Health Canada has received complaints of burning eyes, nose, and throat, breathing difficulties, and one report of hair loss associated with use of professional hair straightening products.

Formaldehyde is permitted as a preservative in cosmetics at levels of no more than 0.2%. Formaldehyde is a known irritant, sensitizer, and is linked to cancer in humans when inhaled chronically over a long period of time. Health Canada believes that the reactions are being caused by formaldehyde becoming aerosolized during the blow drying and flat ironing stages of the treatment. Any procedure containing formaldehyde above the allowable limits places clients and stylists at increased risk.

The following table provides the names of the products and the levels of formaldehyde found in our testing:
Product Level of Formaldehyde
Brazilian Keratin Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 1.8%
Advanced Brazilian Keratin Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 1.7%
Chocolate Extreme De-Frizzing Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 1.6%
Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy by Coppola 1.8%
Global Keratin Taming System Strawberry by Global Keratin 3.0%
Global Keratin Taming System with Juvexin Strawberry Resistant by Global Keratin 4.4%
Global Keratin Taming System with Juvexin Strawberry Light Wave by Global Keratin 1.4%
Pro-Collagen RX Keratin Treatment 2.8%
IStraight Keratin (Advanced Keratin Treatment) by IBS Beauty 2.3%
Brazilian Thermal Reconstruction by Cadiveu 7.0%
Who is affected

Consumers receiving these hair smoothing treatments, and stylists performing the treatment may experience reactions of burning eyes, nose, throat, and breathing troubles.
What consumers should do

* Consumers who are experiencing adverse reactions to these professional hair smoothing solutions are advised to seek medical attention. Consumers who have used this product and not experienced any reactions likely have no cause for concern.
* Stylists who use these professional hair smoothing solutions should immediately stop using the affected product. Health Canada has not tested all professional hair smoothing solutions. It is the responsibility of manufacturers, importers, distributors and sellers to ensure that their product is in compliance with the Food and Drugs Act.
* Adverse reactions to cosmetics can be reported to Health Canada using a form available on Health Canada’s website.

What Health Canada is doing

Health Canada is working with the Canadian distributors to address concerns regarding professional hair smoothing solutions and to stop sale of the products listed above at all levels of trade.
Products recalled/affected:

This advisory is for the products listed in the table above.

Health Canada understands that the affected products are typically available in salons only.
For more information

Consumers and health professionals wanting more information about this advisory from Health Canada can contact the Public Enquiries Line at 613-957-2991, or toll free at 1-866-225-0709.

Media enquiries related to this Advisory should be directed to Health Canada Media Relations at 613-957-2983.
How to report problems with consumer products

Health Canada is interested in receiving reports of incidents or injury reports related to consumer products and cosmetics that have been previously recalled (health and safety related complaints). Incidents or injuries may be about the same hazard or may be about a different hazard related to the same product. An incident report form can be accessed on the Health Canada website.
For the originoal article please see: Health Canada’s Website

I was reading an article about how to decorate a salon. In this article it indicated that ” if the first thing your clients see when they come through the door is a macramé basket holding a fern, the answer is “yes. you need to redecorate”
Think about it–your salon décor forms your customers’ very first impressions, so if it’s rundown or out-of-date, what does it say about you and your skills?”

If you haven’t been in my salon.. umm.. it is out of date. so far out of date it is cool. 1950′s themed cool. Classic and funky. The thing is though what they neglect to mention in the article is.. it doesn’t really matter what the salon looks like, what REALLY matters is what YOU look like when it is done.

I had a friend who lives in another province who went to a shi shi poo poo fancy pants salon and paid $270 for a basic cut and color. Her result? A terrible hair cut hack job (her words) that she had to grow out for 7 months and another $300 extra dollars at another salon having the  black color she didn’t ask for stripped out.

