By Nicole Pearl Kaplan

These days, everyone seems to be looking to celebrities for hairstyle cues and new ideas for cuts. The problem is that those hairstyles don’t always translate from Hollywood to hometown. Many of today’s stars have an army of beauty and hair experts to primp and pin every strand, but you have five minutes to run a brush through your hair before you’re running out the front door.

Instead of Hollywood hair, what you need is a haircut that fits yourlife.

“Even if you’re seriously busy, you don’t have to sacrifice great-looking hair,” says Jet Rhys, owner of the Jet Rhys salon in San Diego. “There are stylish cuts that work with your natural hair texture and don’t require a lot of time or effort.”

Look below for your hair type and find out which cut hair experts say matches your hair texture — and more importantly, your life.

If your hair is straight and …

• Long Get a cut that is all the same length at the bottom except for a few shorter layers in front to frame your face. When you let hair air-dry — the fastest and most common option for busy moms — the blunt ends ensure hair dries straight, smooth and neat. The shorter pieces around your face, which should fall at eye and cheek level, soften the blunt lines and give strands extra volume, says Rhys. (By contrast, many layers all over can look choppy if you don’t use a flatiron or blow-dryer.)

• Short A chin-length bob that’s stacked at the nape of your neck virtually styles itself, says Rhys. The stacking adds natural thickness that you’d otherwise only achieve from a blow-dryer and brush. And because of the shape, hair falls perfectly into place as it air-dries. That frees you up to focus on family activities more important than styling, like packing lunches, carpooling and getting to work on time.

Quick expert tip: Daily shampooing prevents oily and limp hair. But if you’re pressed for time, use a dry shampoo instead. Spray or sprinkle the formula on roots, then massage with your fingertips. Ingredients such as cornstarch absorb the oil and thicken strands.

If your hair has loose waves and is …

• Long Hair experts say that the best cut for wavy hair falls below your shoulders and has several layers cut throughout. “The layers should be various lengths, hitting at your cheekbones, jaw and neck,” says Rhys. These shorter pieces are lightweight, which encourages your wavy texture and adds natural body when you let hair air-dry. (If your strands are all one long length, the weight could relax waves and leave hair looking limp.)

• Short A layered bob that’s slightly longer than chin length is your key to stylish, hassle-free hair, says Rhys. Like the longer cut above, layers naturally boost texture and give hair movement. And unlike on straight hair, the layers won’t look choppy, because they blend in with your waves.

Quick expert tip: To ensure the wavy style holds all day, rub a quarter-sized dollop of gel between your palms, then finger-comb through damp strands and let hair air-dry.

If your hair has tight curls and is …

• Long Your hair’s smartest cut falls slightly past your shoulders and has a few long layers mixed in, says Rhys. The layers, which should be only 1 to 2 inches shorter than the longest pieces, give hair bounce but also retain enough weight to provide poof control. Unless you plan to shape and style curls daily, more dramatic or varied layers could leave hair frizzy on top and thin on the bottom.

• Short A sassy pixie cut is the ultimate time-saver for your hair type and length. “Cutting strands to only a few inches relaxes your curls, eliminating poofiness and frizz,” says Rhys. Because dealing with frizz eats up time, this cute, super-short cut will be a boon for your busy schedule.

Quick expert tip: For long hair, smoothing mousse helps define curls. Scrunch it into wet strands, then air-dry. The less you fuss with your curls, the better they’ll look, says Rhys. For the pixie, rub a dab of styling paste between hands and use your fingers to quickly shape and place various pieces. It will give hair structure and definition.

If your hair is coarse and …

• Long Braids and locks do away with frizz and require little daily maintenance beyond moisturizing your scalp and hair with an oil or cream. If you want hair that’s long and straight but hate the flatironing and blow-drying that go with it, Rhys recommends an in-salon keratin treatment. “It’s so gentle!” she says. “It smoothes and softens hair without any of the chemicals in traditional relaxers.” Although you must spend two to three hours with the experts at the salon initially, the results last for up to three months.

• Short A long, layered bob that hits at the center of your neck and has long, sideswept bangs is the cut for your hair. The length adds weight to prevent poofiness, and the layers and bangs give hair shape. Be sure, however, to get a trim every four to six weeks. Naturally dry, coarse hair is prone to split ends. If strands are not snipped, splits can work their way up, leading to breakage and frizz.

Quick expert tip: Every two weeks, give hair an at-home hot oil treatment to soften strands and fight frizz. Look for products that contain natural moisturizers like olive oil and vitamin E. Experts say to leave on for 45 minutes, even if the directions recommend less time. The oil often needs extra time to penetrate, says Rhys.

 

 

Elan Sassoon, son of hair maven Vidal Sassoon, made a special trip to Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego recently to launch his new hair care line called Sojourn Beauty. I sat down with the roguish family man, and his great head of hair, to ask him how his styling products differ from his father’s, and his hopes for the future of women’s hair.

What’s it like being the son of Vidal Sassoon?

He’s the definition of quality hair education. He is the guru that changed the hair industry forever, but to me he is just dad and love him for the wonderful human being he is. He is a huge philanthropist and a beautiful soul.

Big shoes to fill, how do you set yourself apart from VS? 

I hope I’m like him in many ways. Sassoon is now owned by Procter & Gamble, so we’re a very different company. We do compete with them, but we’re unique on the market. Sojourn Beauty products are 100% biodegradable, with extremely low PH levels (meaning color and moisture aren’t stripped from the hair’s cuticle shaft), and there’s no alcohol, Sulphates, or Parabens.

What are some of your favorite hair trends?  

I have to go with beautiful long sexy hair and shorter bangs

Hair Tips?

Don’t believe the myths of shampooing once a week. If you use quality products you can shampoo every day. Also, I like to brush the Sojourn conditioner into my hair in the shower for maximum moisture.

Do you think these cleaner more organic styling products are simply another trend?

I don’t believe so. It’s got to change, the environment is suffering. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, and that’s the day everything in my life changed. We are committed to these products. She’s now in remission.

You can find all the Sojourn Beauty products you need online: http://www.sojournbeauty.com/

Photos by Hannah Armour

by: By Jessica Girdwain
Medically reviewed by Ed Zimney, MD

Could your pedicure impart a nasty skin infection? Do weekly manicures raise your skin cancer risk? Are keratin smoothers really safe? The truth about these and other beauty treatments may surprise you.

 Stay Salon Safe

Has your hair lost its sparkle? Before you do something drastic like run to the salon (scissors in hand) to chop off the lackluster ends, try these easy gloss-getting techniques from some of our fave hair pros.

Mask it

Hairstylist Dean Banowetz tends to the golden locks of filthy rich celebs like Carrie Underwood and Ryan Seacrest, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t relish a bargain. His recipe for sexy strands comes from the kitchen! Mix several tablespoons of honey and olive oil (he fancies the organic varieties). Then, apply this homemade mask to ends, working your way up to coat the entire head. Leave in for 20 minutes and rinse out with shampoo and conditioner. “It’s mother nature’s secret to shiny hair,” he says.

Enter the dark side

You can debate whether or not blondes have more fun, but when it comes to shimmery hair, they definitely get the short end of the stick. “Bleaching and lightening the hair makes it more vulnerable to other chemical processes,” says trichologist Philip Kingsley. To up your gloss factor, he recommends deeper shades because they reflect light, creating greater shine.

Get clarity

Over time, the accumulation of styling product can be a drag. It clings on like a needy boyfriend, weighing hair down and stripping its sparkle. To ditch the buildup, Jet Rhys, owner of her eponymous California-based salons, recommends adding one tablespoon of baking soda to two tablespoons of your shampoo. The sodium bicarbonate will remove the stubborn, sticky residue.

Feed your mane

A natural way to make hair glisten—eat lean. “Hair is made of keratin, a form of protein, so don’t skimp on protein-packed meats,” says Kingsley. It can take up to six months, but eating more fish, eggs and beans as well as omega 3 fats including salmon, soybeans and walnuts can restore hair’s brilliance. Hungry yet?

Brush up

You wouldn’t brush your teeth with sandpaper and the same should be said of your locks. “Upgrade to a natural boar bristle brush,” says Jill Guzzo, stylist at NYC’s Butterfly Studio Salon. Natural bristles evenly distribute the natural oils in hair and smooth the cuticle to create a polished finish.

 

The duo Jet and Rhys have an impressive clientele and have taught hair techniques around the world and world with key Hollywood celebrities. Professionally trained at Vidal Sassoon, the duo have been the creative force behind several national television ads from Revlon, Pantene and L’Oreal Professional.

Jet’s motto is, “look, study and attack.” She is known for creating works of art in the realm of hair, using a very “honest” approach. Rhys’ cult following comes from his ability to “read” hair like the pages of a book. The duo owns two salons, one in San Diego, CA and the other in Solana Beach, CA.

Here’s what the duo says is the hottest hairstyle trend of the moment: textured hair, and how you can get the Hollywood look, just in time for fall 2011.

Best Body-Inducing Cuts for Fine Hair: Less is More (think Cameron Diaz)

Whether your hair is wavy or straight – short, medium or long. Minimal layers are key, they trick the eye into thinking hair is actually fatter than it is.

Best Body-Inducing Cuts for Thick, Medium Hair: More is More

Whether your hair is straight or curly – short, medium or long. Extreme layering produces maximum volume.

Best Way to Use Thickening Products

The quest for volume starts with the right products. Volumizing shampoo works great on all textures because it removes build-up which can weigh hair down. Add a styling product like gel, mousse or texture cream. Depending on your hair type, apply product; a dime amount for fine, a nickel for medium and a quarter size for thick.

Best Way to Get a Blow-Dry

Make your hair irresistibly touchable! A lot of styling products are heat-activated to expand your texture. Start by flipping your hair over and dry the undersides first. When it is half dry flip your hair back and dry the top sections slightly. Finish by rolling the ends of your hair around a boar bristle round brush.

Best Way to Get a Texturized Finish

Get yourself rolling! After your blow-dry, spritz hair with hairspray and pop in about 4 hot rollers. I use the T-Studio Pearl Ceramic Heated Clip Hair Setter by Remington (my b.f.f.). They are quick and easy–it comes with me to every photo shoot! Take sections of hair from the crown, wrap sections around one or two large rollers and clip them in place while you’re getting ready. Just before you walk out the door take them out and lightly rake through with your fingers and shake, shake, shake!

Best Way to get Texture using Color

Enhance it, don’t overwhelm it! Cascading Balayage is a spin on the technique that combines two or three shades of light and dark which is a very clever way of coloring hair that creates an illusion of texture! Concentrating slightly darker hues of color near the face fills in all the gaps around the hairline and creates instant fullness.

 

How to get those coveted, straight locks (without embalming your scalp)

By Rebekah Sager
Photos by Jennifer Fox Armour
From the moment a curly-haired girl gets her first straight-blonde Barbie doll, the quest to conquer the frizz is on.

And into adulthood, as they battle with at-home relaxers, flat irons and reverse perms, girls with curls become slaves to the war against humidity, often going to hairlarious lengths to tame their unruly manes.

Though Beyoncé and other kinkyheaded divas empower some women to let their freak curls fly, it’s the über-straight locks of the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian and Princess Catherine that typically set the trends.

If a brush with fame seems far-fetched, check out these local salons that are helping us San Diego girls set things straight.

BLOWN AWAY 
First up is Del Mar’s newest bar, Drybar. There are no cocktails, cuts or color here—just perfect blowouts for $35.

Drybar founder Alli Webb opened her first shop in Brentwood in 2010. With nine salons now open, and three more on the way, Webb has found a way into the hearts of legions of corkscrew-haired chicas.

Drybar stylists offer blowouts with styling choices named after cocktails, like the Straight Up (simple and straight), the Manhattan (sleek and smooth), the Southern Comfort (big hair with volume) and a few other options.

 

“We’re offering women an affordable luxury,” Webb says. “It’s an homage to old Hollywood, where getting your hair done weekly at the beauty salon was the norm. We’re not changing the world here, but we promise a transformation.”

Having inherited my father’s soft, wavy curls and my mother’s “Jew-fro,” I had to give Drybar a try. Though I love my curly hair, I also love how it looks when it’s been straightened. I opted for the Southern Comfort and went from, “Did you know you look a little like Alicia Keys?” to “You kinda look like Marisa Tomei.” Not bad.
12857 El Camino Real, Del Mar
thedrybar.com

HAIR AND NOW 
If giving your hair a formaldehyde bath sounds appealing, then a Brazilian hair straightening treatment is the way to go.

 

A kinder, gentler approach can be found in keratin smoothing treatments, which promise to soften hair, make it shinier, reduce styling time and maintain texture and volume—and without the weird curly lines that sometimes plague women when hair grows back in.

PacificSD’s marketing maven, Alyson Baker, agreed to have her hair professionally smoothed by keratin specialist Jennifer Schadt at Jet Rhys Hair, in Hillcrest, which has been beautifying San Diego heads for almost 20 years.

The keratin process is fairly simple. A stylist washes and conditions the hair, applies the keratin treatment, leaves it in for 20 minutes, and then follows that with a blow dry and flatiron treatment.

Initially, the hair is left pin-straight, but after 72 hours (in which clients are instructed not to bathe or sweat), a more manageable and attractive version of one’s curls return.

“I liked having straight hair for a few days but was skeptical as to how it would look after the first wash,” Baker says. “Surprisingly enough, it worked. I wanted it to look beachy, fun and sexy—and I think they got it right. I haven’t done anything but wash, condition and use texture spray since.”

Jet Rhys keratin smoothing treatments start at $250.
3846 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest
437 S. Hwy 101, Suite 205, Solana Beach
jetrhys.com

JUST BLOWN IN
Also shooting air at problem hair is La Jolla’s newly-opened Naturale Hair Blows. The alternative blow dry salon offers a variety of styles, with an emphasis on all-natural and organic products. Owner Marla Ariza even offers a “day after” option, in which women can drop in after a night of partying and receive a $10 blow-out touch-up.

7932 Ivanhoe Ave., La Jolla, 858.228.8194, naturalehairblows.com