HOW-TO STEPS

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  1

  Take a slice of hair just underneath the fringe and color it two shades darker than the natural hair color. Sam uses Redken Shades EQ Conditioning Color Gloss.  Next, let the top layer of natural color hair fall over the colored section and the fringe appears thicker and bolder, says Sam.

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  Many stylists tend to cut into fine hair too much, making it look even thinner, says Sam. Instead, take a zig zag section of hair around the hairline and put all the hair below the line in a ponytail holder.  Then, cut the hair above the line as you normally would.  Take the hair out of the ponytail holder, let it drop, and guess what?  You’ve left the thickness underneath which makes the hair look fuller.  Your clients will be paying (and praising) you for your knowledge on what NOT to cut!

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  Dry naturally curly hair on the ‘cold’ setting with a diffuser and keep your hands out!  The colder air will close the cuticle, reducing frizz and promoting shine.  “Keeping hands out of the hair ensures that the cuticle lays flat,” notes Sam.

  If you need a quick fix for controlling frizz on naturally curly hair, Sam says to simply spray a makeup powder brush with a shine spray like Redken vinly glam 02 mega shine spray and brush the hairline and curls to reduce frizz and add shine.

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  Wrap drying is a blow-drying technique that reduces frizz and maximizes shine. When you’re using this technique, Sam says to think of the head as a roller and use a paddle brush to stretch hair in an “X” pattern (to the left and then the right) around the head.  “The combination of stretching and wrapping forces the cuticle to lay flat promoting optimum shine and style,” he adds.

  Note: When styling fine hair, roughing up the cuticle can create more volume.  Use the same technique as described above, but halfway through, switch to a small round brush to create more tension and bend.

  Professional Stylist Tip: Always blow-dry hair from the roots to ends! When the blow-dryer follows the brush, the cuticle is being flattened and smoothed, decreasing frizz.

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  Natural texture is in, anything too perfect looks dated. Sam suggests, “stretch drying” for achieving natural texture.  “There are two ways to style hair, with tension and with heat.  ‘Stretch drying’ relies on tension more than heat, resulting in texture that’s natural and not overdone,” explains Villa.

  Sam says to use an asymmetrical (oval) shaped brush versus a symmetrical (round) shaped brush when ‘stretch drying’ for two reasons:  First, round brushes create a gap between the scalp and the brush, which means that portion of the hair does not get stretched and lifted.  An oval shaped brush can grab hair right at the scalp lifting it for maximum volume.  Second, when using a round shaped brush, one must twirl hair around the brush and then pull for tension, creating a strain on fingers and wrists. Oval shaped brushes allow for twirling and stretching the hair at the same time, achieving maximum results with minimum effort. 

  Professional Stylist Tips:
  · Brushing hair under each section creates more volume than running the brush on top of each section, which straightens hair.

  · When wrapping hair around a brush and directing heat, do not pull brush down and out of hair, it will straighten hair. Instead, gently unravel the brush preserving the texture created with the brush.
   
  · The closer hair is stretched to the head, the straighter hair will be.  For more texture and volume, lift hair up from the root.