Questival 2016

We are really focusing on spreading the love and helping others have a good time. So... We, the convicts, are handing out contraband. You're welcome, Phoenix!

Cotopaxi Questival

Just wanted to share something fun I'm doing today!!! 

We are taking part in the Cotopaxi Questival, it's an awesome 24 hour challenge that we prove via photo and video! Here is one from the kick off party...

Shawn was kind enough to allow me to shave a Mohawk on stage in front of everyone! They said no one has ever done that! So we are EPIC! 

You can download the Llama judge app and vote! Please vote for team wanderlustaz

Hair Care and Color Retention

It's the age old question... why can't I just use the shampoo from Walmart?

I find I am asked this several times a month and thought it would be a fabulous topic for my blog! I get it, it seems like all shampoos and conditioners are the same... albeit, all shampoos and conditioners were not created equally. Here's why:

If you look at the ingredients in the shampoo your hair care extraordinaire suggested to you and compare it to those of a bottle of that drug store brand, you will likely see the same long, confusing ingredient names listed... This however does not mean you will be getting the same thing! You see, those drug store brands are made from a low quality form of each ingredient and the salon quality products are made from ingredients of much higher quality and integrity... Drug store brands are also made in bulk... sit on the shelves for God knows how long, and (lets get down to the nitty gritty) strip your hair color you've just invested in... Not cool dude!

You see, to me the most important reason for you to purchase the salon quality shampoo and conditioner that I believe in is this simple fact that goes back to your pocket book:

You just made an investment of your hard earned money into the chemical service I just spent hours performing... that's your blood, sweat and tears COMBINED with my blood, sweat and tears... We need to protect it! I mean, would you take that new car you just bought and park it next to that jerk that took up 1/4 of the spot you are attempting to park in? Would you put that freshly polished pedicure into socks and shoes immediately following the service? Would you let that chocolate cake you made go to waste if no one was there to eat it!? (Ok, maybe that is just me... TMI)

The answer to those questions is no, you would most likely not. And that makes you smart!

When I make product suggestions to my clients it's not because I'm trying to make a buck or scam them... I want to see them retain that color work I've just worked hard completing, the product which they just spent their hard earned money on, and I want to see them still loving their color when they return to refresh their look!

The other great thing is, the correct tools help you retain your color!

Did you know that when I suggest you purchase Goldwell Fade Stop Shampoo and Conditioner after your color service I am doing so because it helps stop your color from fading!? It's true! Working together they reduce color fading to a minimum, instantly detangle the hair & intensifies color brilliance! I could get all tech-y and tell you that it brings the PH back to ideal range and neutralizes oxidation caused by the environment, hot tools, water, etc... but I'll spare you!

Professional brands... they are a wonderful thing!

#Goldwell #iamgoldwell #shearsandshades #hairdesignbyashleygrubbs #leidanmitchellsalonandspa

Welcome back, March...

Warm Welcome to Spring!

Warmer weather is upon us as March rolls in... and we transition into Spring! The citrus trees in our backyard smell heavenly, we also enjoyed a day outside this weekend and my skin is beginning to glisten!

As the weather changes we being to think of making changes to our hair. During the winter we go darker and cooler in color with our hair, with spring we go brighter... leading into summer when it is the lightest and brightest, traditionally.

What's hot this spring? (Besides the weather) Ombre is sticking around, and it is a great way to being the transition your hair color towards that lightest and brightest color I previously mentioned. The beauty of this technique is that it is custom to your hair, your desire, and my intentions for each person is different and specific to their hair texture, density and coloring!

That leads me to the hot Spring 2015 trend that tips its hat to Ombre... ECAILLE.

Ecaille is the subtle sister to ombre, a softer version. Ecaille means tortoiseshell and it is all about elevating that beautiful hair you're born with and supplementing it with more caramel and golden highlights. The 2015 spring version is more subtle than what we will see in summer, lending to brighter (even platinum) blondes and brunettes.

So what's important? With the transition to spring and to lighter hair comes the need to CONDITION, CONDITION, CONDITION! It is very important to always condition your hair, even if you have fine hair! You can avoid your roots and only condition the ends by pulling it into a ponytail and applying the conditioner... or if you have short hair just simply apply to your ends! Doing so will keep your hair healthy and shiny! Beautiful! (I'm envisioning one of those Aussie hair commercials with long shiny hair waving back and forth!)

What's New? The Product You NEED To Try NOW! We have welcomed Goldwell's Kerasilk line to Leidan Mitchell this month! What you need now during the transition to lighter, healthy hair... DRUM ROLL PLEASE..

