<![CDATA[Cobalt Salon & Gallery                                                               - Cobalt Blog]]>Sat, 26 May 2012 11:20:23 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Perfect Medium]]>Mon, 21 May 2012 00:37:52 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/05/perfect-medium.htmlPicture
Hairspray is not one of the most popular products in Davis I've discovered. However, I've found these Kenra sprays are often the exception to that rule!

Kenra sprays are extremely versatile. Design Spray 9, Kenra's softer spray, for example, is for that client who likes to run their hands through their hair, or style, spray, brush, repeat, until the style is perfect. It can be worked and layered without a sticky buildup, and its light hold is perfect for a "touchable" feel.

Perfect Medium 13 is exactly what it's described as: a perfect medium hold. It has a wonderfully sweet and clean fragrance that is what attracts most clients to it, but when they use it and discover how perfect (light yet durable) the medium hold strength is, they usually can't resist!

Of course there's always that client that wants a hold that s/he can really trust. That would be Kenra's Volume Spray 25. With a hold factor of 25 (the higher the number, the higher the hold strength), this spray will work that red carpet as long as you can!

The other thing clients love is that just like Cobalt Salon & Gallery, Kenra provides a 100% satisfaction guarantee. So even if you don't find the perfect hairspray the first time, you can always give it a second shot with no risk!
]]><![CDATA[Tamer Foam]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 21:24:30 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/05/tamer-foam.htmlPicture
I'm shocked that I haven't written a post about this terrific product, it's one of my very favorites!

Tamer Foam by ISO is my number one tool when it comes to smoothing and protecting hair from humidity. The funny thing about this product, is that as "goopy" as the product feels going through hair (honestly, even we stylists sometimes think we've overdone it with this stuff), it completely disappears, for a truly weightless, yet beautifully smooth, style, that will stand up to humidity just fine, thank you!

And the bonus? At only $11.00 you won't believe it's a luxury brand...
]]><![CDATA[Color Correction (repost from musingsbythehairslave.wordpress.com)]]>Sun, 06 May 2012 14:40:02 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/05/color-correction-repost-from-musingsbythehairslavewordpresscom.htmlMany people have heard the term "color correction" tossed around in hair salons, or seen it on a service menu perhaps. But most people (even many stylists) have never had to actually experience the process. And most people (including many stylist) don't really know what can go wrong, or why, or why it's so dang expensive (I charge $100 an hour with a minimum 4 hour appointment for severe cases, and that does not include a guarantee). So I thought you might like a blow-by-blow description of Monica's recent journey from black, to slightly lighter red-brown. And by the way, it was a full two day process if you want to figure the price tag.

From what I know, she has been coloring her hair black for several years, and in very common occurrence in many stylists', life she was doing it in a way that we wouldn't perform on a client, lol. Like many other professions it's "do as I say, not as I do"! Her hair was on the porous side, meaning the hair is sponge-like, and like a sponge it will suck up a lot off tones (grab), and release a lot of color (fadage), but it won't let go of all of it (staining). To make the situation even better, when she mentioned that she was looking for a true "blue-black" but had never managed to find one, I suggested putting a blue Pravana temporary color over the top. That was the fatal mistake. And following, is the reason we have a policy in our salon that we don't attempt removal of black unless it was a recent, and terribly bad, mistake. Removing an older black is usually not successful, because the color "sets" so deeply you generally don't get a good tone. But what the heck, we're professionals!

Monica started out on her own at home. We had discussed the procedure, she decided to try the Kenra dye-remover (no bleach involved at this point), and then after lifting to a reasonable red tone (when removing black it's pretty much impossible to lighten with a dye-remover past red) she would do a bleach wash, otherwise the dark color molecules will re-oxidize to a very dark brown when applying a toner. At this point in the process she had a decent red, and the job was looking pretty successful. After all that work she took a nap, and woke up with dark muddy green hair.

