Hair Girl Denver

303 Hair show

2010-10-10T18:12:00.000-06:00

Last night I helped my friend Charlie Price with his finale segment for the 303 magazine hair show. Here are a couple of pictures.

Brazilian Blowout Scandal Update

2010-10-04T17:21:00.000-06:00

Brazilian Blowout has come under fire since the Oregon OSHA tested their solution as said it contains formaldehyde. Brazilian Blowout came out this year with a new solution that they claimed does not contain formaldehyde or any "hyde" type ingredients. I was shocked to hear anything different, but reserved judgment until I heard from Brazilian Blowout. Here is what they said today

Official Statement from Brazilian Blowout

04-Oct-2010

As the investigation of the OSHA claim continues, Brazilian Blowout is pleased to announce that the manufacturer of the Brazilian Blowout Professional Solution, Cadiveu, stands behind the integrity of its products citing that "recent independent lab tests, conducted by Cadiveu's US division, again confirm that this professional solution does not contain formaldehyde."

We will continue to release updates on the investigation as they become available.

What's in a Foil?

2010-09-20T06:13:00.000-06:00

Over the summer I completed a 6 week color program called Red Chocolate. The color portion was taught by the color master David Adams. To say I learned a few things about being a better colorist would be an understatement-It pretty much rocked my world and then some.
We did a class on foiling and talked about what's in the foil. I though you all might find it interesting that you can have more than just traditional weaved highlights in there. So do you know what your colorist is putting in your foils?
Slices-similar to traditional highlights can be a little to much bolder effect depending on the thickness of slice
Color melting-where 2-3 colors "melt" into each other so you can see where they begin or end. This is one way of doing the gradient or ombré color that is super hot right now
Singles-good for curly hair a small section is placed into the foil in a more random pattern
Tips-also good for curly hair hair-the mid length is backcombed so that just the ends get the color
Diffused Highlights-similar to tips-hair at scalp is backcombed and mid length and ends are colored

Reader Question Answered

2010-07-29T08:02:00.002-06:00

I received this picture from a reader asking how to recreate this look

First curl all the hair with a 1" curling iron

Then, separate the front from 1" below the crown

and down behind each ear and clip out of the way

take the back section and put into a ponytail mid way between

crown and neck. Back comb or back brush the ponytail at the base

loosely pin the curls over the pontytail.

Next, take the sides and loosely pin into the back section

Last backcomb the top at the roots and smooth back and pin

into the back section. Pinning small sections at a time will give you

that loose feel with it being secure.

Spin Pins

2010-06-28T07:33:00.004-06:00

I heard about these new hair pins by Goody called spin pins. They claim to replace using 20 bobbypins in your hair for upstyles. I found them at my local Target and have tried them a couple of times. Overall they are pretty cool, but for someone who has medium to fine hair like me, although a ton of it I had to do a little back combing to thicken up my hair so the pins ends wouldn't show. I wish they made them in different lengths. They also claim you don't need a ponytail holder first, but I found you do otherwise some of those side hairs fall out when the style loosens a bit.

Hana Professional Flat Iron

2010-06-21T09:10:00.005-06:00

I've been testing out this professional flat iron I was given from misikko.com for the last couple of months and I have to say I'm a fan. I've used it on several Brazilian Blowouts and it works great. I don't love the hot pink color so much, but I do love that it has a temp dial so you can set it to whatever temp you want. It goes up to 450 degrees! The plates are long so you don't have to take tiny sections which was my problem with my last flat iron.
They sell lots of other brands like Chi and another fave of mine FHI
Check out their great section of Best Flatirons

disclosure: I received the Hana flat iron free for my review

Janine Jarman's Feather Braid

2010-06-02T07:53:00.002-06:00

After I saw my girl Janine do this on Shear Genius I just had to know how to do it. I searched the internet and couldn't find anything. So I took to twitter to ask the source. Here is her answer Janine Jarman's feather braid Much love girl you are super talented!

Scarf Braid

2010-05-24T11:24:00.001-06:00

Braid are everywhere these days as you might know. I opened this months Allure Magazine and saw the idea of braiding a scarf into your braid. Oldie (famous hairdresser) did it for an Hermes ad. Here is my version. You make a pontail, then tie the scarf around the ponytail. Next, you make the pony into 3 section with the scarf in 2 of them. Braid. When you get to the bottom secure all with a rubber band. Last, Wrap the ends of the scarf around a couple of times and knot. Easy peasy right?

Vegas!

2010-04-29T22:14:00.000-06:00

Off to Vegas for the weekend for an Aveda hair show called Jam Sessions. Hope to have some great info and inspiration when I get back. Well that and a tan :)

NAHA Collection

2010-04-26T09:21:00.013-06:00

Well nominations are out and it looks like my first collection didn't get one. I didn't have high hopes as it usually takes several times before you get one. Here are my pictures for you all to enjoy. I'm going to try and get them published somewhere if I can.

Fishtail, Fishbone or Feather?

2010-04-23T16:52:00.004-06:00

Braid that is. Whatever you want to call it I've been a bit obsessed with them the last couple of months. I've rocked it in the back, to the side and even did a bun on Tuesday. They are super easy and look very cool.

My friend Christine taught me an easy way.
1. Take your hair into 2 strands (not 3) to start the braid
2. Take the outside of the right side and cross over to become the inside of the left strand
3. Take the outside of the left strand cross over to become the inside of the right strand.
4. Repeat until you have reached the end.
Easy peasy right? Now go rock it!

Earth Day 2010

2010-04-22T07:19:00.001-06:00

Happy Earth Day! Im celebrating by wearing jeans to work. We do a $5 donation to our charity in order to wear jeans. I'm also going to pick up an Aveda light the way candle. It's only $12 and all the money goes to Global Green Grants-they get clean water to where its needed most. Last my baby wikk be rockin a cloth diaper. That's an every day thing though-not just Earth Day.

Dangerous

2010-04-08T22:37:00.007-06:00

Love it when my work gets published. Here is something Charlie Price and I did back in December. He did hair and I did make up for a Pure Hair Extensions photo shoot and it got published in 303 magazine (page 42-49) as well.

Cut-A-Thon for Earth Month

2010-04-06T10:10:00.003-06:00

Every year Aveda does Earth Month (not just Earth Day). This year we are hosting a cut-a-thon at my salon on Sunday, April 11th from 11am-4pm. All the proceeds go to Western Resource Advocates. Cuts are just $15! Blowdry style $10 and Brows $15. I will be cutting hair from 12:45pm until 2:30pm so stop by and see me for a cut.
Eminently Hair Salon
457 Wadsworth Blvd
Lakewood, CO 80226
303.233.8089

Brazilian Blowout

2010-04-02T15:31:00.001-06:00

Here is some awesome feed back from a new client who received a Brazilian Blowout from me.

