Salon Blow-Out Party!!!

Mark your calendars for the 6th annual Salon Blow-Out Party Saturday February 27, 2010 7:00pm-10:00pm @ Luxor Salon 5503 Lakeside Ave Richmond VA 23228. We will be showcasing two new, extremely talented artists that have been working very hard to make this an original show with pieces made especially for this opening.

We will be partnering with the Central Virginia Food Bank to help raise food and funds to give to the community of people in need. Unfortunately the demand has risen this year and quite a few people who normally give to the Food Bank are actually in need of assistance themselves.

We will have food and drink but the party will have to be dry due to the fundraiser banquet license. Door prizes will be donated by Lakeside Area Retailers including, Axselle’s Auto Service, Feathernesters, Coleman Brothers, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Dance Masters, CBS, Keune, Luxor Salon and Twin State Beauty Supply. You will also have an opportunity to meet a business new to the Lakeside area, The Flat 5 Company. Lakeside Farmers Market will be attending to show off their new digs and have added information about their upcoming calendar year.

This year the Grand Door Prize will include styling tools and products and be valued over $200.00. To enter for this specific prize attendees will need to bring either a grocery bag of non-perishable food item. We are providing a list of needed items in the newsletter Food Bank article. You can also purchase an entry ticket for $3.00 and you may enter more than once by purchasing more tickets. All the proceeds will we given directly to the Central Virginia Food Bank.

We love our clients and know by your friendship and loyalty that you love us as well, let’s take this opportunity to have a little face time with out the mirror and scissors involved and have some fun together.  Come on and bring a friend!  If you aren’t a client you are also welcome to come.

Marki
Owner/Operator
Luxor Salon

Identity Security

Save your identity

A new monthly advice column about technology for our clients

The holiday season is upon us and one piece of technology you probably use all the time will be getting a workout.  This would be your credit or debit card.  Now at all the retailers and restaurants that you will visit over the holidays, think how may times your card will be out of your hands and out of sight.  This is the time when an unscrupulous employee can “skim” your card number.  Basically, a person can go online, buy a credit card “skimmer” for 20 dollars and be able to record your credit/debit card information with just a swipe.  However, they need one more number to make the fraud complete.  This would be the CVV code.  This code is normally a three or four digit number on the front or back of your card.  It is used to verify you as the owner of the card.

Now we’ll give you a tip to help protect you against this type of fraud.  Get a small piece of masking tape (the tan type), cut it into a square and place it over the CVV number on your card.  When you go out to eat or shopping and discover that the tape has been tampered with or removed, you can takes steps to cancel your card before any fraud takes place.

Of course there is a lot more to this type of fraud, such as fraudsters recording other credit card numbers on their personal cards and using them in shopping via skimming.  We’ll stick to what you can do without a lot of technical knowledge or fuss.

By Mike Meikle

“Tools” of the Trade

Tools of the Trade

Need a new comb? Or brush? Admit it, when you’re really in need of a hair styling implement you will use just about anything you can quickly and easily lay your hands on. When faced with the vast array of choices, whether at your salon or at a beauty supply store, most of us are swayed by how a comb or brush actually looks, not on what it will do for us. We’ll go over some of the basics of combs and brushes so that you are better informed and can make a good choice. Always ask your stylist for his or her advice. They are your hair-care experts and will always steer you in the right direction.

 Combs: Combs are used to separate each hair to allow the brush to actually reach your scalp. They help unsnarl your hair and are used for parting. A comb should be made of hard rubber, wood, or bone. Unless they are exceptionally blunt, metal combs should not be used. The teeth should be perfectly smooth, set well apart, and the tips should be blunt enough that they will not injure your scalp. Most combs have a coarse end and a fine end. Usually you will use the coarse or wider toothed end to untangle and comb your hair.

Plastic combs are the most commonly available; unfortunately they have a seam where the molds came together which will snag your hair cuticles, damaging your hair. Plastic combs also allow for a tremendous buildup of static. Combing your hair polishes each strand, massages the roots of your hair and strengthens the shaft of your hair.

Cleaning your comb is an often overlooked chore, but the accumulation of hair products will leave refuse in your hair. Use alcohol or very hot water and shampoo. Soak the comb for about ten minutes, scrub with an old nail brush or old toothbrush until it is completely clean. Rinse and air dry.

Brushes: Brushes are designed to remove any particles of dust or dead scalp matter that is on the surface of your scalp. While most of us do not spend as much time as women in days past brushing our hair, it is an important way to keep our hair healthy and shiny. The right brush should be chosen based on our hair type.

