With the re-opening of Theory Hair Studio on May 25, 2020, we kindly request that you review the following guidelines regarding appointment protocol to ensure the health & safety of our clients & staff:

• Please call us upon arrival for your appointment. We ask that you wait in your vehicle, until we notify you that your stylist is ready for you.

• While waiting, we will ask you to answer a brief COVID-19 screening questionnaire.

• All clients & staff will be required to have their temperature taken upon entry. Any reading of 37.6 degrees Celsius or higher, will result in the immediate cancellation of that appointment. We will call to reschedule for a later date.

• Upon entry, you will be required to use hand sanitizer, provided by Theory Hair Studio.

• Upon entry, we require you to have a face mask on. If you require a face mask, please notify us upon your arrival and a fee of $2 will be applied to your service total.

• We will no longer be able to accept "visitors" to service clients, or family & friends to wait in the common waiting area, or next to the stylist’s station. Due to the public gathering & social distancing restrictions, we may only have 1 client for 1 stylist, to ensure we do not exceed our mandated limits. Unfortunately, this requirement also limits parents from bringing children with them when they have an appointment or staying in the salon if their child has an appointment. This is an extremely difficult policy for us, as we love to visit with all our salon families.

• At the end of your service, payment for services & products will be made at your stylist station, with our wireless POS. At that time, we will also re-book your appointment. There will no longer be transactions made directly at the reception desk.

The team at Theory Hair Studio takes the health & care of our clients seriously. We are committed to the following protocols, to ensure we are providing you with safest environment possible.

• Staff will wear proper PPE, which includes face masks & gloves.

• Stylists stations, including their tools, counter, chair will be fully disinfected & sanitized before each client’s service.

• Wash sinks will be fully sanitized prior to each use.

• Fresh capes will be used for each client.

• We have temporarily closed our waiting area, to promote social distancing.

• Staff schedules may be slightly adjusted, temporarily to ensure we do not exceed gathering restriction limits.

We know that by making these changes now, we are all contributing to the decrease of COVID-19 & other infectious diseases. We want you to know, that while things may look a little different right now, our love for our clients & our passion for exceptional service in the hair industry has not waivered.

We will continue to monitor the constant changing circumstances in which we currently live. If amendments need to be made, we will follow AHS & Provincial & Federal Government direction in doing so.

Theory Hair Studio looks forward to opening our doors to our community once again & for the many years ahead!

Warmest Regards,

Your friends at Theory Hair Studio

Keep in touch via Instagram or Facebook. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

You can book your next appointment here.

We put together a dictionary of hair colour lingo to help you clearly communicate your ideal hair colour to your stylist. Don’t forget to bring your inspiration pictures! Those help a ton. 

ASHY Ash or ashy refers to the tone of hair color that is cool-based with blue, violet or natural/neutral pigments. Ashy tone does not contain any warm, red or golden hues.

BABYLIGHTS Fine, delicate highlights that mimic the subtle, dimensional highlights 

BALAYAGE A French word that literally means “sweep,” used to refer to a free-form highlighting technique that involves painting a lightener on to hair for soft, natural-looking highlights.

BASE COLOUR Colour applied at the root area or all-over before a dimensional/creative colour technique is done.

BRASSY Refers to unwanted warm (orange and red) tones, usually in lightened or colored hair.

CONTRAST Contrast applies to highlights. High-contrast highlights are much lighter than the surrounding hair and provide a dramatic look. Lower-contrast highlights result in a more natural look.

COOL Cool is a tonal value that can apply to blondes and brunettes. A colour is said to have “cool tones” if it has shades of blue, violet or green. Cool colours include platinum blondes, and ash browns.

COVERAGE Coverage is a measure of a hair colour’s ability to cover gray. Some hair colour formulations are too transparent to effectively cover gray hair.

DEMI-PERMANENT COLOUR Colour with little or no peroxide or ammonia, mixed with a low-volume developer to deposit color with little to no lightening power. Lasts for roughly 24 shampoos. 

DIMENSION Dimension refers to the range of tones in your hair. A head of hair that is all one colour is said to be “flat” or lacking dimension. Your stylist can add dimension to your hair with highlights or lowlights.

DOUBLE-PROCESS In a double-process, two colour services are done in one visit. Generally this is done by doing the first colour service (to lift hair colour), washing and drying the hair, then applying the second colour. This can include lightening the hair, then applying a pastel/funky color or even something like a red on dark brown hair. Depending on what the client wants, a double process can also be known as a colour correction.

GLOSS A gloss involves using a semi-permanent colour to enhance, enrich, change, match, tone down or intensify natural or colour-treated hair while harmonizing contrast.

HIGHLIGHTS Highlighting hair means isolating select strands in the hair and treating them with a hair colour or lightener to make them lighter than their base/natural colour. Highlights can add dimension by contrasting with the rest of the hair and are created with foils or special combs or brushes used for “painting on” the colour.