Hi Shareena,
I was in almost three weeks ago for the Brazilian blowout, and my hair is still doing well! I thought you would want a little bit of feedback since the Brazilian Blowout is still a bit new. The first few days it was really straight (almost moreso than I usually like) and then it got a little bit of it's bounce/waves back. I was in Spain this past week, in some rainy and humid weather, and my hair was a little pooffy, but barely used a flat iron. Each day I can still get by with just blowdrying (which takes about 6 minutes compared to the 40 it took before!) and then maybe running a flat iron over it quickly if I really want a straight look, but since I usually leave my hair wavy there have been many days that I haven't used the flat iron at all! I am definitely happy with the results, and will be making an appointment to have it done again in another month or so. My life is so much easier now, I can't believe how much of a difference it makes!

Thank you!!

-Colleen

Shear Genius 3

2010-04-02T08:54:00.006-06:00

Well I called it from episode 1. Brig, Matthew and Janine for the final 3.
The first challenge was to do Camila's hair. Seriously what was with her 2 tone hair? We know she has the money to get those roots done and if she was trying to grow out her color there is a better way to do it than just not get color done YIKES! Brigs updo was a bad prom hairdo with all those loop d loops going on. Jon's was ok, but a bit of a mess with no volume in the crown where it should be. Janine's was cute and very her style and maybe not so much Camilla's. Matthew's was almost there. Why on earth does he always throw in a weird Matthew touch? The hair sticking out the side of the chignon was so stupid. Overall I guess his was the best out of them, but really they all were a bit sloppy.
Elimination challenge was to do 3 looks 2 on models and one on themselves. Brig went for over the top Avant Garde. So annoying. Avant Garde doesn't mean a shit pile on someones head. I do avant garde hair and I know it can be done neat and clean and still be avant garde. And why on earth didn't any judge mention she had a BOBBY PIN SHOWING. Hairdressing 101 no pins showing unless it's part of the style! How could she win the challenge with a giant pin in the FRONT showing? Guess the producers wanted her in the finale so much they were willing to overlook a rookie mistake like that.
Jon was almost there taking his thin hair girl and making here look great with lots of hair. If only he would have give his red head beautiful Hollywood waves he could have taken home the win and been in the finale instead of Brig.
Matthew what was up with the picture of himself? He has way more personality then that boring picture showed. His styles were good, but not great. I think the heavy bang on that dark hair model is a little played out. The blonde was pretty, but I didn't love so much curl. His Dolly from last week was better.
Janine. I loved her straight hair with the black to purple it's was very hip and really her. The fro she did was just a bit off. I think I would have liked to see it bigger and rounder. She should have won the challenge, but I guess the producers got Janine fatigue like they did with Charlie last year. I just hope it doesn't spill over into the finale and they crown the wrong person Shear Genius. I've picked Janine as my winner from episode 1. So I'm rooting for her!

Make up lessons

2010-03-29T09:25:00.002-06:00

I know my blog is about all things hair, but I'm a make up artist too. I wanted to let my readers know that I do make up lessons at the salon for $35 which you can redeem in products. I think it's an amazing deal since most salons offer lessons at about $60 and you don't get to take anything home. Come see me and we can play with make up!

Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair

2010-03-19T10:54:00.001-06:00

I've been trying out this new leave in conditioner and to say I'm in love is a bit of and under statement.

Back in 2007 Aveda discontinued their Elixir leave in conditioner and I've been hoarding some since then because it was my favorite. 3 years later they have finally made a worthy replacement or I should say superior replacement. The daily hair repair is the best detangler I've used-ever. Put it on and the comb glides through the hair like a hot knife through butter! Amazing! And it repairs the hair to boot! It's not on shelves quite yet, you'll have to wait until next month to pick some up. In the meantime you can get on the waiting list. Try it and let me know what you think.

Shear Genius 3

2010-03-12T19:46:00.002-07:00

Things are heating up between Brig and Matthew and I love it!

This week the contestants had to do a precision cutting challenge-most failed. I find it sad that when faced with a challenge that happens every day in the salon so many couldn't step up. I teach all my new stylists that you have to master the basics before you break out of the box. I think several of these hairdressers went for out of the box and they are lackin some basic skills. And while I detest Brig I agree with her that Matthew is nearing the end of his tricks. I was very happy Janine won the short cut challenge. I picked her as my season 3 winner from the start. Brian-the dumb blonde routine is getting old! It's so time for you to leave-please! So I have to ask WTF is with Jon and his back pack? Is he Dora the Explorer?

I'm getting very disappointed in the elimination challenges not being more salon focused. Photoshoots are so NOT what most of us do everyday. And while it's great that Matthew wins the photoshoot and runway challenges it doesn't show that he can cut and color hair-You know what most of us do to pay the bills! Unless you are Orlando Pita you don't get paid or get paid very little to do photoshoots and fashion shows.

Looks like we'll be seeing Matthew for at least 2 more shows. I will laugh my butt off if he makes it to the final because that will mean the 2 hairdressers I assisted will have been Shear Genius finalist! Guess who needs to be on season 4 ;)

Shear Genius Season 3 epi 4

2010-03-03T22:39:00.002-07:00

I'm back. The last 2 shows were so boring I couldn't bring myself to blog about them. This week was good.

First-when will the SG contestants learn that a wet set takes forever to dry. Really Janine you thought 35 min would be enough? We see it every season and every season someone has wet hair tryin to throw it up into a style.

April's little melt down was f'ing lame! If you get graduated bob as a challenge then do a graduated bob. I think she was scared to do it.

Brian is a little too hippy dippy for me. Looking in his eyes is like looking through a window. Leave already.

Not a bit sad to see Amy go. She was a wet blanket anyway.

Last-Really Bravo? Really? Brig won over Matthew with that craptastic up 3 hair do look! Oy vey! She is sticking around for 2 more weeks.

Remember friends hair is important *vomits*

Brazilian Blowout is on!

2010-02-23T11:30:00.004-07:00

Here is a link to the Brazilian Blowout I did on fellow Denver blogger Jaime. Her hair came out simply amazing! I'm now taking appointments for them in the salon. Come see me for frizz free hair!

Shear Genius 3-Episode1

2010-02-08T13:20:00.004-07:00

My thoughts on the new season of Shear Genius
Matthew saying "google me"= VOM. I worked for Matthew right out of beauty school and 4 months in he quit/got fired by Charlie. He's not a bad hairdresser I just think he is a lot of smoke and mirrors-we'll see

Brig sweetie if you are going to rock a swim suit maybe a little spray tan-white skin shows all the flaws darlin

Janine was as cute as I thought she would be (I follow her salon on twitter) and I loved her runway hair-nice work little lady

Jon made me puke in my mouth a bit. Hate straight male hairdressers who think they are gods gift to women because they can do some hair-whatev!

Amy eh we'll have to wait and see

Adee- don't be such a drama king alright-No need to throw and kick shit

Everyone else slid under the radar so I will wait and see if their are any stand outs this week. I'm making my prediction for the final 3 right now

Janine
Matthew
Brig

My good friend Charlie Price sent me a link his recap and well I pretty much agree with him. Here is the recap linky for his on Blogging Bravo. Enjoy!

