Dear Betty,

While the sun has a lot of positive benefits, there are definitely some negative effects and we commend your choice to be sun conscious. You should be proud of yourself!

At the same time, we understand your desire to have some color in your skin. And nowadays, there are better formulas of self-tanner that will make your skin bronze, not orange. The best we’ve found can be sprayed on, as opposed to rubbed on. This helps lessen any streaks and gives your tan a smoother finish.

Have you considered a professional air-brush tan? It is by far the highest quality and most natural looking tan available. Your spray tan is professionally applied in privacy by a trained technician and the process takes 5-10 minutes. As it is sprayed on, you will immediately notice a natural looking tan that will continue to develop over the next few hours, and lasts for 5-7 days.

So in your endeavor to go from Ms. White to Ms. Bronze, we suggest you give spray tan a try. It is definitely a good alternative to sunburn, skin cancer, and wrinkles. We think you’ll like it – and you’re legs will look great in those white shorts!

The Shak Staff

Dear Beautiful Bella,

First of all, our very best wishes to you! Getting married is a huge event in a person’s life – the closest time that we regular gals get to being a princess and living out a fairytale!

The first thing I would recommend would be to find ways to make the day as low stress as possible. Hiring a professional to do your hair and makeup will give you a chance to relax and look forward to revealing yourself and your amazing dress to your groom!

If you want to make a party of it, invite your bridesmaids, your mom and mother-in-law, your flower girls, and anyone else to join you. Assign someone to pick up bagels and fruit, enjoy some punch, then sit back with your favorite people in the world and enjoy the pampering!

On another note, I would like to encourage you on a very important matter. You said you want to make sure that “everything is perfect.” Every bride wants a perfect day – but, as I’m sure you’re aware, things happen. Things that are beyond your control, things that are within your control. Life is full of annoyances, even on your special day. But please let me assure you … it will be okay.

Perfect days are hard to come by — Snow White got food poisoning, Cinderella had a wardrobe malfunction, The Little Mermaid got laryngitis, and Sleeping Beauty overslept. Fairy tales definitely have their share of mishaps. So don’t aim for perfection. Set you mind on amazing, joyful, extraordinary …words that are more about your delight in marrying your prince and celebrating with all your friends as opposed to logistical issues with the florist and the caterer.

Then you are guaranteed to have an amazing day!!

Best Wishes,
The Shak Staff

Dear Sizzor Shak,

What advice can you give me about static in my hair? It is sticking up all over the place, it won’t hold a style, and it’s starting to make me crazy!!! I just got a great haircut that I want to show off, but I feel like I need to put a hat on my head every morning in order to tame this wild hair.

Please help,
Electric Elena

First of all, do not wear hats all the time – they will add to your problem! Hats create static electricity, and so does rubbing your feet on carpeting, and sleeping on flannel. Switch your pillowcase out to a silk or satin one, which alleviates static and also helps with hair breakage and facial wrinkles.

The most important thing you can do is make sure your hair is adequately moisturized. Always use a conditioner any time your hair is wet; a leave-in one’s work great if you want a quick touch up without having to do a full wash.

Add a deep conditioning treatment into your weekly routine – you can make an appointment with your stylist to have one done professionally, or you can invest in purchasing one from your salon to do at home. Or you can do both!

There are products and tools you can use that will also help make a difference. Smoothing brushes

with ceramic coating help decrease static as you dry and straighten your hair. Glossing drops, serums, and moisture lock sprays are available and work terrific! There are even anti-frizz restyler sprays, which work great for second day hair. They smell really great too!

A fun and easy trick that my 10th grade science teacher taught me was to rub lotion into my hands

and then lightly pat my hair, or run my lotioned hands over anything that wasgiving me problems (my skirt, pants, coat, etc.). It really works, but since hand lotion will only make your hair greasy and heavy, I only recommend this for emergency situations.

If you’re looking for advice on what products to use on your hair & you’re looking for a salon near Collinsville, IL, stop into Sizzor Shak Salon & Color Spa. There will be a friendly stylist waiting to share their expertise with you!

Have a great, static-free holiday,
Love,
The Shak Staff

Dear Sizzor Shak Staff,

I love my hair! I know, most people complain about it being too straight, too curly, too short, etc. But my hair is really silky and shiny and it’s a nice, light brown color. So all in all, I am really happy with my hair.

But … I’m kind of getting bored with it. I want to do something different and I’m toying with the idea of getting highlights, but I’m really nervous. I like how shiny my hair is and I don’t want it to get dried out and damaged looking. Can you tell me more about the process so that I’m not so worried?

Thanks,
Sharon Shinyhair

Dear Sharon,

I love that you love your hair! Every person has beauty, and I think it is a shame that so many people concentrate on what they don’t like about themselves. If those people would take the time and think on it, they would find that there are a lot of things that they really do like about themselves. And that is such a healthier and happier way to live!

Okay, enough with the psycho-babble … let’s talk highlights!

