Having A Hair Affair

I am loving my new Liquid Keratin enhanced hair! A few posts ago I mentioned I had ordered the new alternative to Brazilian straightening treatment product from Ulta. My hair was greasy feeling for the required 48 hours you go before washing it, but then was wonderful afterward. I do like the shampoo and conditioner that comes with the starter kit, as well as the spray conditioner you use before you dry your hair.



Is my hair straight? No, but all the frizziness is gone. It feels silky and is much shinier than it normally is. It's sort of wavy and has tons of body. When I blow dry my hair, I have to divide it into thin sections and pull it straight with a huge round brush. Those little paddle brushes don't hold my hair very well; the round brush allows me to put enough tension on my hair to smooth it out. Before, when I released it from the brush, my hair would just sort of flop down in a flat section. Now it bounces and forms a pretty wave. Better yet, it looks nice the next day too, even if I sleep with my hair down. Normally I wrap my hair at night into a bun or ponytail to keep it from knotting up into crazy person hair, so it's nice to be able to let it go and wake up looking like a normal person.



When not stroking my newly softened hair, I decided to start looking for new hair styles. What's hot for 2009? I still don't really know. I have spent hours now reading different articles, blogs, hair sites, ect. and the only thing I really got out of it was a lot of vague hyperbole.



But what would fashion be without vague hyperbole?



So I figured I could add my own opinion to the mix so that I too could be an expert.



Economy drives everything, so look for hair to be simple. I haven't seen my hairdresser in months, not because I can't afford him, but since I'm growing my hair out. A few years ago my hair was down to the middle of my back and like all women I got tired of it. So I cut it into a chin-length bob and that was fun for about five minutes.



Then I saw a picture of Lisa Rinna with a cute, shaggy cut that my pea brain decided was sexy. So off I drove to the hair dresser. Who gave me the short version of the cut. Actually it looked a lot like that awful pixie my favorite muse, Victoria Beckham, is wearing right now. She cut my hair down to about two inches and then thinned it with a razor to make it look choppy.



Now remember I have a lot of skinny, yet frizzy hair and live in a sub-tropical climate. She made it look normal. I ended up growing out an ugly brown puff ball. Slowly and painfully. That was in 2006. My hair is now almost to my collar bone. I hope if I ever cut it that short again I remember to read this post. I do have a few pictures, but on the pain of severe embarrassment I will not share them.



I have seen a lot of pictures of very soft, simple hair this year. Lightly layered bobs that look like you could get out of the shower and just shake your hair into place. Maybe scrunch a little product into them and go. I love the hair in the Versace ads. Kate and Giselle have hair that looks so attainable, and I love the bright blonde color on Kate. She looks almost wholesome for once. I've found the best way to get this style for me is to get my hair almost dry, rub in a little Phyto Beauty Styling Creme in, and form huge pincurls. I then have to let it dry the rest of the way (I cheat and blow dry it a little), then run my fingers through it to make it look like it naturally is that neat. You know how much I love my Phyto products and if you've never tried them then you need to. Good products, from shampoo to styling, make a huge difference. Your hairdresser is not just trying to make a profit off of you. You use less of them as they are more concentrated, and your hair looks better. That's worth the cost right there. Phyto is sold at many salons and at Sephora. I love their stuff almost as much as my Philip B. products. I tend to cycle between the two.



Here's another way of looking at it. About a billion years ago I worked in the beauty industry. When clients were reticent about purchasing decent products, I would ask them this question: "If you had a very expensive cashmere sweater, would you wash it everyday in the shampoo you are currently using?" Well of course not! Then I would show them the correct amount of good product they needed for their hair, which was always way less than the cheap product.



Lecture over. Buy good products.



Another trend is the half up/half down updo. I think this looks great if your hairdresser does it. When I try it, I end up looking like Marisa Tomei did at the Oscars. She had on a fabulous dress and looked like half of her bobby pins fell out in the limo on the way over. Same with Jessica Biel, as you remember I referred to her look as fuck hair. Everyone else said greasy, workout hair, but you know I'm not one to mince words or worry about being polite. There is a difference between fuck hair and fucked up hair however. If you're not sure what it is then google Mickey Rourke's hair. I hope success brings him a wonderful hairdresser. Remember Jorge from Beauty Shop? Take note Mickey.

Then there's the dreadful pixie crop. I'll say it if no one else will, this is not a good look for Victoria Beckham. She looks like a pin head. I wish the magazines would quit shoving this ugly hairstyle at women. Halle Barry is the only woman I have ever seen that made this hairstyle look sexy. Ever.

I'll tell you who's going to love the new spring undone look. Men. That's right, scream all you want about how you do your hair like you like it, not how a man likes it. They are biologically programmed to like long hair, which is why some of us spend so much time growing and weaving hair. My husband cautiously complemented me on the fact that mine is growing out, probably because he's scared I'll cut it again.

I also tried to figure out what the hot color was and peroxide blonde is being thrown around quite a bit. Like Kate's hair, or Scarlett Johansson's was in "Vicky Christina Barcelona". I loved that color on her. However keeping up blonde hair, even if you are naturally blonde, is expensive.

Copper reds are big too. A friend of mine just went back red which really suits her. This is another tricky color though. This is one of those colors men either love or hate, no in between. I love red hair on women, but then again I don't date them. My friend and I debated this one, she is reading a book about dating that is advising her to go back blonde as it will expand the pool of men that would be potentially interested in her. However while she was blonde she wasn't bombarded with dates either.

I did notice an absence of obvious highlights. No more stripes of caramel, toffee, espresso, chocolate, dolce de leche, saffron, butter, ect. I can only assume since I don't actually eat any of those things that it is safe for me to indulge in calorie free highlights. I'm glad that fad is over. I actually like having one color of hair right now, it looks almost natural.

I've been buying fun hair accessories for my longer hair. I just bought these cute hairpins with feathers on them and a flower to dress up my pony tail a little. I saw some pretty feathered headbands at Forever 21, but haven't gotten them yet. I still have my Kim Kardashian bangs, so headbands make them stick up in a funny way.

That's my spring hair forecast. I'll continue to grow my mop out, one thing you can count on is that long hair is always in. I've never believed that nonsense about women cutting their hair when they get older. Short hair makes most women look older, I think wavy, longer hair is much more flattering as you age. Not that I age anyway.

Now run along and find a hairstyle,

Love and kisses,

Cult Diva