Tag Archives: hair

How To Take Better Care Of Your Hair

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How To Take Better Care Of Your Hair

Taking care of your hair is crucial if you want it to look good and feel healthy. However, it might surprise you to learn just what really goes into looking after your hair, and it might be a little more work than you think. Once you start a new routine and get into the habit of taking better care of your hair, it won’t seem so hard. Read on to find out what you should be doing to take care of your hair in the best way:

Wash Your Hair:

It might seem obvious, but the first thing you need to know about when it comes to taking care of your hair is that you need to wash it. You don’t need to wash it quite as often as you might think, and too much washing is just as bad as not enough. When you wash your hair more than you need to, you’ll strip away all of the natural oils that protect it, leaving it dry and brittle. If you don’t wash your hair enough, you’ll have a build-up of these oils, which makes it greasy. Because all hair types are different, you’ll need to experiment to determine how long your hair can go between washes, but once you know, you’ll be able to keep it a lot healthier.

Condition Your Hair:

Do you always condition your hair? Although shampoo and conditioner go hand in hand, not everyone uses both for every wash. If you want to keep your hair soft, shiny, and manageable, conditioner is going to be one of the best products you can use on a regular basis. Make sure you choose a conditioner that works for your hair type for the best results, and never condition your roots, as these are already the oiliest part of your hair. Instead, use the conditioner part way down the hair and down to the tip.

Brush Your Hair:

It’s likely that you brush your hair every day, perhaps multiple times a day. That’s a good thing, as it will keep it looking nice and shiny and remove any tangles, ensuring it has a sleek look. Make sure you choose the right brush to make your hair look great. For example, if you need a luxury brush for waves, that’s exactly what you should be using – compromising in any way will ruin your look and could cause damage to your hair. You should also be careful not to brush your hair when it’s wet because this is when it’s at its most fragile, and brushing could damage it and cause it to fall out.

Protect Your Hair From Heat:

Many of the tools we use on our hair use heat to give you the style or result you want. Of course, heat is highly damaging to hair, so these tools should only be used when absolutely necessary. If you have to use heat tools like straighteners or a hairdryer more often, and especially if you use them every day, you’ll need to add serum or a heat protection spray to your hair first. Although it’s still better to let your hair dry and style naturally, these products will be helpful and are certainly better than not using any product at all.

Keep your locks looking luscious with the tips above!!

Featured Image By: Andrea Piacquadio

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The Effects Of Humidity On Your Hair

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The Effects Of Humidity On Your Hair

Everyone has heard the hair horror stories of someone stepping outside, and the humidity immediately makes their hair frizzy, limp, and unmanageable. But why do some people seem to shrug off the effects of humidity while others are left with a wild mane? Whether you have straight, wavy, curly, or kinky-coils hair, humidity can affect everyone differently:

Causes of Humidity Hair Damage:

The science behind humidity and hair is actually simple. Humidity occurs when moisture in the air combines with heat, resulting in a damp environment. When this happens, the hydrogen bonds that hold your hair together are weakened by the water molecules in the air – thus changing or damaging your hairstyle.

Effects of Humidity on Different Hair Types:

Humidity affects different hair types in different ways. This is because of differences in structure and texture. Here’s how humidity affects each type of hair:

Straight Hair:

Straight-haired folks tend to be the luckiest when it comes to humidity. Since your strands are already fairly smooth and don’t curl easily, you usually don’t have too much trouble when the weather gets humid. Your strands may puff up more than usual on particularly muggy days, though.

Wavy Hair:

If you have wavy hair, chances are you’re not too keen on humid weather, either. Wavy tresses tend to get weighed down by moisture in the air. When this happens, they become flat and limp instead of having their usual body and volume.

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Curly Hair:

It’s no surprise that curly-haired folks have the most issues when it comes to humidity. Curls are naturally more prone to frizziness, and when you add moisture into the mix, they can become a giant, unmanageable fluff ball.

Kinky-Coily Hair:

Kinky-coily tresses are made up of tightly coiled curls and struggle even more with moisture in the air than other curls! When kinky-coily strands get wet (from rain or sweat), they become extremely heavy and hard to manage due to their tightly wound structure; this added weight can cause the curls to unravel if not dealt with properly.

Ways to Protect Your Hair from Humidity:

Humidity can be a real challenge when it comes to styling your hair, but there are some things that you can do to help protect your locks from the effects of moisture in the air. Here are a few tips:

Condition your hair: Conditioner helps add weight and density to your strands, which can help protect them from humidity. Use an anti-frizz conditioner that contains natural oils to keep your hair hydrated and moisturized, such as argon, jojoba, or coconut oil.

Use a leave-in conditioner: A leave-in conditioner helps seal the hair cuticle and lock in moisture to keep your locks hydrated and protected from humidity. Look for one that contains glycerin, which acts as a humectant to draw moisture into the hair shaft.

