Your True Colours | Hair Chalking How-To

Are you familiar with the latest trend in hair today? "Hair Chalking" has been around for a little while now and it’s a fun way to temporarily add color to your locks.

Create the look without commitment.

There are several things you need to know before you go Picasso. So, from our salon mirror to yours, here are the Shear Style tips…

 

What You’ll Need…


1 soft pastel chalk set ($5 or under at your local craft store)


1 spray bottle (filled with water)

1 
A flat iron/curling iron


Rubber gloves


An old towel/shirt

How You’ll Get The Look...

Step 1: Spray about a 1-inch section from the tip of your hair with water. The wet section is the section where the colour will be released.

*** If you’re blonde or you have blonde tips, DO NOT wet your hair before chalking. I will stain if you do because adding water to pure pigment creates a real dye.***

Step 2: Twist the hair and begin to chalk as you do so. The texture from twisting makes the chalk release more pigment.

Start with the lightest shade first, since, as you can see, the color gets all over your gloves and you'll end up with a muddied version of the same hue throughout if you go dark to light.

Step 3: Wait for your hair to air dry.

Step 4: Using the curling or flat iron, go over each colored strand. This sets the colors in your hair, so it will last longer.

Step 5: Then brush out excess and style away!

***If your not wanting to the colour to last over a day skip Step 4***

Getting Chalk Out

Shampoo regularly. A conditioning treatment is strongly recommended to replenish the moisture the chalk has dried out.

Now get going and show your true colours this summer 2012! Here are some great looks...

Hair how to: ethereal, fluffy curls.

Against the delicate features of golden haired Lily Hart, these soft, brushed out curls have an ethereal aura. Straight on top, then bursting out voluminously on the sides, it’s a style that also oozes soft 70s glamour if paired with some metallic eyeshadow and a retro-inspired frock. To create the look for yourself, follow this how-to guide:

Section off the hair by dividing it into half and pinning with sectioning clips. Starting at the back, take horizontal partings and use a small curling iron to curl each under into a tight curl.








Continue taking horizontal parting, curling hair all the way up the back of the head. Once you've curled up to the ear section, follow the partings from the back of the head to the front hair line.

At the front hairline, keep curling hair back from the face as this will give you more width and create a softer look for most face shapes.

As you get high on the head (i.e. the top layers of hair) start dragging the curls. This will create a build up of weight for the curls and have a flatness to the top of the head. You can drag the curls down to either eye level or ear level depending on where you want the volume to start from.

Once you’ve curled all the hair, get a brush (a soft cushion brush works best) and softly brush out the curls. Using your fingers and the brush, adjust the width and shape of the hair.

Once you’re happy with the desired shape, spray the hair in place with some hair spray.

All About Straight Hair

If you have been blessed with fairly straight hair, then you are lucky and the envy of many women (myself included). Thick hair that is mostly straight, with maybe a slight wave is usually the easiest hair to style. 

Your natural wave loves to be curled and styled, and yet is easy to straighten and looks fabulous worn straight. Women with tight curly hair, or fine, dead straight hair that has little body and refuses to hold curl (yes, that's me!) struggle to style our hair at times.

If your hair is not quite as straight as you want it, you have some easy options to temporarily straighten your hair: straightening products, hair dryer or straightening iron.

If your hair is really not straight and you want to get rid of your curl permanently (well, at least 6 months), you have the option of professionally straightening your hair.

HOW TO BLOW DRY HAIR STRAIGHT

Blowdrying your hair straight is definitely the cheaper option to permanently straightening your hair - all it takes is a few tools and products and a bit of practice.

WHAT DO I NEED?

- A hairdryer
- A large round brush. The size of the brush will depend on the length of your hair - your hair needs to be long enough to wrap around the brush once.
- A large paddle brush for final smoothing.
- Clips to keep hair out of the way. Large flat clips that hairdressers use work best.
- Styling products - products that protect your hair from moisture and hold the style. Moisture is what reverts the hair back to its natural wave, so products like mousse protect hair from moisture as well as heat damage.
- Gloss or serum to smooth over hair, remove frizz and finish off the look

Start by washing your hair with a volumising range. Browse our Volumising range. 

Comb with a wide-toothed comb to remove any tangles. Partially blow-dry your hair to get rid of excess moisture. 