Now, let me tell you, in 25 years in the hair business I have never seen hair spontaneously re-oxidize so quickly, or at all after a bleach wash, or to emerald-green! At this point we decided we should fix it at the salon. I had an extremely rare half hour break in my schedule that morning, so we did another bleach wash with a low volume activator. Perfect! until about 15 minutes later. Ever seen Elphaba's hair in Wicked? Very dark emerald-green/brown. We tried another dye-remover, with heat. Red...then green. She went home with green hair. I don't like to fail. Don't get me wrong, I do fail, it's the best way to learn, but I don't like to, and I don't quit.

She was going to do more later that evening, and around midnight came the Facebook status update. "Ohhhhh shit". I assumed her hair had fallen out, and didn't sleep much that night, ha! She was smarter than that, however. She had done test strands, and a google search. Pravana "temporary" colors can't be removed. At this point I have to stop and say, what the f@*k?! It can't be a temporary color if it can't be removed! Well, in fairness to Pravana, turns out it doesn't actually say "temporary" anywhere, no wonder I love how long their dark blue lasts in my hair. Lesson learned. The blue color overlay isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's just somehow managing to fade to emerald-green. There's another fun fact; her hair starts red, and oxidizes to green. I would have thought that was physically impossible. Red and green make brown, where the heck is the yellow in this equation?

Never react, act. It's words I live by in the salon. It's served me well. I've done the Heimlich maneuver on a former employee, I've dealt with a hemorrhaging client unknowingly having a miscarriage, and I've dealt with my own color mistakes. Believe me when I say in the thick of the moment they both feel the same! In the final analysis they are not, of course, but in the thick of it, oh yes.

Our last attempt was to take a pure red pigment through the hair, we used our new Kenra permanent pure red pigment additive to stain the hair, virtually neutralizing the green, then sealed it with an application of Kenra demi color light copper blonde. Viola', or should I say, thank god! A very decent red-brown, shading down in an Ombre fashion to darkest red-brown. Yes in the sunlight it still has a little bit of an ash tone in some of the ends, but overall it's actually rather pretty. To make matters a little more amusing, after the fact of course, I just saw a girl on a bike ride by with the same color! We're trend setters, lol...


update 5-7-2012
Monica put another temporary red through it last night, and today it looked stunning. It's a one of a kind color just for her!]]><![CDATA[Welcome Monica!]]>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:25:46 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/04/welcome-monica.htmlI'm sure by now many of our regular readers have heard about our new stylist Monica Pinkston. But I thought maybe a little bit more in-depth introduction might be in order.

Monica joined our staff about three weeks ago, and it has become very obvious to me that her cutting and styling skills fit in nicely with the standards we set for ourselves here at Cobalt Salon & Gallery. Monica has worked at a salon in Folsom that specializes in haircuts for the last few years, but like many people these days, decided she wanted to increase her marketability with some improved education. So far I couldn't be happier! Monica has picked up more color knowledge in the last three weeks than I did in my first 5 years. Don't be surprised if you see (or experience) Monica applying color, shadowing me, or working through more in depth techniques on one of our infamous doll heads over the next few months. My goal is to have her learn everything I know as quickly as possible so she can help take Cobalt Salon & Gallery to newer and better levels of excellence!

She is now available for all haircut clients, including men, women, and children at a low introductory rate, and before we know it, she'll be working with color and texture clients as well!

Also, to introduce our cherished clients to Monica, we are offering a spectacular discounted prix fixe menu spa package for the spring. A 1 hour, $60 spa package, for just $30. Check out our Facebook post, or Scheulicity page for more information. 

And hurry, this deal won't be around for long!
]]><![CDATA[A better oil!]]>Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:09:58 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/03/a-better-oil.htmlPicture
We''ve all heard of the benefits of argon oil (the ingredient in Morrocon Oil products) but K-PAK Color Therapy Restorative Styling Oil, by Joico, not only contains argon oil, but also African manketti and evening primrose oil. 

