Add some BANG to your bangs with a Shine Line.

Posted on March 6, 2013

As a part of my necessary mid-winter hair lightening, I recently felt the need to do something with my bangs besides cut them. This time of year, my face feels pasty, my hair feels drab, and it makes me a little bit sad. Also, I have been having shiny bang envy because of Kate Middleton Jessica Whats-her-name and the cute girls with bangs on The New Girl.

So, I gave myself a Shine Line in my bangs, to make em glow. And I want to share the process with you because it was super easy to DIY, and It made me feel instantly brighter and shinier.

Here is how I did it.

Start with a color bowl and brush, a clip, tail-comb and a couple foils. Choose a hair color that is slightly lighter than your natural. I used bleach and 10v.

Make a parting across the front of the top of your head that is parallel to your bang line, but a couple inches behind your hairline. See the little picture I drew.

The parting should intersect the entire bang section from temple to temple.

Because I have bucket bangs

(curved around the eyes like a bowl ) , I used a curved parting to create my Shine line.

Clip the rest of the hair back.

Now you will slice foil across that parting as thin as you can. Use as many foils as it takes to reach almost from temple to temple, leaving out the hairline. Does that make sense? Here is a video that breaks down DIY foiling.

Let the color process. Peek into the foil to determine the desired lightness, then wash the hair. Comb it out, and check out your bangin’ new shiny bangs.

What is your bang trick?

XO, HTHG

Coppery red ombre on #naturallycurly hair!

Posted on December 30, 2012

I have to say that while I get tired of saying and hearing the word ombre, I will never get tired of the look and effect of it. It looks so pretty. Any hairstyle and texture can pull it off. It reminds me of warm weather, it adds dimension and shine, it grows out with no upkeep, and it is so easy to DIY.

Here is my favorite DIY ombre done on curly hair.

Yep. It’s as simple as a ponytail, a paintbrush, and some hair color.

Lovin it. Screen Shot 2012-12-30 at 7.52.00 PM

And I’m also loving the spicy copper ombre. It’s a nice change from the buttery blondes and golds of last season.

Lois Lane graphic novel hair!

Posted on December 12, 2012

Anyone else love that black hair with little sparkles of blue in it like Lois Lane from Superman or Veronica from the Archie comics? Maybe you thought it was only possible in comic books and graphic novels. Guess what, superwoman. You can DIY it.

It helps that Skye has naturally dark brown almost black hair. This look is easiest to DIY and looks best on naturally dark hair. It is great for dark haired ladies who want unique color that is low maintenance.

Want to DIY it? here is this #DIYhair trick for color, in a nutshell……..

Start by pony-tailing it and dip dying the ends with bleach. Then shampoo it out and go back over it with Blue haired freak by Special Effects.

Top this look off with some precise and dramatic Zooey Bucket bangs!

How to foil your best friend’s hair

Posted on November 8, 2012

Sunday was a fun work day for me. Mostly because I got to drink wine and watch 2 of my dear girlfriends foil each others hair for the first time. Here is what happened. I told them that I’m going to be moving back to Seattle, and they were both sad because we are a part of a small and tight knit community together and we love each other and our children are friends. But also because they would be losing their hairstylist.

We decided that maybe it would be fun for me to teach them to do each others hair. They are both bold and brave ladies and Brookie has been foiling her own hair at home anyway. Iris is the kind of girl that can learn to do anything by watching.

I gave them a quick rundown of my favorite foil pattern ever. They were pleased to learn that the key to a DIY foil, and hair in general, is sectioning. If you get your sections right, you can’t go wrong. The foil technique that we used is simple geometrics. A rectangle inside a diamond inside a rectangle. 12 foils in the whole pattern, for perfect, blended, even color distribution. BAM!

They mixed up bleach and 20v, and dove in. They used slices, no weaving (but I did have them weave out pieces that were already very bleached from previous foils so as not to over process.) I have to say that they both totally nailed it. And they even used teamwork to help each other out along the way.

And wouldn’t you know it, they were both so surprised and pleased by how easy it was, that they decided to add a little dip-dye to each others ends, just for fun. When they finished putting in their foils, they gathered each others hair into a loose ponytail in the back, and applied color to each others ends. Brookie got a deep dusty pink, Iris a hint of violet.

They blew me away. They both left with beautiful hair color, and an empowered sense of DIY hair passion. I Loved it. Let them be an inspiration to ladies out their with good girlfriends that they can trust. That is what friends are for. Let your best friend foil your hair.

Purple snow leopard: A fun transformation

Posted on October 30, 2012

Madeline had a very adventurous at home color job. She was brave, and went bold by bleaching chunks throughout her hair, and under-cutting one side and bleaching it, too.

I have to say I completely admire that she went for it. Go big, or go home. That is kind of what the teenage years are about. ( I know, she doesn’t look like a teenager. But her mother would assure you that she is)

I love doing teen hair. It is always a complete coloring overhaul that usually includes a lot of bleach and crazy fun colors and some very specific request like SNOW leopard print. Not just leopard print.

Afterwards, I have the color-stained hands to prove that the challenge has been faced and the deed has been done. I am always up for a hair challenge. I just really like to try new things out. I remember being a teenager and wanting to LOOK DIFFERENT. My parents had a rule that I couldn’t color my hair till I was a teen, so I kind off associate that time in my life as hair liberation.

I get it. So moms, send your teenage girls to me. Make them work for it, though. Learning to earn the things that you really want is good. A day of babysitting for a totally exciting new hair-do?? Heck yes, my friends. Heck yes.

So anyhow, for Madeline’s hair, I touched up her bleach and undercut. I covered her bleached chunks with 2 different purple hues, a rich plum and a dark violet. Then, I toned her undercut to silver and painted spots with blue black and a mix of a dot of black and a dash of blue booster to make that slate-y blue gray.Then, layers were cut.

Madeline went back to her home in the woods where she can now say that she has One of the coolest hairstyles in Madison County, Arkansas. The other coolest is India’s blue dip-dyed ends. I have a feeling there will be many more to come:)