Salvaging New Do

So, last night I was headed to Bdubs (Buffalo Wild Wings) to watch the UFC fight.. And, needless to say, my hairstyle that I had done nothing with all day needed some revisions, so here is what I came up with:

Style: Curly, straight, half up
Time: 20-25 minutes.

Ok, I know this style looks simple enough, but since I had no real idea what I wanted to do it took me a while to play with various things with my hair to get something I half way liked. Especially since I was starting with already curly hair and had worn it that way all day.

I brushed out the curls to make them less "plastic/hard" then applied some molding puddy (which I still have to figure out how to use best), then added a little mouse to help the curls.

The top was pulled back in 5 sections, the top middle, then the bangs actually are pinned in 3 sections overlapping, and the opposite side of my bangs is pinned differently as well.

Not my favorite hairstyle, but I enjoyed the different feel it had!

Highlight Dos

My favorite thing about highlights is the dynamic feel it gives a hair style. I enjoy that I can do the same hairstyle I have done before, but because of the highlights I am able to accent something different, plus you can see all the directions my hair goes in any given hair style.

Style: Curly with a bangs poof.
Time: 5-10 minutes (depending mostly on how long it takes you to scrunch it.

New Hair!

I know I have been MIA for a while, but I'm back with a sizzling new hair style!

You can't really tell in the first picture the colors, at least the vibrance of the color.. So, the second picture is a good display of the color vibrancy.

Salon Verde in Harrisonburg is where I got "my hair did" and I loove it! Clearly the color is a new shade of red and some blond highlights... (for a FANTASTIC price I might add) and highlights that will become more predominant as the summer goes :) ... and maybe with a little help later on ;) Also, I had more shape added to the cut and some thinning out cause it was starting to look a little poof ball ish!

Designline Curl Lock

I like this game. My roomie gave me some hair product to try!

While my hair does not look it completely in the picture, my hair is mostly dry... And, the best part is the next morning I had very little upkeep to revitalize my bedhead curls to daytime curls!

I like the smell of this cream, and I like that it can be applied to damp or dry hair!

Surprisingly an A+ curl cream! I would clue you into the cost, but I am not sure, I would guess totally blindly at $15ish. But, I am a fan of this product.

Dry Shampoo!

 

This is what waterless shampoo from Tresemme looks like after you spray it on... Very weird.

You let it sit for 3-4 minutes then brush it out and "go".

 

I guess it worked fairly well... 

I mean my hair didn't look greasy which definitely is a plus! However, I was not a fan of the feeling cause it definitely left a heavy feeling on my hair and scalp. 

Although, in a running late pinch. This will come in handy!.. I have yet to try it on curly hair though 

(how would I even brush that out?... Fro, that's how)

Overall rating B+

Whoa Hair

This is what I woke up to this morning......... This is what I walked out of the house with.

Cute hair is hard work!.. But better then walking out of the house looking like a crazy person! haha

Style: Half up and straight.. with a slight twist to hold my bangs and hair in place!
Time: 15-17 minutes, it took a while to control that funky fro thing I had going on!

Straight Fro Mess

I know I look upset possibly in this picture.. but I promise I was not.. What I was attempting to show was the lack of definition my hair now has due to the edges deciding to split a little bit, plus the fact that my hair is crazy thick and has grown out a few months now.

PLUS.. it snowed today ( >.< ) which means the air was dryer than usual and my hair decided today would be a fun day to fly away... Gah!

So, I straightened it this morning before church, and since the fly aways were literally out of control (I should take a picture next time) I had to pin down half of my hair. I am talking straightened fro mess!.. Crazy!

Due to the tackling time this hair do took an abnormally long time with 15-18 minutes.

I have a few more product reviews to do this week too!

Hightop Mess

Today I was way too lazy to shower and re-do my hair, so I braided my bangs back into my hair.. re-wet and scrunched my hair, pinned.. and went. The details are hard to see.. and I was not all that motivated to get a good picture, so here is what I have for the day...