Your bristle choices are either synthetic or natural. The best brushes use natural fiber, typically boar’s hair. If you cannot find natural fiber, be sure to check the synthetic fibers and ensure that they will be gentle enough to use on your scalp without damage. Run the brush down the skin of the inside of your forearm. It should feel firm and smooth. If it scratches, don’t buy it, it will damage your scalp.

Round Brush

Round brushes give you curl and hairstyle definition. The small the diameter of the brush, the tighter the curl. Smaller round brushes are beneficial for shorter hair, larger for longer hair. Some round brushes have a ceramic base that helps to set curl in your hair.

A vent hair brush with a hole in the base allows air to pass through to allow for faster blow drying. They boost volume and can detangle your hair. Paddle hair brushes are great for straightening hair that is medium to long, smoothing as you go. This brush encourages your hair to lie flat and is excellent for no layered hair.

Cushion Hair Brush

A cushion hair brush is designed for daily brushing, and it will massage your scalp.

Hair for all Seasons

Dry Hair in Richmond VA

As most of you know hair takes a beating from season to season. From the frizzes in the summertime, to the dry, static fly away in the winter. Knowing your hair type is the most important step toward improving the health and beauty of your hair during these seasons. You may or may not know your own hair type. I have had numerous people come in telling me how dry their hair is not realizing that it was not dryness they were feeling but the actual texture of their hair. The best way to know your hair type is to ask the professional, your stylist.

One of the biggest things to remember is that hair is made up of dead cells, protein called Keratin. Hair growth in a normal healthy adult is about ½ inch per month. So the longer your hair the older the ends of you hair are, for instance if you have hair that is over 6 inches in length from the scalp ends, those hair ends are over one year old. This is why maintenance, from regular trims to at home maintenance treatments are extremely important for beautiful healthy hair. Think of how many seasons the ends of your hair have seen. How much damage could that create? How much chemicals have your hair seen in that time frame? The following is some help for two different hair types for the winter seasons upon us:

Damaging factors: Dry air, heat from your house, heat from blow driers (people dry their hair much more frequently in the winter than in the summer); extreme temperature changes from home to outside to car to outside to work etc.

Course Curly Hair: Curly hair gets really frizzy, extremely dry and the ends of your hair get really “crunchy,” literally. Cure: Moisture Moisture Moisture! A humidifier in your house helps keep the environment less dry. Don’t shampoo daily, condition every other shower and shampoo/condition every other shower. Use a leave in oil treatment or ask your stylist for a good deep conditioning treatment at their salon and/or one you can do at home..

Fine Straight Hair: Fly away with static and dry.

Cure: Moisture but not too much moisture or your hair will fall limp. A humidifier in your house helps keep the environment less dry. Condition the ends of your hair not getting any conditioner on your scalp. Wrap your brushes in bounce dryer sheets and/or spray them with static guard. A light hairspray will help calm any arrant fly aways. .

For both hair types, especially long hair regular trims, every 6-8 weeks, to get old split ends cut off so they don’t split all the way up the hair shaft is imperative for healthy and beautiful hair. With a little extra time your hair will not show the impacts of the winter season but be shiny, healthy and beautiful.

Professional Hair Products Not just a bucket of Soap.

Almost everyone I meet tells me that they can’t afford to buy professional products because they can’t justify spending that kind of money. I understand that when your looking at the price between professional hair care and what I like to call “over the counter” hair care, people like the instant gratification of saving money; so they go with the cheep stuff. Now let’s look at this from a diff. angle and I can show you just how much you are “saving”. Professional products are highly concentrated and are formulated with quality ingredient to give your hair its  ”>maximum potential. Because it is concentrated you use less therefore you buy less through out the year. These “over the counter” products are watered down and are made with cheep ingredients so they can charge less money for them. You also have to purchase them more often because you use more. Not to mention these products leave your hair looking pretty average. Lets use shampoo for example; on average, “over the counter” shampoo cost $9 a bottle. You use more because it’s watered down, so you probably have to buy it once a month. On average, professional shampoo cost 20 $ a bottle, because it’s highly concentrated, you use less and only need to purchase it about every 3 months. So, in a years time for “over the counter” shampoo, you would be spending 108 dollars total. For professional shampoo you would be spending 80 dollars per year. I think we all know what the smarter choice is…. and you’ll b making a great investment for the health and overall satisfaction of your hair.

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