Thank you everyone that participated in my photo shoot night! We all had a really great time and I got a lot of fantastic shots.

I am no longer taking models but thank you all for your continued interest. Because of all the inquiries about the model call I am in the process of developing a photo shoot night for anyone interested in getting hair, make-up and a professional head shot. This will all be at a very reasonable rate! I’ll keep you informed as this develops more. Feel free to email me if interested and I’ll personally get back to you with details!

In other fun news, I’m planning a few different events in the form of classes. I’ll be teaching blow dry classes and a basics in updo class. These will be a hands on classes where I put the tools in your hands and give you the knowledge to give yourself salon perfect hair everyday! So stop watching teenagers burn their hair off on the internet and come take a class from a professional! ;)

Here’s a few samples of what we did at the photo shoot. And you can see the entire series on my web site here

Jumping right in here. Section in thin section of hair. Clip the flat iron at the root of the section.

Slide the iron down the section slightly and start to rotate the iron. Make sure you hold the ends to feed them into the iron.

Once you make one full rotation the hair should be feeding in through the bottom again. Now slide the iron down the section while holding the ends and feeding them into the iron. If it’s to tight to slide open and close the iron while moving down the section.

There you have it! You magically made a curl from a flat surface!

I know you are. I know you ALL are. It’s okay I’m here to help. You take that scorching hot iron and slide it to the crispy ends of your hair and roll it up. Then you take the iron out and let that curl fly. Soon enough your roots are straight and the curl is just a wave in the ends.

So here’s the deal. When you roll from your ends not the entire hair strand gets the right amount of heat. Then your ends get too much. By the time you roll up to the root the hair has to penetrate through the ends and the mid shaft to heat up the root. Then when you release the hot hair you let it hang and the curl starts to fall out because the curl wasn’t allowed to cool in the right shape.

Be forwarded. This may be tricky to get the hang of. Once you do though you’ll be impressed by how bouncy and full your curls will be.

First start with a section slightly smaller in thickness than the barrel of the iron you choose.

Clip the iron on the section by the root while holding onto the ends.

Slide the iron down slightly and begin to turn the iron. Keep a hold on the ends and follow them around while feeding them into the iron.

Continue leading the ends into the iron by opening and closing the iron while turning continuing the curl.

Once the ends are completely fed into the iron let it set for a few seconds. Open the iron and slide it out while keeping the curl in tact.

Clip the curl in place to cool.

Repeat this all over your whole head then mist with hairspray. Allow the pinned up curls to stay in until the entire head has cooled. The result will be a more bouncy and long lasting curl from root to ends.

Remember the barrel size will make a bigger or smaller curl.

A bigger barrel will leave more of a body wave.

And a smaller barrel will make a tight curl.

Once again these are tricky but you’ll get a much better result with a bit of practice.

The same basic rules apply to all types of rollers. You want to take a section of hair slightly smaller in length and width than the size of the roller you choose. This is probably the most common error in setting rollers. If your sections are too big you won’t get a consistent curl. Also depending on the method the hair might not get enough heat or won’t dry well. Also if you remove the rollers too soon and the curl is not completely dry or not completely cool. The set will then fall out. Another thing to be very aware of is the ends of the hair. If the ends aren’t wrapped around the roller they won’t curl and will look sloppy and bent. I recommend using a setting lotion when setting your hair wet. It adds a slight tackiness to the hair that helps setting easier. Don’t worry. It will still dry soft.

Since they are my favorite let’s start with sponge rollers. Start with significantly wet hair. Apply your setting lotion and comb through. Start at the top take a section slightly smaller in width and length that the roller size you choose.

Make sure the hair is combed and elevated the section. Smooth the ends of the hair over the rollers.

The ends are very important. Make sure the are tucked in. Start rolling the roller down with enough tension to keep the hair wrapping smoothly over the roller.

When you get to the base turn the clip so you can swing the arm over the top of the roller and snap shut.

Remember with sponge rollers to control your tension. If the tension is too tight it will squeeze the roller and your curl will be smaller than you want.

The method with vented rollers is pretty much the same. The section should be smaller in width and length than the roller.

Elevate the section and smooth ends over the roller.

Make sure the ends stay on the roller and keep tension and you roll the roller down to the root.

Secure the roller with a roller clip.

Now onto hot rollers. The hair must be completely dry for hot rollers to work. Same as before the section need to be slightly smaller than the roller.

Elevate section and smooth ends over roller.

