06 Mar '17

Bangs Are Back, Get Your Cut on the Double

Return of the Bangs

Psst. Hey, you. Scanning this article on your phone or laptop - are you in a crowded room? Coffee place, maybe? Café? Take a look around, and chances are someone in the room’s gonna have bangs. Maybe several someones! Bangs are back, my friends, and they’re on trend in a big way.

It’s not that surprising - fringes never fall out of fashion for long. How can they? They’re fantastically versatile, and can complement any hairstyle. Bangs are frames for your face, a natural way to cover imperfections, and can add mystery or whimsy to your look. Plus, they’re a great way to transform your current style without taking the plunge on an entirely new cut.

Baby Bangs

A photo posted by Olivia Palmira (@hair_by_olive_flip) on Oct 29, 2016 at 5:04am PDT

Short bangs can immediately infuse drama into your look, boldly accenting your ‘do with attitude. They’re also one of the most severe looks, and the fringe requiring the most work to maintain. So be honest with yourself when considering baby bangs: do you have the moxie and the work ethic to pull them off?

You’ll also want to consider your face shape and how happy you are with your features: there’s no hiding behind these bangs, and they accentuate your entire face rather than directing the eye. Round or heart-shaped faces may appear rounder and wider. On the other hand, oval or angular faces can rock micro bangs with ease.

Baby bangs can work with any hair length, and tend to look best with textured or messy hairstyles. You’ll also need to decide on whether you want your bangs blunt or razored - the latter works best if you have any hair pattern concerns, like cowlicks.

There are a few keys to working with baby bangs: you want to style them right out of the shower, before anything else. Know which way your hair goes, and make sure you’re brushing and blow drying the strands straight and down. Use anti-frizz products at as necessary, as well as a good holding product. The flat iron is your friend here, and you might even need a mini one for these micro bangs. Also, don’t forget to put a slight curve in while ironing to give your bangs that natural curved look.

Pro-tip: before sleeping, comb your bangs straight and place a headband over them. This will help prevent them from twisting into crazy shapes overnight.

Framed Faces

A photo posted by Leslie Chin-Schmitt (@lesliechin_hair) on Oct 8, 2016 at 7:19pm PDT

Framing bangs are great for softening your look, or even adding a touch of mystery. They also work well with almost any hair type; though, if your hair is stick straight, framing bangs may be difficult to keep styled all day. They require less upkeep than baby bangs do, and even qualify as low-maintenance depending on your overall style.

Have a round face? Framing bangs can work for you. Love textured, natural hairstyles? Hairstyles that might even be described as tousled? Framing bangs WILL work for you.

Framing fringe can be categorized into a few main styles - there’s the curtain, side or side swept, and swept back looks. Here’s the rundown on each:

Curtain bangs are parted in the middle, and the hair combed away to either side of your face. They soften the severity of a middle part and taper your forehead, drawing the eye to YOUR eyes. They can be left long all the way across, or your stylist can shorten the center strands.

Side bangs operate as advertised, being parted to the side for a classy and versatile look. They can simply cover your brow at a sleek slant, or even obscure one eye for a playful and mysterious vibe. This is also a good style for making your face look longer or covering up forehead imperfections.

Swept back bangs fully reveal your face again, but are still a framing fringe and add edge to your appearance. Brush your longer bangs back and to one side, creating a curved crest atop your head that falls to one side. This style requires more work than other framing bangs, and will need holding product to stay in place.

Pro-tip: framing bangs styles are easy to experiment with while growing out shorter bangs.

Full Figured Fringe

A photo posted by STEPHbellePEACOCK (@_hellsbelle) on Oct 16, 2016 at 5:34pm PDT

Thick or wispy, these are your standard forehead-obscuring bangs, and probably what you first picture when bangs are mentioned. Leave them extra-long and you’ve got eye-grazing bangs, sexy and stylish. Cut them straight, and you’ve got a hardcore blunt look emphasizing your nose and lips.

