Feature Friday

It is a classic and will always hold a special place in my heart. Big Sexy Hair's Spray and Play. I often forget how much I love it, then with one little spray, my heart skips a beat. While using it a bit yesterday I just knew it had to be featured.

Who is it for? Everyone. It is a fantastic basic aerosol hairspray. It goes on even and holds to the death. It might be a bit too much for those with super fine, thin hair and for those with super thick, coarse hair they make Spray and Play Harder. You have options my friends. This one is just a great every day choice.
What does it do? As I said, holds to the death! It also works great to hold in back combing and when wearing your hair up.
How does it do this? It was a great nozzle that has never clogged up on me and evenly coats the hair with its strong hold magic. It doesn't get that flaky, crispy issue that some others get.
How do I use it? Hold away from the head and spray where needed. Don't spray too close to the head or in one spot for very long. Sweeping, constant movements are best.

I still love it after all the kinds I have tried. It will not let you down!

Let's be realistic

I really love when people bring me pictures of the style they are going for. It prevents any miscommunication. There are a few things that need to be considered and discussed when using a picture as your guide. Please take into consideration the following points before setting your expectations too high.

• Most often I see pictures of celebrities brought in. This is not surprising since they tend to set the trend and many people aim to look like one themselves. Why is this an issue? I MIGHT be able to give you Jennifer Aniston's HAIR...but I can't give you the face and body too. Too often people are obsessed with the whole glamorized look and they don't realize even with the same exact hair, they won't walk out twins with Jennifer. 
• Rarely is your hair exactly compatible with the hair in the picture. Texture and density factor in quite a bit when it comes to achieving a certain style. I commonly see people with thin, fine hair bringing me pictures of people with thick, coarse hair or the other way around. You will not get the same results. You need to allow for some wiggle room, and consider styles that are flattering to your hair type.
• Look past the style and color to the actual CUT. Some styles are super eye catching. It is easy to say you want your hair exactly like the style in the picture, but sometimes when you look at the actual cut it might not be so appealing. It is also important to remember these pictures are usually from people that have a whole team helping them look fabulous for that picture. Consider how much time and effort you will want to put in each day and how it might look styled a different way. 
• Picture the style on YOU. Does is flatter your face? Will it draw attention to the right places? One size does not fit all when it comes to hair.
• Consider the color. If you are just matching your cut to a picture it might look very different with your color rather than the same color as the girl in the picture. Take time to think if you really like the style and cut, or just really want to be blond (or red, or brunette). If you are matching a color to a picture you also need to consider what you are starting with. Not all colors are safely possible in one sitting.

I am not trying to discourage pictures. I really do prefer when people have them! I just think too often people set themselves up for disappointment. So how do you avoid this? 

• Past pictures of yourself are always wonderful. That way you know it is possible and accurate. 
• Bring in a few pictures. Rarely do you ever love every single feature about a style. Don't be afraid to mix and match. 
• Consider the previous tips when using a celebrity photo.
• Always ask to be taught how to style your new do before you walk out the door of the salon. As my client, I want you to look great ALL the time, not just the day you get your hair done. I always like to teach how I am doing what I am doing so that you can do it yourself day after day. This will help immensely when trying to figure out a new style or trying to match a picture you like. 

So start the search for your perfect picture (or pictures). When you take it to your stylist just have a little chat and they will be sure to guide you in the right direction and work out a plan you are happy with. 

Awkward

By definition:

1. lacking dexterity or skill
2. lacking ease or grace
3. lacking social grace and assurance
4. not easy to handle or deal with; requiring great ingenuity or skill
5. lacking the right proportions, size, or harmony or parts

Anyone feeling this about the current status of their hair? I know I am. Most of us are familiar with that infamous "awkward length". How can you get through it? Well, it might not be easy. So you first need to decide if you truly want your hair to be long bad enough that you will be able to press on through the hard times. Allow me to share a few tips that might help get you through.

