Going Balayage with Schwarzkopf!

Valentine's Day this year was extra special, as Schwarzkopf Professional India planned a Valentine's Day special date with my hair to shower it with some TLC, and you guys can guess after having known me for so long, that I would have opted for pampering my hair with some fresh hair colour, cause there is nothing more that I and my hair love, than some fresh colour and a new look!

Sunkissed by Illumina!

Being the hair colour fanatic that I am, I don't need reasons to colour my hair. I loveeee the feeling of colour in my hair and sometimes the time gap between colouring sessions is even as less as 2 months. I do not colour to cover my greys cause they haven't popped out yet, but if that is the reason why you guys think I regularly colour my hair then :P:P:P. For me, it's all about a new look and colouring my hair is the easiest way to have a makeover for oneself. Loads of you are petrified to colour your hair due to the various myths present, and also in some cases, colours in the market that tend to be so harmful that they spoil your hair completely. Hence it is always necessary to do the research well, and go in for a good brand and a good salon to get your hair colour done.

Stunning hairstyles for my #HairIsFashion makeover

In my last post which you can read here, you saw the stunning makeover I went through at the Lakme Absolute Salon. I usually don't experiment too much with hairstyling but my new makeover makes it absolutely simple for me to style my hair in numerous ways. Here are 2 styles that I have tried and coveted and am going to try again!

MESSY CURLS FOR A GLAM PARTY LOOK

This is a really simple look. Just curl your hair and then scrunch them for this messy yet glamourous curls look perfect for any party you want to head to! 

PRETTY POUF FOR A WEDDING LOOK

A pouf is the perfect hair do for indo-western outfits. Again very simple to style. Pair it with in-curled hair and you are ready to rock any wedding you are heading to!

What do you guys think about these two looks? Would love to try any suggestions you might have for me :-)

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Makeover Time at the Lakme Absolute Salon - #HairIsFashion + Show Stopping Contest

What is life if you don't experiment? I am not one of those who can do the same things day in and day out. I constantly need change atleast as far as my hair is concerned. Just like I shop for new clothes, I go in for a new haircolour every few months(have been colouring my hair since I was 16) and a haircut too once in a while. However due to my pregnancy and then getting busy with baby, these things went out of the window for a while and my hair grew really long and all the existing colour was washed out. As soon as I got the time, I went and got myself a new hair colour in December. However, because of two weddings in the family I didn't go for a new haircut as I needed the long hair for the hairstyles I was planning, but as soon as I got back, you have to see what I did! It's all documented for you - a stunning makeover that included a cut and colour, at the Lakme Absolute Salon in Bandra!

The makeover consisted of selecting a look from Lakme's 'The Show Stopping Hair Collection' - which the expert - Meenakshi would replicate on me. I chose 'The Helix Flair'. In my case, the makeover was broken into 2 visits, one for the haircut as I already had fresh colour in my hair and then about 40 days later a second visit for my hair colour. So let's begin the unveiling of the process and my look :-)

Can you see how short I went?? Well that wasn't what I had planned. Initially I had decided to just go for a trim and layer the haircut but Meenakshi kept trying to convince me to go shorter which I agreed to but on the condition that she wouldn't show me how much she was chopping off. The final result you can see was a nice structured cut which gave me volume but yet was low maintainence. It was much much shorter than I thought she was going to go but nevertheless I loved the haircut! Reminded me of my earlier days where I would not think twice before chopping my hair off while my mom scowled. After all it's hair, it's all going to grow back ;-) The cut brought out my existing colour so beautifully which you can see below.

This haircut over time I have realized is so much more easier to handle with a baby and shorter than what Aryaa can easily tug on. Also the post pregnancy hair loss is minimal as shorter hair can do much better with the same amount of nutrition.

My earlier overall highlights were an alternate application of two shades - gold with copper tints and dark blonde. Meenakshi along with another expert Meena used 3 colours to give me my new look. She used the Igora Royal range for the highlights from Schwarzkopf. The application consisted of one section of copper (L-77) and then 2 sections of copper + gold blonde (L-57) for the auburn effect. For the crown and in between the highlights, she used the Igora range from Schwarzkopf. She used a Dark Brown shade(5.0) which is similar to my original hair colour and is normally used for global colouring. I loved loved the result!

Looks amazing isn't it! :) They've given me highlights under and over as you can see above. The result is a real close match to the image in the catalogue other than the fact that I chose not to go for the purple as it is a high maintenance colour.

This entire process costs:

• Hair Cut - INR 900 + Taxes
• Hair Colour - INR 6,000 + Taxes (Depends on hair length)

I know I am going back soon to the Lakme Absolute Salon for my hair requirements and I would recommend you guys to give it a try too. I am sure you will be as happy as I am!

Finally, we come to the most exciting part of this post for you guys! Courtesy Lakme Absolute Salon, one of you lucky girls gets to win a 'Show Stopping Hair Collection #HairIsFashion experience'! All you have to do is answer this simple question in the comments box below:

"Why do you think #HairIsFashion?"

