Here at Stevie English Hair, we were lucky enough to be asked to be ambassadors of a revolutionary new product called Olaplex. Lucky because we got a chance to play with the product before it is officially available in Australia, and it comes with some pretty big promises: that you can lighten your hair without damage, or in fact improve the condition of the hair.  

WHAT THE ??!!!!!

As a professional hair colourist of 20+ years, I have never heard of a product that could deliver on that kind of promise, so naturally I was well keen to get my hands on it. Olaplex is a 3-step system that consists of Bond Multiplier, Bond Perfecter and a take home Hair Perfector. The basic premise is that the product multiplies the bonds that are broken by lifting or depositing colour on the hair, thus preventing breakage and other damage. The first product can be added to any colour, powder lightener or perm solution, the second step is applied after rinsing & the third used at home. 

Powder Lightener/bleach  has always been my best friend and my worse enemy. You can do amazing things with it, but it damages hair! So when a product claims to turn your colour world upside down, you can imagine me being extremely nervous the first time I used Olaplex!  But also so excited!  I was lightening one of my stylist’s hair- she had previously had lots of breakage and her ends were pretty well fried. Her hair was a patchwork quilt. And this would normally be put in the too hard basket unless you want an inch blonde crop.

  After reading the directions seven times, I mixed up powder lightener, bumped up the developer level (ARGHHHH), added the Olaplex and went in. I did strand tests every 5 minutes, and basically hovered behind the chair the entire time the colour was on her hair (sweating). At the basin- no breakage! After the second step was applied, the hair felt even better, it turned to silk. I could not believe her ends survived- I would never have tried to lighten them without the Olpalex’s promise.

Since that first colour, I have used Olaplex pretty much every day – my team have also been blown away by the results they can achieve without damaging the hair. The product completely delivers on its promise and I don’t know any colourist who would not be excited about a product that can do this.  There is an extra fee but its so worth it! Never have i been able to guarantee hair in this way.  

Game changer? Definitely! 

Stevie English Hair is a nursery for young talent.

 Missy Veyret is one of our superstars that like a fine wine gets better and better.

Missy latest achievement is making finalist for Australian Fame team. Missy has made it into finalist for the second year running and is one of twelve. It’s the who’s who of the next generation of Australian Hairdressing talent. And we are super proud of her.

If you want to get your hair chopped or coloured by Missy, please call Bondi 93877791 or book online here  

We want to see your Morning hair selfies 

#wakeupwithstevie

We want to see morning pics.

The winners will win a hair and makeup in the morning from us

Will will offer the winner a total makeover full colour and cut.

We will also offer other prizes, on the run up to Halloween, Shampoos and Conditioners from Original&Mineral and Unite 

Send us your instagram/facebook pics or if you dont have those Social media sites (SHOCK) send it to us wakeupwithstevie@stevieenglish.com.au

This understated, classy colour, is not just for the cooler months of the year – heading into summer this year – considering bucking the trend of going blonde for summer – and go this sassy, sensual soft healthy looking colour.     From the deepest chocolate brown to darkest blonde these colours are amazing for hazel and dark brown eyes, and also those of you with any deep rich eye colour as well. So why not try it – change is as good as a holiday* if you have the eyes for it or the balls, talk to your stylist, or better yet why not book now online here for Glebe and here for Bondi.     *well it probably isn’t as good as a holiday but we’ll make as close as possible – promise!

Damaged hair Damaged hair is created from too much colouring, heat styling, or excessive brushing with bad home maintenance.

Dehydrated Hair Hair is often dehydrated from frequent styling, over colouring and harsh weather, which strips hair of moisture leaving it dry, coarse and unmanageable. You can turn the clock back by treating it well using great products recommended by a Stevie English stylist.

Demi Demi-permanent hair colors deliver incredible colour, shine, and condition to hair while only lightening natural pigment slightly. They are good first step into colour. They are ideal if you want to enrich your natural colour, brighten dullness, or refresh previously coloured hair. Stevie English Hair only uses O&M Conditioning Colour Gloss, as well as O&M  liquids.

