Hair styling is an art, and Alter EGO is a place for artists. While sometimes our art is expressed in every-day livable styles, trendsetting is in our blood.
This is what we live for.
The Poppiottes & Pin Curls Oribe Experience
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Wednesday morning, Oribe Educator and NYC stylist, Mandee Hernandez joined the Alter EGO team for a brand new educational experience. Pin Curls have been around since the 1940s, but Poppiottes are an Oribe creation. Mandee and Katie refreshed our knowledge on the classic Pin Curl, refining the technique to get bouncy spirals, along with how to tease out the curls for maximum body and fun. The next section of the class focused on Poppiottes, curls using rolled up magazine pages in place of curlers. Using lightweight magazine paper puts less stress on the hair than curlers, and it's sustainable--a great way to recycle old magazines. Poppiotte curls also lend themselves perfectly to updos. Mandee demonstrated both curl techniques, along with an updo style using the Poppiotte curls, then the stylists each got to test out one of the looks on their own models. They had tons of fun learning and practicing, and the results turned out FABULOUS!
Dana Rosa and Shayla Moreira create formal hair styles at Alter EGO Hair Salon in Downtown Raleigh.
Mandy Asberry creates curly hair styles in downtown Raleigh at Alter EGO Hair Salon and Blow Dry Bar.
Aspen Johnson creates bouncy curls at Alter EGO Hair Salon in downtown Raleigh.
Meghann Holland pins curls for couture styles at Alter EGO Hair Salon in Raleigh.
Ashley Shick creates awesome curly hair at Alter EGO Hair Salon and Blow Dry Bar.
Tight curls at Alter EGO Hair Salon and Blow Dry Bar.
Formal Updo Hair Style at Alter EGO Blow Dry Bar.
Glamorous curls in this hair style at Alter EGO Blow Dry Bar.
Couture curls at Alter EGO Hair Salon and Blow Dry Bar.
Formal hair style at Alter EGO Blow Dry Bar.
Throwback pin curls at Alter EGO Blow Dry Bar.
Rainbows & Oil Slicks & Jewel Tones, Oh My!
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Alright, fellow Pinterest fiends. Let’s talk rainbow hair. Pinterest is well-saturated with gorgeous, long, colorful locks that give us all a hearty case of #hairenvy, but are they real? What’s the reality of achieving #mermaidhair status? Stylist Elizabeth Croft and I are going to take you through our 9 hour journey of “replicating” our very own “Pinterest-worthy” hair. Now, “replicating” deserves the quotations because we went into this with the understanding that exact replication when it comes to hair is nigh impossible due to differences in hair texture, health, starting color, etc. along with the fact that every stylist utilizes different coloring techniques. Not to mention a little thing called Photoshop, infamous on Pinterest for not only enhancing, but completely altering the hair color. (Ever seen the same photo in six different colors? Yeah, that's good ol' Photoshop.) Inspiration is awesome, but expecting precise replication just isn’t realistic.
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Hair color is a journey, and mine came to this new leg of the adventure with an extensive history already. It sported a heavy balayage/ombre with a demi-permanent purple over top for seven months, along with a root color 2-3 levels darker than my natural color. To top that off, I had approximately five weeks of regrowth. All of these factors play into how your stylist formulates your color, and for a project as big as ours, it required several steps.
Step One: All over foiling of the Center of the Hair Strand
First, we needed to lift the existing color from my hair. We used lightener on the center of my hair, leaving the roots and ends.
Step Two: Bleach wash on the Ends
Next, we washed the lightener off of the center and then did what we call a bleach wash—a combination of lightener and shampoo—to remove the purple from the ends of my hair. Elizabeth says, "I chose to do it that way because it gave me more control over how much color lifted and kept lightener on the ends for the least amount of time." She added that, "It's less damaging that way."
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Step Three: Lighten the Roots
Elizabeth explains that, “Previously colored hair and virgin hair process lightener and color differently. Because of this I chose not to include the root in the initial foil. Once I got the midshaft to ends, or everything but the root of her hair, to the right levels I went back and lightened just at her root.”
Step Four: Toner Time
Next we toned all over to create a more even surface for the color melt that was about to take place. Elizabeth adds, “You might notice that I didn't lift all of her hair to a very pale blonde. I wanted some remaining pigment in her hair so that the fun colors I used would process more as rich, jewel tones rather than very bright, shocking colors. The "oil slick" look has been on trend so that was part of my inspiration.”
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Step Five: Color Melting!
For the next two hours, Elizabeth created an artistic masterpiece on my head, blending four colors onto every strand of hair. “When I started the color melting process on her hair I used a brighter magenta at her root because I wanted a surprising pop of color in an unexpected place. The contrast between the deeper purples, blues, and greens against the more vibrant magenta added the dimension I needed to keep the color very interesting, but also wearable.”
Considering drying time in between each step and how much hair I have (a lot!) it took the better part of nine hours to complete the entire process. We chose to do this all in one go, but often this process would have taken 2+ visits to fully achieve the look. Having rainbow hair is pretty amazing, and it was totally worth it, but any color this extensive should definitely be viewed as an investment. The cost involved, along with the more frequent salon visits necessary to maintain the look should be considered when deciding if you want to jump into the creative color world.
Talking through what you want, along with what’s possible for your hair is always the best way to begin a new step in your hair journey, whether that’s going lighter, adding in new colors, or creating a whole new look. We offer complimentary consultations with the stylist of your choice for any service, so whenever you’re ready to take the next step in your hair journey—give us a call!
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#transformationtuesday
March has been both inspirational and transformational here at Alter EGO! Check out a few of our favorite transformations from March! #findyouralterego #transformationtuesday
At Alter EGO we love walk-ins and this awesome client walked in the door ready for something new and edgy! After talking pixies with Alli Carter, Dana decided to go for the chop and donated 12" of hair to Locks of Love! She ended up with a super cute asymmetrical pixie designed and cut by Alli. Dana loved her new 'do, saying, "It's exactly what I pictured in my head, but wasn't sure how to explain it." Alli's just awesome like that.
The lovely Claire came to Alter EGO with faded out (*whispers* box-dyed) black hair, and after spending some quality time with Elizabeth, magically transformed into a gorgeous dark redhead! Claire's transformation is a perfect example of the several step process a big change can be. Changing your hair color is not always as simple as covering up one color with another--in order to correct Claire's color and achieve dimensional results, Elizabeth utilized a multi-step process of lightening her current color, giving her a darker base color at the root, then lowlighting and overall color application, finished with a glaze. Ultimately, Claire walked away with a chocolatey wine color that suited her perfectly!
One last look at the final result of Claire's color correction by Elizabeth Croft.
Coming soon... Alli & Meghann's journey to become Beth Minardi educators!