Hair TLC

I have been selling so many conditioning treatments lately! So what do I do? I blog about it before I go search the Internet for ways to spend that nice commission check coming my way! I'm thinkin' mama needs a new pair of shoes...
I'm my top three picks are...

#3 K-Pak Intense Hydrator by Joico


I used Joico in beauty school and liked this quite a bit. Its a little too heavy for my hair but all you course-haired chicks will probably dig it! Its especially great to use with their color-protection line.

#2 Hydracure by Pureology


This is the first conditioning treatment I ever used. It smells nice and comes with this cute little comb! Its spendy though, so be prepared! Its not too heavy for my hair, which makes me happy.

#1 Quenching or Mending Masque by Bumble and bumble



I list these under one because I love them both equally and you can pick which one to use depending on what you hair needs. Quenching is for hair that just isn't getting enough moisture from regular conditioning or the weather is zapping it dry. This will make your hair so soft, tame some of the fly-aways and get rid of that "dusty ends" look you get with dry hair. Mending is for my chemical and heat dependent girls (I am in this category!). If your hair is getting toasted from over-processing (meaning color or perm. Other solution for perm damage? Don't get a freakin' perm.) or excessive heat styling, this will be your new BFF. It will help close those frayed cuticles to stop the hair from continuously splitting and breaking. I'm not even going to tell you how amazing they both smell. This is going to sound creepy, but they smell so good you wanna eat them. No joke.
Some of you might be thinking you don't need a conditioning treatment, but I assure you-ya do! Even my short haired girls need one every so often, even if its only once a month or so. If you don't want to commit to a whole bottle, your salon definitely has a conditioning treatment on its menu for a reasonable price! That way you can try it out and see if you like it. Your hair will thank you! Or me.

Les

Hair Dos
-You can give yourself a conditioning treatment a couple of ways:

• Shower and wash your hair but don't condition. When you get out, towel dry your hair a little and comb the treatment through. Clip your hair up (put on a shower cap if you have it!) and leave it for about 20-30 minutes. Rinse and you are done!


• Before bed wash and towel dry your hair. Apply the treatment like the steps above and put on a shower cap. Next, take a beanie cap, put it on over the shower cap and go to bed! The beanie will trap your body heat and help the treatment penetrate deeper. Rinse it out in the morning and you are good to go. With extra soft hair, even!

Hair Donts

-Don't use a conditioning treatment like a regular conditioner, its way too potent and heavy for that. Only use it once or twice a week at most!

This Post was brought to you by:

-A Shasta Zazz (also known as a Fresca knock-off)

-A banana chocolate chip cookie from the batch I made for our receptionist who just quit. They aren't very good so we will be making something else... Miss you already Bradley!

-The pile of laundry I should be doing

Waterfall Braid

Sorry about the two day hiatus! I am, after all, a very busy woman. Like yesterday, I spent the entire day hanging out with my mom and my niece, Stella. Very high-paced scenario.
When I got back to Logan this morning, Kash asked if I would mind pulling her hair half-up in some manner. I was more than happy to oblige! We decided to do the waterfall braid that everyone with a Pinterest account is trying. In case you don't know how to do one/have no clue what I am talking about, I of course, made a less-than-detailed tutorial! Let the braiding begin!!

I started by splitting her hair up into three equal(ish) sections, like how you normally start a braid...
I then wound them around(like you normally braid) once. I took the bottom section of hair and dropped it...
I then picked up a NEW section of hair and braided it in once and dropped my bottom section. Pick up a new section and continue on like this all the way around the head. Ya savvy?

I ended it by putting the ends in a small elastic and wrapping hair around to hide it. Use a bobby pin to hold it in place.

I also did this braid again today at work. My client, Sabrina, wanted me to curl it and I offered to braid it too. She was so excited! I think her little sister might have been a little jealous! (I didn't do her hair. It was outta my hands!)

You can see the detail a little better on Sabrina's hair because it lighter and because I curled it first. I know this wasn't my clearest tutorial but I was in a hurry this morning and didn't get enough pictures! Sorry! Any questions can be left as comments!

Happy weekend!
Les

Hair Dos
-Practice so you get a feel for how tight to pull the braid!
-Try double waterfall braids!

Hair Don'ts
-Don't cut your own hair. ( I know that has nothing to do with this current post but given the amount of people lately who ask if I can cut my own hair, I felt it needed addressing. And to put to rest any questions, aside from a simple bang trim-NO I cannot cut my own hair! Neither should you. Ever.)


This Post was brought to you by:
-Little Caesar's
-Weeds, Season 7 (YAY!!)
-The amazingly busy day at work I had!

