New Year, New Hair! Our expert advice when considering a hair overhaul.

Does the fresh start to a new year have you craving change in many areas of your life? For most of us, there becomes a sudden spark within to commit to new goals, take life by the reigns and treat your self with the self love you struggle to make time for. Whether it’s a new year or season we are very familiar with clients having the urge for something completely different and what’s the easiest thing to change?

Our hair of course! However we don’t believe in impulse chops or dramatic color makeovers unless we know you are ready. Here’s advice from our La Jolla hair stylists to help you make the right decision if this is ringing a bell…

Top 5 things to consider BEFORE scheduling your
“New Year, New You” hair appointment:

1. How long have you been thinking about this change?

If you’ve been brunette your whole life and one night had a dream you were a blonde and call your salon right away for an appointment, you may want to sleep on this a bit longer until it becomes a reoccurring dream! Try to steer away from impulsive hair decisions when they come out of no where. If time passes and you can’t stop dreaming about it then it’s probably time to put the bug in your hairdressers ear to start appointment planning!

2. What inspired this change and was it something negative in your life?

Not to take it there, but when life turns haywire we sometimes want to change our hair as it’s something we have control over. If you are going though an emotionally difficult time do not take it out on your hair. If you’ve experienced personal change and feel in a good headspace for a makeover you’ve been considering perhaps now is your time to do so. If you’re feeling down about yourself, suddenly hate your long obnoxious hair and decide you want to chop it off you’re probably going to feel even worse when you look in the mirror. Take our advice, you should never dramatically change your hair during an emotionally difficult time in your life.

3. What will your new maintenance routine be?

Often times these dramatic changes require much more maintenance in salon and at home. Be sure to chat with your hairstylist about this first and then decide if it’s worth it to you. If it isn’t, maybe your stylist will have some low maintenance ideas that can better fit your lifestyle and fulfill your craving for a change.

4. It takes TIME and MONEY.

Gone are the days of 90 minute partial foil appointments. These days social media is throwing extreme hair makeovers down our throats with no back story as to how the stylist achieved the look. Reality is, if you want a dramatic color change and want to maintain the integrity of your hair you may need multiple coloring sessions to get there. These sessions take many hours and coloring steps which probably means more money. At Belle Sirène we require a complimentary consultation with photos before booking your color appointment to ensure we schedule enough time and can give you an appropriate quote.

5. Is this hair style right for you?

Just because Kim Kardashian looks gorgeous as a platinum blonde and Kate Hudson makes shaving your head look sexy doesn’t mean these styles will work for you as well. With hair color you need to consider your skin tone and the make up you wear on a daily basis. Your colorist will know the right color tones for your complexion and the most flattering length for your cut.

Read the original “Craving a Hair Makeover” article written some year ago for some additional thoughts and the take from then.

Article by the Belle Sirène staff, A La Jolla / San Diego Hair Salon, written 01/2018.

Advice on Hairstyles for Oval Faces

You ladies with oval face shapes are a very lucky crew. Oval is the most versatile face shape that can get away with almost anything in regards to styles and cuts!

Q&A with style creator, Brian Byrnes – Hairstylist @ Belle Sirène in La Jolla, CA

How would you describe this look and what is your favorite thing about it?

This is a classic long-layered cut with a long face frame. I often begin a face frame around the corner of the mouth so it can pop off the cheekbone when styled. This young lady wanted all her hair around the face to easily make it into a ponytail without any bits around the face dropping out.

The layering motif is my signature “triangulated layering technique”. I’ve developed a method of layering which is neither convex nor concave. By mirroring the profile of the hair above the occipital to the length below, the hair diffuses and collapses seamlessly into the length without weight lines.

Donovan Mills out of Beverly Hills was the first person I saw cutting hair this way. I spent a lot time with him discussing the nuances of the techniques and applying them on models. I’ve sort of made it my own.

What products do you recommend to maintain and recreate this look?

This girl has beautiful, healthy hair with no issues textural or otherwise. A great cut should require virtually no management or maintenance. That being said, I’m a reductionist when it comes to at-home product use by clients. If there are products they really like I totally support them buying them. Generally though, besides a good shampoo and conditioner, I really only send them home with a great leave-in conditioner.

My absolute favorite is Oi Milk by Davines. It’s the best I’ve ever worked with. It comes out in the perfect mist and does so many wonderful things. It displaces water which reduces dry time, it protects the hair from hot tools, detangles the hair, has UV protection, as well as many other functions. It’s suitable for absolutely every hair type.

