Hair News

There are many services available at the Grand Salon and Spa. Please check the website for all Services and contacts. http://thegrand-brea.com Enjoy!

Head Lice

Just the mere mention sends everyone itching! There is an outbreak in our area and it is necessary to know how to handle this. People are embarrassed to talk about this, thinking others will get a bad impression of them, but I am here to tell you that ANYONE can get lice.

Having head lice is not a sign of being unclean or poor hygiene. The pesky little bugs can be a problem for kids of all ages and socioeconomic levels, no matter how often they do or don't clean their hair or bathe.

The head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Although they may sound gross, lice (the plural of louse) are a very common problem, especially for kids ages 3 years to 12 years (girls more often than boys).

Lice aren't dangerous and they don't spread disease, but they are contagious and can just be downright annoying. Their bites may cause a child's scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.

Are Lice Contagious?

Lice are highly contagious and can spread quickly from person to person, especially in group settings (schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps).

Though they can't fly or jump, these tiny parasites have specially adapted claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread mainly through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats can also help pass them along. Kids are most prone to catching lice because they tend to have close physical contact with each other and often share personal items.

And you may wonder if Fido or Fluffy may be catching the pests and passing them on to your family. But rest assured that pets can't catch head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around.

What can you do to prevent this?

 · Tell kids to try to avoid head-to-head contact at school (in gym, on the playground, or during sports) and while playing at home with other children.

• Tell kids not to share combs, brushes, hats, scarves, bandanas, ribbons, barrettes, hair ties or bands, towels, helmets, or other personal care items with anyone else, whether they may have lice or not.
• · Tell kids not to lie on bedding, pillows, and carpets that have recently been used by someone with lice.

What can you do to treat this if it happens?

I have recently discovered a company that will come out and treat and take care of the removal.  Pixie Locks™ offers professional and trusted in-home head lice removal services that entail manually pulling out all visible head lice, nits and eggs. Their highly skilled technicians are fully trained to identify and provide safe and effective removal of head lice. They do not use pesticides or chemicals.  Confidentiality is guaranteed. They offer day time, night time, and weekend appointments. They also provide head lice screenings at schools, camps, and daycare centers.

I have heard from many parents that decide to pick up rid or other brands and try to comb out the nits themselves. It can be done but is very difficult and time consuming. The lice are also resistant to these treatments and can come back, resulting in having to treat all over again. I think it is worth the money spent to have the professionals take care of this.

Pixie Locks has a blog site that answers many questions. www.licetalk.com. Contact information is 1.800.372.0373 or www.pixielocks.com.

First of all let’s call it Fringe! After all, what is a BANG! Some of us look amazing with this bit of fringe in the front, others not so much.  How do you know who you are? Let’s take a look.

As the runways, red carpets and tabloids are showing off some beautiful fringe, it is luring us to want this look. Bangs are a classic look and have been around throughout history. Keeping it current will give you a fresh and modern look.

This season it is a heavy fringe that taps the lashes. This is a high maintenance look that needs to be trimmed once a week to keep the length right.

There are many other choices from side swept to Betty Page fringe. Just how do you choose the right ones to try?

A long face is usually the best with fringe. The face is shortened and an illusion of width can be appealing. A longer fringe with either a blunt or broken edge will work.  A shorter face must be more careful and side sweep or texture out for a wispy feel.  I would recommend a consultation and a look at your face shape, lifestyle and willingness to maintain a fringe to decide.

I have a new treatment that smoothes the cuticle down on the hair and calms frizz. This treatment will last from 2-4 weeks. For the month of September I will be offering this treatment for $30 instead of $35! If you take home the leave in Keratin Treatment($36) it can extend the results. Your hair will dry faster and be less difficult to manage. Come in and calm your fluffy, frizzy hair into smooth, sleek and shiny hair. see you soon!

I have recently had many clients interested in boar bristle hair brushes.  The good ones are expensive and are a benefit if you have the right type of hair. Boar bristle hair brushes are best for long hair that is not washed but once or twice a week. You have seen the old movies where they brush the hair 100 times to keep it healthy and get to rapunzel like lengths?

This type of brush redistributes the oils from the scalp and moves it through to the ends where the oils help keep the hair healthy. They also pick up the dirt dust and debris that collects in the hair.  When using this type of brush to clean your hair, it is important to remove tangles first.  Then start at the scalp and work to the ends. This results in smoother, healthier hair that is soft and manageable. Increasing the blood flow to the scalp has been linked to stimulating hair growth and creating thicker, longer hair as well.  It is important to clean these brushes properly. Simply run it under water and occasionally soak in shampoo and rinse.

Most women wash every day or every other day now. This makes the hair dry and a boar hair brush will only damage the hair. There is nothing to clean and no oils to distribute so this brush will tear it up and waste money! I recommend a ceramic round brush for smoothing or curling and cushion brush for regular use.

The cushion brush is designed to be gentle on hair and scalp. It is great for daily use as it only has one bristle to each hole as opposed to two like the vent brushes do, which can pull the hair. This is a great every day brush for anyone. The cushion has give so it does not tear up fine or thinning hair. Paddle cushion brushes are bigger for thicker and longer hair. Once the paint on the ends come off it is time to replace these. They tip the ends to give extra protection from hair breakage.

Round brushes used with hair dryers, round brushes are designed to add curl, curve and volume to straight hair, as well as to straighten wavy or curly hair. Get the right size for your hair type and the look that you want to achieve. If you have trouble using a round brush, Hot Tools makes a hot air brush. This blow dryer/ round brush combo makes it easier to do by the hot air coming out of the round brush.

Clean your brushes regularly. Scrubbing bubbles is a quick and effective way to clean and sanitize your brush with no damage. The foam lifts debris and hair product build up as well as bacteria and germs. Sounds funny, I know, but this really works great. If you do not get product build up on the brush, shampoo and rinse will work just fine.

Remember, replace your brush when you see that the bristles are bent,  missing ends, or padding is loose.