Make sure ends stay tucked and roll the roller down to the base while keeping tension on the section.

Clip section secure at the root.

I recommend misting the whole head with a light hair spray and letting the hot rollers cool completely (10-15 minutes at least) before removing.

Remember that these techniques are not the easiest thing to master so be patient and practice. The more to do it the better you will get. Mind the ends and keep the tension and you’ll have beautiful and bouncy curls.

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!

We all want what we don’t have when it comes to our hair. So let’s start product week with one of the most common hair issues people have. Curly to straight.

Curly hair also tends to have a frizzy texture to it I’ll cover how to combat that as well.

Straightening products come in many forms such as gel like consistencies, creams, lotions and balms. They are most commonly put on damp hair. After showering squeeze excess water out of your hair. NEVER rub your hair vigorously with a towel! This roughs up the texture and tangles it. The length and thickness of your hair will determine the amount of product to use. It will also vary by brand as consistencies differ along with effectiveness. Apply the product by pouring the product in your hand. Then rub your hands together and pat the product onto your hair and be sure not to forget underneath. Then you can run your hands through your hair roots to end. This technique helps ensure overall coverage. Comb through your hair. Now we can start to blow dry.

First you start off by doing what we call rough drying. Don’t worry about starting to use your round brush until your hair is mostly dry. You’re just creating extra work for yourself. Once your hair is mostly dry start by sectioning your hair. Section off a 1” section horizontally above the ear. If you start from the bottom of each area it’s easier to keep organized and not tangle. The most important part of effective blow drying is the nozzle. It will direct the heat and smooth the cuticle. It’s unfortunate that this is the first thing people discard when getting a new dryer.

Use your round brush and pick up the section with the hand you are holding your blow dryer with. This takes a little practice. With the other hand that your holding your round brush place the brush under the section at the root. Then blow dry the section roots sliding to ends with the nozzle parellel to your round brush. Then pick up that section and repeat until the section is dry. Take 1” sections and work to the top of the head. Correct blow drying takes a little practice but over time you’ll get good at it. Just be patient.

** Additional smoothing trick**

After the section is dry grab the section and slide your hand down from roots to ends. The heat and natural oils in your hand will help seal the cuticle.

Here are some of the straightening and smoothing products I like.

Redken - Straight

Tigi - Bed Head Control Freak

Davines - Anti-Frizz Fluid

Bumble and Bumble - Straight

Now some of the straightening product have anti frizz qualities but some people have texture that need a little more help. It’s okay to use more than one product. Anti-Frizz products are usually creams or oils. They can be applied wet or dry. The ones you can apply wet can even be mixed with the straightening product so you can put them on at the same time. When putting these on dry hair you need to use a slight bit of caution though. Too much oil will just make your hair look greasy. Put a small amount in your palm and rub your hands together to distribute the product. Your palm will act as a reservoir for the excess. Comb through your hair with your fingers starting with your ends. When you feel you need a little more product wipe your fingers on your opposite hands to pick up more. If you need more get more as you work up the hair shaft. You should need less by the time you get to your root. Gently glide your hands over roots with the remaining product.  Again, start with less than you think you need or you may look like you haven’t showered in weeks.

Here are some of my favorite anti-frizz products…

Biosilk - Silk Therapy Serum (this is also amazing on your skin!!)

Kevin Murphy - Easy Rider (I prefer this on dry hair only and use it on pretty much everyone!)

Redken - gloss

Kerastasse - Nutritive hair serum

Happy Straightening!

There are billions of types of product options that we use on our hair. This week I’ll be breaking down types of products and what types you should be using depending on your hair type. This blog will be an overview of the week to come.

Products are not effective if not used properly. Products are applied to wet, dry or damp hair depending on the desired outcome. No products are a magic fix to make your hair curly, straight, get rid of frizz or add hold if you aren’t doing the correct styling techniques. Product are basically made in different consistencies with various degrees of hold. They can add shine or be matte in finish.They can also assist in adding and decreasing moisture.

If you use a straightening product on your damp hair, for example, and then don’t blow dry correctly the straightening product will not work. Products assist your styling techniques to make your job easier and last longer. Same with curl boosting products. They won’t magically make your hair curly.

In the next few days I’ll go through various products and give you techniques on how to use them. Products make the difference in hum drum styles and salon fresh looking hair. So stay tuned!

P.S. For all you guys out there… I’ll also be covering pomades and mens products!