2018 in Review

On NYE, I wrapped up 2018 surrounded friends. We started by going to a near-by bar for dinner and drinks, and then headed back to a girlfriend's place for well... more drinks! This week I've been relaxing and reflecting on the last year and I'm pretty taken aback by how incredible it was. I wanted to create this post to throwback to one hell of a year! RAW Artists Ottawa Showcase - 2018

RAW was a first for me! I was contacted via Instgram by one of their recruiters asking if I'd like to showcase my work at one of their events. After some quick research, I said hell yeah! I setup a booth alongside many other incredible artists and creative minds and had to chance to spend the night showing off what I do. My models patiently hung out while I prepped their hair in front of a live audience. After hours of chatting and engaging, it was time to hit the runway! My first ever solo runway, and I was surrounded by a powerful group of incredible ladies who I'm happy to call friends. MUA: Dana Danoura Models: Carmelina Falsetto Mary Lamb Carmen Chan Lana Smith Alicia Cooper

Revel in Beauty Toronto - 2018

Toronto's ABA show, Revel in Beauty, blew my mind. I traveled to Toronto with one of my best friends, spent time with my coworkers, and learned from some of hairstyling's greatest. We spent two days surrounded by some of the country's most talented and innovative stylists. Scissors Client Appreciation Gala - 2018

This event both ruined my sleep cycle and made me cry happy tears. When my bosses wanted to host a client appreciation party during the busiest season for the salon I thought they were crazy. And yet, I signed up to plan it *insert shrug emoji here*. Maegan (our manager and rockstar receptionist) was my rock during this process. Having never planned an event of this size, I needed someone to bounce ideas off of and help maintain my sanity. I'm pretty confident in saying that we killed it! Over 100 people came out to share a laugh, have a drink, and bask in the love we have for our clients. We had live music, catering from The Koven, a full-blown fashion show, models, designers, and so much wine. The whole event was centered around raising money for Makeup for Lung Cancer run by the incredible Michelle Brennan. This local charity raises funds for lung cancer research here in Canada! Together we raised over $400 for this awesome initiative. If you have a moment, please check out Michelle on instagram @Michelle.brennan.mua for more information on how you can support this great cause!

Contessa 30 - Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards - 2018

This is the proudest moment of the year for me (or possibly ever) therefore, it will require more than three images to show the full experience.

I don't think words can adequately walk you through what this night felt like, but hell, I'll try. First of all, the photo shoot. I had the most bad-ass, hard-working, and fun girl squad for this project. My three models, Carmen, Sarah, and Kim, trusted me with their locks and spent hours with me doing color, cutting, and all of the mental preparations for the day-of. Each of these girls spent at least 20 hours with me prior to the photo shoot and somehow didn't go crazy. My makeup artist is someone who'm I had worked with many times before and I ADORE her. Fatima runs Beauty Touch by Fatima, and she is a goddess. My photographer happens to also be one of my closest friends (AND came with me to the awards show). Lastly, I had two girls volunteer to assist during the shoot, Jasmine and Alicia.

I was on a bus heading back home after my dad had surgery, when i got the call from Salon Magazine telling me that I was in the finals. A stressful and scary trip ended with my dreams coming true. Surrounded by both of my mentors and my close friends, I watched my name show up on screen in front of Canada's best hairstylists. While I didn't take home the award, I won so much more than that during that evening. Best Looks of 2018

Photo credits to Leesa Watson, Angela Holymard, and Damien Fossil.

Thank you to everyone for your support in 2018, cheers to the next! I'm excited to share another fantastic year with all of you. Here are some things I'm looking forward to this year:

Ray of Light Event - March 2nd, 2019.

This event is the first of it's kind in Ottawa! I'm lucky to be doing hair for this incredible charity event working to raise funds for mental health and to destroy the stigma surrounding it. Tickets are on sale now, I will leave a link (here) for you to check it out! The event started with a local model, Mylee Rae, who has a passion for helping others. this event is her baby and I can't wait to be apart of it! Faces of Ottawa Awards - January 25th, 2019. I've been nominated for three awards at this year's Faces Awards! I'm excited to attend the awards show in just a few short weeks. The best part? The other artists who are going! Award or not, I get to spend time with some of my favourite local creatives. Voting for this has opened, and votes can be done once a day per IP address. If you'd like to vote for me, I'll leave that information here: Link: www.facesmag.ca/awards Favourite Hairstylist - Emma Ward Favourite Colorist - Emma Ward Favourite Blogger - Emma Ware (Typo LOL) What are you looking forward to in 2019? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover this year? Let me know! - Emma Ward

I'm a Hairstylist: Ask Me Anything

For this week, I asked my Facebook friends to ask me questions. After all, the point of this blog is to share some hair magic with all of you, so who better to ask. I was delightfully surprised that the questions were so interesting, so here we go!

