Over the next few blogs I will be focusing on the correct way to curl your hair and the various methods. A very common problem I hear from clients is not know how to curl their hair or that the curl falls out. The reason for this is technique or just not using the correct methods.

There’s a lot to cover in methods of curling so let’s jump right in with the basics. There are several ways to approach curling. There is a wet set and dry set. Wet setting takes more time since you have to wait for it to dry. Drying can be assisted by a hooded dryer or just air drying. Air drying can take an very long time especially if your hair is long and/ or thick. Dry setting is a done with tools that create a high amount of heat such as in curling irons and hot rollers. Dry setting doesn’t usually last as long but there are tricks I will be covering to assist lengthening the freshness of the curl.

Something else to consider when purchasing your curling tools is the desired tightness of your curl. Since curl likes to relax a bit you may want to select a tool a slightly smaller than your desired outcome. A larger roller will create less of a curl and more of a wave. And very large rollers will create volume and hardly any curl at all. The standard size of barrel for most irons and rollers are about 1”.

Being lazy and trying to take short cuts when styling will create messy results or no result at all. It’s important to take the appropriate sized sections. This depends on the size of barrel you decide to use.

Most importantly, practice and be patient. It takes time to perfect good styling techniques. Try to have fun and experiment with what works best for you!

Holy crap! The story of my life!!

No matter what your political beliefs, the treatment of demonstrators at the OccupyWallstreet protest is deplorable. I have decided to post a description of what our constitutional rights say. The NYPD should be healed accountable for violating those rights and the public media should be put under scrutiny for not reporting on it. We need to collectively stand up and question our governments actions and demand change and equality.

The freedom of Assembly

“Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests.[1] The right to freedom of association is recognized as a human right, a political freedom and a civil liberty.

Freedom of assembly and freedom of association may be used to distinguish between the freedom to assemble in public places and the freedom of joining an association. Freedom of assembly is often used in the context of the right to protest, while freedom of association is used in the context of labor rights and the Constitution of the United States, is interpreted to mean both the freedom to assemble and the freedom to join an association.[2][not in citation given]

In the United States constitution, it states ‘the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.’”

Start with clean dry hair parted on the side.

Comb the sides straight back and Bobby pin. Insert the Bobby pins on top of each other in X’s for extra hold.

Start grabbing random pieces and making loops and Bobby pinning them to the sides where the X shapes are. Leave ends loose.

Continue making loops in the nape and securing them with X shapes.

Once all the hair is looped spray with a firm hold hairspray.

Try embellishing with flowers and accessories!

Fun loopy hairdo for today! Tutorial to follow!

To create a ton of volume use 2 round brushes while blowing your hair out. Heat up one section and roll the section all the way to the root with the brush and leave it in. Then use the other brush in another section and alternate! This gives each section time to cool!

Happy styling!!

Yelp… ARGH! I’ve had many issues with the whole online review system. Whereas sometimes it works really great most companies have horrid business practices. And Yelp is the WORST!

Here’s the low down. Yelp uses a filter system for it’s reviews. It’s “filter” is less of a system and more of a incentive to buy. They call buisnesses that have a lot of reviews and try to sell ad space and promotions. When you don’t, they seem to filter out MOST of the buisness’ positive reviews. They say they have a system and try to filter out false reviews or reviews from people that don’t review a lot. This is NOT the case.

I’ve worked at a salon before where I had 20 good reviews filtered out and they left the one remaining one that was 1 star that even violated their said “terms” by using personal attacks and foul language. This was the only bad review I’ve ever received.  The client was horrible to me from the time she sat down. I was professional and stand by the work I did. Other clients in the salon even commented on how horrible she was. Yet since the owners of the salon ran the place from another country I was ultimately terminated because of this scathing review. (Which is a whole other story in terrible management.) This was several years ago yet that review still stands on the TOP of that buisness’ Yelp page.

I decided to write this to expose them for how horrible they are. The salon I currently work for has been in buisness for YEARS. I recently recieved a glowing review from a very satified client and again it was filtered out within 24 hours. Meanwhile on the page there are reviews from clients from years ago. The salon has a total of 139 reviews. 94 of them are filtered out. Out of the 94 filtered, 94 of them are 4 and 5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!! NONE of them are bad. Then in the non-filtered are 4 bad reviews and none of the people that the reviews are about even work there anymore!

