We Know How To Party For a Great Cause.......

Thursday, October 27th, dsparada hosted the very first BNI Social Mixer.  BNI is a networking group we are members of, and stands for Business Networking International.  It is a group of local business owners who spend an hour and a half every Wednesday morning getting to know one another and educating each other about what it is that each one of us does.  Our chapter is called "The Morning Show", and we are BY FAR, the best chapter in all of Wake County.

We decided to hold a mixer last Thursday evening and invite members from all chapters in Wake County to get to know one another and help raise moneey for an organization called Team Dykeman.  This organization is dedicated to helping families of fallen Marines.  We raised a nice chunk of change and had an amazing time doing it.  There was great food and drink, courtesy of Fork and Barrell on Falls of Neuse RD.  If you haven't had the chance to get over there and check out their digs, we reccommend you go NOW!!!

What a great way to meet new people and network with those we already know, in a fun, relaxing atmosphere, after the stressful work day. 

A GREAT BIG thanks goes out to Fork and Barrell for their great work.  Also, Dr. Anna Abernathy, The Morning Show's very own party planner, did an amazing job at helping us organize and network the event, as well as Dave Wood and Rich Gorman for helping us get those emails out!

We plan to do this more and more for other charities in the area.  Hope you enjoy looking at our pics as much as we enjoyed taking them!

How Exactly DO You Pick The Right Stylist For You???

...... this is a question people (women AND men) ask themselves on a regular basis.  A question not many know how to properly answer, or even go about answering.  Several factors fall into play when you begin your quest to find the right hair stylist for you, and more times than not, it turns into several bad decisioins before the right one is made.....  IF it's ever made.

These are not rules written in stone, but simply mere suggestions, and things to think about when you are ready to make that committment to a hair stylist.

Of course, experience plays a major role in finding a stylist.  Experience consists of a lot of things, and working with someone with a good history of experience is a step in the right direction.  However, the number of years a stylist has behind them doing hair does not necessarily determine their level of experience.  There are many stylists that have been doing hair forever, but when it comes to a high level of skill, the performance has been less than adequate.  There are also stylists that have not been doing hair for a terribly long time, but the experience they have gained in their short time behind the chair has proven that they can take on just about any challenge. A  good stylist has learned through being humble, with an open mind to learning in their time spent styling hair, that hair comes through our doors in many different forms and many different situations arise when we see someone for the first time.  Having the knowledge to handle each one of those situations and forms with the ability to produce amazing results, builds great experience.  This is something that you want your stylist to have.

Education...... 
While yes, as stylists we all went to school to learn the craft, our learning doesn't stop when we attain our license.  Every client has a different need, as well as a different want.  Situations arise every day where we are challenged to put our education to the test.  In school we are taught the basics.  The majority of our education begins AFTER we leave beauty school.  Trends are forever changing, techniques are continuing to change, and clients want what they see as brand new.  When you walk into a salon where education is continuous, it's pretty fair to assume that the work is going to be on the leading side of trend.  Stylists who feel like nothing they see or hear in a class will help them improve their craft, or those who think there's nothing more they can learn, are most likely on their way to hanging their scissors up.  Just like in any carreer field, there is ALWAYS something new that will change the way a stylist thinks about how a look is created.  With this being the age of internet and pictures,requests for brand new looks come to us all the time.  Hair color is ever changing.  Hair color can be great.  Hair color can be amazing.  It can also be disastrous.   Someone who has an extensive background in color education can give the finished product that  "WOW" factor that every client wants when they see themselves in the mirror.  .  A good stylist will  educate their guest on the things that are mandatory in order for the duplicate their salon look at home......  teaching to use a blow dryer. ..... teaching how to use a round brush with the blow dryer.  Little tricks that the guest can take home for them to practice will make that guest more confident about their hair.  We are educated as stylists, and as stylists, we educate you, our guests.

Communication is one of the MOST important things that are necessary when choosing a stylist.  While yes, we ARE the professionals, what looks good in our minds may be comletely heinous in the eye of our guest.  This is where that relationship either begins going in the right direction, or where a wall is immediately hit between client and stylist.  Our guests envision certain things when they've made an appointment, when it comes to a new look that they desire.   As the professional, it is a MUST that a consultation occurs everytime you see every client....  as things sometimes change inbetween the times they were last in and the next time they come to see us.  When choosing a hair color, it's extremely important to be on the same page, because one person's idea of a warm color could very well be something completely different from someone else's.  It's never a bad thing to tell your stylist how you feel about the work you're looking at in the mirror.  While, as professionals, we need to take certain things into account when designing a look (ie: skin tone, eye color, face shape, lifestyle), it's also really important to understand each individuals likes and dislikes, as well as wants and needs.  Amazingly enough, though we are often compared to magicians, we are also just plain human beings.  We are not able to read someone's mind.  Keep the lines of communication open and free flowing, while still keeping in mind that we are the ones creating your vision.....  we know what we're doing and we will get you to where you want to be!