5 minutes and done... Laziness at its finest!

Professional Shots

My friend decided she needed some practice with her photography and I got to be the subject.. We had fun, so I thought I would share a couple of the shots she took!

Photos courtesy Elizabeth Pfister.

Colors

I have begun thinking about my next color adventure with my hair... I'm leaning towards several colors.. possibly the main balance being between red and blonde with a base color. I have yet to make any decisions.. but as you can tell, currently I have several colors in my hair, the main thing you notice is the roots are a dark blonde (aka dirty dish water blonde.. gag) and it fades out to brown... then red. Summer is coming, which means it's time for some fun change up. I will keep you posted (of course) as the ideas progress.. and then the final turnout.

This style is my normal straight, no blow drying (yay!) just air dry with oil on my hair straight...

I have a few more products to highlight later this week! Should be good! :)

And ps.. Yes my eyes are actually more green then brown, it just REALLY shows in this picture :)

Simples

I love this simple do. I chose a curly style with straight bangs and a braid... But, the thing that I love about those styles is that the combination choice can totally change the look! I actually braided 3/4 of my bangs out of my face.. you can tell that my bangs are see through.. meaning their thin.. meaning it's not my normal style bangs! Also, the top half of my hair is pulled back do to the absolute insistence my hair hand on poofing and not curling well on top (a clear indication that I need a trim and thinning). So, this is a simple change of pace and offers just enough of something different that it does not look like an every day style. However, it looks way better when the hair color has several colors going because the braid tends to highlight the colors..

And ps.. my bangs are just getting obnoxiously long.. it's time to change that up again soon!
Style: Curly, straight bangs, braid
Time: 10-12 minutes.

Fun and simple. I love it. :)

Redken Extreme

I decided randomly to buy this product instead of my usual conditioner just to see if I liked something a little different. First, I like the smell. (haha) Also, I like that it is a leave in conditioner, especially the type that you use AFTER you have shampooed and conditioned already (I condition a lot.. but look at all the crazy things I put my poor hair through!) I am a fan of this, but have not found it to be "the one" that feels like it saves my hair from breaking and snapping.. ALTHOUGH, to be fair, I have only used it 6-7 times, and it really could be a long-term usage type thing to notice the difference. I am ok with that. But, on a good note, it does not add any greasy feel or weight to my hair!

The thing I am still in search of is conditioner that has no form of alcohol... This is not that conditioner.

I would recommend this, but not sure I would say it is a MUST HAVE. The cost is so-so at $7-8.

Rusk

I have found a new styling creme that I really like a lot..

Rusk's Wired, which is a part of their Designer Collection
It has this fairly intensely thick creme that you apply to wet (preferably) hair, and it helps keep it from fro-ing (YAY!) when you blow dry it (OR.. let it air dry.. who knew?!).




So far I have enjoyed the slightly different lift (I never thought I would say that) and texture to my hair. However, the smell is a mixture between slightly chemically and on the verge of being for a guy.. but still with just enough of a nice pleasant smell that it doesn't make me dislike it. Although, the smell is not very strong, especially after it dries. I have also had a hard time getting used to applying this creme to my hair... It's very difficult to get it to be applied evenly over my whole head... But, the last time I tried it went fairly well, I just had to wash my hair sooner then normal because it seemed to get grease quicker (also, knowing this I avoided applying it to my bangs since I touch them about 45million times more).

This products price was so-so at $7-8.
Overall I would say use this, but mostly in the summer time when the humidity is ridiculous.

1940's

This reminds me of the 1940's hairstyles haha.. It is the typical bangs poofed and sides pulled up, but I made it slightly more squared off... And again, this is me at work... in reverse (mirror image)
Style: Half up, curly
Time: 5-7 minutes

I have just discovered some new awesome hair products that I will be sharing soon!.. And I REALLY need to look into a new style of color...