Since the few new fantastic reviews the salon has gotten in the last few weeks that have been filtered out, Yelp has called the salon this week to ask us if we wanted to purchase as space. Everyplace gets a bad review now and then. This happens in ALL aspects of any type of service industry. But yelp highlights the flukes, hiccups and the occasional crazies for their company’s own financial gain. Every business on yelp that doesn’t give them money then suffers. This hurts small business owners that don’t have the extra income to throw at them.

In this time of economic turmoil, this practice is just deplorable. Shame on you Yelp! You are horrible people!

PLEASE RE-BLOG AND LET THE WORD GET OUT ABOUT THIS HORRIBLE COMPANY!

Shine Spray and Hairspray do pretty much the opposite thing. But used together and you can get a beautiful result. That’s getting a little ahead of ourselves. Not all hairsprays are created equal. Let’s start there.

Hairsprays come in two different varieties. They are usually labeled as working spray and finishing spray. Working spray is made to be a little more maliable. This means that you can use a working spray to give the hair a little more grit to aid in styling. Usually you can brush through them without them flaking. They don’t harden to the point of making the hair crunchy. Whereas finishing sprays are the final step. They harden and set the hair. Here’s a list of some of my favorites.

Working Sprays:

Alterna - Caviar Working Spray

Aquage - Working Spray

Osis Scwartkopt - Elastic Flexible Hold Hairspray

Finishing Spray:

Big Sexy Hair -Spray and Play Harder

Kevin Murphy -Session Spray

*Tips and Tricks for hair spray*

Set Dry hair in Velcro rollers and mist with a Working spray. Heat hair with a blow dryer on low speed but high heat. Let cool for 10 minutes and remover rollers. Shake out curls at the root. For additional volume and hold do my FAVORITE hair spray trick. Lean your head back and mist a finishing spray on the underside of your hair sections by lifting and misting your ends. Also mist the sides in this position. Let dry for 20 seconds. When you lift your head you’ll have va-vavoom volume!

Now shine. Shine serums can be great for finishing but I find them a little difficult for people to control. I personally hardly use them. I’m obsessed, on the other hand, with shine sprays. I like to use them as the final step in styling. Hair sprays can sometimes dull the finish of the hair. A shine spray on misted on top of any style will make your hair look like spun silk! Because they are an oil base product though use them sparingly. Too much and is can make your hair look oily and add weight to a style making them fall. Mist it over an updo to make it look polished and bring out the detail. Here are my favorites.

Textureline - Texture Shine

Amika Obliphica - Oil Shine Spray

Aquage - Beyond Shine Spray

Eufora - Illuminate Shine Spray

Abba - Pure Shine Spray

Texturizing product are the MOST fun of the products! They add various degrees of separation and are the most commonly feared by the general masses. They can add that sultry beachy feel, make a cut come to life, add edge to your look or make you look more polished.

Let’s start with Pomades. There are dozens of different kinds of pomades out there! Picking which one to use really is determined by what your desired result is. Some have more hold, some more shine, some add moisture and on and on.

*Note - I’ll explain the types then application at the end of the post.

Let’s start with pomade for the shy of looking too “done”. If you generally don’t want to look like you have spend a ton of time on their hair these are for you. Hair companies have products out there that will help hair look more put together and polished without all the shine and shellac type properties. They will help tame your hair and keep it in place or rough it up and add separation while defining your cut and make you look more put together. Guys, this doesn’t mean you are a metro-sexual. It just means you care about your appearance. Try a Matte pomade. Here’s a few I’m crazy about.

American Crew - Fiber (for the men)

Bumble and Bumble - Sumotech

Paul Mitchell - Tea Tree Pomade

Textureline - Material

Next there are texture creams. Texture creams can be a bit lighter but still add separation and hold. I really love using texture creams because they allow for movement but still keep the hair polished and can add a slight about of shine while helping tame frizz.