Honesty and Integrity are two traits that are often overlooked.  So often you walk into a salon and the stylist starts to load you up with a million products after a simple haircut....  you get home with all of these products, with out a clue as to how to use them.  It's frustrating when you see a stylist and each time you go in, you're spending a couple hundred dollars.  This economy has taken in-salon services to the level of luxury, as opposed to neccessity.  We realize this and understand that sometimes it's just impossible for a guest to keep their look up and spend a lot of money on a six or eight week basis.  These days, we offer the opportunity to split up your services week to week, as sometimes it is a lot easier on the wallet.  It's also refreshing to know that when a look has been designed, the maintance of that look is rather inexpensive as long as it is kept up.  We know that everyone is struggling these days. A hair stylist that continuously raises their prices or adds on services without consulting first with their guest is being extremely dishonest.  You should always know how much your service is going to cost you before any work begins.  That way, if there needs to be an adjustment to keep the price down, that can be addressed from the beginning- and trust that there ARE always several options when choosing a look when it comes to the price.  You are never commited to the most expensive.

When you meet a new stylist, it's like begining a real relationship.  There has to be that level of trust and comfort between the two of you, or else it can be a difficult journey.  These are just some of the qualities we posess and live by at dsparada, as we have seen through past experiences with other stylists we've worked with, that it can be a really rocky and egocentric experience for the guest if these easy traits aren't practiced. 

If you're reading this and are a guest of dsparada, you understand how awesome it is when you finally DO meet that stylist!  If you're an outsider looking at this and wondering why you can't find hair happiness, then give us a whirl.  Come in and have a consult with any of us and see how our level of experience, education, communication, honesty and integrity are truly at the forefront of our passion, and see for yourself what it's like to have the hair you have ALWAYS wanted!

The Latest and Greatest at dsparada!!!!!

Hey everyone!!!!  Hope the beginning of the fall season has brought good energy and fun times to all!!!!  Life around the salon has been exciting and hectic, but that's how we thrive!!!!  There are so many new and exciting things that are happening that we are SOOOO  excited to talk to you about, I just had to blog about it, in the hopes that you will get as excited about some of these things as we are!!!!

As you all may know, we are a pretty small team, but we are one talented bunch.  The experience we all have in creating memorable looks for brides, designers, and clients alike in the past is bringing us together as a collective whole now, as we are becoming a force when it comes to being THE elite, most sought after salon in Raleigh. 

On Sunday, October 2, we were honored to create looks for Chapman Designs, a local clothing designer in Raleigh, for a fashion show that was held during the Wake County SPCA's 2011 Fur Ball.  The salon was filled with models and a make up artist that day and it was truly an enjoyable experience to be able to showcase a great talent of our's  that many people aren't aware of....... AMAZING formal finishes.  At the actual event (yes, we got all dressed up in tuxes and ball gowns!), the ladies we worked on were live models wearing the beautiful designs from Chapman.  As they graced the floors during the evening, attendees were in awe of the cohesiveness of the entire looks, and during the actual fashion show, our work was on huge HD screens for about 2000 people to see.  That red carpet quality was there, and it opened up a whole world for us that most people wouldn't associate with the dsparada name.  TONS of money was raised for all the little critters in Raleigh that need a little extra TLC, and to be asked to participate in such an event was a truly amazing experience!

Just this past weekend, we packed our bags and headed to Charlotte, where the national distribution company, Beauty Systems Group, held their annual Fashion Focus Show at the Charlotte Convention Center.  We arrived early and eager to get into classes so we could fill our minds with knowledge of the latest cuts, color trends, and styling techniques to bring back and stay on the front line for you, our guests!  On Sunday night, we were invited to a private show hosted by Goldwell where we saw their entire new collection, and the super star stylists that work for them shared some of their best secrets with us as well.

