Category Archives: Hair Care

Blow & Go!

You know that feeling after you leave the salon. Your hair has body, bounce and shine and you know you look great. But no matter how hard you try to replicate that look yourself,  you can’t quite master it. Enter Blow In Blow Out.

Tara Galatt, CEO and Owner of the soon-to-debut Blow In Blow Out in Summit, NJ knew this was something she had to do after experiencing a blow dry bar while on a trip to Los Angeles. She set about finding the perfect location in a walking town where women like to take care of themselves and would appreciate this affordable luxury.

Blow In Blow Out aims to be the best at one thing. The perfect blowout. With a menu including aromatherapy scalp treatments, shampoo and conditioning serums and six signature styling options (all for only $35!) plus braids, ponies and updos, Blow In Blow Out is poised to take the town by storm. I for one, can’t wait!

Blow In Blow Out, 330 Springfield Ave., Summit, NJ, 07901, (908) 273-4947 www.blowin-blowout.com

Trend to Try: Braids

Braided styles feel fresh for fall, especially when worn in an up-do. This pretty style (courtesy of Aveda) works for all hair types, from fine and straight to thick and curly.

  1. Prep hair with a texturizer and blow dry hair smooth. Try Aveda Pure Abundance Style Prep, $24 at aveda.com.
  2. Use a tail comb to make a straight center part from forehead to nape of neck.
  3. Make an inverted fishtail braid on each side of the head, beginning at the crown and working to the back of the ear. Secure the end of each braid with an elastic band.
  4. Use hairspray to tame flyaways. You’ll like  Aveda Air Control Hair Spray, $24 at aveda.com.
  5. Add some fullness by gently massaging braids.
  6. Fold the braids over one another across the back of the head, just above the nape, in a crisscross fashion. Tuck ends under and secure with bobby pins.
  7. Finish with a light mist of hair spray for staying power.

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(photography and style how-to courtesy of Aveda)

Gorgeous Hair in 3 Easy Steps

I’m LOVING Keri Russell’s look at the NYC premiere of her latest film, Austenland…so much in fact that I’ll definitely be wearing my hair this way quite often come fall! If your hair is shoulder-length or longer you’ll want to give it a go.

Celebrity hairstylist Brian Magallones gave Russell her super-shiny glam waves using René Furterer styling products. Here’s how you can do it too:

  1. Beginning with clean, dry hair, part hair deeply on the side.
  2. Wrap 2-inch-wide sections around the barrel of a 1 ¼-inch curling iron.
  3. Flat iron sections along the bottom few inches of hair to make it modern.

Rub a little René Furterer MODELING PASTE between your fingers and smooth out flyaways around the hairline. Follow up with a quick hit of  René Furterer VEGETAL FINISHING SPRAY for natural control with just enough movement. Finish with a light misting of René Furterer GLOSSING SPRAY for mega shine. Gorgeous!

All products available at www.dermstore.com.

Work those Curls Girls!!!

Believe it or not…Wednesday, August 14th is Wear Your Hair Curly Day! You have less than a week to pledge to go curly (click here) for Garnier Fructis Style to make a donation to Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls on your behalf.

Give it a shot…celeb stylist Tommy Buckett of Serge Normant Salon in NYC shares his tips so your curls will never be less than perfect.

  1. Use a wide-tooth comb to avoid knots, tangles and damage. Start at the ends working upwards.
  2. Sleep on a silk pillow or wrap your hair in a silk headscarf before bedtime.
  3. Switch up your hair products seasonally. Warmer months call for lighter products that won’t weigh down curls.
  4. Before hitting the beach, saturate wet hair with a conditioning and protective oil treatment.
  5. After washing, gently squeeze excess water from hair and immediately massage an anti-frizz cream through hair before allowing to air-dry without touching.
  6. If hair is color-treated, indulge in a weekly conditioning treatment for added nourishment.

Buckett’s Product Picks: Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil, Garnier Fructis Style Curl Shaping Spray Gel, Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment, Garnier Fructis Style Curl Calm Down Anti-Frizz Cream, Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition 3-Minute Undo Dryness Reversal Treatment

Looking to go curly but not sure where to start? Click here for style how-to’s. For more info. visit garnierusa.com.

(photo courtesy of sweetlemonmag.com)

 

Happy Camper!

If you have a camper in your life, you know what an important role care packages play. But…what to send when sweet treats are no longer allowed. Besides including magazines, comics and a few beauty goodies I lucked out with these really cool Pony Bracelets that do double-duty as ponytail holders and bracelets.

Clearly, Emma loves her I Love Camp ones but keep in mind they also come in really cool patterns and other sayings (see my other favorites below), great for party favors, a “little something extra” with a birthday present or a “just because” gift. PonyBracelets, $4.99 for 4.

 

 

Flower Girl!

A few weeks ago, my brother Stephen and his wife Laurie brought me a beautiful gardenia plant. I love everything about it from its shiny leaves to that sweet scent when in bloom. I’m still waiting for it to blossom though and hope it happens soon so I can tuck a gorgeous, white flower behind my ear or pin it in my hair for a laid-back, carefree summer look.

If it doesn’t happen soon I do have a backup plan. I can always head to my favortie trim store, Tinsel Trading at 1 West 37th Street, NYC for a huge selection of vintage, reproduction or contemporary flowers. If you live too far away or are more of an online shopper check out www.tinseltrading.com. You won’t be disappointed!

 

(photo courtesy of bohomarketblog.com)

Catch a Wave!

