Would you travel 5 hours to meet a celebrity stylist?

My team at Indulge Salon, York, Pa did on March 31st. We gathered our overnight things, packed them into the car, gave family hugs and kisses and off we went. Some of our team couldn’t travel due to babysitters but they were with us in spirit. On April 1, 2019, we had been sitting in the conference room waiting anxiously to see my new crush celebrity stylist, Chris Appleton.

My sisters love Kim Kardashian and her family. My daughter loves to watch the Kardashian’s and when I tell you that this conference room held many Kim Kardashian wannabe’s. I was one of them. They looked like her, their makeup looked like her and these women stopped at nothing with clothing to look like her. It was a miracle to see. I did share this video of me waiting at the Hilton Hotel in Melville New York. Go to FB: Indulgecolorsalon go ahead like the page.

Kim K photo from Chris Appleton’s collection of the WET LOOK

Our team had a huge opportunity to meet celebrity stylist Chris Appleton originally from London, England, He started out doing his mother’s hair since he was eight years old. One of his favorite memories of his childhood was after he was finished styling his mother’s hair she would sit up higher and love herself in that moment. This is what he remembered.

He went on to look for mentors and to accelerate his craft. Year after year he would work for free, he would assist others until one day a friend of his said J Lo needs a stylist. From that point on it was history. As a celebrity stylist you get crazy questions coming from event crowds like the one we were in Long Island, New York.

One of the 500 attendees either a salon owner or stylist had asked a question that was super personal to the celebrity stylist. He responded shocked but kept it together because he admitted he has never been asked the question before. He collected himself  by answering questions that pertained to “how he got where he is”. He did nothing but make people feel comfortable and answered eloquently that he worked hard and that the assistant that he has to hire to help him prepare for a shoot, hair extensions he has to pay for clients is on him, then he has to be able to communicate what the celebrity  wants to make the session 100% success.

In the above photo, celebrity stylist, Chris created the wet look on dryer hair. Even as stylists we assume that we will do this type of look on wet hair but alas it’s dry hair. He shared that doing a look like this on wet hair makes it to heavy. You can’t be afraid to try new looks. The whole creation of the makeup, the feeling that you are striving for then helps create the look of hair whether red carpet ready or just going for dinner or doing a speaking event. You have to spend time thinking about what you want before you actually do it.

Cover photos need preparation from celebrity stylists. Between the model, the assistant, the location, the environment that the work is done in, lots of time preparing is essential for a good shoot. I was pretty enamored with his approach to ponytails. He talked about how the comfort of the client with a high ponytail was pretty essential when the hair is flinging around on stage. I thought good point. He showed us what he uses and how he does it on 4 models for the Glass look, the sportster, the ponytail and lastly the muscled up look. Check out instagram: Indulge_Salon_York_Pa to see the most current pictures of his work. We sat up front being glued to what he was saying.

No matter where you go, others have opinions about your work, about you, about the environment and will minimize what it took to get you where you are today. I can tell you that the amount of money you make is in direct proportion to the value that you give others. This celebrity stylist gives of himself every time a client sits in his chair. I loved his passion for what he does. He cares and it’s not just a job but a career. He has won awards for his amazing hair extension work. He has worked with J Low with 60′ hair extensions. If you get a chance watch the video I ran live at the event. You will appreciate what you are looking at.

Kim K and Chris Appleton, celebrity stylist

Some of his favorite products that he uses are from WOW and Australian company. I met the CEO Gail. She was a dynamite person to watch on stage. she is up and coming.

Here is what the chemist has to say about Dream Coat?

Dr Joe Cincotta, PhD and Chief Chemist, Color Wow

“The key to fighting frizz is all about controlling moisture levels and locking the cuticle down as tight and smooth as possible. Unlike typical serum or oil-based humidity-fighting formulas that lay down a heavy coat on hair’s surface, (which deflate volume and leave the hair greasy) Dream Coat uses a groundbreaking, heat-activated polymer technology that is lighter than a feather. Dream Coat scatters teeny droplets randomly on hair’s surface. When heated with your blow-dryer these droplets connect and crosslink, forming an invisible, hydrophobic matrix that does two things:

1) Compresses each strand into a sleek, silky, supple shape
2) Sheathes every strand in a light, imperceptible “raincoat” that repels moisture

I can personally vouch for the results that Dr. Joe Cincotta say we experience. I couldn’t believe it the first time I used it. You feel like you want to keep it a secret. Now the secret is out and the company has backordered most of the products we ordered except this one. You can prepay for your dream coat today by calling 717.846.4424. My hair doesn’t have the dry crispy feeling any longer from broken off hair, my hair is growing like a weed, plus as the celebrity stylist describes  the beauty of out grown hair.