Spray a volumising tonic on your hair, or a handful of mousse spread from tips to ends for extra oomph. 

Pin hair up and take out small sections at a time to blow-dry. Hold the dryer in one hand and a styling brush in the other. 

Place the brush underneath the first section of hair and position it at the roots. Keep the tension on the hair (without tugging too hard) and move the brush down towards the ends, while directing the air flow down the hair, following the movement of the brush. 

Blow-dry using a large, round brush with a metal core. Wind hair completely up the brush, focusing on creating lift at the roots. Gently blast hair with a hair-dryer until dry.

Browse our range of Hairdryers. 

Curl the brush under at the ends to achieve a slight bend. Continue until the back sections are completely dry and then repeat on the top sections of hair.

Finish with a light, flexible hairspray. Browse our range of HairSprays. 

Remember, practice makes perfect! 

HOW TO USE A STRAIGHTENING IRON

WHAT DO I NEED?

- A temperature controlled straightening iron
- Styling products - products that protect your hair from moisture and hold the style. Moisture is what reverts the hair back to its natural wave, so products like mousse protect hair from moisture as well as heat damage.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Also start with clean, DRY hair. If possible, use a leave-in conditioning spray after washing your hair, but before starting to straighten.
Hair must be completely dry, as slightly damp hair will respond badly to straightening. Also using a heated appliance on damp hair causes the hair to "cook" from the steaming, swelling the hair shaft and forcing the protective moisture from the cortex of the hair.

Use a flat iron appropriate for your hair length. Wider irons are suitable for very long hair, but most women are better off using an appliance with heating plates 1" to 1 ½ " wide. These smaller irons offer better control and are lighter in weight.

Section your hair into small, manageable sections. If you try and straighten a big chunk of hair at once, you will get an uneven result. The hair on the outside might straighten but hair in the middle won't have been straightened. Work on smaller sections and you will get a much straighter look.

Use a small amount of styling product to maintain the style. Using a spray of hairspray on the straightened sections, or a small amount of mousse or gel when drying your hair, will extend the life of your hair style. Your straightened hair will last longer.
INSTRUCTIONS

Take a small section of hair. Starting at the roots, work the flat iron through the length of your hair slowly, but keep the iron moving.

After each draw, comb your hair smooth.

Continue, piece by piece until all of your hair is straight.

PROFESSIONAL HAIR STRAIGHTENING

PERMANENT STRAIGHTENING

What is it? It's a perm that improves the condition of the hair as it straightens it. There are a few names for it - Bio Ionic Professional Haircare System, Japanese Ionic Hair Straightening - yet they are all the same.

How does it work? First a treatment to prep your hair. Next, a setting solution. Then a rinse and light dry off before hours of flat-iron work. After this, you have straight hair. They rinse again and apply a solution so your hair remembers to stay straight. A quick dry off and iron and you're done. But no washing your hair for two days.

What hair types are (most) suitable? Those with thick, healthy, unbleached hair are the best candidates.

Which hair types are not suitable? Fine, weak or dry hair or hair that is overly processed/colored. However there are lotions that cater to variations in strength and thickness, meaning those with fine but strong hair can still get the treatment.

How long does it take? Usually about five hours. If the hair is very thick, curly or long it can take up to 10 or 11 hours.

How much does it cost? It can range anywhere from $150 to $1000 depending on the salon and the particular solutions being used (ie Bio Ionic is more expensive than Japanese solutions)

Some quick-fixes include using permanent straighteners and relaxers- most of which you can find in supermarkets and drug stores to apply in your own home.

A relaxer is best suited for people who have hair that is especially difficult to style. This usually applies to people of African or Caribbean descent who have coarse and frizzy hair. The relaxer is a strong chemical substance that is applied to dry hair and then left on the hair anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. The relaxer works chemically with the composition of your hair, weighing it down in certain areas and removing curls. Relaxers must be reapplied to new hair growth.

How-to create the new waved flapper bob

The cut:

To state the obvious, the tousled bob will not quite work if you have long hair, so this style is specifically for those who embrace short locks, or even those who like to experiment and surprise themselves. But, Mark Fast and his hair team did take the challenge and made it work for longer hair (see the styling steps below).

