All Hair Problems Have Solutions

All hair problems have solutions. Sometimes the solution is internal and sometimes it’s external. Often, the solution includes the elimination of certain ingredients, or changing your hair care routine entirely. If you suffer from itchy, flaky scalp, I can help you analyze and understand how your hair care routine and home care products may be contributing to ongoing hair and scalp issues.

Book an Organic Hair & Scalp Rejuvenation Treatment to give your hair and scalp a fresh start and get some personalized recommendations for home care routines and products designed keep your hair and scalp healthy and vibrant between salon visits.

Is there a safe alternative to Keratin Straightening?

Are you addicted to hair straightening treatments?
Do you feel sick after you go to the salon?
Are you ready to try something different?
Curly and wavy hair can be fabulous!
Let me help you rock your natural texture with a Curly Haircut.

I promise you, the safest alternative to a straightening treatment is to learn to love your natural texture. The fastest way to do that is with a great haircut. I provide curly haircuts that work with natural hair textures and are fun and easy to style.

Every haircut starts with a conversation about what you want your hair to do and how much effort you want to spend on it. A curly haircut is designed to put you at ease, as you watch your hair transformation take place. I believe that your hair should provide a beautiful frame for your face, and a balancing shape for your body. I love working with multi-textural hair because no two heads of hair are the same which means that your haircut and texture are unique to you. Bring me your curls and let me help you embrace your natural texture with a curly haircut and natural styling lesson.

Still on the fence about straightening your hair?
Please consider the following before your next straightening treatment.

• Keratin treatments create a straight, flat iron look by using a formaldehyde-releasing solution that coats the hair and is sealed into the hair with a 450 degree flat iron. Once straightened, the hair may continue to release formaldehyde every time you heat style your hair after your treatment.

• Formaldehyde is a sensitizer, which means that after you reach a certain level of exposure and react to it, you'll always experience an allergic reaction when you re-encounter the chemical. So the more times you chemically straighten your hair, the greater your risk of developing symptoms.

• Clients and stylists exposed to keratin straightening chemicals complain of burning eyes, difficulty breathing, and other allergy symptoms. Other symptoms include: throat irritation, mouth ulcers, dizziness, headaches, vision impairment and fatigue. Accidental skin contact with formaldehyde may cause blisters or rash on the scalp, face, and neck.

• Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, proven to cause cancer in humans, with higher levels of exposure.

When Should I Use An Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse?

Hair can become limp, dull, and heavy due to buildup of residues from shampoos, conditioners, and hair styling products. An Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Hair Rinse can help remove some of the buildup when used after shampooing. An apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse can also help detangle hair, reduce frizz, restore body and shine, stimulate and sooth the scalp, reduce hair and scalp buildup, unclog hair follicles, decrease dandruff, and reduce excess shedding. An ACV rinse is especially helpful for people who are new to using shampoo bars.

How do I know if I need to use an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse?

Whether or not you need to use an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse depends on many factors.

• Your water: If your hair does not seem to be adjusting to the shampoo bars, it may be due to your water. Hard water makes it more difficult to rinse natural shampoo from your hair, and San Francisco has hard water. An ACV rinse will help to balance out hard water and provide slip to the hair to make your final rinse more effective.

• Hair length: Some men and women with short hair have found that they do not need to rinse with vinegar, simply because their hair is short and easier to rinse.

• Tangles: ACV rinses help to close down the hair cuticle and therefore help reduce hair tangles.

• Residue & Buildup: If your hair has residue buildup from products, shampoo, or conditioner, spot cleaning your hair with a small amount of baking soda mixed into your shampoo will remove unwanted buildup. It’s important to follow this clarifying treatment with an ACV rinse to restore a slightly acidic pH to hair and scalp.

Below you will find a simple ACV recipe and Instructions for getting started with this at home. If you are reluctant to try this at home, just ask me for a demo at your next appointment and I’ll be happy to walk you through all the steps. I also have an ACV concentrates for sale in the salon or can create a custom blend just for you with pure, medicinal grade essential oils. Click here if you would like to order from me instead of making your own.

ACV & Essential Oil Concentrate Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar

• 1 glass bottle

• 5 to 10 drops of skin safe essential oils of your choice.

Directions

1. Add essential oils of your choice to vinegar. Store mixture in a glass bottle.

2. The mixture can be used right away or allowed to sit for a couple of days to steep.

3. When ready to make your hair rinse, shake the Essential Oil & ACV Concentrate and then dilute 1 to 2 tablespoon of your concentrate with 1 cup of water in a plastic squeeze bottle.

4. Apply dilution to wet hair after rinsing out your shampoo. Manipulate hair for 1-2 minutes with ACV rinse.

5. Rinse hair with fresh, cool water.

6. At this point, you may choose whether or not to use a conditioner based on how your hair feels.

What is the best way to apply my ACV rinse?

While you can use any container to mix up your ACV Dilution, I prefer to use a plastic squirt top bottle. Pouring a cold rinse on your hair is invigorating, but if you prefer a warmer rinse, make it right before you step in the shower using warm tap water.

How Often Can I Use The Vinegar Hair Rinse?

Since everyone's hair is unique you should use your own judgment as you experiment with ACV rinses. You will need to find a dilution and a frequency that works best for your hair type. Remember: dry hair likes less vinegar and oily hair likes more. Start with 1 or 2 rinses per week and adjust from there.

Do I need to refrigerate my ACV concentrate?

No, you do not need to refrigerate an ACV concentrate.

*A Note About Essential Oils

There are many wonderful essential oils for hair, but please proceed with caution when using them. Essential oils are strong concentrates and may cause skin irritation if not used correctly. Lavender is one of the few essential oils that can be used directly on the skin. Since some essential oils are stronger than others, it’s important to be be knowledgeable about the amount of essential oils that you add to your ACV concentrate. High quality essential oils are expensive, so start with a few that feel right for you.

Shampoo Bars Are Here!

Every person has unique skin and hair, so finding an organic shampoo that works for your specific hair and scalp can be difficult. When looking for an organic shampoo, many things come into play: How does it feel? How does it smell? What are the ingredients? Where’s it made? Do you trust the manufacturer? What’s the environmental impact? Etc, etc.

As your go-to organic hair care expert, I am proud to provide you with gentle and organic hair care options. I’m excited to share my signature Organic Hair Detox & Treatment with you this month. It includes a hair and scalp detox, followed by a nourishing organic hair treatment and blowdry or natural style.

Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve Co. has a variety of nourishing organic shampoo bars for all hair types. These bars feel and smell amazing. They are 100% organic without emulsifiers, synthetics, or plastic packaging; so they are healthy for the whole family while remaining gentle on your hair and the environment (all their soaps and shampoos are biodegradable). What makes Chagrin Valley’s Shampoo Bars even more amazing is how great they are at removing buildup from the hair while simultaneously nourishing the scalp and stimulating hair growth. To learn more about why you should consider switching to a shampoo bar, check out Chagrin Valley’s blog here.

Book your Organic Hair Detox & Treatment today and learn first hand how to take care of your hair in an economical way at home.

Want to learn more? Let’s chat about the chemistry of hair care at your next appointment.