iStockphoto

Ronda just ran across this on Yahoo.  We thought we'd share with everyone. 

Just when you thought we couldn’t blame the recession for anything else, here’s one more negative impact: bad hair. The Wall Street Journal just published an article about how sales of clippers (such as the infamous Flowbee!) went up as the economy sputtered and made the reasonable case that families and even individuals are resorting to DIY cuts in droves. Salon business is hurting, and if you’re jobless or even just strapped for cash, it makes sense that paying for a haircut would be one of the first things to get cut (ha) from your budget.

Then again, this is your hair we’re talking about, people. When it comes to amateur haircuts, plenty can go wrong. As Gordon Miller, executive director for the National Cosmetology Association, put it: “It may look easy, but it’s not.” [WSJ]

We started thinking about times in our pasts when we were brave and/or foolish enough to chop our own hair, or a loved one’s, like the time I trimmed my friend’s bangs and they ended up crazy short. (Sorry Eliza.) After the jump, our haircut horror stories!

“When I was about 8, someone gave me a DIY hair wrap kit. I attempted that but wasn’t pleased with the evenness and decided to remove it. With scissors. While looking in the mirror. So, obviously, I cut a chunk of hair off the front of my head and had to get really ineffective revisionary bangs to try and hide it. Mommy was not pleased.” —Lily

“I cut my own hair throughout college when I didn’t have any money. I used to put chunks of my hair up with clips and do my own layers. I thought it didn’t look half bad! But once during my junior year, I cut my hair right before Halloween, and then at a Halloween party, a school newspaper pal told me a friend of his had been talking smack about a girl she knew who cut her own hair and said it looked awful. When I asked his friend’s name, she turned out to be my suitemate referring to me. Catty b---- .” —Jessica

“I’m too nervous about having a bad haircut to try it myself. I’ve cried and thrown hairbrush tantrums after getting my hair cut at a salon, so I won’t even trim my bangs or cut an out-of-place hair.” —Catherine

“Back when I used to try and blow-dry my hair like Angela Chase from ‘My So Called Life’ I once wrapped my hair so tightly around the small round brush I was using and it got so stuck, I had to cut it out. It was so not Angela.” —Amelia

“There was a time, circa 12 years old, where I tried to cut my own bangs with pinking sheers. I was old enough to know better.” —Kate

“Before I locked my hair I wore cornrow extensions. Problem was my hair was a different texture from the fake hair, so my kinky bits stuck out of the braid in parts. I decided shaving it with a razor would get rid of the problem. Wrong! Not only did I cut my own hair, but the braid also got all funky-looking because hair was too short in places.” —Annika

“In college, I cut a lot of my dude friends’ hair because we were all broke. It was all fun and games until my shower got clogged. Oh yeah, and one guy wound up with a weird-ass lopsided mullet. Oopsie!” —Simcha

“For three years, I cut my hair with a pair of scissors from the dollar store. It wasn’t pretty.” —Susannah

“One evening when I was still in junior high, I suddenly became so desperate to cut off my long hair, I grabbed the first sharp thing I could find — in this case, a pair of cuticle scissors in my dresser drawer — and started hacking away. I did one side of my head before I realized I’d made a grave mistake.” —Wendy

 July 22, 2009

The summer is in full force, and soon your hair will start screaming for help.  You’ve been lying out in the Seattle sun (Yes, it does exist!), swimming in chlorine or salt water, and all that time, probably having so much fun that you've neglected your regular hair care routine. By now, your sun-exposed, moisture-thirsty locks are looking for some repair. It’s ok, don’t panic…we’re here to help! Pinup Salon is a huge fan of natural, organic  based hair treatments and LOMA’s Pearatin Fortifying Reparative Serum is one of the most genius products we've found to help you restore yourself to shinier and healthier hair. It even protects the hair against UV damage! Just a few drops are enough to repair and hydrate wet or dry hair. You can re-apply as much as desired to help tame frizz, without being overly greasy. Also for fun, try rubbing a bit on your dry skin patches. Hello secret spa treatment! :-O

If you’re lookin’ for that sexy surfer girl hairstyle, without being soaked in salt water, play up your natural waves by adding a bit of spray gel and letting your hair air dry. If you’re natural waves are absent, get that tousled look by curling the ends of your hair and use some styling cream to scrunch in that gorgeous messy style that looks so hot on the beach.

We want you to have fun this summer, but remember that once your hair is overdamaged, it's hard to bring it back to life, so follow our basic tips for maintaining your hair, including periodic deep conditioning treatments and use of quality, professional products. We want you to look your best so you can feel your best! :)

                                                                                June 1, 2009

We all LOVE color, and how vibrant it looks when we leave the salon, right? Well, if you want to keep that beautiful hair color looking that amazing for even longer, here are a few tips for your everyday, home maintenance.

1) Wait 48 hours before washing your hair after we color you. This will insure that the color molecules settle deep into your hair shaft and you will get less bleeding from your first post-color shampoo. Bleeding?! Ouch! Oh, no. Not that kind, my dear.

