Finding that appropriate corporate hairstyle especially as the festive season approaches remains a daunting task for many. Our Under the Dryer team with assistance from a few of the corporate savvy ladies at Jamaica National Building Society, share the ‘deets’ on how to inject the right pizzazz.

Hair that ‘speaks’

Jennifer Jones D’Aguilar – Jamaica National Group web master

Jennifer has healthy, lustrous tresses, and is quite happy to share the fact that for the most part, her secret lies in having a great stylist — Sherine Clarke of Sherine’s Hair Dimensions, Springs Plaza — where she has been a customer for nearly 15 years. She was also quick to state that during this time she has never tried another salon. Naturally we wanted to know what made her such a devotee. “Look at my hair, doesn’t it speak for itself?” she responded confidently. Here’s her haircare regimen.

The Routine:

With such a capable stylist on speed dial, it is hardly surprising that regular trips are a must. Jennifer visits the salon for a biweekly shampoo, relaxes every six weeks and deep-conditions twice monthly with Mizani Hydrafuse or Kerafuse Blend. Her stylist Sherine uses SoftSheen Carson Optimum Care Salon Collections products — which work best for her hair type — to maintain her tresses. She usually wraps nightly and brushes down in the morning for a straight, sleek look. Curls are sometimes worked in too, for added pizzazz.

Her Take:

“I don’t think I have to say much. My hair is beautiful, so it is obviously doing the talking. My stylist is excellent, so I have no reason to try anywhere else, and the SoftSheen Carson Optimum Care Collections line — which I have been using for years — never breaks, dries or damages my hair in any way.”

Visibly Chic

Melissa Daley – Administrative Assistant, Corporate Communications

A trendy, asymmetric bob is the look of choice for Melissa, who let us in on her experimental streak… when it comes to her hair, that is. She likes to change things up every now and then, so a good stylist is key. For her, Dionne or Meisha at Visible Changes, Springs Plaza, does the trick. She also likes the fact that her hair is thick enough to retain curls for a few days without overuse of products. Under The Dryer shares her haircare story.

About her stylists:

“Dionne is very creative, and I like the fact that after being a customer for six years she knows what suits me, so I don’t need to direct her. Meisha is very good too. I visit either of them every six weeks to relax and treat, and between visits when I have a special occasion. Besides that, I do some styling myself on the weekends when I shampoo and treat at home.”

Her haircare secret and must-haves:

“My must-haves are Optimum moisturiser and my flat iron, and I don’t really have any haircare secrets, but the thing that works best for me is to just be happy and smile a lot.”

Her Christmas look:

“For Christmas I’m thinking of adding a rinse or two and shaping up the cut, because I like to have different shades in my hair.”

New Year, New ‘Do

Brenda Weathers – Member Service Representative

It is a known fact that ladies like to change their hairstyles. Some are generally experimental, while others prefer to make the changes on special occasions like birthdays or holidays. In Brenda’s case, she wanted to start the year off with a ‘fresh’ do, and since her birthday was also imminent, she got a sharp, blonde asymmetric bob haircut. “After years of having my hair long I was just so ready for a change,” she tells our team. Here’s how her two stylists — Princess at Forever Hair & Nails, King’s Plaza, and Pauline of Happy Hair, York Plaza — help her maintain her tresses.

Her haircare regimen:

“I wrap my hair nightly to keep it moist and fresh, shampoo and deep-condition weekly, relax every six weeks and style for special occasions… usually at the salon to get that special look. I also do my research because I am a big fan of healthy hair, and I think if you want healthy hair you need to know about it, know what you like and what the hairdressers are using.”

Her Take:

“I loved the cut so much, because it was very edgy. I am now allowing my hair to grow back, though, and it is at a very manageable length right now.”

Her haircare secrets:

“I keep my hair clean at all times, I cannot emphasise this enough. I also take Vitamin E supplements, drink a lot of water to hydrate my scalp and I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I don’t oil my scalp either, because it clogs the pores… I use oil sheen sprays instead. I also try not to do any excessive heat styling.”

Her Christmas look:

“I’m going for some extensions, I think it will be a good look for me.”

‘Big-Woman Style’

Camille Williams – Project Control Officer

Camille has always had long hair, so three weeks ago she decided to take the plunge and go for “something more mature and corporate”. She chose a cropped ‘do which she now calls her ‘big-woman style’. Camille loves her new look, as she “can easily take it from day to night”, but says she is still getting used to it, and learning to style it in different ways as she goes along. Tresses are usually wrapped nightly; however, due to the asymmetric cut she finds it hard to do, so she combs it back instead, ties it with a silk scarf and flat-irons it in the mornings. Her capable stylist Portia assists her with everything else.