Eavesdrop on any conversation between friends and if they’re of the female persuasion chances are good that they’ll start talking (or complaining!) about their hair. Girls with fine straight hair want it thicker with more body or curls and girls with lots of curl are looking for a little less so. Anyone with frizz wants it banished. Thanks to LASIO Waves to Curls we can all finally be satisfied with what we have.

I recently attended an event at Lasio Studios salon in NYC. While live demonstrations were going on, Nadine Ramos, the founder and CEO of Lasio, Inc. filled me in on the details. This is what I learned:

  • Waves to Curls temporarily gives you perfect waves or curls, lasting about 3 months.
  • It works on all hair types–from super straight girls to the curly haired–and can give you beachy waves, big glam ones or tighter ringlets. You call the shots!
  • It eliminates 100% of your frizz and makes hair super shiny.
  • It’s safe for all hair types including processed hair.
  • Prices start at $150 and go up from there depending on hair length and thickness.

Waves to Curls is available at  Lasio Studios located at 39 W. 38th in NYC as well as salons across the United States. Click here for more information.

(photo of miranda kerr courtesy of pinterest)

Beach Babes!

A few days ago, I got 4-5 inches cut off my hair. It’s still below my shoulders, but what a difference…my dry, fried ends are gone! My daily use of a flat-iron got me in trouble. I know that summer is extra hard on your hair–the sun, chlorine and weather-induced over styling can all take a toll. My plan? To avoid heat appliances as much as possible and use a weekly deep conditioning treatment.

If I’m going to stick to this less is more approach with styling I need an option besides pulling it back in a ponytail or putting it up in a top-knot, neither of which will make me a slave to a blow-dryer. For hair inspiration I looked to Gisele, Sienna Miller and Alexa Chung, all modern style icons and all known to sport variations of the beachy wave style. No matter what length your hair, the key to pulling off this subtle “non-styled” style is long layers.

  1. Begin with freshly washed and conditioned hair.
  2. Apply your product. Use a texturizing cream or sea spray for fine, straight hair, a styling lotion for medium, straight or slightly wavy hair and styling cream for thick, wavy to curly hair. To do, rub a bit of product in hands, from palm to fingertips and take random sections (choose slightly different widths) and cover each section from root to end as you twist it. This look is all about separation and this is how you get it.
  3. Air dry or use a diffuser to keep the wave or curl intact and don’t touch. When completely dry, loosen a bit with fingers.
  4. Spritz with a light-hold hairspray if desired.

Products to try: Ouidad Wave Create Sea Spray, $23 at ouidad.com, Kiehl’s Creme with Silk Groom, $18 at kiehls.com or Bumble and bumble Curl Conscious DefiningCreme, $29 at sephora.com

(photo courtesy of whowhatwear.com)

 

 

 

Pony Up!

A ponytail as beautiful as this isn’t as simple as just pulling your hair back and hoping for the best, it actually takes some effort. No matter what your hair type, the right products and a step-by-step will have you looking just as polished.

This look was created by Aveda Global Creative Director, Antoinette Beenders, for the Stella McCartney Fall/Winter 2013 Collection in Tokyo, Japan. I don’t know about you, but I’m not waiting for fall–I plan on sporting it all throughout the summer!

Aveda’s Damage Remedy Hair Repair, Smooth Infusion Style Prep and Air Control are available at aveda.com.

(photography and how-to courtesy of Aveda)

The End of Frizz!

Product Review: Arrojo Defrizz Serum, $16 at www.arrojonyc.com

Last night, my in-laws (and 80 of their closest friends) celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary at Shanghai Jazz, a gourmet Asian restaurant/bar named one of the top 100 jazz clubs in the world. The food, music and planned festivities were absolutely perfect. The weather…not so much!

I had been looking forward to this evening for quite a while. I had my outfit picked out well before the invite arrived, a black silk dress paired with a beautiful baroque pearl bracelet, a gift from my mom. I’d planned on wearing my hair down so I wouldn’t look too formal but the rainy, misty, sticky weather had me worried. I normally straighten my wavy hair–some might call it curly–and in high humidity it tends to get big…very, very big!

I decided to take a chance. This was the perfect opportunity to think of my blog and try a de-frizzer–luckily, I have an arsenal of beauty products just waiting to be tested. Front and center on the bottle of Arrojo Defrizz Serum it says “eliminates frizz, controls flyaways and eases excess volume”–just the words I was looking for! But, would it actually work in weather this extreme?

After shampooing and conditioning, I towel-dried my hair and applied 4-5 drops to my palms before working it through every strand. I blow-dried it smooth and loosely braided it for about 10 minutes for some bend at the ends.

The air was thick with mist and drizzle, so I stepped outside with an umbrella to keep my hair from getting wet. So far, so good. My husband drove with the window half open, humidity filling the car. Still it held. In the restaurant the doors were open for good air-flow to accommodate the large crowd. No problem!

The attached photo is me at the end of the evening, after lots of schmoozing and bumping shoulders and dancing. Normally, under these circumtances my hair would have doubled (or tripled!) in volume. Not once did I feel the need to pull it back into a ponytail to tame it. Arrojo Defrizz Serum is a star!

If you have straight, smooth hair that never changes regardless of the weather, you won’t understand…and you won’t need this product. But if your hair tends to increase in size or frizz with any excess moisture in the air, you will find it life-changing!

Arrojo Defrizz Serum, $16 at www.arrojonyc.com.