Would you clean your hotel room before the maid came?

Should I wash my hair before coming to the Salon?

We don't want to be gross or anything but we love dirty hair. Ok, there is a cut off point of  how many days you can go without shampooing, but you should NEVER (except one instance!) shampoo your hair before you come to the salon.

Coming for your colour done? Always come with dry hair (Professional Tip!) it saves time if you want to be out on time, and means that it won't need to be blow dried before hand!  Dirty hair (second...even third day hair is ok) makes it easier for the technician to place foils.  Oils secreted by your hair also form a type of protection against possible irritation by the colour!

With a haircut...Well having a dry cut is like going to McDonalds for a Salad.  You want the burger but you've cheated yourself out of it, and it costs exactly the same!  You have come to the professionals and it costs no more or less to sit back in our shiatsu massage chairs, and feel the stress of every day life melt away with every knot that is kneaded out of your back by the chair. Pair that with the KILLER head ritual that is done during your shampoo and you will wonder why you cheated yourself out of this experience for so long!

But you should come with your hair styled the way you normally wear it.  Makes it easier for the Stylists to see what you do with your hair, and see what kind of effort and/or style you put in yourself.

Hair Up and Curling appointments should always be washed and dried the day before, then just left.  No styling products...no oils...just your hair. Okay...Maybe a volumising cream such as Forme Fatale or Lift Vertige from Kerastase but nothing else!  It gives a great base for doing hair up and curling, and if we need to change the texture for any reason then we can always do that in the chair :)

And that exception when you should wash your hair....Chlorine.  Always wash your hair after being in a swimming pool...Chlorine reacts with colour, and the results can be...how shall we say...Interesting?  Also if you have put any lightening products such as SUN-IN or other type of thing, let your stylist know!  The results of that with foils and lifting agents can be very serious!

So if you haven't washed your hair when you visit us...Don't worry, it's going to happen anyway.  It's like cleaning the hotel room before the maid comes!

Twenty Crazy Hairstyles

Now everyone knows Lady Gaga for her crazy hair and fashion.  We were having an early morning meeting when I brought this up, Ruth brought up the fact that what Lady Gaga is doing now has all been done before, it's just that she's brought it into the mainstream.

I was intrigued, Kristina joined in mentioning Avant Garde hairstyles, and how they've been around for years, and how there is even a whole league of hairdressers dedicated to the art of making groundbreaking hairstyles.

I could not believe how crazy some of this stuff was.... it made Gaga look like she'd just had choppy layers it was that quirky.  I loved it, and I felt like there was this whole side of hairdressing that not many people knew about in the everyday world.

Think of it as the Catwalk designers of the hairdressing world.  As with Fashion, the colours, styles, and trends that walk down the Catwalk all trickle down into the high street, influencing what people put on, what colour their hair is, and what style is going to be the next head turner.

So below are 20 hairstyles that I asked Ruth and Kristina to compile, with a few celebrities chucked in for good measure, I hope you enjoy!

Mad about the boy

Boys Boys Boys!  Over the last couple of years we have noticed that the male of the species have become more and more concerned about their look, and style, especially when it comes to their hair.  Quite a few of us regarded back to when we were younger, and how your hair was the ultimate statement of style.  For those of you (unlike me... honestly) who are old enough to remember the 80's then you will recall the flat top hairstyles, afro hair, and enough gel to tile a small animal to a wall being involved in your styling regime.

So what has changed? If you asked me a few years ago,  I never ever thought in a month of Sundays that I would be wearing  black rimmed glasses ever again, and begging for my hair to be curly! But guess what.... I am!





But this time with a modern twist, the style is a little more exaggerated and tailored.  The Morrisey quiff is textured and has  the ability to be worn up in that cool quiff, or even (for the gents that feel like a change)  The rockabilly style pictured right

Gone are the days of grade 2 on the sides and number 4 on the top from your brother on a chair in the kitchen.  Men are starting to really experiment with their hairstyles, and it's not surprising now that 78% of British men in a leading manufacturers survey said that it was important to look good.

Not forgetting that 67% of the men asked also said that the second most important thing to them after shampoo was artificial tan...Not sure where exactly they held that survey but the first part is definitely interesting.


We have Stylists trained in delivering the best quality Gents cuts, with Scissor-Over-Comb technique.  This means the quality and the shape of your cut is tailored to last as it grows out, meaning that you stay sharper for longer.

As a Company hell bent on giving cutting edge styles, some people are unaware that we also cater for men.  In fact we have seen our male client base grow sufficiently enough for us to bring in the new (3D) Mension Range from Schwarzkopf, in a dedicated Men's Lounge*

The new range develops the main concerns that face men on a hair styling level... prepare yourself, it's time to get honest!