“What do I do with my new hair extensions at home?” she asks.

At Indulge Salon, York, Pa and Lake Oconee, Greensboro, GA we are asked all of the time with clients that have received hair extensions for the first time, “how do I maintain these hair extensions at home?”

We teach our clients about the process of what happens when we install them first. We like to let our clients know the step by step so they understand what will be happening to their hair, the extension hair and how to maintain the hair.

After the initial installation that can take 1 hour to couple of hours depending on the complexity of the style, the amount of hair being installed plus if hair color was to be applied to the client before installation.

We cut the style into the hair making sure everything is designed for your face shape and lifestyle. The important aspect of having hair extensions is to make sure that you can do them in between at home.

Home maintenance for hair extensions

One of the key factors in extending the life of hair extensions is to brush your hair everyday with a sot bristle. you will lose about 50-100 hairs per day. Depending on the type of hair extensions you have installed, can take time to have them pulled up, trimmed around the edges of “tab” or “cylinder” to prevent grabbing areas and tangling. This step 2 is so important to the success of your hair.

Take one of our clients that has a square type of fusion hair extension while the other has customized fused hair.  She has one of the Hair Dreams extensions in that were customized for her hair color and type of hair. She has a tab that is heated and fused to her hair giving a natural look. The hair dreams extensions on the left do not knot up if brushed daily. They grow out nice and provide a larger amount of hair on each section.

While the other fused hair has a different type of purpose. the maintenance is minimal these were the best for her delicate texture of hair that could handle a little weight but not a lot of weight. The hair underneath the hair extensions will get healthier the more you wear the hair.

Daily shampooing and conditioning with the correct recommended shampoo and conditioner are essential to maintaining the hair integrity.

Fusion type of hair extensions

Hair dreams extension maintenance 1 month after installation

Styling & Protecting the hair

We recommend that you can use products that will hold or smooth. We have certain brands of products that will give hair the integrity it deserves to keep these in as long as possible. If you use the wrong products, the base of the product can destroy the resin that is used with the hair hair extensions.

Brushing your hair with the proper brush will help prevent te hair becoming so knotty. We have sprays that help keep the ph o the hair plus using a clean large tooth comb helps.

Hair dreams after 1 month still in great shape and healthy

We recommend coming back for a visit every 4 – 5 weeks to maintenance for longrvity of the hair extensions. For more information, call us at 717.846.4424 to set up an appointment.

Learn 5 myths about hair extensions thought to damage hair.

Hi, my name is Kimberly Acworth, Owner of Indulge Salons in York and Lake Oconee,Ga. I’ve been providing premium hair services to clients with fine hair that just stops growing, losing hair, shedding hair and suffering from hair loss over the 26 years of being in the hair industry. As you move through these myths that we will be debunking about hair extensions, you will feel more comfortable and educated with your stylist when it comes to maintenance and what to expect. If you would like to learn more, please go to my website at www.indulgesalon.com/services/natural-hair-extensions. We will show you many options, costs and maintenance ideas that should know before getting into hair extensions.

Myth #1. Hair Extensions will break my hair.

FACT. Hair extensions do not break off the hair. Pulling, tugging and yanking the hair can break the hair. The maintenance of the hair extensions on a daily basis with how the hair at the scalp is cared for in the proper approach will not break the hair. What you will see is that the average person sheds 80 – 100 hairs per day naturally. Those shedding hairs that are attached to the hair extension could come out depending on how strong the attached hair is to the scalp. The hair has to be brushed every day to prevent the hairs that are still attached from tangling into the other hairs that are shedding.

Every manufacturer of hair extensions has a set of instructions on how they are to be installed. If the installation is not done correctly, the hair extensions as they grow out can twist causing knotting that can cause the reaction to pull the knot out therefore tugging all of the additional weight onto the scalp causing tension and pressure to remove the knot. In some cases the extensions could “fuse” together causing a big ball of sticky glue and hair stuck together that cannot be removed but has to be cut out. There are many reasons for this situation.

Myth #2. Hair won’t grow with hair extensions.