The best advice I could give anyone is: Go for a FREE consultation. Ask your hairdresser to see if she has a license (I think this is VERY important because it indicates dedication). Be clear about what you want. ASK what their definition is of a trim or a cut is. ASK what their definition of funky is. It is ok to ask. It is your hair and your money. She should be  confident to say that she doesn’t understand what you want and will not start until both of you are clear! That means she respects you as a person and as a customer.

If the hairdresser wears plain jeans and a t-shirt this doesn’t indicate her skills. For example If you are in your pj’s and your at home painting the most beautiful piece of art.. it is because you are happy and comfortable … you produce  what comes from inside you.  If the hairdresser chooses to become an investigator to find out WHO you are then she will produce the hair that fits your life style and personality…. who you are inside to express on the outside.

Yes, a fancy pants salon can give you an “experience” but what is more important to me is the next day, next week and the month after your hair cut that means more to me. Having you look in the mirror and be happy and have fun with your hair (and not curse the day I was born) means more than sitting in a $2000 cutting chair, an $8000 desk to book your appointment and $9000 sink to suds up your head. The time you spend with me is the hour or two to treat you like you need a vacation, a little love and basic understanding and a ear to listen.. and even a hug when you need it. Because you are a person first not a wallet that I need to impress.

I do agree packing is important  but the inside is more important. Like you, who you are inside is more important than the surface and if someone cares about you and how you feel …this is priceless.

Next time you go to your salon, listen to the tones of how people are talking, are they happy to serve YOU?

There you go. Easy!

During a consultation i experience that most customers speak in negative words when describing what they want: Examples are I don’t want you to cut my hair short. I don’t want the back long. And what happens? You got a hair cut that WAS cut too short or they did leave the back long.

There are reasons for this. The brain negates negatives and leaves the left overs. For you that means I (don’t) want my hair cut short will then mean to the stylist “I want my hair cut short”. Weird hey?

Hairdressers if they have been trained to listen instead of cut first will understand what you mean because they should repeat back to you what they are going to do in the terms of what they hear in their own professional language and then proceed on your hair cut once they feel that you both are on the same wavelength.

Before I became a hairdresser  I remember sitting in the chair so excited because I found someone to cut my hair. I stalked the mall and waited outside a salon and watched all the ladies who had thin hair like mine until I found someone wearing the hair that I liked. I stopped her and asked her if she could come back in to the salon and I could talk to the stylist and show her the hair cut that she just did on this lady and do it on my head.

Yeha!

As I am sitting in the chair “I don’t want any layers and I want a bob like that lady”… well guess what I got… YIKES. I cried for days not realizing some of it was my fault for telling her in negatives and positives and dang the SHORT chunky layers.

Unfortunately this is very normal and requires the stylist to LISTEN for those ques of negatives and do the opposites from what the brain is interpreting. Just like when a boss says … “BOB! Don’t be late”… and.. Bob is late for work…

So when you go into a salon and are having a consultation try being aware of the conversation before the hair is washed and cut. Do you feel she understands you?  Are you explaining with pictures and descriptions in words that don’t contain negatives (get it?? 

Also listen to the stylist word choice. What words does she choose to explain back to you as to what she is going to do for you. Is her words a reflection of yours? Does she understand you? If you are a detailed person try to find a stylist who has a tidy shop or station, see if they are organized and on time (most of the time anyways). I know these are generalities but this gives you an idea of thought processes of the stylist and the salon.

If you are an easy going person and want someone creative… does the hair dresser express themselves through their environment if it is a one chair salon? Do they express themselves through their clothes and how they present themselves.

Some hairdressers let their creative juices flow on the customers who develop that trustin them and they preform miracles when they can combine what they hear are the parameters and join their creative ideas together. Then you have some spicy hair.

Call me now to set up your free consultation and lets make a plan for you to have fabulous hair!

