Day 30- "The Illusionist"

I can't believe I have finished the 30 days! This day seemed so far away. I have had so much fun doing this. I have been challenged and encouraged the entire time. I want to keep the blog going the best I can. I want to focus on helping the average woman to know their beauty potential, both on the inside and out. I want to help others feel their very best. I am excited for where this blog is going and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

I had a crazy day. Clark has had a rash all over his body for the last couple of days and I just didn't know what to do. I finally took him to the doctor and it turns out that he had hives from a virus. We need to wait and see if it continues to know if he is allergic to anything. Poor guy. So, I wasn't really in the mood to do something crazy with my hair, but I have really wanted to do this style. It is one of those trick styles where it looks like a shorter style, but it is really just tucked under. I love a good trick hairstyle. This makes me wonder if I should get my haircut...

Luckily, my little love bug was feeling much better.

Have a happy hair day!

Day 29- "Side Knot"

This prom season there were SO many girls that wanted their updo on the side rather than right in the back of their head. I am a big fan of this look. I love seeing it with a pretty flower or sparkly clip. I also don't think it is so dressy that you can't wear it during the day as well. I left my bangs out to add to the romance of the style. I am a big fan of flipping the bangs out when leaving them down. The rest of the hair was teased really well at the crown then pulled into a low side pony. I always take the pony on the opposite side of my part. After the pony is secured I twisted it around my hand almost like I was going to tie my hair into a knot, then secure the hair with a few bobby pins. Use the end of your rat tail comb under the hair at the crown to give it some lift. Spray it, and go.

Have a happy hair day!

Day 28- "The Lucille Ball"

When you have day two of curls like this, you don't want to get rid of them right away. I was surprised to see how in tact they were. Today was a super hot day and I had to wear it up. I had so many people tell me I looked like I was Lucille Ball or Emma. What do you think

Day 27-"Irish Dancer"

I don't know where to start with this one. There are so many things going on in my head with these crazy curls. My little sister is doing a challenge as well on her own blog. I saw her crazy curls and I just had to try it. I picked up the sponge rollers from her late last night, and I was so excited to get started. I washed and conditioned my hair then put some silk in it before I wrapped it in about a million of the smallest sponge rollers you have ever seen!! Lincoln kept telling me that it felt like he was in the 1940's with a wife going to bed with curlers in her hair. When I took out of the rollers this morning, it looked like this.

Yes, I know, I look like Richard Simons. Needless to say, I was a little freaked about what I was going to do about styling it since I was running late to work and having a hairdresser with sausage rolls for hair is not a good look. Luckily, I had a really cool first client who loved the idea of what I was doing and thought the curls were "cute." Right. Once I finished her I was able to run some putty and spray wax through the curls and shake them out a little. Don't ever try to brush your curls!!! Not unless you want a fro. By the end of the day my curls were looking more like this.

Day 26- "Sweet and Simple Hair"

Lincoln suggested that I was trying to make my hair too intricate and that I was either going to burn myself out or I was getting to complicated. I totally agree. I decided to just do some simple braids on the side of my head and pinning them around the back of my head. Like a little crown if you will. It is sweet and easy and it takes no time at all. You don't have to spend forever on your hair in order for it to look nice and polished.

Have a happy hair day!

Day 25-"Hiking Hair"

We are getting so close to the end, and this is what I come up with. I am a little ashamed. It was my day off so, Lincoln and I packed up the car and headed out for a day in nature. We had a great time hiking and spending time outside. Clark was great and the weather couldn't of been better. We came home and stayed busy with all of the little things that you do on a saturday. I even took a little nap, it was awesome. THEN, and only then did I think to take a picture of my hair. You can see that it was a total mess after all the running around. A more put together person would have fixed it, but not me, I wanted to show you what it looked like after my long day. I knew I would be busy today and I would be out and about, so all I really wanted to do was wear a ponytail. But not just a regular ponytail, one with a little pizzaz.

I sectioned my hair in two parts, top and bottom. I did two dutch braids starting at my ears and meeting in the middle of my head. I then just made a simple ponytail. It was so easy. And clearly it lasted all day even with the hiking, napping, cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking... you get the idea. What a great day!

Day 24-"Chignon"

Someone once asked what the difference between a bun and a chignon. Well, not much. If you look at the true definition, you will see that they are very similar.

chi·gnon

noun \ˈshēn-ˌyän also -ˌyȯn\

Definition of CHIGNON

: a knot of hair that is worn at the back of the head and especially at the nape of the neck

¹bun

noun \ˈbən\

1

: a sweet or plain small bread; especially : a round roll

2

: a knot of hair shaped like a bun

3

plural : buttocks

It really is all relative. I would consider a chignon to be on the lower part (nape) of the head with a smoother shape. The bun can be anywhere on the head with a twisted or braid pattern. Like how I wore the back of my hair on day 4, I would consider that to by a bun. Really, I don't think the world would end if you called a bun a chignon and a chignon a bun. As long as it's pretty in the end. Right?

