 This is another product we are shouting from the rooftops about. K18 is a leave-in conditioning treatment used to reverse the effects of colour damage, bleach, heat overuse and chemicals to help bring your hair back to life. The magic behind this product is all in the science. It works by bonding together any broken keratin proteins in the hair. This in turn will strengthen it and help it to look like new. K18 is used on damp hair and left for 4 minutes after shampooing. There is no need to rinse and you do not need to include your usual conditioning process either. It is THAT good!
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 There's always a lot of excitement in the salon when we find out about new hair products, and today is one of those days. Our trusted favourite, Matrix, has introduced a new range of conditioners called Biolage Colourbalm, and we're really excited because as of today we are officially stocking them in the salon.
The Colourbalm range comes in 7 varieties: Lavender, Chai Tea, Cinnamon, Earl Grey, Red Poppy, Saffron Red and Clear. Perhaps not the typical names you would expect for a conditioning treatment, but these have been created to improve the shade and texture of your hair depending on your tone and base colour. Don’t worry, we can advise you which will be the one most suitable for your hair, so please make sure to speak to us first if you are interested in purchasing a bottle. We're just amazed how you can have a temporary colour change AND such amazing condition. Although the 'clear' one wont change your shade at all! The great thing about these treatments is they can be used on all hair types. They are also 100% vegan as well as sulfate-free, paraben-free and mineral oil-free which means not only are you doing your part for the environment, you can rest assured you are also using a product that is going to protect your hair and scalp from any unwanted chemicals that can be found in other conditioning treatments. To use this product, it is recommended to shampoo, rinse and towel dry hair as usual, and then generously apply with gloves and comb through. Sit back and relax for 5 - 10 minutes while the colourbalm works its magic and then rinse well. Once hair has dried, you will see the difference it makes. We have been testing the range out in the salon and are loving the results they have and we can’t wait for you to try them out too. You can try one treatment in the salon for just £5 or they are now available to buy from us at £23 for 250ml, so make sure you pick up a bottle on your next visit!
Anyone who adds bleach to their hair will be familiar with toners, but do you actually know what their purpose is and the impact it can have on your colour?
Toners are used in between the shampoo and conditioning process following a colour, usually left on the hair for anything between 5 and 20 minutes, with the sole purpose of adding a tone (‘colour’) without making your colour lighter or darker and stopping it look dehydrated. Mainly used on blonde hair, or those opting for pastels, a toner can make a huge difference to the end look and is something your stylist should always discuss with you during your initial consultation. Brunettes can also have toners added to increase the intensity of the colour and get rid of any unwanted orange. We do hear a lot of people talking about toning out dark colours but you have to be careful here because they only change the shade, not the level (light or dark) of your hair so if you are hoping to go from brunette to blonde, a toner isn’t going to do the job. They can also be added to your hair in between appointments too. If your colour needs a bit of a lift, it could be that it requires some toner love to bring it back to life. You can buy at-home toners, however we wouldn’t recommend it as the science behind them is quite technical, and we wouldn’t want you to put something on your head that could have a negative reaction. Instead, we offer treatments that you can have at any time in the salon, so rather come to us first. Of course, you can buy shampoos specifically designed to improve the tone of your hair, for example silver shampoos for blonde hair and blue shampoos for brunettes, and green shampoos for darker hair but we would rather discuss this with you to make sure we can point you in the right direction based on your hair colour. Ultimately, toners have a pivotal role in the hair colour process but are also an essential refreshment between appointments. They should never be underestimated because they can bring something special to your colour and who doesn’t want that!  December is here which means lockdown has ended and we can finally get excited about the salon reopening once again. Thank goodness! Although we are still having to deal with strict government rules, and a very different kind of festive period compared to what we would usually expect, we shouldn’t let this affect what we do to our hair.
