Love it.

I will keep it short and sweet today, but know there are many tutorials and tips coming up in the next few weeks, stay tuned! As for today...I read this quote in an article someone posted to Facebook..

"You want to know the real best form of exercise? It’s the one you love. It’s the one you are motivated to do regularly and train hard at. It’s the one you want to keep improving at. That one is best."

I LOVED this. I completely agree. Now why am I posting this on a hair blog? Because it applies to everything. You want to know the best hairstyle for you? It's the one you love. Style, and hair type are definite considerations, but when it comes down to it what is important is YOU loving YOUR hair when you look in the mirror. Be true to your own personal style, and do your hair how you love it. My job is to help you find that style you love. Your job is to be comfortable enough to be whatever style you like most. Deal? Great.

Tuesday How To {half and half}

Today's style is a little different, but I thought it was fun. It is french twist meets french braid, so at least it is all French! Not too difficult.

There you have it! Different right? I just like the random twisted, braided look. Thought it was fun. Give it a go!      

Feature Friday {TweteBird Headbands}

We all love our hair to look fabulous, but sometimes function beats out style. Right? Wrong. It does not have to. Today I want to talk about working out. For me, I like my hair off and away from me. I get sweaty, and my hair touching me drives me crazy. I like headbands because they keep my hair back really well, but can also add a little style to my work out.

 If I am being honest, I rarely care what my hair looks like while working out, but if I go to a class, or anywhere in public, I try to make it nice just for the benefit of others who have to look at me. Anyways. I have struggled finding the right headband. They slide off or squeeze tight, or sometimes both. I ran a race this past fall and attended the expo the day before. This is where I found TweteBird Headbands. I fell in LOVE.

The bands are not only adorable, they are a dream to wear. The are backed in an anti slip fabric so they do not move. At all. I ran 26.2 miles, dumped water on my head repeatedly, and rode 5 hours in the car while sleeping, and still had to peel that thing off when I got home. And yet? No headache, no pain at all. It has an adjustable section in the back so you can make it the perfect size for your head. Not all heads are the same size and shape, being able to personalize your headband makes all the difference. That combined with the cute design and anti slip backing, this headband is the way to go. AMAZING. 

So just in time for all those working out New Year's resolutions I bring to your attention God's gift to your work out. Go take a look! They are so cute they might just make you want to go work out.

Here is me in mine, post race. Perfectly in place.

I am a BELIEVER!

Get your own HERE

Hair and Jewelry and Everything Nice {Stella & Dot}

First things first, I love hair. Not only the doing it part, but for what it does for a person. Hair changes lives, and I don't think that is too bold a statement. But you already know how I feel about that, and obviously that is why I do what I do. BUT. Did you know I also have another love? Jewelry, my friends. I love jewelry. Always have, most likely always will. So today I would like to share a story.

A few months ago my very fashionable sister in law introduced me to Stella & Dot. I loved their stuff right away, but didn't give it much thought. A few weeks later she told she she had become a stylist for them and asked me if I would throw a party. Let me preface this by saying I am often asked to throw parties for various things and I always say no...just not my thing. But I have a lot of faith in my dear sister in law, and I loved the jewelry so much I wanted to share with my friends and family! So I threw the party, and I was a little disappointed with the turn out, only because I knew if people saw it they would love it. I got enough from that party that I was given quite a bit of jewelry credit to spend on fabulous Stella & Dot jewelry. I spent that credit quickly....and decided I was hooked.

About a month later I signed up to be a stylist myself. This was so opposite of things I normally do, but I just LOVE this stuff. I now feature it in my salon, and show it to anyone who will listen! I love it because it is nice, quality jewelry but at a decent price point. I mean I love getting jewelry for gifts, but I love beautiful, bold pieces and to get REAL stuff the way I like it? It would be thousands. This stuff is perfect because it is such better quality then the Forever 21 rack, and still won't break the bank. Looking at it online and in catalogs is fun, but you have got to see this stuff in person. The parties are so much fun, just a girl's night out trying on stunning jewelry. If you haven't heard of it, go take a look! I was totally converted and am a definite believer. I love them even more now that I decided to return a necklace last week and before I even sent mine back my replacement arrived. SO quick, SO easy. Yes, I am basically a Stella & Dot cheerleader.

They just came out with their spring line, and as always, I love way too many things. You can see it all here...let me show you some of my favorites.

I could go on forever, and I kind of already did. Go check them out. There is something for everyone. I promise you will love it. Jewelry takes a snooze fest outfit to a WOW outfit. A few fun pieces can transform your entire look. SO. MUCH. FUN. Thanks for reading! Glad I could share my current obsession with you.

*if you think you MIGHT be interested in throwing your own party, become a stylist, or have any questions at all feel free to email me at jlundgreen@gmail.com

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!