Where have I been???

Well here is a new post! Transitioning to apprenticing has left me with little time behind the computer, and little free time at home since we are in the midst of wedding season. But here I am today, bright and early getting on the ball for the fall!! (Did you like that??) Tomorrow I have claimed girl day, which entails hair and nails which are in desperate need of some TLC.

To tide over until tomorrow, here are some pictures of recent hair I have had. These first two are me modeling my new swimsuit I had gotten, which meant I of course had to do my hair before trying it on. :)

This last one shows off the amazing orange I put in my hair in August, and it is still going strong! I LOVE Elumen by Goldwell. The colors are so vibrant, and stay that way. There will be some pretty big changes to my hair next week that I am super excited about, and can't wait to share!

Happy styling and look for a great new post tomorrow! I am thinking of adding videos, as well. So possibly look for that tomorrow as well, if I can figure it out.

Time off

Well, here I am, back again. Some great things have happened!

1.) went to Florida, Universal Studios, and it was a blast!

2.) Became (start drum roll please!!!) AN APPRENTICE!

Well, after a year or so (or my whole life, really) of toying with the idea of doing hair, here I am, actually going for it!

After the gentle push of coworkers, and everyone who has seen my own hair, I am jumping into the game. License is on the way, and practice has begun. Shampooing, and blow drying, and mannequin (which interestingly are labeled, from the company mind you, mannikins) hair curling. I am well on my way!

So after a brief hiatus, I am returning to the wonderful world of blog posts, which will commence today!

I am hoping to use this as a learning tool of sorts, and a journal of my journey to hairstylist.

Happy Styling!!

Leah

Happy 4th!

Not the best hair, but I was wearing a hat until that point!

Here I am matching my drink of choice, and showing my patriotism! Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th! Check back later in the week for a new post, with a great announcement!

If Betty Grable and Lucille Ball had a baby... It would be my hair today

Today, stylist Amy and I had a chance to play with my hair. We had been looking at pictures of Betty Grable, and decided to try and create a a Pompadour-ish curly look.

To get the look here is a step by step.

Section the top of your hair off in a long U-shape, from the front of your head to the end of the top of your head, leaving down the back and sides. Using a very small curling iron, attack the U-shape with it! You want to do very small sections, so this is where you are going to spend the majority of your time.

Once you have all of that curled and clipped out of the way, you can section the back from your front sides. The back was back combed and twisted into a french twist, while the sides were swept up with one placed under the curls for a form, and the other as an accent curl on the side of the french twist.

Arrange your curls on the top of your head and pin in the fashion you desire. I ended up pulling out about 40 pins last night when I got home, so make sure you have lots of bobby pins and hair pins!! (don't mind our product shelf in the background in this picture! I had to sneak in at least one picture of me looking off into the distance.)

This was a very time consuming process, and as you you can see in the picture below, keeping your curls under control can be a little difficult. I had to keep pinning them in, and had to watch out for low hanging branches.

It ended up looking exactly like we had envisioned it to.

Thanks, Amy, for you determination to get all the curls done!

Best Haircut

Most people have no clue how long my hair is, since I have it up the majority of the time. I was asked what haircut I would recommend, so here is a post dedicated to haircuts.

If you are looking for a very authentic 40's through early 60's hairstyle, you are going to want was is called the "middy" haircut. Very precise layers, this haircut is one that you HAVE to style daily, or else you end up with a strange looking mullet. There are many pictures online as to what it looks like. I have personally had this haircut, and while it makes styling easy, I sometimes need to have an off day, and not do my hair, therefore looking silly.

It also can be difficult finding a stylist who will readily do it. Working in a hair salon, I have only seen a few people ask for it, and then end up toning it down a few days later because it can be difficult to work with. This is a hardcore haircut that takes time to work with.

The best idea I have for a haircut, would be a heavily layered cut. I currently have a cut that is very layered, transitional, and perfect for everything that I do. My bottom layers sit about 3.5 inches below my collar bone. I would suggest anything between shoulder length and a little longer for any of the styles I have featured here. Layers are key to less work. With standard one length hair, you are going to have to wrap more for the piled high updos. While not impossible, I personally prefer to have my hair with a workable length, and layers for creating body and volume.

Again, I am not a hairstylist, so please consult with yours for what works best for you hair, and they can send you in the right direction!

If you have any questions about hair, products, or anything else, let me know!

Experiment with Hot Sticks

We have had them sitting at the salon for months now. No one has used them yet, so I figured I would take them home with me and experiment. I watched a youtube video about it, and figured, why not? It looked like it was easy enough, and created a great 40's look. So here we go!

Products Used:

Phytofix Setting Gel

Brocato Moveable Hold Hairspray

Moroccan Oil Treatment

Heat Protecting Spray

Conair Hot Sticks/Candi Sticks Jelly Rollers

Bristle Brush

Allow your Hot Sticks to warm up for 10-15 minutes before starting.

Section your hair out. For this 40's inspired look, I parted my hair on the side and divided that into 2 sections on front sides. For the back I set the curlers lower on my head, keeping the hair flat against the top of my head. You want the top part of your hair be flat, like a hat. So roll the rollers to the nape of your neck. It is not a very sexy look, but will be well worth it in the end!

Each section was prepped with the PhytoFix and a Heat Protecting spray, to protect the hair.

Once you have them in place, let the set for 10-30 minutes, depending on your hair. Once they have set for a while, take them out and brush! I added a tiny bit of the Moroccan Oil Treatment to settle the frizz.

There you have it! A wonderful, 40's inspired hair style.

Or your big floppy hat... and make sure the wind inside your house doesn't blow it off. :)

The Hot Sticks worked really well. Make sure you get the ends of your hair around it evenly, because you will end up with a strange, uncurled end to it. I had to go back with the curling iron to fix them. I think after you use them a few times, you will get the general idea.

I like that they click onto themselves, and different than traditional hot rollers, you don't end up with a strange clip line, AND since they have a jelly grippy (is that really a word?) they grip to your hair so much better, making it easier to roll them!

Just be careful, they do get pretty warm.

These will run you about $20-$30 depending on what set you get. Pretty affordable!

Happy Styling!!

P.S. Yes, I have noticed that I only look good while looking to the right of pictures... How is that possible that every single picture, out of hundreds that I take, I only choose the ones looking away from the camera?? Best angle, I guess. :)

Schwarzkopf Osis Dust It

Per request:

Schwarzkopf Osis Dust It Powder--- my secret weapon.

Dust It is a great product to create lift and volume. A mattifying powder that can be rejuvenated throughout the day by your finger tips, this product works wonders! Apply a small amount at your roots on dry hair, back comb or just use your finger tips to work it up. I use the Dust It to create lift for BIG hair and my updos. This works great for beehives or if you have short hair that needs some volume at the roots.

The only con to the product is that it is a white powder. Make sure you work it in really well so your aren't seeing any white residue. It is a very fine powder, so do not pour it into your hair in front of a fan, because breathing it in in a confined bathroom is not fun, trust me. :)

Even though the bottle is small, you get a lot of usage out of it. A little bit goes a long way, so it is well worth the investment.

Price range: $13-$23

This product gets 4 stars from me! It would be 5 if it came in colors to match your hair color.