to educate our clients on. Long live healthy hair!