I just returned from an amazing trip to Texas! As part of my job as Clairol Color Director, I get to represent the Clairol brands and have the chance to do cool stuff like this five city media tour I am in the middle of. My first city was Houston and boy oh boy was Houston a blast! Wow, what a whirlwind tour that was. I flew down on Sunday afternoon and came back to New York on Tuesday evening and had a jam packed couple of days working with the local media. I have to tell you - those Texans know how to treat you right!

The first day there I did a radio show for 96.5 Mix FM and used Perfect 10 hair color on the producer John Wahlen - it was hilarious to be live on the radio and coloring this guys hair! He was such a good sport - and a really great guy. Actually, all of the people at the station I met were super. Keith and Michelle are the hosts of the morning show and are HILARIOUS! Michelle has a blog and posted some fun pics from the day.

After I left the station, I had an interview with the beauty editor from The Houston Chronicle while we had a lovely lunch. It's so fun to meet other beauty junkies. This lady Joy Sewing knows her stuff - she is pretty as a picture and sharp as a tack!

When lunch was finished I went back to the hotel and did Clairol makeovers all day to prepare for my segment on the Great Day Houston show. It was so FUN - even the producer of the show, Sarah Greere, and the host of the show Deborah Duncan stopped by and I got to color their hair with Perfect 10! What a hoot! When it came time to actually do the show I did a live hair color makeover (no pressure right?!?!) I used Perfect 10 on Kaitlin Gangle and I have to say I think the results were spectacular take a peek at the segment here and the big reveal here

Like I said, I had a great time in Houston. As usual Perfect10 performed like a champ! The hair color came out great time and time again - I loved it, what did you think? LMK

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I have to admit it, there is just something about a blonde. She can be anything she wants. She can be super chic or super sexy, the girl next door or the go-go at the club, the suburban mom or the high power executive. I'm not the one to say whether or not blondes really do have more fun, but I will safely say I have never met a girl who didn't have fun when she tried out being blonde! In addition to that, I am a believer that any girl can be a blonde - the trick is making sure it's the right blonde.

Not too long ago, Ted was teaching a haircutting class to a whole group of Japanese students and I had the rare opportunity to take a lovely volunteer's hair color from brown to blond. She was a model we found on Craigslist and she was open to anything. Because it was a demonstration for hairdressers we wanted the change to be dramatic - and the idea of taking this virgin hair to bleach blond was making me go crazy with inspiration!!!

The process took about seven hours. I used Blondor (Wella's version of bleach) to lift the hair in several stages. It was one of the most tedious hair make-overs ever. I wanted to take my time lightening the hair to keep its integrity intact - in my opinion it's better to let the hair lift slowly than to blast the heck out of it quickly. When it was finished....it was devastating. We all loved it (loved it might be an understatement) and I thought we were finished, but she decided she wanted even more change and asked Ted to cut it all off!!! We loved it - what do you think? LMK

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I don't know about you, but I sure am itching for something new! I am positive there are many of you out there feeling the urge to try something fresh. I understand - completely.

When it gets to be this time of year, I want a clean slate. I always joke around and say it's time to sell the business and the apartment and move to another city! Of course, that's not really what I want . I love what I do, love where I live and love the people I surround myself with, so I'm not going to pack up and leave town - besides, I'm a Capricorn (who just turned 40 btw), I'm way too practical for that! Knowing, however, that spring is right around the corner (it is, isn't it?) gets me all riled up and ready to make a move.

A great way to make a change is by switching up your color. I have a series of scenarios in my upcoming blogs posts for you to use as guidelines whether you are considering dark to light or blond to red.

Stay tuned and if you decide to make a change.....LM, OK? Jason

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Are you ready to shed your brunette locks for something a bit more ruby, copper or auburn? As I mentioned in Redheads Light Up The Red Carpet, --and have continued to notice--there is most definitely a trend pointing in the direction of red. If this trend is calling your name, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

First, we should talk about shade selection. Here are some general guidelines:

• If you have green or blue eyes and fair skin, you would look great in the copper family.
• If you have hazel or brown eyes and a medium complexion (tan or olive), you would look fab with an auburn shade.
• If your complexion is dark, deep or ebony, you would be amazing in a ruby shade of red.

Now let's discuss application. Refer back to the tips I shared in Hot Headed. For the best results, stick with what we in the business call a "virgin" application: apply the color to the mid-shaft and ends first, then go back and do the ½ inch closest to the scalp. If you are going a shade of red darker than your natural color, you can use demi-permanent color, but if you are going lighter or looking to have bright sparkle with your new hue, you need to use permanent color.

