Tag Archives: shiny hair

Tips for Glossy Hair

August 4, 2016

As Fall approaches we are constantly searching for our new look. Scrolling through Pinterest and Fashion magazines you will notice hair looks glossy and polished as the cooler weather rolls in. Here are a few tips to get your mane in check for the new season…

Alanna Arrington/ Next models LA “Davines MELU shield was used to protect her strands from the heat & to add shine during the styling process. ” -Kristen Linares

With the help of award-winning hairbrush brand Tangle Teezer here are some tips for getting that model worthy glossy hair!

Diet

The heath of your hair, just like your complexion and physique, can be improved by a good diet. You need to eat healthy, rich fats, such as the ones found in eggs and olive oil, alongside a healthy diet to encourage growth and keep the hair moisturised. Don’t have time to cook? Blend super foods such as Kale and blueberries in a smoothie with Coconut Milk! It’s quick and delicious.

Drink lots of water

Water has hundreds of benefits, including on the muscles, on general fatigue and on digestion, so it’s no wonder that upping your water intake will have a positive impact on your hair. H2O helps to hydrate the hair, which in turn stops breakages and frizz, making your hair glossy and luscious. Aim for 6-8 cups a day.

Think before you brush

Pulling ineffective brushes and combs through your hair could cause a great deal of damage and breakages, which in turn can leave your hair feeling dull and lifeless. Choose a high-quality brush suited to detangling, such as The Original Tangle Teezer, and try not to brush your hair too often.

Go smart with the products

If you want to up your hair’s gloss-factor, the products you choose will go a long way to boosting it. You can purchase specific glossing treatments, some of which also give your color a boost, while adding shine and increasing your hair’s smooth appearance. To add shine to dull hair, a serum is a great choice – and just because it’s oil, it doesn’t make it oily! Alternatively, you could try using shine spray. Shine spray is a lighter product, which is well-suited to finer hair that might not be able to handle a heavy product.

If circumstances dictate, take it to the kitchen

You don’t have to always go all-out with products to get the gloss you’re looking for. Coconut oil, which has been a foodie sensation for some time, can work wonders on your hair. Massage a small amount of unrefined coconut oil through your hair, paying close attention to the ends of the hair and working your way up. Wrap hair up for 30 minutes, rinse, then wash as normal. You’re sure to feel the difference!

Keep it cool

It may well surprise you just how much a blast of cold on your hair can impact its glowing appearance. When you’ve finished washing your hair, rinse with cold water and, when you’ve finished drying, blast some cold air. If you can take it, we implore you to give it a go.

Growing is Learning to juggle.

February 23, 2016

The past year has been quite a blur for me. I hired my first ever beauty assistant, bought a house, adopted a dog, started dating a great guy, took on a new role as a social media manager with Product Club in addition to teaching nationally, did some TV appearances as a Beauty Expert, all while running both my hair & makeup business and managing Thirteenth and Washington! Phew! I’m exhausted just typing all that!

With all that change there comes a learning curve. I call it “learning how to juggle”. I have had moments where I just wanted to quit everything but also moments of pure gratitude. For me doing hair behind the chair is just a very small piece to my big dream puzzle. I see so many people in all industries not just hair, literally going to “work” and then going “home”. That is honestly a nightmare.

I truly believe in order to live the life you want and have the experiences you want to have you must learn to juggle to keep it interesting. Do a lot of different things that challenge you and put you out of your comfort zone. It’s the only way to grow at a steady pace. Those folks going to work and going home have many plateaus and unfortunately for some their plateau is their whole life.

It’s important to take continuing education no matter what industry you are in. Davines has become one of my favorite brands to work with. They offer amazing classes that inspire as well as contest to push you to be your creative self. This past Fall I entered their Beauty Harvest contest because it looked fun! The idea was to create a look that incorporated the colors of Fall. So this was what I came up with…

“Pumpkin Spice meets the Pink Lady Apple”

ONE: This was SO much fun to do. It forced me to think of color in a different way. It made me better.

TWO: I freaking won 2nd place in a national contest! I literally did not expect to win anything! I was just excited to play around with some color and try something new. My grandpa always says, “You can’t win if you don’t play!” Those are words to live by.

If this past year taught me anything, it would be to keep on learning as much as my brain can handle! Which is a lot since my brain is huge. 😉

Golden Globes 2016 Beauty Forecast

January 10, 2016

This is one of my favorite red carpet events, due to the fact that it is super classy. This year a few looks were very obvious in terms of beauty, hair color, and color palettes for wardrobe.

LOOK ONE: Babylights

As you can see JLo seems to have frozen herself in time protecting herself from any form of the aging process. Her hair color is flawless. It simply shimmers and compliments her skin tone perfectly. Babylights, are very fine highlights that can be accompanied by balayage creating an extremely believable result. In terms of hair color tonality in 2016, it is safe to say you will see many women staying close to their natural hair color yet enhancing it with the babylights method for soft dimension.

LOOK TWO: Bold Color with a touch of shimmer

Much like we’ve seen with hair, clothing in 2016 will have structure yet softness, compliment the undertones of our skin color, and have a bit of sparkle.

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LOOK THREE: Tone on Tone

Everything from the makeup, hair, and wardrobe has a taste of the overall color choice. For example, Amy Adams’ beautiful Rose Gold hair shares the overall tone of her look. Her nude lip has just the right amount of peach that draws from her hair and dress to complete this tone on tone look.

LOOK FOUR: Textured Hairstyles

The great thing about this ponytail is the fact that from the front her look is very sleek and sophisticated, but when she turns around there’s this awesome textured braid that’s perfectly imperfect. Ha! Just saying that reminds me of a mullet, business in the front-party in the back. Unlike the mullet, hairstyles like this will have your friends talking about you in a positive way.