• Make sure you are still getting a trim regularly. This will help keep your hair in a cute shape so that styling is still possible and things are laying the best they can. This will make a huge difference. Short hair cuts are not meant to grow long and look perfect doing it. You will need some reshaping. 
• Keep your fringe looking good. Growing out your hair and your bangs at the same time is almost a death wish. I recommend choosing one and getting it done first, then move onto the other. If you are happy with your bangs it will soften the blow of struggling with the rest of your head. It will also keep you happy with the hair right by your face, which is important.
• Learn to wear your hair up in classy cute ways that don't make you feel sloppy. Wearing your hair up will definitely hide the length you aren't loving.  While a pony every day might make you feel frumpy, if you experiment with some different ways of pulling it up you can feel pretty AND survive the hard times. 
• Don't chop your hair oh a whim. A day of frustration with your awkward length will definitely make you want to run to the nearest salon and chop it off. Don't do it. I am not saying you aren't allowed to change your mind about growing it out and decide to go short again. But make a rational, educated decision. Never get your hair cut on a bad hair day. Remember that you have already been growing, so anything you cut is lost progress. Nothing is worse than waking up with cutters remorse. 
• Change your color. This is a great way to give yourself a change without losing your length. It might be just what you need to persevere through a dull period. 

Happy growing!

Tuesday How To

So it hit me last week that all my tutorials have favored long haired ladies. This is funny because I have short hair myself! So I thought today I would do a little something with short hair. Short hair can sometimes get boring because you feel trapped into doing the same old thing every day. Well this is just not true. There are many things you can do to change it up. One of my most frequently used, quick change ups is simply going curly. Off we go! The lovely Logan is our model today.

1. Always curl in sections. Pin up what you are not working with. This makes it much more manageable and allows you to curl every hair rather than missing sections.  I prefer using a flat iron to curl short hair. It goes faster and seems to handle the little length better.

2. Continue curling section by section. You can alternate ways you curl (turning the iron forward or backwards) to get more variation from curl to curl.

3. Use some finishing product like this one to add shine and stretch out the curls a bit. You always want to comb your fingers through your curls to separate them. Then you are done! This is another great style to toss some twists or braids into to add something special. Hope you find it useful!

Summer Lovin'

I took a lovely vacation this last week. I spent a lot of time in the sun and in the pool. This triggered a thought. I must tell the people about summer protection!

First of all allow me to plead with you to NOT use at home lighteners that are activated by the sun to add "natural" highlights. Lemon juice, Sun-In, and any other product like it are NOT GOOD for your hair. Furthermore, if you are going to use them and then want to lighten or color your hair later at a salon, you must be honest with your stylist. If you have used these at home products, and we put bleach over it, it can severely damage your hair. So you have gotta come clean if you want to protect your hair.

Next, wash after swimming every time. Or at last rinse thoroughly. Chlorine is no good left sitting on your hair.

Lastly, a quick tip on how to keep your hair looking its best swim after swim. Coat your hair in conditioner before taking a dip. You don't have to use the good stuff, Suave will suffice. Dab some on and comb it through your hair before pulling it up and jumping in the pool. This leaves a layer of protection between your hair and the harmful elements the sun and chlorine bring. This will also make it easier to comb your hair out after swimming, and help in every way to keep your locks loving the summer.

Feature Friday

Today is another product that everyone should use after every wash. It is a leave in conditioner. And my favorite? Sexy Hair's Soy Tri-Wheat Leave in Conditioner. It is part of their Sexy Healthy Hair line.

Who is it for? Everyone! You should always use a leave in conditioner to nourish your hair continually.
What does it do? Detangles and conditions hair around the clock.
How does it do this? The soy and wheat formula give your hair some lovin even after you wash your conditioner out. It coats the hair and lasts through drying and styling.
How do I use it? Spray and comb through towel dried hair.

It is so simple, smells delicious, and will really help your hair get what it needs. By allowing it to assist you in detangling your hair, it will prevent breakage from no longer having to tug the comb through your hair. Why wouldn't you want your hair conditioned 24/7 rather than the 3 minutes you condition it in the shower every OTHER day right?

A good thing gone bad

You know what makes me sad? I get sad when I think of a perfectly good technique that has gotten a bad reputation. Yes my friends I am talking about back combing, more casually known as ratting. But here, we don't use the term ratting, because that only encourages the bad wrap this helpful little tool has taken on. Things like Texas hair, the Utah poof, and now Jersey Shore have all contributed to this sad reputation. But I am taking a stand today. Back combing can be your BFF when executed correctly and tastefully. Allow me to explain.