If we were to look back at the Flapper era, the traditional cut was always just where the ears ended or slightly above it. It was a clear bob cut. Flapper girls never had their hair long, which also added to androgynous feel of the look.

But when we translate the look in 2012, we want to make it look as modern, glamourous and effortless as we can. Since a very short bob demands high maintenance, make this look yours by keeping your hair shoulder length or an inch below the ears.

However, if you do want to experiment with your locks this New Year, then brave the scissors and go with an above the ear cut. But keep in mind that the styling will be a little more time taking and tricky.
The tools:


To style this look effectively, you’ll need the following tools: 

Tail comb brush
Wire rods (if available)
Curling tong
Flat iron
Curl enhancing cream
Working spray
Hairspray
Lots of hair pins

Styling it:
At the Mark Fast spring 2012 show, Tigi’s hair team is to be credited for creating the look on the runway. James Pecis shares his styling tips on ways to get the tousled bob at home and making it street-friendly.


With wire rods:


The styling for a textured, tousled bob works best on second-day hair. If it’s freshly washed then prep the hair with a working spray and run your fingers through it. Tigi used ‘Catwalk by TIGI Session Series Work It Hairspray’ for the runway show.

Create a side part and flip the hair on one side. Use a tail comb brush and backcomb the hair around the hairline and the parting. You need to create a cushion around the head for hairpins to grip on. Don’t backcomb around the crown.

If using wire rods (though not compulsory – see below), wrap small sections of hair in figure of eights around the wire rod. Spray some hair spray on the wire rod. Use a flat iron and set the rods in place. This will give a flat wave in the hair and adhere to the 1920s look. Do it all over the outer layer of your hair.

Leave the wire in for about 20 minutes. On removing the rods, use your fingers to soften and break the shape of the curls.

If you have long hair, take the ends of the hair and secure it underneath with bobby pins. This will create a U-shaped bob with very clean lines.

Spray some hairspray and set the curls in place. The team used ‘Catwalk by TIGI Session Series Finishing Hairspray’ for this particular look.

Pull a few loose pieces out to make the look more distressed and sexy. Finish off with some shine spray, if required.

However, if you’re using a curling tong to create the 20s tousled bob, then follow the steps below.




Prep the hair by following steps 1 and 2 above.




Curl relatively large chunks of hair strands on medium heat.


When the hair has come down to room temperature, use a paddle brush to comb out the curls.



Take a flat iron and flatten the area around the hairline by pressing the hair on medium heat. Don’t run your iron over the curls; it’ll loose its shape. Spray some hairspray and set the curls in place.



Finish off with some shine spray, if required.

Dry Shampoo Basics

Think of those mornings when you hit the snooze button a few too many times, and you wake up with barely enough time to pull on some clothes and rush out the door to the office. Thanks perhaps to some perverse joke being played by the goddess of coiffures, those frantic occasions also tend to coincide with your worst cases of bed head. When the-sebaceous glands attached to your hair follicles have unleashed an oil slick worthy of the Exxon Valdez. Your 100,000 to 120,000 or so of hairs weighted down with that oil—which is really a combination of accumulated cell debris, chemical components of sweat and various tiny pieces of dirt picked up from the air- are protruding every which way, creating a look reminiscent of the lead character in the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip. Of course you don’t have time to shampoo and rinse your rebellious locks in the shower, and then dry and reshape them.

Well, don’t go to pieces. Hair care technology has an ingenious solution for you: dry shampoo, a water-free way to freshen and restyle your hair when you don’t have time for a leisurely scrub. Just sprinkle or spray the preparation on your hair, wait a few moments for it to absorb the oil, and other gunk then brush or blot it out. Dry shampoo enthusiasts, of whom there seem to be a growing number, insist that some of their favorite designer brands will give your hair a shiny, bouncy volume that’s nearly as good as what a stint under the shower nozzle would accomplish. Beyond that, the latest pearl of wisdom from hair care gurus, is that a daily wash-and-rinse with a detergent shampoo may strip away too much natural oil from your hair. Follicular fashionistas are reverting to the once-a-week hair-washing regimen of decades ago, when stylish dames went to the salon. Between salon visits, shampoos are enough to keep you looking good, according to proponents.

