Summer in Chicago is an exciting time, filled with baseball games and festivals. So how do you keep your hair looking fresh in this sweltering heat? We have a few summer hairstyles that will help you beat the heat!

 

Classic Ponytail

 

Yes, it seems obvious, but the ponytail is a classic for a reason. It’s a great way to keep your hair off your neck during a festival or summer night cookout. Plus you can always dress it up with a cute headband to add a pop of color.

 

Messy Bun

 

The messy bun is another classic, but it can be hard to master. The key is to avoid making it so messy that it looks like you just rolled out of bed. When done right, this hairstyle is the perfect combination between casual and classy and can be worn on the beach or at a patio party.

 

French Braid

 

The French braid is the perfect hairstyle for those who want their hair completely out of their faces while still looking chic and professional. It is ideal for those who work in offices since it can be business casual but also be worn to happy hour after work.

 

Get a Bob

 

Don’t stop reading yet! We know how it is to be attached to your beautiful, long hair, but maybe it’s time for you to try a bob. It’s an iconic summer look that’s easy to style and maintain in the Chicago summer heat. Don’t knock it right off the bat!

 

Try a Pixie Cut

 

Okay if you’re willing to read this last tip, we’re proud of you. You’re bold and daring, willing to go to any lengths (even short ones) to keep your neck dry and your hair fly this summer. The real question is: why not try a pixie cut? It can be chic or casual and keep you feeling fresh all summer long!

 

Bonus Tip: Get a Blowout

 

This isn’t technically a hairstyle, but it’s a great tip to keep your hair looking gorgeous in the summer. If you feel like it’s falling flat or if you’ve used dry shampoo far too much, maybe just schedule a blowout at Salon Envy. Our skilled hair stylists will get your ’do looking fab in no time.

Dry Scalp: The only flakes this season should be made of snow! Prevent a dry scalp by showering in warm, not hot water. Also brushing your hair really well before hopping in the shower can help by distributing the oils and breaking up any build up from the scalp.  If your buildup is caused by products you need a clarifying shampoo like Bumble’s Sunday shampoo, or if it is just dry scalp we recommend Kérastase’s Bain Exfoliant Hydratant. Bumble & bumble’s Tonic Lotion is also a great product for your scalp and hair, with natural tea tree oil, vitamins, and herbs it soothes your scalp and detangles.


Treatments/Conditioning: Treat yourself with a hair masque or in salon treatment which can help keep both your scalp and hair healthy. There are many great take home masques by Kérastase, ask your stylist which one is right for you to treat your hair in the best way possible. It goes deep into your hair for added nourishment, and don’t forget to always use a conditioner at home. If you don’t have time to do it yourself, add a treatment on to your in salon blow-dry/style.


Heat: Easing up on the styling tools can help keep your hair healthy and prevent damage. However, as the temperature drops it may be too cold to forgo the blow dry. Always make sure you use a heat protectant. Not only will it help protect your hair from styling tools it prevents it from drying out and frizzing up. Any of the Kérastase Thermique’s are perfect for protecting your hair based on its needs, or the blow dry styling balms from Bumble that are formulated for each look you’re trying to achieve.

Oils: Kérastase also has the Elixer collection; these oils are formulated to be everything you need to add the extra boost for your hair. It offers more shine, deep conditioning nourishment, anti-humidity protection, faster drying time, and reduces breakage.
Plus it it’s versatile:

• Pre-Cleanse: Apply to brushed hair and rinse out before applying shampoo to remove impurities
• Pre-Blow Dry: Apply to towel-dried hair and blow dry as normal for additional protection
• Finishing: Work into the ends of the hair to control frizz, smooth and style
• Touch-up: Apply throughout the day to add a touch of shine as needed.

Créme De La Créme: Controlling Blowdry Cream for Volume Down! Great for Medium to Coarse Hair, this blowdry cream gives you control and smoothness. Has a medium hold with shape memory, thermo-protection, and anti- frizz to keep hair tamed for longer. This product can be used alone or with your favorite Kérastase Thermique to boost it to the next level of control. 

Want Fuller, Stronger hair?

Reduce Hair Loss by 46% in One Month!

Take a break from the summer heat by giving your blow dryer a rest, without compromising your style. Bumble and bumble’s Bb. Don’t blow it can help you achieve your best air dried hair. This first-of-its-kind crème enhances hairs natural texture and adds bounce. Specially formulate with prickly pear and cactus flower extracts to keep your hair soft and hydrated. It also contains UVA and UVB filters to protect your tresses from the harsh summer sun! It’s your hair with an added boost that vanishes into the strands without a trace of product. This new styler is exclusively at Salon Envy Chicago and is great for fine to medium hair types. Check out all the ways to use the new Bb. Don’t Blow it (H)air Styler in Salon and online!


