Tuesday How To {hot cross buns}

Today's do is a versatile one. You could wear it all dressed up, or to the gym. It looks more complicated than it is, which is always nice. Here ya go...

If you want it to be faster and easier, instead of multiple little braids in the bun you can do just one or two, or if you want it to be more intense, you can take smaller sections in the french fishtail making it more woven.  

Try it! I dare you.

Razor Cut

Just a quick thought today. I LOVE cutting with a razor. I mean I love my shears, but razor cutting really excites me. They both have a time and a place, and there are times when I wouldn't recommend getting a razor cut. A lot of people seem to be a little hesitant to have a razor used on their hair, and rightly so. A razor can cause damage, and create problems if not used correctly. BUT. When a razor is used correctly it can do wonderful things to your hair. Allow me to explain a few things a love about a razor cut.

• It gives your ends a soft finish. It takes care of that "I just got my hair cut" harsh line, but still takes care of dead ends.
• It creates insane amounts of texture. This will do WONDERS for your styling. It will increase volume, and give a whole new level of dimension to your do.
• Remember when we talked about the shelf? None of that happening when the razor comes to town.

I just love it! There are things to be cautious of. If you have really thin, fine hair, curly frizzy hair, or highly damaged/bleached hair a razor cut might not be for you. Only your stylist can really evaluate if it is right for you. But please, consider it! It might just change everything.

Feature Friday

Today's product is super cool. It is called So Silver by Matrix. It is a shampoo, a purple shampoo in fact. Let me tell ya all about it.

Who is it for? Anyone with unwanted gold tones in their hair.
What does it do? It has a strong purple hue, and actually tones your hair with every wash, using the purple to counteract the gold. Nifty!!
How do I use it? You can definitely over use this product, causing your hair to look dull, gray, and ashy. So be careful. Washing once or twice a week with this stuff will do the trick.

This stuff is fantastic for at home toning. Even if your stylist tones your hair at the salon, it can fade, causing the unwanted tones to return before your next color. This is a quick, easy way to take care of that all on your own! But like I said, use with caution, you can definitely over do it! Happy Friday everyone! Have a wonderful weekend!

Give them what they want! {pop out french braid}

I had a request (yay!) for a tutorial. This one was so easy and fast I thought it could not wait until a Tuesday. I was asked to show how to do a pop out french braid. It is just a normal french braid, but backwards! See?

Thanks to my last client of the day yesterday who was nice enough to let me use them for this tutorial. Some people automatically french braid this way...if I am being honest...this way is a struggle for me. Its hard to make my brain work backwards. 

I love getting requests! Not just for tutorials but any random hair related questions you might have. Happy Friday Eve everyone!

Shelving

Even before I did hair, the sight of terrible layers caught my eye. It wasn't until hair school that I learned what causes these non-blended, shelf looking layers to occur. While I won't share with you the cutting techniques to avoid this sad situation, I wanted to give you a few tips, as a client, to avoid leaving with jacked up layered hair.

1. I have said it before, but don't leave with wet hair!!! Shelves hide in wet hair. By having the stylist dry it, she should see things that need a little more work, but if she doesn't, you can! 
2. That brings me to my next tip. Check your own haircut. Don't be shy. Play with it, look at it from all angles, do whatever you want. It is your hair, you have the right to give it a good look over and request changes.
3. Last of all, make sure there is good communication between you and your stylist. This is important for many reasons, but in this case, "layers" can be a vague term. You need to discuss length, texture, intensity, and blending for all areas of your head to really be on the same page. Use words like blended, soft, or subtle if you are wanting longer, light layers. Be careful with words like choppy or heavy. Although more intense layers are awesome, you want to be clear that you still want the hair blended. One more thing to be cautious about is saying you want a taper or layers to frame your face. These often end in shelving, be very specific about how intense you want it.You can't talk enough when explaining your expectations.

This is also when it is important to choose a stylist wisely. Find someone you are comfortable with, and who takes their time to ensure you have fabulous hair. You also need to agree with your stylists style, we all have our own touch whether we like it or not, you need to make sure you like what we have to offer.

In the event it is too late, and you are currently living with terribly choppy, undesirable layers, do not fret! There are people to help. If you aren't comfortable returning to the same stylist, ask around for a referral. I have spent many hours fixing layers. A little texturizing and blending can go a long way and really help you feel better about your hair.

Tuesday How To {push up french braid}

Today's tutorial is nothing too new, but for those out there who like to wear your hair up often, you can't have too many quick ways to pull it back. It is a nice way to change up your average french braid, and is also great because it requires NO french braiding really...so if you struggle with that then this is the do for you!

Ready, set, go!

You can tie off each push up with a small elastic to make it more secure and easier to manage. You could also do this with tying actual knots in your hair rather than push up braid knots...I will show you that one another time. I like this do because it is a little bit braid, a little bit knotty, and its so easy.

Guess who's back...back again!

Tell a friend! I am back! I know I totally dropped off the edge here, but I have returned with many tips, tricks, and tutorials to make you love your hair in 2012! The fun all starts back tomorrow...hope to see you then!