How to Boost Your Curls After Heat Styling

It’s a common Curly Girl problem - you do ONE silk press to flaunt your straight hair and suddenly your curls are acting like they have no clue what to do anymore. When using heat tools like flat irons or curling wands on your curls, it can be expected that your curl pattern will loosen up and your usual wash’n’go routine gives you different results than you’re used to. When you find yourself in this situation, here are our best tips for getting your curls back to their bouncy, beautiful state:

1. It’s time to say goodbye to your straight hairstyle. Start with a Hydration Steam Treatment to replace the moisture that your curls desperately need to feel like themselves again.

2. For your first wash day, start with a Clarifying shampoo to strip your cuticle clean. Follow up with a cream cleanser to rehydrate your curls. Don’t forget a deep, leave-in conditioner!

3. Follow your usual wash day routine, but upgrade to a stronger hold gel to help remind your curls how to stay in their spiral position. You may only need to create a stronger “cast” on your first wash day, but don’t be alarmed if you need a more intense gel for the first couple of wash days following heat styling. Finger coil section-by-section to keep your curl pattern even.

4. If you have fallen off the Curly Girl wagon and have been doing heat styles for a while, you may be experiencing damage on the ends of your hair especially. On your wash day, use perm rods or rollersets to return a curl the the very ends of your hair that won’t cooperate.

5. Avoid diffusing your curls by air-drying or sitting under a hooded dryer until your curls are completely dry. This helps to prevent frizz, loosened curls, and ensures your wash’n’go lasts.

6. Still struggling to get your trusty wash’n’go curls back? Come get a trim! Removing dry and damaged ends helps to re-boost and re-nourish your curls.

New Year, New Me GIVEAWAY!

We are starting the New Year off right with a GIVEAWAY of some of our favorite products! You can win a gift bag containing:

• DevaCurl No-Comb Detangling Spray

• DevaCurl Flexible Hold Hairspray

• Matrix Wonder Boost Amplifying Spray

• Influance Moisture Lock

• Influance s3 Shine Spray

• Influance Natural Oil

• Influance Glazed Edges

To enter the giveaway to win, you must follow all of these steps -

1. Visit our Facebook page and give us a LIKE

2. Repost your favorite photo from our page and caption what you love most about being part of Team Versus

3. Tag @VersusSalon in your repost

Winner will be chosen on Saturday, January 11th. Winner must be able to pick up gifts at salon in Virignia Beach or pay for shipping to their location.

NEW YEAR, NEW ME - LET’S GO!

2019 in Review

2019 marks EIGHTEEN YEARS of Versus Salon! It has been a year of both challenges and triumphs for our salon team but as we look back on the last 12 months, we are proud of all that we accomplished!

• We partnered with Olive Chels to create our first YouTube video

• Our team completed over 100 hours of Continuing Education

• We hosted our first Braids Bar at Anthropologie in Town Center

• The support of our clients helped us raise money for Samaritan House during their annual Paint 757 Purple campaign

• Our salon became Ouidad certified, supporting our training in several modalities of Curl Techniques and product lines

We thank each and every one of our clients for their continued support, especially during a challenging year, and wish you all the very best New Year!

Tips for a Dry, Itchy Scalp

Summer is for Pixie Cuts. Fall is for Balayage. And Winter is for Dry Scalp Issues.

 This time of year, we have several clients coming to us complaining of dry, itchy scalp. No one likes flaky shoulders on their favorite Christmas sweater. There’s lots to know and understand about Dandruff, Dry Scalp, and how to keep your hair fresh during this dry season. 

Do you have dandruff or just dry scalp? Did you know there was a difference? Dry scalp happens when the skin on the scalp is dry and irritated, resulting in flakes of skin. Dandruff is caused by excess oil on the scalp, which causes dead skin to build up and shed in thicker flakes. Dandruff is usually differentiated by thicker flakes that have a yellow hue. In some cases, these symptoms can be caused by a fungal or scalp infection, but most of us are only suffering from a simple case of dry scalp.  

There are a number of reasons why our clients might experience these irritating symptoms, but there are a few that we see most frequently. The top cause is overuse or misuse of products that cause scalp irritation. Poorly advised at-home treatments and certain oils like coconut oil can make the problem worse. Another common reason we find is that a client might be washing their hair too frequently, stripping the scalp of natural oils it needs to remain healthy. And at this time of year, many cases of dry scalp are due to the cold and dry weather, wearing hats that prevent our scalp from breathing, and increased use of heat tools for styling.

So how do you get rid of those pesky flakes of skin? First, talk to your stylist about the products you’re using and how often you’re using them. Based on your unique hair and scalp needs, a simple adjustment in your hair care routine could solve the problem. When washing your hair, which should only be 1-3x per week depending on your needs, use your fingertips to scrub your scalp thoroughly. A stimulating shampoo like our favorite Rosemary Shampoo by Influance is most effective and you might even find that letting the shampoo sit on your scalp for a few minutes before rinsing provides a fresh result. 

If you are using chemical processes like relaxers or keratin treatments, you might want to consider taking a break to allow your scalp to return to a healthy state. Finally, implement a hydrating treatment into your weekly hair care routine to combat the dry air for your scalp and your tresses! If you have worked with your stylist on a solution to your dry scalp and still have no luck, consider seeing your Dermatologist for a scalp analysis to ensure a proper diagnosis and treatment plan for your dry scalp. They may prescribe a medicated shampoo for you. 

Stay hydrated this winter and wear your black sweaters without fear of flaky shoulders!  

Signs You're Due for an End Trim

Besides following your stylist’s recommendation to keep up with your Hair Goals, this week we’re listing our top tips for knowing when it’s time to schedule your next End Trim -

• All Tangled Up: A tell-tale sign of needing a healthy hair end trim is when you begin noticing an out-of-character amount of tangles in your hair. Split ends cause strands of hair to become interlocked, leaving you with tough tangles. An end trim can help eliminate these “fairy knots” as they’re commonly known

• Frizz: Even when the humidity is low and rain is far from the forecast, frizz can appear to let us know our hair is too dry. Hair that has not been cut or trimmed in too long can become frizzy even in the best of weather conditions out of desperation for nourishment that is being monopolized by dead ends

• Non-Responsive Styling: If you’re finding that your trusty flat iron isn’t giving you the same results as it has in the past, it might not be your tool that needs replacing. When hair is less-than healthy, we find that it doesn’t respond to styling the way it normally does. This is when we frequently experience “poofiness”, which an End Trim can help with

• Shape Up: After several weeks, your fire new shape might become lost as your tresses grow longer. An end trim can help you maintain your shape, encourage more growth, and keep your length goals in tact

If you’re shaking your head “yes” to more than one of these, it’s time to schedule your next End Trim!