Flexie Styling Brush

Through decades of working with the motion picture studio’s and in my salon, I realized the need for a versatile styling tool that could accomplish a verity of hair styles and styling effects for home care and styling. Out of that interest, I designed the Flexie Styling Brush "World's Most Versatile Hair Brush". The adjustable three-in-one Flexie Brush is made for all hair types and length.  And when used with a hair dryer the Flexie Brush makes Blow-Dry styling quick and easy.

The Flexie Styling Brush is made of a unique durable heat resistant flexible rubber-like composite that is easy on the hair and scalp. The secret lies in its flexible living hinge which allows it to bend in both directions (open and closed) and spring back to it original flat Paddle Brush shape. It has a built-in styling comb, soft flexible teeth and air flow net that acts as a diffuser to hold and dry hair in place.  The Flexie Brush also comes with a unique retainer clip that slides on the end of the brush to hold it open for use as a Round Brush or closed to keep it clean when not in use.

One Hair Brush Does It All
Call Direct (George Caroll) Hair Research X, Inc 805 496 8061

Order Online @ http://www.hairflex.com

Vidal Sassoon / Galaxy Star

 

It is with great sadness that Salon Galaxy.com mourns the loss of industry legend Vidal Sassoon. A youthful 84, Vidal past away from an unspecified illness at his Beverly Hills, Mulholland home surrounded by family. Known as a trail blazer and innovator, Sassoon spent his career perfecting cutting and styling techniques that continue to shape the industry today. In his Autobiography "The Worlds Most Famous Hairdresser" reflects on how the industry has changed in his decades of experience-and where it is (and should be) headed. 

There’s no doubt that Vidal Sassoon revolutionized hairdressing in the way that his frequent collaborator, Mary Quant, revolutionized hemlines. It’s certain that the Swinging Sixties would have been decidedly less swinging had the celebrities of the day not been sporting his iconic geometric cuts. Sassoon’s approach to hair ushered in a modern era where women, once slaves of the salon, would be freed of the stand up dryer and able to “wash, blow and go” while breaking the rules of hair symmetry altogether.

Vidal Sassoon's extraordinary life has taken him from an impoverished childhood to global fame as the father of modern hairdressing, whose slick sharp style cuts took the fashion world by storm. His memoir begins with surprising and often moving stories of his early life—He then discusses his extraordinary career, during which he cut the hair of everyone who was anyone—including Mary Quant, Grace Coddington, Twiggy, Rita Hayworth, and Mia Farrow; launched salons all over the world; founded the hairdressing school that still bears his name; and became a global brand.

When asked what he thinks of today’s popular hairstyles. He says that although there are a lot of beautiful hair cuts today most do nothing for the face and would love to see some beautiful face framing cutting come back. He most regrets having sold his salon only hair products to Richardson-Vicks and a year later it was sold to Proctor and Gamble which took the hair products out of the salons and into the mass market.

If you skim over all the celebrity stuff Vidal’s autobiography is an inspiring rags to riches story. For me it was interesting to see how the hair industry that we take so for grant these days evolved from the 1900's. Filled with pictures his book is a compelling memoir of a genuine fashion icon that reinvented the art of hairdressing in the 20 century. Perhaps Vidal’s most important legacy is the signature techniques taught around the world today at Vidal Sassoon Academies and his memorable TV commercial slogan __ (when you look good, we look good). This Galaxy Star will continue to shine after others fade away.

Vidal Sassoon Autobiography..... inspiring fascinating life story is available on Amazon

Jennifer Lawrence / Star Hair Style

Drawing inspiration from the hair style trends of our favorite stars and celebrities has become a national pass time. One such star style that has everyone taking notice is Hollywood’s newest starlet Jennifer Lawrence.Jennifer was discovered at the age of 14 while auditioning for talent and model agencies. She landed a commercial-shoot for H&M and MTV where she was spotted by a talent agent. This led to her current roll as the heroine Katniss Everdeen in the much talked about film the “Hunger Games”.

Being a Hollywood film star isn't all cocktail parties and award ceremonies. Too get into character Jennifer had to change her hair color. Transforming Jennifer Lawrence from a blonde bombshell into a rich brunette for The Hunger Games cost filmmakers $30,000 making it the world's most expensive "dye job". To search for her character's perfect hair color and avoid damaging Jennifer’s hair, Linda Flowers, Head Hair Designer for The Hunger Games rented five $6,000 custom lace wigs in different shades, from light brown to dark brown with a little bit of red. The final color selection __a rich deep level five Mahogany Brown.

