H E A LT H + B E AU T Y
all about the hair the 411 on all things summer hair
S TO RY BY L I E S E L S C H M I DT
Flip through the pages of any style magazine or thumb through the posts of any influencer, and you’ll see that hair trends are ever-changing. With the shift of the seasons, hairstyles naturally get a re-fresh, and summer is one of the best times to get a new look to rock on your sun-kissed vacay days. For the latest 4-1-1 on all things hair, we bow to the expertise of Cynthia Santana, hair guru and owner of Cynthia Santana Hair Studio. “As summer heats up, I've been getting a ton of requests for longer and fuller hair with extensions,” says Santana, an educator for Bellami Hair Extensions who exclusively uses Bellami hair on her clients. “Beach waves, loose curls and just texture, in general, seem to be trending. As for color, the most common request is a champagne blonde or golden blonde balayage. Bright reds are also coming back, and brunettes are also joining in on the warmer toned balayage. For the summer, most ladies like a bit of sparkle in their hair color. Gold tones reflect more light, so it's perfect to give that beachy, summer look. It also just makes the color look brighter overall.” With more than 20 years of experience in the hair industry that includes working in high-end salons in New Orleans, Delaware and DC, Santana naturally understands the needs of different hair types and lengths, which makes her a fount of knowledge for anyone wanting to find the best style for their hair. “For thicker hair, I usually recommend loosening up the weight by adding layers,” says the salon owner, who opened Cynthia Santana Hair Studio in 2015, bringing with her a specialty in hair color and hair extensions that she accumulated from her time as an educator for Bumble and Bumble, L'Oreal and Bellami. “Styling the hair by adding curls or waves also gives the appearance of fuller hair that isn't weighed down. Depending on the texture of the hair, I sometimes also recommend a smoothing treatment. Formaldehyde-free smoothing treatments such as Cezzane and High Liss give frizzy or overly-textured thick hair a sleeker feel. Because these treatments really compress the cuticle, they give the hair a thinner feel. The perm is also making a comeback, but a looser look created with the use of longer, bendy rods, which makes the process faster and allows for more customization. You can get a tighter look, more volume on the roots or less volume on roots and beachy curls on the C Y N T H I A S A N TA N A H A I R S T U D I O • 3 0 1 H O O F S R U N D R . , S T U D I O 9 • 7 0 3 . 9 9 1 . 9 8 8 1 • @ C Y N T H I A S A N TA N A H A I R
76 • VIP ALEXANDRIA MAGAZINE
