All about Olaplex

all your questions answered!

Lets talk OLAPLEX🥰 A true gift from the hair Gods, and one of the best products to hit this industry.
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Olaplex in short is liquid gold. You also may hear it’s “insurance” for you hair.
Olaplex is a 7 step bond perfecting system. You receive steps 1, 2, and 4 at your salon visit. Steps 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are your take home products!
The steps go as follow:
1) Added into your bleach or color to rebuild bonds and begins repairing hair and preventing damage. Salon use only
2) Applied at the shampoo bowl. Continues rebuilding and restoring broken bonds. Salon use only.
3) Take home treatment used to strengthen hair and visibly reduces damage.
4) Shampoo - Gently cleanses hair while repairing bonds. Improves moisture, strength, and manageability.
5) Conditioner - Eliminates frizz caused by damage, restores, repairs, and hydrates without weighing your hair down.
6) A leave in styling cream designed to eliminate frizz, hydrate, and protect hair.
7) Reparative styling oil that increases shine, softness, and color vibrancy.
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Using Olaplex both in the salon and in your home hair care will allow your stylist to lift you brighter, quicker, and leave your hair feeling healthier than when you walked in the salon. If your transitioning from a darker color to blonde Olaplex will be your bestie! Keeping your hair in optimum shape with Olaplex both in the chair and between appointments will allow us to get you blonde in fewer appointments.💖

Frequently asked questions about Olaplex:
1. Do I HAVE to have olaplex to color my hair? No! Olaplex is an additive, not a necessity. However, I (and most of my fellow stylist) highly recommend the use of Olaplex with every bleaching session.
2. How much is a Olaplex salon treatment? Prices differ depending on your salon, at UR adding Olaplex into your color is $40. A stand alone Olaplex treatment is $65, these include step 1, 2 and 4.
3. How much are the take home products? Steps 3-7 are available for you to take home. and usually range between $28-$32. They can be purchased through the link below, OR pick them up while visiting Urban. I highly suggest buying from a local salon or the Olaplex website to insure you get the real deal.
4. These bottles are tiny, will they last me? Yes!! Olaplex products are extremely concentrated therefore the amount of product you use is less than half of what you’d use with any other product. My bottles of shampoo and conditioner have lasted me almost 7 months🙌🏽
5. How often should I use my #3 treatment? I recommend using #3 once to twice a week depending on your damage level. If your using the full range of Olaplex steps I recommend backing down your #3 treatment to once every other week.
6. Can I sleep with #3 in my hair? Yes! There is no such thing as to much Olaplex. Just be sure to sleep with a cap on to avoid product in your eyes.

I hope I was able to answer as many questions as possible but feel free to contact me via dm @hairartistama on instagram if you have any other questions!♥️
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Come see me if your local!!🌸💖
Urban Revival Salon
2903 N. Patterson st.
Valdosta, Ga 31602
To book with me:
Call UR: 229/232/4993 Ask for Ashley A
Text: 229/630/2559
Insta Dm: @hairartistama
Facebook messenger: Ashley UR Stylist

