Three hair Pro's at Image Studios, a professional space for mini-salon owners, shared their thoughts on all things hair for women in every season of life. Sydney Mittlestadt and Tasha Herrera of A Great Hair Day share a double suite at Image Studios. “We wanted to work together and have more of a community feel—plus we can bounce ideas off each other, and our clients get to chat together,” explained Tasha. Christen Gill of Epic Hair enjoys the space as she can give her clients the one-on-one attention that she can’t do in a bigger salon. “It’s a more relaxing experience because it’s quiet, and you can have more in-depth conversations without people overhearing.”
What are some things you can do for those inevitable bad hair days? The pro's had several ideas. “Put some dry shampoo in your hair and let it dry—brush your teeth or do something else while you’re waiting—and then brush your hair. The dry shampoo will soak up the oil in your hair,” said Sydney. “If you do end up with white film from the dry shampoo, blow dry through it—blow drying will get the dry shampoo through your hair and give your hair more body.”
All the pro's recommended embracing the messy bun. “Just brush your hair into a bun and spray it with hair spray,” said Christen. “I even sleep in a bun, and it looks great in the morning!”
Braids are another idea. Tasha added, “And remember—there’s nothing wrong with a hat!”
How can busy moms maximize their time at a salon? Tasha suggested, “Bring your partner and kids, and you can all get your hair done together. This approach saves time, checks the boxes and eliminates the mom guilt!” With a double space and refreshments, everyone can be contained and entertained.
For moms with some grays, Christen recommends a relatively new service called 10-minute color. It’s a permanent hair color that covers up those pesky gray hairs. “The service takes about an hour total, but it only processes for 10 minutes,” Christen explained. “Moms can get in and out more quickly than full color. You can get the service whenever your grays start bugging you—usually about 4-6 weeks, since your hair grows a half-inch every month.”
And where can you start if you’re thinking about a different type of hair color? Try a peekaboo hair color, which is a color that’s applied to your bottom layer of hair, so the color “peeks” out. Sydney also recommended a temporary color treatment that fades in six weeks.
How did the pandemic affect hairstyles and colors? “People wanted a lower maintenance cut and color,” said Christen. “For example, root shadowing—a darker color on your roots and lighter on the rest—is trendy and low maintenance, and you only need to do it every six months or so.”
What about some at-home tips for busy moms? Christen’s favorite styling tip is to use heatless curling rods. “It’s so easy. Put them in a night when your hair is damp—not wet—and you’ll wake up to beautiful curls. You can even do it in the morning—just mist your hair with a tiny bit of water and roll it up.”
Sydney had a great tip for workouts: put dry shampoo in your hair before you work out to absorb the oil while you work out, and then brush it afterward.
Any final thoughts? All three pro's cringed as they said their number one NOT to do is to sleep with wet hair! Finally, they all offer a consultation before you do anything to your hair, and they’re passionate about educating their clients about hair. After all, as Tasha said, “Your hair is your crown that you don’t get to take off.”
Visit Christen at www.epic-hairstudio.com and Sydney and Tasha at HairDay.GlossGenius.com.