When styling heavy, full-figured bangs, you can part them slightly in the middle, slightly sweep them to one side, or part them not at all. Just make sure you use your flat iron to give them a gentle curl inward to help them fall cleanly and naturally. (Use a more extreme curl if you’re going for Bettie Page bangs.) You’ll also want to be on frizz alert, and use sleeking products as necessary.

Blunt and thick bangs are heavy on your face, and you might risk a helmet look if you’re not careful - but play your cards right and you’ve got a call back to a sultry 60’s look. Stay away from the blunt look if you’ve got a round face, or it’ll look even rounder as with the baby bangs. Wispy bangs are also super in these days, so don’t fret if you want bangs but have thin hair. You can still rock the fringe!

Pro-tip: balance out heavy bangs with shorter overall hair length.

So, you ready to get that cut on the double? We wouldn’t blame you; we almost nipped out to get a fresh fringe while writing this for you. Hit the comments and tell us whether you’ve turned your bucks into bangs recently! We’d love to see how it worked out for you.

28 Feb '17

Dying Your Hair: Before and After Care

Proper Care for Dyed Hair

Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Maybe you’ve been struck by a heady whim and can’t wait another second. However you got here, you just know: you’re ready to dye your hair. You’re armed with photos of Evan Rachel Wood’s chic grey-blonde or a gorgeous pastel pink color melt or one of NaturallyTash’s latest stunning color combinations. You’ve made an appointment with a colorist, and you’re counting down the days.

A post shared by 👑Queen Of Temp Hair Colors👑 (@naturallytash) on Dec 15, 2016 at 7:36pm PST

So all that’s left is waiting for the appointment, right? Well, yes and no. We’ve got a few tips to prep your hair for the big day. Grab a chair, and take notes, everyone: welcome to Dying 101.

Keep Your Hair Healthy

One of the biggest keys to a great color application is to have healthy hair. (Also a good rule in general, let’s be honest. Treat your hair like the crown it is, folks!) Use quality cleansing and styling products that are gentle with your hair. Make sure to use your heat styling tools correctly, and protect your hair before using them. You should also indulge in a moisturizing hair treatment about once a month.

We’ve got many great pieces on how to keep your hair healthy here on our blog, so you don’t have to look far for more great advice. Just scroll back and keep reading! To get you started, here’s how to get healthy hair with 3 oils.

Don't Wash Before You Go

Pink Hair | ISA Professional

Do not wash your hair right before you go to the salon - preferably, wash it at least two days before your appointment. Doing this helps ensure your hair’s natural oils haven’t been washed away, and the even distribution of oil in your hair should give you the best chance for evenly-colored hair.

This break also gives your scalp a chance to heal from any scratches it might have picked up during a vigorous hairwashing. Crying in salons is very serious business, and you don’t want to suffer because the chemical treatment is burning on broken skin.

When you do wash your hair for the last time before seeing your colorist, use a clarifying shampoo to remove any product build-up in your hair. If your hair is healthy enough, or has low porosity, you may want to skip the conditioner at this point. For natural hair with high porosity, you should deep clean and deep condition; check out NaturallyCurly’s guide, “How to Prime Your Hair for Color (No Matter Your Porosity).”

Try not to use any styling products in the last 48 hours before you’re parked in your colorist’s chair.

After Care for Dyed Hair

The day has arrived! The dye has been applied! You look fabulous! Now - how do you keep it that way?

We’ve got tips for that! And they’re mostly common sense, and a snap to follow.

First things first: wait as long as you can to wash your hair after having it dyed. While waiting 24 hours is generally enough to ensure the color’s been absorbed, some colorists are firm on suggesting 48 hours - or as long as you can go.

While you’re not washing your hair, it’s time for a shopping trip: stock up on shampoo and conditioner formulated to protect color-treated hair. You should be able to find these easily within your favorite brand; some product lines even get really specific and protect certain colors.

You may also want to wash your hair less often, to keep your hair’s natural oils going strong. Coloring your hair can damage the hair cuticle, making your hair more porous and prone to moisture loss - which means prone to color loss as well. You’ll also want to avoid super hot water, which can strip your hair’s moisture. Be sure to condition with every wash, and regularly deep condition as well.

