What's the Buzz with Olaplex?

You may have heard us raving about our secret weapon, Olaplex, to help bring damaged hair back from the brink. If you don’t know what exactly Olaplex is, you’ve come to the right place. While the actual science may be pretty complex, the results deliver immediate gratification, and really what more can we ask for?!

So, what is Olaplex?  Olaplex is a line of products, some for in salon treatments and some for at home use, that repairs the damage that results in broken bonds in the hair strand that compromises your hair’s integrity, structure and strength. These issues are common for a lot of us that LOVE to color and use heat on our hair.

How does it work you ask us? The Disulfide bonds that make up your hair cuticle when damaged break apart into a singular Sulfur Hydrogen bond. When this happens, it compromises the integrity of your hair, and that’s when the active ingredient gets to work. The active ingredient in Olaplex is Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol, which actively finds the broken bonds and mends them back together.

The great thing about the product is you can use it on any type of textured hair, it’s not intended only for hair that has color damage! Since all hair is made up of the Disulfide bonds mentioned above, leaving all hair types stronger from the inside repairing existing damage and working to prevent future damage!

Tips for Keeping Curls Looking Good When You Frequently Straighten Your Hair

A lot of us curly girls love being able to have diverse hairstyles from straight to curly, but how do you keep your curls looking on point when you do add heat to your hair once or a few times a week?  At Versus, we have worked to build a guide to our girls who want this week to be a sleek week, but next week bounce back to your ringlets. 

Always Us A Heat Protectant

Never use heat on your hair, or let anyone else use heat on their hair, without using a heat protectant. A heat protectant will add a barrier between your styling tool and your hair, sealing in moisture and fending off frizz. 

Don’t Over Style Your Hair 

Too much heat will damage your hair. Try to keep heat to a minimum of 1-2 times a week, or don’t use heat all together.  Try using hairstyles that do not require heat; we are loving the finger coil look ourselves. 

Shampoo Your Hair 

When you straighten your hair, you tend to use more products. These products will cause build up, so it is important to wash away that build up so your curls don’t fall flat or have that dreaded heavy look. 

Deep Condition Your Hair 

It is a great idea to get a moisturizing treatment, either at home or in the salon, after you add heat to your hair. Deep conditioning is especially important for curly girls because we are naturally more dryness prone. A deep conditioning treatment is an efficient way to bring nourishment, hydration and strength to your hair. 

Diffuse Your Hair When You Are Back To Curly

Finishing your curls with a diffuser will do wonders for your locks. It not only helps dry your curls quicker, but it also adds additional volume for your style. 

Sometimes straightening your hair can cause you to lose the life of your curls. Follow this how to guide for your curl routine after each straightening day, and reap the benefits of having curly and straight options for your day to day look.

Relax About It!

Choosing to relax your hair is a great way to switch up your style, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed to go all out. The most important thing is that you don’t damage your hair in the process. If you are interested in relaxing your hair while maintaining healthy, you found the holy grail of tips and tricks to maintain your hairs health while also achieving your desired goals. 

Relaxers are cream or lotion-based treatments that permanently or semi-permanently straighten or alter the texture of your natural hair. The treatment lasts for about six to eight weeks, and his gives curly girls who want sleek manes a chance to take a break from using hot tools.

Make sure your relaxer is compatible with your hair type, the amount of the active chemical determines the strength. Mild is best for fine, color treated, or damaged hair. Regular is for normal hair, and super strength is for those with thick, coarse, or very coily textures. If you have very damaged or bleached hair, you should skip relaxing it altogether, always book a consultation to make sure the service is right for you. 

Any sort of chemical treatment that compromises the hair will make it more prone to damage if not cared for properly. One of the key components to maintaining chemically treated hair is keeping it moisturized. Make sure you’re keeping up with regular washing and conditioning, and using a deep conditioner once or twice a week, and a steam treatment in salon at least once a month.  Also, make sure to keep your heat use to a minimum to make sure your hair has the integrity to stay healthy with the treatments.

All that said, remember that choosing to relax your hair is a personal choice; you should feel confident no matter what you choose to do to your hair. Follow this guide to make sure your hair stays in a healthy state through all of your new hair changes.

Healthy Hair Care in the New Year

Happy New Year!

2020 was rough. Brutal, even. But we start this new year with high hopes for greater days ahead. Since you know we’re hair obsessed, we wanted to start 2021 with some helpful tips on how to give your hair some love in the New Year. We all may have fallen off the hair care wagon in 2020 with long quarantines and the ability to turn our cameras off, but we hope to start the New Year with better goals for self love and care! Without further adieu, here are our top tips for healthy hair care in the new year!

1. Invest in Regular Treatments - Consider how often you use a mask or moisturizing treatment on your face to care for your skin. Why not do the same for your hair and scalp?

2. Get your Ends Trimmed Regularly - With the change of each season, stop in for a quick end trim to help encourage healthy growth and smooth tresses.

3. Stock Up on At-Home Treatments - We have an assortment of treatments for you to take home and do on your own when you can’t find a chance to stop in the salon.

4. Use the Right Products for You - You may have heard a lot about the products you’re using on YouTube and social media, but they might not necessarily be the best products for your unique hair. Talk to your stylist about which products you should be using and why.

5. Relax on the Heat Styles - One positive thing about quarantine is the reduced pressure to style our hair every single day. Take regular breaks from your flat irons and curling rods to prevent heat damage.

How Much Shedding is Normal?

One major concern that we hear from clients often is the amount of hair that they are losing in the shower. Some clients are concerned that the shedding they experience might be indicating hair loss, but shedding is totally normal. So how do you know what is normal and what is indicating a hair emergency?

• The average person will lose up to 100 hairs per day. Considering we have hundreds of thousands of hairs on our heads, 50-100 hairs per day isn’t anything to worry about

• If you wash your hair less frequently, consider that you will notice more shedding as the hair that has been shedding throughout the week has not been able to fall out

• Hair goes through phases where it will shed more at times and not as much during other phases. If you are noticing on-and-off shedding in the shower, this is your hair going through its natural seasons

• Are you wearing lots of ponytails or using heat tools to style your hair? These will also lead to increased breaking and shedding. Make sure you give your hair frequent breaks from tight ponytails and heat styling.

If you are noticing more than normal shedding or hair loss in sections of your hair, first speak to your stylist about what may be causing the issue. It could be damage, dryness, or breakage. If your shedding does in fact indicate hair loss, your stylist may recommend you see a doctor or dermatologist to rule out hormone-related hair loss or other issues.