Search Results for: easy does it

Meet Jessica and her fantastic pixie. (And eyes and eyebrows.)

Jessica’s hair:

Dark brown with some gray; no coloring
She likes the gray and is keeping the gray. (LOVE THIS.)
Normal/dry condition
Fine with slight wave
Needs an easy hairstyle
Happy to use products, but doesn’t want to blowdry or style on a regular basis
Uses Bumble and Bumble curl creme and Jonathan Dirt

From Jessica’s email:

I’ve had various lengths of this same short ‘do for years now, and I’ve thoroughly loved it. But I’m in need of something new and am feeling the urge to grow it out to a messy/tousled bob, but am not sure if that will really work on my long, narrow face with my fine, thin hair. Can you help?? Thank you!!!

Jessica sent this photo as a possible option for her new hairstyle.

Jessica’s pixie really suits her, doesn’t it? The way it flaunts her facial features is downright perfect. Though, as we’ve addressed before, I totally get her boredom with her current hairstyle. Since she doesn’t want to color (and I wouldn’t recommend it), the tedious process of growing out must begin.

Side note: I love that Jessica doesn’t want to color her gray. I think it gives her pixie an edge and looks fantastic on her.

As for the proposed hairstyle, Jessica could rock that look completely. Her fine hair would lay well chin-length, the cut would complement her overall face shape, and the addition of her slight wave would give the movement and tousled look she is hoping to achieve without too much styling. The biggest hurdle for Jessica, however, will be the dreaded grow out phase, but adding some key products will help her to not lose her mind during the process.

Have you all seen this brand new product from Redken?

It’s called Wool Shake 08 Gel-Slush Texturizer and is pretty damn amazing for adding texture, hold and tousle. In a nutshell, it transforms flat and/or undefined hair to create lots of volume and texture. So, the stuff feels like slush in the bottle, but acts like a gel when sprayed on damp/dry hair. A product like this would be perfect for Jessica while growing out because it would help give control, but ultimately look super tousled and fun.

I would recommend Jessica picking some of this up for the long haul of growing out. HOWEVER, two more things.

1. I love the pixie. It could definitely be Jessica’s signature style.

2. Once grown out, her gray hair might appear completely different (in texture and color) than it did while short. Just some food for thought.

What do you all think?

I simply can’t narrow this category down to one product. The more, the merrier, eh? (I’m focusing on shine-enhancing finishing products, as in the last step of your styling process.)

If you’ve read Hair Thursday for awhile, you probably know that Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream is one of my very faves. I think I’ve mentioned this cream eleventy billion times on this website. Well, here goes eleventy billion and one. I LOVE THIS STUFF. Smells great, lasts forever, and makes my hair super soft and supple.

Redken Mineral Elixir Smoothing Oil is a newcomer on the market that I’ve been using for the past week. Described as “a glistening shine spray that provides very light conditioning and control with intense frizz-fighting power,” it is quickly becoming a staple. I’m a huge fan of the aerosol spray because you can lightly mist all over your hair and then brush/finger through for ultra shiny tresses. (As with any shine enhancer, use a light hand or else you run the risk of looking like you haven’t seen a shower since ’92.)

In my humble opinion, as a finishing product, Moroccan Oil doesn’t beat FF Glossing Cream. However, using it as a treatment (applying to damp hair) does wonders for shine and conditioning, and it definitely wins for best sultry scent. It smells like, well, what I would imagine a Moroccan night to smell like. (Okay, I really don’t know what that means.)

Last, but certainly not least, Cutler Definition Creme for Texture and Shine rocks the casbah. It smells clean and fresh, smooths flyaways and gives me beautiful shine without any greasy residue. Holla!

I recently received a relevant (alliteration fairy!) email from a reader, Chelsea:

In February, I chopped off my long, wavy hair into a chin-length angled bob. I loved it, but not as much as my longer waves. It’s now grown out to a shoulder-grazing length and I was planning to work with my stylist on growing out, but…

I just got laid off and won’t have the money for regular trims. I’m planning to get my haircut in the next month or so, and I was hoping you could give me some direction on a haircut that will look good without constant trims and will look professional and not grown-out.

I’d be more than happy to help, Chelsea. This is a great topic, not only for the recently unemployed (sorry about that!), but for anyone who doesn’t have the time nor the desire to deal with monthly cuts. (Hello, new moms!)

Hair Thursday’s Golden Rules for Recession Hair:

1. Steer clear of short and/or angular cuts.

2. Rethink highlights. Try an at-home semi-permanent color instead.

3. Unless you plan on trimming yourself, don’t even consider blunt bangs. However, a longer sideswept bang can grow out gracefully.

4. Find a haircut that works with your natural hair texture. Straight hair? A shoulder-length bob will be easy to manage. Wavy or curly hair? Go for long, subtle layers to enhance your texture.

