Hollywood Hair Tips with Celebrity Hair Stylist Sean James

As a hairstylist to many of Hollywood’s A-list stars, Sean James knows how to be on the cutting edge. We went behind the scenes and asked Sean to reveal his secrets for some of the hottest hairstyles and his tricks for strong, healthy and gorgeous hair.

What are the top 3 celebrity - inspired hairstyles right now, and what type of hair and face shape do they work for best?

I’d go with the classics. The hot look for long hair would have to be Kim Kardashian. Also, the twenty-somethings in popular reality TV shows like “The Hills” and “The City” have inspired new hairstyles and dominated the look for long hair. It works with almost any face shape, depending on the length of the layers around the face. To get this look, use a 1 ½” barrel curling iron and blow-dryer.


A medium length hairstyle would have to be Jaime Pressly's classic bob, as seen on the June 2010 cover of Health magazine.


Finally, for young and old we are looking at Jamie Lee Curtis & Carrie Mulligan’s, short, 1966 "Rosemary’s Baby" Vidal Sassoon short cropped look. It works for women of all ages and best on those with a petite face. To perfect this look, make sure it is heavily textured and choppy.


How do you protect your celebrity clients’ hair from damage caused by the constant blowouts and color treatments?

I recommend an at home hair care regime. It’s important that all of my clients take home the correct shampoo, conditioner, treatment, and styling products in order to maintain and re-create their styles at home.

What are your tricks to making highlights look believable?

With highlights, I like to go for a really natural look, not too chunky, but not too fine. I adapt the stroke of the brush and technique according to each client’s specific hair type and texture. I like the hair to resemble that of a teenager who has spent her summer at a beach house. It’s something I adapted from my childhood in Australia.

What are some ways to keep hair looking fresh and clean between washes?

The best way to keep hair fresh in between washes is to use a dry shampoo, which will eliminate oily build up. There are many brands to choose from. Simply spray in and brush out. You will find it adds volume as well.

What are your best new product finds?

Some products that are RED hot right know are:
• Kérastase Nutritive Lait Vital Protéiné Conditioner & Kérastase Nutritive Masquintense, to treat those wicked ends.
• Thick from Rusk products
• Kérastase Double Force hairspray
• Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder sprays
• Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray
• Davines Colored Shampoos, for sliver, brunette, golden blonde, and red hair
• Rusk Ceramic 1 ½” Barrel Curling Iron
• Supersolano 3600 Professional hair dryer

To Air or Not to Air Dry

If you often blow dry and use styling tools like flat irons, curling irons or hot rollers your hair is probably ready for a break. All that heat and processing can leave your hair dry, brittle and much damaged. Give your hair a much needed break and let it air dry naturally. Think of it as a vacation for your hair.


The first step for air drying is to use hair products designed for air drying instead of blow drying; a good absorbent towel is a must. An absorbent towel will absorb excess moisture and speed up dry time. Use the absorbent towel to remove excess moisture then gently blot your hair dry. Do not rub your hair. Rubbing will damage the strands and cause frizzy hair and split ends. You want to keep the hair shafts as smooth as possible. Use a good leave in conditioner that will keep your hair from becoming frizzy. If your hair tends to become flat or too frizzy from air drying you can increase volume by finger combing your hair or by pulling it back with big clips. pull your sides back in two large clips to add volume while it is drying. Once it is dry pull out the clips and show off your natural volume and waves.


Use products suitable for the texture of your hair. Fine hair works best with mousses and sprays, whereas curly and wavy hair responds best to gels and creams. Find a great product suitable for your hair type that also helps combat frizz, this will help keep your hair under control while air drying. After you find products that work well for your hair and you get the hang or air drying you will love it. Air drying is a vacation for your hair and a styling option for you. It gives you a chance to try a different style and it gives your hair a break from over processing.


We recommend using Redken's Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk which is an anti frizz Polishing Milk with shea butter provides vibrant shine, control and smoothness.

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"
Suzanna

SEXY HEALTHY HAIR

Now that winter is officially closing in on us and the hours of daylight are slowly starting to dwindle, it is time to take a step back and examine our hair. Yes, that’s right, after months of soaking up the summer sun our hair deserves a break from all the harsh elements.

Fashion With Fifi had an appointment with Ben Stewart, Color Director at the Cutler Salon, this past Wednesday and learned that treating damaged hair at the end of the season is just as important as pulling those winter woolens out of the closet.

