Belle Inspired Twist

We are calling this hairstyle our Belle inspired hair.  This "braid" or twist reminded Kinsley of Beauty and The Beast. I think she is right.

It is basically just a two stranded braid.  It is perfect if you are still working on your braiding skills and want to pull all the hair back.  It looks a bit more detailed then just twisting the hair around each other, but I promise that it is not.

I think it would be really cute if you curled the hair before and then did the twist and styled it with one of those adorable flower crowns. It would be perfect for flower girl hair!

Two Day Hair

I know there are a lot of people that like to get a few days out of their hair before they have to wash it again.  I thought I would give you a few great tips to get a few days out of a blow dry as well.  For the health of your hair, it is good to give it a break from the blow dryer.

Some hair can go longer between blow drying than others.  If you are prone to oily hair you might not be able to get two days out of your blow dry because it gets too greasy by the end of the day. I know for me, I can only get two days out of my hair.  I usually curl it one day and then the next it has to go up in a braid or pony tail because it is too oily to stay down another day.  If you have curly hair or hair that has a good amount of texture, you can probably go several days with out shampooing, which is great.  You are allowing those natural oils to help you hair and you probably notice that after the first day your hair gets better and styles easier for you.

Here are a few of my tips:

1.  On the first day, style it how you like, but try to keep your hands out of your hair.  Your hands combing through your hair can make it greasy looking because you skin has oils on it.

2.  Wear it in a loose high pony tail at night.  I like to use those hair ties that have the little knot in them.  They are not tight and then do not leave a crease line.  Wearing it in a loose pony helps your hair not to rub all over your pillow at night and make snarls.

3. If you are really committed to not shampooing every day you can buy a silk pillow case.  I have not tried this, but everything I have read says the silk is better for your hair and even you skin.

4. If you exercise in the morning and your head gets sweaty, use your blow drier on the cool setting to dry the hair.

5. DRY SHAMPOO! This is a life saver for second day hair.  I really like Living Proof dry shampoo or Dove dry shampoo.  In my opinion Living Proof works the best, as it really soaks up that oil that can come on the second day.  Take the dry shampoo and spray your roots. Once it is set in, style your hair as normal.

If all else fails, find a cute braid or pony tail and do that for your second day hair!

For girls with curly hair, I know your hair may get frizzy.  I suggest rewetting your hair and then applying your product again. Generally with curly hair, your hair will look and feel better the further apart you wash it.

Waterfall Braid

I love trying to find new braids or styles to try on myself and on Kinsley.  The waterfall braid took me a few tries to get it how I like it.  It goes against everything I have taught you about braiding.  In a normal braid you always add to the three strands, but in a waterfall braid you are letting one side "fall" down to get the waterfall affect.

With  a waterfall braid, you can do that braid just on the top of the head, which is what I demonstrate on the video.  You could also secure it and then leave the rest down, which looks very pretty.  However for this video, I show you how to do a waterfall braid and then how I add a regular French braid underneath, adding in the pieces that are "fallen".

The style looks complicated, but I promise the few steps involved in it, make it an easy style to add to your bag of tricks.

Summer Hair Trend

I am so ready for summer!  I can't wait until the temperature starts to warm up and we can enjoy being outside again! With summer on the mind I thought I would do a roundup of some hairstyles, colors, and cuts you will be seeing this spring.

For hair color you will see a lot of color melting.  It is a much more subtle take on the big ombre trend of the past few years. I am happy to see that dramatic ombre trend leaving, which was not one of my favorite. The color melting or "sombre" as they are calling it, isn't as dramatic and it in my opinion is much prettier.  The advantage of this new technique is that it grows out very nicely, which is great for people who want a change with highlights but don't want the up-keep of a normal full highlight. This works great if you have dark hair and are looking for a bit of a difference. Even if you have more blonde hair, doing a sombre is going to lighten up the ends even more.  It looks natural and it is a perfect no fuss color for summer. Something I cannot get on board with yet is the silver looking hair.  I am not ready to be gray, so I do not want to put it in there on purpose.

For haircuts, there isn't one main style right now like there has been in the past.  For shorter hair the trend is very blunt cuts with very square ends.  I am sure you all remember the inverted bob that took over for a long time.  Now, you are getting rid of that angle and keeping everything squared up.  I like this trend. I think it is a style that more face shapes can pull off. A cut that I currently have and I think is a happy medium to not have short hair and not have super long hair is a long bob or LOB.  You still have a style but you can curl your hair and still do a fair amount of styles with it. Long hair with long layers is also very popular right now.  Long hair is great and looks beautiful when it is well taken care of.  If you love your long hair, remember that the ends still do need to be cut to keep it looking healthy!

As for styles, I think the huge trend is wavy hair. When you scroll through Pinterest you see tons of pictures of wavy beach-like hair. If you are still struggling with that wavy look, go back a few post and find a tutorial I did.  The second one that I am seeing all the time is braids. From kids' style to adults, even to formal up-dos, braids are popular right now.

For men or boys, right now you are seeing a lot of guys wearing a fade, where it is very short on the sides, gradually gets longer, and then they leave the top fairly long.  The other is the comb over, which is not a great name for it because generally the connotations with a comb over aren't great.  I love this hair cuts for guys. This is what Nolan has right now. We keep the sides nice and tight and then give him a distinct part and then leave the top longer so when it is combed over the top looks full.  If you are really cool ;-) some guys will even do a "hard part" where their part is shaved in. You are also seeing razor lines again in guys.  I know, I know, is it 1995 again? They are back!

The pictures that I am using today are not mine.  They are ones that I have found that best describe what I am talking about.  They are all images I found on Pinterest, which is a great resource, but remember to have realistic hair visions!

Pull thru pony tail!

The pull through pony tail is for all you people who don't like to braid or are still working on your braiding skills. In the video I demonstrate how to do this on Kinsley's hair and then I will also show you how I style it for myself.  With summer coming, I am always looking for ways to keep my hair out of my face while still presentable, especially on days that I work.

You will want to first start with hair well brushed so you can section parts off. You then begin the style with a small pony using just the top sections of hair. From there you always spilt the top ponytail around the ponytail underneath. You then secure that new section with a clear elastic. You continue this pattern all the way down the hair.

If you or your daughter have shorter hair, this style might not work because you need the length  to reach the back of your head with ease.  It does work on all texture and all thickness of hair.

In the video for Kinsley's I show how we pull through all the way down the pony tail and in my picture I show you I how like to style it with a wavy pony tail at the end.  You can alway end it in a messy bun or a looped pony tail. There is a lot of variety for this style!

I would love to know if you are looking for specific tutorials. Ssnd me a message and let me know what you would like to see!

The Crown Braid!

I know that you guys have probably seen this braid all over Pinterest. I first saw it there and then I had to wait for Kinsley's hair to grow so I could practice on her.

You will want your daughter to have at least medium length hair because you need at least that length to make it all the way around the head.

In the video I did the crown braid with just a French braid, but you can also do it with the Dutch braid.  I prefer the look of the Dutch braid with it because it is raised and looks more like a crown.
This braid is a bit more complicated only because you have to start on the side of the head and then follow the braid all around the head. However, you do the same braid motion as a French Braid.
You will need a few bobby pins and hair pins to help secure the end of the braid.

I can't wait to see how this braid turns out for you!