Hair Care Tips from an Irvine Pro
Photo credit House of Lange
When The Vine spoke with Nic Lange of House of Lange, we couldn’t help asking this hair care guru for his tips and tricks. He was happy to share.
“One of the things that I think is really important for people to understand is that hair and skin are closely related to each other,” says Nic. “They’re cousins. The only difference is that the hair that grows out of your scalp is not a living cell but your skin is, so it can’t rebuild itself. So that's why it's crucial for people to adjust their haircare each season, whatever that means in California. Obviously we're in the coldest season right now where things are very drying. The biggest complaint that people say is ‘I have static. My hair feels frizzy. Maybe my shampoo and conditioner is not enough.’ And it's because the majority of time people forget that they should be using a hair mask. What's happening at that moment to your hair, it's lacking hydration.”
Photo credit House of Lange
Unlike the facial masks we are all wearing to ward off viral transmission, hair masks improve the look and feel of hair.
“A mask actually works internally in the hair to give it hydration,” says Nic. “The conditioner that you would use, that is moisturizing. That is something that lays on top of the hair to lock in that hydration. The way that I describe it to my guests is if you're in the desert, you're thirsty. You need hydration, so you need to drink water. That's internal. But if your skin feels dry, that's something that you need to moisturize. So that's a topical treatment that works on the skin. So a mask, ultimately, is a big chunk of water that your hair is drinking, partnered with a conditioner that helps kind of seal that in the hair.”
As an expert in haircare products, Nic explained his process for determining which items to recommend to clients.
“Every product that we have in the salon has been tested personally by me,” explains Nic. “And then I can give it to the team to get feedback from them. One of the products that we carry is KEVIN.MURPHY, and the reason why is a no brainer for me. Because I used to work alongside Kevin, the man who built this brand, I definitely saw the quality of the ingredients that are put into the products. And we carry Oribe. These are performance-based products.”
Performance based hair care, Nic explains, is designed to go the extra mile.
“If you’re using a product that’s enhancing your curl or toning your blond, and it’s also conditioning and treating the hair at that moment, it's a multi performance-based product,” says Nic. “That’s the range that we carry. We provide education on everything as well, just for everyone on the team to be on the same page when they're talking about the products.”
Photo credit House of Lange
As an experienced tester and user of hair care products, Nic was asked what he would choose if he could bring only one hair care item on a deserted island. He gave it a lot of thought.
“This is very difficult for me,” says Nic, who unfortunately had to make similar calculations after being evacuated during our last two wildfires.
“Okay, if I have to have just one thing that I could bring, I really have to think this through,” says Nic. “What is it that you need to bring with you? I would say this one product is by KEVIN.MURPHY, a treatment called Young.Again. What it does is pretty much in the name. It's an oil and it’s rich in antioxidants. Why that has to be my product is because I'm thinking, ‘Okay, if I'm in the desert, there's gonna be heat. There's gonna be sun exposure.’ The ingredients found in the product stop the process of oxidation or aging of the hair. It has Immortelle, which is an amazing essential oil that is so small it actually penetrates on a cellular level. So it actually gets deep inside the hair and actually the skin. And what it does is it starts reducing the aging process. Any sort of free radicals that cause aging, it starts to slow down.”
Nic’s ultimate product choice is driven not only by practicality but also by functionality.
“You know when I think of the desert island,” explains Nic, “I want to have something that I could not just use on my hair, but I could potentially use on my skin as well.”
For more advice on hair care, stop by House of Lange. Due to the stay-at-home order, appointments with stylists are paused but the retail side is open. Nic is personally available to discuss treatment options and make product recommendations.
Read more about House of Lange’s origins and its co-founders.