Brazilian Blowout

2010-02-07T08:21:00.003-07:00

I'm so excited-we are finally getting Brazilian Blowout at my salon. I've been researching and learning about it for the last several months and I'm in love. Our starter kit should be here Tuesday! I'm going to practice a couple and then it will be on my service menu. Who needs a Brazilian Blowout? Give me a call!
Check out this video to see what it's all about

Make up by Janelle Geason

2010-02-01T21:00:00.001-07:00

Had a make up class with 2 time NAHA winner Janelle Geason. We had a really fun day and she did my make up for the class.

Seeing Red

2010-01-26T20:55:00.001-07:00

My new color-well new in December. It's Aveda intense red/red (r/r) red/orange. Thoughts?

Losing It?

2010-01-21T22:09:00.002-07:00

Recently I've been getting questions from female clients about hair loss and thinning hair. There are several things that can cause hair loss.

Genes~ Female-pattern hair loss can be passed down from either your mom or dad.

Seasons~ Hair has a growth phase and a resting phase. Once it finishes the resting phase (which lasts 3 to 4 mo) the hair is shed. In winter and summer more hairs are resting so that means we lose more hair in spring and fall.

Stress~ Physical or emotional. Physical stress like childbirth or surgery. Emotional stress like divorces or the loss of a loved one. The shedding usually takes place 3 to 4 months after that time.

Diet~ Radical diets where you don't get enough protein can cause hair loss. Protein is needed to make keratin which makes up hair.

Hormones~ When estrogen drops as it does during menopause the hair shaft dries up and becomes finer which makes it vulnerable to breakage and/or shedding.

Illness~ Thyroid problems, lack of iron, lupus and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to name a few. Also, medications like the ones for lowering cholesterol

If you are seeing signifianct hair loss-more than 100 strands a day take a look at these causes and then check with your doctor.

Golden Globes

2010-01-18T16:59:00.003-07:00

Ah award season has started.
The hair at the Golden Globes was pretty simple saw lots of low buns like Nicole Kidmans

So many wore their hair down either straight like Reese Witherspoon

I also saw tons loose girls like Julia Roberts.

Pure Extensions Photo Shoot

2010-01-17T19:24:00.003-07:00

The Pure Hair Extensions are put in with a copper tube
that is then clamped down to the hair using this tool

Getting the girls ready for the second look

The photographer Babak with the girls

I did the make up for this photo shoot and Charlie did the Hair

It was awesome working with Charlie Price and Babak again

Hair Treatments

2009-11-16T22:24:00.003-07:00

Well, you learn something new everyday right?

Today I was in a basic Aveda education class where for two days we are going over all the Aveda products. This afternoon happened to be haircare. Our educator was going over the different hair treatments and she gave us this little nugget of advice. Don't do your treatments once a week do them every five washes. Profound for those of us who are not washing our hair daily! If you are a daily washer (and you should not be-read why here) then once a week is fine. But if you are like me, and only wash a couple of times a week, then to do a deep conditioner one of those times might be too much. And for my fine haired friends that is WAY too much. So my friends I take back my earlier statement that you should deep condition once per week. Change that to once every five washes.
Happy Conditioning,
Shareena

Haircolor at Home-Part 2

2009-11-08T09:23:00.009-07:00

I've said it before and I will say it again-I think haircolor should be left to a professional. There is a reason we go to cosmetology school and have to get a license to do hair. A lot can happen to your hair when you color it and if you don't know color theory there is a great potential for disaster. With that said, I totally understand that getting haircolor done professionally isn't always an option for everyone and you need to do it at home. Here is my advice take it or leave it.

First, if you are going more than a few levels darker or going lighter you really should see a professional because going lighter at home usually results in an orange color and going more than 2 levels darker gets tricky because you need to add back or "fill" the hair with the missing colors. So, if you are sticking around the same level or going a bit darker you should be fine.

Next, please, please, please don't use box color from the grocery store or drug store. You can get professional color from places like Sally's Beauty Supply. The results with professional color are going to be so much better and you aren't putting crap-like metallic salts on your hair. Also, if you decide to go see a professional hairstylist the professional haircolor is so much easier to work with than box color. Some box colors you cannot color over or remove because what is in them will make your hair BREAK OFF!

Last, don't be fooled by the highlighting kits. They might look easy to use, but I've yet to see someone do a good job with them. Most people end up with polka dot hair. Happy coloring!

Your friendly Hair Girl,
Shareena

The Big Tease

2009-11-01T16:10:00.033-07:00

Here are a few pictures of me dressed up for Halloween. I'm Betty Draper from the hit show Mad Men. This classic 1960's style requires lots and lots of backcombing along with a ton of hairspray.

I parted off the top section and curled it all towards the back. Then I parted the back down the middle and curled the 1" sections forward towards my face.
Once it was cool I went to town with my comb. I teased the crap out of me entire head. Then, using just the edge of my comb and my mason pearson brush I smoothed it over and into the shape I wanted.

Head dressings

2009-10-30T15:25:00.006-06:00

How cute are these little numbers from Forever 21? I bought this teal one along with a purple one and for $2.50 why not. I don't think I could make one myself for that price! I'm really loving them to spice up a ponytail or messy updo.

The zipper story is big this fall so if can update my look for $5.80 I'm a happy girl. Going to be on the hunt for this one!

Ponytail Wrap Around

2009-10-26T16:03:00.005-06:00

Ponytails are back again this fall. I love to dress up my ponytail by wrapping some hair around it to hide the ponytail holder. Less is more when you try to do this. If you try to wrap a big ol chunk of hair it doesn't look good. Case in point Drew Barrymore

This just looks stupid in my opinion. Is it a bun or a ponytail?

Scarlett Johansson's is better, but would look perfect if it were just a bit smaller

Ah perfection!

Charlie Price's Birthday Party & Fashion Show

2009-09-11T09:19:00.006-06:00

My dear friend and fellow hairdresser Charlie turned the big 4-0 on September 6th. In honor of his birthday, he and 303 Magazine threw a birthday party and fashion show. Here are a few highlights from the show. Oh and I did The Blackouts make up :)

The ever cool band The Blackouts!

Covering the models with peel n stick letters

Aubrey rockin her letters in a bikini!

Charlie just doin what he does....Rockin some hair

Change is a good thing right?

2009-08-25T06:59:00.003-06:00

It official I'm leaving Click Salon and its very bittersweet to say the least. Why am I leaving? Well let me put it like this-have you ever know a couple who really love each other but, break up because they want different things or are going in different directions? That's exactly what happened with me and Click. I love the salon and my coworkers dearly, but I want to be doing different things like education and its not possible there. I've accepted a new position at a salon where I will be working behind the chair part-time as well as doing education part-time. I will be educating the new stylist right out of beauty school. It's an Aveda salon which I'm very excited about. I'm still an Aveda junkie at heart and I love Aveda color so much! Wish me luck on this new adventure which begins September 10th!

Fore Now Golf-Photo Shoot

2009-08-10T10:23:00.013-06:00

Here are a few pictures from a photo shoot I did with
Denver start-up clothing line called Fore Now Golf

It's a very youthful golf line so they wanted fun hairstyles. Left model is rockin a pony tail with a french braid in the front. Middle model is wearing a curly low side pony and right model has waves with a braid on the side.