(a few of these were so good, I'll be doing separate blog posts about them after to go more into depth).

What are clear signs of dead hair?

Technically, all of the hair that we see on our heads is already dead, the struggle is keeping that hair healthy and hydrated to appear "alive". A few signs that your hair is becoming damaged include:

• Dry-feeling, unhydrated ends.

• Split ends

• Hair starts to tangle more easily

• Hair isn't holding onto color as well anymore.

• Breakage

What's the dirtiest hair you ever had to style? Describe.

Oh boy, I normally leave these stories within the salon. A common hair myth is that you shouldn't wash your hair before having it colored. Sadly, some people take this myth WAY too far and decide to come in with a hot mess on their heads. I once had a lady come in for her color touch up, and her hair was so dirty that it was actually wet underneath from oils.

Is having my hair up 80% of the time unhealthy?

Under some circumstance, yes. However, if you avoid a few things, you can drastically reduce the damage of having your hair up all the time.

DON'T - Wear really tight elastics all the time. Doing so can cause traction alopecia (hair-loss caused by pulling) usually around the hairline. This can cause a receding hairline when done too often. DO - Use a clip or loose elastic to tie your hair up. There are tons of healthier alternatives around for securing your hair that look great! Check out Invisibobbles, they are a traction-less hair tie that you can use again and again without it snapping on you.

DON'T - Leave your hair up all day and night. Make sure you let your scalp breathe! Having a clogged up scalp can cause all kinds of problems, including slower hair growth.

DO - Remember to take your hair down and let it breathe. I recommend running a brush through your hair right after taking it out. This will stimulate your scalp and promote healthy growth rates. It will also remove any hairs that have shed while you've been wearing it up.

What is the best brand of shampoo/conditioner for thin hair?

Before I go into brands, I'd like to just discuss some general characteristics of products suited for fine hair. Always look for something that isn't too heavy. Drug store products are a big no-no for anyone with fine hair. These products are loaded with unnecessary ingredients that can leave a build up on your hair and scalp. For anyone with fine hair who is ready to make the switch to professional products you should always start with a few deep cleansing shampoos to remove the build up.

As for brands, it really turns into preference. Luckily, there are so many great professional products available to give a variety. Here are a few of my favorites that my clients love.

Kevin Murphy - Plumping Shampoo and Conditioner

Schwarzkopf - Moisture Kick Shampoo and leave in treatment.

Color WOW - Daily Shampoo and Conditioner for fine hair.

Aveda - Pure Abundance Shampoo and Conditioner.

How do you make hair grow faster?

The important thing to keep in mind is that your hair will not grow a noticeable amount overnight no matter what you do. However, there are some things to help promote natural hair growth,

• Brush your hair often, and don't forget your scalp

Regular brushing helps to keep your scalp healthy, stimulated, and free of debris. Scalp stimulation promotes healthy hair growth by keeping the blood flowing in that area.

• Get regular trims

Okay, let's debunk a major hair myth right now. Why does your hairstylist keep saying that to grow your hair out, you should get it cut more often?

Fun Fact: split ends cannot be fixed, they will not go back together and will not be healthy again. Any product claiming to repair them, is probably just putting a coating over your hair to make it feel healthier. In reality, the hair is still broken. The ONLY way to get rid of split ends and stop them from traveling upward? Cut them off. Getting 1/2 inch trims every 6-8 weeks removes splits and prevents the damage from spreading.

• Maintain a balanced diet

Everything in our bodies is connected. When one system is thrown off, it takes a toll of your overall health in so many ways. If your hair is feeling weak, it could be a sign that something else is wrong. Maintaining a balanced diet keeps your body healthy and happy, and in turn keeps your hair feeling great.

