Beautiful Thursday: What to Consider when Choosing an Updo

August 20, 2015August 20, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

Weddings, Proms, Homecomings, Social Events…there are so many events that come up where you may be in need of a beautiful coiffed style. Oftentimes, my clients will bring pictures of what they want,which is incredibly helpful and welcomed. However, there are some important factors that many people do not consider ahead of time and are sorely disappointed when “dream hair” does not turn out what they expected.

Here are some important considerations when pulling together a Pinterest look book of option for your stylist.

Color

Yes, a brunette can wear the same updo as a blonde or ginger but you won’t see the details in pictures. When looking at pictures of updos decide if it’s the shape or the detail that excites you. Typically a picture of a blonde will showcase the beautiful details in the creation where in darker brunette a, it’s all about the shape. Don’t believe me? Look back at old prom pictures and compare the blondes from the brunette a. If the brunette did a style that focused on details the chances are those details, though visible, did not pop like the blonde.

A blonde an brunette. Same style, different results

Does this mean brunette a can’t have details? Of course not! Just make sure the shape is the wow factor.

Clothing

What are you wearing?

It’s one of the first questions I ask my clients when they sit in my chair. This can be a deciding factor on up, down, vintage or modern. For instance, when wearing a dress with one shoulder and you want an asymmetric updo, which side do you put the heavy side? If your stylist doesn’t know wear the straps are, you may look very heavy on one side. Or, if you chose a bridal gown because you think the back of it is gloriously detailed, you’ll want to make sure you style your hair up to show it off. Keep these factors in mind both when choosing a hairstyle but your dress as well!

Extensions, Extension, Extensions…

I can do amazing things with hair. Really. But I cannot give you Taylor Swifts hair. She’s got more hair than the average girl so if you want your hair to have that fullness, you may need extensions. Clip ins work. Preferably real hair because the synthetic kind can not have heat on it. Expect the price to be a minimum of $100 to buy those bad boys but on the plus side, you get to keep them!

She had surprised me on the photoshoot with her hair all cut off….extensions save the day!!!

Veils, Tiaras and Adornments! Oh My!

If a stylist does not know what you are wearing on your head, we cannot make proper space for it in our creation. Even if you are planning on putting a simple clip in your hair, a stylist should do it. Why? Because once we’ve constructed your hairstyle and lacquered it with hairspray you cannot muss with it. Besides, wouldn’t you want there to be no unsightly pins or elastic showing? That’s our job.

You are not Kim Kardashian. You are : fill in the blank.

When you show me a picture of a celebrity updo, I will take it as inspiration to make the best possible you…not said celebrity.

Why?

Because a kabillion other women are showing that same picture to THEIR stylists. Each client is an individual. My job is to highlight that and make it uniquely and authentically YOU. I mean, why have cookie cutter hair when you can have couture?

Still some detail in her updo but we focused on how the shape would go with her dress.

Tell us your experiences with getting your hair done and how you felt about it. We want to hear!

Beautiful Thursday: What it REALLY takes to have Rainbow Colored Hair

July 30, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

A soft pale pink, minty green, fushia, slashes of turquoise, and now, a swirl of blue and violet…
Damage?
How can something so beautiful be so damaging?
In order for some of these colors to show up, particularily the cooler shades, your hair must be lightened to the palest blonde (or darn close to it!).
I have medium to dark brown hair that is very stubborn.
Needless to say, it takes a lot of time and money to get my hair to a pale blonde.
After my natural haircolor has been lifted, the fashion colors are applied.
This is a double process. In some circumstances, triple! That equates to a lot of time at the salon and quite a bit of money spent…in the hundreds.
After all that time and money spent to get your hair to that perfect shade you want to be sure you have a plan for your aftercare.

1) Washing your hair should be limited to twice a week and with cool water. The more you wash it, the quicker it will fade.
2) Invest in a quality color-safe sulfate free shampoo. This is not hype. A cheap shampoo is typically harsh and will take that costly color right out.
3) Conditioners and masks are a must! Underneath that rainbow is “bleach blonde” hair. It’s thirsty!

4) Fashion colors fade faster. Period. You will need to freshen up the colors monthly unless you enjoy the faded colors. Also, a root touch up will be needed if you did all over color.
5) be prepared to put an old towel or pillowcase on your pillow. It may get stained.

With all that being said, I will continue to experiment with vibrant colors and invest in A LOT of hair masks.

Top 5 Tuesday-How to Take Care of Your Hair

July 21, 2015July 22, 2015 / Blu Owl Gypsy / Leave a comment

How to shampoo: Most of you are shampooing wrong! The most effective way to shampoo your hair is to make sure it is wet enough and creates a lather. If it has been a few days, shampoo twice! I always do and occasionally need to use a clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup. You only need to shampoo your scalp. When you rinse your hair, it will rinse down through your ends. You want to avoid directly putting shampoo on your ends or it can cause dyness. You should not shampoo everyday. Invest in a good dry shampoo for inbetween.
Conditioning: The opposite goes for conditioning. You do not want to condition the scalp because it is new, healthy hair and your scalp produces oil already. Conditioning your scalp can cause an oily look and will require you to shampoo sooner. I like to leave the conditioner in while I do the rest of my shower business so that the steam and time helps to open the cuticle and get a deep conditioning. Finally, make sure you rinse your back after conditioning so that you do not have an oily film that can cause breakouts.
After Treatment: I chronically torture my hair with hot tools and color services, therefore, I like to use leave in treatments for my poor ends. For those with curly hair, where the hair bends is more fragile and finer than the other areas of the hair, which means: breakage. Leave in conditioners are important but make sure it is meant to be left in. I hear sometimes people leave their conditioner in and it is not meant for that.
Haircuts: I know most of the ladies want to grow out their hair, believe me, I am one of them. However, when you have split ends, the ends will continue to split up the hairshaft or break off. Maintaining a trim on a 4-6 week basis will help keep your hail healthy and prevent breakage.
Hair Ties: Please stop. Just….. Stop. You are causing friction from constantly pulling your hair up and twisting the hair ties around, which erodes the hair and causes breakage. I see this too often with clients. If you feel the need to wear your hair up daily, I suggest getting a haircut or doing something to switch it up so that you are out of your hair rut. Otherwise, I know it gets hot and some of you people live at the gym. Just use with caution and moderately.

Misti Blu Day is a stylist and co-owns a salon with her brother Danny Day in Cocoa Village called The Big Bang Studio. She was an educator for Sexy Hair and now is beginning training to be be an educator for Peter Coppola.