Left model has half up with lots of height in the crown.
Right is my side pony tail again.

Here's a group shot

And the funny group shot. I was totally laughing at this one!

Style Wars-Fashion Show

2009-08-09T20:40:00.008-06:00

Usually my Friday nights consist of family dinner, putting the 2 kiddos to bed and relaxing with the husband catching up on some DVR'd shows.
Well 2 weeks ago this was not the case! I was rockin out some fierce hair with Charlie for the Style Wars Fashion Show. If you watched Shear Genuis you know this is a twist (soft serve style) on Charlie's Marge.

We built these styles over the models natural hair with colored fake hair and then put on the head bands to cover up the hair line.

This is the winner Mondo with his model. He loved the pink hair!

This color was my favorite one. This style made our 6'1"model over 7 feet in heels! ROCK!

Smoke and Mirrors

2009-07-23T13:04:00.012-06:00

Have you ever seen a celebrity updo and thought to yourself -WOW I didn't think she had that much hair. Well you are probably right, she doesn't. Hairstylist have many tricks up their sleeves to make an updo look, which sometimes requires some smoke and mirrors! Here is a chignon I did on myself using hair extensions aka fake hair. I know the color is a little off, but I did that so you can see where the fake hair is. Of course if you do it you want hair the same color as yours.

Back view of finished Chignon

Side view

I started with curled hair. Nothing fancy just quickly done in large sections

It's then pulled back into a ponytail

Take a weft of fake hair and fold the ends to meet each other
This hair isn't anything fancy just some from Sally's Beauty Supply

Wrap the weft around your ponytail and secure the end with a few bobby pins

Make a "bungee" cord with a rubber band and 2 bobby pins

Fold the ponytail up and use your bungee cord to secure it. Push the pin on one side. Then, holding the other pin, pull the rubber band across the underside of the ponytail and secure the pin on the other side

Now your ponytail should look like this

Take another weft and create a hair pad with it-this will give the the chignon a really full look You can also use a hair rat (awful name I know) close to your hair color to get the same effect

Roll up the weft to make the hair pad

Pin the hair pad to the underside of the ponytail

Use several pins to secure the hair pad into place

Fold the ponytail back over the hair pad and fan out to cover it

Pin around the chignon to hold its shape

Here are a few different celebrity versions

Taylor Swift with a soft side part version

Anne Hathaway with a tight side part version

Reese Witherspoon with a loose deconstructed version

Now go give it a whirl and let me know how it turns out!

The Red, The White & The Blue

2009-07-07T14:33:00.011-06:00

Here are some shots from my first solo photo shoot. I came up with the concept, cast the models and photographer. I also did all the hair (including color) and make up. I will never do both hair and make up on a photo shoot again, unless it's just one model. It was way too much work for just one person! I spent 6 hours coloring the blonde and black haired models the day before, then over 2 hours creating the red wig. The day of the shoot I spent hours just doing the hair and make up and then we still had to shoot it-I lost my voice from all the stress! Lesson learned: For a shoot with more than one model do the hair OR the make up. It was a very good learning experience to say the least. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Would I change a few things? Absolutely, but overall I'm happy with it. And now for the pictures:

The concept behind this was a hair-centered shoot with a twist on red, white and blue by doing red hair, blonde hair and blue black hair (black haired model does have blue streaks in the sides it's just not visible in all the pictures). It is all about the color and texture of the hair. Still trying to decide if I should enter into NAHA for 2010. What do you think?

Foundations of Updos

2009-06-26T10:07:00.000-06:00

With wedding season in full swing I felt it would be a good time to talk about the foundations of updos. Updos fall into 3 categories: ponytail, French twist and free form.

Here are some examples of the ponytail base

All of these styles were created by first pulling the hair into a ponytaill. The updo was then created off of that ponytail base.

Here are some examples of a French Twist base:

All of these styles began with a simple French twist in the back. The rest of the style was built off of that French twist base.

Here are two examples of free form hairstyles:
Free from is where the style was not started with either a pony tail or a french twist

Sew it UP

2009-06-05T10:42:00.006-06:00

I did this beauty shoot for my portfolio a couple of weeks ago. I sewed the models hair into an updo rather than using a million pins. After I sewed it up (using a blunt plastic needle and extension thread) I did use a few pins (like 4 or 5) to make it the shape I wanted. Added the cute headband from Urban Outfitters and BAM-super easy updo!

Crazy Curly

2009-05-29T09:50:00.003-06:00

I found this picture of Talyor Swift in my Allure last month and now I'm dying to do it for a photo shoot. I'm trying to hook it up so stay tuned......

Crimpin Some Hair!

2009-05-26T13:57:00.010-06:00

This past Friday night we did a show at Suite 200, a club here in Denver. It was a white party.

This is my model before we started (I didn't do the make-up)

After I crimped her hair-yes crimped!

Me and my model-she is in heels and I'm in flats :)

Charlie with the 2 of models he styled

Charlie with another model and yes that is all her hair!

Hanging out after having some fun

Angelina Jolie at Cannes

2009-05-20T15:06:00.006-06:00

I'm not a huge fan of the Angelina Jolie, but WOW she looks stunning here! She looks so great with the loose waves-beachy yet a little glam. Loving the red lips with her signature black winged liner.
To get her hairstyle you need to use the no clamp method of curling.
-Take large sections of hair and wrap around curling iron leaving the clamp closed
-Let the curls cool
-Then, comb out curls using a wide tooth comb

-Tuck one side behind ear and spray front with a little hairspray
-Pull the rest of the hair over to the opposite side

Now go rock it and let me know how it works out.

10 Questions with Charlie Price

2009-05-20T07:54:00.010-06:00

If you don't know Charlie Price, well then you should. He is an amazing artist and hairdresser. I'm lucky enough to have him as my friend, mentor and boss. I sat down with Charlie and here are my 10 questions to him:

1. How long have you been behind the chair?

CP: 21 yrs

2. Besides your boyfriend, what's one thing you can't live without?

CP: My family of course

3. What is you favorite style to cut?

CP: Shag

4. Most people think you just style hair, but I know you do it all-so what is your signature cut and color?

CP: cut is a high fashion crop w/long bangs on a man or woman and color is a light golden blonde

5. You were nominated for a NAHA (North American Hairstyling Awards) again this year-what number nomination is this for you?

CP: 10th nomination(editors note: he's had 7 nominations in the last 3 years!)

6.This year's collection is stunning-how did you come up with it?

CP: I wanted to do precision cuts because that is something people would never expect me to do. I also loved the color story, it was scale from black to white.

7. Where do you draw your inspiration for your collections?

CP: High fashion and music-I always have some sort of sound track running in my head during shoot. I always come up with an entire story.

8. Do you really hate Dee as much as it appeared on Shear Genius?

CP: No, I don't hate Dee at all we are just from different planets.

