Philip Pelusi, hair care expert05.07.18
This Spring and Summer 2018, we live in a parallel hair universe; with trends running the gamut from the utmost natural textures to the most unnatural looking hair colors to braids that go from one extreme to the other. So, we set our creativity caps to steer our guests in the right style direction and arm them with the best styling techniques and product ingredients to create the latest, most coveted style trends all while helping improve the condition of hair and reduce color fagade with new cutting-edge technology and ingredients.
Unicorn Hair Color
The on-going Balayage hair color trend isn’t going anywhere, with the demand for this look growing even greater for this new year. Rainbow tinted, vibrant shades can present as an all over more-solid color to multiple tones applied with a variety of techniques. Chief among them are Ombre’ and Balayage. Stylists now need to become quick-change artists to transform natural hair color into popular jewel toned, unicorn shades with Rose Quartz, Ocean Hues, Burnt Orange and Metallic Silver just to name a few. And these variegating color techniques are also being requested in natural blonde and brunette hues as well.
Besides mastering the formulation and application techniques, keeping the color molecules intact longer will be the next biggest challenge for stylists and guests alike. First, we consult with our guests to partner with us with the proper cleansing, conditioning and deep conditioning home-care routines. Then we regulate how often they should be cleansing. Water, as we know, is the number-one color fading agent. It’s the same when we wash our clothes. The more they are laundered, the more the color of the fabric fades.
When we wet our hair, this changes the physical properties of the hair. And the more we change the physical properties of our hair from dry to wet, the more the color molecules will slip through the cracks of the cortex and the cuticle of the hair therefore giving hair color the appearance of fading. So, limiting the number of times we cleanse will help limit color fadage but also recommending what to cleanse with helps too. Of course, we recommend one of our many color-protecting traditional shampoos. With their revolutionary ingredients and zero water, zero sulfate formulas, our shampoos help guard against color from fading.
But with these very bright artificial colors, and them being deposited onto a porous hair fabric, we recommend these guests give their hair a break, if possible, from traditional shampooing several times a week. First, we recommend skipping cleansing a day here and there when they can abstain from wetting their hair all together, but we also recommend alternating their primary P2 by Philip Pelusi color protecting cleansing shampoo with our P2 Clenz Crème Non-sudsing Cleansing Conditioner that removes almost all cleansing agents from the regimen.
High technology, zero suds and zero build-up; that’s what our P2 Clenz Crème embodies. Hair gets a very light cleanse from our Philip Pelusi Sugar Cane Cleanse; comprised of Sugar Cane and Sugar Maple. But don’t look for any suds, there won’t be any. That’s why we refer to this as giving hair a break from traditional shampooing. Instead, the focus of this product is conditioning and protecting the hair with our proprietary Pelusi Bio Polymer Complex that includes Organic Baobab Seed Oil and Organic Baobab Seed Protein with the perfect molecular size for best penetration to condition hair, rebuild damaged keratin sites and prevent color fade.
Our Organic Baobab Seed Oil is a cold-pressed oil expressed from the seeds of the Baobab Tree, most often found in Madagascar and throughout the continent of Africa, is duly named as the “Tree of Life” because of its many uses from its bark being woven into rope, its fruits and leaves being eaten as salad, as medicine to alleviate digestive issues and even the hull of a dead Baobab Tree being used as shelter. Certified Organic Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil is rich with Vitamin D3 and Palmitic, Linoleic, Oleic and Alpha Linolenic. It nourishes and moisturizes hair and scalp without weighing down hair’s volume. Organic Baobab Oil also helps reduce frizz and creates shine. Our source for this ingredient insists on only organic, hand-picked ingredients from sustainably sourced, small community farms. The sustainably harvested Baobab fruits has also helped support the livelihood of women in the local communities where these trees grow.
And for further color support, we recommend guests use our P2 by Philip Pelusi Color Boost Conditioners. I opted to create a color conditioner as opposed to a color shampoo with the fundamental reasoning that a better color stain on the hair could be achieved with a conditioner formula as the vehicle for the color as opposed to shampoo which is simultaneously working to cleanse the hair as well. P2 Color Boost is available in 8 different shades, such as P2 Cherrymint Bark, P2 Violet Orchid and P2 Mandarin Citrus to name a few, that can and should be intermixed to get the perfect hue. Each formula’s unique hue is created from dehydrated flower pigments from the Louis Pasteur Clinic in France. Deeper colored formulas contain additional human hair melanin to get that deeper brunette stain a flower pigment couldn’t provide.