You don’t have to live by the beach to achieve effortless beachy hair. Catch the newest wave with Bumble and bumble’s Surf Style. This line includes the foam wash shampoo and crème rinse conditioner to help set the foundation for your effortless waves, and now includes two stylers. Surf Spray is the original salt-infused spray for sexy windswept styles since 2001. It gives you texture with a matte natural finish.
The newest addition is the Surf Infusion, born on the beach where surfer girls and guys oil their hair before and after catching waves.  This spray contains a tropical mix of coconut, mango seed, passion fruit, and palm oils which conditions and softens hair. These fruit extracts along with algae extract and UV filters protects your hair as well as nourishes it. The special mineral and sea salt blend is what helps create waves and builds tousled, touchable texture and body. These products are available at Salon Envy Chicago, and are great for creating not only seabreezy texture and wind swept waves, but effortless updo’s as well.

Hair products are the best gift to give because everyone needs them. Who doesn't want healthy, shiney hair? I know I do!

This is your 2013 holiday gift guide from Salon Envy, were conviently located in Lincoln Park,  Chicago IL.

Once a year Kerastase comes out with a holiday set. It is the best deal they have, basically getting one product for free!

Also a great product to get someone is masquintense, for fine or thick hair. During winter months everyone experiences dryness. This mask can work for just about any hair type.

Know someone who needs volume? Root uplifting hair gel is a 2012 Allure winner! This is a unqiue gel texture for volume at at the roots. It also has UV and heat protection.



Bumble and Bumble is another great line Salon Envy carries. Tonic Lotion is such an amazing product that any hair type can use. It is a leave-in spray that hydates the hair. Another amazing thing about Bumble and Bumble's Tonic Lotion, which I just learned from a Bumble and Bumble rep with deter any re-infestations of lice with daily use due to the tea tree oil! I know I'm using daily for my daughters hair.



Need a product for a man in your life? Sumotech is a guy go-to! It has a matte finish with medium hold. It also can piece out a womens pixie cut.




Spray de mode hairspray is the best around! This is a great hairspray for anyone! It has a medium hold, with no flakes or crunch.




Salon Envy also carries accessories and Hobo International wallets. Shown below is the classic Hobo International Lauren Wallet. This is great for anyone on the go! We have them in all colors, great as a clutch as well!

Salon Envy also is having a holiday gift card special! 

THE BEST WAY TO GET VOLUME IN YOUR HAIR.

Lets face it, the higher the hair, the closer to Heaven :) Just kidding.

Whether your hair is fine, medium, or coarse, there are a few IMPORTANT details that you'll need to achieve the MOST out of your hair. "Most" meaning volume, height, thickness, voluptousness, BIG, bulk, mass, victorias secret hair... you get the point...


1. CLEANSE YOUR HAIR.
Simple and easy. Make sure you use a deep cleansing shampoo such as Bumble & Bumble Sunday shampoo to remove excess BUILD UP and products that may be left on your hair and cause greasy ness and heaviness. Also, use the clarifying shampoo along with a daily volumizing shampoo such as Kerastase Bain Volumifique with Kerastase Gelee Volumifique or L'Oreal Professional Paris Volumetry Shampoo and Conditioner.


2. STYLING PRODUCTS.
This goes along with No. 1, it all starts in the shower what you are washing and condiitoning with. Next, is your base products. They need to be light, have good control (hold) for your style, and also be the RIGHT type for your hair. Some of our favorite volumizing products here at Salon Envy are by Kerastases Couture Styling Line.

Kerastase Mousse Bouffant.

• -Buildable volume and body
• -Adds fullness and structure without weight
• -Not stiff, flexible movement
• -UV and heat protection
• 
• Kerastase Volumifique Mousse (for fine hair)
• -Ampliflies and volumizes hair
  • -Gives more body while adding strength and substance 
  • -Provides flexible hold with a soft touch 
  • -Hair has added strength and substance, with blow-dry protection 
  • -Protects style with an anti-static effect 
  • 

Kerastase Lift Vertige

• • -Provides volume and lift at roots

    • -Long-lasting root support

      • -Adds shine
      • -UV and heat protection
      • 
      • Bumble & Bumble Thickening HairSpray
      • -Begins styling lift-off for any hair type
      • -(thick, thin or otherwise)
      • -moderate hold.
      • 
• Bumble & Bumble Dry Spun Finish
• -Translucent dry spray creates instant fullness
• and texture to spin hair into an airy silhouette.
• 

There are many more we offer but there are our favorites! Be sure to ask your stylist for the best recommendations for your hair type and texture.

