Are Salon Treaments Worth It? My Visit to Angelo David Salon With Redken's Color Expert David Stanko

The reception area at Angelo David Salon

At the Angelo David Salon on 43rd Street Between Vanderbilt and Madison Avenues, you can buy lots of home-use hair treatments. In-the-salon treatments are an added cost, and you may wonder whether or not these treatments are worth the extra. To find out I visited Redken's Color consultant David Stanko at the Angelo David Salon (48 E 43rd Street, 2nd Floor, between Madison & Vanderbilt).

David Stanko is a color expert. His work has been featured in top fashion publications, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In-Style, Latina and Elle, and nearly every North American trade magazine. He clearly loves working with and thinking about color. "I'm always doing people.s haircolor in my head: the woman sitting across from me on the subway, the girls who pass me at a sidewalk café, even the guy walking his dog on my way home, " he says..."and every silent encounter is its own technical critique session: Where did this one.s color take a wrong turn? Where could that one have taken the extra step from good enough to really great?" Among his accolades, David was honored by HaircolorUSA in both 1999 and 2000 as "Best Educator" and "Most Inspirational Educator." If anyone knows whether in-salon treatments really work, it's David. But I wasn't just at the salon to enjoy David's expertise (although that was great)! I was there to try two Redken in-salon treatment/color products: Shades EQ and the Chemistry System.

The Chemistry System:


I first learned about the Chemistry System at a Redken-sponsored event with David Stanko and Tracy Cunningham ( Redken's Creative Consultant For Color). The Chemistry system is a customized treatment that can help you calm frizz, get shine, tame flyaways, help your color last longer, and even strengthen hair. The treatment can transform your hair in just about five minutes. Even better, your stylist can target a few different hair challenges by mixing one or more formulas or "shots" to give your hair exactly what it needs. All the shots can be blended together except for the "Dandruff Control Shot," for truly personalized hair solutions. There is a "Strength Shot" for distressed hair, a "Protect Shot" for color-treated hair; a "Soft Shot" for dry/brittle hair; an "Anti-Frizz Shot" for very dry/unruly hair; and a "Dandruff Control Shot" for dry/flaky scalps. New to The Chemistry System is the "Real Control Shotbooster" for dense/dry/sensitized hair. It repairs damaged areas of the cuticle to instantly transform even straw-like strands, leaving your hair smooth, manageable and strong. To keep the treatment working even longer, there's an optional, take home a haircare maintenance system (smaller-sized products) that correspond to the treatment you've just had. David Stanko is a big fan of The Chemistry System. According to David: “The Chemistry System is one of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve experienced in my career.....Consumers will see more manageable hair, and those with color treated hair will notice longer-lasting color results and vibrancy as well as improved condition."

Along with The Chemistry System I tried Shades EQ.


Shades EQ: At the Total Beauty Summit last month, I was fortunate to have my hair colored by Dusty Simington from Salon Gregories. Alas red shades tend to fade the fastest (especially on wavy, thick, coarse hair like mine) and I knew that the gorgeous copper color just wasn't going to last forever. By the time I met David Stanko (two celeb stylists in just about five weeks), my color was fading from copper to brassy strawberry. David suggested I try a Redken Shades EQ color/treatment along with the Chemistry System.

I quickly found out that Shades EQ is the #1 long-lasting no-ammonia demi-permanent haircolor in the U.S.A . It's not new (just new to me) and it's actually been around for more than 2o years. It is used in-salon to glaze, refresh or correct natural or color hair. "Demi-permanent" means it will last about 4-8 weeks and fade out eventually. If you coat your hair with several treatments of shades EQ, however, the color begins to build up and lasts longer. There are 55 shades of Shades EQ including clear, which just leaves a great gloss on your hair. With all these individual shades, a good stylist can mix up a color that's yours, alone.



David Stanko at Angelo David Salon

While David worked his magic on my hair, I asked him what he thought would be trendy color this Fall. He immediately said: "more subdued, subtle color." David sees a trend towards less bold and chunky color. He envisions monochromatic color that's almost single process but with added, subtle hints or tones to add interest. He said he thought the end of bold and chunky color might be due to the fact that the nation as a whole is subdued at the moment. But subdued color doesn't mean no color. This is still a little luxury that women feel they can and should indulge in. Nearly 50% of Redken’s business results from professional haircolor.


A Tour of Angelo David Salon, with Angelo: I'd never been to the Angelo David salon before, so the very charming Angelo --the owner of Angelo David Salon, stopped graciously took me on a quick tour of the salon. Located in the heart of New York City, at 48 East 43rd St., one block from Grand Central, the salon caters to on-the-go clients, but also has a relaxed, user-friendly atmosphere. Unlike many salons where people definitely come to gawk and to be seen, customized services here are delivered in cozy main salon or in spacious, private rooms. As he describes it, Angelo's overall approach to hair and extensions is unique, and holistic. Clients may come in for a hair makeover for a special event or to solve a specific problem. A thorough assessment and a plan of attack is created before any work is done, with the clientss age, expectations, skin coloring, lifestyle and needs taken into consideration,a long with suggestions for appropriate hair, color, style, and even whether or not extensions are needed.

The salon is best known for Angelo's Couture Hair Extensions and Additions.™ but also for customized cuts, one-of-a-kind color, glamour styling services, relaxing or therapeutic scalp treatments, brow designing and shaping, lash extensions, age-defying facials and laser hair removal. There's also a manicurist on hand to pass the time productively, or just in case you need a last-minute touch-up on your nails. Also value-added is the informative and friendly staff. Meghan, the woman who assisted David with my hair, offered a clear and detailed description of the products, and how they work. I am sure she would provide the same level of information to any interested client even though as a beauty writer, I am super-curious about everything. I think it's important to be an educated consumer, and know something about what is planned for your hair, and why, and how, and what is in the products the stylist uses--never be afraid to ask!


In Summary: Are In-Salon Treatments Worth It?
Yes!

I'm not exactly sure what David custom blended into my treatment, but it left my hair soft, smooth, super-shiny and swingy. A week later, my hair is still full of bounce and body, still shiny, still soft, and even though the weather has been horribly humid, it's still relatively non-frizzy. I felt as though I walked in with my usual, hard to manage hair, and walked out with someone else's great hair!

But what about trying to accomplish the same results at home? I really don't think so! Even if you can purchase these treatments in a beauty supply store, they are simply not going to work the same way in your hands as in the hands of experts. Beauty supply store color and treatments may be "pro-style," but it might not mean pro results for you. For staters, you can't be sure that the products you buy aren't outdated or bootleg, and they may not have been stored properly, or they might not even be the genuine product you think you are getting. Additionally, in-salon treatments are often more powerful (and more effective) than do-it-yourself products, but that can be a good or bad thing, depending upon how it's mixed and applied. Without an extra set of skilled hands, there's also no good way you can do that on your own (e.g. how are you going to get the products distributed evenly to the back of your head unless you have really long arms and are practically double-jointed?). The Redken products David used on me were excellent and they worked. And while in-salon treatment like these do cost more, having them applied to your hair with some consistency can help your hair look better --- actually improve it. The treatments last longer so they become a reasonably economical option. Walking out of a salon with hair that looks and feels great....? Priceless!

*if you want to find a salon in your area that features the Chemistry System or Shades EQ visit redken.com or call 1-800-REDKEN8.

To contact the Angelo David Salon, call: 212-883-6620