1.  "I'm not bothered what I use" - A lot of men are guilty on this level, they really don't give a damn about what they put on their hair, some even wash their hair with their body wash... I know... But this is what happens!  So Schwarzkopf created this hair & body Shampoo.  No brainer. Whack it on, wash, rinse, DONE. This section also includes a deep cleansing shampoo for those that use a lot of product or suffer with oily scalp.


2."Its thinning, what's the point?"  It happens to a lot of us at some point, and damn it, if there is anything I can do to slow it down, I'm all for it!  Activating Shampoo works by using Taurin, Panthenol and Carnitin.  The ingredients in the Shampoo help promote hair growth, and teamed with activating shots put on the scalp twice a day, can really help you from turning into your Fathers long lost twin too prematurely!



3. "It's always dry and looks like this" Great excuse... Not anymore though!  In combination with the Cleansing Shampoo, Grooming Fluide is weightless, gives the hair a healthy shine, and contains caffeine to stimulate the roots and promote healthier hair.



4.  "I've got really bad dandruff"  Now we all suffer from time to time, this can be triggered by many factors including stress, diet, or even weather.  With the Anti dandruff tonic from 3D contains Zinc Pythiron which immediately removes dandruff flakes, and the Pro-Vitamin B5 Moisturises and reduces redness and/or itching.   Used alternately with the Anti Dandruff Shampoo / Sensitive Scalp Shampoo, we can finally say goodbye to dusty collars!



Who's for colour?  I can imagine you may think it's impossible to get your man to colour his hair, or you as a Gent may think the last thing you want is to be sat in a salon amongst a busy womanhood telling each other the problems with their men (My Father believes this is what Salons are all about), however a leading hair company released figures that showed between 2008 and 2010 the number of men visiting hair salons to get their hair coloured increased by 50%.

Well I think that number is about to increase with the introduction of 3D Mensions Hair Colours .

Before you think it - You aren't going to come out with a purple rinse! These colours are designed to blend with natural greys, and your own natural colour, you can add more with casual depth to help give your hair more structure, or you can go all out and give it maximum texture through more darker colour to the end... I haven't even got to the best bit yet!

How long would you expect all this expertise colour to take?  An hour? Maybe two?  Try Five minutes!!! It's applied at shampoo after or before your haircut, and then takes five minutes to develop, then you are rinsed out and styled.

For us guys who like to 'bish-bash-bosh' this is a great selling point, and means that we can come out the salon in the same, relatively short amount of time, looking and feeling a bit more confident about our style.  

If you want to repeat the process at home?  The packs can be purchased to take home... believe me this is great, if you keep a pack at home for those busy weekends on the Stag do's when you are going to struggle to make it  to the salon, you can pop it on at home (Or maybe get a lady friend to do it for you).

So what are you waiting for?

The 'F' Word - Thank Blog it's Friday!

We're talking about Friday!

Now the video blog has become so popular,  we have given it a dedicated title..... 'Thank Blog it's Friday!'


We will give you little video blogs to inspire you to look and feel fabulous.  If you would like to learn how to give yourself fantastic hair quickly, or if you are looking for some inspiration for the next style that you want to have, we are here to help!


We will be taking styles from the salons latest collections, and drawing experience from our team of Stylists to keep you in touch with everything from Catwalk Hair to Individual style.


Whatever you want, let us know and we will try our best to get it on the blog for you.  Whether it's a 'how to' or a type of style that you want to see on somebody, or simply some recommendations of products that are best for you,  we are fully interactive and happy to show you why we are so passionate about what we do.


A request, from a young lady Shelley, was how to do the 'flicks' in the hair that you see some stunning ladies on the red carpet with, a bit of old school Glamour made famous again by Celebs like Eva Longoria, can really transform you from sleek and chic to flicked and frisky.

Ask... & Thy will be done!  Now we didn't want to just blog how to do the flicks,we wanted to ACTUALLY show her, so we got her here to the Salon and used her in the blog she asked for...Cool huh!!


Don't forget...if there's something you want to see, then simply drop us some feedback in the comment box, or find us on Facebook with the link on the left, and we will get right back to you!


 Enjoy :)

Cheryl Cole... to bob or not to bob?... that is the question

After only just coming to terms with the fact that Katy Perry dipped herself in poor girls ginger juice, I open a web page and lo and behold...

Yes that's right... Cheryl Cole has chopped her hair off.  Let me tell you I am not jealous of the poor stylist (Lisa Laudat) that had to battle with her barnet, and be personally responsible for putting a new hairstyle on one of the nations most photographed Celebs.


But the Colourist Amie Wilson quoted it as the "smokey eyes of hair".  What I am shocked at is, how suddenly Cheryl has gone from a woman with 50 heads of hair to this 'inbetweenie' bob.  From this photo above it looks like it has loads of texture and a stunning shape, but when you see it from another angle ...