Depth  The depth of a hair colour shade is determined by the amount of darkness in the colour. Deeper shades contain more pigment, and absorb more light, while lighter shades have diffused pigments which are more transparent and reflect more light.

Detanglers Detanglers modify the hair surface their and main job is to help get rid of knots by using pH as acidifiers, and/or by coating the hair with polymers as glossers.

Developer Developer is the oxidizing agent that allows the haircolor to do its job. Mostpermanent haircolour today uses hydrogen peroxide as a developer. The peroxide is the activator so that the color can penetrate. It also disperses the existing color and can lighten the hair’s color level depending on the strength of the peroxide formulation. The peroxide developer’s oxidizing potential is denoted as its ‘volume’. Most haircolour formulas today work with a 10, 20, 30, or 40 volume developer.

Double process This is a colour technique that is used to achieve dramatic colour changes, ie going from blonde to dark. You often need the second coat to fill or even out colour. When going from very dark to light, you need to tone or even out colour- your Stevie English Colourist/stylist will choose what’s right for you.

Dreadlocks A hairstyle that is created by twisting and matting hair together, it is suited to curly, afro hair types.

Dry (see blowdry)

Caesar A mens’ haircut named after Julius Caesar. It’s a short horizontally straight cut fringe and layered all around

CCT- Clean Colour Technology An O&M exclusive that is a revelation to those that have only ever used ‘mainstream’ permanent and semi-permanent hair colours. The benefits of removing ammonia reach far beyond a more pleasant experience while at the salon, over time hair becomes less stressed and noticeably healthier while colour lasts longer and remains true and brighter. O&Ms CCT system delivers 100%grey coverage and 5 shades lighter lift for blondes without the use of ammonia.

Ceramic Ceramic is an inorganic non-metallic solid that is used in lots of hairdressing tools such as brushes, straightening irons and combs.

Chemicals We minimise the amount of chemicals here at Stevie English Hair

Chignon A hair up thing similar to french roll

Clay (see wax)

Climazone An activator or a heater which speeds up colour development. We don’t need one with O&M colour but it can be helpful for clients who are in a rush.

Clippers Electric hair clippers are used at Stevie English Hair, often to get a shorter cut than you can achieve with scissors

Coffee Coffee isn’t something one would expect in a hair dictionary unless trying to explain a mocha type colour or a rich black… but we have such great Single Origin organic coffee at Stevie English with barista trained staff it would be a shame not to mention.

Colour (see permanent, semi, demi, quasi, ammonia free)

Concave The concave haircut has the opposite movement of the convex. The hair is cut with hard or soft lines to curve inward. An example of this is the graduated bob.

Condition Your hair’s condition can affect the final colour result. Your Stevie English Hair colourist will evaluate your hair’s condition in order to determine if you need special pre- or post-colour conditioning services, and create a colour formulation that is best for you and your hair.

Conditioner A product designed to condition or soften hair, its main job is to close the cuticle after shampooing. It has been used since the turn of the century, before natural oils were used to condition hair. Hair conditioner at Stevie English hair is chemical free, and will always be prescribed by your stylist.

Consultation Before every colour and cut service, you should expect an in-depth consultation with your Stevie English stylist/colourist. You will exchange information and ideas about your hair and the look you want to achieve. During the consultation your colorist/Stylist will assess the condition of your hair to help determine what kind of colour product is most appropriate for your hair’s needs and which style and styling products may needed to maintain the colour and hairstyle at home.

Contrast Refers to the difference in lowlight and highlight colour. To achieve high-contrast highlights the foils are much lighter than the surrounding hair colour, to create depth and a more natural look.