9. Are you still friends with anyone from Shear Genius?

CP: Yes, Daniel, Meridith, Nekisa and Glen. I talk to them all the time

10. What's you poison?

CP: Club soda-dryin out right now

Why curly girls should give up the towel

2009-05-13T08:30:00.007-06:00

The other day I was reading my local message board on The Nest and came across a topic on curly hair. Thinking I might be able to give some advice I opened the post. I did have a few things to offer, but learned something in the process. Curly haired girls shouldn't use a regular terrycloth towel to dry their hair because it causes the frizz. So what should they use instead? A T-shirt! Who knew? Being the hair girl that I am I took to the interwebz and found a few things I wanted to share, like this Plop method of drying I found on naturallycurly .com. You can use either a T-shirt or a microfiber towel. Apply your product first then follow the instructions below.

You leave it up like this for 15-30 min. You might need to add a little more product after you take it down. Then you can finish by diffusing or letting air dry.
So my curly haired friends try it out and let me know.

North American Hairstyling Awards

2009-05-04T09:30:00.006-06:00

The NAHAs as we hairdressers call them are the hair industry's version of the Oscars. Hundreds of Hairstylist in North America submit their photo entries to be judged in the different categories : Master Stylist , Hairstylist , Salon Team, Editorial Stylist, Student Stylist, Avant Garde, Contemporary Classic, Fashion Forward, Haircolor, Texture, Make-up Artist and Salon Design. Well this year 2 of my salon owners are nominated. Charlie Price is nominated for Master Stylist of the year and Cameron Letterman is nominated for Editorial Stylist of the year. The award ceremony takes place July 19th in Las Vegas. Congratulations Charlie and Cameron!

Who is your favorite celeb for hairstyles?

2009-04-30T08:01:00.005-06:00

I have a few that I usually google when I'm looking for good styles. Gisele is always a good one for curls. And I'm a fan of Jennifer Aniston's everyday look. So who is your favorite?

Kevin Murphy Products

2009-04-27T10:15:00.009-06:00

Not so very long ago I was a die hard Aveda addict. I used Aveda almost exclusively for about 15 years. That was until my salon owner, Charlie, left the world of an Aveda platform artist to go solo. It was a very sad day for me when I walked into the salon and no longer saw my coveted Aveda products lining our walls. We got a few other product lines in and they were fine but, they were just not my Aveda. I was still in mourning until the day Kevin Murphy products entered my salon. Sleek cool packaging and smells very reminiscent of my beloved Aveda. Hmmmm I thought this could be a good thing, but I've been fooled by good looks and smell before *cough* most of my 20-something dating life *cough* So I gave the new products a whirl. I was SHOCKED at how much I loved it. Everything did what it claimed. Anti Gravity weightless volumiser was, well weightless volume. Motion Lotion curl enhancing cream gave me some of the best beachy curl I've ever had. The list goes on and on. Finally I've found my new love affair and it's awesome! This product line is developed by Australian hairdresser, Kevin Murphy and not by some corporate people who think we want to smell like cotton candy. I love that. It's sold only in salons which I love as well because I get to prescribe it to my clients and know they are buying the right product for their hair type.

I have a few samples of the Anti Gravity to give away. Leave a comment (make sure you leave your email) and I will pick the winners next Tuesday, May 5th.

Earth Day 2009

2009-04-22T15:34:00.002-06:00

All the cool kids are posting fab eco friendly beauty products today, but I'm going to post my favorite thing for the environment-Cloth Diapers. Yes that's right I cloth diaper!

The Bum Genius 3.0 pocket diapers are sooooo easy to use. Velcro tabs make them just as easy as disposals!

What? No Jaclyn Smith

2009-04-21T21:45:00.003-06:00

Bravo gave her the cut for season 3 of Shear Genius and now Matthew McConaughey's baby mama is hosting. What? How on earth did she get that gig?

"Get your scissors sharpened and brush up on your layering techniques, Shear Genius fans, Season 3 is on its way with new host Camila Alves.

The Bravo show, which pits wannabe hair stylists against each other in the salon for a $100,000 prize, was hosted by Jaclyn Smith in the past.

Camila will take on her new hosting duties in the upcoming season, and will be assisted by judges Kim Vo and reality show veteran Jonathan Antin. Jonathan starred on his own show, Blow Out, which revolved around daily life in his salons in L.A. He’s also the brother of Pussycat Dolls’ founder Robin Antin.

Maybe Levi’s daddy Matthew McConaughey will stop by with that mane of golden curls for a touch-up! Tune in this season to find out!"
[From OK! Magazine]

And gag that Jonathan Antin is joining the crew. How many times do you think we will see him cry on camera? Maybe they can show him a barcode or two to turn on those water works. First you lose Project Runway now this. BRAVO what the hell are you guys doing over there? Oh well, I'll still watch what happens :)

Rock On-More Rock Hair

2009-04-21T21:40:00.003-06:00

This is a pretty good tutorial on how to make a faux-hawk.

I disagree with her in that you shouldn't brush it out before showering. I totally think you should brush it out before you wash it.

Fun Haircolor-No Commitment Required

2009-04-21T14:08:00.010-06:00

If you've ever wanted to try a fun haircolor (like pink or blue), but don't want to commit to it, then today's post is for you! The down side is that you have to already have light hair (sorry dark haired girls). You just need some pigment eye shadow (even regular eyeshadow will work).

If you have long hair like me then I suggest you put the pigment eyeshadow right on your hair (beware its kinda messy) and just rub it in. If you have short hair then you can mix it into your styling product. I liked the way it mixed into Being Rubber by Rusk and Sticky Business by Kevin Murphy. I tried the mixed into product stuff on my hair and it didn't really work on long hair. There you go fun haircolor that washes out the next time you shampoo!

Here is the pigment eyeshadow I mixed into different products

Drew Barrymore's Look on Letterman

2009-04-16T10:23:00.006-06:00

Did you all see her on Letterman last night? Ah, she looked FABULOUS!

Here are a few tips to get her look.

1. Start with dry hair (yes, dry hair)

2. Use a wet hairspray like Aveda's Firmata spray all over the front of your head back to the crown (the portion that is going to be slicked back)-using a generous amount of hairspray.

3. Take a fine tooth comb, comb the hair back into a ponytail-spray some more.

4. Braid the ponytail and then wrap around into a bun

5. Secure the bun with bobby pins or hair pins

Sulfates the new BPA?

2009-04-14T15:29:00.007-06:00

The latest trend in hair products is sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. Although, most conditioners don't use sulfates so I'm not sure why you need a sulfate-free one. I wondered if this was just another marketing scheme to scare people into buying new products-or if sulfates were the new BPA (you know those bad water bottles of last year)? After a little research and tweeting with my friends at The Beauty Brains, I've come to the conclusion that it's just HYPE. Why? Sulfates are what make our shampoo's (and body washes) foam up so you can get that nice lather. Also, sulfates break down the dirt and oil in the hair. That's all they are. They don't strip the color out any faster than their sulfate-free counterparts. However, sulfate-free are less drying so if you have super dry skin/scalp you might benefit from them. To read more on what kind of sulfates are in shampoo's read here and here. I think both these explain it very well. For those who think they cause cancer: wrong (they might just give you "the runs" if ingested). Read here for more on this. So my dear readers what do you think?