Feelin' Blue!

Remember when I said fashion colors were coming in style for everyday, normal people? Please meet Jennifer...

Cool huh?! And I'd say pretty dang subtle for being BLUE. She is a cute little mom of 4 boys (yikes!) and doesn't usually color her hair. She loved it! Everyone at the salon wanted to see it. See what I'm tellin' ya? Don't be afraid!

PEACE!

Les

This Post was brought to you by:

-A chicken sandwich my parents got me from Larry's Spring Chicken Inn

-Wrapping my nephew, Hunter's present.

-Using my conversion app to convert Hong Kong dollars to US dollars for my Dad

NOT CUTE!

Let me preface this with a few words everyone's favorite hair model, Jacie,asked me to share: "I know my hair is greasy. Don't judge me."
Now thats out of the way...
I was going to give a tutorial on some cross-over braids Jacie found. I have all the pictures of all the steps and everything. But I'm going to be real, it turned out butt-ugly. Please consider Exhibit A-

This little gem isn't my best work. I even tried to resurect it by putting the ends in buns but that didn't look too swell either. She wanted her hair done before she wen't country swing dancing so this is what I came up with...

Mucho better, no? And easy. She put on her little bohemian top, cowboy boots and headed down to the Fun Park. If anyone REALLY wants to learn how to do the cross-over braids, I might give it a take-two. Maybe it will be less ugly. Maybe.

Check ya later!

Les

This post was brought to you by:

-Our "Summer dinner" we whipped up

-Orange Fanta in a glass bottle WITH a straw

-Jason coming to visit!

Its gettin' all high fashion up in here!!!

I hope your sitting down because I'm about to blow your mind...I have discovered the next "thing". Sock buns, be damned! I was reading about Fashion Week in NYC and, as far as hair goes, this style at the Marc Jacobs show was all everyone could talk about. Funny thing, its so flippin easy, its ridiculous.
To start I parted Kashlie's hair into two sections...

The I braided one of the sections straight down. Don't get too close to the ear...


I spread the braid out a little bit because you want it too look a little messy. Then I started making a bun...

I finished wrapping it around, being sure to hide my ponytail and tuck in the ends. I repeated on the other side. Here it is!


I like them a lot! Especially if you leave the bangs down or leave a little out around your face. I don't recommend the hideous hats at the Marc Jacobs show, though. Lets just say his inspiration for the hats was Dr. Seuss...

Hope you had a good weekend!
Les


Hair Dos

• Keep the buns low and towards the back of the head.



• A little messiness is a good thing

Hair Don'ts

• DON'T wear this like you're freakin Princess Leia...eww

This Post was brought to you by:

-The movie, School Ties

-My extreme hunger but lack of motivation to cook anything

Nobody likes a Copy Cat...

Us Weekly is jackin' my posts!

I guess immitation is the sincerest form of flattery...haha

By the way Rhianna, you look like a hot messy lately. There is a big difference between ombr'e and just having grow-out. Color your roots girl! I'm not even going to get into that lipstick color...

I'm headed on a little overnight trip but will defiantly be back tomorrow with some tutorials and other fun stuff!

See ya!

Les

This post was brought to you by:

-All the gossip magazine's at this salon

-My new shirt

-A yummy slice of Banana bread!

Mom, don't freak out...

A few highlights of this pastel purple color...

Do I dare?!!!

Les

To Bang or Not to Bang...

Did ya miss me?! Yesterday was kinda crazy and by the time I got home from work, I went straight to bed. I had some LATE, last minute appointments and my dog decided to go on unsupervised walk-about around the subdivision. Joy.
Anywho, today we are going to talk about BANGS. Or fringe, for all my non-American compadres.(Yes, this blog is an international hit. Someone in Germany has read my blog...once.) I like bangs, IF you get the correct bangs for your face shape/hair type. I'm telling you right now, bangs are work. They constantly need to be trimmed and if you aren't blessed with completely straight hair with ZERO callics, be prepared. Now that I have sufficiently scared you, we will begin!

The Cameron


No matter how short or long Cameron Diaz's hair is, she always seems to have some form of this "bang". I use the quotations her because these aren't exactly bangs but they aren't exactly just layers either. If you are thinking about bangs but are nervous, these are great to start out with. If your shortest piece falls near your eyes, you'll feel like your eyes really POP all of a sudden. Anything below there is really just face-framing layers, don't kid yourself. Super low maintenance, flattering for everyone, easy to grow-out if you change your mind.