We would say try it. It does help, and there is nothing wrong with letting your hair stay un-washed for a couple days.

How Switching Hair Styles Can Boost Self Esteem

If you’re like most women then you probably like to improve your look with a variety of hair styles. Hairstyles not only improve your look, but can also boost your self-esteem. If you’ve been feeling down in the dumps lately and feel like your confidence is at an all-time low, the best thing you can do might just be to head to your favorite salon.

The Importance of Hair Style

If you want to enhance your physical appearance, then there is no doubt that your hair style is one of the factors that you should consider. In fact, if you flip through beauty magazines or watch entertainment programs, you will see how much emphasis the media puts on the ever-changing hair styles of celebrities. To look your most attractive, it is simply not enough to have the right outfit, makeup or accessories. Your hair style is one of the things that people will notice about you, so it’s important that you work on it.

The importance of a good hair style goes beyond improving your appearance. Your hairstyle can also affect the way other people perceive you. For instance, if you regularly go to work with disheveled and unkempt hair, then you will give off the impression that you’re someone who does not prioritize grooming or even hygiene. Your hair style also plays a big role in your level of confidence. Try to remember the last time you had a bad hair day. Didn’t you spend the day feeling self conscious and uncomfortable?

Choosing the Best Hair Style

Now that you know how important hair styles are, it’s time to determine which one will help you look your best. It’s not enough to tell your stylist that you want to look beautiful. It’s important that you know what you want to achieve with your new hair style. The more specific you are, the more your stylist will be able to give you the best look. Before heading down to the salon, determine first what hair style will look best on you.

Know Your Face Shape

Tie your hair back and stand in front of a mirror. Now begin examining your face to find out what your face shape is. Your face shape is the biggest factor to consider when choosing a new hair style. If your face has the ideal oval shape, then you are one of the lucky ones who can try any hair style. If you have a long face then you can balance it with shoulder-length hair styles. If you prefer longer styles, get one with plenty of layers. If you have a full and round face, then your hair style should extend below your chin. Layers around your cheeks can also make your face look slimmer. Try to avoid chin-length cuts and bangs, because these can make your face look fuller. If you have a square-shaped face then your goal should be to soften it. You can do so by choosing hairstyles with waves and curls. When going for a layered look, keep the layers within the same length as your jawline. Shoulder-length hair with layers below the chin looks best if you have a heart-shaped face.

Stars are flipping for the latest style in hair, a deep side part that's casual and adaptable

Celebrities and the cool girls who want to look like them are sporting a new, but familiar, look in hair -- the deep side part.

A part that’s an inch or two farther to the side may seem insignificant, but the way in which celebs such as Jessica Alba, Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart are doing it certainly makes a statement that’s casual, flirty and reminiscent of a 1980s Valley girl.

Alba in particular has been wearing a deep side part with a starting point that sometimes looks to be near her ear. The part gives the hair that’s flipped over to the other side of her head some volume and a wave that appears to be waiting to get teased, curled and sprayed as was in vogue through the early ’90s.

Lively and Stewart are also eschewing the typical middle-parted, L.A. boho hair and are going for something edgier in Stewart’s case, and evocative of Veronica Lake in Lively’s version.

"They’re giving us a retro glamour that’s less formal than finger waves," says celebrity hairstylist Scott Cunha, who styles Nicole Richie and Lucy Hale. "The part is deep to the side but the rest is loose, wavy and a little undone."

He recommends using the arch of the eyebrow as a good marker of where to start a deep side part. "You don’t want it over as far your ear," Cunha says. Use a comb to make a clean part and rub a little volumizing mousse through the hair to give it some wave and body. Otherwise a deep side part plus flat hair will leave you looking like a trendy drowned rat.

Lively’s hair with its deep side part always manages to look lovely and elegant. Her long, strawberry blond locks are generally parted deeply at one side, so that about two-thirds of it cascades down the side for a modern-day, more laid-back version of Lake’s famous ’do.

On the other end of the spectrum, Stewart’s take on the trend is edgy and definitely a little rock ’n’ roll. She showed up to the recent MTV Movie Awards with a deep side part and tons of body in her hair. "I loved her look at the MTV Movie Awards," Cunha says. "She really got the whole thing right."

Source: Los Angeles Times