Make sure to protect your hair from the elements as well: the sun can fade your fab coloring job, and chlorine from pools can do nasty things to it. Try to use hair products that include UV protection, and wear a hat or head covering while outside with no shade. You can protect your hair from pool water by covering it with conditioner before jumping in.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed Dying 101 - instead of a degree, you get an awesome new hair color! Best class ever, am I right? And if you don’t like the color, you can simply change it again. Now hit the comments and share your advanced tips with the class!

27 Feb '17

Nail Art Inspiration 2017

Curate Your Claws!

You know what’s an instant mood-lifter? Manicures. Whether you’re having one done or doing it yourself, there’s a profound and basic comfort in the ritual. A reassuring bit of pampering. An opportunity for meditative creativity. It’s a deliberate reminder of self-care and a fun act of self-expression. As a writer, I spend a lot of time looking at my hands - seeing my fingernails flash across the keys in brilliant colors never fails to brighten my day.

Also, there’s just a lot of confidence in a well-painted claw. Never doubt that.

There are some exciting and unusual nail art trends emerging for the next couple of seasons, and they are phenomenal! And, lucky for you, we’ve got the inspo post you just realized you wanted - read on for our favorite, on point 2017 nail art designs.

Asymmetrical Partial Nudes

Asymmetrical designs are always a great choice, turning your fingers into a curated mini-gallery of modern art. This trend is working splashes of color to great effect, here achieving a partially Cubist look. Geometric slashes in bright colors or off-center stripes (particularly black) over a nude or naked nail are simple, fashionable, and striking - just ask Opening Ceremony and Vera Wang.

A photo posted by SO HOT RIGHT NAIL (@sohotrightnail) on Jan 20, 2017 at 1:08am PST

The inclusion of metallics and jewels - both also in vogue - give these nails the final flourishes of sophistication.

Nail 'Em With Decals and Jewels

One of the best shortcuts to elaborate, gorgeous nails is to add decals - yes, stickers! - to your paint job. There is a truly remarkable and probably endless supply of nail stickers out there, and they’re everywhere - you can pick some up from your local drugstore or have decals custom-made online. (And if you’re no good at painting your nails, you can can just snag appliques: perfect nails just a press-on away.)

If you want bedazzled claws? You’ve got just as many glittering, sparkling, glitzy options.

A photo posted by ▫️Easy▫️Beauty▫️Quality▫️ (@eznails_) on Jan 19, 2017 at 9:00pm PST

It’s lucky you have such a selection easily available, because clusters of jewels are one of those hot new looks - alongside graphic art stickers and abstract decals. Artfully arrange a profusion of pearls and gems on a few of your mono-colored nails, as in the design from a Yakutsk nail artist above. Or pick up some solid metallic triangle decals, and apply them to the center base of each nail, pointing toward a decorative tip design. Messy sketch stickers of hearts or stars are also popular, and really stand out when applied on a nail painted a different color from the rest - like on a white-painted nail amid fingers tipped with moody blue.

Cuticles Crowned and Ready to Rule

If you haven’t heard of the glittering gold cuticle crown yet, let me fill you in: during New York Fashion Week, manicurist Tracylee set a Rodarte model up with nude nails and the cuticles just around the nail painted with a thin, golden glitter chain - intended to resemble jewelry, it was an instant hit.

A photo posted by Maiko Kabashima (@maiko_kaba) on Jan 19, 2017 at 8:51pm PST

Not about painting your skin rather than your nails? At least not on purpose? No problem! The cuticle crown trend isn’t just that one idea - there are many to play with, from pastel scallops or stripes at the bottom of a nude nail to outlined nails with a faded-out center. Or even delicate designs blooming just above your cuticle, like that created by Japanese nail artist Maiko Kabashima above.

The Neo-French Manicure

French manicures are a classic, and no one’s going to argue with that. But it’s always fun to play with a classic, and that’s exactly what the forward edge of fashion in 2017 is inviting us to do! Forget about nude nails tipped in a thick arc of white - imagine full-color nails with scalloped tips in a complementary or even clashing shade! Think of metallic bands tipping your naked nails, or even blue clouds floating at your fingertips.

