Embrace Filth
Don’t shampoo your hair too often, warned Jimmy Pham, a New York City-based photographer and surfer with jet-black, shoulder-length hair. “My hair gets frizzy and bowl-shaped if I use shampoo,” he said, crediting the ocean for giving his stick straight hair a slight wave. “I wash it twice a month—max.” While shampooing twice a month might war with your commitment to hygiene, try reducing washes to every other day for a more casual, less fluffy look.

​Get Salty
Salt is a key ingredient in good beach hair. Gritty salt wraps around the hair shaft to give it texture. “I like the way it makes everything thicker,” said Michael Kololyan, the co-founder of Locals Surf School in Rockaway Beach, N.Y.
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Those who don’t harness the waves regularly can find plenty of salt-infused hairstyling products, such as the R+Co spray pictured below. A homemade mix works just as well: Combine a handful of salt with water, and spritz using a spray bottle. Just remember to moisturize dry ends with a lubricant like argan oil, said Daniel Kent, a Rockaway Beach-based surfer and woodworker. “You don’t want to look like a surf rat.” Anabel Kingsley, a consultant trichologist and president of hair clinic Philip Kingsley, goes one step further. She advises saturating the hair with cream, oil or fresh water before getting in the sea, saying saltwater makes hair brittle without protection.

​Lighten Up
Rather than use chemical, time-sucking Just for Men dye, surfers let their hair speckle gray naturally—or let the sun bleach highlights into it. “All it takes is two weeks in the sun for your hair to lighten up,” said Michael Reinhardt, another co-founder of Locals Surf School, who is known as “Blonde Mike” for his peroxide-white hair color in the summer months. Not everyone’s hair lightens as rapidly as Blonde Mike’s, so if it’s darker or thicker it may take more time or more sunshine.

Of course, not all worker bees have the luxury of endless beach time. To encourage the process, try tinctures with natural lighteners such as chamomile or freshly squeezed lemons. But remember: Just because the sun and lemons are natural brighteners doesn’t mean they’re not damaging. The chemical reaction within the hair is similar to that of bleach, warns Ms. Kingsley. If you must put lemon juice in your hair while out in the sun, “reserve it for the roots to the upper mid length, and comb a protective product through the rest of your hair.” She recommends a hydrating mask.

Shape It Spontaneously
Many surfers cut their own hair once it gets untenably disheveled. “It’s part of [our] image,” said Mr. Herrick, recalling the DIY mentality of 1970s surfers such as George Greenough, whose stringy blonde shag would fit right in with the at-home haircuts people are posting today using the #covidcuts hashtag. “Surfers shaped the boards they rode, and they shaped each other’s hair, too,” said Mr. Herrick.
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When it comes to giving yourself a trim, don’t overthink it, said Queens, N.Y., surfer and hair stylist Bobby Reynolds, who recently lopped off 7 inches of curls on the beach while still in his wetsuit. Use your fingers to estimate length (two fingers stacked equals about 1 inch), taking care around the hairline and nape of your neck. And crucially, don’t rely too heavily on a mirror, which can interfere with hand-eye coordination, he said. Surfers are nothing if not coordinated.

Hello,

The Mayor announced this afternoon the reopening of personal services (hair salons) is still on pause.

In short:
Personal services such as haircuts, massages, tattoos and body piercing, manicures and pedicures, will be the next groups of businesses considered for reopening and will provide another update on July 15th on the health indicators and other information that will inform the status of further reopening.

I have linked the announcement below.

If you had an appointment scheduled next week, you should have received a separate email from me letting you know I, unfortunately, needed to cancel your appointment.

I will contact those of you who have appointments later in the month if anything changes and your appointment needs to be either cancelled or rescheduled.

Until there is clear information on the reopening of Hair Salons I need to suspend online appointment scheduling through the end of July. As new information is received, this date will be revised.

I am taking every precaution necessary to assure your safety and well-being.

I am available by phone, text, or email if you have any questions or concerns. Or just want to chat.

Thank you again for understanding!
And please stay safe!

- Brian

https://sfmayor.org/article/san-francisco-continues-pause-reopening-most-activities-and-businesses ✂️

If I’m being completely honest, it’s taken me literal years to learn how to air-dry my hair. It wasn’t until I accepted the fact that successful air drying requires a cocktail of products (lol, trust me when I say those “air-dry creams” won’t actually give you Selena Gomez–worthy waves on their own) plus a handful of techniques (there’s way more scrunching, gliding, twisting, and smoothing than you’d think), that I was finally able to air-dry my straight-ish, poofy-ish hair at home.
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Why is why I can genuinely say that learning to air-dry your hair isn’t, in fact, an impossible task, as long as you (a) take your time—which, like, what else are you doing right now?—and (b) follow the right equation for your exact hair texture. And to help you, I rounded up the easiest ways to air-dry everything from straight, fine hair to coarse coils, along with the exact products you need on your team. So put down the hot tools, pour yourself a glass (or three) of wine, and prepare to come out of quarantine with your air-dry routine on lock.