Ultra Rich Keratin Care Deep Smoothing Mask

It transforms extremely unmanageable and damaged hair into perfectly smooth and controlled hair. Replenishes disparities within the hair and seals the cuticle for long lasting manageability and luxuriously soft hair like silk. Has the highest concentration of precious keratin and silk proteins. It also supports Goldwell Kerasilk Smoothing Treatment's effects at home! Use this mask once a week to condition and keep your hair healthy and strong!

Also from Kerasilk: Rich Keratin Care Shampoo & Daily Mask, Conditioning Spray & Silk Fluid. Provides shine, tames unruly and frizzy hair and contains precious keratin and silk proteins! Just beautiful!

You can find these, and the rest of Goldwell's Product line and Fadestop Wet Line in the lobby in the front Window!

2015 has been a WONDERFUL year so far in the salon! With that I want to recommend that you begin PRE-BOOKING your services! I want nothing more than for you to reserve the time and days that work best for you and your schedule! I'm so blessed to say that my business has blossomed into a wonderful and thriving, beautiful mess! Mess is an over exaggeration! I am so happy! But I have had many clients scrambling to get into my schedule, thus the need to prebook!

Appointments may always be changed with no problems as long as it is done so no later than 24 hours before the appointment. If appointments are cancelled in less than 24 hours they are subject to a cancelation fee of 1/2 of the service total. I don't do this to be cruel, but to be courteous of other clients as well as my time. Don't fear, I do understand people fall ill, just please let me know as soon as possible to avoid the cancelation fee. Thank you to those of you that already are happily obliging to this!

Please call or text me if you are having trouble finding an appointment, it may be that my schedule is full... But I am always happy to double check for you! You can also reach me from the Shears & Shades Website in the contact section.

If you haven't already (and are still hanging in there with me on this long winded email) please 'LIKE' Me on Facebook! I'm also on Instagram sharing all of your beautiful heads of hair under the user name of shearsandshades. Check me out!

And, once again, I thank you for allowing me into your life & your hair to "satisfy all of your chemical addictions one strand at a time!" I appreciate you and your business! See you in the salon soon!

TRUE LIFE: So you want a Color Correction

Color Correction is pretty much the taboo of the hair world. Photos on Instagram & articles in magazines make them seem very simply and easy to do... (I HATE THOSE ARTICLES) ...  But in real life, they are EXTREMELY hard work and it is almost impossible to promise any specific result. The reality is that people come into the salon and drop a large sum to have their hair fixed by box color, bad professional jobs, reverting from something they thought they wanted back to something that resembles what they had previously... and the odds as a stylist to ever see said color correction client ever again... Zilch, nada, nope... at lease probably not.

You see, the client is usually scared away by the price tag, although it resembles nothing even close to the regular salon ticket. For example, my charge is currently $150 an hour. DANG!!! That is probably your reaction, your eyes probably just about popped right out of your head. But the truth is a ridiculous amount of product goes into this process, which I start by using the most gentle tool I have in my arsenal of weapons and gradually moving up the ranks in order to get the best, most even and healthiest result in taking your (probably black) hair to blonde without frying the ever-loving heck out of it... because some magazine led you to believe that I can do it, all in one day, and leave your hair looking in the exact same condition without even losing a centimeter! Right! ... Right? ... Probably not. Sorry.

We live in a world of instant gratification, which has left us with very unattainable expectations... most of the time. I say most of the time because we hair dressers do posses a few miracles up our sleeves! Every now and then a color correction results in B-E-A-utiful hair! Everything you (and I) wanted and more... Odds are, if this is you, that you have always had a top notch professional job and the stylist has done everything under the sun right. Truth told, even when working on one of my own clients after years of being blessed to call myself their stylist, I CANNOT predict what their hair will do. EVER. That really, really sucks. But guess what, some of us are highly educated and stay on top of our craft and can literally counteract much of what doesn't go our way...

And, you really SHOULD TRUST US! You are, after all, our walking billboard. Everyday, everywhere you go, our name is on that head of yours. If you don't like it, we don't like it... and for the perfectionists like me... we really don't like it more than you! You may even love it, but me... I already have a running list in my head of what I am going to change next time, because this art (yes it is art) is my passion. I live it, breathe it (choking on hairspray), sleep it (in my dreams and/or nightmares)... why? Because I love it! I am proud to be a hair professional... Say it with me... professional. That said, please don't come into the salon where I spend most of my life and tell me how to do my job. I understand that magazine you read told you what you should expect and how I might go about doing what I do, day in and day out... but you don't know the first thing about this art. Chemistry, color theory and the law of color, hair analysis, angles and why I may choose them, how many layers I put in your hair (the correct answer is NOT 3! ... if that's you, just please laugh along with my joke and know I am trying to make you laugh). Our goal is to make you look beautiful and hope that it makes you feel just a little more confident in a world of judgement and self esteem issues. Making someone feel good about themselves is why I began my journey into this industry, and hearing that you feel beautiful, sexy, confident, etc... is just about the biggest compliment you can pay us!