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LOOK FIVE: Glowing

Everything from head to toe on Cate is just beautiful. Her hair is super shiny and healthy, her skin is perfect, and her dress brings out the beautiful soft pinks in her skin. In 2016, “Glowing” will be a look that we can all achieve by combining the four previous looks we’ve discussed. This year drink plenty of water, exercise, take care of your hair and skin by keeping beauty appointments, and most importantly be happy!

Top Five Beauty Resolutions for 2016

January 2, 2016

ONE: Avoid Hot Water

Hot water is the best way to strip your hair of healthy natural oils, cause frizz, and fade your haircolor at a rapid pace. Have you been experiencing dry hair and skin? Your shower is probably to blame. The winter has a way of luring us into a steaming hot shower, the problem is our skin and hair can’t handle it.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should take the ice bucket challenge every time you bathe. Just be mindful that your hair and skin are delicate. Warm water is great to open the pores of the skin and gently lift the cuticle layer of the hair to remove excessive oil and buildup, followed by a cool rinse to seal & close everything back down.

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TWO: Deep Condition Weekly

Your hair will be in optimal health with weekly conditioning treatments. Pick up a great deep conditioner such as Davines MINU mask or EVO Fabuloso deep treatments. Pick a day each week that you take a little extra time to pamper yourself. I like to do my treatment on a Sunday evening.

Shampoo normally and skip your daily conditioner. You will then want to gently detangle your hair with a wide tooth comb (Yes, before the conditioner.) Squeeze out the excess water and if you can keep a 100% cotton t-shirt nearby, it’s a great way to blot the hair dry. Apply about a nickel size of your deep conditioner from scalp to ends but focusing the saturation on the mid strand and ends. Work it into the hair like you would when applying a body balm. You really want to feel the hair absorb the product. Comb through, clip your hair up, and leave in for 10-15minutes. Rinse with cool water and your hair will reward you with shine and smoothness!

THREE: Get a Shine Treatment once a month

Think of a shine treatment like the clear top coat of your nail polish! My absolute favorite is the EVO Temptress shine treatment. This is a simple service you can ask for in the salon. This shine treatment will leave your hair smooth with a glass like shine, not to mention it will add a day or two to your blow out!

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FOUR: Use Great Products

Sure you can go the cheap route and purchase whatever liters are on sale at Target or Ulta, however when you purchase from a professional salon your products are not only more concentrated but also better for your hair in the long term. Most products have a “cosmetic repair” where professional grade products such as Davines contain ingredients like Roucou oil that heal the hair and don’t cause build up. When you purchase retail from your stylist you’re guaranteed to see the results the products promise and if your not feeling it, your stylist will happily exchange it for something that suits your needs a little bit better.

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FIVE: Prebook your beauty appointments

Not sure what your doing tomorrow? Prebook your appointments anyway! On January 1st I take out my calendar and block off vacation time, dentist & doctor appointments, and then my favorite to plan beauty appointments. When you plan these types of appointments well in advance you learn to build your life around them. To be completely honest maintaining these particular appointments are important for your physical and mental health. Consistency allows us to keep things in check. When we let certain things go for far too long it can cause stress, low self esteem, and always larger financial burdens. Hands down the best part of prebooking is choosing the perfect appointment times, such as your birthday or the prime time during the holidays!

Live in St. Louis? Schedule your beauty appointments with me by clicking here 🙂

HOW TO: EFFORTLESS GLOSSY CURLS

January 26, 2015

Whether you’re running out the door to run some errands or meeting a friend for a lunch date, this effortless style will become your best friend. First you’ll need a few styling products, a blow dryer, and a round brush. You’ll want to start with fresh, clean hair because you’ll be using a brush and blow dryer to give you body and wave. Start by generously applying Davines Oi all in one milk throughout the hair from mid shaft to ends.

This product doesn’t only detangle and add shine, but controls frizz, gives body without weighing down the hair (which makes it okay to use more towards your scalp as well) all while protecting your precious locks from any heated styling tools. Continue by getting the hair about 80% dry using your blow dryer and either your fingers, a paddle brush, or whatever you’d like, really. Once you feel it’s almost dry and maybe looking a little frizzy, don’t worry, you’ll be getting out your round brush now. Also feel free to add some more of that Oi all in one milk and using it on each section. Starting at the bottom near the neck area, start round brushing the hair to give a silky smooth effect. After each section is completely smoothed out and dry, twist the hair in the direction you round brushed and leave it to cool! Continue on with that technique until all you have left is your front pieces. Now you’ll either bring your round brush towards, or away from the face depending on how you want your face framed.

Add some Davines medium hold hairspray to add a sheer hold, and an amazing light fragrance to the hair and you’re ready to go!

Now for more of a polished look, you’ll just be adding one extra product and a few extra minutes into your schedule. You’ll also need a 1 1/4 curling iron.

Start by focusing on the top section (about one inch from the part) going piece by piece wrapping the hair around the barrel without clamping down on the strand. Before curling each piece you’ll want to spray the medium hold hairspray by Davines. If you go in one direction with the first piece, go the opposite way with the next. That will ultimately create a more effortless look. You’ll want to brush out each curl once it’s cooled for only about 3 seconds (literally). Once finished with the top section you’re finished!!

I love that it doesn’t require curling the whole head. Lastly, and sparingly, add Davines Oi Absolute Beautifying Potion to give a luminous finish. Throw on a nude lip, some mascara, and comb through the brows with a clear brow gel and your look is complete!