Mommy glow is a real thing. Or is it? Social media sites and photo sharing platforms have recently exploded with stories of soon-to-be and new moms and their struggle to achieve and maintain the famed “mommy glow.” Not everyone is blessed with a shiny, thick mane, or flawless and glowing skin, or a happy – albeit exhausted – countenance. And after an exhausting nine months of pregnancy comes the dreaded post-partum shedding. Turns out a crying baby keeping you up late at night does little to nothing for your skin! But there are some moms who go through the pre- and postpartum periods with what can only be described as ethereal beauty.
Enter Australian mom, Gracie Sun. Upon meeting her, you would be forgiven for thinking she is just another bubbly girl about town. When I first met her she was in a slinky black number – not at all what I had pictured a new mother of a two-month-old baby would emerge in! Truth be told, Sun is stunning as she is, though she swears her looks have seen better days. If they have, then this editor’s perception of beauty is sorely lacking.
Sun arrived for her day of glamour with the incomparable Laurent Falcon of Laurent Falcon Hair Salon in Sanlitun, eager for a different sort of transformation. Usually, Falcon is tasked with the responsibility of transforming blank canvases into perfectly coiffed works of art. So what was he to do with an already almost perfect work of art like Sun, who was just no longer pleased with her look, and who also had only a month or so before had a cut and color treatment at Laurent Falcon’s other location in downtown Guomao? The answer is simpler than you might imagine…
Before the makeover
Less is More
An important disclaimer: it is not recommended to have two consecutive color treatments within weeks of each other. Your hair might be prone to dryness and brittleness, and the last thing you need is fried hair. But this was hardly an issue for Falcon, who is the master of the cut and color in Beijing. For her transformation, Sun’s hair was foiled lightly, taking it from a subdued golden brown to a spring-inspired honey blonde. Foiling and bleaching is usually a long and tedious process, but Sun’s hair offered no real resistance, and soon she was ready for the sink.
Set the Tone
As with every color treatment, toning might possibly be the most important step after the initial bleach application. It quite literally sets the tone of your hairstyle. The last thing you want to have is brassy, brittle, static-ridden hair. Purple shampoo is the secret to hair free of that brassy tone. After the shampoo, Sun received a deep conditioning treatment to impart some much-needed moisture and shine into her hair.
Heat it Up!
As damaging as it can be, when used correctly (and sparingly) heat can be a wonderful aid to achieving an effortless-looking hairstyle. The internet is replete with articles warning about excessive use of heat on hair, and how not all blow-dryers and flat and curling irons are the same. Sun’s hair was first blown straight using Falcon’s state-of-the-art Dyson pro blow-dryers. Falcon then completed the look with barrel curls gently combed and fluffed out to achieve the coveted, but so often elusive, beach-blown look.
Lights, Camera, Baby!
Time waits for no one, and neither does a hungry baby. And a day of glam wasn’t going to get in the way of Sun making sure her little princess was fed and happy before her big photo debut. Once Sun’s soft, springtime glam makeup look was completed thanks to Laurent Falcon’s in-house makeup artist, both Sun and her daughter Savannah slipped into angelic pink outfits. I’m not one to ascribe colors to genders, but it might be safe to say that pink is definitely Savannah’s color!
For Sun and her daughter, the adventure is only beginning. As any parent knows, no two babies are the same. And no matter how many babies you have, each time feels like the first, in terrifying and exciting ways. We can only hope that while embarking on this amazing journey, we can all look as effortlessly stunning as Sun and baby Savannah.
Postpartum Hair Care Tips
1. Be gentle – Even though the shedding might be inevitable, don’t help it along. Gently wash and style your hair, and do your best to keep your hands out of it for the rest of the day.
2. Massage that scalp – This encourages blood flow to the scalp, nourishing the follicles, which in turn produce luscious locks with time.
3. Read the label – Choose shampoos that are gentler on the scalp and hair and don’t strip moisture. Sulphate-free, silk or wheat-protein-rich, and collagen-infused shampoos and conditioners are a good option.
4. Lose those ends – It might hurt but it’s necessary to trim those ends. This will stop any split ends from further splitting the hair up the shaft.
Laurent Falcon, French Style Salon
43 Sanlitun North Street South 三里屯北街南43号楼
www.laurent-falcon.com
6409 4243
KEEP READING: Social Butterfly Babies: Are Kids Who Don’t Attend Playdates Missing Out?
Images: Uni You
This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 March issue.
