Chantelle LaPrairie
By Cyndi Ingle
How is your hair…a little out of control…longer than it’s ever been…roots showing…dry and wild? Since hair salons are closed in Ontario due to the COVID-19 pandemic our hair is reverting back to its natural state. Some people are going with the flow and letting their hair do its thing, but for others they are missing their salon visits for cuts and colours and wondering what they can do at home.
Social media is full of photos and videos of people cutting their own hair, or their loved one’s hair, and using boxed hair colour in an attempt to cover up roots and multi-coloured hair. The results vary and some while hilarious, wouldn’t be as funny if it was your hair!
It’s healthy to want a taste of normalcy during this time which sees our world turned upside down, our livelihoods and the lives of our loved ones threatened. Part of that normalcy is looking in the mirror and liking what we see, and what we are accustomed to seeing. But with salons closed what can we do to solve our hair care issues?
Obsessions Hair Salon
I recently spoke with Chantelle LaPrairie, a stylist, educator and hair color marketer with over 30 years of industry experience, and asked her to share hair care tips on getting through the pandemic.
Currently working at Obsessions Hair Salon in Brantford, Ontario Chantelle’s specialty is colouring and colour correction.
Seeing people before they experience her amazing hair colour magic and after, gives her a great deal of satisfaction.
Chantelle’s hair care tips during the pandemic
- Don’t try to colour hair on your own
- Misuse of box dye can often leave hair colour patchy with a too dark effect on the ends and/or too bright or brassy on the root area
- The cost of colour correction in either of these situations can be quite pricey depending on hair length and amount of product used
- Regarding haircuts: Trim your bangs but don’t attempt to do a full haircut
- It looks easy when stylists do it but when people try to cut their own hair they discover too late it’s not that easy
- In a COVID-19 world there is nowhere to go to correct your hair
Recommended professional products to try out: available at your favourite salon
Before and after of Chantelle’s colour magic
Moroccan Oil Colour Depositing Masks ($32): These both condition and deposit colour and help extend the life of your colour in seven fashionable shades
Colour Wow Root Cover Up ($30-$40): This is a powder based product that is highly pigmented and is dabbed on to the root area to camouflage both dark and light roots. It’s available in six shades and water and sweat resistant.
Dry Shampoo ($25 and up): It’s great if you need to leave the house quickly and don’t want to have to wash and dry your hair. The added value is the volume and thickness it can add to fine or lifeless hair. Look for the ones with texturizing properties and cut down on hairspray! Another great product is Joico Root Spray.
To buy these products Chantelle encourages everyone to support their local salon by taking advantage of curbside product pickup, if possible.
Online help
Since you may have the time now…“Instagram has amazing, stylish, quick hairstyle tutorials. If you do a search on do-it-yourself (DIY) hairdos you will find tons of great ideas for braids, messy buns and other quick styles,” explains Chantelle.
What about “porch deliveries” of hair colour for people to do themselves at home?
“I love that hair stylists are getting creative and trying to reinvent their businesses during this time. It is a liability issue and I caution again that hair colouring looks much easier than it is. I would much rather see someone come into the salon with 4 – 5 inch roots than really patchy, awful hair colour that could cost hundreds of dollars to fix.”
Before and after of Chantelle’s work
Last word from Chantelle
- Don’t go to a private stylist who is trying to make a quick buck
- Stay home, stay safe
- I would encourage people to leave their hair alone and when their salon is open they can have a COVID 19 makeover as a celebration
- Stay loyal to your stylist because that person often does double duty as your therapist!
- Support small businesses in your community where you can
So there you have it! Some topnotch advice from our expert Chantelle!
Look for Obsessions on Instagram and Facebook.
You can contact Chantelle by email at: obsessionshairsalon@gmail.com and by phone at: 519-751-3634.
