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Meet Anders.

Anders’ hair:

Straight
Fine
A tad bit straggly

From his “email:”

Dear Sarah (Mom),

I’m in need of a new look for summer. Don’t get me wrong – I like my longer hair and get compliments on it, but it’s really bugging me now that the weather is heating up. I mean, I’m a busy guy! Swimming, playdates, birthday parties, park visits…all of this hair on my neck makes me a little crazy. Plus, I soon will be in possession of the coveted title of Big Brother. I take that designation very seriously.

And really, can we talk about the UPS store incident last week? I strutted in with my banged-up knees and monster trucks and the employee remarked to you “what a beautiful girl” I was. REALLY? What’s up with that? Now granted, that UPS chick looked like she might be missing a few marbles, but still? A GIRL? I’M ALMOST FOUR.

Please send me into the summer months in style! Oh and please, no clipper cuts. I am a Man of Distinguished Style, you know.

Love,
Anders

Well, Anders, you have come to the right place. I will have you looking dapper in no time.

My issue with Anders’ hair is that although I like it longer, it tends to look a little stringy. And although it would be a breeze to get out the good ol’ clippers, that happened once and it just did NOT work out. Trust me. The super short cut did not suit him AT ALL.

So what do you do? I knew I wanted to take the sides and the back much shorter, but leave his bangs longer in the front to keep the overall style from appearing too short. Lo and behold, I saw this child in the J. Crew catalog and was instantly smitten.

I loved the messiness, the longer bangs and the fact that the sides and back were much shorter for the summer months. But most of all? I liked that it wasn’t your run-of-the-mill preschool boy haircut.

I emailed the photo to my stylist and told her we were coming in ASAP.

Let’s stop right here. I know some of you are asking yourself a few questions. Namely:

1. Why is this woman searching for haircuts for her 3 1/2-year-old boy?

2. Why is she emailing photos to her stylist of potential haircuts for her 3 1/2-year-old boy?

3. Does she really request her stylist (who doesn’t usually cut children’s hair) to cut and style her 3 1/2-year-old’s hair?

And my answer to you is:

I RUN A WEBSITE COMPLETELY DEVOTED TO HAIR. WOULD YOU EXPECT ANY LESS FROM ME? REALLY?

So! Check it out!

Look at that hunk of love!

And the best part? You can make the style all funky or just let it chill out.

Another Hair Thursday success, don’t you think?

(How beautiful is that boy? Yeah yeah yeah, I might be a LITTLE biased…)

This is Addie.

How adorable is Miss Addie? I want to pinch her cheeks. And then cut off all of her hair and make a wig for myself.

Addie had a couple specific questions regarding her hair style and color. From her email:

My question is about side bangs. I have had them for a while but they are starting to get long. I am wondering if I should keep them or let them grow out. If I cut them, what length should they be?

Also, I was wondering if there is anything I can do to help keep my hair this color. A lot of natural red hair fades into blonde or brown eventually. I am pretty sure its just genetics, but I still thought I’d ask. Thanks!

From the rest of Addie’s email, I can tell she knows what’s best for her hair. She cuts tons of layers to emphasize her gorgeous waves, she uses organic shampoo and knows not to EVER change her hair color. For it is unbelievable, right?

Let’s address her questions, though. What about the sideswept bangs? I definitely think Addie should keep them. I love how they sweep across her forehead and that extra layer gives her waves more definition and bounce. If that front layer was longer or all one length with the rest of her hair, her waves could look a little flat.

Addie could definitely take off about an inch of those bangs too. A good reference is to have the bangs trimmed to eyebrow length towards the middle of the forehead (or side of the nose) and then have the bangs angled downward towards the ear, thus getting longer as they sweep across the forehead. This ensures that the bangs will blend nicely with the sides of the hair and create that swoop. (Blunt banged gals can attest to this: if you bangs are cut straight across, they are not going to sweep across the forehead easily.)

As for the color of Addie’s hair, she is right. Red LOVES to fade. In fact, it is the hardest color to keep vibrant over a long period of time. Go ahead, ask anyone who colors their hair red. The maintenance is brutal! The good news for Addie is that her hair isn’t artificially red, so she won’t need the upkeep that faux redheads need to maintain. However, here are some ways to keep her hair looking vibrant for as long as possible! (And this goes for other shades too!)