*Disclaimer: I don't usually wear sweats and slicked back hair to the salon...it was late. Please excuse me :)

The real key to classy poof is adequate combing afterwards. By spraying it before you comb it out, you will prevent loosing all the poof and combing it out completely. This technique is good for more than simply getting big hair. Before pulling your hair up in any way, you should back comb it. This gives you a fabulous foundation for shaping, pinning, or whatever else you might be doing. Before you curl? Back comb! Before you do ANYTHING you can back comb! It makes your hair much more workable and rarely do you actually want your hair super slicked to your head.

Now I am not condoning overly massive hair. Let us not get confused. Properly back combed hair should show NO evidence that it has been back combed. If you can tell, you didn't do it right.

Like A Virgin

So in my opinion about 90% of the general public look better with colored hair rather than their natural color (especially Caucasians). Most of the time virgin hair has a blah, ashy tone to it. So I always encourage spicing it up. However, if you are in that small group that looks fabulous naturally, there are some perks to colored hair you should be aware of. I wouldn't want you missing out.

First of all, contrary to popular belief, coloring your hair does not really cause damage. Lightening your hair does. Though even that can be done very safely and with minimal damage. But changing the tone, or going darker does not "fry" your hair as some might say. It almost does the opposite actually. Color is made to seal down the cuticle. So after a fresh color, you might notice your hair actually feels better than before.

Colored hair also has a shinier look to it than virgin hair. Though virgin hair is healthy and nice, it doesn't have the added help of color to give it that real shine. This is one of my favorite features of freshly colored hair. So what do you do if you want to keep your color but you are craving the colored hair benefits? Ask your stylist about a clear gloss color. While it doesn't alter the color of your hair, it will give you that sealed cuticle, beautiful shine of colored hair. This is also a great option for anyone looking to give their hair a little boost or help it appear healthier.

Tuesday How To

I thought I would cover a basic today. We are going to explore one way to get pretty curls through your hair. It is not too hard or time consuming so I hope you find it useful! Once you have mastered this you can add a zillion variations. It is also a great base to pulling your hair up really quick and elegantly.

Let's get started. Kelsey is our model today. This post is officially dedicated to her because she happens to be in  labor this very second. Exciting right!?

1. If you are starting with wet hair, you will want to put a bit of product in it. Your favorite mousse or curl aid would be perfect. Work it through the hair. Try to mostly use your fingers to comb through your hair rather than a comb or brush. We want to maintain as much of the natural texture as possible. Dry your hair any way you please until it is about 80% dry.

2. To dry your hair the rest of the way, add a diffuser onto your blow dryer. If you don't have one, get one! When do this on yourself it is good to do it upside down and allow your hair to pile up in the diffuser as you bring it to the scalp. Kelsey has some of the straightest hair around, and thanks to my little friend, diffuser we got some great natural texture to shine through. This will create a puffed up, more voluminous base for us to build off of. Continue piling sections of hair in the diffuser and hold it until it is completely dry.

3. When your hair is completely dry you can move on to the actual curling. Depending on how your hair texture is, you might need to curl your entire head, or just do some touch ups to enhance your natural look. The bigger the iron the better. I used a 1 1/2" on this do. Since Kelsey does not have extremely long hair, this width was adequate to the the big wavy curl we were going for. Here is how I like to curl. 

Taking bigger sections not only speeds things up, but it also gives you a bigger, looser curl. Continue through your whole head. This is when having the right layers will really help you out. Wrapping it around the outside of the barrel rather than clamping it also gives a different look. Different in a way that I like for this look.

4. After all your curls are set, run your hands through them to break them up. We don't want individual ringlets. Adding some product like this one will help loosen your curl and add shine all at the same time. That's it! Add some spray and you are set for the day! 

This is also a great do to throw some braids and twist in to make it interesting. It is really basic, but I hope maybe it helped! Remember to always ask questions if you need any clarification and email me any pics if you have something  you want to learn!