Style with products: Use styling products to help weigh down your hair and keep it from puffing up in humid weather. Look for products that contain beeswax or fatty alcohols to add weight to your tresses and protect them from humidity.

Avoid heat styling tools: Heat styling tools can cause damage to your hair, and they can also make it more susceptible to humidity. Avoid using heated tools such as curling irons, flat irons, and blow dryers in humid weather.

Tame your tresses with the tips above and enjoy great hair in any type of weather!

New Hair, Who Dis?

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New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello! This past Friday, I spent some much needed time at The Shear Shop getting pampered by my amazing stylist, Anna. She is the absolute best and almost six hours of hair magic and wonderful company just didn’t seem long enough. This time around, Anna used a new Pulp Riot dye called Ghostblood to help achieve my goals of red and white hair and I am obsessed with the results:

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^^^ The red is Pulp Riot’s Fireball.

As I mentioned before, this new do took a lot of time to make happen and we are SO close to perfect results that I can almost taste it. After some trial and error, Anna decided that the Icy toner by Pulp Riot wasn’t the way to go and opted for the Ghostblood dye instead and I am so glad that she did. All we need is to ice out the white just a little bit more during my next appointment and it will be exactly what I had pictured in my head.

To achieve this look, Anna bleached my hair for about forty minutes to lift the beige out. Then, after washing and drying, she meticulously brushed on the dye and placed each section in foil so the red and white wouldn’t mix. After the color sat and was washed, we saw that the roots of my hair still had a yellow tint to it so Anna applied a little more Ghostblood to solve that problem and it worked like a charm.

The first time the color was washed out, we were pleased with the results. But, the second application of Ghostblood is what really did the trick and I am always so appreciative to Anna for spending extra time so that we both leave the salon completely thrilled. We are both loving this look so much and, now that we know what must be done at my next appointment, I am already ready to go back. 😀

For almost two decades, Anna has gifted me with amazing hair and the best friendship a gal could ask for. I would not be Lil Red without her hair wizardry and I am still riding the high of how much fun we had at my last appointment! ❤

How long has your hair stylist been doing your hair? How do you like to pamper yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Wedding To Us!

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Happy Wedding To Us!

Hello!!! My wedding weekend was absolutely amazing and I am so thankful to my family and friends for making it so special. Something that I really enjoyed were my trips to the Shear Shop the day before and of my wedding to get my hair looking right by my wonderful stylist, Anna. It was SO nice to spend an entire afternoon hanging out with her while she redid my color and to have her work her magic for my wedding day.

Anna has been doing my hair for nineteen years and is such a dear friend to me. In fact, as soon as I leave the salon I am already itching to go back! She is truly a master of her craft and I wouldn’t want anyone but her doing my hair for my big day. Being in Anna’s company was the most beautiful gift of all but I am completely in love with her wedding gift to me and Johnny. Check it out:

^^^ How cool is that?!

Johnny and I are your basic mid twenties and thirty something emo couple and Anna’s gift speaks to us on a spiritual level. We live for all black everything, the dark, and slightly macabre so our skeleton trinket box was perfect for us. She really does know me so well! I plan on putting the hair charms that she used for my wedding do in it first and foremost. ❤

Tune in tomorrow for more on my wedding!!

Do you have a trinket box? What do you keep in it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

My Wedding Glam Squad

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My Wedding Glam Squad

Hi! Johnny and I will be having a very small wedding that literally took no planning for accommodations for our ceremony. It will be short, sweet, and simple – exactly how we want it. However, preparing our wedding looks was a totally different story and a lot of thought went into it so we can show out on our big day. I am so thankful to have the ultimate wedding glam squad tending to me and am honored to be able to showcase their talent at my wedding. I have a very specific look in mind and it would not be able to be achieved without the genius of the following:

Anna:

Anna has been my hair stylist since I was eight years old and absolutely no one but her is allowed to touch my hair. She is also one of the few people who has seen part of my top secret wedding look – that’s how much I trust her! I live for my time spent with Anna at the salon and I can’t believe almost twenty years later she will be doing my hair for my wedding. Time and time again, I will use the word “nontraditional” to describe my wedding style and my hair is no exception. In fact, the suggestion Anna made was something that I didn’t even know existed, so we are all in for a treat!

Katie:

My makeup test run with Katie was beyond what I was expecting and I had never felt so beautiful. She took every vague idea I had, ran with it, and came up with the results I had in my head but couldn’t quite put into words. I have never had my makeup done professionally before and it felt like Katie was painting the most gorgeous picture as she airbrushed away. I cannot wait until my wedding so she can do it all over again. 😀

Gabby:

Gabby is my go to girl when it comes to my nails and I already know exactly how I want my claws to look for the big day. It took me a long time to find the right nail tech for me and now that I have found her, I could never imagine anyone else sharpening my talons to perfection. I recommend her to everyone who compliments my nails and I love seeing her work on my friends who go to her now too.

