Bow-tastic

After reading the wonderful Aya's (Strawberry Koi) post on homemade hair bows, I was possessed of a desire to create my own. Her instructions were flawless, and it only took me a few minutes to whip up this beauty with some spare ribbon:

So basically, if you're interested in these lovely bow creations or in vintage clothing, hairstyles, etc...Go check this lady out! She does fabulous tutorials on YouTube under the same moniker, and her blog is always lovely.

You WILL enjoy it!

Bangin'

After the new color, I felt a really serious urge for some new bangs. 

As you can see, I chose a really heavy bang. I really enjoy this look when worn with very straight loose hair or even pulled back into a bun. I can pull the bangs to the side for a piecey look as well. I also feathered a few pieces of hair on the sides as well to give a little connection between the length of my hair and the bangs when I pull my hair back.

Tips on cutting your own bangs: (Yes, I cut my own bangs. Almost always!)

1. You can cut them wet or dry but be aware that wet hair shrinks pretty substantially as it dries. Make allowances for that when cutting or be prepared to utilize some nice barrettes for a couple weeks. If you cut it dry, it can be a little harder to make your lines straight. You counteract this by cutting a little bit at a time until you get it how to like it. Also, it is practically impossible to make a perfectly straight line, so to disguise that cut upwards into the hair with the tips of your scissors. Just make little cuts to blend the hair line and thin it a bit.

2. Use very sharp scissors, and place a plastic bag (like walmart) in your sink as a lining. If you neglect that step, you'll be fishing pieces of hair out of your sink for the next 10 years.

3. Go slow. You can't add hair back on, but you can always cut more off.

4. If you want to try different styles of bangs, I recommend searching on YouTube. They even have videos for Bettie Page (retro rockabilly style) Bangs!

Good luck! Don't be afraid. Bangs grow seriously fast!

Vibrant or Bozo?: Toning tips for the color challenged

[My last post talked about how my husband and I went to Walmart, and I let him pick my next "red" dye to try. (They were out of my favorite color.) He picked Herbal Essences Paint the Town Red #44, which is a VERY vibrant deep red. ]

No makeup. Yay!

Since I've been dying my own hair (and other people's) for years, I figured, whatever the outcome, I could fix it.  I used the dye over my own slightly faded medium to light auburn, it came out a lot more red than I was willing to contend with. It was a beautiful shade, but I didn't like what it looked like with my eyebrows. I LOVED what it looked like with my eyes and skin. I kept wavering between liking it and feeling like bozo. (Believe me...The picture doesn't do it justice! It was a VERY red, red!) Needless to say, we made a quick stop at Fred's today, and I picked up a color to tone it down.

Quick fact: If you need to tone a color down, try a shade lighter than you would normally pick. It often turns out darker than you would think! 

They were having a sale, so I picked up two boxes of dye for $5. I got a medium brown and a dark mahogany brown (just in case). Medium brown layered over a darker red, will usually result in a darker auburn that isn't quite as Ronald McDonald.

I love this brand, and I usually differ back to it after trying other brands. It is the cheapest, and it always works for me. My hair usually feels like silk afterwards. BUT (There's always a but.) the gloves that come with this brand are terrible. I borrowed some of my husband's powder-free latex gloves! :)

In addition to switching gloves, I always section my hair off before I dye my hair. If you don't, you run the risk of missing patches. Yuck!

That's three sections secured with hair ties then clipped out of the way.

After I took care of those steps, I mixed the dye according to the manufacturers instructions, and I only left it on for about 15 minutes. I didn't want to get rid of the red. I just wanted to tone it down a bit. After my time was up, I rinsed throughly and conditioned using a Herbal Essences after color conditioner. I saved my packed of Colorsilk conditioner for later. It is a good conditioner, but the packets are messy!

Here is my finished color:

Yet again, the lighting doesn't really do it justice. It is a very deep auburn. The brown balanced it out just enough, and when the light hits it, the red is amazing. 

Should you decide to do your own color, don't panic. Unless you are trying to go from black to blonde or something crazy, you can probably achieve what you want at home. Just do a little research on the brand you like and the color wheel, and you should be good. If you have an "Uh Oh!" moment like I did, just think logically about what color could tone it down. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to post a comment! 

Hair Care

Have you ever woken up the morning after you worked so hard on your hair, and it actually looks better than last night? Geez. 

                                                           Image courtesy of fabsugar.com

No, seriously. There is a reason for this. Chances are you're washing your hair, putting product in it, drying it, and styling it every day. Your hair also probably wants to kick you in the butt sometimes.

Try these tips:

1. Take a look at your shampoo:

A) Is it clarifying? If so, are you using a ton of product every day? If you aren't, you probably don't need to clarify daily. Use this shampoo once or twice a week. If you have color-treated hair, beware!
B) Did you know that your shampoo is really concentrated stuff? Seriously! Take half the bottle and pour it into a clean, empty shampoo bottle. Fill each the rest of the way up with water. Shake it a bit to mix it. Your hair will get just as clean. Promise!
C) Are you conditioning every day? You probably don't need to. Try mixing just a tiny dab in with your shampoo instead of a full on coat. Also, shampoo is more for the roots, and conditioner is for the ends of your hair.

2. Washing your hair every day could actually be causing it to be more prone to oil. The more you wash, the more oil that is taken away. Your scalp thinks it is time to produce more! It sounds hard, and I was the worlds biggest sceptic about this. I cut back to washing every other day, and my hair looks TONS better. It's also 10 times more manageable and has more volume. Now, I wash my hair and let it dry naturally (Overnight sometimes). I get up and either touch it up with a straightener or curl it. If you prefer to blow it dry, just go ahead and put a little product in there like normal. Touch it up the next day with the blow dryer or flat iron and go!

If you are really concerned about your hair getting oily or smelling less than fresh, try a dry shampoo. I bought "Psst!" from Walgreens for $5. If I need to touch up the crown of my head or my bangs, I spray a bit there and fluff it out. It smells pretty good, and it keeps your hair looking fresh!

Hope some of this helps you!

PS: If you are having trouble getting in the swing of a new hair washing schedule, do it over the weekend. You can sort out the problems without feeling self-conscious at work or school!

Pink hair!

Told you I would update you on the process of my pink hair. I didn't end up needing to bleach more than one time. The color is a lot brighter in person than in the picture, and I like it a lot.

I tucked the highlights into my hair, so if I part it one way, the color is almost completely concealed. I originally had the very bottom layer in pink as well, but I ended up dying it black. I just didn't like the look of it.

I used Pink Fetish by Splat!, which I purchased at Walgreens for $9.99. The quality of the product was really good. Even after applying black hair dye (Balsam Lasting Color Creme in 618), I was still able to bleach to a really light color. The pink took very well and is pretty consistent throughout the whole length of my hair, which is nice.

Try it out!

Black and (pink?) hair

Currently sitting with hair in foils attempting pink highlights in my newly black hair. We'll see. Probably going to need to bleach two or three times to make them pop. I hope they turn out. Will post pics!:)