They are designed to support whatever color service has been performed on the hair. They stain the hair, reinforcing whatever was the color service was performed in the salon, then fades away over a several days to a week depending on the porosity of the hair. And our stylists have become P2 Color Boost mix-masters when it comes to the vibrant color services. These zero-softening conditioners are easy to use in that they can and should be mixed with any of our deep and instant conditioners depending on the texture of the guest’s hair.
Au Naturale Curls
Also in this parallel hair trend season, we see the continuing ever-growing trend back to natural curly and wavy hair textures. In some ways, there will always be a consumer need for straighteners or chemical relaxers but that’s not the focus of today’s curly hair consumer. And it makes sense as this is part and parcel with the strong consumer desire for natural and organic food and beauty products. As for hair, curls for spring and summer run the gamut from wild to tamed to coiled and everything in between. And perhaps for a stylist that has been used to removing curls or waves from the style equation, now they need to embrace this trend and more-over problem-solve for the guest as this might be just as a new texture experience for them as well.
What we have done to help both today’s guest and stylists, is to create a trio of products that give the hair fabric what the guest wishes mother-nature had. We refer to these as our P2 by Philip Pelusi Smart Styling Treatments. The reasoning behind this moniker is that each product is formulated with smart micro-emulsion technology and high-tech ingredients that work from the inside of the hair fiber instead of on the outside. Instead of traditional silicone-based, weighty formulas or resin-based crispy hair creating serums, our P2 Smart Styling Treatments change the way hair acts from the inside of the hair strand, leaving hair feeling light, natural and modern. And most important, help alleviate the hair problems a lot of natural curly heads experience.
For example, many natural curly guests need help battling bulky, too-thick texture and frizz. So, our P2 Decrease Smoothing Smart Styling Treatment is a weightless spray that should be applied to damp hair prior to styling, either with or without an additional styling product, as needed. It contains a revolutionary multi-fruit micro-emulsion that instantly embeds itself into the hair fiber helping to create “skinny” hair by lowing the hair’s pH, helping to close the cuticle, therefore helping hair to be styled more quickly. And because this is a substantive ingredient mixture will stay present in the hair, it helps the style to hold longer throughout the day or until the next shampoo.
If curls need a boost, more definition and frizz reduction, we created our P2 ReCurl Smart Styling Treatment. This lightweight potion lands somewhere between a crème and a liquid with a special micro-emulsion of Silk Amino Acids and Vegetable Proteins that help spring up natural and permed, curls and waves. Hair styles more quickly and with no heavy crispy resins, curls form faster and last longer throughout the day with reduced separation and frizz.
And not all curly or wavy hair textures are created equal; with some heads needing more volume and body. So, we created P2 Increase Volumizing Smart Styling Treatment containing plant derived Glycoproteins and a Wheat Protein Cross Polymer that help to add spring and definition to curls that need structure and also help with frizz reduction and shine with zero weight.
We call these “smart” due to their smart technology ingredients and formulation, “styling” due to the fact that they are to be applied to clean conditioned hair prior to styling, and “treatments” because of their over-the-top additional sunscreens, weightless moisturizers, strengtheners and antioxidants that help improve the condition of hair and help reduce color fadage too. So, they help tackle the styling and texture issues of today’s naturally curly or wavy guest all while improving the over appearance and performance of the hair.
All Over the Place Braids
Another juxtaposed trend for this season, are braids which range anywhere from what are being called Hidden, Layered, Complex, Textured, Baby and Medieval braids. The sky is the limit on creativity and this is great for both the stylist and the guest. Braids of all shapes, textures and forms ruled the runways along with spring and summer clothing fashions.
For creating braids, our staple here at Philip Pelusi is our P2 by Philip Pelusi Honey. A trio of Honey and other honey based derivatives help to give hair a flexible grip, making hair easier to control while braiding yet being mistake proof. Any braid can be removed and brushed thru for a redo or adjustment if needed, making this style easier for the stylist and for the guest as a take home product.
But more important, we need to educate guests about how to care for their hair and scalp if their braids are in for an extended time. When the braids are removed, especially from hair that perhaps has not been shampooed for several days or longer, both the hair and scalp need a thorough cleansing; removing any product build-up, dirt, oil and debris that have accumulated on the scalp.