• Try keratin supplements

Reasonably priced keratin supplements are all over the market. You should always check with your doctor before starting new supplements but most people can tolerate a little more keratin.

Keratin is the protein in your hair and nails. Some people need extra keratin if their bodies are not producing it naturally, and most of us couldn't hurt from a little boost to keep our hair and nails looking healthy and happy.

• Use quality products on your scalp and hair

If you are still in the mindset that drug store hair products are just as good as professional, you need to sit down with your laptop and do some research. These products are full of unneeded additives and ingredients that leave a build up on your hair and scalp. Fun Fact: this build up can actually slow down the growth of your hair. Your scalp needs to breathe, and if there is years of product build up sitting on top of it, it's going to have a hard time doing that.

If I'm trying to achieve blonde without killing or over-processing my hair, how often should I lighten it to achieve this look?

Ah, here it is, the question of the ages. This has to be the most asked question when it comes to hair. So, here it is.

First of all, you should absolutely not be doing this yourself. When it comes to lightening your hair, there is a LOT that can go wrong. However, if done in-salon, a lighter look is often achievable. For those born with naturally very dark hair, you may never get platinum silver hair. Naturally dark hair has a lot of pigment to it, and so the process of removing the pigment (bleaching) takes longer and more work. Unfortunately, your hair may not be able to handle getting that light before it starts to feel like cooked spaghetti.

Virgin Hair: All hair should be lifted slow and steady. Low volume developers, mixed with a good colorist will give great results. In this situation, most colorists would suggest doing a lift and tone every 6-8 weeks depending on the health of your hair. Even then, you will be sent home with care instructions that are critical in the success of going lighter. Lifting your hair causes damage, there is no way around it. With proper care, most hair will lift to the desired level, but you will have to trust the process.

Professionally Colored Hair: Lifting color out of hair is a lot harder than with virgin hair. Most professional colors will remove without high levels of damage, but again, ensure that you use all of the after-care products prescribed by your stylist during your journey of going lighter.

Box-Colored Hair: Alright folks, here's the ugly truth. If you want to go blonde, prepare to spend a lot of time and money. The only way around that investment, is to fry your hair at home. When I say fry, I genuinely mean that your hair will likely look like cooked spaghetti by the time you get to the desired level of blonde that you're looking for.

In salon, you will likely need at least two-three visits. Even then, there isn't a colorist in the world that can guarantee to lift out box color and maintain the integrity of your hair at the same time. Normally, in-salon lifting can remove quite a bit of the box color, but nothing is for sure. When lifting these colors, they come out splotchy and uneven. It takes an experienced colorist to spot treat these uneven areas. Please keep your expectations realistic. I 100% recommend going in for a consultation, they're free and will give you a better picture of what can be done for your hair. Maybe you can lift to a beautiful platinum blonde, but it's never for sure.

Have more questions? Leave them below!

Contessa 2018 and Hollywood Hair

Hey everyone! I've finally had some time to sit down and let you in on the madness that has been my last couple of weeks. A whirlwind of excitement and education also unfortunately led to exhausted and a mean cold so I'm a little late.

This wonderful madness began with a class on November 5th in Toronto at the Schwarzkopf academy called Hollywood Hair. This class, taught by the exquisite Michelle Finlayson, was set up to teach stylist how to combine new and old school techniques to create stunning updos and long hair styles.

Here's one of my fave looks created during the class! Michelle showed up a knotted updo technique and told us to then make it our own and I decided to finish mine with some braid styling (photo two).

Did I mention that I took an overnight greyhound to get to this class? It was bananas and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, just get a hotel room like a normal person. However, I would totally do it again.  After wrapping up the class, I took the bus back to Ottawa, and headed straight to bed.

Fast forward to the next weekend, myself and some coworkers were off to Toronto (again) for the Contessa! For anyone who isn't a hair nerd, the Contessa is the Canadian hairstylist of the year awards, essentially the Oscars for hair stylists.  The contest features a number of categories for stylists to enter (colorist of the year, texture stylist, etc). Which by the way, yours truly placed top ten in Canada in the apprentice category, just saying.

What a show! With 1000 hair stylist in attendance, it was an incredible experience. We laughed, drank, and danced the night away while being inspired by so many amazing artists. Watch out for next year, the Scissors team plans on taking home our own Contessa!