Classic Care

Everyone has their typical no-brainer go to items, mine tend to be these... I know they're a little "lower end" store bought.. but they are the ones that I reach for when I aim for curly hair. (click on the pictures to be taken to the website)

 Tresemme Flawless Curls is the best mousse for the price ($3-4), holds curl well, and I aim for hard solid curls instead of moving ones. So, this is my favorite inexpensive mousse.. because I go through a LOT of it due to the thickness of my hair.

Pantene has wonderful product lines, and while I would even still say it is the "lower end" it is certainly a fantastic buy ($3-5), especially since they came out with the various lines.. Obviously I go for either the Curly line or the Medium thick line.

So, if you are looking for the best bang for your buck, I highly recommend these two product lines... The only downside that I have with these (as well as MOST) hair products is they all contain some form of alcohol in them.. Not always at the top of the list of ingredients, but sadly it is still there to dry out your hair faster.. I am on a quest to find it.. without having to sell my first born child (to be had in the future)...

Soon... More products and hair goals! I'm so excited! :) Send me any thoughts or products you think I should try kpbback@gmail.com

Blown Curly

I'm not sure about this face I'm making.. but since hair is the focus I had to let it go..

I went with a three-fer combo!.. Curly hair, half up, blown straight hair!.. How many styles can I fit into one hairstyle?.. Well, apparently several!

Time and Style: 15-18 minutes.. between making curly.. pinning up just right.. and blow drying my bangs it took a little longer than usual.. but I like the outcome!.. Now the face I'm making is odd.. but I didn't have time to do several do-over pictures!

Coming soon.. the products and hair style goals!... I'm prepping.. and am pretty excited! :)

Electric Spazz

Today my hair had this electric infused curl!... Or so it seemed. Nothing I did was able to calm the curl down, it just did it's own thing haha

However.. Major feat for the day.. I chose curly hair AND straight blow-dried bangs!

Random note: Blow drying hair that has conditioner in it A) Takes longer 2) Smells better haha!

Style: Curly with straight blow-dried bangs
Time: 10-12 minutes ... Depends on how much you try taming the curls...

High and Curly

 Today I was not feeling having hair in my face... or with the normal spastic curls that seem to take over my head. So, I decided a cute little side roll, (which is different then the side twist) a few bobby pins to pull the top half up (because I am not yet to the point of pulling my hair back in a pony tail without several bobby pins..)

So, here is my finished product. I am a fan, and clearly was feeling a little spunky this morning..

Style: Curly, Bobby pinned bangs, half up.
Time: 10-12 minutes (took me a while to get the exact look I wanted..)

Straight Poof

Today's hair was a leftover from yesterday, and while the picture is not the best, I was rather pleased when I attempted a straight hair poof "Bump it" without a bump to assist me.

I will admit there are 10 bobby pins in my hair, and I cheated a bit by bumping my bangs first, then pulling the additional bits on the sides up and pinning them. (Please note, I took this picture after I parked at work and realized I'd yet to take my hair picture for the morning!)

Style: Straight, "Bump it", half up.
Time: After straightening 5-7 minutes

Sunday Classic

Since I went to such lengths to straighten my hair yesterday I was not eager to switch it up today.. however, lets be honest, I like change too much to wear it the same two days in a row! So, for my Sunday Classic hair-do I decided to pull a portion of it back and pin it, for this result:

Except it is important to note that this picture, as well as many of the others are either taken with my laptop or in a mirror, so you are actually seeing the reverse of what the hair do is. Aka.. My bangs ACTUALLY go to the right.


Style: Straight with the top pinned/poofed.
Time: 2 minutes (after straight)

Simple, easy, classic.

The Outcome

So, today I was determined to actually blow-dry my hair... start to finish and not wimp out because my shoulders got tired haha

Step one: Blow-Dry with the new handy dandy round brush. 20 minutes.