Olaplex Steps 3-7

Pro tips : box dye to blonde

The journey to blonde🧚🏻‍♀️

I’d like to start by saying thank you to my client Courtney♥️ She’s the client pictured above and was the first client I ever transitioned from dark box dye to a blonde balayage. From the beginning she has been a dream to work with! I’m so thankful she let me work and learn on her hair.
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Ohhhhh the dreaded service of breaking through box dye. Well, maybe not dreaded to the client but dreaded to the stylist, & heres why.
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Most of the time if you’ve been box dying for extended lengths of time chances are instead of touching up your roots you’ve layered the color all over your head every time. This created layers upon layers of dye your stylist will have to lift through. The more layers you have the more sessions it will take to achieve your blonde. We can only lift your hair so much in one session without breaking it off. This factor is the reason you will need multiple bleaching sessions, so keep that in mind when making the switch from box dye to blonde. When lifting through box dye your hair will go through many different colors before finally lifting to blonde. Red, orange, yellow and much more depending on the color, brand, and time you’ve been box dying.
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The photo attached is one of my clients transitioning from dark brown box dye to a balayage. Starting left to right, first session, second session, third session. You’ll notice a lot of red tones in the photo from the first session. We toned and got as much red out as possible but you can still see the underlying tone being red. The second session lifted to a more orange stage, not nearly as noticeable since the orange stage was a little easier to disguise. We toned this as well and she had a wearable color in transition. Third session lifted us pretty much where we want to be. Still a little yellow/ orange undertone to be broken through but she loved it and has been happy with it since!
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10 things to know before going box dye to blonde:
1) Honesty is key. You HAVE to be honest with your stylist about what you’ve used on your hair at home and how long you’ve been using it.
2) Be patient. This isn’t going to happen in one session, so know before you go in the salon that you will more than likely not be leaving exactly where your goal picture is.
3) Be ready to pay. No the price we quote you does not include all the session you will need. Yes you will have to pay for each session you come in for. Please keep in mind we are using our product, skill, and time each session.
4) Know the difference between balayage and foils. Most people are looking for a balayage look when going through this process. This is fine and we can achieve your goals through balayage, but also know that a balayage does not give you the same amount of lifting power that a foil will. If you choose a balayage it will more than likely take a few more session than it would with foils. Consider a full foil with a shadow root, look up pictures and get a feel for if you like this look. You may not and thats OK we can still take care of you, however when choosing a full highlight and shadow root we can break through the color quicker and later transition you to a balayage.
5) If you are offered Olaplex always say yes, and request Olaplex if not offered. Your going to want to protect your hair as much as possible through this. This service is not easy on your hair, protect it in anyway you can!
6) Invest in good at home products. The better you care for your hair at home the more we can lift without fear of breakage. And like I said, this service is not easy on your hair, baby it, treat it better than you ever had.
7) Be aware of the maintenance that comes along with this. This is an investment, know what its going to take to keep your look fresh. Usually a toner and shadow root will do just fine for maintenance appointment. But be aware that even after we make you blonde the salon visits, and at home care do not stop.
8) Be prepared to wash your hair less and heat style less. Have I mentioned that this process is NOT easy on your hair?(😂) You will need to minimize washing your hair as much as possible. The more natural oils the healthier your hair will be. Try to wash every 2/3 days if you can & if you can go longer even better! Learn to ♥️♥️♥️ dry shampoo. You’ll also need to minimize heat tool as much as possible. With less washes you should find it easier to skip the daily heat styling. If you must heat style lower your temp to 350-390. If you can bake a pizza at the temperature of your hot tool, its to hot. Just be cautious about the damage your doing to your own hair. We need your hair in tip top shape to lift through the dye safely and quickly.
9) Always remember as a stylist our main goal is to NOT break your hair off. If you think we’re taking to long or the process is being strung out, its not. We will only lift you as much as your hair allows. Its not our fault if your hair will not allow us to lift as much as you’d like. Trust us, leaving with a color not as bright as you hoped is way better than leaving bald because we pushed your hair to far.
10) TRUST YOUR STYLIST. Your stylist is a licensed professional, wether you realize it or not we do sometimes know more about this process than you🤪 Do your research before choosing a stylist, and have an in depth consult before the day of your appointment. Find out on average what your going to be spending and get as much information from your stylist as you can/ want. You need to trust and believe in your stylist. Know your stylist is lifting you as safely and quickly as possible, trust the process and enjoy the ride.

Best of luck on your journey babes!
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Come see me if your local!!🌸💖
Urban Revival Salon
2903 N. Patterson st.
Valdosta, Ga 31602
To book with me:
Call UR: 229/232/4993 Ask for Ashley A
Text: 229/630/2559
Insta Dm: @hairartistama
Facebook messenger: Ashley UR Stylist

Pro tips : fashion colors

10 things to know before going bold

Hair art with colors ranging from neon green to rose gold have taken this industry by storm. You may hear these colors referred to as fashion color, direct dyes, or vivid colors.
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It’s so exciting to see something so fun and bright hit this industry. But with this new trend came a lot of misconceptions.