About her stylist:

“I’ve been going to Portia for about three years now and I have realised that she does everything well. Some stylists can do everything, but they’re not necessarily great at it. I have watched her work and she really transforms people’s hair. She also uses quality products, she knows what she’s doing and gives good suggestions. And she always follows through with one line of products as opposed to using a lot of different things in my hair, which I like.”

Her routine and must-haves:

“I trim my hair very often, treat it once a month, shampoo every two weeks and relax every three months. I love the fact that because of my hair texture I don’t have to go to the salon all the time. In terms of must-haves, I like IC Hair Polisher; Redken Smooth Down and my ceramic flat iron are my absolutes because I love when my hair looks good. I think when your hair is messy, your whole outfit looks bad.”

Her Christmas Look:

“I think I will go for some loose curls or as usual, just visit Portia.”

Coiffed ‘n’ Curly

Joyett Johnson – Supervisor, Member Care Centre

“I’m very flexible. I like to experiment with everything according to my mood — lengths, colours, textures and styles — because I have no reservations when it comes to my hair, as long as it’s low-maintenance,” Joyett told our team. Naturally, this piqued our interest so we implored her to spare no details. She then told us that her two stylists, Princess at Forever Hair & Nails and Pauline or Valda at Happy Hair keep her content with chic ‘dos to suit her mood on request. Here are a few of her haircare secrets.

Her routine and haircare secrets:

Tresses are wrapped nightly with Smooth & Shine Foaming Wrap for moisture retention and softness. Then in the morning, she brushes it down, mists with oil sheen spray, though she may opt for a few curls when she wants something different for work.

She is always equipped with her flat iron and foaming wrap too, and besides that, she visits the salon regularly for a new look.

What’s her secret to beautiful hair? “Treating and deep-conditioning as often as possible to retain moisture”, she tells us.

Her Look for Christmas:

“Something quick and easy that I can either do by myself after leaving the salon, or maintain easily at home so that I can be in and out of events without the hassle. It has to be cute, too.”

Beautiful, Fabulous Hair

Shauna Farquharson – Human Resource Services Administrator

Shauna sports a classy, corporate do which she loves, because it works well for the office as well as for other occasions, though she does like to change her hairstyle every year. She pays a biweekly visit to her capable stylist — Marsha Robinson of Total Dyenamics Hair & Nails Salon, Barons Plaza, for a shampoo and trim. She also uses Clairol Natural Instincts in Midnight to give her “that jet-black look”, relaxes every five to six weeks and gets a deep-conditioning treatment with Mizani Kerafuse once monthly. Shauna sometimes uses curling rods too, because she loves “the extra bounce” it gives her. And she was quick to tell our team that she credits the beauty and health of her hair to her stylist. Interestingly though, she is still very close to her former hairstylist Sandria of Sandria’s Beauty Salon in Papine, who she says taught her “everything about hair, styling and maintenance”.

Under The Dryer shares her secrets for beautiful, fabulous hair.

Her must-haves:

“My CHI flat iron, my curling iron and Proclaim Foaming Wrap Lotion, Heat Protector and Hair Polisher. Proclaim is a very good line of products, and I especially love the heat protector.”

Her haircare secrets:

“I take Vitamin E supplements and wrap nightly so my hair falls nicely in the mornings. I’m also very good at curling my hair to give it that full and bouncy oomph, just as if a hairdresser did it. For special occasions, though, I definitely visit Marsha and she will set me up. Who wants to do their hair at home for a big event? Not me!”

About her stylist:

“Marsha is the bomb! She takes the time to find out what you want, and she gets to know you too, so she can make good suggestions that you will love. I credit the beauty of my hair to her… I think my hair is just beautiful and fabulous.”

Blonde Brilliance

Stacey Manick-Sing – Customer Services & Administration Manager

A trendy ‘do that is still professional can be a bit tricky at times, but Stacey tells our team that this is not a problem for her. Two months ago she wanted something that ‘pops’, so she dyed her hair Honey Blonde and added a few highlights for extra radiance… it took a whole day, and now she just loves it.

“I have always experimented a lot with colours but this one is my favourite by far. I’ve gotten many compliments on it and I plan to keep it,” she says. She now dishes the ‘deets’ on her three ‘killer stylists’ to our Under The Dryer team.

About her stylists:

“I have three awesome stylists, Rose Thomas of Perfect Touch, Springvale Avenue, who is a fabulous colourist, Roxanne Shields at Roxanne’s and Marie Hall-Smith at The Face Place, both of whom do a killer blow-style and they’re great at giving a gorgeous cut, too.”

About her hair:

“What I love about my hair type is that it’s strong, I can use any product I want without adverse effects and it’s also very versatile.

