Category Archives: News

Devacurl Supercream

Supercream
Photo Source: ulta.com

I’ve fallen in love with the Devacurl supercream this winter. First of all, it has the most moisture of all of their styling products, which is great for our dry Michigan months when you may need to smooth, shape and define your hair. It’s also great for controlling your frizz during the humid summer months.

Be careful though, with this product, you can definitely put in too much! How do I know this, you might ask? Well, because I’ve been known to get overzealous with hair products, and have done exactly that.

How much is the right amount? It really depends on your hair type. If you have wavy hair that tends to be on the finer side, then it might not be the product for you. If your hair has more curl than wave and is of a more medium texture, then feel free to use the supercream; but remember: less is more. Put a tiny bit in your hands, work it in your palms, and use your fingers to gently smooth it over your curls.

Now, if your hair is super curly and tends to need TONS of moisture all year round, then this product will be your new best friend. When using this, take smaller sections of soaking wet hair and gently work the supercream into it. Make sure that every strand gets some supercream love. After it’s all worked through, that’s when you take your devatowel, old t-shirt, or paper towel (if you’re in a pinch), and gently squish out the moisture. Then allow your hair to air dry, or slowly and gently diffuse it. As always, before you begin to shake out your beautiful curls, be sure that they are mostly dry; otherwise you’ll be headed to frizzy-ville.

The supercream has you covered all year round. Whether you’re dealing with our dry winters or our humid summers, this product is great for all seasons; although, the amount you’re using may shift a little. Try it out! Your hair will thank you by being softer, more manageable, and far less frizzy. What I’ve noticed with my curly clients this winter is that using these products keeps my hands incredibly soft. They help with your hair AND your hands! Remember, all DevaCurl products are 100% sulfate, paraben and silicone free. Enjoy!

Hair to the Throne’s Second Birthday

Cupcake
Photo Source: aredlipandanudeshoe.com

Hair to the Throne Salon is now celebrating its Second birthday! This time of year always puts me in an introspective mood, reminding me of the challenges I faced two years ago while trying to open my own Ann Arbor hair salon. Although the challenges were met, new ones will continue to pop up, forcing me to learn and grow in new ways; with new skills to service my clients and be a better hairdresser than I was last year.

The best decision I’ve made this year is going to the Devacurl advanced class in July. Not only did I have a blast in NYC, but I literally took my curly hair skills to the next level. Since then, I’ve been meeting a TON of curly headed folks! This is a lot of fun for me because I’m the girl with stick straight hair that has always wanted some type of wave or curl. Now I get to play with beautifully textured hair more often.

I’ve also been hearing their crazy curly hair stories; Stories about their childhood “triangle” and “mushroom” haircuts; about their high school hairdresser “perming” their already curly hair in order to keep it under control. Yes, I’ve heard this and so much more.

I am grateful for the opportunity to take hair that has typically been considered “out of control”, and give it the love that it definitely needs. The Devacurl products are wonderful in this regard and the more I use them, the more I love them!

So, as we head into 2017, I would like to just say thank you to all of my wonderful clients, some of whom I’ve known for well over a decade, and some who I’ve just recently met. I look forward to providing all of you with your beauty needs. Have a safe and happy holiday season! Much love, Shannon.

DevaCurl Advanced Class

DevaCurl Academy SealThe highlight of my summer was going to NYC to attend the level two advanced Devacurl class at the end of July. It was such an amazing experience; I have to tell everybody about it.

A little back story first. I have wanted to do this class for several years now. At this point in my career, I specifically want hands-on classes. Hair shows are a lot of fun, but everything is scattered around, with loud music, flashing lights and hundreds of people wandering around observing different professionals doing many different things to hair: Cutting and coloring techniques, special event styling, etc.

I always have fun at hair shows, but in order to take my skills to the next level, especially my curly hair skills, I knew that the Devacurl academy was where I wanted to be. In the past, I’ve played around with their products, and I knew that they were great, but I craved more knowledge!