1) Your hair has to be level 10 blonde a.k.a completely WHITE for a fashion color to show up true to color. After that you’ll need to be toned to eliminate any yellow or under lying tones and get your hair absolutely white. So be prepared to go through an entire bleach and tone session prior to your fashion color process.
2) This is not a simple to maintain color. You will need to be in the salon every 4-6 weeks. If your lucky you can push 6-8. Either way you’ll be a frequent flyer in your stylist chair. Make sure your prepared for the financial aspect as well as time.
3) Fashion colors are direct dyes meaning they are not permanent, so they will fade. Don’t be shocked if you notice color washing out when you shampoo, or color on your towel. Even going in 4-6 weeks you will still fade.
3) The lighter the color the quicker they fade. Rose gold and pastel pink are beautiful but they will be the quickest to fade out. Dark purple and blue tend to have the most longevity. My client pictured above gets about 6/7 weeks out of her color.
4) If you have virgin hair your going to have much better luck with fashion colors. With virgin hair we can lift you to a white state semi-easily and deposit what ever color you desire. Previously colored hair will have to go through a process of striping the color. Depending on whats been on your hair this process can take multiple sessions. You may need to aim for a darker fashion color in this case
5) Do your research when choosing a stylist. Make sure they have some sort of back ground or knowledge in fashion colors. This can easily get muddy and not cute if not executed correctly.
6) Have an in depth consultation with your stylist before the day of the appointment. If not offered when you book, request one. 9/10 they are free and this allows you to have a better understanding of what to expect, and what is realistic to achieve on your hair. Along with these things your going to want an accurate price quote before arriving. You’d be surprised at how much work and product goes into a color such as this and prices can reflect.
7) I highly suggest starting off with a peak a boo/ underneath layer for your first go round. If you love it you can go full head next time! But coming from someone who’s experienced this, it can be a bit shocking to go from a natural color to a full head of fashion colors. Start small, then go big.
8) I as well highly suggest requesting your stylist feather the bleach at the root, teasing, or whatever technique they can offer to allow you to keep your natural root. Your already going to be in the salon frequently for fashion color touch ups. It’s going to be quicker and easier on the wallet to go in for a single fashion color process versus a bleach root touch up and fashion color process.
9) Invest in a good color wash, color conditioner, or both! These are going to be your saving grace in between salon visits. Color wash and color conditioners come in a variety of different fashion colors. It’s simply a shampoo and conditioner with your color added in it! The color wash simply deposits color as you wash your hair. The color conditioner is applied and sits for 2-5 minutes or up to 20 minutes for more intensity. They can be used together or separate once or twice a week to keep your fashion colors fresh! My favorites are from Celeb Luxury, the Viral condition and color wash are amazing. I’ll have them linked below😌
10) I guess this could technically be 10 and 11🤷🏼‍♀️ Be understanding with your stylist & have a back up plan. Getting your hair to lift to a level 10 blonde can be a process, especially if you have previously colored hair. And at the end of the day we just want your hair as healthy as we can keep it! You may not lift all the way the first time, and thats okay. It’s a marathon not a sprint😉 & this is why you need a back up plan! Always be prepared to leave with a darker fashion color, or possibly even a blonde on your first visit. For example; if your goal is rose gold and you know you have previous color in your hair you should prepare yourself to possibly have to leave with a darker pink or blonde. More ideally, a toned blonde until your able to return to the salon for another bleaching session. If your able to leave as a blonde in a situation like this you’ll be able to return for a second bleaching session and more than likely lift to a point where your able to achieve rose gold. Where as if you leave with the darker pink your setting yourself farther away from your goal.
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First off if you’ve made it this far, thank you!😂
Secondly, I hope I was able to answer any questions you may have! But if you have any other questions or concerns feel free to shoot me a DM on insta or facebook!
Come see me if your local!!🌸💖
Urban Revival Salon
2903 N. Patterson st.
Valdosta, Ga 31602
To book with me:
Call Urban: 229/232/4993 Ask for Ashley A
Text: 229/630/2559
Insta Dm: @hairartistama
Facebook messenger: Ashley UR Stylist