My hair is relaxed, but if I want waves or curls, I can still get it just as easily as I can get a straight and sleek look. I’m lucky like that, and this new colour is just great, and low-maintenance too.”

Her favourite products:

“Moroccan Oil… since I’ve found it, it’s my only must-have. It is simply amazing, I don’t have to use it often and it gives sheen to my hair without weighing it down. I also use QP Elastiglaze Hair Gel when I’m wearing my hair in a ponytail. It smells heavenly, doesn’t darken your hair and unlike other gels it leaves no residue. For a curly look, definitely Pantene Curl Selection.”

Her Look For Christmas:

“I’m gonna do layers for Christmas, it’s a nice, low-maintenance style and gives a different look without being too dramatic.”

Nice ‘n’ Natural

Lisa Reid – Member Service Representative

While some women opt for hair extensions and chemically processed ‘dos, there are others who like to keep things nice and natural. Take Lisa, for instance. Her mother had her hair relaxed as a child, as it was long, thick and difficult for her to comb. Yet, though it looked great, she hated it, and decided to grow it out as soon as she started to manage her hair on her own. She now sports versatile, convenient locks, which she takes excellent care of. She visits two salons – Shawn’s Beauty & Barber Salon, King’s Plaza for grooming, and Forever Hair & Nails for styling. Under The Dryer shares more about her haircare regimen.

Her haircare routine:

Tresses are groomed once amonth, and styled every three weeks. Lisa also rubs olive oil into her hair strands and scalp every other night to keep her locks soft, shiny and moist. She may try hair products every now and then, and has taken a liking to Motions moisturiser, which she finds “very lightweight”. She also deep-conditions and shampoos at home every week with Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise and works olive oil through her locks to finish. For special occasions, she will go to the salon and have it styled, but she’s also “pretty good at styling” herself, she tells our team.

Her Christmas look:

“I sometimes experiment with colours, so I’m planning to go Ruby Red at the ends. It should look nice, because my hair is layered.”

Her haircare secrets:

“I drink lots of water, eat fruits and vegetables and take vitamins and iron supplements. I also massage my scalp a lot to stimulate growth and check with my dermatologist regularly to ensure that my scalp is healthy. I’m very health-conscious.”

Switching Things Up

Kerice Warlock – Senior Accounting Clerk

Though Kerice is now wearing extensions to facilitate the growing process, her own hair is natural, and worn in a crew cut. She plans to wear extensions until next summer, as she feels that by then, it will have reached a sufficient length. Until then, her two stylists – Betty-Ann of Betty’s Beauty Shop, and Janice Howard of Clear Image Beauty Salon (both in Portmore) help her to maintain her hair as it grows, as well as her extensions.

Her haircare routine:

I wrap my hair nightly and tie it with a silk wrap, then in the mornings I apply IC hair polisher and flat-iron it. I also shampoo biweekly, treat once monthly and change the look every three weeks because I get bored very easily. Luckily having extensions is easy, and not at all time-consuming.”

Her haircare secrets:

“I always treat my natural hair with Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise and use IC hair polisher to keep the sheen in my extensions, I also used it a lot when I had relaxed hair.”

Her look for Christmas:

“I’m going for spiral curls in jet-black this season, but I might just change my mind by the time Christmas comes around.”

Hair Expertise

Janice Howard Administrative Assistant, Member Care Centre

Janice is a lady who wears many hats — JNBS employee, make-up artist and

hairstylist. In fact, she is the owner of Clear Image Beauty Salon,

which has been in operation for ten years. Naturally she does her own

hair, but she visits other salons — any salon — on special occasions

when she wants “to be pampered, to try out the service and learn new

techniques.” She now sports an ontrend pixie cut in Honey Blonde, which

she likes because it’s low-maintenance (as she does not have to comb it

daily), and it suits her. Here are a few haircare secrets from the

knowledgeable stylist.

Her haircare secrets:

“I always ensure

that I shampoo at least once weekly and deepcondition every other week

because of the colour in my hair. I also wrap at nights and tie with a

silk scarf, trim regularly and relax every four weeks.”

Her must-haves:

“My flat iron and IC hair polisher — it’s my favourite hair product, so I always have it with me.”

Her Christmas look:

“I’m going two-toned with the colour and shorter with the cut, like the Halle Berry pixie with a twist.”

And for her clients…

“I think I will manage quite well, I won’t really have a Christmas rush,

because I don’t have a large clientele. I like to keep the salon

intimate and personal, so it shouldn’t be very hectic for me, and

remember I do have a full-time job… one has to be enterprising in

these times.”

Make-up by: Janice Howard and Racquel Jenkins Moss-Solomon

Hairstyles by: Portia Reid of Sophie’s Unique Touch

Shop 21, Mall Plaza. Tel: 906-7930 or 431-6179.