With holiday season approaching, you'll get the opportunity to experience some of these new things yourself, as we are eager to get started and really expose the WOW factor that we at dsparada are known for!  Also, make sure you mark your calendars, as we are hosting our annual Christmas party on Saturday, December 10.  Not only will we be celebrating the season, but we'll also be celebrating Don's (the 9th), Jen's (the 12th), and my own (the 14th) birthdays!  It's going to be a night packed with yummy food (catered by The Point), raffles for all kinds of GREAT stuff, for the second year in a row, live jazz tunes by The Kevin Van Saint group.  Last year they serenaded us with some great music that helped make the party a great success (even with the snow!).

Have you ever picked up a hairstyle mag and seen all the pictures of different looks?  Well, part of the reason we are SO excited about our new ideas is because we are going to start doing photo shoots right in the salon!  So the next time you open one of those magazines, maybe your face will be one that you see, and you'll be famous!  We're looking forward to showing our work on the global scale as we progress forward into the new year.

So yes.....  everything in our world is new, New, NEW!  We can't wait for you to come in and see for yourself what the buzz is all about!

Transition time...... You should KNOW that your hair is going to look AMAZING!

Yes Ladies (and Gentlemen too!), the time has come for that new fall look.  The first of October is right around the corner, and already we are having clients ask us to take them from their lighter summer colors to their richer, darker fall colors......

That's a trend that has been extremely popular for years, but what we see a lot of are clients that try to be "cost-effective" and go to the store to buy their own color.  Well, yes, it's way cheaper, we know that.  Unfortunately, what many people don't know that there is much more involved it the process besides just putting  the dark color overtop of the light color.  Have you ever done it?  Sometimes it looks red (and not a pretty red either).  Sometimes it looks black, and sometimes it looks green.  Then what can you do now???  You CAN'T walk around like that, the holiday season will be here before we know it, and hair looking like that will catch the eyes of everyone at the party, and not because it's stunning.....  :(
There are certain processes that must be done to get the look you want.  We are already seeing work coming in from other salons with VERY unhappy cliens, because the client trusted the professional whom's chair they were sitting in.  Most people do.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of stylists in the area who are not qualified to do that level of color correction.  It's not the most intense, but it does require skill.

Once someone has made the decision  to either apply color to their own head, or to work with a  less educated stylist, there's a major problem.  We see mistakes all the time that could have been done right, if some simple rules would have just been followed.  No one wants to pay money to have their summer highlights covered just to see them fade out in a week or two, so they come to us to get it fixed, and it costs them a TON of money when it's all said and done because we have to corect some major mess-ups.

At dsparada, through the initial consultation, we explain step by step the processes that are required to perfect your look and keeping it looking good throughout the season.  Trust me.....  Hair color can be beautiful....  hair color can be expensive.....  and hair color can be distasterous.  Don't become a stastic!

Our colorists at dspsrada have SEVERAL years experience going into salons, and educating other stylists on our respcted color lines, as well as platform work with some of the best stylists in the world.  We know what we're doing!

So if you're already a guest of our salon, you will be in good hands.  If you are new, we invite you to come in for a free consult, and hopefully start  building that trust that's needed in a successful relationship.

Plus, we're really good at making people look ten years younger!!!!!!

Come on in, give us a call, or shoot us an email, with your name and number, and we'll be more than happy to talk and set something up.

Remember at dsparada we specialize in corrective color.....  but as a guest of dsparada, you won't need corrective color!

Bye Bye, Summer.......

Well, it's that time of year again.....  school is back in session, Labor Day has passed, and we're back in our regular schedules once more.  As we all get back into the swing of things, the effects of summer hair are long lasting, and hair  tends to be shoved to the bottom of the list with everything else going on.

Summer is great for so many things, but summer hair can be disasterous.  It dries out, gets brittle from the salty beach water, and color is totally faded.  As we move into the upcoming fall season, we are having guests throw their ideas at us for their fall look.   The trends are, as usual, leaning towards warmer, deeper tones of golds, coppers and mahoganies.....  However, unless treated properly, the transition from summer hair to fall hair can be not so cute.

This month, we are gearing up for the return of fall by offering our acclaimed Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment at a special price of $250, to pack those locks full of much needed protein that has been depleted through the summer months.  Having this service performed will allow for those fall tones to adhere better to the hair, prevent the fadage that we generally see when going from light to darker, and smooth down all those fly-aways that are associated with sun damage.  The therapy is not only good in the summer months, but is also amazing in the fall and winter months as well, as it protects the hair from getting uber dry and breaking.