5. To avoid the dreaded triangle, be sure to add some layering throughout. Texturizing is a huge bonus for very thick tresses, and will keep hair under control during the lengthy period between salon visits.

6. Remember to utilize your tools and products to keep your style fresh. Flat irons, curling irons, smoothing serums and pomades can dramatically change your day-to-day look!

Here are some stylish cuts that should be able to withstand the long haul.

Katie is a public interest lawyer living in Chicago with her husband, a basil plant named Boris, and a staggeringly large collection of cookbooks. She has very strong feelings about public schools, letterpress stationary, and beer. (And hair, obviously.)

Hello, I’m Katie, and I’m guilty of hair neglect.

If Whoorl is a hair savant, I was, for many years, a hair dunce. I rocked the frizz. Mousy color. Cowlicks galore. Unfortunate breakage around the face. I didn’t even use conditioner. In short: fluffy-haired disaster.

Here’s the thing: I don’t expend a lot of effort on my hair. I suppose I could get up a little earlier, spend a little more money on products, get a haircut more often than every 4-6 months. But…I don’t. I like my hair to look not horrible, but if it’s going to take a lot of time/money/effort, it’s just not going to happen.

The good news is this: after 30 years on this planet, I have figured out several tricks to making your hair look not horrible without a lot of time/money/effort. And now, I am here guest editing at Hair Thursday to share the joys of low-maintenance hair with you.

First, I should probably share my philosophy of what it means to be “low-maintenance”. For me, a low maintenance hairstyle has three main characteristics:

(1) it is easily and relatively quickly achieved in the morning;

(2) it does not require frequent, expensive salon visits; and

(3) it does not require a lot of pricey products.

It’s important to note that for me, low maintenance does NOT mean “wash and wear.” If you are one of those people who can look presentable with wash and wear hair, that must be very nice for you. I don’t want to hear about it. I’ve done a lot of wash and wear in my day, people, and it is not pretty (see “fluffy-haired disaster,” above.)

All right, now that we’re acquainted, time for Katie’s Low Maintenance Hair Lesson #1: Get thee a stylist you like and trust, and get thee the proper cut.

(a) Get thee a stylist you like and trust

Why is it so important to find a stylist? After all, you’re low maintenance! You’re not the prissy type who has her beauty professionals on speed dial! Trust me, it took me a long time to learn this one, and it is important. If you’re only going for a cut 3-4 times a year, the person cutting your hair has to rock. When you find the haircut that works, you do NOT want to try to explain it from scratch to whatever random 20 year old happens to be manning the hair chair the next time you go in for a cut. Cultivate a relationship with someone who actually LISTENS to you, and who can remember what she did last time, so she can replicate it.

(Note: In your quest to find the perfect stylist, you do not necessarily want to go to the trendiest or fanciest salon in your ‘hood. Why? Because their ideal clients are people who get highlights, and glossing treatments, and haircuts named after celebrities. None of these things are low maintenance.)

(b) Get thee the proper cut.

I know, I know, easy for me to say. This will depend on your hair type, thickness, preferred length range, and tendency to pouf. But here are some general hints:

• Longer is easier. Short sassy cuts can be really fun and pretty, but short cut = more frequent trips to the salon for upkeep. If you lack the time or inclination to get to the salon regularly, a cut that is shoulder-length or longer will serve you well. Plus, with longer hair you always have the ponytail option.
• Choose long layers. Long layers will give you a cut with nice movement and shape, and (key point, this) are very forgiving as they grow out. An all-one-length cut can start to look straggly and uneven after only a few weeks. With some well-snipped long layers you can go months between haircuts. Beware, however, layers that are too short or too thin- if your hair is fine, the longest layer can start to look a little wispy and sad, and if you have any wave in your hair things can get very poufy. Here is a helpful illustration:

low maintenance layers:

Mark Von Holden/WireImage.com

decidedly NOT low maintenance layers:

taylor-momsen.net

• Consider the cowlicks. Know your cowlicks, and do not choose a hairstyle that is going to require you to constantly battle against the way your hair wants to grow.
• Embrace side bangs. (Even if you have a cowlick in the front of your head.) Look at me, contradicting myself! The one place where I think it’s worth it to break the “don’t fight the cowlick” rule is with side bangs. I have a very large, frightening cowlick in the front of my head (plus a widow’s peak! Bonus!) but I have happily sported side bangs for over 5 years now. Side bangs mask a lot of flaws, particularly breakage/frizziness around the face. Also, if you ever wear a ponytail, side bangs make things look a lot more polished. Generally speaking, the addition of some side bangs makes you look like you have a “hairstyle” as opposed to “a bunch of strands growing out of my head with no obvious plan or organizing principle”.

There! That’s a start.  Tune in for future adventures in Achieving Low Maintenance Hair, including color tips, product recommendations, how to stay low maintenance while traveling, and detailed instructions for low maintenance special occasion hair.