As a treatment it: 
  • -Nourishes and strengthens hair to provide unmatched cumulative conditioning benefits
  • -Seals the cuticle to protect against color fadage
  • -Offers natural UV protection against the sun and other environmental aggressors
As a styling product it: 

  • -Reduces drying and styling time 
  • -Provides vibrant shine and softness
  • -Leaves hair smooth, soft and healthy
  • -Won't build up or weigh hair down


And at just $19.95, it beats it's $40.00 Moroccan oil competitor out of the water.
]]><![CDATA[It's a 10]]>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:05:43 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/03/its-a-10.htmlPicture
It's not very often that I can recommend a product for everybody; but It's a 10 is definitely one for the books. 

This product detangles, adds shine, smooths frizzy hair, conditions, and protects from heat styling. Plus more! And, it's great for ALL hair types.

What more could you ask for?
]]><![CDATA[A Day In The Life]]>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:30:37 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/02/a-day-in-the-life.htmlOriginally posted on 1-14-2011 (thought something from my personal blog might be fun)

I'm not a morning person. I'm barely civil until around 10 or 10:30. I have a strange ritual to get going in the morning. Most days I start with an iced tea, a scone, and the newspaper, safely alone in my car. Nobody bugs me there, and I can't offend anybody. It's the ritual that gets me out of bed in the morning, so, whatever. The rest of my day, however, is never the same, ever.

Today I had an awesome day. I started with a man's haircut; I've been cutting his hair for nearly 23 years, so I consider this an easy start to the day. Simple cut, rather curly hair, likes it on the longer side.

Next was a cute newlywed who's (I don't believe) ever had anybody else cut her hair. I taught her how to deal with her naturally curly hair when she was in high school, and at this point her hair is almost to her waste, or it was. We cut it to her shoulders today, and her naturally curly hair was bouncy and fabulous!

Then came a fairly new client of a little over a year.  We color and cut his hair every 4 weeks, and boy did he need it! We'd gone a little over on the schedule due to the holidays, and he needed a cut way bad. It was moving toward "jew-fro". Which, though cute on a high school kid, is not very professional. Grey gone, not much hair left either!

Around noon I had another long term client who has her 100 percent grey hair "blended" to a beautiful golden blonde, a nice cut and a bit of blow-dry magic to convert her rather frizzy hair to a smooth mid-length layered cut.

This is when the challenge of the day started. Two clients I love. A local merchant I've known for over 25 years, and a wonderful young teacher who's family I've known almost as long. Booked "back to back". A little more challenging since my assistant Cece took a leave of absence.

Client one, with very thick frizzy/curly hair I glazed a rich auburn red. I then gave her a nice, healthy trim, and styled her using a diffuser to bring out the shiny, healthy curls she was blessed with.

Client two was a color, foil placement, trim, and style. Both hair treatments came off without a hitch.

In case you're wondering, I didn't forget the lunch break; if I ever take one (which I almost never do), I'll let you know what I get. I decompress on the drive home. Most of my job is extremely social, and decompression is mandatory for me. Today I was looking forward to dinner with hubby Pete, my near college graduate son William (yay!), and his mother Laurie. We decided on a fairly new place. Good Eats. We're still trying to decide if we like it or not. Needless to say it hasn't wowed us, but it's close, and seems to be improving rapidly. It is almost to the level I'll recommend it, but not yet.  They do however have a bar, so there you go. When Star Ginger opens next door (by the creator of Lemon Grass and La Bou), they may not be able to compete.  I'll keep you posted.

*Update: Good Eats is gone, sad but not surprised, and the new Star Ginger is good, but no bar.   :-(

]]><![CDATA[Why experience counts, or, don't try that yourself! (remember Rocky and Bullwinkle?)]]>Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:43:21 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/02/why-experience-counts-or-dont-try-that-yourself-remember-rocky-and-bullwinkle.htmlThis is a repost from David's personal blog "musings by the hairslave".

Have you ever seen that movie star that changed from blonde to brown, and then back to blonde. Oh, it doesn't matter which, you can think of one I'm sure.  Did you ever wonder how big of a deal that is?  I'll give you a hint...it's huuuge.

The blonde to brown isn't that big a job.  For a good colorist you can do it well in around 1 1/2 hours.  I say well, because it's easy to turn it to baby poop brown.  I've seen it, it ain't pretty.  And going brown to blonde isn't a huge challenge.  Again, about two hours.

