I was welcomed warmly by Savas' assistant, ST, who offered a delicious cup of coffee upon arrival - my heart was in love with this place already. Caffeine, yes please. The atmosphere was vibey and homey, and I felt as if I already knew the Savas team. Seated on the comfy couch, I felt like I had walked into a classy professional hotel and I could just feel that my hair was going to get five-star treatment.
Known as one of the best salons in Cape Town, Savas is also involved with various film productions and companies. Greeted by Savas Couvaras himself, and led to his station where he would no doubt work his magic, I took a seat as he confirmed what we had discussed beforehand - I was to go from dark to light.
He began by explaining the process and the correct way to go about dying and treating my hair to get a Balayage (natural-looking, lighter) effect. Here he introduced me to the Olaplex product, which restructures the hair internally by linking sulphur bonds, repairing chemical, thermal and mechanical damage. Bonds are repaired as they are being broken, thus allowing hair to be pushed further.
Savas explained that virgin hair, which refers to hair that is completely unprocessed, is the best kind of hair to lighten. My hair, on the other hand, was dark brunette with a reddish colour on the ends thanks to a blonde box dye that I'd applied about a year before, but Savas was up for the challenge and positive that I would walk out of the salon happy. As the statement on the door mentions before you walk into the salon (We don't appreciate negative vibes around here so move along #Savashair) he conveyed that being positive is the key. At this point I no longer needed to reassure myself that I was in good hands, I could sit back and enjoy my coffee and conversation with confidence.
He mixed the colour, adding Olaplex to the mixture. He then divided my hair and started applying colour as if painting a masterpiece, knowing exactly where to place each stroke. Once the first application was complete he then left it to lift the dark colour from my hair. We discussed his experience in the industry and how he discovered his love and talent for styling hair while working for Scar. He confirmed what I noticed within his business when he advised that when it comes to hair, one should 'Keep it classy' - something you notice 100% in his work and his employees' presentation. He also mentioned that Savas is a family-owned and run business and he works closely with his brothers Giovanni and Giancarla.
Savas enjoys training and grooming his staff in-house, helping them to advance in their current roles. Assisting Savas with my treatment was Monique, his apprentice. I can only imagine she will qualify with amazing wings as she is being taught by a man who has passion and love for what he does, which is evident in the way he dedicates his time to his clients and his business.
Satisfied with the amount of colour that the first treatment lifted, I was directed to the basin to shampoo with KMS California clarify shampoo shampooing purifiant and condition with Olaplex hair protector No 3. My hair was brushed with the Tangle Teezer de-tangling hairbrush, which works miracles. Relaxing in the message chair while Monique rinsed my hair, the excitement began to build. For those who are thinking of going lighter, remember there is a process that is involved, especially if you're a brunette wanting a lighter blonde.
I returned to Savas' station to look into the mirror and saw a reddish colour staring back at me. Savas joked, asking: "Why are you frowning? It looks lovely!" I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned, but then he reassured me that I would walk out of his salon and love the colour. He was so confident and positive. Monique then applied a second application with foil, as Savas gets extremely busy and is in demand, especially this time of the year when clients book him way in advance. While waiting for the second application to lift I enjoyed another cup of coffee.
Once the second application was rinsed and conditioned you could notice the change and the red had lightened with a striking blonde visible. I was getting so excited to see the end result! By this time the music in Savas had changed to classical jazz, which made me relax even more, but Savas continued to work hard as he was still painting his masterpiece and would not be satisfied until the customer was happy and his standard was met.
Next he applied two applications of semi-permanent dye as this would remove all the red that was still slightly visible. Once the dye was rinsed it was time for the final touch - the hair drier. Before applying the heat Savas sprayed KMS California free shape hot flex spray to protect my hair from ant damage. We were minutes away from the final result!
Savas got lost in his work and decided to add extensions, which were an unplanned last-minute addition. This is an amazing addition for those with thinner hair, but perfect for somebody who wants a lighter look and does not want to add extra product to her hair.
Savas finished off by adding Acai Brazilian dry oil to replace some of the moisture that was stripped from my hair from the lightening process. The result was not as light as I hoped it would be, but it is definitely an end result that I love and I'm learning to love even more as the days go by - a beautiful golden blonde. I do intend to go back to Savas for my next application though - the blonde bug has definitely bit me - but achieving the ash blonde I'm after will have to be done in stages to maintain the health of my hair.
Ladies, remember that blonde is an expensive choice, but if that's what you want then I would highly recommend Savas and his team.