Convex The convex haircut is a layered-cut that creates outward movement in the hairstyle. It can be cut to have clear, hard lines, or very subtle soft lines, but will always result in an outward movement of the hair. An example

Cool Cool can be said about the salon interior and its staff at Stevie English Hair! as well as meaning a tonal value that can apply to all colours, A colour is said to have “cool tones” if it tends toward blue or violet. Cool colours include platinum blondes, ash browns, and cool reds which means the more blue that is in red ie.plum / mahogany

Copper Is a red colour,  Orange, can be called strawberry blonde. It’s more of a gold/red and not a blue/red-in your consultation your colourist/stylist will assist you in choosing a perfect shade.

Coverage Coverage is a measure of a hair colour’s ability to cover grey hair. Some hair colour formulations are too transparent to effectively cover grey hair. Covering grey hair can be a little tricky so it requires a special colour formulation from your Stevie English Hair Stylist/colourist in order to avoid flat or unnatural results. All of O&M Permanent  Hair colour provides exceptional grey coverage with resistance to fading whilst using CCT.(see cct)

Cows lick This is a nickname for a hair growth pattern on a hairline. Usually hair that naturally goes towards the back of the head – so it looks like a cow has licked your head, at Stevie English Hair all staff are taught how to cut and aid with cows licks and help and suggest styling

Creative Colour A colour chosen by your Stevie English Hair Stylist/colourist –a combination of colours often using different sectioning patterns to create an individual style.

Crimping  Hair crimping is a method of styling straight hair so that it becomes wavy, often in a 80’s fashion. This is usually achieved by treating the hair with heat from a crimping iron or by braiding the hair, often in multiple strands, then undoing the Braids (see braids).

Crimping iron Crimping iron is a tool which creates a crimp or wave in hair.

Crown and Double Crown Most individuals have a specific hair growth pattern at the crown area of the head (the area of the skull where the head begins to curve downward to the back of the head). In a typical person there is a single point at which the hair appears to radiate outward in a circular or semicircular pattern. Stylist must work with the hair’s natural growth patterns.

Croydon Facelift The Croydon Facelift is a particular hairstyle worn by young women, allegedly from Croydon in England. The hair is pulled back tight and tied in a ponytail or bun at the back. The supposed result is that the skin of the forehead and face are pulled up and back, producing the effects of a facelift. I love this saying- it’s not a big look we reproduce at Stevie English.

Curling iron Similar to a straightening iron and crimping iron, it is a tong used to change the structure of the hair using heat. Hair is wrapped around a wand or iron to create a curl.

Curly Is the form of some people’s hair. At Stevie English Hair we have some curly hair experts and all staff are trained in depth on how to cut, style and hydrate curly hair.

Back comb  Back combing or teasing is a technique used by your Stevie English Stylist to create height or body. It’s often used as a foundation for hair upstyles. It’s the art of tangling the hair to create a cushion to lift the style and then smoothing over the top. Reference: 1980s hair

Balayage Balayage comes from the French word meaning “to sweep”.  To Balayage the hair is to use a brush to handpaint a thick mixture of lightener onto a section of hair using one of three paint designs.  These designs are singles, slants and V’s. The designers use a “sweeping” motion to apply lightener from thin at the roots to thicker towards the ends. It is free-form handpainted highlights.

Bangs (see fringe)

Barrier cream Barrier cream is what we put on a scalp around the hairline to stop colour staining. Your Stevie English Stylist should always apply this when having a dark colour

Baseline Baseline is the bottom line in a hair cut, this often the starting point for haircuts.

Beehive A high hairstyle that resembles a beehive! An elaborately teased and lacquered hairpiece, most famously worn by Amy Winehouse in more recent years. Beehive is also called a B-52.

Bio- ionic An awesome retexing system can get hair dead straight bit its about changing the hairs structure

Bleach ( see powder lightener)

Blonde Blonde, platinum, light blonde and dark blonde are all hair types of colour meaning of fair colour.