Blonde to red can be tricky, but not usually as time-consuming.  A number of glazes can be done in as little as 2 hours, if you know what to use.  But red to blonde, totally up in the air.  Red is one of the hardest colors to remove, there always seems to be that last little bit that doesn't want to budge.  It's ironic considering how quickly red fades!

But blonde to brown to blonde is a whole other world.  It can easily take 2 or more visits to remove the artificial brown.  There are some simple ways to go to a subtle blonde.  In a few visits enough foils can be added to get you there painlessly.  But if it's to be a true blonde it usually involves a color remover (1 to 2 hours), a bleach wash (15-30 minutes), a filler (45-60 min), a glaze or two (1-3 hours), and possibly foils (1-4 hours).  This is all rough time estimates, length and thickness of the hair, porosity, darkness of brown level, and many other factors can affect a color correction of this sort.  And all of these are based on the hair being healthy.  Bad "at home" color is another game altogether.

I am rarely willing to tackle a black to (literally whatever you can get), but I gave it a shot for a dark blonde client who had "accidentally" tinted her hair black for Halloween.  I say accidentally because she didn't read the fine print on the box of semi-permanent hair color she used.  Hint: no such thing as semi-permanent black.  Once you go black, you never go back, as we say in the hair industry.  What, you thought that meant something else?  Your bad...

Anyhow, after the first day (5 hours to get her from black to dark brown, ugh!  I don't like to fail), I went home, tinted a doll head black (using the same color product she used) and proceeded to spend the next two days getting it blonde.  It only took me 3 hours to do it on the person.  It was amazing what I learned!

On the other hand, I accidentally tinted a blonde client black myself one afternoon (it's really not my fault.  The blonde (6•1) looked exactly like the black (1•9) when held upside down!). And it only took 5 minutes to fix that! luckily I know shortcuts.

]]><![CDATA[Spring is here (I think?) and people want a change!]]>Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:48:21 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2012/02/spring-is-here-i-think-and-people-want-a-change.htmlWell, we haven't really had a winter yet, but since my daffodils are a popin' and the trees are a blooming', spring is here in my book.  And with spring comes the desire for a new you, so how about a new do?!

One of our very own, my assistant Michelle, went for a big change this week by having me chop off her shoulder length tresses; and one of my clients liked her new look so well that she opted for a similar style. What is this seasons hot style you might ask? Well look no further than the adorable Hayden Panattetier's new bob. I know, a bob? How boring, right? Well slow down, this cute and versatile layered bob is not your usual boring a-line. Add in some razored layers, add a cute peek-a-boo bang, and you have made a bob with some pizzaz. A blow-dry with some TIGI Superstar Blow-Dry Lotion, a little Kenra Styling Creme to emphasize texture and provide a light hold, and you will be anything but boring!

Picture
]]><![CDATA[Are You Pastel, Or Smashed?]]>Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:47:29 -0800http://www.cobaltsalon.com/1/post/2011/11/are-you-pastel-or-smashed.html Picture
What will they think of next? I'm often shocked at how dang creative some people can be. The newest trends to come along are certainly "outside the box" thinking. Two low commitment, and pretty cool to boot, hair color techniques created by the noted color expert Edward Tricomi.


The first technique using color pastels in the hair is pure genius! A pretty, creative, subtle or shocking, and completely temporary hair color is pretty amazing when you stop and think about it. Have you always wanted to try pink, purple, blue, or green, in your hair, but knew your boss wouldn't put up with it? Well, in just a few minutes you can have it for the next day or so, and it will completely wash out when you have to go back to work!

The second technique, color smashing, though a little more permanent, is still 100% upkeep free! You and your stylist will simply decide where you want to add a plash of color, or maybe a little fun peekaboo underneath. Then take the color, and smash it into the hair, creating a beautiful diffused color application that will change naturally, and unnoticed as it grows out. What you get is an ever changing color application that know one else ever will...

I love the future-David Martin
Picture
]]>