The Reese

Oh my. If someone has brought a picture of Reese Witherspoon into me once (especially the second picture!) they have a hundred times. Everyone loves her and her bangs! I think they like the versatility. They can be worn straight down or to the side. Her bangs are more commitment because they will defiantly take sometime to grow out. These are great of you have a larger forehead you want to minimize but because you have the side option, girls with a slightly more petite forehead can pull them off too. Be mindful of any callics you might have to fight and the texture of your hair. If you have tight curls, maybe not a good idea. Unless your ready with the round brush, blow dryer and straightener everyday. Make sure you tell your stylist you want to be able to wear them both forward and to the side!!

The Zooey

Oh Zooey Deschanel. You are adorable. In fact when I get done with this post, I'm going to watch the latest episode of her show, New Girl. On Hulu. Back to the bangs, I'm really really liking straight across bangs! Before you head down to the beauty shop with a picture of her, please take in account the texture (just like with Reese's) of your hair, callics, and your personal style. i.e.- they way you dress and/or intend to style your hair. If your plan is to put a big 'ol curl in these bad boys and walk out the door in your Lee Riders with Skechers shape-ups. PLEASE refrain. Big NC, any day of the week. These should be worn straight, maybe a slight bend under or pinned back. The end. If you have a very round, full face you might not like these either. I'm not saying they wont look good. I'm just saying hypothetically, if your friend Ally convinces you (or really, just cuts as you scream I SAID SIDE BANGS!!!!!!) to get straight across bangs, you might feel like your face looks fat. Despite everyone telling you how much they LOVE them and how they bring out your eyes. Hypothetically.

I'm not saying these are the only bangs out there, but these three really represent the main categories bangs fall into, in my opinion. I hope you feel more informed about your fringe options!!

Thank you, come again!

Les

This Post was brought to you by:

-Lexie Grant. (YOU know why! haha)

-Dinner with Deanna-Banana @ The Crepery

-Zebra Popcorn

Leslie's Must Haves

I know, I have reviewed a couple of these products already. But that isn't exactly the point of this post. The point is that I won't go ANYWHERE without these products.Not even a quick over-night trip to my parents house. Here is why...I am vain, I feel better about life when I have gotten ready for the day and they work!
I TRULY believe you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. You never know who you will meet and what opportunities might present themselves. You might think its okay to run to the grocery store looking like crap, which is fine! I don't look super great sometimes either. But I can't count how many times I've given my business card out at the super market or the mall or even the movies because someone complemented my hair or boots or something else that can start a conversation.
The part I said about 'feeling better when I've gotten ready for the day', its true! About almost any situation. When I was growing up, if I ever felt sick or blah or even just in a bad mood, my mom would tell me, "Go take a shower. You'll feel better." And I swear, I always did (and still do)! Something about a bar of soap clears my mind, I guess. So the point I'm trying to make is, BE PREPARED.
Wow. This post just took off in a unforeseen direction. But that's okay! On to the stuff I love...

Starting from the left...
Stone Crop Hydrating Mist by Eminence.
This stuff is great. I just spray it on my face and my skin instantly feels calmer. Its awesome after you've been on a plane or a long car ride and your skin feels gross. It also smells nice, which doesn't hurt. Stone Crop is related to the Aloe Vera plant and so it feels amazing sprayed on a sunburn! Or even a flat iron burn. Not that I have done that.

Spray and Play by Sexy Hair
You have probably noticed I use this stuff a lot. I have used A LOT of other hairsprays but I just keep coming back to this one. It gives me the right amount of hold, its not too sticky. It just works!

Shampoo and conditioner by Pureology
This particular kind is called Perfect4Platinum. I am also addicted to the Hydrating shampoo and conditioner. Along with anyone else who tries it. The Platinum is great but the Hydrating just smells good and tingles and works for all hair types. Even fine/thin. Its pricey but worth it. I have never found a shampoo that helps keep your color from washing out better than this stuff!

Blonde Glam Color Enhancer by Redken
I like my blond to be super pale without looking yellow or brassy. So, I use this conditioning treatment once a week (okay, twice a week. At the most!). Its purple! Because violet cancels out yellow. I leave it on for 5 minutes in the shower and then rinse it out. Don't use it too much or your hair will start to have a pale purple-ish tinge to it. Which I'm assuming most people don't want.

Soy Renewal by Sexy Hair
Another product I use a lot. I also like Moroccan Oil but that stuff is a little too rich for my blood. Especially when this is cheaper and also works pretty dang good! Put it on before you blow dry to cut your drying time down. It also softens your hair and gets rid of some frizz and fly-aways. After your hair is dry you can put a little through your hair for shine. Don't go overboard though! Grease-ball is not a good look for you, my dude!!

Texture Twist by Pureology
I dedicated a whole post to this stuff. I love it. 'Nuff said.

