Hair Matters

Style

Not too long ago I was asked what I felt like my best feature is, and I think that it’s definitely my hair.  Hair is one of those things that can make or break how you feel about yourself.  A good haircut makes you rule the world; a bad one can easily crush it. I have experienced both; Mom can attest to the many epic meltdowns over terrible haircuts (TOO SHORT!!! PIXIE HAIR!!!!) and subsequent refusal to attend school the next day.

Along that vein, I have been sporting short hair since roughly the 9th grade (ahem – epic hair meltdown to blame, noted above). I haven’t had truly long hair since I was a little tiny girl, though. This is mostly due to the ridiculous amount of thick, HUGE hair that I have and the snarls & tangles that come with such wavy big hair.  So it was about a year ago that I started to let my hair grow out from the adorable Michelle Williams pixie bob that is the best.haircut.ever and just see where my lengths take me.

It’s only been in the last month that I am finally loving my hair.  I owe this to two things:
1. The length finally being long enough to do something with (note: grazing my shoulders).
2. Blog stalking some pretty amazing hair stylist bloggers that post very helpful tutorials. Seriously, how is it that I am 30 years old and I am STILL learning how to do my own hair?!

So I thought I’d do a little post on some of the hair products that I love as I am on this growing-out journey as well as some of my inspiration.

Hair-spiration:
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I’ve always been a blonde and I plan on always staying a blonde, if you catch my drift.  I’ve been coloring my hair for years and I’m learning to take better care of it since it’s grown out.  This means less frequent washings and more effective blowouts, as well as conditioning treatments to take care of it.

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When I wash my hair, I love to use No Frizz shampoo and conditioner by Living Proof.  I’ve used a lot of frizz products over the years, but I love everything Living Proof puts out. It’s that good.  They also do an excellent curly-hair version.  When I’m in the shower, I use a big wide-tooth comb like this one from Sephora (actually, the same one) and get all the tangles out before gently towel-drying and applying a generous amount of Moroccan Oil.  Moroccan Oil is pricy, but it’s worth it; it leaves my hair totally glossy and visibly shiny. Zero frizz, and it’s not oily, despite its eponymous name.

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When I had super short hair, I found that I had to wash and fix it every single day because I had no other styling options, but now that it’s growing out, I’m learning to experiment more. I use Oscar Blandi’s dry shampoo (despite my husband teasing me mercilessly about, ahem, powdering my wig) because it’s non-aerosol, simply to use and doesn’t have some yucky smell (unlike some cheaper versions I’ve tried that left me smelling like a teenager – I’m lookin’ at YOU, Tresemme).  Simply sprinkle in the hair and use a brush to get it from root to tip.  Blow dry as usual to refresh your style. Easy peasy.

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As my hair has grown out, I’ve relied a lot on bobby pins (my favorite are by Goody and match my hair color), headbands (love these by BanDo) and these hair ties by Mane Message at Etsy. I buy Mane Message in particular because Olivia has an excellent eye for color (she dyes them herself!), and these hair ties don’t bend my hair. The price point is excellent; I order a new bunch every few months.  Her headbands are great, too.

Favorite online resources for hair-related stuff:

The Small Things. This girl is my hair twin and she posts the best tutorials on how to get simple, yet stunning styles.
Hairdresser on Fire.  Authored by hair stylist Reagan, she too posts some great tutorials. She also does a lot of really cool inspirational ‘dos for big events.
Hair Thursday.  One of the first hair websites I stumbled on, authored by Sarah of Whoorl fame. LOVE this.
Keiko Lynn.  Not just hair-related, but this girl has awesome style.
The Beauty Department. I am obsessed with this site. Authored by Lauren Conrad and friends, not only are the tutorials excellent, but the whole site is designed so pretty and quirky.

Ok, there you have it!  Got any great beauty resources you want to pass along?

 

with love,
Rachel

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