Emily:

Other than four tattoos, all of the rest that I have have been done by Emily and I will most definitely need a touch up session before the wedding. I am so proud to be a walking billboard for my dear friend and her amazing talent and cannot wait for my tattoos to pop in my wedding dress. Emily is, easily, one of the best tattoo artists in my area and her work blows me away – especially her work on myself!

I cannot wait to share in my wedding day with my favorite gals because they truly make up the ultimate wedding glam squad. I know that I am in the best hands with all of them and having my wedding appointments scheduled in their books eliminates any stress for my big day. ❤

Who was a part of your wedding glam squad? Who is your go to person for your hair, makeup, or nails? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Hair Selfies

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New Hair Selfies

Hello!! I am so in love with my new hair compliments of my brilliant stylist and Pulp Riot colors in Fireball and Blush. Saying I feel pretty in pink is a severe understatement because I have been feeling my damn self ever since I left the salon! So much so, that I just had to have a little selfie shoot to show off my new do. Check it out:

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Every time I see my hair in the mirror or pictures, I am always blown away at not only the brightness of the colors in my hair but how shiny and healthy it looks too. I am so thankful to my stylist because that is not an easy feat, especially considering how much we had to bleach my hair to get the colors just right. She truly is a hair magician but I value her friendship so much more and it delights me to reminisce about how much fun we have during all of my trips to the salon.

The color is beautiful, yes, and the haircut is phenomenal too! It has so much movement and I find myself constantly running my hands through my hair in mild disbelief that it’s actually mine. You can’t rock candy colored hair without a super fun cut and the combination of the two together gives me the ultimate Hayley Williams of Paramore vibes. Actually, it gives me all of the Lil Red vibes because my new hair is one hundred and fifty million percent me. ❤

How do you rock candy colors? Are you considering doing something different to your hair? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feeling Blah? Change Things Up!

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Feeling Blah? Change Things Up!

Hey! I don’t know about all of you but, some days, I just feel totally blah. The weather is gloomy, COVID-19 makes me so worried, and the state of the world is very stressful. It’s also easy to feel even more down and out when all of your normal activities with friends, families, and clubs have been postponed until safer times. I’m sure that all of us are itching for a big change and, until that happens, it’s up to us to keep ourselves positive and motivated. Small changes that you can accomplish, despite everything going on, can really help perk you up. So, how about trying the following:

Your Furniture Layout:

If you’re getting sick of being in the exact same living room or home office that you have been confined to for months, switch it up! Rearrange the furniture, hang up some new art work, or create a photo collage with all of the pictures that you’ve been meaning to get developed. It won’t be as nice as a complete change of scenery like going to the beach but it will make the space you’ve been stuck in different and that’s all that matters.

Your Hair:

Perhaps you’re not bored with your location but your appearance. I know that I desperately miss getting all dressed up but, since there’s nowhere to be, the concept of “looking nice” has been long forgotten. If you are interested in changing up how you look, then now is the perfect time to try that new hair style or color that you have always had in the back of your mind. If it doesn’t turn out exactly how you want, it’s no matter – your hair will be back to normal by the time it’s safer to be in public.

Your Perspective:

Whenever I am feeling blue, I try and think about all of the good things that happened to me even though I am at home. For example, last week I went grocery shopping and I told Johnny that despite everything going on I’m thankful that I have him, a fridge and pantry full of food, and a roof over our heads. It’s important to still remember all of the positive things that you have no matter how small they are. If nothing else, be thankful that you are safe at home and preventing your loved ones and perfect strangers from becoming sick.

Your Hobbies:

I think that all of us can agree that watching Netflix or your preferred streaming service is a universal favorite hobby right now. But, getting lost in TV every day is doing your mind and body no favors. Dedicate at least an hour per day to work on your mental and physical wellness. Take a walk around the neighborhood, meditate, or call a friend. I know everything is so monotonous right now but you have the tools to help break that cycle if you choose to use them.

Your Goals:

Creating new goals for yourself can be an exciting way to fill free time and it’s even better when you begin accomplishing them. Make yourself a dream board with all of the things that you want to achieve in the next year or so and work on making it happen. Once you have an idea and a plan, all that needs done is for you to carry it out. What will you be putting on your dream board?

Changes big or small always help me shake away the blahs and I hope that some of the ideas above help make you feel better too!