In addition to walking the client through how to use any products they go home with, I like to leave them with a trick or two to recreate the style we finished the haircut with. Sometimes it’s how to stretch the root a bit to gain some lift and volume, or even how to marry some sections of hair together to create movement. The client often doesn’t have time to give themselves a full on blow dry or hot tool style, that’s why I help them maximize their efforts. My best tip is telling them to always start in front. This way if they get burnt out, the money pieces will always be done!

What type of client would you recommend this look for?

This look is perfect for absolutely any client. Triangulated layers are non problem-specific. That means there are no challenges in the hair that can’t be addressed in this manner. The texturing and customization after the shape is cut is up to the stylist and his or her client. External shape and internal texture are two completely different entities.

I tend to feel that when the geometry is sterling, the cut needs minimal texturizing. I can’t tell you how many times a client will show me different looks and I explain to them it’s often the same cut styled or provoked in different ways. The point is that every cut, no matter face shape or lifestyle, needs solid geometry and fundamentals. The geometry is customized to meet these criteria. It’s the styling and detailing that makes a cut bespoke for the individual client.

Do Hair Products Really Work?

Victoria’s Secret Hair Puuuhlease!

Oh what a business advertising and marketing is! Millions of dollars spent to make us believe we NEED a product. We all know those Pantene Pro-V commercials that promise thick, shiny, healthy, strong, PERFECT hair. AND Gisele Bundchen is a promoter of the product, so she MUST use them on her own hair right? I mean, her hair is perfect, and she’s a Victoria’s Secret model, so maybe if we use Pantene products we will have her body too? Let’s be honest. Do you think Gisele uses a $5 shampoo and conditioner from Ralph’s super market? And while I’m at it, do you think Beyonce and Eva Longoria only color their hair at home with Loreal, because they are worth it? NO! Who wouldn’t rep a product if you were getting paid millions of dollars to do so? And if it were all so easy, we would all be walking around with perfect hair and we would live happily ever after… the end.

Now that I’ve probably broken your heart, I want to tell you that there is still hope for your thin, fine, hair. Unfortunately Hair Thickening products alone will not give you the Victoria’s Secret hair that you are desperate for. Those models have lots of hair extensions, teasing, curling, and professional stylists doing their hair to make it huge (and sexy). Shampoo’s, conditioners, styling products that claim to “thicken” hair may do so, but it’s a temporary change. These products have ingredients in them that adhere to the cuticle of your hair to make it fatter in a way. On the flip side if you use too much of these products it will actually weigh your hair down and make it look even finer. Our genetics are at fault here. Screw them. BUT I do have some professional tried and tested tips that can help you out…

*Highlight or color your hair! This can add lift and dimension to your flat looking hair.

*Hair Powder works wonders! Not only does it absorb oil in your hair that can weigh it down, if you spray it all over your roots and throughout your hair, tease it a little bit all over, it will stay and look great! Hair powder is my savior for everything (Klorane is my fav).

* Keep conditioner ONLY on the ends of your hair, and maybe skip it here and there if your hair is healthy. Be sure to completely rinse out and shampoo or conditioner in the shower.

* Apple a styling product to towel dried hair, like Bumble and bumble Thickening Spray or Ample Angora by Shu Uemura, and blow dry your hair up side down. Rough it up at your roots.

* Hair extensions are an incredible way to literally add more hair to your head. They aren’t cheap, especially the good ones, but they can be life changing and way worth the investment ( I should know, I have them). Consult your stylist and find out if this may be a good option for you.

* Using a boar bristle round brush while you blow dry can create lots of volume. Separate your hair into sections, and round brush each section. You may want to schedule a hair lesson with your hair stylist to teach you how

* Curl some sections of your hair, let the curl cool, and then brush them out. This will add lots of texture and create some mass in your hair. Spray a lightweight styling spray on the section before and after you curl. I like Oribe Anti Humidity Spray and Does It All by Bumble and bumble.

* Biotin is a supplement you can purchase at Whole Foods. It helps promote hair growth and can help to strengthen your hair. All works hand in hand.

Lastly, learn to love what you got! Stop comparing everything about yourself to someone else! For every person with thin hair who wants thick hair, there is a person with thick hair who wants thin hair! Trust me, I hear it ALL the time! We are all beautiful in our own ways. Just try something new with your hair, and rock it with confidence!