#amalified was an expression I came up with several years ago when I would leave the salon after Amal Abi Farah would blow dry my hair. On a recent visit to Suite 13 Hair Design I took the opportunity to ask Amal the following  5 questions for this feature:

For your chance to be #amalified see below on how you can enter to win a Blow Dry Gift Certificate from Suite 13 Hair Design

1- Is there a Hairstyle that is universal and all women can wear?

The LOB (combo of long and bob) …is a fabulous cut that not only flatters all face shapes but also works with all hair types. It is always fashionable . Women can personalise their LOB by introducing colour, adding highlights and or bangs and of course with this length there are many styling options to offer versatility.

2- In the last few years I have noticed an abundance of women forsaking their colour treatments  and going natural. For someone who may be considering this change what is the best way to go about it?

Grey hair is now fashionable as well as a fast-growing trend. No longer is it exclusive to those who are naturally grey, prematurely or otherwise, due to many younger women adopting the grey hair colour trend by using a colour application. Kelly Osbourne was one of several young celebrity women to start this movement. The transition process will depend on your hair length and how fast your hair grows. Most Professional Salon companies now carry advanced grey colour formula’s so my suggestion would be to apply highlights in a grey shade (as close to your natural grey colour as possible) for a smoother transition. Another important consideration will be to use a shampoo specifically for grey hair, these “purple shampoos” are clarifying shampoos which can eliminate the product build-up on your hair that causes that undesirable yellow casting. We have seen a lot of great results  with the UNITE

Amal Suite Thirteen Hair Design

Amal Suite Thirteen Hair Design

BLONDA shampoo and conditioner (of course fabulous with blonde shades too!).

3- Why should we be using salon products versus drugstore products?

When it comes to drugstore shampoo & conditioners, many contain chemicals, which can strip your hair of its natural oils, essentially drying it out. Many also use fillers to dilute their products thus causing that soft silky feeling but instead of penetrating the hair it’s coating. Salon products have less filler,sulphates and are more concentrated with better ingredients that are good for your hair such as mineral, oils & vitamins. Due to its concentration, you require less product and while salon products are initially more expensive they last longer, therefore the costs between drugstore and salon products are quite similar. I always recommend salon products and show my clients which products are right for their hair and how to use it properly.

*There is also an advantage to having your hair professionally colour treated because the stylist is able to create a specific formula based on your hair type and colour to get  the best results. This is difficult to achieve with drug store brands as illustrated in this article .

4-How often should we wash our hair?

Generally speaking, for most people I recommend every 2-3 days. You want your hair to produce its natural oil  (sebum)which prevents hair from drying out and breakage. Some people are uncomfortable going this long between shampoos and may want to consider using a “dry shampoo”   these products act as a hair refresher. They come in an aerosol formula which works very well on fine hair (use it all over your head and it will add body) and powder formulas which work great when you want to target an area, this product can also be used as a styling tool. In our salon, we carry products from UNITE and Aveda both lines have a dry shampoo and a hair refresher where we have seen great results.

5-Final question…What is trending for hair this fall?

Lately, we have been getting lots of requests for “Balayage” which is basically a softer version of “Ombre”  click here for a comparison. As a stylist, my goal is to help my clients  achieve the most flattering hairstyle for their face shape, hair type  and lifestyle. When someone likes their hair and style they exude confidence and that in my opinion is the best trend. 

Amal Abi Farah has been a hairstylist for 15 years. She is knowledgeable, talented and passionate about hair and her clients. You can contact Amal here. For your chance to win a Blow Dry GC from Suite 13 Hair Design and be #amalified subscribe to this blog here  & share this blog post on your FB page .Contest closes on Friday, September 9th,2016 and winner will be notified by email