Redkin- Rough paste (don’t worry, it’s not sticky like paste)

Rusk - Wired

Bumble and Bumble - Texture Cream or Grooming Creme

Now we come to waxes and full on pomades. These vary so much in hold but generally all do the same thing. Some are lighter and don’t provide as much hold but add texture and shine while others are thick hard waxes that shellac the hair in place. As far as the hard or stronger pomades such as Murray’s there is only one company that I know of that makes a water soluble version and I stick by that. Hard pomades are generally used for pompadours or mad men slick styles. The problem with these if you’re using them in excess is that the sun will melt them and it looks disgusting. Also they can clog pores and cause hair loss… EEK!

Now not to scare off the lighter wax users! The lighter waxes are not scary. They are water soluble.

Lighter Waxes:

Redkin - Water Wax

Aveda - Anti Humectant

Bumble and Bumble - Sumo wax

Texture line - Texture Shine

Heavy Waxes:

Hawleywood - Layrite (it comes in two strenghts and smells awesome!)

Now to get that tousled fresh from the beach texture there are several companies that have products out that give you a saltwater styled feel without the saltwater damage. They are matte and add zero shine.

Bumble and Bumble - surf spray

Kevin Murphy - Hair Resort Spray

L’Oreal Professional- Play Ball Beach Creme

APPLICATION:

Now aside from sprays, which are pretty self explanatory, here’s how you use a products. Start small until you are used to judging the amount you need. Add a little product to the palm of your hand and rub your hands together. The heat from your hand will break the product down a little. We call the emulsifying. This makes the product application easier especially if you are using a heavier product. Now application is dependent on the desired result.

If you just want a little definition in your end run your fingers through the ends or slide fingertips through them. For more definition pinch and slide through sections. If you need more product wipe your fingers in the palm of your opposite hand.

For a more sleek look use a small amount of product and apply product by sliding your palms sandwiched over sections.

For a messy texture scrunch the products in. This will give the hair a loose and more bed head feel.

Guys: Don’t forget your short sides and back. After getting the appropriate amount of product on your hand rub your hands through your hair in every direction over your whole head then comb through your hair with your finger to give your hair the desired look.

Most important: HAVE FUN! These products are great finishers and are fun to play with to create different looks.

Volumizing products are probably the most misused products out there. So often I hear “I bought X product and I didn’t like it. It didn’t do anything.” Creating volume is totally the work of your styling ability. Products just assist in hold. Although volume adding product can be used to hold a style roots to end the most important part of volume is created at the root.

Volumizing products can be mousses, sprays or creams. They are once again applied wet. After showering towel dry by squeezing and patting excess water. DO NOT RUB THE TOWEL ON YOUR HAIR! This roughens the cuticle and tangles. If you’re using a mousse or cream apply the product into your hand. Rub your hands together to distribute it evenly. Pat the product on your scalp and rub your fingers into the roots. Distribute the rest by running your hands down your hair shaft. If you’re using a spray lift your hair and spray product into the roots. Comb through.

Now again we begin to blow dry. This is the most important part. If you blow dry your hair down it’s going to lay flat. You have to create volume with how you blow dry. To do this you’ll need a round brush and a blow dryer with a nozzle. I prefer a natural bristle brush. They tend to really grab and smooth the sections best.

If you didn’t read my last blog I’ll do a quick overview here on how to blow dry. Start by quickly drying the hair without the nozzle moving the dryer back and forth over the hair and lifting hair at the root. When the hair is mostly dry/ slightly damp add the nozzle and pick up the brush. Take horizontal 1” sections starting above the ear and working to the top of the head. With your blow dryer in one hand and brush in the other pick up the section with the blow dryer hand and place the brush under the section at the root. Now this is where you create your volume. The nozzle should follow the brush pointing AWAY from the root. The more volume you want the higher toward the ceiling you lift that section. When you get to the ends grab that section and do it again until the section is dry. (This is why hairstylists use higher power blow dryers. They work faster and save your arms. It’s worth it to spend the extra money and buy a better quality dryer. I swear by Elchem. I have used nothing but them for 14 years.)

Working with the back of the head takes practice. I suggest parting the back down the middle to make those sections easier to manage.

And as always here’s my favorites in the world of Volume:

Kevin Murphy - Anti Gravity (by far my all time favorite right now)

Redkin - Root Boost

Bumble and Bumble - Thickening Cream

Practice this and in time you’ll have barbarella style volume!