Old ALWAYS Becomes New Again

by Sam Villa

All throughout history we have seen hair trends and styles come and go, the looks of yesteryear continue to inspire the fresh looks of today…that is what we do as hairstylists, continue to reinterpret and find new and multiple ways of doing things. The pure form of a classic can be reinvented with a different texture or finish, and the addition of movement makes it relative to today’s trends and lifestyles. Think our guests realize this? Probably not, but it doesn’t really matter, as long as they look good!!

And quite frankly, everything you really need to know about reinventing a classic look, you already know, because you learned in beauty school!
 
For example:

• Directional blow dry for volume – the placement of our round brushes could essentially be a classic roller set for volume
• The barrel curls of yesterday were created with pin curls that were clipped and placed ‘on-base’ – today we use curling irons on-base for this classic look

You may not integrate the basics into the looks you create today, but trust me, it will serve you well to get a mannequin out and practice. Practice until you get it down and it will make your time behind the chair more productive and rewarding.    

The runways are a perfect example of how we see influences of modern takes on classics, most recently classic finger waves were seen on short and long hair, which makes them a beautiful option for holiday looks.

The finger wave seemed to be the most challenging technique in beauty school, but once you mastered it, the entire student body was walking around with finger waves!   

Today’s finger waves can be achieved utilizing the original technique we used in beauty school – combing hair into ridges and curves with our index and middle fingers, but those finger waves were usually tight – the ridges were close together. Today, we see looser finger waves with the ridges further apart. We can also turn to Marcel irons an use more modern techniques like the Push Curl and Red Carpet Waves to create more modern versions. See the video:

The Push Curl technique uses the blade of the iron to create the crest of the wave and the barrel for the valley, while Red Carpet Waves uses a combination of spiral and flat wrapping to create a finger wave - the spiral wrap achieves the crest of the wave and the flat wrap the valley. And ALWAYS remember to prep hair first with a heat styler to get the best possible definition and hold. I spray each section with Redken iron shape 11 and comb through to distribute evenly before wrapping. And, because most women don’t normally wear finger waves, it’s really important to make sure your guest is comfortable in them and realize that they have staying power, so make sure you finish the look with Redken control addict 28 to hold the wave. These two products are a winning combination for me when using thermal tools.

So while you’re giving thanks this month to the many wonderful things in your life, thank yourself for going to beauty school and reflect on what you learned there…because those are the techniques that trigger creativity, keep you grounded and give you confidence!

Aspire for MORE!
Sam

[Top Image courtesy of Sam Villa, Hair by Geneva Cowen, Artistic Director for Sam Villa; Second Image: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images]