Thursday Special

As promised, here is a more legit tutorial. It is simple, fast, and versatile. Check it out.

1. Style your hair as usual. Straight or curly will work. I prefer this off a middle part but you can work it on a side as well. It also works great with or without bangs and with many different lengths of hair. Here's what is next.

2. Repeat on the other side then secure both twists together where they meet in the back. If you have shorter hair they might not reach all the way to the back. Just bobby pin them wherever they end, it will work I promise.
3. You can clean up your twists with some pomade or hairspray. Then you are done!

I like this little diddy because is quickly spices up wearing your hair down. This way you still get the beauty and ease of wearing your hair down but it is a little more interesting and is great for pinning back annoying hair that falls in your face.

Mullet got ya down?

A common struggle I hear from my clients is the feeling of having an unwanted mullet. What could have started as a frontal taper to frame your face can sometimes evolve into a shocking resemblance of that fabulous style from the 80's. My advice? Well first of all be wary of cutting a taper. You don't need to go big or go home here. A very subtle taper can definitely do the trick, so watch it!

So what if it is too late to go back? The taper is cut. What now? You might have noticed that side hair is particularly tricky to grow out. Here is why and some things that might help.

• The hair on the sides tends to grow slower.
• The hair around our face is usually the most damaged. We care about it the most because it is what we see while styling our hair. Therefore it endures the most drying, flat ironing, and torture. This makes it break off more, which cancels out any growing it might do. The front is fragile. That's it. 
• There are ways to help! First of all, be kind! Use heat protection and try to use as little heat as possible while working with the front. Try to be gentle and not flat iron the same piece 50 times in one morning.
• Trim often. Getting that dead stuff off will help restore the health of your hair.
• Take a little off the back. No one seems to want to part with their length. But taking a bit off the back can help close the gap between your overall length and the mullet in the front. It might just be worth it. The sides will never catch up if you don't give them a little help.
• And last? Extensions. I do a lot of partial extensions. By adding some just to the sides you can fix your problem fast and look great!

So be kind and mindful of the front of your hair. With the proper care, you will be out of that mullet in no time.

hot.

Tuesday How To

Confession. This is a cheater how to post. It was Tuesday and late all of a sudden. You can see how desperate I am because I am making a personal appearance on here! I was my own model, and I am in my pajamas. My apologies for having to watch me rather than my beautiful models. I promise a legit one later this week. PROMISE. But today I do have a helpful how to tip! It is obvious and you might already be doing it but I often get asked, mostly by frizzy haired beauties, "how come I can't get my hair as straight and smooth as you when I do it at home"? Well a lot plays into it. Product, tools, and the fact it is easier to do other people's hair is definitely a part of it. But there is one thing I do most don't do at home.

I follow a comb when I flat iron. Yes, it is that simple. See?

So there. Try that. It takes a bit more time and might feel awkward at first but you won't believe what a difference it makes. 

Save yourself

It happens to everyone. You start to notice that it is maybe time to get your hair done....then BAM! One morning it just goes too far. Your cut is too grown out to function and your color has completely deflated. You want your hair done NOW. So you call...and there are no openings NOW. So what do you do?

Do you go to someone else? Do you walk in a random corner salon you have never been to? Do you color your hair yourself? Or do you actually tough it out until you can get in? How about none of the above.

You can save yourself all these potential disasters by simply re-booking at every appointment. It is so simple. When you are checking out just go ahead and make your next appointment right then and there. This is fabulous for so many reasons.

• Be re-booking in advance you are guaranteed a spot when you need it.
• A lot of people say they don't want to rebook because they don't know their schedule that far in advance. This is understandable, but it often works to schedule around your pre made hair appointment and if it gets close and you realize it really won't work, you can call and reschedule. You would have had to call anyways.
• How long should you go between appointments? The standard recommendation is 6-8 weeks. If you have a short, high maintenance cut or a color dramatically different than your natural, you might want to go fewer weeks. If you are lower maintenance you might be able to stretch it a bit further.
• Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the things people do to their own hair when desperate are often frightening. It is so much easier to be patient or pre-book than to have to go through a cut or color correction to fix what you did while desperate. So save yourself the pain.

It is a very easy concept that will potentially save you a lot of stress. And hey, it will give you something to look forward to. 

Feature Friday

Today I will feature my personal favorite shampoo and conditioner. It is Redken Real Control. Once upon a time I decided I wanted to be platinum, so I bleached my hair time and time again until it was sort of nasty. It was constantly dry and puffy and so very damaged. I tried a lot of different things to try to help it out. This was my favorite.

Who is it for? People with chemically damaged, dry hair.
What does it do? Repairs protein lacking, damaged hair and adds deep conditioning moisture. This also makes stubborn, frizzy, hard to handle hair a little softer and more manageable.
How does it do this? It contains both conditioners and protein that get into the hair and moisturize and repair at the same time.  This will actually strengthen and improve the quality of your hair. It fixes it rather than masking it.
How do I use it? Just wash and condition as usual!

I really have seen this product transform my own hair along with many of my clients. My favorite part is that is moisturizes while strengthening. You get the best of both worlds.

A word on heat.

I have mentioned a million times that using a heat protectant is VITAL to the safety of your hair. No matter how hot your tools, you should be using one. About how hot your tools are...

There is really no need for everyone to be using the maximum heat setting on all their styling tools every day. Before you crank up the heat, stop to think! If you have thin, fine, soft hair, you do NOT need extreme heat. Maybe for a special occasion or every now and then, but daily? No way. If you have thick, coarse, stubborn hair you might want to use a higher heat on a more regular basis. Just keep it protected! 

High heat is really nice. It helps you go faster and helps things stay longer. But I often see these little soft haired people over frying their hair. It just isn't necessary. Consider lowering the heat. It will save you from damage and becoming a straw head. 

So what am I really getting at? Consider getting tools that have heat settings. That way you can change the temperature to what is really best for your hair, but you have the option to crank it up every now and then. When it comes to the temp of your tools, one size doesn't necessarily fit all. 

Here's an idea.

Braid your hair loosely after you shower and sleep on it. The next morning the loose wave that is left behind after you take out the braid will make your job easier for the day. You can try sectioning it into three or four braids to enhance the waves or if you have shorter hair. Just touch it up in the morning and off you go!