Feel the warmth

Ok so let us now finally discuss some current color trends. The main overall theme? Warmth. The days of ashy platinum are sort of gone. I say sort of, because it isn't completely dead, and some may still prefer it. But what you now see a whole lot of are beautiful warm tones. Caramel, bronze, and and other sunset inspired tones are everywhere you look. This is wonderful news as far as the health of your hair is concerned. That platinum color requires far more bleaching, meaning far more damage.

Technique has also changed. No longer is it necessary to get those right to the root perfect highlights. Melted hair, and ombre hair are still kicking and only getting bigger! This is when you hair gets gradually lighter as it goes from root to end. It almost looks like you just have regrowth, but better. I am sure you have all seen it. This is my FAVORITE. I love the look. It can vary from natural to extreme. I love it all. There are also ways of doing a variation of this look an short hair by putting some caramel underneath towards the ends. So don't think only long haired beauties get to have the fun. This is also wonderful because it is lower maintenance, and more natural.

I always promote dimension. Whether you get it through highlights, melting, or even some fun panels, you should have some dimension going on. It is beautiful and will enhance your features a million times! Overall we are in a season of warmth, dimension, and a more natural look. Have some fun with it! Try something new! Branch out from your solid all over color of perfectly placed highlights. There are endless ways to spice it up this summer.

Drum roll please...

And the winner is! Comment #32 Ms. Ryanne! Congrats! Shoot me an email telling a bit about your hair so I can send you your winnings! Thank you to everyone for entering and reading! If you didn't win this time around, know there are more to come!

Feature Friday

Today I would like to introduce you to a product that will give you a little lift. Your body has Victoria's Secret, and you hair has GUTS by Redken. You can call it Julie's Secret if you'd like. Although it really is no secret at all. Guts is a root lifter. There are millions out there, let me tell you why I choose this one.

• Who is it for? Anyone who wants added volume. This one in particular is my favorite of all root lifters because of two main features. The way it sprays out allows more even light coverage rather than pooling in one area. I also love it because it is a bit lighter in general than some of the other ones out there but still produces great results. When used correctly, it won't leave you feeling like you have nasty product filled hair.
• What does it do? Gives added lift and fullness right at the root giving your hair some umph.
• How does it do this? It is almost a mousse like consistency so it plumps and holds the root up as you blow dry.
• How do I use it? When your hair is wet lift different sections up and spray directly to the root area. Be careful to not oversaturate.  Use it mostly through the top sections where you want the most volume. It works best when paired with round brushing. The heat and brushing motion combined really work together to activate this product and make it work at its full potential. Remember, if round brushing intimidates you, use this shortcut.  

If volume is what you are looking for, this product will definitely help you out. It works best when you use it to aid in your efforts of getting volume. Don't expect it to do ALL the work on its own. It will take your hair to new heights! 

I normally don't post over the weekend, but I will this week to announce the winner of the giveaway!

Changed my mind...

I realized I will not really be around at noon tomorrow to close the give away...so let's extend it to 12:00 midnight Friday instead! That'll give everyone a bit more time. Remember you have to POST A COMMENT to enter and it is open to anyone, anywhere! And yes, official followers can post twice! Thanks!

Give Away!

So I guess I sort of lied when I said today's post would be about summer color. That will have to wait because...It is this blog's one month birthday! And how shall we celebrate? A give away!

No I am not giving away ALL that product. But I am giving away a shampoo and conditioner set specially prescribed to your hair type. So if you win, you email me about your hair and I will send it out to you! Sound fun? I know I am excited. 

So just post a comment to enter! If you are an official follower of this blog you get to enter twice. So start posting and thanks for reading! The posting will close at 12:00 noon tomorrow MST. Good luck!

Texture

Among many trends, the one constant theme that sticks out to me is texture. Curls, waves, twists, and braids are all the rage. This is a wonderful thing! It opens so many doors to fun styles to play around with. It is also great because both short and long haired beauties can take advantage! Though sleek and straight can be stunning, it can also be a snooze. So spice. it. up!

Don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Not every day needs to be a fancy braided up do or time consuming long glamorous curls. You can keep it simple and actually use texture to SAVE you time. Wake up late? Diffuse rather than round brush and apply some product to get a great textured look. Bad fringe day? Toss those suckers into a quick french braid around your front hair line. Hair in your face driving you nuts? Do some quick twists back and pin it. You can also curl large amounts of hair at one time. This will give you movement and texture without taking your whole morning. No more fighting kinks and hair that wont stay into place. We want the natural look to shine through!