LEVEL or THE LEVEL SYSTEM A universal system used by colorists and hair color manufacturers to standardize hair color charts. Level refers to how light or dark a hair color is—the lower the number, the darker the hair.

LIFT Lift is the chemical process of lightening the colour of the hair. Different hair colour formulations have different lifting abilities.

LOWLIGHTS Lowlights are created by using colour with foils or painted on to darken specific pieces and create dimension. Generally low lights will be 2-3 levels darker than your base colour and slightly warmer. This can be used for a more natural look or create accents within the hair.

OMBRE The transition of hair color from darker roots to lighter ends. Can be brown to blonde, dark brown to light brown, deep auburn to red/gold, etc.

SEMI-PERMANENT COLOUR Hair color that does not require a developer/activator and only partially penetrates the cuticle and is gradually washed out after each shampoo.

SINGLE-PROCESS  A single process refers to any colour service that is done in one step. This can be using a permanent colour that lifts and deposits, a gloss, highlights/lowlights, or a creative colour service with only one process.

TEXTURE Texture, as defined by the diameter of an individual hair strand, is generally described as fine, medium, or coarse. Your stylist will factor in your hair’s texture when determining your best colour formulation.

TREND PASTEL Trend Pastel refers to the softened, lightened hues of colours such as red, purple, green, orange, yellow, or blue. Pastel tones of colour are meant as colourants and toning shades, and are best achieved when applied to very pale blonde hair to create for example pink, lavender, mint green tones

TONE Tone, in hair colouring, is the term used to describe a specific colour—”golden” blonde, “coppery” red, “ash” brown. Colors are divided into warm tones and cool tones.

TONERS Product applied to colored or lightened hair to neutralize unwanted tones, or refresh and enhance existing color.

WARM is a tonal value that can apply to blonde, brunette, and red shades. A colour is said to have “warm tones” if it tends toward yellow, orange or red. Warm colours include golden blondes, auburn brunettes, and coppery

Did we miss anything? Let us know if there is any aspect about hair colour you would like defined for you. We’re here to answer any of your burning hair colour questions.

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Sources:
https://www.redken.com/haircolor/haircolor-terms-and-definitions
https://www.madison-reed.com/blog/the-definitive-hair-color-dictionary

Sharing Hair Colour Knowledge to Fulfill Your Pinterest Inspired Hair Dreams

As stylists, our primary goal is to send you out of the studio with the hair you dream of, though sometimes your Pinterest-inspired colour is not always possible in a single session. We know you have been dreaming of that pastel pink and we hate to disappoint you. We believe that sharing knowledge on the hair colouring process will help us both achieve your perfect hair colour and keep you leaving our chairs with a smile. Here’s why it often takes us hours, if not sessions, to achieve exactly the colour you’re going for. 

The type of service you require will determine the length of time it takes to process. You may require a single process (all-over colour), a double process (lightening the hair before colouring), or partial/full foil (highlights/lowlights), these processes will take varying lengths of time ranging from a 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hour appointment. Length of hair also affects the amount of time you will spend in the salon.

Here are typical timings you can expect, however your stylist will always determine the amount of time it takes to achieve the look you desire. (Keep in mind, these do not include time required for application, washing, cutting, blow drying and styling.) 

• SINGLE PROCESS: 20-30 minutes

  • <50% grey: 25-35 minutes

  • >50% grey: stylist will use a twenty volume developer* and either 

    • increase processing time to 45 minutes

    • add a filler** with a low volume processing solution for 30 minutes 

• DOUBLE PROCESS:  80-150 minutes

  • first, hair is lightened with lightener: 20-30 minutes to apply

  • processing: 20-60 minutes, depending on the level we hope to achieve

  • next, hair is rinsed; sometimes a toner (semi-permanent colour) is applied to hair to enhance or neutralize pre-lightened colour, then blow dried: 20-30 minutes 

  • single process colour is applied: 20-30 minutes

• PARTIAL FOILS: ~45 minutes 

• FULL FOILS: ~1 hour

*developer is the processing solution added to colour or lightener, enabling the lift and deposit of colour - higher volume/ammonia content = more lift. These levels of lift only apply when discussing colour. 

• 0-1 level of lift: 10 volume for 20 minutes

• 2 levels of lift: 20 volume for 30 minutes

• 3 levels of lift: 30 volume for 40 minutes

• 4 levels of lift: 40 volume for 45 minutes

**Filler is a pure tone put into hair that is significantly lighter than the colour desired in order to add depth and richness.

When using lightener, the volume and processing time depends on how porous or damaged the hair is and how many levels of lift are desired. We can achieve more than four levels of lift with lightener.

To put these numbers into perspective, a darker, coarser hair will take more time and potentially more sessions to achieve a lighter colour. If in doubt, never hesitate to clarify with us. We are happy to help you learn about the colouring process to keep you leaving our studio glowing. 