Rules for the contest are:

1. You have to be a follower of Ri(t)ch Styles on Google Friend Connect - right bar of the blog
2. Like Ri(t)ch Styles page on Facebook HERE
3. Subscribe to my YouTube channel HERE
4. Contest is open to residents of CHENNAI, HYDERABAD, PUNE, DELHI, MUMBAI, BANGALORE and KOLKATA only
5. Contest ends on 28th February 2015

Looking forward to all the lovely entries! Keep them coming!

If you like what you see on Ri(t)ch Styles and want to stay updated regularly, follow Ri(t)ch Styles on 

    

You can also email me on ritchstyles@gmail.com :)

My New Hair Colour! :)

Well I finally coloured my hair right in time for my birthday this year! A nice chocolate shade from L’Oréal Paris Casting Crème Gloss hair colour range. Though I don't have any greys, I still love colouring my hair and have been doing so for the past 15 years. I'm not worried about any damage to my hair as I do take the required care as mentioned in my post here where I busted a lot of myths.

Normally I highlight my hair but this time I decided to try an even colour across my hair and you can see the fabulous results in the pics below! The chocolate shade looks lovely and uniform all over :)

Pros of using the Casting Crème Gloss 

• It is a no ammonia hair colourant 
• Gives your hair rich, visible tones and a stunning glossy shine
• Enriched with Royal Jelly, a naturally occurring substance known for its rare nutritive and rejuvenating quality such that post colouring hair is left revitalized with a glossy shine
• Its crème formula contains a special patented conditioning complex that helps protect the hair fibre inside and out for exceptionally soft voluptuous hair
• It is easy to apply, takes just 20 minutes and comes in a do-it-yourself kit which saves unnecessary trips to the Salon

I highly recommend you to take the Say Yes To Colour pledge along with me and try the L’Oréal Paris Casting Crème Gloss . They have some really nice colours/shades which you can choose here depending upon your individuality and taste.

If you need any help, then send in your pictures to ritchstyles@gmail.com and I will help you choose a colour!

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Hair Colour Myths Busted! Say Yes to Colour!!!

Have you been wanting to colour your hair for a while, but are scared to do so because of the multiple myths about hair damage due to hair colour that you hear from time to time? Well don't be scared :) I've been colouring my hair for the last 15 years, and nothing scares me from continuing to do so. The world will talk! You decide for yourself what you wanna do after I bust some of the myths on hair colour in this post.

Myth 1: Colouring my hair will damage it, no matter what product I choose.
False: If you are careful in choosing the hair colour by checking on its ingredients, you can save yourself this worry totally. Use ammonia free colours. Also keep in mind that the colours being developed now are formulated to be extremely gentle on the hair as compared to the past. Some even have special ingredients meant to condition your hair and so your hair looks even healthier and shinier than before. In case you are colouring at home, follow the instructions carefully so that you don't over-process your hair.

Myth 2: Products made for coloured hair actually have no benefits.
False: Well it's obvious that the colour in your hair won't stay forever, even if you use products for coloured hair but they surely do help in preventing the fading from UV rays and water and in maintaining the colour longer. Use a colour preserving shampoo and conditioner which seal the cuticle and lock in the colour along with moisturising the hair thus preventing dryness and frizziness.

Myth 3: Colouring the hair will lead to greying of hair
False: Hair colour only penetrates the outer surface of your hair and not your follicles. If the hair inside your follicle is grey, it stays grey within regardless of colour. So basically hair colouring helps to cover grey rather than cause it.

Myth 4: Only a salon will give you best results
False: In case you are wanting to get lots of highlights done or a fashion colour not available off the shelf, then yes, its best to go to a salon. But if you are planning an even colour all over, then you can get great results at home too with the numerous products available in the market. Either ways keep a check on the ingredients.

Myth 5: Hair colour during pregnancy is harmful
True: Well why I say is true is not because the colour will enter your system if it touches your scalp or any of that crap, it's basically because of the inhalation of the strong chemical odour during colouring. Any sort of chemical exposure should be avoided especially in the first trimester.

Hopefully I will have helped those of you who have been contemplating about this to get onto my boat i.e. of those who colour their hair without any fear :) According to me, hair colouring in today's world is totally stress free if care is taken. If you don't want to take the efforts to take the minimum care also required then please don't colour your hair!

For me this time, I'm gonna be colouring my hair at home since I am planning an even colour all over and I am gonna be using the L’Oréal Paris Casting Crème Gloss.  It is a no ammonia hair colourant that gives your hair rich, visible tones and a stunning glossy shine. Enriched with Royal Jelly, a naturally occurring substance known for its rare nutritive and rejuvenating quality, Casting Crème Gloss ensures that post colouring hair is left revitalized with a glossy shine. Its crème formula contains a special patented conditioning complex that helps protect the hair fibre inside and out for exceptionally soft voluptuous hair. It is easy to apply, takes just 20 minutes and comes in a do-it-yourself kit which saves unnecessary trips to the parlour. I'm looking forward to trying it out!!

I've chosen the colour Chocolate for myself! What do you think about it?

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