What did I tell you?

2009-04-12T11:47:00.005-06:00

Several weeks ago I wrote about flatiron addiction and today when I catching up with some of my favorite blogs I found an this article on Bellasugar. It's from the American Academy of Dermatologists. Do trust your friendly Hair Girl here, I won't steer you wrong.

Bangers and Fringe

2009-04-09T11:13:00.002-06:00

It has come to my attention that some think bangs are dated. So today I'm doing an entire post just on Bangs (or fringe, as some call them). Love them or hate them, fringe is here to stay. And as various celebs hack off the hair around their faces the trend is only going to grow bigger not smaller. Now to the pics

Recent long bangers JLo

and Beyonce

Fierce shortie bangs Ms. Aguilera

and Gisele

Blunt fringe Lady Gaga

and Jessica Alba

There you have it. The fringe is in so if you don't trust me maybe you might trust these ladies!

5 Reason Why Buying Professional Hair Products at Drugstores or Target is Bad

2009-04-07T08:56:00.002-06:00

1. Products could be stolen-and who wants to buy "hot" hair products?

2. Products could be counterfeit-just like fake handbags are no good, neither are fake hair products

3. Products could be tampered with and possibly contaminated with bacteria-There were some Paul Mitchell products back in 2003 that were counterfeit and crawling with bacteria. When they tested them the bacteria were too many to name. YUCK!

4. They cost more,sometimes up to 50% more-and in these times who wants to spend more money?

5. While it's kind of legal it really is the hair care industry's black market- do you want to support a black market? I know I sure don't!

The Rectification of Hair Wreck 2009

2009-04-04T07:54:00.002-06:00

"The haircut actually looks better in person than in the photos. Overall, I'm happy with it. The heavy bangs she cut on Monday don't go too well with the new length, so I'll have to work on those. If I pull them down in front it really gives the hairstyle a "mom" look.

I included a shot of the left side she butchered so badly. He did a good job blending it in. Thanks to Shane Perryman at Salon NV!"

Now for the photos

And my faith in other Hairdressers is renewed! Thanks Shane.
Shane is accepting new clients in SLC so look him up!

Hair Wreck 2009!

2009-03-30T20:25:00.001-06:00

Today's post is a homage to one of my favorite blogs cakewrecks

Ah, the inspiration

And now for the "hairstylists" take on the inspiration

Okay not too bad WAY more momish than the inspiration
and now for the side "layers"

I want to cry my eyes out for my poor sister
See yesterday's post for more on bad layers
Sorry sis at least it grows back right?

Let's Talk Layers

2009-03-28T07:54:00.003-06:00

Are you the girl who always says "um yeah, no layers I just can't style layers"? Well my friends, that's because you've been getting bad layers. Layers shouldn't make hair harder to style - they should make it easier. Do you think someone like Jennifer Aniston has a hard time styling her layers on the days she does her own hair? NO! Because she has a great haircut with WELL BLENDED layers (yes I'm yelling). Chunky layers are a nightmare and you can flatiron them until your hair burns off, but they are never going to look good. Now I'm not telling you that you need to spend $600 to get a great cut , but I am telling you that it's going to cost you more than 15 bucks. Do yourself a favor and splurge on a great cut and then tell me you can't tell a difference between what you get for say $65 and what you get for $15. Getting my first real cut at age 19 was like the first time I bought a real leather handbag. I loved that buttery soft leather and knew I could never go back to that cheap plastic crap. I understand that you might not always be able to get the expensive cut - heck I still carry my cheap bags once in a while. But leave the real cutting to your experienced cutter. If you need to sneak in a $15 trim here and there we understand. But I will say with a great cut you might find you can actually go longer between appointments. I get mine cut about every 6 months (ooops did I say that out loud?)

Men's Grooming

2009-03-23T09:58:00.000-06:00

Men's haircuts are one of my favorites. There are tons of stylists out there who are afraid of doing them because you can't really hide any mistakes in a men's cut. My awesome husband was my very first client when I was going to beauty school. I think it took me 2+ hours and about 4 haircuts (in the same sitting) to finally get it right. I've come a very long way since then. My adorable husband doesn't get much say these days in what his cut is going to be. I usually just do what I want and experiment on him.
I think the most common sin I see in men's cuts are that it's choppy and not blended at all. This is what happens when you get a 15 min clipper cut (FYI I spend around 45 min-1 hour on a men's cut). Clippers are a fine cutting tool, but most people doing them don't go back and blend it all together and that's why you get those choppy lines in the back. Another thing I see is taking the hair line up too far in the back. I swear some stylists do this just so you come back in 3 weeks because you think your hair is all grown out, but really it's just a neck trim that is needed. You want to work with the hair line as much as possible and not take it up too far just to make it square. And for what it's worth it's not easier to do a men's cut and that is why I don't charge different prices for men and women. I probably spend more time actually cutting on a men's cut because most women just want a trim of an inch or two and I spend the rest of the time blow-drying. Now here are some of my favorite looks for men.

The cool rocker shag

The emo rocker

The classic short businessman

The classic college/frat boy

The Trendy

The Grow Out

2009-03-19T10:25:00.001-06:00

Growing out short hair to long is kind of a nightmare... I would know - I've done it 3 times in my life. The last time I did it I was fortunate enough to be pregnant 2 times and took weekly pictures of myself. I won't bore you with the weekly progress, but here is my hair over about a 3 year period. You can see how short it got (the bleach blonde) and then where I went from there. The two hardest stages are getting it from a short style to bob style and then from shoulder length to past the shoulders. I think those two are the hardest because those are the points where I always want to cut mine back off.

March 2005: just cut off my bob length hair

April 2005: cut off like Keira Knightley 's hair on the cover of Elle Magazine (and no I'm not drunk in this picture just really happy with my cut)

June 2005: cut off to almost mens length (the back and sides were clipper cut) and bleached blonde. I cut it this short so I could get this blonde.

March 2006: colored dark again with highlights and getting closer to bob length. When I grow my hair out, I change the color so I don't get bored with it.

August 2006: cut off to a shag since I didn't like the mom bob thing I had going (and being almost 9 mo pregnant I needed to feel cute). BTW this is just a couple of days before my son was born :)

February 2007: still dark and grown into a bob length again. Bangs are pretty wispy from the "after-baby hair loss."

August 2007: 1 year since I cut it off into a Shag. Now much lighter and shoulder length.

February 2008: 6 mo later almost past the shoulders and even lighter. I cut heavier bangs to change up the style and help with my hair boredom.

August 2008: finally past the shoulders, still rockin it light with the heavy bangs. About 4 weeks before I had my daughter.

Blow-drying

2009-03-19T09:31:00.001-06:00

The tools needed for a good blow-dry

1.Products:

-Kevin Murphy Staying Alive Leave in conditioner

-Kevin Murphy Anti Gravity Volumiser

2. Good Blow-dryer like the Chi Rocket

You need heat and tension for a smooth blowdry.