What do you do when you have a case of the blahs? What are you thankful for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Hair Selfies

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New Hair Selfies

Hi! A little under two months ago, my hair stylist transformed my hair into a candy apple red and dandelion yellow delight. I am so obsessed with how it turned out and I have never gotten so many compliments on my hair before in my life. I realize that I have not uploaded some decent selfies of my new do and, while my sister and I road tripped to Pittsburgh, I was finally able to snap some because she was driving! Lol, check it out:

^^^ Lol!!! ❤

Now, I realize that two months is a long time to go without taking selfies but, believe you me, I have an explanation: COVID-19. Haha, Johnny and I don’t go anywhere and my clients and I rarely go out when I am working so I haven’t really had the need or desire to get full on “ready” AKA makeup, hair, and a cute outfit.

A road trip with my sister seemed like the perfect opportunity to go all out and, as luck would have it, it was kind of overcast when we were driving which is perfect selfie conditions! Kristen was laughing because she says I always take selfies in her car and it’s true, lol, I never seem to be the passenger in a car so when I am, I have to seize the opportunity!

I think that these new pics show off my hair perfectly and I also am so pleased with the adorable Cynthia Rowley sweater I got during my TJMaxx Fall Haul. Kristen and I had a great day and I can’t wait till we can go back to Pittsburgh in December for our microblading touch ups so I can go “all out” when I get ready again. 😀

Do you do your makeup less now because of COVID? How often do you take selfies? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Wigging Out

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Wigging Out

Hi! For as long as I can remember, I have been sporting short hair. From uber short to now short/mid and everything in between the two, I just can’t be bothered to grow my hair out. Mind you, this is not for a lack of trying. Every once in a while I make a sincere effort to lengthen my hair but by the time it grows a few inches, I find that it totally takes away my edge and all of the angles in my face that pop with short hair are instantly dulled down.

This is all fine and dandy because I know now that short hair will always look best on me. The only problem with permanent short hair? You can’t do anything with it. No ponytails, no messy buns, no braids – just lots and lots of headbands, hair straightening, hats, and beanies.

Don’t get me wrong, I love headbands, hair straightening, hats, and beanies more than the average Joe. But, damnit, I just want to wear a long ponytail for the first time since grade school. Growing my hair out just to wear a ponytail and then cut it is not feasible so, for the first time in my life, I am considering getting some wigs.

I have quite a few friends who love experimenting with different wig styles, cuts, and colors and I am enamored with the idea of putting one on and having a totally new look. Playing around with all of the up-dos is also something on my agenda! However, I really don’t know anything about reputable brands, application, and best practices for taking care of the “hair”.

This, is where all of my fabulous beauty bloggers come in. If any of you gurus out there are wig experts, please link me your posts on the subject in the comments so I can learn more and give your page some love. Many thanks in advance! ❤ 🙂

Who has worn a wig before? Do you have any advice for me? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Hot Topic Hair Accessory Haul

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Hot Topic Hair Accessory Haul

Hi! It is no secret that I love hair accessories. From cute clips and scrunchies to barrettes and headbands, there is nothing better to add a healthy dose of adorable to your OOTDs. I, personally, am at a crossroads with my hair as I am torn between growing it out or just chopping it off, yet again. So, while I make this decision, I have been addicted to buying hair accessories to keep me in love with my hair even though I am not thrilled with it.

While shopping a sale at a Hot Topic near me that is closing, I couldn’t say no to some darling Disney inspired hair bling to spice up my do. And, hopefully, they will keep me feeling confident until I can *finally* make it to the hair salon on Friday. Check it out:

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I have loved the idea of hair chopsticks for forever but never saw any in a store until my shopping trip over the weekend. There is something so elegant but insanely trendy about hair sticks and, although I’ll be sporting bedazzled feathers, my mind always goes to a boss babe in the office throwing her hair into a bun and sticking pencils into it. Too. Cute. I have been wearing my hair up more often now that it’s getting longer and I can definitely see myself popping these babies in next time I’m too lazy to do my hair… Which is often. -___-

I have ALSO always loved the idea of hair cuffs like the Maleficent inspired raven one seen above. Once upon a time, I used to have two cuffs in blue and brown with a lovely, earthy pattern on them. Of course, I have no idea where they are now but, I have been on the hunt for something similar since delving into the hair accessory worm hole. I am so obsessed with the one I found because it is the edgy update that I’ve been waiting for since the cuffs I had in grade school. And, what’s wrong with wanting to channel your inner Angelina Jolie as Maleficent? Case in point.

The amethyst hair fork was kind of an impulse purchase. I can honestly say that I have no clue how to style my hair with it but the directions say to tuck a ponytail into it or something and that could be cute?! I’m sure I’ll figure it out but, if not, that’s what YouTube tutorials are for, amiright? 😀

There is nothing like some fun new hair accessories to shake the countdown to your hair cut blues and I think these pretty goodies from Hot Topic definitely did the trick!

Where do you like to shop for hair accessories? Does anyone know how to use a hair fork?! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah