By Sam Escobar, Allure
I'll be honest with you folks: My hair hasn't been in good shape in years. (Over a decade, in fact.) I've had many a partner touch my blue strands lovingly only to observe that it is much less healthy than it looks, with one quipping that it "feels like doll hair." Now, that relationship was brief, but my obsession with bleach and dye my hair has been one for the ages. There's no mystery behind how my hair got so dry, damaged, and split at the ends, but after years of experimenting with dye jobs upon dye jobs and many weeks skipping deep conditioning seshes out of laziness, I decided to chill with the bleach about a year ago. Still, even with regular trims and conditioning treatments, my hair has never felt soft or strong.
[post_ads]Lucky for me, there's a way to avoid lying in the bed I've made for myself, so to speak. I was invited to the brand new Kérastase Institute at Samuel Shriqui Salon in New York City. It's the famed hair-care brand's first treatment lab in the United States, combining the legacy and technology of Kérastase with the experience, knowledge, and skill of stylists at Samuel Shriqui's prestigious Upper East Side salon for truly informed, customized results."Kérastase Institutes are a global initiative, and they were conceptualized as a way to bring the brand to life beyond our coveted products," explains Christine Banks, General Manager of Kérastase. "We have been working with the Samuel Shriqui salon for years and loved the layout of the salon as it would afford us a semi-private space to house our Institute and highlight our treatments and overall brand heritage."
Here's how it works, according to Banks: "Every appointment at the Institute starts with a diagnosis using the Kérastase Hair & Scalp profiler, which is a camera that looks at the actual hair fiber to take a deeper look at the hair’s overall health and help us prescribe the optimal treatment. The stylist also has a discussion with the client about their concerns and issues, and then chooses a concentre and booster that correspond to the results they are looking to achieve."
The stylist then chooses a custom treatment for the individual's needs with Kérastase's Fusio-Dose and applies it to their hair. Four or so minutes and a relaxing scalp massage later, the treatment is rinsed out, ideally leaving hair healthier and (depending on the goal) fuller, softer, smoother, and stronger.
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I won't lie: I felt quite fortunate that my strawlike hair was one of the lab's first patients, particularly when I heard the type of client for whom this would be a perfect option. "The Institute is great for anyone who has challenges with their hair that they are looking to address and can’t seem to overcome with hair care and styling products alone," explains Banks. "The experience is very transformational and clients see immediate results in how their hair looks and feels post-service." Of course, it's also ideal for anyone aiming to maintain healthy hair, so it is worth experiencing even if you're not in my personal so-dry-it's-dire circumstances.
There are so many treatments on the market, but one-size-fits-all services may not address all of a client's concerns. "Bespoke treatments are important as they really allow us to target a client’s individual hair needs for maximum efficacy and transformation," says Banks. Treatments can even be customized for different parts of the hair. For instance, if a client has fine hair that needs volume at the roots but their ends are dry, the stylist may opt to use two different Fusio-Dose treatments to ensure it receives the moisture it needs without getting weighed down.
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When I arrived, Samuel himself greeted me and did a quick analysis of my hair utilizing the aforementioned camera, magnifying it several hundred times (an especially fascinating experience when scanning the still-blue tips of my strands) to test it for shine, nutrition, density, and dryness.The verdict: the upper several inches, a.k.a. my light brown hair that had not been color-treated, was quite dry. The lower inches, a.k.a. the remainder of my blue hair, were very dry, porous, and dull. You can even see how lifeless it looked in these iPhone shots:
Samuel determined which treatments from the Fusio-Dose area — which looks a bit like a playful candy store with its fun colorful tubes — to apply to my hair in order to rejuvenate it with moisture and shine. The treatment would normally be applied and then a scalp massage would ensue, but since I was already there (and because I confessed my frustration towards the state of my hair to Samuel), he asked if I would be comfortable cutting a few inches off — an offer I immediately accepted considering I had been wearing ponytails nearly every day to avoid looking at my own ends. Clients can add a custom treatment to just about any standard service, so if your hair is in as rough shape as mine was, a cut may be in order, as well.
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Once the quick trim ended and the treatment rinsed out, Samuel dried my hair and sent me on my way after taking a few "after" shots to compare with my "before":
I found myself repeatedly swinging my hair back and forth and running my fingers through it, completely enamored with how soft it had magically become.
Now, lest you think that my delightfully soft-looking hair was thanks only to the haircut and luxurious blowout, I've got great news: a couple days later, I washed my own hair and it looked just as nice from root to tip. (Okay, maybe not quite so strikingly well-curled, but I was being lazy that day!) Regardless, it didn't need a lot of product or heat styling to feel soft. In fact, even a week later I received multiple compliments from friends who have known about my crispy-crunchy hair struggles for years when I wore it down with my Sunday brunch look.
At long last: healthy and soft hair. If you're in New York City anytime soon and are hunting for a serious strand makeover, this may be the right route for you. Go get yourself a custom treatment — your hair deserves it.
[post_ads]Lucky for me, there's a way to avoid lying in the bed I've made for myself, so to speak. I was invited to the brand new Kérastase Institute at Samuel Shriqui Salon in New York City. It's the famed hair-care brand's first treatment lab in the United States, combining the legacy and technology of Kérastase with the experience, knowledge, and skill of stylists at Samuel Shriqui's prestigious Upper East Side salon for truly informed, customized results."Kérastase Institutes are a global initiative, and they were conceptualized as a way to bring the brand to life beyond our coveted products," explains Christine Banks, General Manager of Kérastase. "We have been working with the Samuel Shriqui salon for years and loved the layout of the salon as it would afford us a semi-private space to house our Institute and highlight our treatments and overall brand heritage."
[post_ads_2]
I won't lie: I felt quite fortunate that my strawlike hair was one of the lab's first patients, particularly when I heard the type of client for whom this would be a perfect option. "The Institute is great for anyone who has challenges with their hair that they are looking to address and can’t seem to overcome with hair care and styling products alone," explains Banks. "The experience is very transformational and clients see immediate results in how their hair looks and feels post-service." Of course, it's also ideal for anyone aiming to maintain healthy hair, so it is worth experiencing even if you're not in my personal so-dry-it's-dire circumstances.
[post_ads_2]
When I arrived, Samuel himself greeted me and did a quick analysis of my hair utilizing the aforementioned camera, magnifying it several hundred times (an especially fascinating experience when scanning the still-blue tips of my strands) to test it for shine, nutrition, density, and dryness.The verdict: the upper several inches, a.k.a. my light brown hair that had not been color-treated, was quite dry. The lower inches, a.k.a. the remainder of my blue hair, were very dry, porous, and dull. You can even see how lifeless it looked in these iPhone shots:
[post_ads_2]
Once the quick trim ended and the treatment rinsed out, Samuel dried my hair and sent me on my way after taking a few "after" shots to compare with my "before":
I found myself repeatedly swinging my hair back and forth and running my fingers through it, completely enamored with how soft it had magically become.
Now, lest you think that my delightfully soft-looking hair was thanks only to the haircut and luxurious blowout, I've got great news: a couple days later, I washed my own hair and it looked just as nice from root to tip. (Okay, maybe not quite so strikingly well-curled, but I was being lazy that day!) Regardless, it didn't need a lot of product or heat styling to feel soft. In fact, even a week later I received multiple compliments from friends who have known about my crispy-crunchy hair struggles for years when I wore it down with my Sunday brunch look.
At long last: healthy and soft hair. If you're in New York City anytime soon and are hunting for a serious strand makeover, this may be the right route for you. Go get yourself a custom treatment — your hair deserves it.
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