Highlights and Lowlights

Highlights and lowlights are a way to add definition and shine to hair color without dying all of the hair. Highlights are streaks in the hair that can be any shade lighter than your natural hair color to add shine. Lowlights are any shade darker than natural, and add definition. Really pretty looks are bleach hair with chocolate lowlights and chocolate hair with caramel highlights!

My Favorite Updo - Casual or Formal!

I absolutely love up-dos that are nice looking but fancier than a plain ponytail or a bun. This one is dressy and is my go to style for when I want to dress up and wear accessories like jewelry. This hairstyle accents your neck so you can wear it with a nice necklace, or you can show off some earrings. This is actually an extremely simple style to pull off, and can be worn as a formal style or as a more dressy casual style. To create this style:

1: French braid your bangs/fringe in a headband braid and keep it going to about your ear, leaving out a small piece of hair on each side of your face around the temple or cheekbone area, depending on if you have face framing pieces on the sides.

2: Once you get to your ear with the french braid, keep going with a regular braid and tie the ends off with a small elastic. (I use the small, clear rubber ones.)

3: Gather your hair and your braid into a low ponytail slightly to the side of the braid. (Leave out those small sections on the side of your face!)

4: While pulling the ponytail through the ponytail holder, on the last time only pull the hair through halfway creating a loose bun.

5: Start pinning random sections of the bun around the bun. Eventually, your bun should be tighter, larger, and have a messy yet full appearance.

6: Lastly, you will need to curl the sections you left out. You can use a curling iron to do this or use a flat iron. I use a flat iron to curl the whole strand. To curl with a straightener, clamp the straightener at the top of the section. Wrap hair underneath around the straightener so the hair is going out and over the top plate. Rotate the straightener 180 degrees toward your head so that the hair is wrapped around the flat iron and the hair is coming out between the plates. Then, slowly pull the straightener down and you will have bouncy curls :)

7: (Optional) Add accessories! I recently (today) did this style and added a headband behind the braid. You can also add flower clips or bows around the bun or put jewelry on! Statement necklaces and drop earrings look really good with this style. Add subtle makeup, and keep the hair the main focus.

Salon vs. Drugstore Brands

 John Frieda: Drugstore

 Aquage: Salon

 Paul Mitchell: Salon

So, I have a lot of friends and family that will ask me what is better...salon brands or drugstore brands in haircare? Personally, I think that professionals have a better idea what they're doing and what they're talking about. If you plan on dying your hair, you should probably take the plunge that could be over $60 rather than take the risk that could be only up to $20. Drugstore dyes may be becoming easier and easier to apply but the outcome doesn't always come out that great. Get someone who knows what they're doing to dye your hair...you will not regret it, I promise! As far as shampoos, conditioners, and styling products it is all a matter of preference. Because I love most Paul Mitchell products, I definitely think salon brands are better because you get what you pay for. Some people do not believe in paying extra for the well-being of their hair (I truly don't understand that, your hair is very important) so they may think drugstore brands are better. My favorite salon brands are Paul Mitchell and Aquage, and my favorite drugstore brands are John Frieda and Not Your Mother's.

Scene Hair

Okay, so scene hair interests me for reasons that I'm not sure I can explain. I would never have the nerve to go for scene hair because it is so bold, but it is definitely something I admire. Scene hair is extremely layered, with short layers and the over all look is razored. The bottom layers are long, and the common colors are black, bleached, and bright colors. Scene hair is styled straight, with extremely voluminous upper layers. There are usually long, sweeping bangs that cover the whole forehead. Sometimes coontails are put in, which is bleaching/dying a strip of hair in stripes. Feathers are also put in, as are big hair accessories like headbands and bows. Scene hair isn't one specific style, it is a type of style that is highly expressive.

Vintage Hollywood Glam

Retro Hollywood styles were very elegant, well-thought out, and took a lot of crafting to pull off. These styles included finger waves, spit curls, and a lot of curly styles for medium length hair. Finger waves were a full wave effect on the whole head that went side to side rather than around like wavy styles do now. Spit curls were one round curl flat to the side of a woman's face. A popular length for these styles was medium shoulder length. Vintage icons are Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.

"Never Ever Do!'s"

Hair has a very, very wide range of styles, colors, and cuts for everyone to express themselves in a different way. Technically, nothing is "wrong" if you are expressing yourself, but never catch yourself dead doing these things wrong:

1. Over teasing/Creating a rat's nest - seriously, do you want to look like that? I'm sure everyone knows this one.

2. Learn your shampoo schedule, but please don't go in public with oily hair...seriously, if shampooing everyday isn't your thing then make sure it doesn't look greasy or find a style to disguise oily roots.

3. Dye your hair a completely opposite color without plans to keep up on it - if you have blonde hair, don't dye it black without intentions to keep dying the roots. If you bleach dark hair, keep up on it. Honey, it's not ombre to leave it, it's a straight growth line. Do the lovely ombres some justice.

4. And please please don't go in public with completely fried hair thinking it looks great. If your hair would catch fire easier than hay, please stop and take care of it :)

Society's "Pretty" Hair

Everyone complains about the media putting pressure on young girls. Pressure to be skinny, have a flat stomach, have slim thighs and still have curves. Model thin seems to be the only form of beautiful these days, and that applies to hair too. Just like everyone comes in different sizes and shapes, so does their hair. Beautiful is not just sleek, black hair or big blonde curls. Beautiful is tiny, black ringlets, thin, stringy blonde hair, or frizzy, wavy brown hair. All hair is beautiful, and all hair has the potential to be whatever you want it to be. Short hair is beautiful, long hair is beautiful, and a confident woman with no hair is beautiful too. So keep your heads up lovelies, you're crushing your lovely locks <3