Read my post on Blowdryers for some more good ones.

3. Brush; mine is an Aveda ceramic brush. I like ceramic brushes because they heat up and that helps smooth the hair

4. Something to clip up sections of the hair.

I section my hair into 2 sections front and back and I work from bottom to top. If you do it this way, you don't have to clip up what you've already done.

The finer the hair the thicker the sections can be. If you have really coarse hair you're going to want to take pretty thin sections so you can get all they way to the root.

I do the front first because it's most important (also, if you get tired on the back it's doesn't matter as much).

If you want more volume at the top then have the hair cool

down around rollers.

I love velcro rollers (avaliable at target or any beauty supply) because you don't need clips to hold them in and they don't leave marks in the hair.

There you go a quick smooth blowdry.

Home Haircolor

2009-03-18T13:57:00.000-06:00

I've been asked the question about home haircolor, so here is my answer. Don't do it! I don't say this because I'm afraid I will be out of job; that will never happen because someone will always botch up a home haircolor job and I will be there to fix it. I do make a lot of money off home haircolor corrections so maybe I should say do it so I can charge you lots of money to fix it! I kid, I kid. My reasons for not liking box color are many. First and foremost, the stuff they put in there is junk. For example, metallic salts: they work by coating the outer surface and take away the shine from the hair. Many companies get around this by adding other chemicals with light reflective properties. If you decided to go to a professional for say, highlights, some of chemicals in the box colors can react badly with the professional colors (i.e. hair falling off) so buyer beware there. Next, you get what you get color wise with a box color. There is no custom formulation like you get in a salon. Rarely do I ever put just one color on someones head. I usually mix 2 to 3 colors to get my custom color. Finally, the developer is usually only 10 or 20 volume which might be OK for going really close the natural color but not if you are hoping to go a couple of shades lighter. It will usually come out very warm or even orange. If you must do some sort of touch up in between I'm cool with the root touch up kits like this one from Nice & Easy

Just touch up the front of hair and your part. You should be able to get a couple more weeks out of your color job.

try a glaze like this from Frederic Fekkai (sephora or macy's carry it)

or a hair powder spray like this one from Bumble & Bumble (bumbleandbumble.com)

If you have dark brown or black hair you can always use mascara to cover up those greys in between color it's another form of temporary haircolor.

More on wedding hair

2009-03-17T14:18:00.001-06:00

I've talked about bad wedding hair and I got a request to talk about some good ones. When you start looking around at hairstyles for your wedding think red carpet hair. Most of the styles that celebrities rock on the red carpet would be great to wear for your wedding day. The goal is to still look like yourself just fancier. Here are some of my faves

Daily Washing

2009-03-14T22:27:00.001-06:00

So many clients ask "how often should I be washing my hair?" My answer is a couple of times a week at most. I know, I know your hair gets greasy right? Well have you ever considered that you might be over washing it and therefore robbing it of the natural oils? Yes, that's right people over washing can actually make your hair even greasier in the long run. What happens is you strip off the oil and your sebaceous glands say "no oil must make more must make more." Then you say "oh my hair is greasy so I need to wash it." Then the sebaceous glands say...
Ok so you get the idea. So how does one go from washing everyday to just a couple of times per week. Well first, start off by going every other day and on the day you don't wash you can try using a dry shampoo like this Rene Furterer one
or if you're real cheap you can try baby powder, but use sparingly so you don't get white roots. Try it for 2 weeks if things don't improve after 2 weeks then you might be in the minority of people who really do have oily hair. If things get better after 2 weeks then try going longer. I know how you feel. I was a daily washer until I went to beauty school. Now I wash when I can't remember the last time I washed my hair was. Good luck!

Curling with a Flat Iron

2009-03-13T10:36:00.001-06:00

You need a smaller flat iron with rounded edges on the plates. I don't usually curl hair with mine because I just use a curling iron. But if all you have is your flat iron you can still curl your hair. I snagged this from youtube because it's a really good demo on how to do it.

The 5 min Updo

2009-03-11T21:52:00.001-06:00

I got a request for rolled out bed hair that looks great. This is as close as I could get. I guess you could sleep on it and wear it again the next day.

The how to
You will need a hair tie
about 5 or 6 bobby pins
A little hair spray. I used Kevin Murphy Session Spray

This is what my hair looked like after wearing it wavy the day before and sleeping with it in a braid.

put it in a ponytail but don't pull the ends through on the last wrap of the hair tie

You should have a loop type bun thing

take the bun smash and twist it clockwise

bobby pin random parts around the bun

insert the bobby pin and then twist,twist, push in and down

The goal is messy imperfection so don't go crazy with the pinning

If you want a more polished look in the front then start off with the grown up ponytail

Come meet me

2009-03-09T10:20:00.002-06:00

For my local peeps I will be doing a complimentary styling event on Saturday, March 28th.

Where: Embassy Suites 7525 E. Hampden Ave
I-25 and Hampden
Time: 10am to 3pm
Admission: Free

First 25 people receive a gift bag full of fab goodies!

Picture Tutorials

2009-03-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

More to come soon. My camera is on the fritz right now. Once I get it figured out I will do some more picture tutorials.

Flat-aholic

2009-03-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

We have a huge addiction problem in this country. How many of you are a flatiron-aholic? I think it's time we step away from the flatiron and embrace our natural texture. Now, I'm not saying you have to put the flatiron away for good. I'm just saying that you should wear it as a look - not daily. Do you wear a smokey eye every day? No you don’t (unless you are Pamela Anderson). I know you've gotten used to how your hair looks and feels when you flatiron it, but my dear friends you are doing it at the expense of you hair. How many of you are burning off the front of your hair? I know you are because I see it all the time. You burn off the front and then complain to your stylist that its frizzy in the front so you must flatiron it . It’s a vicious circle and we are just going to keep going around and around until you stop using the flatiron everyday. Oh and there is nothing you can do to fix burned hair, except cut it off. My challenge to all your flatiron-aholics out there is to only flatiron your hair two times a week. Then we will take it from there.

