I recently had a hair crisis!
After a botched haircut I’d been growing my hair again for a few months but despite multiple treatments including a Brazilian blow dry it remained dull, weak and brittle. I also did not like my colour anymore and no stylists seemed to understand what I wanted. It was simple, I needed a hair intervention!
That’s when I decided to visit Taylor Taylor for not only one but two huge demands (I like to set the bar high); restore the condition of my hair and add some Va va voom to a dull and boring colour. I had my appointment with Marianne whom I liked instantly along with the rest of the team. The salon is gorgeous and trendy without being intimidating. The receptionist is sassy, cool and friendly. The playlist is lit matching the cool but not pretentious vibe of the place. There’s a cool chilled vibe and behind the stylists trendy outfits and super sharp colours and haircuts you can tell that they are mastering what they are doing.
That’s another thing that I really liked about Marianne: she is very knowledgeable and provided me with amazing advice without overdoing it. Now that’s an important one for me as I used to co-own a hair and beauty salon where I met plenty of hairstylists and beauty therapists who would speak about hair condition and colour grading like they had a PhD in chemistry which, whilst being reassuring about their competence, is a bit boring and totally TMI for me. As a client I just want something to look good and chill while the professionals are getting on with it! Pass the Grazia and the Hello! magazines please!
My full experience lasted 6 hours and I can safely say that’s one of the very few chuncks of 6 hours that I’ve best spent. I wanted to go back to a darker base so the first step was to colour and stretch my roots for 3 to 4 inches before having a balayage. Marianne mixed my base colour with Olaplex Number 1 to restore the condition of my hair. Taylor Taylor was the first British salon to bring Olaplex in the UK and they’re mastering this revolutionary – not to say miraculous – treatment. Olaplex Number 1, also called Treatment Number 1, is a single active ingredient that reconnects broken disulphide sulphur bonds in the hair. These bonds can break when exposed to chemicals in colour, from heat, and mechanical use such as combing wet hair. Mixing Treatment 1 with the colour is typically killing two birds with one stone by colouring and strenghtening the hair at the same time.
Marianne applied the colour on the roots with a brush before using a large comb to spread the darker base colour across my hair strands up to my jaw line in order to “stretch the roots”. This is what gives depth and a gorgeous contrast to the balayage when the second colour is applied.
I spent 30 minutes under the Clamazon and after my base colour developed, it was time for a rinse and shampoo in the gorgeous Shampoo Room. Located on the lower ground floor of the salon, the room is a delight with golden tiled ceiling and dark grey and golden artwork. The interior was complemented with tamed lighting and relaxing music to invite clients to relax and enjoy the treatment phase of their experience.
Back to the ground floor and a rough dry later, it is time for the second part of the colour: the balayage. Marianne applies the lighter colour on some strands of my hair after lightly back combing the roots to give this “brush painted” feel to the colour unlike the precise and regular traditional highlights. The second colour is wrapped in foil and it’s time for me to go back under the Clamazon and also time for me to chill and have a drink. Again Taylor Taylor is not your average salon and in addition to a selection of premium Illy coffees and teas you are also offered some cocktails and wine.
The devil is in the details and Taylor Taylor got it on point with their drinks menu. I mean who wouldn’t like a glass of wine to celebrate their new colour … or calm their nerves when they have their locks chopped?
I spent the following 30 minutes waiting for my colour to develop while sipping on a delicious glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc and catching up on my emails. Before I knew it it was time again to rinse my second colour and I was back to the gorgeous Shampoo Room.
This time I had a Olaplex Number 2 hair treatment applied to my hair to complete the restoration of my hair condition.
“Treatment Number 2” is used to eliminate any breakage and is applied after the colour is rinsed off and before the hair is shampooed. This step is necessary to link the remaining disulphide bonds and restore the strength, structure and integrity of the hair. Whilst is it a treatment to make your hair stronger is does not work on the condition of the hair per se and another treatment such as Olaplex Number 3 is necessary post-shampoo for a smooth, soft and shiny result. Once my hair is in tip top condition it is time for a blow dry followed by a loose waves styling to enhance the constrating tones of my balayage.
Et voila! I’m in love with my strong, soft and shiny hair condition and my sexy new hair colour!