The good thing about learning to blow-drying is that I am no longer stuck to curly styles only if I did not plan ahead and shower the night before.
The bad thing is it takes me forever and a day to get ready even with short hair because of how thick it is... And, as you can see in the picture, it does not get rid of all the frizzy curls. Darn.

Step two: Brush out and figure out what I actually want to do with my hair. 2 minutes.

I decided I would attempt a much more sleek straight look with a twist.. Literally a twist :)



Step three: Straighten and add a twist.
15 minutes.

I like this picture because you can really see the faded red, grown out natural color, and the darker brown haha.. I may have to start thinking of a new color I want.

Then of course I had to finish getting ready in general and give a finale picture:


Success! (37minutes + make-up time later)

Blow Drying Attempt #2...

Tomorrow I will use my handy-dandy new brush to attempt a new blow drying style... we shall see if it works.. I'll keep you posted, and might even get inspired to share the progressive states of learning to blow dry my hair..

I really like this brush, and it certainly is TOTALLY different then a regular brush.. who knew?!
I really like the combo bristles on this one, for someone with incredibly thick hair it keeps me from getting lost in this brush.

Again, thanks Goody for having quality products for not very expensive. Cost $3-4.

(does anyone else suddenly break into song "ooooohh where is my hair brush?!..." in their mind?.. Maybe that's just me...)

Straight Please

Today my hair was a terrible mess, and nothing new, so instead of detail the boringness that would have been my hair.. I thought I would begin my product reviews...

If I want straight hair it takes some serious planning ahead.

First I wash my hair with an array of choices of Shampoos (most recently):

Since it is winter and land of the frozen tundra, it leaves not only my skin, but my hair incredibly dry, so I have found that this line does a fantastic job of helping restore moisture.. In part because it is organic (whatever that means)!
I also only wash once during the winter instead of following the rinse and repeat suggestion.
Typically between $5-6.
(My curly hair is a different regiment.. exhausting I know..)



Then I use this conditioner:

My reasoning is as follows, first, since I color my hair frequently this has done a great deal to help me fight off split ends, and does a fantastic job with giving me a touchable smooth and soft hair-do.
Also, since I plan on rinsing it out, it is not too heavy on my hair, and definitely does not leave it greasy.
Typically between $9-10.


Then, once I have rinsed and towel dried my hair I apply a dollar coin size dollop of this to my hair, being careful to massage throughout my entire hair, not just wherever my hands happened to land first... It becomes quite the skill, but soon enough you can figure out how to tell when your entire head has been covered thoroughly.
Typically $6-7.

Again, since it's the winter tundra, moisture is the name of the game... Especially when my plan is to flat iron my hair, which essentially burns off most of the moisture and oils your hair has.

Typically I let my hair air-dry, usually while I sleep, but slowly I am and want to learn to blow dry my hair in a helpful manner instead of a fro manner.

Then, once my hair is completely dry (can I suggest, unless you want your hair to break off, never straighten it while it is wet).. I straighten using this:

I have been through probably 3-4 different straighteners in the last several years, and this one keeps chugging along. It is currently 3 years old and while definitely not as nice as it once was, does a fantastic job straightening my hair.
I will soon have to give it up for a new one I am sure, but for a fairly inexpensive price it has been wonderful to me (and my hair)!
 Typically $25-27.

And then, I am ready to face the day with some form of straight hair!

Sophisticated

I was in the mood for something a little more sophisticated, but I did not want to pin my bangs back because I was a fan of the way they were laying this morning... So, here is what I came up with, nothing too dramatic, but just a touch different.

Style: Straight, with the top 1/4 bobby pinned back.
Time: After straightening, 2 minutes

Nothing extravagant today, but slightly different all the same.

Blow Drying Attempt #1...

Last night I used my new large round brush and attempted to blow dry my hair for real... I did the front half before my already tired from working out shoulders decided I was done... So, I gave up and let my hair air dry.. then straightened it this morning...

I am a fan of how the new large round brush changes the shape of my bangs!