There is no end to the different things you can do when it comes to adding texture to your hair. There are a few things that will make you life easier.

• Have the right kind of layers. Layers lighten up your hair and allow it to hold curl, or wave, or whatever else you are asking it to do. They also allow the movement to carry throughout the entire length of your hair rather than gathering at the bottom giving you that lovely triangle head look.
• Get some product that helps you out. A pomade is a huge help when trying to braid and twist hair. It really helps hold it all together and adds even more texture as well. I can not live without it. Another product that is helpful is any sort of mousse. This will help bring out your natural texture and just sort of add some substance to your hair. 
• Don't aim for perfection. Braid and leave. Twist and leave. The biggest problem I see when teaching people to style their own hair is perfectionism. Unless it is your wedding day, not every hair needs to be in place. Especially when it comes to todays trends, quick and easy really should be quick and easy.
• Google. Feeling like the well of hair ideas is drying up? Well go ahead and Google some ideas. Google images can be a huge inspiration. See it, like it, try it! And if you can't quite figure it out? Send it on over and I will help you out. 

I will continue doing Tuesday How To's that will hopefully give you some fun ideas to try and figure out how to use texture to your advantage. I will leave you with a few or my current favorite looks. If only we all had the hair team these celebs have always helping them out right? 

Very subtle twists with some awesome wave. Always love Lauren.

Just a good standard example of some wave/curl.

Fast, easy, fringe braid.

Stay tuned! Tomorrow we will tackle color for summer!

Tuesday How To

Continuing in the quick casual look for the summer, let us discuss the most casual of them all. The top of the head messy bun. It is unbelievably comfortable on a hot day. No hair in your face or touching your neck. It should take your 5 minutes or less and works best with dirty hair. A total win win I believe! There are a million variations to this do as well. SO very versatile, SO very easy, SO very fun.

1. Get your hair dirty. Rough it up, spray with product, and only comb with your fingers.

2. Comb your hair straight back with your fingers and gather it into a high pony. Then only pull the pony half through creating a loop. 

3. Twist the bun around and put another ponytail holder in to secure. You might need to bobby pin a piece or two but do not allow yourself to go over 3-4 minutes. We want it to be messy, random, and do its own thing. Allow any pieces that fall out to stay that way.

Slip on a fun headband to spice it up. This do is perfect for everything from working out to heading out on the town. The key is to get your hair big and dirty before you begin in order to create the biggest bun possible. Another great feature? The dirtier your hair is the better it works, so use this do to extend your wash!

Crazy in love

So I have had a few questions about current trends, and where the summer will take us. So this week I am going to focus on what is hot and what is not. I wanted to start off the week with one of my favorite new trends. Feather extensions ladies and gentlemen! They have been around for a while but are only getting bigger!

They go in just like a normal beaded extension. You can wash, blow dry, curl and straighten these beauties too! They will last anywhere from 1-3 months depending on how you take care of them.  There are endless choices of colors and they can be trimmed to blend into your hair perfectly. It is like having the perfect accessory always with you without even having to think about it! It is such a quick, easy and affordable way to totally spice up your hair. Add a bold color or stay a bit more conservative with natural feathers. Either way you are sure to make a statement rocking these.

If you want the durable and better blending feathers you really do need to go professional on this one. Buying your own feather and clipping it in won't quite give the same look. Pricing is very reasonable so treat yourself to some fun for the new season!

Feature Friday

Today's product is another one of my favorites (obviously). I discovered it one slow day back in hair school. My friend and I read on the label "for skin and hair" and we were automatically skeptical. A two in one product? Really? Well yes my friends, really.

The first wonderful feature of this product is the delicious smell. Seriously divine. But because smell is not everything in a hair product, let us discuss other fabulous features. Readers, meet Enjoy Shine and Smooth.

