four things from me to you

hey hey guys!
Today I am spilling the tea on a few things, I wish everyone knew before walking in the doors of hair by ellie & co.
I mean if I am being real, spilling the coffee would be more of an accurate term.  
What I want to share with you today aren't necessarily the things that drive me nuts, or make me want to drink a glass of wine after work, but more of things that I literally want to jump up and down, scream from the roof tops so everyone would hear, kind of things. Does that make sense? I freakin LOVE beautiful hair, and I love getting you to love your hair. Like the kind of love where you can not walk past a mirror with out taking a second to be like girrrrrllllllll you're smokin. I have learned that it takes more than the few hours of time you spend in the salon a month (or a year) for beautiful hair to happen. It sets my soul on fire to teach you how to make your hair amazing all those hours that you are not in the salon.I want to teach you the ins and outs to show stopping hair all the time.

In no particular order, here are four things I wish you guys all knew. and frankly thought about all the time.

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(1) 
A heat protectant is non negotiable. You can buy it, you can talk about it, you can even open the product and smell it. But if you are not using it alll.the.time. then you're not going to have good hair. Good hair starts with strong healthy hair, and if you're burning it, exposing it to the natural elements all the time with no sort of protectant, good hair is not on your head. Would you pull a hot batch of chocolate chips cookies out of the oven with out an oven mitt? Even if they are the Joanna Gaines recipe, and you want to eat one like right now, you're still going to grab an oven to pull those babies out of the oven. The crazy thing is, is that oven is probably set at around 350, and your curling iron is set at maybe 400 right now. (ps turn it down a bit sister 330-380 should be your sweet spot)  And you're still not using a heat protectant? c’mon. Use a heat protectant. Use one. Right now. Every day. Forever. And if you could look at the ingredients first, and check that there are no sulfates, alcohol, parabens in there, that would be really really awesome

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(2)
Please please be honest with me, or any hair stylist you see, when they ask you what your normal day to day hair routine is. I kind of have to giggle at this one, but seriously I cant even tell you how many times I ask people this and they say something like “ well I wish I curled it every day, or I wish I blow dried and flat ironed it every day”. Here is the thing, no matter what you do with your hair, I am not going to judge you or say girl you can do better than that. disclaimer, I will judge you if you aren't using a heat protectant, I definitely will judge you then, but it is the only exception to the rule. The only reason I ever ask that question, is to match you with a cut and color that suits your lifestyle best. I am not worried if you're the biggest diva in your whole office, or if you rock a pony tail with you blazer every day. What matters to me, is that your hair fits your life precisely. A new mom comes in and ask for bangs for the first time in their life, with curly coarse hair. I promise you I am going to say, talk to me when your sweet babe is sleeping through the night, then maybe you can have bangs. A fitness junkie comes in that loves to braid her hair on the daily, and ask for short choppy layers, I will politely say, not today sister. Being honest with me on your lifestyle and routine, gives you better look, I guarantee.

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(3)
​I will not, ever ever ever, give you drug store recommendations for your hair products. It goes against everything I believe in. I know that sounds dramatic, it is dramatic, but its true. Just like a dietician wouldn't recommend a fast food diet, to keep your body healthy and strong. I am not going to recommend products you can find at Walmart, Amazon, or Tj Maxx., to keep your hair healthy and strong. Companies that care more about quantity over quality are not your friends. Using products from companies that care about quality over quantity, that don't focus on just creating the cheapest product possible, improve the quality of your hair. They don't thrive on quick fixes, they prove that consistency is what creates beautiful hair. It is important me, I have witnessed amazing transformations, and I have seen it in my own hair.   In other news, just like fries every once and a while will not clog your arteries, big sexy hair spray every once in a while to keep an up-do in place, will not kill your hair (hint hint). Using amazing products, will do more than just keep your split ends away a little longer, or add extra shine. It holds your color true longer, it grows at more of consistent rate, and the overall health is improved. The cool thing is, you don't need all the products a line has, or drop hundreds of dollars. If you just think back to the basics, you can simply have 3-4 products and have amazingly strong beautiful hair. Invest in a shampoo and conditioner, monitor how much you use (salon grade shampoo is so concentrated so you need such a small amount) invest in a heat protectant, put it on your hair mids to ends  every time you wash, and watch how long it lasts. The fun texture products, or volumizing sprays are not necessities, cleansing and protecting your hair is.

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(4)
If you hate your hair, if it just doesn't feel right, if your color is not what you imagined, tell me. I promise I wont be mad, and it will not hurt my feelings. What is more important to me, is having my clients love their hair that they invested in. I am not living in a bubble where I think every single person will love their hair from me. What I do want is honesty and feedback when you're not feeling right about your hair, it helps me grow and learn, it helps me create a look just for you. Thats what you deserve. What crushes me, is when you leave my salon saying you love your hair and hop in your car and call your bestie and tell her how you much it sucks and drive to the salon down the street to get it fixed (once again, I know I am dramatic). Sometimes the differences of you hating your hair and loving your hair, is a simple tweak. A shorter layer around your face, a warmer tone, even though pinterest is telling you ashy hair all day long. Those tweaks can happen, changes can be made when you talk it through with me. It makes all the difference, and together we can create something spectacular.

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All you need is good hair, and I am here for it. Have a beautiful day.

xox Ellie