Have a happy hair day!

Day 23-"Curling Iron Curls"

I know what you are all thinking. "Didn't she do this look on day 2?" NO, I did not. That was done with a flat iron, this was done with a curling iron. See the difference? NO? Ok, let me point out that the hair is fuller and the curls are bigger and rounder. Still don't see the difference? Well, we can't win them all. I like the body that my hair gets with a curling iron. I don't think everyone knows how to master a flat iron curl, so I wanted to show that you can still get the look you want with a curling iron.

Have a happy hair day!

Day 22- "Knot so Hard"

Almost all of my updos start with what I taught on day 7. I almost always start with a little backcombing in the crown securing it with two bobby pins on either side. I then took my hair in three sections on either side of my head and just did a square knot all the way down until there was no hair left to tie. I secured with a few bobby pins and I was done. It was so easy.

You can leave your ends sticking out all crazy, or you can tuck them in. I promise I did this in no time. I even had little Clark around being cute. Just goes to show you, being a mom doesn't mean you have to have stupid hair.
Have a happy hair day!

Day 21-"Waterfall Braid"

Today was a day for experimenting. I saw this braid online and I wanted to give it a shot. It isn't as exciting as I wanted it to be. I felt a little old school. In fact, the other day I asked my brother if my outfit was a little too 1997, his response, "wow, it is getting hot this summer." So, I guess that was his way of answering my question as nice as possible. Maybe that interaction has made me a little sensitive to looking stuck or trapped in time. I don't think this hairstyle is doing me any favors in keeping me fashion forward. Oh, well.

The way to do this braid, is to drop the bottom section rather than joining it with a new section you pick up. The new section you pick up becomes the new bottom section. It sounds complicated, but it was really easy. And, like I said before, I don't think I executed it very well. I guess that is to be expected after trying to style your hair different for 30 days. There is bound to be a day that you don't like.

Better luck tomorrow. Have a happy hair day.

Day 20- "Oh No She Didn't"

If you have not mastered the art of french braiding your hair by now, you probably think all is lost in ever learning how. I would like to challenge that way of thinking by telling you that you CAN do it. There are so many people out there who struggle with the simple task of weaving their hair back and forth while picking up small strands of hair to join the weave. I promise it is all about practice. I would suggest you get the hang of it on someone else's head first if you are really struggling. It is all about seeing the pattern and keeping the sections clean. Here are the simple steps to remember when french braiding.

1. Only make one pass of each strand before picking up small sections to join with the two outside strands.

2.Hold the three strands of hair in one hand, in between different fingers, while the other hand picks up hair on either side.

3.Hold the hair as close to the base as possible, not at the ends where the hair will braid too loose and fall out of the braid.
4. Make sure each section you pick up is the same amount of hair each time.
5. Repeat over and over until you reach your hairline, or your desired spot.

I swear it is that easy!

I am trying to make my face have as much attitude as possible, am I pulling it off? Ok, maybe not. Just promise me you will try to french braid your hair if you don't know how, and if you do, try the dutch braid. You wont regret it.

Have a happy hair day!

There was supposed to be a new tutorial with a how to on french braiding, but I can't get it to work. So, I will have to have Lincoln post it tomorrow. It is late and if I wake him up to show me how I would be a bad wife. I promise you will get it tomorrow. Pinkie swear!

Day18-"Not So French Twist"

You know when you have a big event in the distant future and you want your hair to look gorgeous so you start to grow it out so it can go up into a style, well let me just tell you, you don’t have to grow it too long. In fact, my hair was TOO long to do what I wanted to do today. I wanted to throw it up into a simple French twist, but it totally didn’t turn out due to the extra five inches of hair I still had left out of the twist when I was done. Now, if I had planned ahead I would have curled my hair really well so the ends could have curled up into a nice bun on top of the twist, but I didn’t plan ahead and my hair was too straight to cooperate. I tell you all this, because you need to know that some girls come into see me for Prom or a wedding and they have worked really hard to grow their hair out so I can do a style on them. When really, their hair could have just has easily gone up with four inches less of hair. The style I did today, for example, could have been so much better if I had hair four to five inches shorter. People keep telling me that they like the 30 day challenge, but they have shorter hair and what I do wont work for them. I promise you can do more than half of the things I have done with shoulder length hair. For starters, you could get a much better French twist.