Balayage vs. Highlights

The ultament blonde off

The ultimate question when going blonde. Balayage or highlights?
What are they, whats the difference, and witch fits your lifestyle the best?
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//Balayage//: meaning to sweep or to paint. A highlighting technique created by French colorist in the 70’s. Balayage is a freehand hair coloring technique witch creates a natural, blended, sun-kissed look with no harsh re-growth lines.
//Highlights//: Select strands of hair weaved out in sub sections, laid over foil, then some form of lightener is applied from root through the ends. Leaving sections of natural in between. Select sectioning is used to evenly distribute highlights making sure to not leave a streaky result.
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*As you read this post please keep in mind that personally as a stylist when doing a full highlight my goal is to pack as much blonde in as possible, therefore I consider a highlight to be a way of achieving a fully blonde look. Not all stylist highlight the same and not all stylist consider a highlight a way to achieve a full blonde look.*
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So first things first, balayage or highlights?
This is always 110% up to you and your preference. The main things to consider while choosing include:
A) Maintenance.
-A balayage does not touch your natural root and the lighter is blended and diffused to create a natural, gradient effect. This being said a balayage is very low maintenance, once you’ve achieved your goal blonde you will only need a toner every 4-6 weeks to keep unwanted tones out of your blonde. A full bleaching session is only needed one to two times a year to bring your blonde up higher, if you desire.
-A highlight is bleaching from root to tip. So as your hair grows out you will have a harsh transition between your regrowth and your previous highlights. This means you will need to be in the salon anywhere from 4-8 weeks, depending on how fast your hair grows, for a foil touch up and toner.
B) Overall result and goal color.
-If your looking to go mainly blonde, like to see a lot of blonde around your face, or are looking to do away with most of {but not all} your natural or base color a highlight is for you. Insulating the hair in the foil allows to lift lighter and brighter. Bringing the lightener all the way to the root gives you the brightness around your face that all blonde babes are looking for.
-If you choose balayage keep in mind this is a NATURAL coloring technique. Your blonde will not go all the way to your root. The blondest parts of your hair will be the ends, gradually fading up to darker blonde and eventually your natural. You can still achieve the lightness around your face with “money pieces” however you still will not feel “mostly” blonde. A balayage is an open air lightning technique so you shouldn’t expect as much lift as you do from a foil. Myself and my coworkers lightly insulate the balayage in foil to maximize lift, but the lifting power is still not the same. So keep in mind if you go with a balayage it may take you multiple sessions to achieve your goal blonde.
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Witch fits your lifestyle best? Heres a couple questions to ask yourself when considering.
•How often do you visit the salon?
•How often do you wear your hair up? •Frequency of washing and heat styling? •Have you been blonde before?

-If your someone who is an avid salon guest and has no issue making time to come in frequently for a lengthy appointment, then a highlight will be great for you! Of course the balayage is still a great option if your going for a natural look. But if you want to be as blonde as possible and don’t mind the time in the chair go for the highlight! You’ll be much happier.

-If you are not able to get in the salon as frequently, a balayage is perfect for you. Once your where you want to be we will only need to see you every couple months for a toner, however with the right home regimen you could push your toner appointments even further out. Lightning sessions are not “needed” but suggested at least once a year to bring your blonde higher and keep you feeling fresh. Natural, low maintenance, and still blonde, the prefect answer for the busy girl.

- Ok but what if you want to be as blonde as you can but don’t want to do frequent bleaching sessions? I’ve got an answer for that too😉 Go for the highlight, but ask your stylist to match a shadow root to your natural color. This way as your highlights grow out you wont have the harsh regrowth lines, instead a diffused rooted look. You’ll still need to visit the salon for a toner and shadow root retouch. You’ll as well still need to have lightning sessions a bit more frequently than a balayage, but the shadow root will eliminate the need for bleach at every session while still allowing you to have a very blonde feel.

-If you wear your hair up often, I suggest a balayage. When worn up a balayage still looks beautiful, however wear your hair up with a highlight that needs to be touched up and all you’ll see is the dark hole in your hair🤨
If your someone that rarely wears your hair up, you’ll be fine with either service.

-If your someone who washes your hair very rarely {3/4 times a week or less} and heat styles your hair very little, you’ll do wonderful with a highlight. However if you cant shake your everyday wash, blow dry, and heat style then I do not suggest a highlight. With a highlight you’ll be applying bleach and other chemicals throughout the coloring process a lot more frequently, meaning your hair will be noticeably dryer if you continue to wash and heat style daily. However with a balayage your applying bleach rarely, therefore leaving a little more wiggle room as far as damage goes. I still suggest cutting down on the washes and heat styling but a balayage will be more forgiving while you and your hair adapt to less heat and wash.