We recommend our P2 by Philip Pelusi Detox Shampoo Treatment to be used as an in-salon treatment and or a take-home alternating shampoo to integrate into their hair routine. We recommend an in-salon hair and scalp cleansing and conditioning treatment, our P2 Spa Hair Therapy Treatment, for individuals that have had their braids in a week or longer. And for those individuals who braid their hair consistently at home, we recommend the P2 Detox be used on whatever day they cleanse their hair after they take out their braids.
And it’s so easy to use. Remove braids and loosen with fingertips. Wet hair very thoroughly,P2 Detox is a zero-water shampoo, apply a small amount to the palms of your hands and do a first cursory light shampoo and quick rinse. Next, apply a slightly larger amount of shampoo about the size of a nickel for medium lengths and a quarter for shoulder length or longer. Massage through hair concentrating at the scalp and if possible leave on the scalp for 3 – 5 minutes while in the shower under a plastic cap if possible to help trap heat, deepening the effectiveness of the product. If in the salon, place a plastic cap over the hair and place the guest under a heated hooded dryer for an even deeper treatment. Remove cap, re-lather with the existing shampoo on the scalp, and rinse thoroughly. Follow with a P2 deep or instant conditioner that matches the scalps condition and the texture of the hair. Rinse again and style as usual.
P2 Detox contains several ingredients of interest. One consists of a Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) removing ingredient microemulsion, helping to remove any build-up of DHTon the scalp. DHT removal is important to maintain a healthy scalp. DHT is a toxic bi-product from scalp-produced testosterone that is thought to be the primary cause of thinning hair. DHT is toxic to the hair follicle and has been shown to reduce the size of follicles resulting in finer, thinner, weaker hair strands. Our unique DHT Removing Micro-Emulsion, includingTall Oil, a surfactant derived from wood pulp, helps gently cleanse excess DHT toxin from the scalp surface, works similarly to the way produce cleansers gently remove toxic pesticides from the surface of fruits and vegetables.
Also, P2 Detox contains a scalp balancing micro-emulsion consisting of Whortleberry, Rocket Leaf, Ivy and Watercress all of which help to clarify the scalp while putting the scalp in PH balance. One other nice side benefit of this mixture is that it helps stop sebaceous oils from forming as quickly, therefore helping keep the scalp cleaner longer. And this is good news for those individuals who wear their braids for longer than a day or so. Conditioning ingredients leave the hair feeling soft and silky while helping limit color fadage.
For product recommendation and more information go to www.philppelusi.com
Unicorn Hair Color
The on-going Balayage hair color trend isn’t going anywhere, with the demand for this look growing even greater for this new year. Rainbow tinted, vibrant shades can present as an all over more-solid color to multiple tones applied with a variety of techniques. Chief among them are Ombre’ and Balayage. Stylists now need to become quick-change artists to transform natural hair color into popular jewel toned, unicorn shades with Rose Quartz, Ocean Hues, Burnt Orange and Metallic Silver just to name a few. And these variegating color techniques are also being requested in natural blonde and brunette hues as well.
Besides mastering the formulation and application techniques, keeping the color molecules intact longer will be the next biggest challenge for stylists and guests alike. First, we consult with our guests to partner with us with the proper cleansing, conditioning and deep conditioning home-care routines. Then we regulate how often they should be cleansing. Water, as we know, is the number-one color fading agent. It’s the same when we wash our clothes. The more they are laundered, the more the color of the fabric fades.
When we wet our hair, this changes the physical properties of the hair. And the more we change the physical properties of our hair from dry to wet, the more the color molecules will slip through the cracks of the cortex and the cuticle of the hair therefore giving hair color the appearance of fading. So, limiting the number of times we cleanse will help limit color fadage but also recommending what to cleanse with helps too. Of course, we recommend one of our many color-protecting traditional shampoos. With their revolutionary ingredients and zero water, zero sulfate formulas, our shampoos help guard against color from fading.
But with these very bright artificial colors, and them being deposited onto a porous hair fabric, we recommend these guests give their hair a break, if possible, from traditional shampooing several times a week. First, we recommend skipping cleansing a day here and there when they can abstain from wetting their hair all together, but we also recommend alternating their primary P2 by Philip Pelusi color protecting cleansing shampoo with our P2 Clenz Crème Non-sudsing Cleansing Conditioner that removes almost all cleansing agents from the regimen.