As always, our passion for your amazing color is our number one priority.  Don't wait till it's too late, take advantage of this amazing deal and prep your hair properly for your new look!

What's the perfect haircut for YOU?????

It's quite often that guests sit in our chairs, and ask us, "what's the perfect  haircut for me?"

What we may think, and what they have in mind, are often two totally different ideas. Someone may be on the edge of change, but when the change is actually presented, a slight "freak-out" moment occurs and she always resorts to the usual.

As humans, by nature we are creatures of habit- change is not something that we deal with willingly (ok, some are better than others!), especially when it comes to hair.  There's not really a perfect haircut for each individual person, but there are some that flatter each person in ways that others don't.  This is what we, as stylists, take into account when you sit in our chair.  Face shape plays a major role, and understanding that can make the decision to change a little easier.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you think about your "perfect" haircut.  We're in the business of making YOU happy, but it's also our job to educate you so you don't make the wrong decision when it comes to your best accessory.  Follow these tips and you'll easily figure out the best look for you.

Long hair can make a long face appear longer.  Short hair can make a round face appear rounder.  If not properly executed, short hair can be especially dangerous on super curly hair. If you are petite, you could look like a 15 year-old with super long hair.  Looking young is what we are all shooting for these days, but 15 is a little too young.

What we have found is that there is actually one length that usually is most flattering on just about everyone-  and that's shoulder length hair.

Who can and can't go long???

Women are attached to their long hair- or at least their husbands are.  As a general rule, like mentioned before, someone who is vertically challenged will look forever young with extremely long hair.  Someone who has a long, narrow face wouldn't benefit from this look either, because long hair will definitely elongate the face even more.  A woman with a more square or oval face though, would be the perfect candidate for a longer look.

The basic do's and don't for short hair......

Short hair comes in a variety of lengths.  In order to figure out which length works best for you, consider your best and worst assets, and your height.  Extremely short hair on taller women can look either too masculine, or it could look very powerful (depending on how you perceive it).  Short hair on someone with a round face can make the face appear fuller.  If you have a round face, you would probably look better if you wore your hair just past your chin.  If you have a pointy chin, avoid hair that falls right at the chin.  If your eyes are one of your best features, consider a side-swept fringe that falls right at the eye to really accentuate those peepers! Remember, a good haircut masks your downfalls and promotes your best features.

Why it's important to consider hair type.....

Every person can classify their hair into one of these categories: dry, coarse, curly, thin, straight, limp, oily, wavy or fine.  If you have thin, strngy hair that tends to fall limp, a shorter cut can make your hair appear fuller.  Super curly girls want to keep longer layers and weight to the hair down; if you have curly hair and have had tons of layers chopped into it, you know where we're coming from.  The same goes for a fringe.....  a curly head of hair with a fringe is an invitation for uncontrollable frizz and disgust.  Finer, thinner hair is a great palate for a layered look-  the layers add volume.  As far as damaged hair is concerned, there's nothing that can fix that.  Cut it off and start over!

As far as upkeep is concerned, we've posted before about why it's important to maintain the cut you love.  That's a no-brainer.

As the fall season is coming into full swing, many of you are already starting to think about what it is that you want to change about the color.  Why not go for the gusto and modify your entire look with the right cut for you as well?????


Happy Changing!!!!!!! 

Fall Haircolor Trends Are Just Around The Corner!!!!!!

As quickly as summer arrived, it's on it's way out just as fast!!!!  Before we know it, we will be handling requests from our clients for fresh fall looks, and dsparada has the answers to all of your questions.....  "What's in for fall?"

The top hairstylists and colorists from around the nation and globe are sharing their take on what's hot, and they're using the runway and red carpet as their inspiration.  Here's what I have found......

Gold tones and honey hues are the fast-growing favorite colors for the upcoming season to brighten and complement just about every complexion. Whether they’re used to frame the face or placed just at the hairline and crown, this upcoming seasons’ must-have hue will make every complexion radiant.

This Fall will be a gold rush! From honey and amber to chestnut and maple, tones of gold will be featured in hair color.Blondes this fall will also favor very warm honey tones with the lightest shades of gold around the hairline and crown of the head.  

As we continue to sweat out the last remaining days, we're getting geared up and ready to deliver the best color for your locks in town.  While keeping your hair in good condition is always important, right now we want to stress that moisture and protection in advance will allow you to receive amazing color, and will help you prolong that color so the results will be long lasting and fabulous!