2012 Hairstyling Tips and Misses

From Emmy updos, to long silky tresses a la Kim Kardashian, to short cropped sophisticated Kiera Knightley looks, you can choose a style and own it this year. Even if you have zero time in the morning or all the time in the world, we have the best hairstyling tips for you this season in addition to some common mistakes you want to avoid.

What Works versus What Doesn’t

1.      Routine haircuts are essential to maintaining healthy hair.  Going six months without a haircut actually makes styling and shaping harder for your hairstylist. Go every 4-8 weeks and keep your tresses beautiful!

2.      Do not work with too much hair at once. You see professionals do this all the time with their nifty montage of clips – pin up excess and work from the bottom up. This gives your hair a more finished look that will last longer.

3.      Pay attention to your roots. When using styling product, really concentrate on your roots and brush up and out to get more volume or straight down to get a more flattened look. The healthier the roots, the healthier the mane.

4.      Don’t bake the good stuff! In other words, don’t expose your hair to the highest heat setting on your flat iron/curling iron unless you have very coarse or extremely curly hair. Do not keep heat on one spot too long either. Mist with a thermal styling spray for added protection.

5.      Use the right brush! Many women do not use the right size brush for their hair. Here’s the rule: under the chin, use thin (i.e. 1” round brush). Anything longer, use a 2” or 3” round brush.

6.      Apply product to wet hair. Your hair is much more responsive to product when it’s freshly washed and it’s also much easier to distribute.

7.      Do not allow mousse/gel to let your hair arrive DOA. Control, control, control! Do not overdo the product on dry hair otherwise your tresses will come out looking greasy, shellacked, or flat.

8.      Use the right product. Yes, there are tons of product sitting on shelves, in salons and staring you in the face every time you pick up a magazine, but only a select few are right for you.

9.      Allow your hair to set. Whether you are using a dryer or an iron let your hair cool down afterwards. You are ruining your work if you brush through warm curls or let go of the round brush when your hair is still hot.

10. Quit horsing around! Let your ponytail be healthy too. Do not use rubber bands or elastics with metal clasps as they will snag your hair and create split ends. Also, do not pull your hair back when it’s wet or pull it back too tight – allow it to dry and use some styling cream for a more finished look.

Check back next week for more hairstyling tips!

Much Love,

Debbie Schade

CEO/Special Effects Salon & Spa

Small Business and Stress: How to Cope

Do you feel like this tower of rocks? Perfectly balancing on a mound of work and obligations ready at any moment to fall flat on your face? As a business owner, stress management is a huge concern especially when things continue to pile up. So, how do you cope with stress in your small business?

On average, the more stressful a work environment is, the greater the chance of developing coronary heart disease which is the leading cause of death in the United States. As a business owner, you not only have to think of yourself, but your employees as well. Do they feel stressed? Do you convey your stress onto your staff? And, more importantly, you need to delegate responsibilities to your team.

Small business owners try to do it all; from handling one-on-one relationships with clients, to paying the monthly bills, to sending out mass emails, managing payroll, and much more. The problem: you are trying to be too many people at once! You are not a bookkeeper, and an accountant, and a business owner, and a manager, and a salesperson, and a spokesperson, and a receptionist, and a social media guru, AND a blogger…you get the idea.

You cannot possibly tackle all of these responsibilities and manage to keep the towering mountain of rocks from crashing down! Plus, more responsibility means more stress. So what do you do? Figure out which members of your team are good at not just cutting hair, mowing the lawn or answering phones.  There is hidden talent everywhere you look and a good small business owner knows how to find it. This may mean a boost in salary of some kind to keep things fair, but will mean all the difference in your day-to-day stressors and level of responsibility.

So what am I really trying to say?  Let GO! 

Take a deep breathe, and let parts of your business you are holding onto like a dog with a bone, go. This allows you to focus on what is really important, like your customers.

Still having a hard time? Find a friend or family member who knows what you’re going through, needs an extra couple bucks a week and is willing to help. Then you’re not outsourcing to people you don’t know or trust. However, remember one crucial fact: the less personal business gets, the easier it is for you to do your job effectively. In a phrase: choose your team wisely, grasshopper.

Much Love,

Debbie Schade

CEO/Special Effects Salon & Spa

Healthy Food for Beautiful Skin

Healthy Food for Beautiful Skin

Did you know most anti-aging creams or other novelties in a jar are not only expensive, but less and less based on actual science? Instead of spending over $200 for an overnight cream in a 2 ounce jar, start looking into how healthy food can improve your skin.

Lifestyle is important, not the amount of money you spend on products.  “The things you can do to beautify your skin are remarkably similar to what you can do to strengthen your heart, control your weight, lift your mood and live longer and better.” So, let’s get on the same page shall we?

The top five foods to improve skin resiliency, tone, complexion and overall health are:

1.      Whole Grains – benefit: clear and moisturized skin. Grains instead of processed food can clear up your complexion tremendously.  

2.      Nuts (especially almonds) – benefit: young and soft skin. Nuts are primarily antioxidants. Vitamin E combats skin-aging free radicals, holds moisture (relieving dryness and making skin look younger). Almonds, pistachios and walnuts also contain a ton of omega-3 fatty acids which is another amazing skin nutrient.

3.      Red and Green Vegetables – yes, eat your veggies it will make your skin bright and smooth! Carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach are the real winners in this category because they are full of beta-carotene which is converted to Vitamin A (an antioxidant) and, in turn, can give you anti-acne benefits as well.

4.      Citrus Fruits – benefit: smooth and taut skin. Citrus fruits are a primary ingredient in most beauty creams and aid in the body’s production of collagen (think taut skin, not saggy and old!)

5.      Oysters – smelly, but good for meeting your omega-3 fatty acid and zinc requirements to give you smooth, clear and glowing skin. Yup, you’ve heard of the “Mediterranean diet” and it works! Increasing omega-3 intake actually decreases inflammation which directly correlates to older-looking skin.  These fatty acids can also keep the heart’s arteries clear, increasing circulation which is also crucial to skin health.

While beauty in a jar may seem like an easy fix, a cheaper and much healthier way to go is to include some of these ingredients in your daily diet. Eating the right food will make your body glow from the inside out!

Much Love,

Debbie Schade

CEO/Special Effects Salon & Spa