September 15th, 2008 | by admin | Tags:
A ‘Give me a stylish hairstyle that is easy to maintain’
Newspaper article courtesy of Norwich Evening News
EMMA HARROWING
08 September 2008
Frances Pidgen is a volunteer for the Norfolk Deaf Association based on Silver Road. The charity relies on its valuable volunteers and we felt that Frances richly deserved to be pampered for all of her hard work. So John Thaxton-Key at Transformer treated her to a new look. By EMMA HARROWING
Frances Pidgen, 60 from Norwich spends her time visiting people who are deaf or hard of hearing to provide advice and talk through any problems, as well as offer encouragement for new hearing aid users. She is also involved with the Norfolk Deaf Association’s (NDA) latest project - the ‘Listen Here!’ mobile clinic which has been launched to enable greater access to facilities and friendly support for local deaf people by visiting locations all over Norfolk.
As if this doesn’t keep her busy enough, Frances has also just started working with the NDA’s deafness awareness team, training the county’s businesses. She is studying sign language and she has already achieved level one standard and is awaiting the results of her level two exam.
Frances is married with two grown up children and she is really looking forward to the arrival of her first grandchild in January.
With such a hectic lifestyle, Frances would love a stylish new look that can be maintained without a huge amount of effort.
The makeover
The cut: John says: “Frances has had the same hair style for a while and is keen to seize this opportunity for a complete re-style. I feel that at the moment her cut is rather heavy on top, so I want to address this by improving the proportions and creating a more balanced look”.
“I will be introducing layers throughout the top, to give height and volume. I will also shorten the sides to create the illusion of more length at the back. A stronger, more definite fringe will also be added keeping the look soft.”
The colour: Transformer colourist and stylist Kelly says: Frances feels her hair is a little too light and therefore we will be toning this down by introducing a luxurious chocolate brown base. Interest will be added with blond and caramel highlights. The overall effect will be naturally stunning.
The verdict:
John: I think both the new cut and colour work wonderfully. By improving the balance of the cut, Frances now has a sophisticated but very modern style which suits her perfectly. The best thing is this look will be so easy to maintain - simply blow dry, maybe a little hair wax and go!
Frances: I am really delighted with it. The cut is something new for me and I am very impressed with the difference in colour. Following John’s advice I think it will be really quite easy to look after and keep looking good which is great. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and being pampered - I felt like a celebrity being styled and photographed!
John’s Short Cuts: How to have great hair without trying too hard.
With most of us girls leading extremely busy lifestyles, there isn’t always the time to preen your hair as directed by the beauty bibles each season. Trouble is, we still all crave fashionable, glossy locks that look salon finished every day! Good job John is here to offer some helpful hints to take the stress out of achieving beautiful tresses.
Prevention rather than cure. You may have guessed it, but the best way to avoid hair which demands hard work is to keep it in optimum condition. Good hair days come easy when you are working with shiny, healthy hair. Use a quality shampoo and conditioner every couple of days and book in to have your hair trimmed every 6 weeks.
A good cut is essential for low upkeep locks. There will be a low maintenance style to choose each season that will only take five minutes to tease into place before you head out the door. Depending on your hair this can range from long loose layers to variations of the bob.
A fuller fringe is a great way to minimise the work for maximum style. Big, blunt fringes can also often be blow dried to the side for variation, or upside down to add volume.
Make sure your hair style suits you - even really short cropped styles may not be low maintenance if they don’t suit your hair type. Very thick or curly hair is often easiest to manage at chin to shoulder length.
Sling out the styling tools - straighteners, curling tongs and other appliances not only use up precious minutes in the morning, but can also damage the hair which means it will need cutting more often.
Pay attention to your hair to save time later. Buy products that will work for you. If your hair is coloured, invest in a colour shampoo. If it is fine pump it up with volumising products. If you notice your hair becoming dry, slap on some intensive conditioner, rubbing through the length of longer hair right to the ends.
A simple up do can cover up a bad hair day - try a classic low ponytail for an easy but sophisticated look. Just be sure to run a little product through the top strands of hair to ensure a sleek finish.
Hair accessories can be really useful too - twist up into place and finish with hairspray - done in a few seconds!