Perfume
Specifically Bright Crystal by Versace. I love perfume. I just think is feminine and fun and makes your whole hair/makeup/outfit complete. That being said, I'm extremely picky. Fruity and sweet? What am I, 8? Too Flowery? Now I smell like a grandma. You get the idea. The smell has to be just right. I used to wear CK IN2U by Calvin Klein, but they stopped making it. Which pissed me off. I considered writing a stern letter. Until I found this stuff. I don't usually trust others to pick out a scent for me, but my mom brought this back from a trip she and my dad took and I love it. People are always complementing me on it. Before you go being impressed by the fact that I wear Versace, its really not that expensive. Like, $30 at Nordstrom Rack!
Now you might be thinking I because I like perfume that I use a lot of scented lotions and body washes. WRONG. I refuse to wear scented lotion. I feel like that stuffs intended demographic is pre-teen girls. Its sticky, smells gross and messes with the smell of my perfume. I don't feel like body wash actually cleans your skin and most of it makes my skin dry and itchy, so I use a bar of Dial soap. After I get out of the shower, I use baby lotion. End of story.

Wow. Thanks for making it through all that with me! I'm sorry I was having rage over scented lotion.
In the words of my friend Jenna... SEEEEEEE-YA!
Les


This Post was brought to you by:
-Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret
-The massage Kara gave me at work (She is a licenced Massage Therapist. Not that creepy co-worker everyone has that thinks its appropriate to come up behind ANYONE and massage them. You know what I'm talkin' about)
-Cherry JuJu Hearts

Braid and Weave Tutorial

Here is the tutorial as promised! Its not too hard to do, you just need to have long hair. Longer than Jacie's would have worked even better! Short layers would also pose a problem, you'll see why...
To start, I parted off a section of hair like so...
Then I did a braid, only adding to one side (like the braid I did for the Braid and Bun tutorial!)
I braided with BIG sections and my braid was on the looser side...

(Full disclosure, I redid my braid after I took this picture. I wanted it just a little tighter. And prettier. Not much though, promise.)
This is where the "weave" part comes in. Remember that section of hair hanging by her ear? You are going to take smaller pieces from that section and weave them in and out of those large sections you were braiding with! To make this easier, I put a bobby pin on each section of hair...

And then wove it in and out of each section (like a needle and thread!) above the actual braid...

When I got to the end, I just suck the bobby pin in by her pony tail to hold it in place until I was finished weaving the other sections. Now, Grab another bobby pin and do it again! When are done weaving all your little pieces, I just grabbed all the hair, pulled the pins out and braided everything together.

Whatcha think? I like it but I think you could tell the basket weaving part a little better if A) Jacie had thicker hair and B) if I had curled it first. It mostly looks like a fancy braid right now. Hmmm, maybe I'll try it again another day! But for now, I'm tired. ZiZi and I cleaned my room AND moved my bed. Which is no small task. I feel old saying this, but I think I threw my back out. But I will say one thing, if you want to change your out look on life, change the position of your bed. Remember that one, it's gonna be a famous quote one day!

Peace out, Girl Scouts!

Les

Hair Dos

• Remember for it to be "basket weaving" you need to start each piece opposite of the one before it. If you start your first piece on top and push it down, the next piece has to be from the bottom, pushed up. Ya savvy?


• Try it curly!


• Use some product to smooth out any fly-aways.

Hair Don'ts

• This is not going to work with your shorty-short layers. Sorry.


• Unless you have crazy finger dexterity and eyes in the back of your head, you probably need to have someone do this little hair do for you. At least the weaving part.

This Post was brought to you by

-Brand New's Pandora station

-The entire bottle of Simply Orange I drank today

-The three bags of clothes/shoes/random crap I need to take to DI

Look What I Did!

My client Kristina let me try this braid out on her! Its a little messy because, to be honest, I wasn't sure I could actually do this! It was a Pinterest picture Jace wanted me to try. If I tried again I could make it prettier.

Can you guess how I did it? Jacie seems to think she has a life beyond being my own personal hair-doll, so she went to a movie tonight. Tutorial comes tomorrow!!

Les

This Post was brought to you by

-Coffee ice cream

-My joy that it is my day off tomorrow!

Nada

I got nothing new today! What can I say? I'm a busy girl. I promise to have something for ya tomorrow!

-Les

P.S.-Who votes that I try this out on Jacie?