You get the full effect of the cut.  Now this will be week two that I have chucked my bag down in the Salon kitchen and literally shaken a stylist like a man possessed.  Let me tell you they don't react well to being man handled at 8am on a Tuesday morning.   This time Kristina was in the firing line, and she had barely tucked into her morning breakfast coffee, before I had her dragged by the hand behind me like some kind of human wedding trail. 


'Oh.'  Said Kristina after she had dusted herself down and stopped herself from choking on her breakfast that I'd catapulted her from.


'It's not really here nor there is it?'   Exactly my thoughts.... I mean... this woman is a National ICON.  What on earth is she doing?  I heard a young guest say that it looks like she has had her head trapped in a lift?


Obviously dragging Kristina away from her morning coffee did not do Cheryl's new style any favours... after stepping back she said " I'm confused.com..... husband... no husband... long hair... short hair, the girl just doesn't know what to do!"


After returning Kristina to the saucer of milk she had left in the kitchen, we discussed the new look as a team.  Obviously some social activity and a couple of more coffees, gave Kristina a new insight.  "It makes her look older... and it's very safe... pretty uninspiring really"


A-symmetric is nothing new, and I must admit, personally, I am very torn about this style.  The texture and the movement look really dynamic.  However from the front it looks like someones going for the bob and she's screamed "STOP!" before they had a chance to sort it out.  It's too long to be funky, but not long enough to be something more traditional.  But you've got to give the girl credit for having the guts and trying something new. 


The colour is just ageing on her, she appears to have lost that 'glow' that she once had, and now seems a little lack luster.  We're not saying it's a bad colour... it's just not for her. 


BUT it's popular opinion that wins out.  So what do you think?  Should she dig those extensions out or stay with?

If Carlsberg did Party hair, it would probably look like this

Every body has had it... You're in work, it's 4:30 and you get the phone call from your friend... "Don't forget we're going to that party tonight!"  You go home, put the ice cream that you were looking forward to for your night in back in the freezer, and leave the DVD for another night.  You look in the mirror and what stares back at you?  Some limp haired lay about that looks like they've been forced through a trouser press without the heat on, and you only have 45 minutes to change yourself into a high street honey and make the ex boyfriend realise, you're the best thing since Disneyland.

Oila!  Here we have Camilla demonstrating how to get party hair in five minutes with just ONE product.  Yes one product only!  Now go get 'em tiger!

Guess what! O M G ... K P!

KP's new hair...

What's up with this picture!


Now we all know Katy Perry for her dark hair which brings out her incredibly coloured eyes....

So...imagine my surprise when i discovered she has turned into a red head!  Working as the Guest Manager within Tommy's Hair Company it is my duty to stay abreast of all things hair related and i thought i had Katy sussed for flying the flag for the rich darker tones that some people... no matter what... will not get away with, you know who you are people!!! If Katy was hoping to get some stylists attention with the change of colour... I think she has got it!

I couldn't stop thinking about Katy's new look on my walk to the salon. I burst in the salon door and without even saying good morning grabbed Camilla our Top Stylist and shoved the picture in her face; "Whatcha think about that?" Always the professional Camilla took a step back regained her composure and said; "No coffee for you today Gavyn?" Slightly embarrassed that i had been rumbled i asked Camilla for her opinion in a more calm and collective manner, which she was delighted to give; ''I feel she is following the 'ombre' style that is really popular at the moment with other celebs like Jennifer Aniston.  It's definitely more of a 'girl next door' look rather than the darker bold impact colour we're used to her wearing. Is that ok for you Gavyn?" and off she waltzed looking extremely pleased with her good deed for the morning.

I should have left it there but i kept looking at KP's picture throughout the day trying to work out my feelings. First of all let's just say from experience (and i'm sure anyone with a teenage child will have gone through this tragedy at some point), getting rid of black from your hair is no easy task... it takes time! Using techniques and methods to try and best protect the condition of the hair without losing the healthy bounce and lustre that Katy's hair especially is known for, could not have been a simple task.

So i'm left wondering if this is an 'in-between' colour on a journey to something completely different, or is the red here to stay? After an enjoyable day within the salon talking to our stylists and guests i think i have decided on my feelings. I believe that your hair should reflect your personality and be indicative of what you want to put out there about yourself for everyone to see. Oh and lets not forget the importance of skintone when it comes to colour. In my opinion KP's colour should be bold and bright to go with her high energy positive singing and performance style. For me this colour washes her out and looks pretty boring.... I'm afraid to say Katy pastels simply aren't for you!

But what do you think... Teenage Dream or Grown-up Nightmare?



















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