Let's face it, most of us do not visit our hairdressers as often as we should. Between the weather, hard water and styling damage, it's important to get back to the basics. We consulted with one of our favorite hairstylists in NYC, Cristin Armstrong, who has been working on all sorts of manes for the past 15 years, about what questions she gets from clients the most! Working out of Ammon Carver’s Salon & Studio, she focuses on cut and color and has been most recently known for her radical blonde transformations. Her work has been published in magazines around the country and in her spare time, she does her part at several non-profit organizations including Hear The Hungry and Walk The Walk.
1. How often should I get my hair cut? I would say anywhere from 4-8 weeks depending on the cut. Men go every 4, women between 6-8. That keeps it healthy from everyday heat styling or as I call it, wear and tear.
2. How do I preserve my hair color? Use a color-safe shampoo such as Label M’s Colour Stay Shampoo 3 times a week and a deep conditioning treatment such as label. M’s Intensive Mask once a week to hydrate.
3. How do I use a curling iron or get beach waves? Using a 1. 25 inch barrel iron (she uses Hot Tools Professional), curl your hair away from your face and then alternate sections. You always want to leave the ends out so it creates a looser wave. After you’ve put the waves in, the best products you can use to achieve this look are a dry texture spray and finish with a shine spray.
4. How often should I wash my hair? It depends on your hair type. For an oily scalp, I would say 4x a week. For a drier scalp, 2x a week.
5. How do I extend a blow out? If you have long hair, spray dry shampoo before bed and brush it through. Put it in a loose bun and go to sleep. Then in the morning, brush through. After that, you can restyle it a bit with a curling iron or a blow dryer. I like to skip using a lot of products here because it gets oilier. Also, people tend to over heat style their hair and aren’t using a heat protectant which damages their hair in the long run.
