This Season of Sun, Sea and Sand

A major issue facing many women in the humid summer months is how to maintain their hair color to the highest degree possible while still enjoying the sun and the sea. In order to address this issue I sought out Manny Goyanes, who heads up the color team at Studio 19 Salon and Spa, one of Brooklyn's premiere destinations for salon services. Manny speaks from 26 years of continuously-updated experience, knowledge and know-how.

He started out as a colorist at Concept Elite where he was recruited from another department to begin doing  color and subsequently to train other colorists in the department. Under his tutelage the department grew exponentially. Ultimately, he left the Concept Elite to work at Studio 19 Salon and Spa. He has taught for color and product companies and has set up educational systems for beginning colorists.

Manny has many skills that set him apart from other colorists. First, he is an "artist", not just a colorist. He uses his artistic sensibility to determine the correct tone and shade for each client. He is able to decide in a moment whether a client has warm or cool skin and eye tones and to use his discerning eye to select the proper shade for that person.

In addition, Manny is the go-to colorist not only for great color but for color corrections. His specialty is correcting color-gone-wrong and he states that he has corrected many bad attempts from high-ticket Manhattan salons.

"Base color darkens as we age. We tend to get more brown in our skin and our hair. In terms of color we go lighter as people age. Lighter hair is softer-looking and, therefore, more youthful-looking," says Manny. Another thing that sets him apart from other colorists is that he specializes in color. Most other "colorists" also cut, perm and provide other services. By sticking with what he knows best Manny is able to keep up with all the new innovations the market has to offer and to offer cutting-edge techniques and products to his clients. He also charges one price for the entire treatment instead of charging separately for color, glaze and any other process involved in achieving the look of choice.

In terms of color maintenance over the summer, Manny recommends that women not go red during this season because the color tends to fade quickly when exposed to the elements and and the end result could be a muddy color.

He does warn against people with blond color in relation to chlorine. When you get ready to go swimming in a chlorinated pool you should apply a leave-in conditioner and leave it in while in the pool so that the chlorine molecules cannot bond as well with the molecules in the color. He states that the moment you come out you should completely rinse your hair in clean water immediately, which will further prevent the bonding of the chlorine molecules which will, otherwise, lock into the strands and be impossible to remove without professional intervention. He also warns not to let your hair dry before rinsing it.

In terms of general maintenance Manny advocates a chelating treatment once per month in order to get rid of residue build-up from hair products and to keep the color fresh. He advocates the use of professional shampoos and conditioners on a regular basis to avoid harsh detergents that can negatively affect the color and conditions of the hair.

In terms of selecting a colorist, It is necessary to seek out someone who listens and gives gentle guidance. He believes that if the client wants something the colorist believes is unreasonable it is better to give up the client than to risk the integrity of the hair and the colorist's reputation.

Finally, in looking for a stylist it is important to seek someone whose life work is to maintain the hair's integrity in order to keep it in shape. This will strengthen the relationship between client and colorist. While on the one hand he admits to being a perfectionist, he realizes that hair is a field in which there is no perfection-you have to go by the law of color, which cannot be bent-and work with what you have each time.

Manny has agreed to give a 25% discount on initial color treatments to clients of this writer. You can reach him at Studio 19 at (718) 336-7373 from Wednesday to Saturday.

Merry P. Nechimen is a Certified Image Consultant and the President of Extreme Elegance Image Consultants, LLC. She is available for image consultations, color evaluations, personal shopping and other image-related services. She would be happy to answer your comments or questions about this or her other articles and can be reached at (212) 769-7996.

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