Fabulous Freaky Friday and the MQH Ghost

Christopher Patterson had quite the hair-raising experience when ghostly things began happening in the salon while he was on his own Wednesday night. He was concentrating deeply on prep work for our Fashion Week finale on Saturday night when he heard the till drawer pop open. Though startled, he shut the drawer and was about to go back to work when he noticed that the computer screen was going crazy! The salon software had been shut down at the end of business, yet here it was back on, scrolling up and down and changing days! Clearly, there must be an MQH ghost playing tricks on Christopher.

I was a bit thrown when Christopher phoned me (Jolie) at home and asked "Are you on the computer!? Are you on the computer!?" He sounded rather worked up and repeated himself a few times before I had a chance to answer, "yes". As it turns out, Christopher had just phoned Michael and demanded he come back and join him in the salon. Michael told Christopher I was probably logged onto the salon computer and working from home, but he didn't quite believe him until he verified it with me. He's very devoted, but hanging out with ghosts in the salon is beyond Christopher's limit!

I'm afraid I couldn't resist torturing Christopher and logged back in a short time later to type a message on the computer screen:: "Chris....Chrissssssss....Ooooooohhhhhhhh! It's the MQH ghost and I'm watching you! Boo!" Luckily, he's a great sport and was able to laugh about it the next day....in the daylight....with lots of other staff around!

Tip of the Week: Frizz Control

If you discover that you have any flyaway or frizzy hair after styling or perhaps after being on the go all day, rub a little Matrix Biolage Smoothing Serum between your hands and use your fingertips to gently apply the serum to problem areas. This will get your frizz under control without making yoru hair feel heavy or greasy.

This week, get 20% OFF Matrix Biolage Smoothing Serum when you mention that you read it on our blog. Special offers are valid for 1 week from the date published on our blog.

Hair Medic Monday

Suzanne recently emailed us to ask, "Whenever I get my hair done in the salon, it looks all lovely and smooth, but when I dry it myself it often goes frizzy. Why does this happen and how do I fix the problem?"

There are several reasons that your hair might go frizzy and most of the problems are easily solved. If you aren't currently using a heat protection product, such as Vavoom Gold Heat (available in our salon), you definitely should be! Drying your hair without thermal protection is to the hair cuticle what lifting a hot dish from the oven without protection would be to your hands. Now imagine doing that several times per week! Your hands would sizzle and fry...and that's what happens to your hair too.

Another common mistake is not towel drying your hair well enough before beginning to blow dry. By removing as much excess moisture as possible, you reduce the amount of time you need to apply heat to your hair. You may also be drying your hair on too high of a setting. Try setting your hair dryer to a medium heat and keept it moving to avoid any part of your hair getting too hot. You should hold it at least 6 inches away from your hair, with the nozzle pointing down the cuticle, so you do not aggrevate the hair shaft. Don't overdry your hair either...it only needs to be about 60% dry to hold its style and drying it too much may actually make it harder to style.

If you notice the problems begin a few weeks after your last visit to the hairdresser, the problem could be product build-up. Your hair needs to constantly replenish its moisture, but if you have product build-up, your natural oils will not be able to permeate through to the cuticle layer and your hair will begin to look dry and frizzy. To solve this problem, wash your hair thoroughly with a deep cleansing shampoo, such as Biolage Alternative Action, to remove build-up and follow up with a Biolage Cerra Repair treatment to replenish the moisture in your hair. Ask your stylist which shampoo and conditioner is best for your hair type for regular use.

Your hair will go frizzy if you don't get it cut often enough, so make regular appointments with your hairdresser to keep split ends at bay. The average person should visit about every 6 to 8 weeks, but that can vary depending on how fast your hair grows and how your hair is treated. Someone with coloured hair who uses heat styling tools daily will need their hair cut a little more often than someone who doesn't. You stylist can recommend what is best for you.

To get answers to your hair problems, email your question to hairmedic@michaelquinnhairdressing.co.uk and our salon experts will do our best to answer them here on our blog. If we choose your question, we'll send you a salon voucher for £10! Photos help tremendously when answering questions, so if you book in for a treatment and don't mind us sharing your photos on our blog, we'll also give you a voucher for a FREE power conditioning treatment (£15 value) as a thank you.

Fabulous Friday

Like millions of other people across the globe, several staff here on the MQH team have recently devoured (pardon the pun!) the fabulous Twilight novels by Stephanie Meyer and most of us are anxiously awaiting the release of Twilight New Moon! Even the trailers are explosive and exciting, so hopefully the movie lives up to the hype. While looking for New Moon trailers, we came across a few pretty fabulous spoofs too. Enjoy!

Michael's Weekend Hours

Michael was originally booked out of the salon for this Saturday, 24 October, however, he will be in the salon and available to take appointments afterall. If you were previously looking for an appoinment with him and still wish to get in for this Saturday, give us a ring on 028 9043 4003.

Tip of the Week

Most male pattern baldness is hereditary and unfortunately, there is no cure. Hair loss is usually most noticable along the temples and crown of the head and is caused by an excess of the chemical dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This excess causes the hair follicles to make thinner and thinner hair until growth eventually stops completely.

Besides, heredity, there are a few other less common causes of hair loss, including a fungal infection on the scalp, an under active thyroid, iron deficiency, some medications and stress. These causes are often reversible, so if you begin to lose your hair, it may be worth discussing with your doctor.

If you've been reading our posts recently, you'll know that all hope is not lost if you are going thin and that we do have a simple solution for you. A quick tip to turn a thinning head of hair into a fuller looking head of hair is to use Mane Hair Thickening Spray, which fills the thinning areas in with natural looking micro fibers. This week, get 10% OFF of Mane Hair when you mention that you read it on our blog. Special offers are valid for 1 week from the date published on our blog.

Hair Medic Monday: Male Pattern Baldness

In this week's Hair Medic feature, we will be answering a question about male pattern baldness. Though thinning hair is primarily a male problem, some women can suffer from hair loss as well. Parts of our answer will be helpful to anyone experiencing this problem, so be sure to read on, ladies!

Dear Hair Medic, I'm going a bit thin on top. All the men in my family go bald, so it is kind of a given for me, but I'm just not ready yet. What can I do to hide it?

Our Hair Medic team answer: Let’s face it...”the comb over” has never worked! Go on, admit it, we all think, “You’re not fooling anyone, mate!”, when we see some poor guy caught in a breeze, hair waving high above his head. This just draws more attention to the fact that he is bald. Don’t try hiding balding by adding length either. The longer it is, the skimpier your hair will look. A short cut will make your hair appear thicker.

Instead of trying to hide it, you can embrace your baldness. Can anyone say, Bruce Willis?”...bald can definitely be sexy. Wear your baldness with confidence and nobody will ever give it a second thought.

If you’re really just not ready to be bald yet, you do have a few options. Hair transplants have come a long way, but they come at a hefty price. Do your research and spend the dosh, and a good hair transplant will even fool a seasoned hair professional. Alternatively, you may have recently read our post about Mane Hair Thickening Spray, now available in our salon. It's the more affordable and practical alternative to hair transplants and it really works! Mane is a micro fiber spray that grabs on to the hair that you have and fills it in for a healthy, natural appearance. It's very easy to use and doesn't wash out until you want it to with shampoo and water, so no worries about getting caught in the rain. For more info, stop into the salon and ask for a free consultation.