hair thursday makeover 2

What? It’s Thursday again?!

The next two participants couldn’t come at a better time, as they will help me illustrate a few Hair Thursday rules.

1. I will not suggest a dramatically different cut and style in an attempt to spice things up. Nothing bothers me more than watching hair stylists on certain makeover-type shows lop off and mutilate perfectly lovely hair. If you have lovely hair, I’m not going to tell you to hack it off and color it purple. Sometimes, my advice might seem boring or extremely subtle, but sometimes your hair IS JUST THAT GREAT ON ITS OWN. FIND A WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS FACT.

2. I can’t help you find a new style, if you’re not willing to STYLE it. Hair Thursday is not a magic wand – if you want happy hair, you are going to need to put forth a little effort. (And by effort, I mean 10 minutes+.)

Wow, I’m crabby! My son currently has six (YES! SIX!) teeth coming in simultaneously. Excuse me while I chug this wine over here.

Ah, better.

Today’s first parrtithipant is Ellie.

Ellie’s hair:

Natural medium brown color
Thick
Wavy
Prefers shoulder-length or longer
Does not use styling tools
Spends 3-5 minutes styling her hair

Ellie, Ellie, Ellie. (I really like saying your name, Ellie.) (Ellie.) Ellie has lovely hair. It’s thick, shiny, and has great wave and body. I know a lot of people who would kill for their hair to look like this with only 120 seconds of effort. But, c’mon Ellie, can you give me like 10 minutes? 20 tops? For then, you could be the SUPER YOU. Tempting, isn’t it…

Looking though her photos, the major thing that jumped at me was hair color. With her skin tone, she could rock an auburn-brown or a deeper golden chestnut. Nothing too dramatic, though. In fact, a semi-permanent rinse would be perfect – low maintenance, washes out, etc. (Email me – we’ll find the perfect shade.) That and some long layers framing the face and VOILA! Perfection!

Both of these photos exhibit a similar hairstyle, but I like the subtle differences in the color.

Styling-wise, grab a round brush and blow dryer to achieve the look in the first photo. (Oh, and of course, my FAVE, Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream, but only a teensy bit!) As for the second photo, bust out your ceramic curling iron and get ready for the SUPER YOU. What do you all think of the options?

Voting is closed.

Gretchen! Coooome on down!

Gretchen’s Hair:

Naturally dark brown, but dyes it a touch darker
Very thick
Natural wave, but not enough to wear wavy
Doesn’t want short hair
Uses a blow dryer and round brush
Open to products, but not sure which ones to use
Is “tempted by long, swoopy bangs”

Gretchen’s hair length is in that in-between stage. You know the one, when it naturally flips out from brushing against your shoulders all day? My advice is to take it up a couple of inches or let it grow- and since SOMEONE does not like shorter hair *cough cough MR. GRETCHEN cough cough*, maybe you only have one available option.

Looking at Gretchen’s beautiful and fair complexion, I do think the current hair color is a little dark. Maybe she could take it one shade lighter? I think a chocolate brown would be just lovely. As for the swoopy bangs, it looks like she has a cowlick that is in line with her part, so she could definitely pull it off.

These options would be very easy to achieve. The cut would sit just past the shoulders, with some layers to achieve a textured finish while still adding movement to the style. The long bangs falling to the side would help to conceal her high hairline. Wash and dry, a quick once-over with a ceramic flat iron and FF glossing cream. Gretchen, do you feel the need to wash your hair every morning while showering? If not, this haircut would be great because you could wear it for two days, thus cutting down on the styling tools. Regardless, you don’t NEED to use to flat iron every day. I’m all for keeping the flat iron in the bathroom drawer when possible.

Both colors are pretty- I love Option #2 for the upcoming fall season. Gretchen did mention previously coloring her hair a reddish-brown before moving very dark. What do you think? Let Gretchen know!

Voting is closed.

Quick blowdrying tip – To reduce blowdrying in half and protect from the heat, use Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. I wrote about it here.