Salvage Your Strands

Meet Megan Kiefer, hair stylist at Elyse Walker at Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach. Megan and I go way, way back. My best friend, Matthew Thomas, introduced the two of us – as they had become fast friends while I was living away for a year. When I moved home, she was part of our social circle and it has been fun watching her over the last ten years blossom in her career as the go-to hairdresser for the women of style in our area.

In my 20s, my hair was shiny and bouncy, full and vibrant. Now in my early thirties and after three babies, my hair has taken a few hits. As I look ahead into my 40s and beyond, I can see that my hair health will require due diligence to keep it looking as healthy as I’d like.

Megan gives us tricks of the trade and raves about a must have hair treatment for all hair types. Ok, Ok Megan, we hear you!! Olaplex!!:) lol…

Read on…

What does the Art of Being Female mean to you?

She’s the ultimate woman who is polished and put together while taking care of her home and everyone in it with style and grace.

Why do you do hair?

In my chair, busy women relax and destress for a couple hours. I love being able to pamper someone and give them the royal treatment then watch them go back out into the world feeling beautiful and confident. There is a special glow that people leave with after a hair appointment and that is why I do hair.

What is your favorite treatment that most of us don’t know about?

Olaplex!!! Yes Olaplex is added to color with a treatment afterward and most clients know about the take home Olaplex #3 ….

“No.3 Hair Perfector is not a conditioner. No.3 is an at home bond builder that contains the same active ingredient found in all professional Olaplex products. Their patented technology relinks the broken disulfide bonds in every type of hair providing real, structural repair that works from within.”

Olaplex #1 can be used as an in-salon bond multiplying treatment on its own. I encourage a lot of my clients when they are scheduled for a blowout to add an olaplex treatment before their shampoo. It leaves the hair feeling strong and extra shiny. It rebuilds the bonds of the hair

What is an easy treatment we can all do to take care of the health of our hair?

Olaplex # 3 and using a leave-in conditioner regularly.

What do we need to know about hair health in the summer months?

Everyone loves beach hair and it tends to look fabulous, but salt water really dries out the hair.

During the summer months I suggest doing a deep conditioner weekly and dipping your hair in regular water before it gets into the ocean or chlorine.

What are your favorite trends in hair currently?

My favorite trend is the heavy fringe. A heavy bang with face framing layers. In the summer months it gets so hot and throwing your hair into a pony or top- knot looks extra chic with a heavy fringe. Effortless.

What do you love about doing hair inside a luxury store, Elyse Walker?

Oh I LOVE the cross marketing. I have always said: hair follows fashion and fashion changes everyday. Combining the two allows me to stay ahead of the trends.

Hair and fashion go hand in hand and both inspire each other…

What is the one thing you wish we would stop doing to our hair?

Cutting your own bangs, but I can’t say I am not guilty. 🙂

Which hair trend would you like to quit?

The dip dyed ends… to me, it looks like you haven’t been able to get your color done for 2 years and you’ve let yourself go.

I prefer more of a cohesive color.

What can we do to make our hair healthy, shiny and bouncy?

The hair looks healthy and shiny when the cuticle of the hair strand is closed down. To do that you can use the heat director on your blow dryer and aim it down the hair strands when applying heat. After the hair is smooth, hit each section with a cool shot to lock it in. Apply a finish product with silicones to coat the hair with shine. Either a spray shine or a serum. I like the elixir ultime solid by Kerastase which is also very moisturizing.

Do you really need to get a haircut every six weeks?

I suggest every 6 to 8 weeks. Even if you were trying to grow it long, it still splits at the bottom even though it may be growing from your root. If you let that splitting go on too long you will have to take off more than “just a trim”.

I like my clients to at least “dust” the ends in between each actual haircut. I also believe when getting your haircut it is a good time to add on a treatment. Turn it into a “treatment cut”.

Cutting with a treatment in really seals down the cuticle during all the combing and closes down those ends making the cut look that much better !!

What’s “in” in the hair world? Bangs/no bangs, long hair short hair…

Bold short bobs. Pixie cuts for the brave.

Do you get sick of doing beachy long waves on every single client lol jk.

Never! They don’t have to be “beachy”. I like to add “movement” to the hair which I tailor to each client’s haircut.

What are your favorite heat styling tools?

One of my favorites is L’incroyable blowdry by Kerastase which helps protect the hair from the heat, has memory, as well as smooths and shines.

What are your favorite hair brushes?

My go to is a a Spornette DeVille boar’s bristle round brush for smoothing.

What are your favorite products for curly hair/straight hair/fine hair/thick hair/frizzy hair?

I love the Kerastase Oleo Relax Serum it is my #1 favorite smoothing serum for fine AND thick hair. It is weightless and cuts the blow dry in half without drying out the hair.

Are Brazilian Blowouts still a thing?

Few and far between…. I only suggest them for those clients with extra coarse, thick, frizzy hair…. sometimes it’s the only option. I will only do them every 6 months or MAYBE 4 months if the hair is extra frizzy. I only suggest it if your hair is unmanageably coarse…. otherwise, stick with glosses and conditioners for smooth hair. … natural wave is in.

What is a gloss treatment?

There are all different kinds of glosses. It is a coat of conditioning shine that is heated into the hair to close down the cuticle, add shine, lock in and blend color for a more natural look and softer grow out.
I like to add Olaplex to my glosses for the ultimate bond multiplying treatment.

What other treatments do you like right now? masks?

I can’t say enough about Olaplex … I feel redundant. It’s that good.

What’s your favorite new product line(s)? Who has the best packaging?

I’m really into the IGK products right now for styling. They’ve got a great texture spray called “beach club” and a dirty spray called down & out that gives hair a great grip and helps fine hair hold waves.