250-675-4713

Yes the bumpie is alive and somewhat more elegant than a plastic piece jammed into the hair.
For wedding hair and updo’s the main details for the hair is this:

Updo’s
1. Hair is smoothly backcombed with approximately 2 inches of height at the apex of the head, some fullness on the side but still fairly tight to the head (Helen Mirren)
2. There are a few elements of 60′s bouffant roller stetted curls (Sarah Jessica Parker)
3. Hair is not high on the head but sits further behind the back of the head above the occipital bone that circles around the head and mostly can not be seen from the front when looking head on.
4. Hair is loop like with a few detailed elements of twisted sections that sit on the surface of the hair.

Hair Styles
Hair is still glossy smooth with heavy side parts (Sandra Bullock)
Hair styles are simple simple simple classic hair.
There are a few boy hair cuts and styled smooth and pushed forward from the crown and then swept to the side.
Overall the hair styles are approximately shoulder length with very few layers.

Hair Color
Dark shimmery sheen for dark hair levels 1-4 with no highlights fuller deeper basic color with less dimension is very prominent. (Sandra Bullock)

For medium based hair in levels 5-7 hair has larger highlights underneath and then the highlights traverse into smaller and finer highlights on the top.

Light based levels 8-10 were not as apparent or a focus for many of the stars but there are a few such as Merryl Streep that have dainty blond highlights that are in the same family of tones as the base color.

Make-Up
Warm nude eye shadows with strong eyeliner but in browns so that it doesn’t overpower the eye. Blush and lips are very gentle colors that have that sun kissed golden look but with a touch of creamy color.

If you would like more advice about make-up or help with your style. Book an appointment now by calling 250-675-4713.

The simplest way to create this look is by brushing your hair upside down. Take a firm elastic band and secure a tight ponytail on top. Twist hair like a rope so that it is starting to turn on itself and secure with bobby pins. The best way to secure a boby pin is to slide the UNOPENED bobby pin on the sides around the up do gabbing a bit of hair then in a sharp angle (90 degrees) slide underneath the updo and scrap the scalp. Imagine that you are sewing the bobby pin in like the letter “L”. This should anchor the hair to the scalp. If placed properly and you have a medium amount of hair that is shoulder length the most boby pins you should need are 10- 12 max.. I can do my waist length hair in 5 bobby pins but it had taken a lot of practice to get it down to that amount.

For a great explanation and tutorial by Yves St Laurent

If you have any questions about hair let me know as I would love to answer them for you!

Girly, fluffy, flowy and ruffles and I aint talkin’ potato chips with very busy prints is the new chique? Think delicate prints and gingham, flowers and color with hints of shimmer. Filmy wedding sheer on the beach that move with the wind.

The Haute Couture forecast is being set by Alber Elbaz of Lanvin induces the look of sharp shoulders and tidy shapes that are booty delicious drape. Multi-colored Gothic prints with skinny boots is the look now to promote attitude of the girl who wants to shine. In the world of haute couture the prominent colors will be nudes and whites as this promotes the construction and movement of the clothing by creating no focus except on the construction.

Who do you think will win the fashion showdown to spring?

It appears that in QUALITY mineral make-up does not contain talc, oil or fragrance for those who are sensitive. With an easy application and a little bit of product it goes along way. I think the real benefit it is a no fail way to look and feel natural with a better option for your skin.

The key to mineral make-up is to balance moisture on your skin. Use a powder base on oily skin and use products that have more levels of moisture on skin lacking moisture. When applying mineral make-up keep in mind that use downward motions with your powder brush or your fingers because there is a fine surface of hair laying over the top of the skin. When you brush upwards you go against the grain of that hair that then produces a chalky or a unrefined look.

The trend appears to be a healthy glow focusing on the blushing bride look. Clean, beige and taupes for eyes and a healthy glow on the cheeks with a bit matching tinted gloss for your lips.

If you check out Youtube there are a ton of free tutorials about how you can apply your make-up to look like a movie star or just next door girl pretty.
Call me if you have questions or would like to have a Beauticontrol Make-up and Skin Care Spa.
250-675-4713