Take a look at the before and after shot of a cutie (shown above) that came into the salon. I think she is a great example of how a girl with dark eyes and a medium complexion can go red.

What do you think? LMK

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What about men - should they color their hair, too? I have mixed feelings about it. We are so used to seeing hair color on women that we can look at just about anything and not find it too jarring - or even believe it is natural. Hair color on a man, however, is a different story.

Although men are a rapidly growing demographic in the hair color industry, it is a complicated situation. Generally we are not accustomed to seeing men with hair color and when we do, we recognize it immediately! I have colored Timothy Hutton, Gabriel Burn and other men for certain roles and have used some tricks to keep it looking real. Leaving out a little grey around the temples, processing for less time or using a lower volume/percentage of peroxide all work well for believable hair color on the mature man.

The younger generation is much more experimental - and so are their moms! My eight year old nephew came to New York and he asked for white streaks in his hair. With his mothers blessing I did it and he was the coolest kid at school when he got back to MN (if I would have done that as a kid I would have got my butt kicked!). We also have lots of male models coming to the salon for glosses, demi-permanent colors and highlights to enhance their natural tones.

What do you think? LMK - Jason

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Well, it's here ...the blah, blah, blahs of January and February. It is dark when the alarm goes off in the morning. It gets dark at 5:00pm. The holidays are over and if you don't have a winter vacation to the beach booked, there is absolutely nothing to look forward to. On top of it all, back in October and November many of you probably decided to "go darker for winter." For crying out loud! Is it too much to ask for a little SPARKLE?!?! Friends, I say absolutely not!!!

This is the perfect time to start teasing Mother Nature and everyone else with a sprinkle of springtime in your hair color. I'm not saying you should go crazy and bring on the beach blond of summer - that may be a little inappropriate (I just had dinner at a favorite sushi restaurant here in NYC and they had gigantic branches filled with pink cherry blossoms on display. I will say that is a total favorite of mine at the Ted Gibson salon for the spring, but when I saw it in January, I thought it was a little premature). Adding a little taste of early spring to your color is just the perfect tease to get you through the mid-winter doldrums.

I have noticed the same thing with my girls in the salon this week. They have been coming in droves - looking worn out and tired. They have been leaving however a little bit lighter, a little bit brighter and a whole lot more invigorated! It's amazing a few brighter pieces just around the face or lifting the base as little as one shade can turn the sparkle on and put the steam back in the engine to make it to May.

Feeling a little blue? Go see your colorist or pick up any at-home highlighting kit--I like Nice 'N Easy Hair Painting--and do it yourself. All you need is just a few brighter pieces to kick it up to spring. Go for it and then...

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Last night I had some great fun. I had the chance to go to the premier of Anne Hathaway's new movie The Bride Wars. I love going to events like these - it's so fun to be rubbing elbows with all of these people I recognize from TV and the movies. The row in front of me was filled with the cast of The Real Housewives of New York - my ears are killing me from trying so hard to nonchalantly eavesdrop. Beside me was Lisa Rinna - who is honestly SO glamorous in person! Of course the woman who stole the evening was Miss Annie - she completely shined. Her tuxedo redefined red carpet chic and in every interview she came across as beautiful and friendly as she is in real life.

I colored Annie's hair two weeks ago to get her red carpet ready - she has a big couple of weeks ahead, the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards - and then the big one - OSCAR! So not too much pressure - LOL!!! She, just like everyone else had some questions about how to maintain her hair from the time she left the salon until she could make it back in for her retouch.

There are a few golden rules for preserving you hair color that every girl (or boy) should know:
1. Stop shampooing every day. If you can shampoo every other or every third day, not only will it preserve your color it will also help to make your hair less dry and have more shine.
2. When you do shampoo use a color preserving product like Ted Gibson's Clarity Color Shampoo and conditioner. It is specially formulated to help lock your color into your hair with it's color stabilizing complex. Both the shampoo and conditioner have a UV filter to protect your hair color from fading in the sun and they condition the hair perfectly - not too heavy, not too light.
3. Try a color depositing shampoo and conditioner. Ted Gibson has the Individual Color Shampoo and Conditioner that actually deposit a temporary color onto the surface of the hair to keep your color looking salon perfect in between visits.
4. See your colorist for a gloss. By stopping in the salon on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon to get a gloss, not only will it balance out and refresh your hair color it will also give it beautiful shine - plus you'll have a great blow out for the weekend!