Achieving these type of color transformations is tricky and as a Hollywood Colorist we encounter these situations often. Dying your hair multiple times can damage anyone’s locks said Flowers. If the color is too dark or too red you're looking at a much harsher process to take out some of that color. On the other hand 'if you know what the target color is, it's possible to just use a color filler with a semi-permanent color which is much quicker and easier when it comes time to returning back to your natural color.

Celebrity stylist Mark Townsend is the man behind Jennifer current look and color, which employee's lots of "second-day texture." For a dressy red carpet look he began by applying Gel Mousse to Jennifer's damp hair, then blow-dried with a large round brush. Next he separated out three-inch sections of hair and curled it around a one-inch curling iron. After a Pom Mist Styling Wax is applied to create the second-day texture effect. For the chignon itself, Jennifer's hair is braided and swept up with what looks like a vintage necklace (or two) wound through her braids creating an oval as it encircles the base of the chignon. “Her new color is actually a better look then her pale blond color Mark says. I love her gold highlights with a touch of Carmel undertones in between giving her a Spring/Summer look.

Whiskers / Man's Best Friend

Nothing can reshape a face or add a dramatic look like whiskers. All facial hair styles, “Sideburns, Mustaches, Goatees and Full Beards" are determined by the natural growth pattern and density of the facial hair. Whiskers can be shaped and styled to cover a ruddy complexion, shorten a wide upper lip, add width to a narrow face, balance a large nose, soften or accent sharp features, cover a scare, strengthen a weak chin or cover a double chin, make receding hairlines less noticeable and add a mature look to a young face. Wearing facial hair can give you a mature, stylish, artsy, rugged, dashing, sexy, intelligent, friendly, decisive, bold, aristocratic and distinguished look. What more can I say about man's best friend___ whiskers?

If your up for a totally new look, before you start “sprouting whiskers” take a look at how many notable Hollywood actors use facial hair styles for the rolls they play and to enhance their personal appearance.Throughout his career Errol Fynn used a thin "mustache" to complement his angular features and a stylist small goatee for rolls as a dashing buccaneer. The handsome Clark Gable sported a shapely “chevron style” mustache to shorten his wide upper lip and full sideburns to frame his large ears.

A Goatee is a “stylish way” to cover a double chin or widen a narrow or weak chin and add a mature or artistic look. To give his boyish good looks a mature look Leonardo DiCaprio sometimes wears a mustache and goatee. When Johnny Depp grew out his thin mustache and goatee for his roll as the swashbuckling pirate of the Caribbean young men begin sporting his “style pirate look”.
 

Wearing facial hair is a quick way to add a mature look and balance facial features. To accent his angular chin Sean Penn often wears a stylish thin mustache and small goatee. Ashton Kutcher's baby face gets a mature rugged look with a close clipped beard. To keep it up use a clipper on the closest setting twice a week and shave around the edge to accent the shape.

For a classic Wild West look Sam Elliott let his thick whiskers grow out for a long full handlebar mustache. For his roll as a gun swinger Viggo Mortenson wear a full mustache with wide lip goatee. Both of these styles were considered stylish for the time. If you’re the urban cowboy type or the real deal either of these stylish looks would be an excellent choice.

The Mustache in all sizes and shapes has always been a popular facial style. When the Beatles showed up sporting mustache's in the 70's the mustache was introduced to the next generation. Most would agree that Tom Selleck’s trade mark mustache is widely considered the gold standard among mustached celebrities.  Jack Black puts on a happy face and gives his round features a slimmer and stylish look with a mustache. Sporting a Stache’ can be a "stylish way” to cover a wide or narrow upper lip and also balance both large and small facial features.

For those with thick breads and large and angular facial features wearing a Mustache and Goatee can add interest and make it less note worthy. To balance his large nose and add an artistic look Adrian Brody often sports a stylish Anchor shaped Mustache and Goatee. 

For those receding hairlines and thick beards shaving or clipping hair super short with a (close clipped beard) is a stylish masculine look and helps make hair loss less note worthy. Action hero’s Bruce Willis and Jason Statham keep their hair and whiskers clipped close for their rugged tough-guy image. Because the beard grows quickly you’ll need to use a styling clipper weekly for this ruff and tumbled look.

Wearing a shapely (full or close clipped) beard can be a handsome look for both young and older men. When a movie roll calls for a distinguished look Anthony Hopkins wears a full brushed beard. George Clooney’s close clipped beard (5 day growth) adds a rugged look and plays up his strong chin and jaw line.

 

If you’re one of those dudes with a thick dark beard that looks like a 5 o’clock shadow by noon you may want to consider using those whiskers. Because facial hair styles are limited by the natural growth pattern and density, men with thick beards can wear any style (shape) imaginable. Blessed with movie star good looks and a thick beard to boot Mel Gibson often uses his whiskers for many characters he portrays. 