A photo posted by Mia Nail 정발산동네일 (@mianail_coffeetime) on Jan 19, 2017 at 8:56pm PST

Experiment with thin bands of black, arcing across neutral-shaded nails. Do dual-color tips in geometric black and white. Do alternating arcs of powder and midnight blue, filling in a third of your nail to one side. Indulge in a different color for every nail! Don’t be afraid to trick them out with stickers either - Mia Nail from Korea certainly wasn’t!

Treat Your Nails Right

Of course, to get the best life out of your nails, you’ve got to take care of them. Tricking out your claws and parading them with confidence is the result of mindful care, so we’ve got some basic tips to make sure your nail art foundations are solid and healthy.

Keep your nails clean and dry. Not only will this protect against possible bacterial growth, but it’s just good sense. You must be as careful to clean under acrylic nails as your natural ones, both for your own health and that of others (if you work in a service or health industry).

Acrylic nails can be damaging to your natural nails- you may want to opt for gel over acrylic, and take regular breaks from artificial nails.

Keep your cuticles neat, and your nails trimmed - always use a good pair of trimmers, especially when hangnails are involved. Never chew or rip your nails, since these activities can lead to split nails or painful damage to the nail bed.

The skin around your nails can be delicate, and benefits from moisturizing and protection just like your lips or face do. Improving your cuticle health can be as simple as rubbing lotion over them every day, or luxuriating with an argan oil rub.

Most importantly of all, when you’ve got your nails healthy and you’re ready to play with nail polish and decorations - make sure you ask for and purchase the healthiest non-toxic nail polishes available. Look for products advertised as at least “5-free” - this indicates the nail polish is free of formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), formaldehyde resin, and camphor. Using 5-free nail polishes (or better!) exclusively is better for you and for any nail technicians you might work with.

Alright, you’re ready. Go play, and show us what you love!

20 Feb '17

4 Undercut Hair Inspirations

Do You Dare? Undercut Inspo

If you’re constantly glued to Instagram then you know that more and more stylists are gravitating to creating daring looks. Whether it’s rainbow hair or intricate braids, you can always count on these artists to share their work and give you serious hair goals. The current trend we’re loving is the undercut movement and it’s not hard to see why. This is a hair cut that doesn’t follow the rules and allows the client to get creative with a design of their own. This style is surprisingly practical if you’re worried about work because you can simply hide it by letting your hair down. It’s also a hairstyle where only the bold need apply and to be honest, we’re considering getting under the trimmer ourselves! Below are some of our favorite hair tattoo work by amazing stylists:

Undercut Top Bun

A photo posted by Aga Dondzik💋💄✂️💈🏍 (@agadondzik) on Jan 20, 2017 at 12:08pm PST

One of the benefits of an undercut style is the ability to tie your hair up and really let the work stand out. This look by @agadondzik does just that by incorporating a top bun with this detailed cut! We also love the blonde color contrasted against the brown hair tattoo, don’t you?

Personalized Undercut

A photo posted by B.K Style (@b.k_bescene) on Dec 31, 2016 at 2:29pm PST

Are you considering getting an undercut but don’t know how to personalize it? Take an example from @b.k_scene work and let your astrological sign do the talking! We love how clean these lines came out and the lotus flower is the icing on the cake!

Glittery Undercut

A photo posted by Gitty&Göff Hair * Anja (@gitty_und_goeff) on Aug 22, 2016 at 1:20pm PDT

Another way to take your under cut to the next level is adding some glitter details and @gitty_und_goeff has created one of our favorite looks to date! Just apply some chunky and colored glitter of your choice and you’ve got a perfect look for your next music festival.

Would you dare take the plunge and get an undercut? Which style would you go for?