High technology, zero suds and zero build-up; that’s what our P2 Clenz Crème embodies. Hair gets a very light cleanse from our Philip Pelusi Sugar Cane Cleanse; comprised of Sugar Cane and Sugar Maple. But don’t look for any suds, there won’t be any. That’s why we refer to this as giving hair a break from traditional shampooing. Instead, the focus of this product is conditioning and protecting the hair with our proprietary Pelusi Bio Polymer Complex that includes Organic Baobab Seed Oil and Organic Baobab Seed Protein with the perfect molecular size for best penetration to condition hair, rebuild damaged keratin sites and prevent color fade.
Our Organic Baobab Seed Oil is a cold-pressed oil expressed from the seeds of the Baobab Tree, most often found in Madagascar and throughout the continent of Africa, is duly named as the “Tree of Life” because of its many uses from its bark being woven into rope, its fruits and leaves being eaten as salad, as medicine to alleviate digestive issues and even the hull of a dead Baobab Tree being used as shelter. Certified Organic Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil is rich with Vitamin D3 and Palmitic, Linoleic, Oleic and Alpha Linolenic. It nourishes and moisturizes hair and scalp without weighing down hair’s volume. Organic Baobab Oil also helps reduce frizz and creates shine. Our source for this ingredient insists on only organic, hand-picked ingredients from sustainably sourced, small community farms. The sustainably harvested Baobab fruits has also helped support the livelihood of women in the local communities where these trees grow.
And for further color support, we recommend guests use our P2 by Philip Pelusi Color Boost Conditioners. I opted to create a color conditioner as opposed to a color shampoo with the fundamental reasoning that a better color stain on the hair could be achieved with a conditioner formula as the vehicle for the color as opposed to shampoo which is simultaneously working to cleanse the hair as well. P2 Color Boost is available in 8 different shades, such as P2 Cherrymint Bark, P2 Violet Orchid and P2 Mandarin Citrus to name a few, that can and should be intermixed to get the perfect hue. Each formula’s unique hue is created from dehydrated flower pigments from the Louis Pasteur Clinic in France. Deeper colored formulas contain additional human hair melanin to get that deeper brunette stain a flower pigment couldn’t provide.
They are designed to support whatever color service has been performed on the hair. They stain the hair, reinforcing whatever was the color service was performed in the salon, then fades away over a several days to a week depending on the porosity of the hair. And our stylists have become P2 Color Boost mix-masters when it comes to the vibrant color services. These zero-softening conditioners are easy to use in that they can and should be mixed with any of our deep and instant conditioners depending on the texture of the guest’s hair.
Au Naturale Curls
Also in this parallel hair trend season, we see the continuing ever-growing trend back to natural curly and wavy hair textures. In some ways, there will always be a consumer need for straighteners or chemical relaxers but that’s not the focus of today’s curly hair consumer. And it makes sense as this is part and parcel with the strong consumer desire for natural and organic food and beauty products. As for hair, curls for spring and summer run the gamut from wild to tamed to coiled and everything in between. And perhaps for a stylist that has been used to removing curls or waves from the style equation, now they need to embrace this trend and more-over problem-solve for the guest as this might be just as a new texture experience for them as well.
What we have done to help both today’s guest and stylists, is to create a trio of products that give the hair fabric what the guest wishes mother-nature had. We refer to these as our P2 by Philip Pelusi Smart Styling Treatments. The reasoning behind this moniker is that each product is formulated with smart micro-emulsion technology and high-tech ingredients that work from the inside of the hair fiber instead of on the outside. Instead of traditional silicone-based, weighty formulas or resin-based crispy hair creating serums, our P2 Smart Styling Treatments change the way hair acts from the inside of the hair strand, leaving hair feeling light, natural and modern. And most important, help alleviate the hair problems a lot of natural curly heads experience.
For example, many natural curly guests need help battling bulky, too-thick texture and frizz. So, our P2 Decrease Smoothing Smart Styling Treatment is a weightless spray that should be applied to damp hair prior to styling, either with or without an additional styling product, as needed. It contains a revolutionary multi-fruit micro-emulsion that instantly embeds itself into the hair fiber helping to create “skinny” hair by lowing the hair’s pH, helping to close the cuticle, therefore helping hair to be styled more quickly. And because this is a substantive ingredient mixture will stay present in the hair, it helps the style to hold longer throughout the day or until the next shampoo.