In theory, naturally wavy hair should be one of the easiest textures to air-dry, but thanks to the fact that not all waves are created equally (@ my super-puffy and undefined-as-hell waves—if you can even call them that), the process definitely calls for a little technique. Here’s what you’ll need:

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

• Step 1: The more moisture in your hair, the more defined your natural waves will look, so use a lightweight, hydrating shampoo and conditioner filled with ingredients like hyaluronic acid or aloe.
• Step 2: Detangle your hair with a wide-tooth comb, wrap it in a towel for five minutes, then shake it out and let it air-dry for another 15. When it’s still damp, mist on a salt spray to build up some body and grit. (Mist is your key word here. Spritzing too much will just make your hair stiff and crunchy).
• Step 3: Once your waves are fully dry, rub a quarter-size dollop of styling cream between your fingers, then begin twisting your waves in two-inch sections, working from your ears to the ends, for extra definition and shine.

If you usually rely on a blow-dryer to give your fine, flat hair tons of lift and volume, you’ll love how easy this air-dry routine is. Prepare to get mega volume without all the heat damage:
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This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

• Step 1: After cleansing with a volumizing shampoo (look for lightweight, strengthening ingredients like keratin or biotin, nothing oil-based!), follow with a conditioner just on your ends. Read: Keep. That. Sh*t. Off. Your. Roots.
• Step 2: Air-dry your hair for about 20 minutes or until your roots and ends are almost dry. Mist on a volumizing spray—less is always more, here—that’s spiked with polymers that help build volume and hold (aka the secret to getting hella volume without heat).
• Step 3: Once your hair is 100 percent dry, prepare for a little magic: Lift up three-inch sections and sprinkle a super-fine styling powder (lighter than dry shampoo, stickier than hairspray) underneath along your roots for big-time texture and lift.

You know those soft, bendy waves you always see on your Instagram feed? Yeah, you don’t need a flatiron or hair dryer to re-create them—just follow these tricks and air-dry some movement into your straight hair:
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This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

• Step 1: K, this is going to sound weird, but you need to reverse your in-shower routine. Start with conditioner, then follow with a super-gentle shampoo—it’ll help remove any weight from your conditioner without losing the moisture.
• Step 2: Give your hair a quick towel dry—don’t be afraid to muss it up—then scrunch in a puff of wave-enhancing mousse, tightly twisting one-inch sections of hair, from roots to ends, until your head is covered in twists. Leave ’em alone (no touching, pls) until they’re totally dry.
• Step 3: Shake out your twists using your fingers, rub a dab of matte pomade over your hands, and gently twirl and rake through the bottom few inches of your hair for a piece-y lewk. Finish by tossing your hair back and forth a few times to help it settle naturally.

​Hi. Hi.
 
I hope this finds you and yours in a good state of mind, healthy, still washing your hands AND wearing your face masks.  There are still individuals out there who are not taking this pandemic seriously and continue putting the rest of us at risk. The one thing we can do is take the proper safety precautions to protect ourselves and the loved ones in our family groups.

Last week was very confusing.  First we were allowed to reopen earlier than originally targeted then, just days later, the Mayor suspended the next phase reopening AGAIN!   As of this mailing I unfortunately don’t have any updated information on whether or not the tentative July 6th date I gave you last week will allowed either.  We're just going to have to take this one day at a time and I will continue to keep you updated as I learn more.

Since I haven’t seen you for a few months now, it’s been a little bit of a challenge coming up with articles I hope you find interesting or relevant.  It’s our time together and the conversions we have that help me come up with what I share with you each month.  What I do know is that you’re looking a little shaggy and some of you are seeing more “natural” haircolor than you want.  So, until we’re able to be together in person I’m going to continue passing along information I hope you find helpful during these unprecedented times.

Summer’s here and it’s a perfect time to be a little care free with your hairstyling.  Yes, that means you guys, too.   I have a nice guide with helpful tips on Air-Drying you hair.   I also have a ‘messy” tutorial for you guys whose hair has grown out the last few months.  And for those of you who’ve really embraced that shaggy hair, I have a some surfer tips on how to make that hair look cool.

As I mentioned above, these really are unprecedented times.  I hope you are are making time with family members and friends to have some tough, uncomfortable conversations.  I have a YouTube series for you by Emmanuel Acho about race that many white people have never been able to have.  This is just one of many great podcasts and web series now available to help us grow, learn, and challenge our thinking.

That’s just some of what I have for you this month in “As the Chair Turns”.

I’ve said this before.  I want you to know how fortunate I am to have each and every one of you sitting in my chair.  You challenge my thinking and encourage me to grow as a person.  I have missed that, and you, these last few months.  I look forward to the day when we get to be together again.

I am available by email, text or phone if you have any questions or concerns.  Or just want to chat.

Until we meet again…