bethzaring said:
Another thing, my stylist says I have the healtiest hair of any of her clients, it must be the diet, I eat a disqustingly healthy diet.
Beth, your healthy diet REALLY has a lot to do with not only your hair, but your skin and nails as well.
Good for you for taking great care of yourself!
As for being 8 miles away, that is a bummer, however, because pro products last A LOT longer per oz than the cheapie stuff, you can just go purchasing about every 2 months for the larger sized bottles. (They are also a better price than the smaller ones).
There really is a difference in product. Really. Some people's hair really is much easier to deal with than others - that's a fact. But, if you use the better stuff, you'll love your hair even more.
Some stylists push product, others do not.
Here are some of the reasons why:
1. The stylist loves it and really knows it
2. The stylist owns the salon and gets 50% back in sales
3. The stylist makes a small (around 15%) commission on product sales
4. The stylist uses that product exclusively, because that's what the salon sells. This is generally not because that's the only one the salon owner likes, but if they are a flagship store, such as an Aveda or Sebastian salon, the company gives the flagship salon a nice kickback.
Ask your stylist a lot of questions. Ask what he/she uses at home.
Here's another idea: next time you go to the salon, ask the shampoo girl/assistant (or stylist, if they don't have an assistant) what product the salon is using on the back bar. (That's where they shampoo you)
That's usually a good indicator of what works really well on a lot of people.
As for clarifying your hair, unless you're using cheapie shampoo and/or more hairspray than most 80's hair bands, you don't need one. Unless, of course your city has ungodlly amount of yuck in the pipes. lol
As far as a thick cuticle not "taking " hilites well, that's a new one to me.
Knowing a bit of trichology, thick or thin, the hair "takes" the same way:
The high level of H2O2, or peroxide will strip the hair of it's color first. This basically blasts open the cuticle of your hair. Then, the color molecules jump into the cuticle and the color (professional does this 10 x better than home) closes itself into the shaft of hair. Now, yellow is a large molecule, red is second biggest and blue is smallest. The smallest will exit the hair first. That's why when you get a great color put in, you start to lose your blue first, which will give you a more orangey appearance, if you've not kept up on your hair coloring. All this to say, if your hair doesn't "take" highlights, you need to either do them on a more regular basis, or use a better, more gentle approach in hair care.
Folks, again, I'm off the box. Sorry for the long-windedness.