UV PROTECTANTS

What’s the #1 hair color enemy? SUN. If you aren’t a fan of hats, these UV protectant products are perfect for keeping tresses intense and lively. Summer is right around the corner, you know…

From left to right:

1. Cutler Protectant Treatment Spray, $21.00

2. Citre Shine Color Prism Anti Frizz Serum, $6.99

3. Pureology UV Colour Defense, $17.99

4. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Thermal Protection Hair Serum, $3.79

5. Oscar Blandi Acqua Marina Styling Gel, $19.00

I think a UV protectant is the best way to go in Addie’s case (I wouldn’t want to alter her color at this point), BUT for others who are looking to keep their color vibrant or even add a little oomph, here are some color-depositing shampoos to consider.

FYI – All of these shampoos come in different formulations for different hair colors, but the ones listed are for red/auburn hair.

COLOR ENHANCING SHAMPOOS

From left to right:

1. Klorane Shampoo with Pomegranate, $13.00

2. Alterna Caviar Red Shampoo with Seasilk, $34.00

3. Aveda Madder Root Shampoo, $26.50

4. Ted Gibson Captivating Copper Shampoo, $19.95

What do you use to keep your color vibrant? Any additions for these lists?

Meet Joanne.

From Joanne’s email:

Just last night I turned to the bottle AGAIN. (Frost and Tip – I’m cheap, and I regret it every time!) Although I like that it’s really blonde, I know that it’s also really BRASSY! I also did a lousy job on the back so there are lots of dark roots still showing. I feel my best as a blonde, but I have a ruddy complexion and I rarely get the tone right. Any suggestions you can offer would be great! And I promise to take your suggestions TO A PROFESSIONAL and to not attempt it myself.

As for cut, I prefer it to at least my shoulders and would love to grow it out to the style like your last updated reader Shuchita, but I have a rectangular/square face, so I don’t know if it’d suit me. Also, I must admit, my hair is FRIED and could use a good hack. What do you think?

Joanne’s hair:

Naturally mousy dark blonde
Been bleaching since the age of 13
Chemically-processed and dry
Thick, curly at the back and wavy around my face with cowlicks.
Prefers shoulder-length or longer
Uses Frizz Ease Serum
Layers tend to “puff out”

Wait. Joanne, they still make Frost and Tip? I had no idea!

Here’s the good news – you are moving in the right direction. I like the longer length with your face shape and I also think blonde is your color, especially since you are a natural mousy blonde.

(Sidenote to readers – Joanne died her hair red last year and quickly realized it was NOT her color.)

Your two problems will hopefully be relatively easy to remedy.

#1 – Your layers DESPERATELY need to be texturized. Your thick hair is creating a shelf layer around chin-length that needs to be thinned out. You can really see this problem in the back of your hair. It’s almost like you have a bob with some little bits of longer hair hanging down. Not so good, Joanne. But this can be fixed easily! Does your hairstylist texturize your hair? If not, it’s time to get a new one. Once texturized, your layers will blend much better and you could actually wear your hair naturally wavy, which would add another look to your arsenal.

As for the cut, square face shapes have great hairstyle options to soften their angular facial structures. To make wide foreheads and jaw lines appear narrower, you should wear deep side parts or soft bangs, and choose face-softening textured looks like tousled curls or piece-y cuts.

#2 – It’s time to say goodbye to the drugstore bottle and let a professional even out your color, as well as take care of your roots. Add a little more golden blonde into the mix to warm it up a bit. Perfect for summer!

Here are my proposals.

I like Brinkley’s warmer color and Carrie Underwood’s cut is perfect. Notice how Underwood has the side part and lots of layers, but they are texturized to blend in with one another. I really think these little changes will make a huge impact on your overall hairstyle! Add in a shampoo and conditioner specifically made for dry, color-treated hair and a heat protectant such as Kerastase Ciment Thermique and you should be golden!

Can’t wait to see the results!