American Salon Magazine
Turn Down the Heat

Although you probably already know that sun exposure and washing hair too often can lead to color fade, high heat from styling tools like flat irons can also cause shades to go flat, according to Sam Villa, Education Artistic Director for Redken and founding partner of the Sam Villa brand. "High heat explodes the bonds in haircolor molecules, so when it's applied to colored-treated hair, the bonds bread and color goes down the drain," Villa explains. "Use medium heat on color-treated hair so that color molecules stay put." If done at the proper heat setting, Villa says, flat-ironing the hair can atually enliven the appearance of dull haircolor, since it closes the cuticle, resulting in maximum light reflection that intensifies color and shine. The Sam Villa Signature Series Sleekr flat iron boasts Targeted Temperature Technology that ensures consistent temperatures for specific hair types with easy-to-read controls and an LED indicator: Low is set at 375 degrees F for fine hair, Color Treated is set at 392 degrees F, and High is set at 410 degrees F for resistant and virgin hair types.

First Chair Magazine
Managing Tension

Modern Salon Magazine - October 2011
Style Watch | Shear Maintenance

How does Sam Villa take care of his Signature Shears? He oils them on a daily basis "Take a small cloth and wipe the shears clean from the back forward, not from the front because the blade will cut right through the cloth." Next, Villa recommends oiling the shear just above and below the pivot. "Once you do that, point the shears toward the ground, and open and close." Villa says doing these shear maintenance steps every night is critical to keeping your shears functioning at top capacity. "If you don't oil it every 2-3 days your shear is going to start feeling a little bit heavy and tight – it's not going to feel as sharp. If you take care of them they will respond to the care!" 

Modern Salon Magazine - October 2011
Modern News - Learning More

Stylist and educator Sam Villa has discovered Learner Based Education through his association with Redken. This teaching concept requires students to participate in their own learning.

"Redken taught me that education is not about me and what I know. It's about the learner and their needs and expectations," says Villa. "It's about creating an interactive participatory atmosphere and teaching things simply so anyone can get it."

The system is based on the Cone of Learning study that measures how much students retain after two weeks based on the teaching method used. Reading information results in 10 percent retention; listening in 20 percent; watching in 30 percent; a combination of listening and watching, 50 percent; speaking, 70 percent; speaking and demonstrating, 90 percent; and teaching the information to someone else results in 100 percent retention—Villa's goal for his students.

"I share this information with my students and advise that they can be ative or passive, but those who are active will get a much higher rate of investment," says Villa.

Villa encourages interactive exercises and has students say, do and teach the content to each other.

"Question are life's greatest revenue for learning," he says.

American Salon Magazine
INSTUDIO: Beauty Lab

 SAM VILLA

The new Sam Villa E-T.C. Light Professional Ionic Hair Dryer has an ultraquiet yet powerful motor. It also has ceramic tourmaline ion generation, three heat and two speed settings, a coolshot button, two nozzle options and a deep bowl diffuser.

InOurSalon - JC Penny Magazine for Stylists
Fine Points by Jackie Summers

This statistic probably won't surprise any busy hairdresser. According to top Redken and industry educator Sam Villa, sixty percent of all North American woman have fine hair. That's more than half of all your clients. Based on the number of people in your hchair asking you how they can get more volume, you already know this!

That's why Sam has created a new approach to caring for your skinny-haired clients, which includes cutting and finishing techniques, plus strategies for establishing yourself as the go-to pro for fine hair in your area. Here are 13 of his top tips.

InOurSalon - JC Penny Magazine for Stylists - PART 2
Find Points by Jackie Summers

 Sam Villa's 13 HOT TIPS FOR SKINNY HAIR continued...

American Salon Magazine
INSTUDIO: Beauty Lab

Sam Villa Signature Series Brushes are made of bamboo for added strength, durability and ecology. The line includes a Small Round Brush; Medium Oval Brush; Large Oval Brush; Styling Brush; 9-Row Finishing Brush and Paddle Brush.

Behindthechair.com On Paper
FASHION INSPIRES

The beauty and fashion industries are genius at reinventing style - every season, all eyes turn to the experts with the expectation of being blown away with fabulousness! As artists, creating is what makes stylists tick, everything is fodder for inspiration - books, art, music, architecture, and of course, FASHION! Fashion may be the most influential, partly because it's beauty's partner in crime.

Sam Villa was inspired by Spring 2011 shows like Mie Mie, Rochas, Yves Saint Laurent and Stella McCartney for the creation of CutOuts, the fifth DVD in "The Aspire Tour." Teh intricate cut outs, sheer panels and slits used to create interest, shape and proportion led him to apply that same concept to fine hair. This new DVD teaches stylists what to cut and what NOT to cut to create fresh moveable texture and silhouettes. Fine hair is a fabric. Since 60% of people have it, stylists should be inspired by it.

Like spring fashions, CutOuts relies on shape, cut outs and disconnection to create interest. It's a progressive disconnection technique where horizontal layers are cut into larger shaped sections of triangle, circles, diamonds, etc. The shape of the section and cutting angle determine the specifics of each cut, all with blended detached panels that create soft movement. It's quicker and easier than retexturizing and allows hair to collapse with more interior movement, less weight and a sense of frothy volume.

American Salon Magazine
Redken Symposium

Highlights from the 2011 Redken Symposium in Las Vegas, NV at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center.

Modern Salon Magazine
Strong and Green

Sam Villa, founder of Allvus LLC and Redken education artistic director, has revamped his signature hair brushes by manufacturing them from bamboo. Bamboo is strong, durable, fast growing and sustainable. The brushes are lighter with longer handles to reduce strain from repetitive motions.

The Sam Villa Signature Series brushes also feature boar bristles and tourmaline-infused nylon fibers. The collection includes a small round brush, medium oval and large ovals, a styling brush, a 9-row finishing brush and a paddle brush.

Modern Salon Magazine
Tool School

Check out the latest books, DVDs and technical guides designed to educate stylists and grow business.

The Aspire Tour four-DVD set from Sam Villa includes BOBology, The Convertible, The "V" and The Bardot styles. Shot in salons across America, the DVDs feature Villa teaching stylists on camera and in a reality show format so viewers can see the exact tools used to create some of his famous styles. Villa will launch the 5th DVD in the series at America's Beauty Show next month.

American Salon Magazine
INSTUDIO: Hot Shots

Cloud Nine
Crimped and textured hair is all the rage these days, and Sam Villa offers stylists the chance to create this look using his Textur Professional Texturizing Iron, which has three different temperature controls, including one for color-treated hair, and creates a variety of textured styles. Here, he discusses how he achieved his Textur Cloud Set technique for intense volume, reminiscent of cotton candy.

See the steps here.

American Salon Magazine
Education Roundup

Sam Villa inspires hairdressers to experiment with diverse shapes and techniques to transform the ways they view hair. Sam Villa education can be accessed on its website, as well as at trade shows and classes at the Redken Exchange. Offerings include The Aspire Tour, a reality show format shot in salons across America and featuring real stylists on camera, supplies viewers with a front row seat and access to valuable information on techniques and tools, such as the Sam Villa Signature Shears, Brushes, Combs and irons.

Behindthechair.com The Makeover Issue
Texture Lacing

If your backcombed upstyles need more support, drop that comb! Sam Villa's fresh approach to backcombing is accomplished with a thermal tool and creates unimaginable hold and support. "This technique is great when you want to create a pad or cushion to support any updo," explains Sam. "Add character to your styles. Get creative! Get ready to create mile-high style"!