Blowdry Blow drying or blow waving is where your Stevie English Hair Stylist drys your hair with a hair dryer and a brush, often with product to create your perfect individual style

Blow wave (see blow dry)

Blunt cut Hair that is all one length is called a blunt cut. A precise blunt cut is carefully trimmed so that all the hair reaches one level.  Often, tension is used to cut this type of style. When hair is wet, it stretches. After the blunt line if formed in the first section – the nape section, each layer that is brought down to cut is held with tension so that it stretches slightly. When it is cut at the same level as the first section and released, it bounces up to be very slightly shorter so that the ‘blunt’ line is really rounded.

Bob Bob is a precise hair cut that comes in many shapes and sizes from shoulder length, to others that tease with a bit of ear, some have fringes, and of course come in many fantastic colours. We love the bob at Stevie English.

Bob, graduated A graduated bob can be very stylish and is very different compared to the classic straight bob. Layers will give the bob more volume and tapered ends will make the hair look softer.

Another option if the classic single-length bob is not really what you like is a longer rounded nape and short blunt lines at the sides and front. Ask your Stevie English Stylist which version od the bob will suit you

Bobby pins a small slide clip the grips small amounts of hair

Bouffant A bouffant is a type if hairstyle originating in France, thought to be created for Marie Antoinette. The hair is piled high on the head and some is left hanging down the sides.

Bouncy Bouncy is a term used when talking about your blowdry or styling- its big, full, fun, sexy and sassy.

Braiding or Braids Braiding is a weave, two or more strands. It has been done for years often in African hair and on children.

Breakage Hair Breakage is mostly caused by chemicals and harsh styling like burning hair with hairdryers and straightening irons. It can be treated and fixed with the right treatments ask your Stevie English Stylist/colourist

Brown/brunette Dark hair colour

Brassy Brassiness comes from bronze, it is used to refer to hair that is too warm or yellow in tone. This can be the result of colour fading and showing the natural undercoat; or colour that is not processed properly. Brassiness is generally corrected by applying a violet toner or a shade your Stevie English colourist would choose counteract the yellow.

Bungee A hair bungee is an elastic with a hook at one end to wrap around ponytails and up do’s a secret for years of session stylist’s

The Stevie English Hair Dictionary is (almost) a comprehensive list of hairdressing terms. Everything from some terms you might hear everytime in the salon and some you might never hear.  (It’s a work in progress)

Acidifiers Acidity regulators which maintain the conditioner’s PH value which is about 2.5–3.5. In contact with acidic environment, the hair’s somewhat scaly surface tightens up, as the hydroge bonds between the keratin molecules are strengthened.

Afro An afro is corse and very tight curly hair, sometimes shorted to “fro”, is a often termed hairstyle in which the hair extends out from the head like a halo, cloud or ball.  Reference: Jimi Hendrix

Ammonia A harsh chemical that swells the hair shaft creating holes and breakage

Ammonia FREE All the O&M colour at Stevie English Hair is Ammonia free which leaves the hair in better condition and is kinder on the environment.

Appointments (see consultations)

Ash Ash is the term often used in flat colours, ash is a blue/green almost grey reflect and often used to counteract warm shades and colours in hair

Asian hair Is often black and coarse and can be very hard to cut and colour. All staff at Stevie English Hair are trained in the art.

Asymmetrical Not identical on both sides of a central line, a technique often used in cutting to create a one side of hair cut longer than the other

Verity is coming to town-

Her raving fans will be banging on our doors with bated breath and saying “about fucking time!”  For those of you who are new to Stevie English Hair and our blog, Verity was with us for 4 great years and is still a Senior Director- a position we will always hold for her (she is special). She lives in New Zealand and comes over to hang out, cut her desperate clients’ hair, teach makeup classes, drink tequila and generally grace us with her fabulous and inimitable presence.

Verity has won more awards that I have had hot dinners. She is a session stylist, makeup artist and a creative crackpot whose energy is infectious. Watch the whirlwind and check her website out here .

During her next visit this August, she will be hosting 2 makeup tutorials in our Glebe salon. There are only a few spots left, so if you are keen to get some makeup tips from the Australian Makeup Artist of the Year 2010 or get your locks chopped by this star please give us a call in Glebe 94237033 Bondi 93877791