We love to share our hair colour work on Instagram.
Follow along for hair colour inspiration.
@theoryhairstudioyyc

Self-love is a hot topic right now, and so we have been reflecting on self-love in relation to mental health. Our passion for hair is so deeply rooted not in how we look, but how we feel - inside. This is the reason we love to share #MondayMantras on our Instagram channel, because we strongly believe that beauty and confidence come from within.

Can you agree that sitting in our stylist’s chair can feel like a relaxing escape from the stress of life, and often we leave the chair feeling like we released the stress to our therapist. Sometimes just talking about it with someone who will listen is just what we need. We reflected on a few, simple ways to show yourself love.

You are what you think you are.
We can be over critical of ourselves, it’s important to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves. Self-love starts in our minds. Ask yourself if you would talk this way towards the person you love most. Forgive yourself, you’re human. Acknowledge the things you love about yourself, and remind yourself of them often.

Baby Steps
Take daily action to turn your goals into reality. It doesn’t have to be big acts, just small and consistent baby steps in the direction that sparks joy, care and excitement. Show yourself love and care by acknowledging the importance of your dreams.

KonMari Your Life
It wasn’t until we Marie-Kondo’d our space that we learned the Netflix phenomenon is not so much about tidying your space as it is about creating space for joy in your life. Marie Kondo is so relevant to the self-love movement. When you let go of the things that don’t spark joy in your life, you create space for the things that help you feel happier. Don’t forget to give thanks for the moments that brought you here and show gratitude for the things you have.

Express Yourself
However you choose to express - through writing, art, connecting with others, find your outlet for letting go. Everyone expresses themselves differently, and if #friDIY nights are not your thing, know that our Theory family is your family, we will listen to whatever you have to say.

You can talk to us - we may not be professional therapists, but we know that connecting helps. We will always listen. This is why we love doing what we do - because we know sometimes feeling good on the inside starts with good hair. If you’re in a dark place, we hope that you find the courage to reach out - you have affordable support!

Find support with the Calgary Mental Health Association

Get Help with Bell Let’s Talk

24-hour Support with the Calgary Distress Centre

Addiction & Mental Health Support with Alberta Health Services

You can have gorgeous, healthy hair all year long. As with anything successful, this goal will take work and commitment. You wear your hair on your head everyday; your hair is worth the effort. YOU are worth it.

1. Avoid combing wet hair

   Wet hair is extremely fragile and prone to breakage. Water reduces hair strength by 1/3. We strongly recommend for your to avoid brushing your hair right out of the shower, but if it is absolutely necessary, use a wide-toothed comb which allows for less tugging and damage.

2. Chop it often

   We know you’ve heard this a million times over, but seriously - TRIM YOUR HAIR. Your hair will only love you for it and you will love your fresh, split-free ends. It only takes about 1/4 inch every 6-8 weeks.

3. Cold water rinse

   There is nothing like a hot shower on a cold day but while you’re enjoying the warmth and comfort, your hair is suffering. Hot water strips your scalp of natural oils, leaving your hair dry, dull and frizzy. Give life to your locks with a cold water rinse. After conditioning your hair, simply rinse with cold water to boost strength and shine.

4. Oil regularly

   The small and simple effort of using hair oil on your strands and scalp will enhance hair health dramatically. We recommend Eleven’s Smooth and Shine anti-frizz serum to nourish your scalp and help with cleaning dirt and grime. You might even notice improved hair growth, not to mention sultry shine.

5. Hair mask

   Regular use of a hair mask treatment enriched with natural oils and vitamins is your tactic for fighting off dry scalp, dry strands and dandruff. We love treating ourselves with YOUNG.AGAIN.MASQUE from KEVIN.MURPHY (check out the video below).

6. Stay away from heat

   This is an obvious one, but we know how difficult it can be not to have perfectly blow-dried and flat-ironed hair every day. Try tossing your hair up in a simple up-do every other day, perhaps a braid or bun to save your hair from the heat a few days a week. If you must use heat appliances, we recommend a protecting heat spray like Living Proof’s Restore Instant Protection which adds shine while protecting your hair from up to 450°F/230°C .

It may be 2019 but it’s never too late to start taking care of your hair and, above all, yourself.

Our first couple months as part of the community of Copperfield & New Brighton have been amazing, to say the least. The warm reception from our friends, family and clients has affirmed that a friendly space to feel welcome, beautiful and confident is just what we needed in this community.

Theory Hair Studio’s stylists are all passionate about animal welfare, so it was only natural that we chose to support the Calgary Humane Society during our Grand Opening by accepting cash and food/animal supply donations. We even had a special guest animal - Justine’s Sugar Gliders!

We welcomed friends, old and new, we munched on home-baked goodies from Allyson, Quinn treated men to free haircuts, we gave away Calgary Flames hockey tickets, we gave away A LOT of prizes and our spinning Wheel of Theory Fortune meant that every guest left the studio with a gift of some sort.

We all had an amazing Grand Opening day. We are overwhelmed with the love and support we have received from all over the city. We couldn’t have gotten here without you, and we continue to do what we love FOR you!

We can’t wait to see you again soon.

Love,

Your Theory Girls