Get ready to be creative! Motions VIP global stylists are predicting an exciting style season ahead – full of contrasts and confidence. Think cuts with fringes, asymmetrical styles, funky bob shapes and classic, soft looks with lots of movement. Individuality is where it's at, and the choices have never been more dynamic. To get you thinking creatively, here are some of the trends you're most likely to be personalizing for the clients in your chair.
Make it Personalized
You may have just started, or have created this style on your clients for ten years or more. The bob’s definitely been around the block a few times, but now it’s back with a vengeance. How can you create your own signature bob? Don’t settle for the typical inverted blunt back and straight sides. Add flair by creating an asymmetric bang, adding a contrasting color around the nape line or adding extensions to the sides for a more dramatic effect. Go boxy, try some blunt fringes and off-balance bobs with one side shorter than the other. What will set you apart and make your clients love you is to assure them that this bob is individually designed for them. Consult with your client, pick out a few styles that she likes, then tailor them to accentuate her specific features. Schedule enough time to show her how to maintain and recreate the style at home if she can’t get back to you. Keep your shears well-sharpened!
Short... For Sure
For those clients who are all bobbed out, fashion-forward short cuts are strong, dramatic and geometric, whether they're wedged or cropped super short. While short pixie looks are still in, they aren’t quite the rave of a year ago. The most challenging thing is that the hair must be relaxed and cut on a regular basis to maintain that style. Short hair wearers are going to the gym, and planning summer activities in between all their other time commitments, so many are looking for different, ready-to-wear options. For the spring and summer, a great option is to convert short relaxed hair into short texturized hair. It’s classy, quick and easy to maintain. Instead of relaxing the hair straight, texturize it by removing only a portion of the natural curl pattern, to create soft waves. For short nape or sides, try Motions At Home Sculpt and Twist Molding Crème to define the edges without added stiffness. Clients want alternatives, so show them how to mix it up by blow-drying and flat ironing the texturized look for a sleek effect.
Soft-Wear Hair
Take the harsh lines and weight out of your styles. Adapt to the mood of the moment with long layers and light fringe to create body and bounce – a big part of spring hair. Soft looks with lots of movement via gorgeous waves and crimps, curls and coils are all part of embracing what's natural and improving on it. Instead of blow-drying, use Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion and add a few extra large rollers to your client’s hair. Sit her under the dryer until hair is completely dry. (The foaming wrap cuts the drying time significantly.) Take the rollers out and gently massage a few drops of Motions Smoothing Shine Serum through hair before combing to add a touch of lightweight shine. Use a bristle brush to smooth out any roller lines, then separate curls with your fingers instead of the comb. This gives you a soft alternative to any style - especially gorgeous on long layers. Always recommend a personalized at-home care regimen for keeping clients’ curled styles and naturals from drying.
Crank Up the Color
Many cuts for spring are simplified, which means hair color is a little more complex, with two or three shades adding depth and dimension. Red is the newest shade to infuse into brunettes, which can be warmed with caramel and toffee, too. Red is getting recognition in its own right as a shade that suits anyone, because it can go warm or cool. Color often goes lighter and brighter for spring, and R&B divas everywhere are making sandy, Sahara shades more exciting than ever. Don't forget to educate your relaxer clients about the types of hair color they can and can't have safely, and how to keep relaxed hair that has semi-permanent color well-moisturized with Motions Oil Moisturizer products. Make sure to wait a few weeks after coloring before doing another process. And while we all know that permanent hair color should always be applied by a professional, make sure your clients are told often - fixing the mistakes and wiping tears isn’t fun for either side of the chair.
Big Hair Hot Again!
After taking hair down a notch over the last few years, there is a trend toward pumping the UP the volume. The hair isn’t off the charts like the big 80’s, but is movable, flowing and soft. Your clients with fine, flat hair look to you for answers to their most common problems: 1) creating volume in the crown, 2) volume and body that last, and 3) maintaining or creating the look once they leave the salon. Here are a few tips that will have you known as a “Volume Professional”:
Add Motions Light Styling Foam to the crown of the head only at the roots. Then blow-dry it while directing it opposite the way that you want it to fall.
Use the Motions Light Hold Working Spritz on each curl. Pin curl or place in a Velcro roller as you finish the curl. For extra hold, place client under the dryer for 10 minutes with rollers.
Avoid using heavy oils on the hair to style and suggest the same for your client.
Round-brushing the hair at the scalp magically lifts it up for volume.
Avoid relaxing hair too straight. Leave a slight wave pattern in the hair for instant body.
At home your clients should roll the hair in the crown to maintain the same fullness. If it gets flat after a few days, have them to apply a small amount of Motions Light Styling Foam or Foaming Wrap Lotion and roll it.
The WOW Trend of Weaves
Weaves have become a great way to either add length or volume. Women are open now more than ever to having a bit of “added glamour” and the trend continues to grow. The variety of application methods, brands and weaved hair textures has never been so extensive. Educate your clients in choosing between human and synthetic hair, and determine the attachment system that's best for their goals. If you don’t weave now, you are missing out on a major force in the beauty industry.
What’s Hot: Lace front wigs are more readily available and more affordable. These are perfect for clients that want a completely different look in minutes. The full piece covers the entire head with a shear, light mesh. The most appealing feature to clients is the natural hairline. A thin mesh extends from the wig to the hairline and is glued to the skin. The colorless piece blends in with the skin and can be covered with a light foundation. Many show-stopping celebrities commonly don these wigs. Lace front wigs have long been used in theatre and movies and used to carry a hefty price. Now the styles, price ($400 - $1,500) and availability make them a popular alternative for the upscale and glamorous. Hot and cold fusion, tape and clip-on weaves are also the trend among Hollywood’s elite. Before you leap into some of these new methods, do a little practicing even if you have to do one or two clients as test models.
The key is how well your clients can take care of the hair when they leave the salon. Wearing hair that isn't your own requires professional instruction in how to care for and style both together. It’s also important to take care of your clients’ natural hair beneath the weave. Promoting yourself as the salon or stylist with the “healthy-hair guarantee” even when they wear weave, will communicate volumes about your service. Remember to style the hair will light oils and refrain from using heavy gels or sprays on the hair. Offer up Motions Weightless Clear Hairdressing to maintain her voluminous look at home without weighing it down. Make sure that your client is completely aware of what works best on her weave and her hair before she leaves the salon.
Check back soon for more from our Motions Experts! Got questions or suggestions of your own? Email us at askourexperts@motionshair.com.