-If you’ve never been blonde before a balayage is a great way to introduce you into the blonde life, without immediately throwing yourself into a high maintenance color. This as well will help with the shock of completely changing your hair color. Personally, I prefer a gradual change not immediate so thats always something I consider when choosing a service for myself or my clients. You can always go back and go blonder once you’ve got the hang of being a blondie & know you love yourself with blonde hair.
However if you’ve been blonde before and your aware of the maintenance and know you love your hair blonde, I say jump fully in and go for the highlight!
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As always I hope I was able to answer some questions for you or steer you in the right direction. If you have any doubts about your choice, speak to your stylist prior to your color session. And feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns😚
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Come see me if your local!!🌸💖
Urban Revival Salon
2903 N. Patterson st.
Valdosta, Ga 31602
To book with me:
Call UR: 229/232/4993 Ask for Ashley A
Text: 229/630/2559
Insta Dm: @hairartistama
Facebook messenger: Ashley UR Stylist

All the con’s of “Sun- in hair lightener”

5 reasons to say no to “Sun-in”

In theory “Sun- in” sounds like a good product. Apply to your hair, and lay out. Darker skin and lighter hair without having to visit the salon, seems like a good idea right?... Wrong🧐
So heres all the bad things that come along with the ever so infamous “sun-in”.

1) This product is straight hydrogen peroxide in a bottle. If you don’t neutralize the peroxide it will continue oxidizing, eating away the color molecules in your hair and eventually compromising your hairs structure causing your hair to break off.
2) If you have previously colored or lightened hair sun-in is a bad option. You already have chemicals within your hair shaft from the color and mixing those with the chemicals in sun-in can cause an extremely harmful chemical reaction.
3) Using sun-in can cause problems for your stylist down the road. Sun-in’s chemicals renders the predictability in a color session. Your stylist wont necessarily know if the color will come out as its designed to, making future color sessions harder.
4) Using Sun-in will potentially cause discoloration. Usually sun-in is only successful with naturally blonde hair that is only going one to two shades lighter. Using sun-in on darker hair will leave you with an uneven, orange color.
5) You can not reverse the bad color, or the damage from Sun-in. Once the deed is done, you have to cut out the sun- in.
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The image attached is a before and after from a client that had a mishap with Sun-in.
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Hopefully this will save some of you ladies from a hair disaster caused by Sun-in. As always feel free to contact me with any questions!
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Come see me if your local!!🌸💖
Urban Revival Salon
2903 N. Patterson st.
Valdosta, Ga 31602
To book with me:
Call UR: 229/232/4993 Ask for Ashley A
Text: 229/630/2559
Insta Dm: @hairartistama
Facebook messenger: Ashley UR Stylist

#fallhair —

pro tips : blonde to brunette

Happy {almost} Fall Ya’ll🧡🍂

Cooler weather is right around the corner, witch means a lot of my blonde barbie👸🏼 are transitioning to brunette babes.👸🏻

The trend of being blonde in the summer and brunette in the fall/winter is easily one of the longest lasting hair trends. Even my year round blondies will go for a deeper toned blonde or less ash for the colder months.
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Sooooo, in preparation for the approaching season i’m sharing everything your going to need to know before going darker for the cooler months!
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First things first, before diving off the brunette deep end think about future you. Is she going to miss the blonde locks next summer? Is this change to brunette going to be for the long run, or just for the season? This is something your going to need to decide prior to going brunette, and heres why;

When making a permanent change from blonde to brunette your going to want to asked to be filled or pre-toned with a semi-permanent color. {Its so hard to explain why you need this in non-cosmetologist terms. Honestly, don’t worry about the “why” just know your going to need it and to ask for it}. After you’ve been filled or pre-toned you’ll then have a permanent color applied. Now when we say permanent color, we mean it. Even salon quality permanent color can be hard to lift out. So make sure this is a change for the long run and be prepared for multiple session if you ever decide to go blonde again.