• Who is it for? Anyone and everyone, but especially those with frizz or anyone wanting to add shine to their finished do. 
• What does it do? It reduces frizz and adds intense shine and sleekness.
• How does it do this? It is a serum consistency so it coats the hair and smooths down the cuticle. 
• How do I use it? There are several ways. You can use it as a pre blow dry treatment. Just squirt a bit in your hands and work through your hair while wet. My favorite way to use it is as the icing on top of any style. After you curl your hair put a very SMALL amount in your palm and work it through the ends of your hair. It will separate your curls, add shine, and make you smell so good. You can do the same technique on straight hair too. Just remember to use small amounts and to stay off your root or you will end up looking greasy rather and snazzy. You can also use it on your skin! It is a nice moisturizer and again, will make you smell delish. 

There ya have it folks. I hope you love it! ENJOY a weekend full of fabulous hair. And hey, have a little extra time to get ready over the weekend? Do something new with the do!

Long live your highlights

So nothing is worse than highlight grow out. The dark roots come in and can definitely spoil anyone's day. Keeping up with them every 6 weeks is not always realistic for everyone. So how can you extend their life? Simple really.

If you have your stylist pull up the hair right around your part and start the highlights just underneath, the hair on top will disguise regrowth when it comes in. The highlights will still show plenty but because you can't see exactly where they start, you can't see exactly when they are grown out. This can more than double their pretty little life span. Give it a go and save some dough!

Excuses, excuses.

I promised to answer all the BUTS to THIS post. So here I go! These are the most common arguments I get when trying to convince people to wash less.

• My hair to too oily by the second day. Oily hair is extremely common and is the number one reason people wash their hair every single day. It is also the most obvious visual proof that someone has skipped a day or two. Well consider this. Your follicles produce oil to meet your needs. When you wash more, you are stripping those oils more, causing more oil production. SO if you wash less, strip less, you will produce less. It takes a while to teach your body this. So for the first week, or even month your hair might remain greasy on the second day. But as your body realizes you are not going to take away its oil, it will slow down and make things much drier. This will allow you to go that extra day. The longer you press on determined to wash less, the better it will get. 
• My hair kinks easily so I have to wash it to change the style. There are a few ways to combat this problem. What I like to do is sort of plan around when I wash. The day I wash I style whatever way I want but usually make a point to leave it down. Then I consider the next day. I usually try to do it similar to the previous day (if it was curly I do it curly again, wavy I do it wavy etc.) That way my hair is usually half done for me. Or I plan to do it up, or something that will work with whatever I wake up with. You really can get on a schedule. Pick days and styles that fit your lifestyle. The key is to do it down and use less product on the first day. That leaves the next day or two more open to style and it cuts back on product build up.
• I work out everyday. I will be honest here. This is the hardest argument for me to combat. I will say this though, I am one of those work out every single day people. And I do not wash my hair every day. Gross you might say. But a little sweat never hurt anyone, especially not your hair. Let me clarify here, I am not promoting skipping the shower all together. Only suggesting you leave your head out of it. Once you cool off and brush out your hair you might be surprised how workable your hair is. With the rest you you showered and clean, and some good smelling product, it might bother you less than you think. You do want to be sure to use a good deep cleansing shampoo for when you do wash though to prevent build up. 

So those are my top three reasons I get for washing daily. I hope I provided a little motivation to push through the trials. So let us discuss a few coping mechanisms for the hard times. Aside from the tips I already mentioned, and aside from wearing a hat every other day, the biggest thing that can help is DRY SHAMPOO. Dry shampoo works by absorbing the oils from your hair making it look and feel much less greasy. 

There are many different types and brands out there. Some are better than others obviously. I won't get in to all the particulars but I will say that this product has been known to save many late mornings, and has aided in many washless days. It is also designed to smell fabulous and mask odors your hair might produce. And prepare yourselves...I am actually going to recommend a non professional brand for this product. I have found Sexy Hair's is a little too much. When you hair already feels dirty you don't want more heavy product in it. So I am going to have to go with TREsemme on this one. I have heard fabulous things about it and it is insanely cheap. So there is very little risk in giving it a try. If you find out it isn't for you? Try another one. There are plenty. 

I will end with one more opinion...those of you out there using baby powder as dry shampoo? Carry on if you love it...but you might want to try a real dry shampoo. Aside from being a more grown up wonderfully smelling product, it won't leave white flakes behind as much. Especially for brunettes, the WHITE powder can be a challenge to hide. 

