First things first. You guys, the craziness. THE CRAZINESS.

I’m currently in Oklahoma trying to catch my breath after a whirlwind trip to New York City this week.

(Deep breaths.)

And I have so much to tell you, but I simply can not until I get back to California and reattach my head.

Thanks to these ladies for making my last night in New York a fantastic one.

Metalia, Isabel, Deb, Sarah, Heather and Rebecca (with her new, soon-to-be-disclosed do)

Luckily, I had today’s Hair Thursday feature finished in my drafts. Viva la planning!

Enjoy, and I’ll be talking to you soon.

Amy’s Hair:

Light brown with lighter ends from sun exposure
Doesn’t want to highlight – too much upkeep
Healthy, very fine, stick straight
Likes shoulder-length or longer
Very interested in bangs, but is nervous about the commitment
Spends 1-5 minutes styling

While reading Amy’s questionnaire, three quotes jumped out at me.

“I really want long bangs, or maybe even shorter bangs for that matter, but I want them to sweep perfectly to the side, which they will do, but only if I blow them dry (and even then they don’t always go the side how I want), and I am lazy, and rushed and don’t always want to do that.”

“Every now and then, when I have time, I’ll blow out my hair and use a round brush. I like the way that looks.”

“I think my fine hair needs some layers because it’s so damn flat, but I look at pictures of my hair all one length and really like that look too. I am indecisive. Plus, I only like the layers when I take the time to blow it out. If I let my hair air dry, I hate them. I don’t always want to dry my hair everyday.”

In a nutshell, Amy likes her hair when she spends time on it, but doesn’t enjoy putting forth the effort. Um, might I refer you back to my Hair Thursday commandments?

I wish I could show Amy a fabulous haircut that morphs itself perfectly on the head without lifting a finger, but my feverish efforts to create a Hairstyle In A Can are not proving futile. Good hair requires effort, good hair requires effort, good hair requires effort. Say it with me, folks.

Here’s the deal, though. Good hair doesn’t require tons of effort! Just a little bit, and that’s what I’m asking of Amy. For instance, the bangs situation. On most days, I allow my hair to air dry, but still dry my bangs. It takes all of 2 minutes. 120 seconds, people. Should that even be considered “effort”? TWO MINUTES? Yet, I’m happy with the results. I’m not asking for back-breaking, brow-sweating effort over here.

{End tirade.}

So! Let’s look at some options for Amy.

Option #1 leaves Amy’s length intact. Long, sideswept bangs and layers around the face would give Amy the look of bangs without the upkeep. These type of long layers grow out easily, so she wouldn’t be dealing with multiple bang trims. I also would recommend using a light pomade around the front layers for some texture and movement, which would really help mask Amy’s color issues (since she doesn’t want to highlight to even out her color).

Option #2 is a would be such a chic look for Amy. First off, cutting off the length would get rid of her bleached-out ends and even out her color. Secondly, the bangs are still sideswept (easier to maintain than blunt), and wouldn’t require too much effort. This type of style is perfect for Amy’s fine, super-straight hair. Just a little bit of time on the bangs and she could head out the door.

Enough of my blathering, what do you think?

Next up, Marissa.

Marisa’s hair:

Dark brown, with lighter brown highlights
Healthy, despite swimming twice a week
Very thick, but individual strands are very fine
Lots of volume
Prefers current length or shorter
Spends 15 minutes or less on styling
Doesn’t own a blow dryer or any heat tools
Triathlete, needs to keep hair off face while exercising

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that Marisa’s wavy hair is of the “shorter you cut it, the less wavy it is” camp. If you look at her photo on the right, you can tell the top of her hair is relatively straight. With that in mind, take a look at these options.

Option #1 would involve some light layering all over with very minimal piecey bangs. Marisa doesn’t need to cut the bangs if she doesn’t want, as I’m more concerned with her stylist cutting light, texturized layers to help give the waves more bounce. As I’ve mentioned before, texturized layers blend very well, so Marisa could easily pull her hair off her face.

Option #2 would be a great style for the upcoming summer months. It’s super stylish and would be a great short cut for her triathlete training. Marisa would only need a bobby pin to keep the front off her face while exercising, and it would dry quickly after her weekly swims. The shape of the style is very versatile – it would look great air-dried or flat-ironed for an occasional sleek look.

What say you, friends?