Wednesday
Apr042012
Hair Makeover: Meet the Experts
Posted on 
Wed, April 4, 2012 at 5:00PM
Wed, April 4, 2012 at 5:00PM 
There's nothing quite like just-from-the-salon hair. It's light and shiny, and it smells so good! But sooner or later, you have to wash and style it on your own, which — if you're like us — is when all good hair intentions comes to an end. But now we’ve got professional help!
Yesterday we launched our 14-Day Makeover Challenge for hair and introduced you to Jessica, an ideeli employee who turned her dark-blond locks into head-turning coppery red waves, thanks to two experts at the Ted Gibson salon in NYC. We sat down with Jessica's colorist and stylist, Ronny and Jill, not only to learn how to get our own dream cut and color, but also to get a few styling tips for after the post-salon glow washes out. First up, Ronny tells us how to get the best hair color — and keep it.
Ronny's Coloring Tips
Q: What’s the best way to go about picking a new hair color? A. Keep your natural hair color in mind and look at how far this new shade is from that. Then think about the level of maintenance you're willing to commit to, and if you have gray or not (as that means more trips to the salon for touch-ups). The further you get away from your natural color, the more upkeep you’ll have.
Q: What should you never do when coloring hair?
A. Never color it at home. There are so many things that can easily go wrong. Box colors tend to be a shade (or two) darker than the actual dye is. If you must color your hair at home, only do your roots.
Q: What's special about Iona, the hair-color line you used for Jessica's makeover?
A. It's by L'Oreal, and it's the first hair-color line that doesn’t have ammonia in it — you can barely smell it! Iona doesn't open up the hair cuticles as much as ammonia-based dyes, so your hair won’t fade as easily.
Q: What hair color trend is not going anywhere anytime soon?
A. Ombré. I thought it was trend, but it's so easy to maintain, because it's darker on the top and lighter on the bottom.
Jill's Styling Tips
Q: How do you get the haircut you want when you go to a salon? Are photos really useful?
A. It's all about what the client wants to feel. When people describe what they’re looking for, what they're really telling me is how they want to feel afterward. As for photos, celebrity references are wonderful. Even if you have a different hair texture, I can tell what you're feeling — there's is no way to misinterpret what you want!
Q: What are good ways to get that just-from-the-salon feel at home?
A. A new haircut is all about sleekness, scent, and feel, so anything you can do to play up one of these three things will help. Use pomade and piece your hair out. That’s like a foolproof way to get texture — you can scrunch it out.
Q: You cut Jessica's hair shorter in the back and longer in the front — what does that do?
A. Narrower faces should always get more layers, while wider ones should have less (especially around the face). If you do have a wider face, longer, more-angled layers are better.
Q: What's a common misconception about styling products?
A. That a flat iron will fry your hair. Yes, it will if you don't protect it! Use any kind of styling product — a cream, smoothing serum, or a heat-protecting spray. They work as a lubricant or sheath, safeguarding your hair from the iron's extreme heat.
Learn more about our 14-Day Makeover Challenge and our healthy-eating makeover. Check back next Wednesday (4/11) to see how Jessica is maintaining her shiny new locks.