This Post was brought to you by:

-Pinterest

-My Dad snoring

-My need for a Pepsi

Flip It Over Spray

Product Review Time!!!
I like this stuff and it been a while since I bought it. I forgot how much easier it makes my life. Ya see, I don't like my hair to be flat and blah. But I'm also kinda lazy and get sick of teasing and fussing over it. Its by Big Sexy Hair and its called Flip It Over...
After I get done blow drying and flat ironing a few pieces of my hair, I usually look like this...

Its fine but I want it to look funkier. So I flip my head upside down and spray it all over. I kinda shake my fingers through my hair and let it dry for a second. Don't breath too deeply cus this crap makes a huge cloud. I flip my head back and fix any little pieces that are a little TOO cray-cray.

Much better, no?

I give it a quick spray of Spray and Play and I'm done! This spray gives you tons of volume. It has a waxy feel and is perfect of short styles. If you have longer hair this would be good for piecing out your layers and for volume.

Bye!

Les

This Post was brought to you by:

-Listening to Kristy's phone ring off the hook

-Seeing a client I haven't seen in over a year

So heres what happened...

This was not the style I intended it to be. I was going to show you how to tie a bow with your hair to pull the sides back. Jacie's layers are too short. So I'm showing you a knot! I told Jace, "I was going to do a bow but your hair is too short." To which she replied, "WHAT?!!"
I realized my mistake then and corrected myself that it was her layers. Jacie is obsessed with her hair being long. She will ask Gooch or I at least once a week if her hair is "looking longer". Any minor trim she complains for DAYS about how short her hair is. For someone who is so concerned about the length of her hair, you'd think she'd use better products. Instead of those vats-o-crap she washes her hair with from Sam's Club. I could get her something MUCH better for the same price, if not cheaper.
Any who, I parted off all of the hair that falls in front of her ears...
You want this style to look a little bit messy and you also need all the pieces of hair to stay together. So I took my trusty ratting comb and teased this whole section. All the way to the ends...

I did this to the other side and then simply tied the strands into a square knot. I stuck a bobby pin in the top and bottom of the knot and I was done!

This isn't exactly ground breaking work I did here. Its just nice to take a blah style and jazz it up a little bit. Simple things don't have to look simple. As always, my opinions always come free of charge! Your welcome.

Les

This Post was brought to you by

-Money in the Bank (for all my Salon friends)

-The sound of the washer and dryer going

Bridge Pigtails

This is another hairstyle I did at Cookie Cutters. I loved to do messy pigtail buns and if the girl had long enough hair, I would add the 'bridge' part just to make it more interesting. And when the hair looked extra cute, the moms tipped better. Just sayin...a girls gotta eat. So to start, split the hair into two high pigtails...

Take a small section...
Braid that section and tuck it into the ponytail on the opposite side...

You could probably leave it like this but I like to take a section from the other side...

twist it and thread it around the braid and tuck it in the ponytail on the other side. I turned my pigtails into messy buns and...Wahla!

I love funky styles on little girls! Its just fun.

See ya!

Les

Hair dos

• Try to make the pigtails even. AKA one is not higher up or more to the side than the other.


• Try double braids or double twists!


• Try braiding the pigtails instead of buns

Hair Don'ts

• If you are over the age of 11, don't do this style on yourself. Eww.


• Don't be afraid to try funky, fun styles. You only get to be a kid once.

This Post was brought to you by

-Some guacamole I found in the fridge for dinner

-The craving for a Mt. Dew. Weird.

-The song 'Blue Jeans' by Lana Del Ray being stuck in my head

Pretty!

I love this! Sometimes I wish I had long hair. Except mine is the big NC when its long. I'm not sure what to call this little 'do yet. If you think of something good, let me know!
To begin, Jacie's hair was just down and straight. This would still look really pretty if your hair was curly/wavy! I took a small section of hair just behind her bangs and split it in two. I then crossed one section over the other and, pulling from the bottom, added hair to the bottom section....



I kept twisting and adding more hair in between each twist. I did this until had I gone roughly half way around. I then twisted the two strands down so I had a twisted pigtail...

I put a ponytail at the end just to hold it in. If your hair model isn't busy doing 'homework', she could probably just hold onto it for you. Now repeat with the other side...

I wrapped the pigtails around one another and then coiled them into a bun at the nape of Jacie's neck. I pinned it in place, tucking any loose ends away (it only took about 4 pins!).

I hair sprayed the whole thing with some Spray and Play by Big and Sexy and I was done! Swanky lookin' huh?!

This could totally be a bridal up do with a little tweaking! Me and Jace did a few styles today so there is a lot more where that came from!

Tomorrow IS another day, ( Get it, Aunt Lynnie?!)
Les

This Post was brought to you by:
-Leftovers
-An episode of SNL
-Raking my backyard in February (WHAT?!)