I digress... back to color correction.

Odds are you've seen photos like these on the internet or in a magazine with a headline that depicts the experience as a simple one. Now that I've probably scarred you for life, I should say that it is possible to have a beautiful finished result... But... big but... You really will get the best result if you are open to the end product and allow the stylist to take you where your hair will allow.

Here are some examples of beautiful color corrections

Last but not least, the most recent Kim Kardashian look. From long hair to bob... Then from dark brown to platinum, the on to the most recent... White. I already dread the clients walking in with her photo... not that it can't be done, but can you say head ache?

So, without further adieu (and further ramblings from yours truly)... Here is the tale of a color correction gone good. Last week I spent time doing a color correction on my wonderful coworker with a massive mane! Her desire was to take her level 5 hair (dark brown) with old highlights to a beautiful violet/lavender. Here is her inspiration photo:

These are our before photos... she had 3/4 inch regrowth

Here is the process in stages. I'm not going to share the process as I do not, in one million years, want any of you DIYers out there to think for one second that these are instructions on how to perform a successful color correction at home, for you to run over to Sally's and pick up anything that resembles my professional products and know how... to then send me hate mail because you melted every last hair off of your beautiful head. No thank you! Here are the stages:

You can see the finished result the first day... The purple took blue at the roots, there were different shades of lavender on the ends and areas where it did not take at all... sometimes in the exact same strand. I took my time and ended up with a beautifully even lightened result... even so you can see how color corrections are unpredictable.... Needless to say, this perfectionist was pissed! I told my coworker we would re-apply the lavender the next day and I went home and dreamt of her hair and what I would change all night. 

The next day I did my clients of the day and my coworker returned for round two... I took my time, once again, applying the two colors. This time it took, still not exactly to my OCD liking, but never-the-less she has purple hair. It will be an ongoing process. I just wanted to share these results. Her hair is in great shape, and even though this was done by the book and lifted wonderfully with no foreseeable issues... They still were there, laying in waiting to leave me disgruntled and frustrated. 

This is the reality of color correction. The ugly truth. I don't wish to scare anyone away from it, but rather to educate you on why they are so expensive, why it's best to be open to an outcome, and to understand that even though everything went right... it can STILL go wrong. 

** Here is a great example of how much lighting plays into your color! Natural light VS indoor lighting**

So....

2 boxes of color remover,

1 container of lightener,

1 bottle of developer,

1 tube of color,

1/4 container of gentle lightener,

1/2 a bottle of developer for my smart lightener,

1 tube of toner,

6 bottles of pure pigment

9 hours in the first day of correction,

& 4 more the second day...

We don't have perfection, but we do have a beautiful multi-tonal violet result...

And hopefully you have an understanding of why a color correction is so expensive. 

Blood, Sweat, Tears.

Literally.

Check out the new website!!!

Hair Design By Ashley Grubbs has recently undergone a little "face lift" if you will... Rebranding and the building of a website!

The process was easy and painless because I worked with such an amazing team! The folks over at SlideFlow Design and Divinity Creative are so immensely talented I cannot even begin to rave enough! They helped with the Branding and did the entire design of my logo as well as the awesome site! Its a great new design, and Slideflow Design works specifically with small business!

I even got professional photography included! Bessie J Watson Imagery... Bessie is a one of a kind artist behind the lens... She does more than business photography too, so check her out! I'm unsure of her website, but you can find her on Facebook.

So without further a-due......... (insert drumroll here)

I give you

Shears & Shades

www.shearsandshades.com

Ombre is ALIVE and WELL!

Many people have asked if Ombre is on its way out! Looks to me that the answer is no in the fashion world, as well as in my world in the salon!

What is so great about ombre is that it is ever changing! It is a blending of color, any color! You don't have to have the drastic dark to light. you could have light on light or dark with a slightly lighter on the ends! It's fun to experiment! 

Here are some examples of my own work! My beautiful clients!

Some Ombre from the web....

Schedule your color consultation now!

Schedule your color consultation now! Click here!