Vote the sexiest man alive the handsome Sean Connery is well known for his stylish whiskers. To define the shape Sean has always colored his mustache and eye brows and wears full sideburns to mask his large ears. This secret agent is loaded with panache'.

If this is your first time growing whiskers you may be surprised to see it has grayed in spots. For some this can add a distinguished look. If you don't like the look you can use a eye brow pencil (use the same shade as your natural color) with a make-up brush to temporally cover over the gray spots or darken the edge to accent the shape. Because facial hair is course and resistant to hair dye its best to visit a salon colorist if you chose to use a permanent hair color. They can guide you through the process and select the best shade to match you natural color.

Are Whiskers Sexy___ When asked, women for the most part say they like the look of men with facial hair as long as it was clean and well groomed. To keep those whisker's clean and soft to the touch avoid bar soap. Instead use a "shampoo and conditioner after to soften and moisturize the skin under it. If whisker's look or feel a bit dry or frizzy a dab of moisturizing styling cream or lotion will tame it. 

Because whiskers grow quickly it only takes 7-10 days of growth to get started. Shaving around the edge will keep looking clean while growing out. If you like the look of a close beard use a clipper on the closest setting twice a week for a 5 o'clock shadow look. At this point you can begin experimenting by removing the sides and keep a  mustache or include the chin whiskers for an artsy goatee. If you’re up for totally new look grow your beard out for week or so and visit a salon hair stylist to find the best style for your unique face shape, facial features and personality.

Carrie White / Upper Cut

Behind the scenes of every Hollywood photo shoot, TV Commercial, and party in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, there was Carrie White. 

As the “First Lady of Hairdressing,” Carrie collaborated with Richard Avedon on photo shoots for Vogue, partied with Jim Morrison, styled Sharron Tate’s for her wedding to Roman Polanski, and got high with Jimi Hendrix. She has counted Jennifer Jones, Betsy Bloomingdale, Elizabeth Taylor, Goldie Hawn and Camille Cosby among her favorite clients.

Carrie White’s riveting beauty book (Upper Cut) reads more like a novel then a traditional beauty book. With a career that spanned more than forty-five years Carrie White lived the "Hairdresser Dream", styling everyone from Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret to many top Hollywood actors and actresses. 

Her work has appeared in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, In Style, Allure, Vanity Fair, Ladies Home Journal, Mademoiselle, and Glamor. As one of Hollywood’s most sought after hairstylists, Carrie tells a roller coaster story of hair, celebrities and surviving life in the fast lane. Her engaging, celebrity-filled life story is a captivating tale but it’s her personal story that is at the heart of the novel.

Carrie White was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from Hollywood High school and enrolled in the Lapin Brother Beauty College. Through connections Carrie landed a position in a Beverly Hills salon and quickly made her mark in the all-male field of famous Hairdressers. Within a few years her appointment book was over flowing with celebrities. The list of her famous clients fills the final four pages of her book. 

But behind the glamorous facade, Carrie's world was in perpetual disarray and always had been. After her father abandoned the family when she was still a child, she was sexually abused by her domineering stepfather, and her alcoholic mother was unstable and unreliable. Carrie was sipping cocktails before her tenth birthday, and had had five children and three husbands before her twenty-eighth birthday. 

She fueled the frenetic pace of her professional life with a steady diet of champagne and vodka, diet pills, cocaine, and heroin, until she eventually lost her home, her car, her career -- and nearly her children. 

Carrie White’s book (Upper Cut) carried me back through time to the places and atmosphere of those distant heady days. She made me laugh with her total recall of the aura and feel of the Beverly Hills scene (people and places) that I remember well. I found myself uncomfortable reading about her struggles with fame and drugs and for the thought of her sweet little kids and all the hard times they journeyed through together coming out the other side whole and perfect again. 

With her sharp wit and keen eye, Carrie White has written one of the best stories about life as a world famous Hollywood Hairdresser,  that I’ve read.   I literally couldn’t put it down. 

An unflinching portrayal of addiction and recovery, Upper Cut proves that even in Hollywood, sometimes you have to fight for a happy ending. Carrie battled her way back, getting sober, rebuilding her relationships and her reputation as a hairdresser and today, the name Carrie White is once again on the door,  of one of Beverly Hill's most respected salons.