14 Feb '17

Valentine’s Day is for Everyone

Valentine’s Day is what we make it

No, it’s true. Take off your romance- or cynicism-colored glasses, and listen up. I know many of us have horror stories about the Big V; maybe you’re lonely and call it Singles Awareness Day. Maybe you despair at the media onslaught of SUPER ROMANCE DAY sold you about February 14th. On the other hand, maybe all your Valentine’s Days have been all chocolate and roses and cupid-covered cards. Maybe you’ve always had someone to hold your hand.

That’s not all Valentine’s Day can be. It’s doesn’t have to be loneliness vs. coupledom. Check out this radical idea: Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love - in all forms. Brotherly and sisterly? You got it. Friendship? Definitely. Romantic? Get in here. Self-love? Honey, TREAT YO’SELF.

“But wasn’t Valentine’s Day always about romantic love, or whatever?” I hear you ask. Nope. In fact, we can probably blame Chaucer for that one - he was one of the first to write about St. Valentine’s Day and romance. Let’s look at the history.

Lupercalia

Valentine’s Day probably has a partial origin in an ancient - maybe even pre-Roman - festival called Lupercalia. Celebrated in mid-February, this “Wolf Festival” was both a spring-cleansing and fertility ritual. Major features of the festival included a sacrifice of two goats, feasting, and young men running mostly naked through town. The streaking wasn’t just for fun, mind you - they carried hide thongs with them and whipped the hands of any women they passed. Allegedly, this ensured maidens became fertile, while pregnant women were guaranteed an easy birth.

That’s a far cry from a romantic dinner at a swanky restaurant. In fact, there’s no hint of Eros here; just a bad day to be a goat and a focus on reproduction.

As so many pagan festivals have been, Lupercalia may have been painted over with Christian celebrations. It generally starts with such rituals being outlawed, but regular people still practicing their old beliefs. Their attention needs to be shifted to another celebratory purpose: let’s meet St. Valentine.

A trio of St. Valentines

The story goes that the 5th century Pope - that’s Pope Gelasius I - pronounced that February 14th would celebrate the Saint Valentine. The only problem here is that there may be three Valentines who were canonized as saints by the church - and no one now living knows which St. Valentine we’re meant to celebrate. Especially since all three of them seem to have met bloody ends on February 14th. (And you thought My Bloody Valentine was just a movie and/or band.)

One Valentine was a bishop in Italy, and another a saint who died in Africa - little known of him but his name. The third Valentine was a Roman priest, and he’s the one who generally gets the special day according to the Catholic church. He enjoys such symbols as birds and roses, and is listed as the patron saint of happy marriages and love (along with epilepsy and beekeepers). He was also martyred by being beaten and beheaded for refusing to stop sharing his faith.

So far, this holiday has been about cleansing, fertility, and being true to your faith. Still not really romantic, right? It’s almost as if this romance angle was completely made up.

Did you say commercialism?

We already talked about Chaucer making up the connection of romantic love to St. Valentine’s Day in the 14th century; the connection appears in his poem “The Parlement of Foules”. The romantic angle caught on, propagated by poets and Shakespeare. Four hundred years later, young lovers were using February 14 to exchange elaborate cards, gifts of sweets and flowers, and declarations of love. The cards, of course, became known as “Valentines.”

Fast-forward to America in the mid-1800s: thanks to mass-production, these Valentines explode in popularity. Chocolate showed up to the party at this point as well, when Richard Cadbury had the brilliant idea to make decorative keepsake boxes for their chocolates - all featuring popular Valentine’s Day symbols, naturally. It was only a matter of time before all the other candies showed up, before all these mass-produced treats became affordable to more people, and before Valentine’s Day became the commercial spectacle of romantic love we know today.

Valentines Day is what we make it

And there’s your proof: Valentine’s Day is what we make it. Don’t be suckered into feeling bad (or feeling superior) based on your romantic status on February 14th. Got siblings? Celebrate that love. A best friend? Send them something sweet. Are you aromantic? Hang out with someone you care about and be as platonic as you want.

Eat together, braid each other’s hair, do something fun, go to a movie - you don’t have to buy into the prevailing culture. Remember what Lin Manuel Miranda from the hit musical Hamilton said - “Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love…”

Now, go out and celebrate it!

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