Products I love for fine hair

2009-03-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

I'm going to break these out by hair type

Shampoos and Conditioners

Angle Wash and Angle Rinse by Kevin Murphy
Pure Abundance by Aveda
Serie Expert Volume Expand by L'Oreal Professional
Thickr by Rusk

Absolute or Intense Repair by L'Oreal Professional for deep conditioner

Born Again conditioning treatment by Kevin Murphy

Styling products

Thickr Thicking mist by Rusk

Phomollient styling foam by Aveda

Pure Abundance hair potion by Aveda

Air control hairspray by Aveda

Volume Expand volumizing leave-in spray and mousse by L'Oreal Professional

Elasticite curl creme by L'Oreal Professional (fine curly hair)

Motion Lotion curl enhancing lotion by Kevin Murphy (curly hair)

Anti gravity volumiser by Kevin Murphy

Hair Resort beachy texturiser by Kevin Murphy

Session Spray by Kevin Murphy

Loreal Texture Expert Infinium 2 or 3 working spray

Professional Products

2009-03-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to lay down my thoughts on this right now so you will know where I stand. I only use professional products and will only talk about professional products (i.e. what can be bought at a salon or beauty supply). I'm not down with the crap in the drug store because it's just that - crap!! If you find something that works, great; but for the most part they are just super watered down versions of what you really want to get. I have tried drug store stuff and it just doesn't do what it says, and is nowhere near what you can get in a salon or beauty supply. Has your friend ever told you that you need to change your shampoo because your hair gets used to it? Well, your hair doesn't have a memory. Folks that's just straight build-up. If you are using a good shampoo and conditioner (i.e. professional) you don't get that. Then, I always hear, “I love the way pantene makes my hair feel.” Talk about coating and build-up on the hair. You might as well pour straight candle wax on your hair. These build-ups can also affect how your hair colors. Which brings me to my last point. If you are spending good money on color and then using cheap shampoo and conditioners you are just washing it down the drain! If you think otherwise fine, but you will never convince me of that fact. If you must buy something at the drug store let it be some product so you can save your money for good Shampoo and Conditioner. And while you’re at it will you all please do me a favor and DEEP CONDITION once a week. Thanks :)

Coaxing Out Some Wave

2009-03-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

I'm a girl with fine to medium hair texture, but I have tons and tons of it. After having 2 kids my once straight hair now has some natural wave in it. I have tried several product combination trying to get it to stay wavy and not look like junk once it's dry. Most products are made for coarse curly hair which leaves a fine hair girl like me looking more like a drowned rat than having sexy beachy waves. I have found that a light weight curl cream works the best when I combine it with a curl enhancing spray. I like my hair soft and curly not crunchy curly that is why I avoid any type of gel. Crunchy curly brings be back to my 80's perm days when I would spray the crap out of my hair with Aussie Sprunch Spray. Ick!

The How To

First, I started with a light weight leave in conditioner, Staying Alive by Kevin Murphy. I always start with this since I live in DRY Colorado. I followed that up with the Abba Pure Curl Prep spray and then the Loreal Professional Texture Expert Elasticite (curl enhancing cream).

This is after I have scrunched the product in my hair. I haven't combed anything but my bangs since I will be wearing them straight. From here I will diffuse my hair on low.

This is all dry after diffusing.

Next I put in 2 drops of Aveda smoothing fluid just to smooth things out and then spray it with the Kevin Murphy Session Spray to hold it.

Last I touch up some of the straighter curls with my curl stick by wrapping about mid length to the end down around the stick. I alternated forward and backward. You don't want perfect curls otherwise they look out of place with the rest.

The finished look. Yeah if you thought this was going to be an easy wash and go style sorry not gonna happen. I takes more work for me to wear it "curly" then it does for me to blow it out straight, but isn't it cute!

The Grown Up Ponytail

2009-02-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

You see a girl at the mall with super cute ponytail and you think to yourself why doesn't mine every look like that. Her secret, is most likely back combing aka teasing and ponytail position. Not too high where you look like a HS Cheerleader and not too low where you look momish. The right position is just below the crown. You want the sides to sweep back and a little up to give the face some lift.

Now the how to.

First, back combing or back brushing either works. The trick to it is to hold the ends very loose and kind of scoop as you comb/brush backwards. You don't need to do your whole head just the top and front part of your sides.

Next, With a brush using just the edges of the bristles to smooth out the top of the hair being careful not to brush out all your back combing. Brush it back into your ponytail and secure really tight.

Then, grab the hair at the crown and pull up and forward just a bit it create some height in the crown.

If you want to add a head band do it now and just make sure you still have the height in the crown area.

Blow Dryers

2009-02-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

A question I get asked often is does the kind of blow dryer really matter? YES! Well unless you don't mind spending 30+ min blowing out your hair. With all the new technology out there be it nano, ionic or tourmaline they cut down the drying time in some cases by half. I will tell you what I use as a professional and then list some of the other tops according to my internet friends.
The Chi Rocket is what I was using in salon until a few weeks ago when mine broke apart. I really like this blow dryer, but I think it's really not made for heavy use i.e. all day everyday.

Now I've switched to FHI Heat and I'm really liking it. It's super light weight and dries really well.

Last, for the good yet inexpensive dryers we have the Infiniti by Conair Professional Tourmaline Ionic Styler Dryer

And the Revlon Tourmaline Ionic

Oscar Favorites

2009-02-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

OH the Oscars. When all of Hollywood gets dolled up for the big night. There really is nothing like it. Here are a few of my faves from the night.

I love her hair it's very Grace Kelly
I wish I could have found a good picture of the back it's so cool

SJP stunning as always

Very classic not super exciting, but still beautiful

I think her whole look is amazing, very stunning

Love this classic with a twist
I'm a fan of the side styles

Just beautiful

Classic and beautiful
I'm loving all the texture this year

Gisele Curls

2009-02-21T22:19:00.003-07:00

The second most requested style when it comes to curls are those of Ms. Gisele Bundchen. I can't tell you how often someone brings in her picture and asks for her curls.
There are two options for creating this hairstyle. First, hold a regular curling iron upside down with the clamp open. Wind the sections of hair down the barrel, alternating forward and backward every row. Doing it this way your curls won't clump together as easy. Option two is to curl the same way as option one just using a curl stick/pin curl iron. I prefer this one, but then again I own a curl stick. Once its all curled just run your fingers through it to break up the curls and set it with some hair spray. Ta da!

Waves

2009-02-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

I think one of the FAQ's by clients is how do I curl my hair to like so and so. The most popular being the waves you see celebs rockin on the red carpet.

The trick is to curl your hair all the same direction. So if you start on the left curling back by the time you come around to the right you should be curling forward. Let it cool. With a good brush like a mason pearson brush
brush, brush and brush some more. The last thing is to add a wax type product to help the waves stay together. I like Aveda's control paste.

Wedding Updo's

2009-02-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

So wedding season is just about to start and the ugly updo are about to begin. Why is it that women getting married think they need some crazy loop-d-loop updo thing reminiscent of some super ugly prom hair. Isn't the purpose of having professionals do your hair and make up is to look like you, just better? So to brides everywhere I beg of you please don't bring your stylist some craptastic hair do you found on google. Let them work their magic on creating a one of a kind beautiful hairstyle for you. And to hairstylists everywhere please for the love of god stop making these crazy origami updo's! They are some serious fug and never flatter the bride anyway.

This picture is from a friend and yes she paid someone to do this!

A quick google search yielded these jems

What is with this lattice work in the back? Were they building a patio cover or a hairstyle?

This one takes some skill, but what is with all the showing pins?

I have no words.....

Welcome

2009-02-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

My first Blog. It smells just like a new baby!

Fashion week for fall 2009 just finished up. My 2 friends and salon owners, Charlie and Cameron were there leading the Cynthia Rowley show. Honestly, fashion week hair is really never that interesting. The designers always say they want something that looks like the model did herself. I always wonder why they get professional hairdressers to do the show if they want something that looks like the girl did it herself. Hmmm....

I can't wait to get to work and get the full scoop. Here are a couple of pictures from the show.