Star Hair Style / Michelle Williams

Drawing inspiration for the hair styles of the stars has become a national past time. It looks like Hollywood has a case of pixie-cut fever: Joining the pixie stars of the past, (Twiggy, Mia Farrow) Michelle Williams is the latest star to go super short with a platinum blonde pixie with wispy-swept bangs. Though she’s no stranger to short hair, having bobbed her long locks in 2007, her new bleach-blonde pixie has time challenged women embracing their inner pixie.

HOW TO GET THE LOOK: Would you like a hairstyle and color that makes you stand out in a world of long hair mop top hairstyles? If that’s the case take a styling lesson for Michelle Williams and watch heads turn when you show up looking both cute and sexy in a grown up way. To get the look let’s take it one step at a time, starting with a “style cut and shaping”.

LET’S SHAPE IT: Start with a scissor or razor cut contoured silhouette with super short side swept bangs, soft tapered neckline and short wispy hair in front of the ear. This boyish-yet-still-feminine-style lengthens a short forehead and face while accenting cheekbones and eyes. The Pixie-cut is a sassy “time saving” do’ that suits all hair types, especially those with small face shapes and facial features like Michelle. With a few adjustments (trims as it grows) you can easily find the ideal length and shape for your hair, face shape and personal style.

LET’S STYLE IT: Talk about easy…just shampoo, condition and add a dab of shaping gel, styling mousse or nothing at all. To dress it up give it a once over with a blow dry to add volume or straighten unwanted curl and waves. Finish with a pinch of styling paste for a textured effect or a dab of hair polish and your good to go. 

LET’S ADD MAKEUP: What a Pixie style with out makeup? To complement this retro-chic ’do smudge a sparkly pewter eye shadow on the top and bottom lash lines, tuck in a few faux lashes, and finished with a dusting of sparkly white shadow. Finish up with a drop of foundation to the pink lipstick makes “the lips a part of the face, not a separate statement.” Add small diamond studs and you’ve got the look.

NOW LET’S COLOR IT: Star’s change their hair color often for the many rolls they pay and Michelle is no exception. To get the look, her natural dark brown hair color is lightened several shades with cream bleach and followed with a pale blonde or Platinum blonde toner. To keep this up the new growth is lightened with cream bleach and toner every 4-5 week. This bit of hair color magic will cost a few extra bucks but hey; just look what it did for Michelle.

Michelle Williams bold Pixie-Cut is just what it takes to stand out in a world of long blonde mop-top hairstyle. Talk about easy…just shampoo, condition and add a dab of shaping gel, styling mousse or nothing at all. To dress it up give it a once over with a blow dry to add volume or straighten unwanted curl and waves. Finish with a pinch of hair polish and your good to go. The pillow case blonde hair color is a thing of beauty and a work of art. You’re sure to get rave review and your girl friends will be green with envy when you show up looking ooh-so stylish sporting your sassy Pixie Cut. See More Star Hair Styles @ www.georgecaroll.com

Political Hair Style / Callista Gingrich

Callista Gingrich’s strikingly perfect platinum bob, with the distinctive over-the-left-eye swoosh, is a head turner and has captured the attention of hairdressers, journalists, and women of a similar demographic worldwide. Callista Gingrich’s follicular tress is the latest addition to a distinguished roster of political hair from Hillary Clinton’s headbands, John Edwards’s $400 trim and the Sarah Palin up-do. 

Though this very stiff platinum blonde "with one remarkable lock styled into an upward swoosh," may look like a wig, it’s the real deal. Reportedly, she gets her hair colored and styled for $400 at the Andre Chreky salon in Washington, D.C. However, according to the New Yorker, Callista's favorite salon is the Sugar House in Virginia. Regardless of which salon she frequents, simple calculation shows that she spends around three grand a year to maintain the enviable shine of her hair.

Yes, there are pressing issues facing the nation, from unemployment to foreclosures. But there still seems to be room to contemplate the fixed pale-blonde halo framing the delicate head of Newt Gingrich’s wife. She has been asked about her hairdo “at every stop,” women compliment her and then say, “How do you keep it so perfect?” Her secret: firm hold hair spray.

As far as the nuts and bolts of the look, Mrs. Conway hair stylist provided some clues, saying she has had the style, which she describes as a “classic bob with a swoosh,” since March 2010. She gets it cut once every five weeks, on average; when traveling, she will go to a local salon “when necessary,” but in the morning she generally styles it herself. “It is simple to maintain and does not take much time for daily prep.”  

Callista 1960’s bob wasn't always the slick, smooth, helmet-y coif it is now. When she married Newt in 2000, Callista wore her hair longer and curlier, although still very blond. Over the past 12 years, her haircut has morphed slowly into her signature disciplined bob, and her wardrobe has followed suit with more structure and fewer patterns. Place your vote _is this a trend to watch?