December 31st – under the wire! I don’t have much time to wax poetic, as I’m flying back to California today.

(DVD battery IS charged this time, thankyouverymuch.)

Lovely Caroline.

Caroline’s hair is baby fine and she has beautiful eyes. What about these options? Both would look great with her hair color, as well as her face shape.

Vote!

Next up: Stephanie.

Stephanie’s fine hair has a gorgeous natural color (DON’T CHANGE IT!), and she prefers to keep it above her shoulders. Sounds like a perfect candidate for a Pob (Posh bob), as shown in Option #1. (Not blond, of course. And how hard is it to find a decent photo of that bob? Sheesh.) Although, Option #2 would look lovely if she wants to add a little length and keep the bangs.

Vote!

This concludes the 2007 volumes of Hair Thursday. THANK SWEET JEBUS.

Happy New Year!

Let’s get these Hair Thursdays cranking! I’m getting carpal tunnel over here!

Please direct your attention to Dani.

Dani’s Hair:

Naturally dark brown with lots of gray
Thick and curly
Prefers longer styles due to “gigantic face and a five-head- ala Tyra Banks” (Did I mention how much I love all of your hilarious HT emails? HahhaaHAHAAAAA.)
Doesn’t spend much time styling, wears ponytails every day
Wants to keep bangs, but maybe change the shape

First off, I want to address the styling issue. When responding to my question about her techniques, Dani wrote, “Post-shower, I comb out tangles, air-dry my bangs and then use a curling iron to pull the curl out. But I feel that style looks too young and dated, so I’m looking for an alternative bang style.”

I wear my hair in a ponytail often, and I don’t think expecting Dani to stop wearing ponytails is realistic. However, I do think changing the style of Dani’s bangs will help with the “young and dated” look.

Take a look at her photo. Do you notice how Dani’s bangs are cut straight across? Also, how you can see a definitive part between the bangs and the rest of hair? Essentially, she has bangs and long hair – not much of a transition there. How about having her bangs cut at an angle, so the bangs become longer and layer into her hair? That way, the look becomes more updated and easier to style.

I have to admit, the part about using the curling iron to straighten the bangs made me cringe a teensy bit. I think purchasing a flat iron would be a sound investment for Dani to help achieve the sideswept look.

This would be a decent photo to show your stylist, Dani.

(Oh, hi! It’s me! Talk about personalized service.)

This is how my bangs looked while I was sporting the sideswept look and using a flat iron. Also notice how the bangs blend into the hair instead of having a half-moon part around the front of my head. Might I ALSO mention that sideswept, longer bangs are much easier to deal with, maintenance-wise. They grow out easily, and you don’t need to trim as often. (Trust me, as I now have blunt cut bangs, which I adore, but MY GOD, the maintenance of bi-weekly trims. GAH.)

Okay, enough about bangs. I also think Dani should take at least 5 inches off the length. With the updated layering in the front and the length off the back, Dani can rock a new style without sacrificing her long hair.

Oh! Also! I think a semi-permanent rinse (DIY) in an auburn or reddish-brown would be really complimentary to Dani’s skin tone for a subtle change. (And gray coverage!)

Here are a couple photos of the longer, sideswept look.

The look with Option #1 could be achieved with an allover flat iron, followed by the whoorlie curling iron. (Obviously, for a special event due to the loooooong styling time.) #2 is a more natural look, but on most days Dani could dry and style her bangs (3 minutes total) and let her natural curls air-dry. I also think the color of #2 (with a hint of auburn) is a nice shade.

So, hey! It’s basically the same hairstyle! Is voting irrelevant?

Well, do it anyway.

Who was I kidding? A 4-participant Hair Thursday over the Christmas holidays? Yeah right.

Like all of you special people, I’m busy. I’ve been spending a lot of my time with some wonderful Ho Ho Ho Creamy White Sandwich Cookies, and really, who am I to deny such a confectionery delight? Not to mention, my father’s sickeningly perfect Chex Mix. (Don’t even try to say your recipe is better. We aren’t afraid to throw down over here.)

Baby steps. How about you take a gander at Alice?

Alice’s Hair:

Naturally brown, colors red with blond highlights
Very fine and wavy
Oily scalp
Usually keeps hair below shoulders, but will go shorter
Uses lots of products when styling (hairspray, mousse, serum, gels), but mainly uses shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioner on a daily basis

I’m pretty sure Alice used the word “stringy” 1,346 times in her detailed email. Don’t worry, Alice. I’m here for you!

First things first, take a look at my highly scientific equation:

Very Fine (and oily!) Hair + Lots o’ Products = Saddy Sad Stringy Sadness

Let them go, Alice. Throw away the multitude of products AND the leave-in conditioner. In fact, does anyone out there know Alice personally? Will you see to it that the products are removed? Because honey, that hair will be stringy and blah ’til your dying day with all of that stuff in it! Trust me!

Alice needs a great shampoo and conditioner, and a little dab of styling cream (for shine!) on most days. Period. Maybe a thermal protectant on days when heat tools are being used.

What about these two options?

Both of these looks would require a flat iron for the smooth appearance. Here’s my take on flat irons, if you missed the first go-round.

Speaking of flat irons, this one is my very favorite. And you are NOT getting a video tutorial, thank you very much. Just be sure to apply a thermal protectant (like this one) before using the iron. Clip you hair up and starting from the bottom layers, work with 1-2 inch sections, careful not to clamp one section for too long. Keep the flat iron moving at all times, working slowly down the sections until you have completed all of the sections. Work a small amount of FF glossing cream through the hair from the middle to the ends. Voila! Straight, shiny hair.

Option #1 – Love the color (the red looks great with Alice’s peachy complexion) and the long layers in the front, which cover part of the forehead without the hassle of actual bangs. (I forgot to mention Alice isn’t into hair hanging in her face.)

Option #2 – Same textured ends, but this style has an allover shorter look. Bangs wouldn’t be too hard to keep up with since they blend into the hair.

I definitely think Alice should keep playing around with reddish colors and I would like to see a little more of her forehead covered.

What say you?

More participants coming up soon. My three remaining 2007 gals will BE in 2007, I promise.