Ok, so the annual trip to the Christmas market might be off, and we may not be regretting our actions at the office party, but that’s not to say we still can’t go all out and make ourselves look and feel glam! Here are a few of our favourite looks: Curls Always a popular choice, curls can be fun, sexy and an instant mood lifter! Whether you choose to use your tongs, straighteners, or rollers, getting curly is a must! Long or short hair, it really doesn’t matter. Curls can work with most lengths. Sleek If you’ve been living with top knots and high ponytails for the majority of this year, why not spoil your hair. Use a good conditioning treatment then grab your GHD’s and give yourself a sleek and straight look. We bet your hair will feel so much longer and it will make a nice change too. Plaits The trusted plait! So versatile and so easy to do. These can be teamed up with the above looks, or perhaps you just want something that still looks stylish and isn’t going to get in the way. You can then keep these in overnight and with a gentle comb through and bit of dry shampoo the next morning, you have another great look to feel good about. Accessories Christmas hair wouldn’t be complete without a good accessory. Tinsel, pretty grips, novelty hairbands and glitter all make for fun additions to your hair so don’t be shy about using them! Whatever you decide to do with your hair, make sure you have fun with it. This year has been tough so use the next few weeks to try something new. Finally, don’t forget to take a selfie of your festive look and tag us in it on our social pages so we can join in with you!  There is nothing we love more at Octopus Hair than shouting about the amazing work our team does, and today is one of those days. We have recently been celebrating after our trainee Morgan has passed exams to become fully fledged graduate stylists and we are SO happy.
The lovely Morgan, who has been a regular feature at Octopus Hair for quite a few years now. In fact, she started working with us every Saturday when she was only 14 years old. Five years later and we have seen her not only grow into the lovely young woman she is today, but also excel from a beginner to the wonderfully confident stylist she is now. Recently celebrating her 19th birthday, Morgan is an absolute delight to have in the salon. She always greets our clients with so much happiness and enthusiasm and loves nothing more than making sure everyone who walks through our doors is looked after, and most importantly, has fun too! Morgan’s confidence is growing every day, especially as she is now starting to build up her own client base. Seeing the great work she is already doing makes us so proud, and the best thing is, this is only the beginning for her. She isn’t afraid to try new things, offer advice and make suggestions; we are so proud of everything she has achieved and can’t wait to see her grow even more over the coming months. Morgan still has space available to take on new clients and is eagerly waiting to welcome you in and show you just what she can do. Whether you, or somebody else you know, are looking for a different stylist or want to try something fresh, why not let Morgan work her magic and show you what she is made of. She is eager to get her hands (and scissors) onto some new heads so give her a call at the salon and book in with her today! A big warm Hello to you all from Dana, Aimee, Kylie, Lauren, Eli, Lula and Morgan.
We have missed you and can’t wait to catch up and welcome you back to the salon. As you can appreciate, we have been closed since March and as such have a slight backlog of appointments to manage. We have planned a phased return of hair services with the appointments pre booked first, followed by those who had added themselves to our waiting list. We have been working very hard over the last 16 weeks planning our return and putting into place extra procedures to keep our staff and customers as safe as possible. Some of the services we WON'T be doing straight away include:
Different Journey Due to extra safety measures to minimise the spread of the Covid-19 virus and keep you safe, your visit to the salon will be a little different to the usual experience. Before you leave home please use the toilet to avoid the need to use the salon facilities. Please arrive on time. Early arrivals will have to wait outside and late arrivals may miss their appointment slot. Don’t be concerned if the door is locked.
I was grateful for the government grant we had, by no means did it cover the costs for the whole of lockdown. I need to ensure we get back to a viable business and continue to offer you the best service we can. For this reason we will be suspending most of our discounts including Tuesday colour rescues and Thursday colour sale. We will continue to support our NHS and continue to offer this discount to NHS workers Tuesday-Thursday! THE GOOD NEWS IS you can continue with your loyalty scans on the app...if you haven't updated it or registered now's the time! You can also use any gift vouchers and I'm freezing our annual price rise which normally takes place in April! We're also going to have extra costs involved in providing you with a safe service and so there will be an unavoidable £5 covid charge added onto your service.I know this is not what anyone wants to hear and this will stop when we no longer need it. Extra Precautions As a salon we follow strict infection control procedures and our salon has always been a safe place to visit due to continual training and public health guidance. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 we have put into place additional safety measures always following current evidence to minimise the spread of the virus. I’m hoping we’ll all adapt to this ‘new normal’ very quickly and I’ll be looking at changes in the guidelines regularly. I will be doing everything to ensure your visit is as fantastic as it’s always been. Meanwhile ‘Enjoy the sunshine and we will look forward to seeing you soon’. With very best wishes Dana . |
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January 2021
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