If curls need a boost, more definition and frizz reduction, we created our P2 ReCurl Smart Styling Treatment. This lightweight potion lands somewhere between a crème and a liquid with a special micro-emulsion of Silk Amino Acids and Vegetable Proteins that help spring up natural and permed, curls and waves. Hair styles more quickly and with no heavy crispy resins, curls form faster and last longer throughout the day with reduced separation and frizz.
And not all curly or wavy hair textures are created equal; with some heads needing more volume and body. So, we created P2 Increase Volumizing Smart Styling Treatment containing plant derived Glycoproteins and a Wheat Protein Cross Polymer that help to add spring and definition to curls that need structure and also help with frizz reduction and shine with zero weight.
We call these “smart” due to their smart technology ingredients and formulation, “styling” due to the fact that they are to be applied to clean conditioned hair prior to styling, and “treatments” because of their over-the-top additional sunscreens, weightless moisturizers, strengtheners and antioxidants that help improve the condition of hair and help reduce color fadage too. So, they help tackle the styling and texture issues of today’s naturally curly or wavy guest all while improving the over appearance and performance of the hair.
All Over the Place Braids
Another juxtaposed trend for this season, are braids which range anywhere from what are being called Hidden, Layered, Complex, Textured, Baby and Medieval braids. The sky is the limit on creativity and this is great for both the stylist and the guest. Braids of all shapes, textures and forms ruled the runways along with spring and summer clothing fashions.
For creating braids, our staple here at Philip Pelusi is our P2 by Philip Pelusi Honey. A trio of Honey and other honey based derivatives help to give hair a flexible grip, making hair easier to control while braiding yet being mistake proof. Any braid can be removed and brushed thru for a redo or adjustment if needed, making this style easier for the stylist and for the guest as a take home product.
But more important, we need to educate guests about how to care for their hair and scalp if their braids are in for an extended time. When the braids are removed, especially from hair that perhaps has not been shampooed for several days or longer, both the hair and scalp need a thorough cleansing; removing any product build-up, dirt, oil and debris that have accumulated on the scalp.
We recommend our P2 by Philip Pelusi Detox Shampoo Treatment to be used as an in-salon treatment and or a take-home alternating shampoo to integrate into their hair routine. We recommend an in-salon hair and scalp cleansing and conditioning treatment, our P2 Spa Hair Therapy Treatment, for individuals that have had their braids in a week or longer. And for those individuals who braid their hair consistently at home, we recommend the P2 Detox be used on whatever day they cleanse their hair after they take out their braids.
And it’s so easy to use. Remove braids and loosen with fingertips. Wet hair very thoroughly,P2 Detox is a zero-water shampoo, apply a small amount to the palms of your hands and do a first cursory light shampoo and quick rinse. Next, apply a slightly larger amount of shampoo about the size of a nickel for medium lengths and a quarter for shoulder length or longer. Massage through hair concentrating at the scalp and if possible leave on the scalp for 3 – 5 minutes while in the shower under a plastic cap if possible to help trap heat, deepening the effectiveness of the product. If in the salon, place a plastic cap over the hair and place the guest under a heated hooded dryer for an even deeper treatment. Remove cap, re-lather with the existing shampoo on the scalp, and rinse thoroughly. Follow with a P2 deep or instant conditioner that matches the scalps condition and the texture of the hair. Rinse again and style as usual.
P2 Detox contains several ingredients of interest. One consists of a Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) removing ingredient microemulsion, helping to remove any build-up of DHTon the scalp. DHT removal is important to maintain a healthy scalp. DHT is a toxic bi-product from scalp-produced testosterone that is thought to be the primary cause of thinning hair. DHT is toxic to the hair follicle and has been shown to reduce the size of follicles resulting in finer, thinner, weaker hair strands. Our unique DHT Removing Micro-Emulsion, includingTall Oil, a surfactant derived from wood pulp, helps gently cleanse excess DHT toxin from the scalp surface, works similarly to the way produce cleansers gently remove toxic pesticides from the surface of fruits and vegetables.
Also, P2 Detox contains a scalp balancing micro-emulsion consisting of Whortleberry, Rocket Leaf, Ivy and Watercress all of which help to clarify the scalp while putting the scalp in PH balance. One other nice side benefit of this mixture is that it helps stop sebaceous oils from forming as quickly, therefore helping keep the scalp cleaner longer. And this is good news for those individuals who wear their braids for longer than a day or so. Conditioning ingredients leave the hair feeling soft and silky while helping limit color fadage.
For product recommendation and more information go to www.philppelusi.com