BUT, if you know your only going brunette for the winter, and want to achieve blonde for the next summer ask for a glaze. A glaze is also commonly referred to as a toner. A demi or semi permanent color is most commonly used in a glaze, and thats why you want it! You may want to clarify that a demi or semi color is being used for your service. A demi is going to last a little longer since it opens the hair cuticle slightly, where as a semi only sits on the surface of the hair strand. Either way the color will not be embedded as deeply in the hair and can be lifted easier when going back blonde.

I’m not saying if you use permanent color you’ll never be able to achieve blonde again, you will. It will simply take more sessions, therefore costing more, and causing more damage.

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Secondly, consider the change in your appearance. This one seems pretty obvious, but a lot of times we see pretty pictures on Pintrest and want it. Very rarely do we considering the difference in skin tone, eye color, and the simple fact we are not that model. These factors are SO IMPORTANT.

Now clearly if your someone that has experience going blonde to brunette this wont apply to you. But if your a newbie I have a couple hacks to ease the transition.

The largest piece of advice I can give you is to use your trusted stylist, or if your looking for a new stylist do plenty of research on them and the work they create. You need to trust your stylist and trust the advice they give you. If they say the brunette your asking for wont work well with your skin tone, listen and take the advice.

Ok, now i’m going to contradict myself for a minute, Even if your goal is to go brunette and stay brunette, try starting with a glaze. As I said a glaze can be lifted out of the hair easily, So if you go brunette and end up wanting to go blonde it wont be a huge hassle. If you love being brunette then at your next color appointment request a permanent and make that switch then.

Another option is dimension. Think more of a brunette with highlights look. This will allow you to be mostly brunette while keeping a little lightness in your look. When looking up goal pictures search for dimensional brunettes, or when requesting this with your stylist simply ask if they can leave some of your previous blonde out when applying your color. Some stylist will deposit brunette in all of your hair then go back and add highlights after, I highly highly suggest against this. Your hair is already blonde, theres no need in depositing then immediately lifting the color out to create highlights. You’ll end up with unneeded damage. The best way to achieve this is to weave out the blonde pieces needed to create your look, insulate them in foil with conditioner similar to a traditional highlight, then apply your base color {a.k.a the brunette} to the hair left out of the foils. This eliminates the need for bleach in this session, therefore minimizing damage. I used this technique on the client attached to this post as well as multiple others and have always gotten a beautiful result.

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Consider the change in your at home hair care you’ll need to make.

Time to put away the purple shampoo and replace it with brunette color wash or conditioner. {I’ve linked my fav below😉} This will ensure your color stays fresh in between appointments!

Even as a blonde you should be using a color safe shampoo, but if your not nows the time to make the change. Even permanent colors will fade slightly. You’ve already invested in your hair, go on and take the extra step and splurge on a good shampoo and conditioner. You’ll save yourself salon visits, and more dollhairs in the long run.

Be prepared to wash less and invest in a tinted dry shampoo. Even as a blonde you should be washing as little as possible, but this is equally as important as a brunette. Keep as much natural oils in your hair as you can, it may seem gross but I promise your hair will love you for it. There are many brands that make tinted dry shampoos in multiple different color and shades. {My fav linked below😏} A tinted dry shampoo isn’t a necessity, any dry shampoo will work. But I promise after you spend 30 minutes trying to blend the white dry shampoo into your hair, you’ll be running to buy the tinted version.

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My final advice seems like the most minute. But I promise it’s one of the most important things to remember.

Darker hair disguises split ends and damage. Keep in mind that just because you cant see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Don’t lessen your hair care routine just because you don’t see as much visible damage.

Hair mask, minimal heat, minimal washing, and using good quality hair care products are the key to any healthy head of hair, wether it be blonde or brunette.

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As always, thank you for taking the time to read my post! Feel free to contact me with any questions you have🤗

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Come see me if your local!!🌸💖
Urban Revival Salon
2903 N. Patterson st.
Valdosta, Ga 31602
To book with me:
Call UR: 229/232/4993 Ask for Ashley A
Text: 229/630/2559
Insta Dm: @hairartistama
Facebook messenger: Ashley UR Stylist

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