FACT. Hair seems to grow faster because the natural hair finally has the chance to heal because the hair extensions are shielding the constant application of blow dryer, curling iron intense heat and flat iron heat. Hair on average grows 1/2″ per month. If fine hair isn’t able withstand the constant battle of heat, it can break. If the individual has medical concerns that cause hair to fall out or shed because of the side affect, then it would appear that the hair isn’t growing. Taking supplements to help assist in growth such as CollagenBlu which is a marine protein that can be taken orally does help grow hair plus give the body the additional supplement it needs for hair nutrition and energy.

Myth #3. I wont’ have to shampoo my hair extensions but once a week.

FACT. You will have to shampoo your hair 2 – 3x per week because the scalp is still underneath the hair extensions. By shampooing with a shampoo that cleans the scalp to free it of debris. Bad smells like oily scalp that hasn’t been washed in weeks could prevent hair from prematurely suffocating from buildup. Waxes, dry shampoo and other gray coverage waxes can build up as I said and clog pores.

The skin underneath is like the skin on your face and has to be cleansed. In some instances we recommend a scrub to exfoliate the buildup on the scalp. We have this conversation prior to installation about the health and care of the type of hair extensions that you will be wearing. Just like your face that needs scrubbed every day, the skin on the top of your head will need to be cleansed with non sulfate shampoo at the scalp twice. The hair mid length and ends must be cleansed too because it collects smells from the environment trapping them into the hair. It rubs on coats, car seats, pillows collecting bacteria, skin cells and will need nourishment from a conditioner. Natural hair extensions are human hair that requires a detangler, moisturizer or re-constructor depending on the type of hair that you have installed.

I have personally experienced seeing mold on the scalp from lack of shampooing properly. A strong suggestion would be to change your pillow case at least 2x per week. Don’t go to bed with your hair wet because the natural body heat and wet pillow case can attract bacteria therefore the perfect setting for mold to grow on the pillow case and at your scalp. Mold can build a habitat underneath braided wefts. Dandruff can be flaking which are dry skin cells wanting to shed normally but are trapped within the braided environment plus add to that dry shampoo or whatever styling agent is added to that little concoction. The itching is not good o watch either. Then you have skin cells underneath your fingernails… I could go on. Just wash your hair and hair extensions 2 – 3x per week. If you have questions about your situation, you can contact our salon at 717846.4424 (York, Pa) or 706.999.9911 (Lake Oconee, GA location)

Myth #4. Since I have hair extensions I don’t have to worry about pony tailing my hair.

FACT. This would naturally feel like you can pull the hair up and be done with it however; this is far from the truth. The heavier your extensions are the more weight is on your naturally fine hair. The more weight and tension that is pulling at the same spot on your head can literally pull your hair out because of the constant pulling. A good example would be box braids, braids that are pulled tight around the hairline from years since being a child into adulthood. Just as a person that has pulled their hair in the crown from tight pony tails could cause the hair to decrease in amount of hair that grows because it can become weak.

Move the pony tail around to different parts of head during the day or week. The top right of your crown, lower bottom loose braid or pony tail will give the hair a break from tension. Only use fabric type of hair holders such as the ones we recommend from Target.com

When it comes time to install hair extensions for maintenance, we do move the hair extensions around to take the pressure off the same spot preventing the tension areas. This can be done with tape-in’s, clamp extensions monthly. Other brands that are fused will have to be carefully removed then installed as a new set in surrounding areas.

Myth #5. If I have cancer or diabetes, I can’t have hair extensions.

FACT. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Of course you can however; consideration of the type of hair extensions would need to be discussed. A quick weight loss such as gastric bypass, cancer  or diabetes will have altered the body internally maybe causing weakness in the hair. Taking supplements to strengthen the hair follicle and hair are important, eating enough protein is essential to growing hair. The greens are essential to building blocks in amino acids internally to help re grow hair. Cancer survivors normally have baby fine hair that grows in and can be attached to the hair extensions. The weight and type of hair extension has to be considered so the baby fine hair doesn’t pull out because it is a different type of hair that needs to harden. An insulated clamp/bead would be perfect for this type of hair because the insulation will protect the hair however; the weight of hair or amount of hair in each extension has to be considered because as I said, the heavy weight of 20 – 30 hairs could put to much weight on the few hairs therefore pulling it out.

For more information contact us at www.indulgesalon.com/onlinebookings

email: [email protected]

FB: indulgesalon

G: indulge_salon_york_pa

Ph: 717.846.4424