After a few months in the summer sun, your clients are looking to you for help for their dry, faded locks. Come to their aid with a host of backbar treatments that moisturize, strengthen and preserve color, then send them home with a maintenance routine from your retail section.
"By the middle of summer, hair is wrecked," says Philip Pelusi, hair mogul and owner of Tela Salon in New York City. "A hair treatment can jump-start a care routine for the fall and winter." Tela offers a range of organic treatments geared for specific problems. "Hair should be looked at like a fabric; each kind requires a different type of treatment," Pelusi says. Rejuvenate, for stressed or aging hair, features ingredients like thornberry, foti and pomegranate. Rehydrate, with its combination of marshmallow root, plantin, angustifolia seed and soloman seed, is best for frizzy, curly or coarse hair. Revive, for people whose color needs a boost, uses pure pigments from ground flowers in seven different tones mixed with things like milk thistle, foxglove and wolfberry to enhance color and create a separation of tonalities. Pelusi says that even in tough economic times, his clients can always fit in this affordable luxury. He also suggests offering treatments as part of packages or as incentives for valued clients.
 Backbar treatments can boost your bottom line. |
Gary Wagner, color specialist at David Evangelista Salon at Cornelia Day Resort in New York City, says that many clients come to the salon specifically for its new clay treatment, which sucks toxins out of the hair, then replenishes it with heavy conditioners and vitamins. "This mask is like 'summer cleaning' for the hair," he says. After a vigorous shampoo, which Wagner calls a "facial for the scalp," the mask is applied and the client is set under a steamer for about 30 minutes before being washed out. It's a great add-on service to a straightening treatment, but Wagner warns that doing it within 48 hours of applying color can cause fading because the cuticle is not fully closed yet and the clay will draw out the color product. He does, however, suggest the treatment for his clients who highlight or relax their hair. "Any time I do chemical work that can damage the structure of the hair, I like to know what I can offer my clients to repair it," he says. He also recommends the treatment for clients with very thick or curly hair.
At Gavert Atelier in Beverly Hills, CA, owner Stuart Gavert says his clients only need to be talked into his keratin treatment once before falling in love with the results. In fact, about 75 percent of his clients with chemically treated hair request it. The keratin treatment is used during the color process, after taking off the hair lightener and before applying gloss. "The keratin rebuilds the protein structure and allows the gloss to properly adhere to the hair," Gavert explains. "It also acts as a bodifier, leaving hair silky but full." Gavert also applies this treatment to clients who have undergone Japanese straightening, especially his black clients who need the extra moisture.
While you can develop your own treatments for your salon, many companies provide backbar treatments for you to offer.
At Chris Chase Salon in New York City, where about 50 percent of clients get some sort of treatment each day, according to senior colorist/stylist Shane Manieri, clients can choose between Kérastase Rituals and Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ceremonies. "We have two types of clients, those who want a quick-performing solution and those who want an actual experience," Manieri says, explaining that the former prefer Kérastase, while the latter choose Shu Uemura. There are three Shu Uemura ceremonies, which increase in length, intensity and luxury. The most indulgent is the 50-minute Matsu Ceremony, which features extensive shiatsu-inspired massages for the scalp, neck, shoulders, arms and hands. Benefiting the hair is a made-to-measure treatment that includes one of three Absolu Oils: Full Shimmer, with musk rose oil to add vibrancy to haircolor; Moisture Velvet, featuring camellia oil to rebalance the moisture of dry or chemically relaxed hair; and Silk Bloom, the most intense option, which has argan oil to repair the structure of the hair fiber.
The customized Chemistry System from Redken targets the individual needs of clients whose hair is distressed from chemical treatments or heat styling. The system starts with a cleansing shampoo, which is followed by one of five customized shots that compensate for missing components in the hair. The final step is the spray-on pHix pHase, which comes in two options and locks in the ingredients from the shots.
 TREATMENTS TO GO |
Pravana Silk Degrees Demi-Permanent Shine Serum and Shine Treatment work together to add moisture, shine and body and to protect hair from the sun and heat-styling tools. The formulas use proprietary nanotechnology to unite silk-infused silicones with silk amino acids and leave hair with long-lasting shine.
Jayld Biophil pH Treatment, distributed by John Amico Products, is designed to return hair to its natural state, supplying it with substances that are lost in the course of chemical treatments. Formulas in the line target colored, permed or straightened hair; weak, thin or damaged hair; hair with dandruff; oily scalp and hair; and dried out, fragile curly hair.
Profound Beauty Anatomy Collection also features personalized in-salon treatments (along with shampoos, conditioners and masks for clients to take home) that take into consideration a client's hair type and hair history. The treatment, which uses Nano-Link technology to deliver essential nutrients, should be administered once a month.
Bain de Terre has three, three-step customized therapies for the hair: Moisture Therapy, Strength Therapy and Repair Therapy. Each starts with the Sugar & Fig Scalp Massage Scrub, then continues with the appropriate shampoo and either a masque, hair balm or reconstructor.
PureOlogy has two new backbar treatments to add to your menu of services. Radiance Renewal Treatment promises to return hair to its youthful condition while enhancing radiance and color vibrancy, and Summer Hair Revitalizer replaces moisture, rebuilds protein and removes chlorine and minerals.
Adding to its list of organic offerings, Aveda has the Botanical Hair Therapy, Moisture Immersion and Strength Infusion treatments, all of which claim to improve hair's condition by up to 71 percent, and can be used to maximize a color service.
Also used to enhance color is the new Goldwell colorglow[IQ], which features pre- and post-color treatments and take-home products. The treatments are all color-specific.
The three-step Ultimate Treatment from L'Anza involves a detoxifying shampoo, a Power Booster Additive and a Power Protector. The process takes 10 minutes and provides immediately noticeable results. —LORI MORRIS