3. The Blow-Dry
After you get the products in, next the most important step is your blow dry. Don't let your hair air dry and let gravity get the best of you. Blow Dry your hair right away and either blow dry the opposite way of your hair growth (upside down) or keep the blow dryer pointed up to get the MOST volume at your roots!

5. Back-combing, Teasing, Ratting, Whatever you like to call it!
This is a simple easy step, too! You take your comb and comb the hair BACKWARDS, hence the name, Back-Combing. Here is a picture to show how to do it! This will create volume and help hold your volume throughout your day. I like to back-comb and then hairspray to make sure I get the maxium hold from the back-combed area.

Well if you color your hair, you most likely suffer from hair color fading. Its normal! Even with permanent hair color, the color still fades over a period of time.

The 5 most common reasons why hair color fades...........

1.) The sun can cause hair color to fade.

2.) Many enviromental factors and pollutants can cause hair color to fade.

3.) Your shampoo and conditioners can cause hair color to fade.

4.) The minerals from the water can cause hair color to fade.

5.) The temperature of water can cause hair color to fade.

Over the years I have learned that there are a few things that help your hair color from fading:

After your color application be sure to add on a treatment to help preserve your color and protect your hair. Salon Envy recommends by Kerastase the in-salon fusio dose treatments or Bumble and Bumbles Color Minded Treatment. Both are in-salon treatments that are inexpensive and will help prolong your hair color from fading.



 

Color care shampoo and conditioner recommended by your stylist. If you buy store bought shampoos and conditioners they have cheaper chemicals in them (which is why they are cheaper) which will strip your hair and do the exact opposite of what you want!

~Bumble & Bumple color minded shampoo and conditioner is a great line for color fading and also Kerastase Chroma Riche and Chroma Captive sulfate free shampoo and rinse out.

Wash your hair in milder temperatures and rinse in cool water to close the cuticle and seal your color in. Make sure if possible to wait at least 24- even better 48 hours after your color application to wash your hair.

Limit your hair to sun exposure by wearing a bandana, hat, or scarf. Almost everytime clients come back from a sunny vacation their hair color is faded dramatically. The sun literally bleaches hair. Even if it doesnt feel strong or if it is cloudy, believe me, the rays are bleaching that hair!

Protect your hair with a leave in product. When your hair is exposed to high heat from your blow dryer or iron tools the cuticle is damaged and the hair becomes more porous. When your hair is more porous it will likely fade because the cuticle is more open and the color slides out faster! To protect your hair color from fading try Kerastase Chroma Thermique (a wonderful thermal protector and shine enhancing moisturizer. For you sun exposed clients out there try Kerastase Huile Celeste. Huile Celeste protects your hair from the sun, sea, and chlorine.

In this summer heat, there is no telling how our style will stay throughout the day. By the time you're off the train and walking into work, the cute curls you put in an hour earlier are now frizzed and falling out! With the right products in your desk at work, this can be easily fixed! Walking into your office with A/C from the humidity does nothing flattering for your precious locks! To maintain your style and combat the humidity and frizz, you need to be prepared with a few of our favorite products.

Kérastase Cristalliste Lumiere is an anti-humectant and smooths hair without weighing it down. It is PERFECT to add shine and combat the humidity!

Another great product to have on hand is Bumble & Bumble's Defrizz. It does exactly what it says - protects against frizz, acts as a barrier to humidity and leaves hair soft, silky and flyaway-free!


Always keep these products by your side and during the summer, give yourself a little bit of extra time so that you have time to primp before work starts!

On the other end of the work day, whether you're going out for drinks with your friends or dinner with your boyfriend, you need to be able to switch your style from day to night in a flash! We've all been there - this is why we love the idea of keeping a drawerful of travel size hair products at your desk!

All of the stylists here at the salon LOVE Redken's Quick Tease. We like to call it our "backcomb in a can." You can fab up your look with some extra volume and texture in a pinch! Spray 10-12 inches away to add texture, or 4-6 inches away as a volumizer for the root. For extra volume, you can use your backcomb to tease it, otherwise the product works great on its own!

!

Another go-to product for a quick hair fix is dry shampoo. Redken has a great one, and it comes in travel size - perfect to carry around in your purse or keep at work! Bumble also has a fabulous dry shampoo specified for each hair color - AND it comes in travel sizes, as well!