Overall style: Straight
Time: (Should've been longer) Total after blowdrying and straightening was 30 minutes.

Note: I typically add oil to my damp hair when I know I want straight hair... I'll showcase that in one of my product highlights too..

ps.. my fingers while obviously larger than normal cause of the closeness to the mirror look odd haha

Bobby Pins

After years of ridiculously trying to subdue my thick, curly, and at times incredibly long hair with bobby pins that stretch, break, chip, fall out, etc.. and ultimately leave my hair out of place or requiring an abnormally large amount of hair spray and a tortuous number of bobby pins to achieve my perfect hair do; I have FINALLY found one that I am totally sold on, and will never buy any other kind (although I need to get a few new colors for when I change my hair color...)

I bought one package more than 6 months ago, and have not had a single one chip, break, stretch or fall out.. my biggest problem is I have lost 2 so far!

So, these have my recommendation for the best bobby pins out there! Thank you Goody for finally making ones that do their job perfectly!

Product rating for Goody Colour Collections: A+

Twist and Pull..

Today was a multiplying factor when it came to my hair decision..

1. I was out late last night.
2. I was late getting up and ready for church.
3. My bangs take the longest for me to do in the AM.

So, in an effort to help with all of these things, I came up with the following style.. The picture is edited to help you see the contrast and the style, so, my walls are not painted the incredibly fun yellow.. They are yellow, but not that color ;)

Style: Twisted and pinned bangs, and an athletic headband with curly hair.
Time: 5 minutes.

I think I need to explain the prep that goes into my curly hair... I don't wash the conditioner out of my hair when I plan on having curly hair, instead I leave it in, then squeeze the remaining extra out of my hair, do a quick towel dry/scrunch, add a little mouse or gel (depending on my mood), and proceed with whatever style I feel like for the day.

The purpose behind leaving the conditioner in is this:

1. The winter makes my hair a desert wasteland.
2. The conditioner helps the curls stay defined with less artificial chemicals (I tend towards organic conditioners if I'm leaving it in)
3. The curls are fuller and curl better.

My goal is to exhibit a few of my favorite products tomorrow and share why I love them so!

p.s. I just noticed most of my faces this week have looked the same haha.. whoopsie, apparently I've been in the same fun/spunky mood each time I have taken the picture..

Functional Braid...

Today the wind was close to 400mph, and I needed to head to Georgetown to look for some unique shoes.. So, I knew my already straight hair needed some help or I was going to look like a quick hot mess... This was my solution, and I must say, I was pretty pleased with the turnout!

I only braided the side my bangs are on, and the rest is short enough that it did not pose a problem.

Style: Straight and braided
Time: Since my hair was already straight it took me 5-10 minutes to braid and run the straightener through a few times to control a couple spastic hairs, I also used hair wax for the fly-aways.

Traditional Style

I like to think of this as my traditional Do... except for some reason my hair was all about adding a little extra poof and flair.. so I went with it!

Overall Style: Straightened
After shower time: ... This is a little tricky because usually I if I want a good straight style I shower the night before, let it air dry, and then straighten it the next morning... So, it typically takes me 15-20 minutes to straighten currently.

My new goal is to learn to accurately blow dry my hair for real... So, in my new endeavor I bought a new brush to help!

Soon I will post about my favorite products! :)

Curls and Braids

Today was a sort of "I need change but am too lazy for it" kind of day..

Overall style: Curly with braided bangs
After shower time: 5-10 minutes

This was my walk back to work from Starbucks on a BEAUTIFUL Wednesday...

The Many Hairs of Kris..

Here's a brief synopsis of a few typical hair styles over the last few years...

*This picture was a professional picture from Stephanie Rhea

All of these clearly show the little bit of variety and adventure I enjoy with my hair.. There is no particular order to these pictures, but the short dark/red hair is the most current... And we shall see where it goes...

(Obviously this is the many faces of Kris too haha!)