During this class, I felt like a novice again, which is great because I really do love being “the student” and learning new things. In life, you have to constantly challenge yourself in order to better yourself, and I did that this summer.
It was a three day class Sunday through Tuesday from 10am to 6pm. The first day we went over all things theory about Devacurl in their classroom; their products, their specific haircut, their specific pintura highlighting technique using their patented comb-brush, and then out to practice everything we just learned on our very own curly headed mannequin in the salon area of the academy. All the while my two lovely instructors, plus a couple of their assistants were walking around making sure that we weren’t getting too overwhelmed or lost.

The second day was the most intense. We had to take all of our freshly learned techniques and now apply them to a live model! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous, I definitely was, but I took my time, asked my instructors a lot of questions and explained to my model that I just wanted to take my time and do a good job. After all was said and done, she loved her hair and thanked me for taking the time to work through all of my questions about the new skills I was learning.

On the last day it was back to the classroom to discuss the events of the previous day, and to go over any questions that anyone might have. Then it was on to the next step; learning the Deva-bob, a short haircut created just for curls, and yet another way to use their pintura highlighting comb-brush. At this point, when everyone was running out of steam, we still gave it everything we had to get as much out of this class as we could.

What you get with your Devacut is this: A dry haircut tailored to your specific head shape, the No-Poo transformation where I’ll go over the best way to use the Devacurl products, and I’ll finish with styling and maybe a bit more hair shaping. If you’re getting the pintura highlighting, I’ll do the haircut first, then highlight/lowlight, and when that’s processed, I’ll cleanse and style it.

In the end, this class far surpassed any and all expectations I had. I thought that I would learn a little bit more than I previously knew, but in reality, the skills that I learned this summer gave me the confidence to tackle any curly head of hair, whether for a cut or highlighting. My time at the Devacurl academy in NYC was in no way wasted, I loved every minute of it. As of now, I have my level 2 advanced diploma, and soon I’ll return to become certified and share all I know with my wonderful clients.

Thank you so much for supporting me so I’m able to constantly increase my knowledge of hair. Much love.

Gender Neutral Pricing

Gender Neutral
Photo Source: Goethe Institut

I’m excited to update all of you about some changes I’ll be making this summer regarding my services. I’ve been lucky to work with some amazing men and women throughout my career, and, pun intended, have watched them grow in positive, inspiring ways; both hair and non-hair-wise, as a result of us working together. As I continue to progress, it’s my desire to offer unmatched service along with results that improve my clients’ lives. That’s why I’m happy to announce that I’m completely switching over to gender neutral pricing.

When I first started in this business, there was one price for men, and one price for women, and the difference between the two was usually around ten dollars. Why? When it takes me the same amount of time to do both? Just because that’s the way it’s “always been” doesn’t mean that’s the way it always should be, especially in 2016.

So, slowly, I’ve been working to close that gap over the years to the point that I’ve decreased that difference to five dollars. Gender neutral pricing is the next, most logical step. I haven’t raised my prices in a while, so this July will be the month of the increase, and will be as follows:

My short haircuts, hair that falls mostly above the ears, will be $45. My medium haircuts, hair that falls mostly between the ears and shoulders, will be $50. Finally, my long haircuts, hair that falls at or below the shoulders, will be $55. If your hair is super long and crazy thick, it’ll be a bit more than that, around $60.

My hair color prices will increase as well. Root touch up: $90+ Depending on thickness of hair, amount of roots, etc. Allover color: $100+ Depending on length, thickness of hair, etc. Highlights/Lowlights: $90+ Depending on thickness of hair, amount of foils used, etc. Please feel free to book a consultation with me at no cost to you and we’ll go over everything beforehand!

This price increase has been long overdue, and it will allow me to continue to give the best service to all of my wonderful clients who continue to support Hair to the Throne Salon! Thank you, and much love.