If you're looking for another small product to keep at your desk, Bumble has Surf Spray which gives your hair perfect texture and beach waves.


Once you come prepared, you'll never have to stress again when you have a full day and don't have time to stop at home to do a hair check between obligations!
PS: Did we mention ALL of these products come in travel sizes? Stop by the salon to check them out!

What are your favorite "on-the-go" styling products?

Just when we thought Kérastase couldn't get any better... they did. We are SO excited to announce the release of Kérastase's new styling collection! There are two lines and you should be educated about them so you can find the products best suited for you. The green and purple lines each have their own purpose; the green is meant for construction - meaning that you put it on towel dried hair as a base. The purple is for styling and finishing. Did I tell you the best part? Each product from the purple line has anti-humectant (the stuff that combats humidity!) How great is that?!


The biggest thing to know about the new styling collection is that you can MIX them! Each product is meant to be cocktailed with others. Experiment and figure out what's best for you! Here are a few tips about each product for those who like to play by the rules!

The complete Kérastase regimen consists of four steps : 1) Cleanse 2) Treat 3) Prime and 4) Style



Once you have shampooed (cleansed) and then treated (with your favorite masque or conditioner), prime your hair with your favorite Kérastase priming product. We love the elixirs shown above! Then it's time for the green line to step in.



One of our favorite's from this line is the Spray å Porter Beach Texture Spray. This has a medium and flexible hold and creates beachy waves or great second day hair.

Application: Apply on towel-dried hair/dry hair from roots to ends. Air dry using fingers to scrunch or style as usual with heat tools.

The Lift Vertige Root Uplifting Gel is another great product from the green line. It provides volume and lift at the roots and adds shine to your hair without weighing it down.



Application: Distribute evenly at the roots on towel-dried hair and lift upwards with your fingers. Apply heat directly at the root and then style as usual.

One product that we are so excited for Kérastase to reveal from their purple line is the Powder Bluff - their first texturizing dry shampoo. This product creates buildable texture and body and is an instant style refresher while helping to absorb oils for lasting blow dries. It is light and flexible and can be used on all styles!

Application: Hold can 10-12 inches from hair. Spray onto dry hair using an even, all-around circular motion. Let it dry before styling.

If you're looking for a classic hairspray, look no further! Kérastase has their Laque Dentelle - flexible hold hairspray and Laque Couture - strong hold hairspray. Both have amazing frizz control and can be used to set all styles in place. The flexible hold has more of a buildable hold and the strong hold sets and locks styles. Note: these hairsprays are the same as Kérastase's current hairsprays, but just have new packaging - so if you've always loved them, don't worry, they're still here! And if you've never tried them, now is a perfect time!

Application: Hold can 10-12 inches from hair. Spray onto dry hair using an even, all-around circular motion. Re-apply throughout the day as needed.


Phew! This is a lot to catch up on! Please note that we did not highlight all of Kérastase's new products, but just SOME of our favorites! For the full product line visit their website or stop in the salon to check it out! The stylists will be more than happy to help you and find the best products for you!

Here is a little cheat sheet to find out more about all of the products!


Have you tried Kérastase's new Couture Styling Collection? What's your favorite product?

Its that time of the year again, New York's biannual Bridal Fashion Week was just upon us showcasing designs that were full of romantic traditional touches, intriguing hemlines, and delicate necklines. These are some of our top picks and the perfect hair to accompany them.

Here is Caroline Herrera's example of the trendy high/low hem set in a classically beautiful dress.

These three neck elongating celebrity updos are the perfect pairing.

Jennifer Lopez's High Bun

Marion Cotillard's Pouf with Headband

Kate Botsworth's Side Braid with Back Knots & Plaits

This dreamy Ream Aera number features princess-like tiers and romantic V-neckline that is begging for soft curls and rich color.

Beautifully curled hair can be achieved it in a variety of lengths and textures that all results in a look that is softly glamorous and ready for the walk down the aisle.

Ginnifer Goodwin's Short Finger Curls

Zooey Deschanel's Soft Waves with Top Braid

Paula Patton's Sideswept Waves with Jeweled Barrette

This bold yet elegant dress from Vera Wang features an eye-catching trumpet skirt and plunging neckline is calling for a gentle updo with romantic details.

Here the updos add the perfect touch of demure romance and charm.

Liu Wen's Sleek Side Part with Over The Ear Knot

Lea Michele's Braids with Plaited Chignon

Charlize Theron's Wavy Off Center Chignon with Jeweled Headband

So here are our highlights from the show and don't forget It's the never to early to start planning the perfect spring hair to match whichever dream dress you've picked.