Highlights are a great way to subtly or dramatically enhance your look. When you meet with your stylist, she will provide you with hair swatches so that the two of you can pick out the shade that will look best with your natural color. Staying within two to four shades of your own hair color is ideal for a subtle tweak or for a more dramatic look, we also have an array of fantasy colors available.

Highlights are a lovely way to frame your face and add interest to your hair’s style. You can also add dimension by adding lights through the crown and back of your hair. The beauty of highlights is that you and your stylist can determine together how much or little you want, the placement, the intensity – you have so many options!

I know you’re worried about damage, so let me reassure you. The nature of highlights means that only a selected number of strands on your head will be changed, which means the majority of your hair will be untouched. Also, your stylist will be able to determine the lowest level of color lifter needed in order tobring about the desired results. I would NOT recommend using a box color, due to the fact that there is no way to tailor the formula for your particular hair type. For home jobs gone wild, a visit to the salon for color correction is much more expensive than the original highlighting. And when you are ready for touch ups, your stylist can highlight just the out growth, which saves the ends of your hair from being processed over and over.

Highlighting is definitely the way to go and adding highlights is a great way to introduce yourself to hair color. I am sure that as much as you love your hair now, you will adore it after your highlights!

Sincerely,
The Shak Staff

Dear Sizzor Shak,

Everywhere I look, I am seeing ladies with false eyelashes on. I think this looks really glamorous for a night out, but I need to know how to make my lashes look longer and fuller for my everyday look. There are a lot of commercials on TV for different mascaras, but I was wondering what sort of salon options there are.

Thanks for your advice,
Lashless Lainie

I’m really glad you asked this question. Eyelashes can do more to enhance your eyes than anything else, and our eyes are one of our greatest beauty features. Just read any poet or love letter!

Let’s first go over some simple beauty tricks to make the most of what you’ve got. First of all, curl those lashes! I know for some people, an eyelash curler looks like a torture device, but the new ones on the market have a silicone pad that curls and lifts your lashes without the fear of pinching your lids. Blast the pads with your hairdryer prior to curling to really get results. Another option would be to get an eyelash perm. This is a fantastic way to make sure you wake up every morning with beautiful lashes. The procedure takes less than half an hour, is simple, and very effective.
Eyeliner is almost as important as mascara when it comes to bringing out your lashes. The reason — a dark line at the base of your eyelid gives the impression that you have lots of lashes. Lots of lashes = beautiful eyes!

Have you ever considered permanent cosmetics? Permanent eyeliner would provide you with this look all day, every day! Definitely an option worth looking into!

When it comes to mascara, you have a multitude of options with all these innovative formulas and brush designs. These mascaras contain lengthening polymers, silica balls and tiny fibers that lengthen and thicken, silk nectar to repair brittle lashes, special brushes to guarantee that no lash is left untouched – all amazing features that can really increase your eye-batting potential.

But no matter how great your mascara is, the application process if of utmost importance! First of all, a little known tip is to apply a first coat ONLY to the tips of the lashes. This is the thinnest part of the lash, so by putting a layer there FIRST, you are adding thickness without adding clumps! Then you can go ahead and put an application on the entire lash.

There are other, longer-lasting options available. An experienced salon professional can provide you with eyelash tinting – a procedure that darkens your lashes from root to tip and lasts for a few months. Eyelash extensions are also available by select stylists who undergo expert training. The extensions are made from human hair and you and your stylist can determine together what length and thickness will work best for you.
It was William Shakespeare who said, “The eyes are the windows to the soul.” However, we at Sizzor Shak like this quote from Audrey Hepburn best:

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others;
for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness;
and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.

May we all strive for this kind of beauty.
Sincerely,
-The Sizzor Shak Staff

Sincerely,
Short-cut Sarah

Dear Sarah,

First of all, kudos on trying out different hairstyles! There are so many great looks out there, and your willingness to try something new means that you will never get stuck in a hair rut!

However, every hair maverick will sometimes find themselves in a style that is not quite right, as you are finding out. Your idea about using extensions is a good one. We think you will find yourself really happy if you go this route.

We use the Hairdreams extension line at Sizzor Shak. The hair is soft, shiny, and has great elasticity. It is human hair that has been hand-selected in all colors from all over the world. People with tweezers and magnifying glasses sort each individual hair to give you the best extensions possible!

While most extension lines use a glue-based bond, Hairdreams has a keratin bonding process that is proven to be gentler on your hair. This prevents the damage that you are concerned about, and it also gives you a stronger and more natural look.

We know you are interested in extensions to regain your lost length, but extensions can also be used to provide mass and volume to hair. The thickening effect of Hairdreams is a great bonus for ladies with fine or thinning hair.

Give us a call at 618-345-6446 and we will have one of our stylists provide you with a consultation and help you make a plan to regain your length. You will soon be back to hair that you love… maybe even more than ever before!

Sincerely,
The Shak Staff

Have a queston for the Shak Staff? Send your questions to ask@sizzorshak.com.