2) Always always avoid hot water when shampooing color treated hair. Your water may be warm, but the cooler the better. Try starting your shower and just putting your cute little head in before the water is fully warmed up. By the time you're done with your hair, you can turn the water all the way to scalding, where we know you love it. Oh, and also, you'll be saving water, and the environment by not wasting all that water that goes down the drain every morning! Even if green isn't your favorite color, you know this is a great energy saving idea.

3) Always use professional shampoos and conditioners, designed for color-treated hair. No exceptions! It may be an extra few dollars per month to get the good stuff, but for as much as you're paying to color your hair! You know better!

4) Try skipping a day of shampooing here and there. Even try just rinsing your hair and throwing on a little conditioner instead of the daily lather you might normally be used to. For a week or two you'll feel a little funny not having squeeky clean hair, but actually over a few weeks, you'll hardly notice, and sometimes you'll find your hair will even style easier with some of the natural oils left in the hair. Ooooooh! That's a nice perk!

5) Use lower heat settings on your styling tools, to prevent from damaging the hair, which makes the hair more porous, and thus easier for the color molecules to escape from.

6) Some people say wear a hat in the sun to prevent fading, but who wants to cover up their beautiful locks? We say all you need to do is use our LOMA Pearatin shampoos and conditioners, which not only reconstruct chemically treated hair, add shine, smell amazing, and are reasonably priced, but they also protect from UV damage and fading! Woah!

7) Avoid pools treated with chlorine unless you're wearing a swim cap. Seattle summer seems just around the corner and that means splashing fun for everyone...or at least we hope!

8) The most important rule of all? Flaunt that beautiful, vibrant color all over town and tell them you found it at your favorite Seattle salon, Pinup! :) 

                                                                                June 9, 2009

You know when you leave the salon and you find yourself with an instant boost of confidence and awesomeness? Well, here is a little secret (promise not to tell anyone). That boost is not really a result of your salon visit - though we certainly like to think that we help! Actually, believe it or not, that inflated self-confidence is from within YOU, and we happen to think you’ve gotta let that sexy self out more often. So, listen up, baby….here’s what Pinups do:

Every morning - wake up, take your shower, eat a healthy breakfast and just before you leave the house, put on that perfect shade of self-esteem. How do you do that, you ask? Well, there IS a catch. Self-confidence, as most of you probably know, comes from within. So, what happens when we don't feel that within? What's something can we do about it?

Let's think....

WAIT! We've got it! Whenever you leave the salon, you feel that boost we talked about, right? Could that have something to do with how we look on the outside? Could it be that our put-together image is helping us feel better on the inside, thus emoting all kinds of positivity to the people around us? Hmmm...I think maybe we're onto something here!

Whether we want to accept it or not, our "image" does impact, not only how others view us, but much more importantly, how we view ourselves. The most successful and happiest people don't generally walk around in sweat pants, a ponytail and a baggy t-shirt (though if you catch us at the grocery, you'll probably see us in that now and again). Success, at least partially, comes from the ability to feel positive about ourselves, and feeling good inside, often has to do with how we look on the outside. 

Here are a few Pinup tips for keeping up your image:

1) Keep your look fresh – Whether it be for your new and trendy do, or your signature, classic style, come in for maintenance trims (every 6-8 weeks) and color touch ups (every 6-12 weeks) on a regular basis so that your hair (the only accessory that goes with everything) looks its best at all times.

2) Shake it up – When you're going through any kind of life transition, and maybe need a little extra pick-me-up, skip the local happy hour and come in for a new look instead. Sometimes a totally new style, reinventing your fabulous self, is the best therapy.

3) Treat yourself like you know you deserve – Sometimes a little extra pampering can really do a lot to make you feel special. Add on a manicure and relaxing hand massage to your next color service, or freshen up those eyebrow arches to accentuate your brand new summer shade of eyeshadow.

Everybody’s got something to flaunt. Gorgeous eyes, killer lips, long stems, or luscious locks, but whatever your best feature, it won't compare with that inner beauty shining through. You know you’ve got it, so start to flaunt it! Look in the mirror and love what you see, because what we see in you is pretty damn fabulous!

                                                                          June 30, 2009

We see a lot of men in the salon, some who come like clockwork and others we barely recognize between cuts. One thing is for sure, whether you acknowledge it or not...the one thing that someone notices about you EVERYday is your hair grooming practices. People have different opinions about how guys should groom, but some form of it (grooming, that is) is generally celebrated.

There are many advantages to being a man, but accessorizing is NOT one of them. In terms of fashions, men have a lot fewer ways to create their "identity" than women do. However, you do have your hair to work with at the very least, so, find a stylist that gets who you are and what you're about. Work with her/him to choose a haircut that suits your work, your personal life, and your commitment to styling. Get that image  you want to keep and then maintain it. For men, we recommend trims every 3-8 weeks. Any longer than 8 weeks and let's face it - you're growing a neck beard...and no one wants that!

We love taking care of the guys in our cute little Seattle salon - we hope you'll drop in a pay us a visit. We can help you find a look that's you, but even better! :)