The salon, located at 47 West 57^th Street on the second floor, is a sleek, contemporary studio that specializes in Redken hair products and offers an array of services from cut, color, and styling to texturing services that include curl reducers, permanent waves, and their special Redken Chemistry System.

The Redken Chemistry is a deep conditioning treatment intended to repair damaged hair. Each treatment is specialized and tailored to suit each client’s needs, whether she needs color protection, moisture, strength, softness, etc.

Fashion With Fifi received a complimentary Damage Repair Masque, a treatment intended to restore strength and shine to dull, damaged hair. (See the after-photo to the right!) This treatment is normally priced at $70, but Stewart recommends using Redken’s Extreme Rescue Force conditioning treatment at home between salon visits to keep hair healthy. The leave-in treatment should be applied to shampooed, towel-dried hair for no longer than 15 minutes and it will leave hair stronger, shinier, and more manageable

The Cutler salon also offers an Anti-fade Chemistry Treatment and an Ultra Chemistry treatment, each for $60 and uniquely tailored to each client’s specific hair needs. However, if you are getting another hair service at the salon, these Chemistry services are available for just $25 extra!

Ben Stewart, who has been working at the Cutler Salon for 10 years, says there are three main culprits that weaken women’s hair: exposure to the heat and UV rays from the sun, washing hair in really hot water, and over-use of heat products.

“Using heat products can damage colored hair and even virgin hair,” warns Stewart.

Stewart recommends the Treatment Protectant Spray from the Cutler product line. The spray, which is packed with heat-activated polymers, can be used on hair before using heat products or at the beach to filter out UV rays.

But perhaps Stewart’s most important advice pertains to our obsessive shampooing routines. “American women’s biggest mistake is that they wash their hair every day,” he says.

Shampooing hair every day strips it of its natural oils and makes hair much drier and more susceptible to damage and breakage. Breaking free of this routine will allow the oils to saturate hair and make it much healthier. Stewart suggests washing hair with luke-warm water every other day for two weeks to help balance out the hair and allow the natural oils to disperse.

“Ideally, you should only have to wash your hair every two or three days,” says Stewart.

Although breaking this hair care routine can be tough, it seems like a simple challenge: shave more time off the morning routine and get healthier hair. Now that’s a challenge we can all try!

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

Erin Simpson

Hair Solutions: Tips For Managing Curly Hair

Curly Hair is fun and beautiful when it's done right. But Curly Hair can also be fragile and stubborn. Maiysha talks about the products and approaches she uses to manage her curly hair.

Products Used In This Video:

Extreme Conditioner

Smooths, detangles and restores strength and shine to hair leaving it supple and resilient. Redken’s exclusive Interbond Conditioning System delivers a unique 3D Repair Complex of proteins, ceramide and lipids to help provide internal strength, cuticle reinforcement and protective resurfacing. After shampooing, apply and distribute through hair.

Smooth Down Shampoo

Gently cleanses and tames to help provide a long-lasting, frizz-free finish. Redken’s exclusive Interbond Conditioning System delivers a unique Ionic Smoothing Complex of macadamia oil, candelila wax and cationic refiners to help replenish oils, provide intense smoothing and a long-lasting, frizz-free finish. Apply to wet hair, massage into a lather, rinse.

Fresh Curls Curl Refiner

Tames, detangles and helps control frizz for lasting memory, manageability and shine. Specifically formulated for unruly curls. Through Redken's exclusive Interbond Conditioning System and breakthrough Elasta-Shield Complex, Fresh Curls provides the optimum level of curl-friendly ingredients to define, moisturize, fight frizz, repair and strengthen any type of curl. Apply to towel-dried, unruly curly hair. Comb through to distribute evenly. Leave-in, style as usual. Use with Fresh Curls Anti-Frizz Shiner for ultimate results.

Dove Frizz Control Therapy Shampoo for Rebellious Hair

With repairing serum. Diagnosis: Rebellious, unmanageable frizz prone hair. Solution: Frizz Control Therapy System. Repairs and smoothes the uplifted cuticles that cause rebellious frizz and misbehaving hair. Protects hair from frizzing in damp, humid weather. Leaves hair easy to manage, with improved texture, and resilient to frizz.

Vidal Sassoon Professional Fast Dry Diffuser Dryer

1875 watts of styling power 3 heat settings and 2 speeds Cold-shot button Removable filter. Bonus finger diffuser included. Soft-touch handle and nozzle Includes concentrator Hanging ring/cord guard ALCI safety plug.

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

Maiysha