When you follow tips like this, you too will be a show stopper!

LMK, OK?

Jason

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Oh My Goodness!!! I LOVE award season!!! This time of year is so inspiring for me. It's great to see all of Hollywood's royalty donning their best in fashion and beauty. It's also fun to to watch my industry friends showcase their work on our celebrity clients. For each award show I always have the gay New York City hair colorist's equivalent to a Super Bowl party. Sunday night's started promptly at 6:00 for the red carpet fabulousness with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. I personally took a moment of silence respecting the absence of Joan and Melissa Rivers - I still haven't recovered and, as far as I'm concerned, the red carpet will never be the same.

After the first couple of blond starlets crossed the carpets, I was suddenly struck by Rumer Willis and her new red hair. I thought it was exciting and inspiring to see a young woman take a risk like that at such a big event. As the evening went on, I was captivated by all of the gorgeous red heads! Of course there were the women we know and love as red haired goddesses - Debra Messing (who looked exceptionally lovely with the help of Ted Gibson before the event) and Susan Sarandon (the ageless icon). I loved seeing Amy Adams turn back to red after her blond stint. Evan Rachel Wood was devastating with her coppery color and Christina Hendricks was absolutely a head turner looking like a true siren!

During an economic time that has a lot of us making more conservative choices, it is really fun to see women not being afraid to go bold and to be expressive when it comes to their hair color. I think its fantastic - What do you think?

LMK - Jason

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I often wonder how a first time guest ends up in my chair. Most of the time I will ask her how she decided to come to Ted Gibson Salon or who referred her to me - it's a great way to start a conversation and get the ball rolling.

Today I was quite surprised when I started the conversation with my guest and she replied "God speaks to me - in English - and told me to come to see you for my color." I replied, "That's a great referral!"

Another time I was talking to a first time guest who had just returned from a business trip to Minneapolis. She told me she was sitting in a restaurant and complimented the woman sitting near her on her hair color. The pretty haired lady said she really lucked out because she volunteered to be a model at a hair show and this guy Jason from New York did her color and she just loved it. Since I had given the model my card, she pulled it out of her purse and gave it to my new client - who has now been coming to me ever since. A very similar scenario happened between two women sitting on an airplane.

Referrals are the BEST way to support your colorist - or any service provider for that matter. Personally I can't think of a better compliment from one of my girls. If she loves her hair so much that she tells her girlfriends, her co-workers ,her mother or a stranger on the street to come in to see me - I am tickled! So delighted in fact that I reward my clients with a complimentary service for every three referrals they give me.

If you love the work your colorist, stylist, dog groomer any service provider does for you, give them a compliment by telling everybody - they'll love you for it!

Have you given a personal referral lately?

LMK, OK? Jason

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I don't know about you, but I sure do find myself doing a lot of running around and traveling this time of year. I just returned from visiting my family in Minnesota and I spent way too much time at the Detroit airport. Airports are the best places to people watch - you get to see so many different kinds of people - and so many different kinds of style.

It's amazing how many times I catch myself saying "What was she thinking??" while observing a woman's hair color at Chili's Too, or "Her friends are lying to her!" while checking out the Starbucks barista's style.

And then...I catch myself. I have to remind myself that Beauty is Individual (our mantra at Ted Gibson Beauty), that beauty is subjective and in the eye of the beholder.

I have a great story. One night Ted and I were out for dinner at a favorite Indian restaurant in the village. I looked over to the bar and saw a very pretty woman sitting there. She had the most amazing, gigantic, sexy, curly hair BUT I was horrified by her hair color. It was jet black with huge chunks of white running through it (think Bride of Frankenstein, above). Honestly it was hideous. I looked at Ted and said "What colorist in his right mind would EVER DO THAT TO SOMEONE?" and we had a good laugh. The next day at work I had a first time client on my book. It was her. Not a word of a lie. She was in my chair telling me exactly what she wanted - jet black hair with chunky white stripes. I couldn't talk her out of it. I became the colorist that would do that to someone!

Really when it comes down to it (and I'm sure I've said it before), if you feel pretty, you are pretty, whether I (or anybody else for that matter) likes it or not. Over the years I have tried to learn to detach myself from the opinions of my guests (not that easy!). I always tell them that I love everything I do, if they don't love it - it's OK, I will change it into something else I love! After all, she is the one wearing it - not me - so she has to be the one that loves the way she looks. After years of practice I really do believe it - when she loves it, I love it.

Tell me about your experience - on either side of the story - I'd love to hear about it!

LMK - Jason

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