So press on my friends! The greasy hair won't last forever. Your color will last longer. Everything will be better. Just give it a try. If after a month you still hate it then hey do whatever you want. But the convenience of being able to skip a day will definitely prove worth the fight. 

Tuesday How To

 Get excited everyone it is Tuesday! So what shall we learn today? Well with summer just around the corner I thought we should learn some quick, casual, summer inspired up do's. So to kick this off we are going to discuss French braiding. Once mastered, it opens the gateway to an endless supply of quick yet super cute and trendy looks. And the beauty of it? There is no need to make it perfect. The loose, messed up, random look is actually the goal here. So first we will go over how to French braid, then I will show you a fun application for what you have learned. Sound good? Off we go then.

There are many different ways to French braid but the one constant is this: it is a simple 3 strand braid and you just add hair to each section as you go. First, part off the section you are going to include in the braid. Then take a small section from the top and divide it into 3 strands. Continue just like your normal 3 strand braid but add hair to each section before crossing it over to the middle.

Ok so now that we know how to French braid...let's use it! This easy do is great for summer. It is adorable and can be done on many different lengths of hair. Today the beautiful Marianne is our model. 

1. Side part your hair. Take the 3 strand section from right off your part. 

2. Continue braiding down your head, adding whatever random sections you can as you go. There is NO need for perfection here. A random messy look is what we are going for. Also, take pretty large sections, we want a bigger braid, and you will get across the head faster, lessening your work.

3. When you reach the other side of your head, end the braid in a ponytail. Then loop it into a messy bun.

4. Pin random pieces to get the bun just the way you want. Do not spend a lot of time trying to get it just right, we want the thrown together look. So don't fuss with it. Allow your hair to do its thing. For a more elegant look you can also leave the ponytail rather than doing it up in the bun. Try softly curling the pony for a whole different look as well. This is a very versatile do that once you get the hang of, can become your summer go to look. Be patient and practice! And remember, this is meant to be a fun thrown together look. Don't over think it. 

                                    

5. Grab a mirror and enjoy your work!

                                                  

Lather Less

So I have mentioned many times how I encourage NOT washing your hair every day. Today, I thought I would give you my official list of reasons why I feel this way.

• Washing daily makes your color fade faster.
• Washing daily dries out your hair.
• Washing daily means full styling daily which takes a lot of time and effort. 
• Washing daily uses more shampoo and conditioner, meaning you spend more on product.
• Not that I am a huge environmentalist (go aerosol!) but it does save water if you wash less frequently, which is good for everyone.
• Washing daily strips your hair of the oils it needs, and makes it hard for your body to keep up.

So save yourself some time, money, and effort by simply washing less. I know what you are all thinking...but Julie! What if I (fill in the blank with your excuse of why washing every other day or so doesn't work for you)!? Well my friends, come back Wednesday for my answers to those excuses. 

Feature Friday

Get excited! Today is the start of a new series! From now on every Friday will feature one of my favorite products. We will start with one rather dear to my heart. This product and I go waaay back. Before hair school, colored hair, and addiction to professional products entered my life, I had Matrix Thicklift Liquid Volumizer.  It is step three in a whole system of volumizing products but today I just want to highlight this one.

Who is it for? anyone with thin, fine, lifeless hair.
What does it do? gives you a feeling of thickness and workability.
 How does it do this? It coats each individual hair strand making each one count for more creating an over all feeling of fullness. Because of this it also makes your hair obey much better. You say jump it asks how high.
How do I use it? Pump it into your hand and work through hair while wet, then dry and style as usual.

As I alluded to earlier, this was the very first professional product I ever owned, and after all these years it continues to be one of my favorites. It pumps up your hair without making it feel sticky or gross. It really does make you feel like you have more hair. It really does make shaping your hair much easier. When you have that soft, fine hair, styling can be impossible. So go on and pump it up! I hope you love it as much as I do.

*Often when people are unhappy with products they try it is because they might not be using it the best way to achieve the intended results. Feel free to comment or email me if you ever find yourself in a jam with a new product. I love to hear from you!