Day 18-"Four-Strand Flat Braid"

I love this braid. It is so much easier than it looks and it is so pretty. I usually only do it when I pull a small amount out of my face like the picture. I like the fact that it isn't your average braid, but is just as easy. I have a tutorial coming showing you how to do it, but being sick really put a halt on the tutorial. I felt like my head needed a little break from my hair being up so much, so I thought a simple braid would work

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some fireworks!!

Day 17- "Sweet Swiss Miss" or "Almost Amish"

I am not too sure about this look. I see it on other people and I think it looks great. On me, however, it looks and feels a little Amish. I love the Amish, I just don't want to be mistaken for one. What do you think, does it work? Have you tried it? I think my braids got too thin on the ends and it didn't stay as think as it should on the top. Oh, well. It was a fun try

Oh, and don't mind the light fixture in the background. :)

Have a happy hair day! It's so good to be back!

Day 16- "Birthday Hair"

That's right, it's my birthday!! I am not one for making a big deal of my birthday, but it turned out to be a really nice day. Spending my day at work was not something I wanted to do, but it turned out fine. I was able to block out some time to have dinner with Lincoln and Clark before I headed back to finish a few more clients. I love living close to the salon!!!

To continue with "braid week" I did a dutch braid zig-zag across my head. A dutch braid is basically a regular braid, but inside out. You turn the hair out as you braid, and to get the zig-zag, you only pick up the hair for one side of the braid. Am I confusing you yet? Well, I will just have to do a video to show you. But for now, I am going to bed. It's my birthday after all, I am getting older and these late hours are killing me. :)

Have a happy hair day!!

Day 15- "Rope-Braids"

Today marks the first day of "BRAID WEEK!" I hope you are all as excited as I am. I want to open your eyes to the wonderful world of braids and twists. Oh, my!

Today I wore my hair with two rope-braids down either side of my head. I finished the braids off in the middle back of my head, then I just twisted them up and secured them with bobby pins. SO EASY!

I actually fell asleep on the couch before Lincoln could take the picture, so it is a little frizzy, but still in tact.

I have many braid tutorials coming, AND.... A GIVEWAY!!! So, get excited.

Have a happy hair day!

Day 14- "Four-Strand Rope Braid"

Today has been a day of scrubbing toilets and mopping floors. It was a day of laying low. I wanted to show the four-strand rope braid so you could see how pretty your hair can look with all the variations of braiding. Even if I don't look so great, don't mind the stain on my shirt, my hair is out of my face and woven into a fun little braid.
I am declaring next week "Braid Week" I will only do my hair with variations of braids and twists. I will have tutorials on most of the braids, including this one, and other more intricate braids. So, if you don't know how to braid your own hair, get ready, you will know by the end of the week.

Have a happy hair day!!

Day 13-"Who says you can only wear one?"

Oh, what's that? You thought I decided to wear just a lame ponytail for day 13?

Wrong, I decided to wear THREE ponytails!! Some of you asked me where I came up with the bun-hawk, and here it is. I used to wear my hair like this as my go to style until a girl told me it looked dumb. I was pretty upset and thought about retiring the look. But, then I remembered that she has the same haircut since the third grade and I have never seen her wear anything but sensible shoes. So, the triple pony rides again. It isn't too obvious that you have three ponies in there until you move them around a bit. I can't wear my hair in a pony to work, so this is my day off style.

Bonus! Check out the action shot. You thought it was fun to swing one pony around, try three!!

Don't mind my regrowth in the back. It is all part of my long term hair goal. I wanted to grow my color out a little so it can be ready for my next hair transformation. You need to prepare for these things.

Have a happy hair day!

Day 12- "Ballerina Bun"

I LOVE the ballerina bun! It is the easiest style with the best response that I do. I studied ballet for a large part of my young life, so it is only natural for me to wear this style with pride. I know you have seen it around, but do you know how to do it? Well, now you do. Enjoy the tutorial.

FYI- I always smooth out the bun in the back when I am finished, I just didn't do it very well in the video. And, just in case some of you are using your Nancy Drew skill and wondering why I am wearing a different outfit in the video, I did the video on one of my days off. However, I swear to you that I didn't cheat and I did wear my hair like this today. The picture was taken after my long 11 hour day, and the bun is still going strong. I challenge you to give it a try and make it your own. I sometimes add a fabric flower or I twist the hair as I wrap it around. Do your thing and let me know how it goes.

Have a happy hair day!

Day 11- "Second day curls"

It's all about the head scarf!! I love wearing headbands or scarves to tame my hair. I woke up this morning with a head full of bouncy curls from yesterday's due, and I for sure didn't want to work too hard on styling it if I already had something going on, so in comes the scarf. (Was that a run on sentence or what?!) This is one of my favorite scarfs to wear in my hair. It is long enough to wrap around my head twice and it isn't too silky so it doesn't slip out. I got it from UO like forever ago. I also find great headbands and accessories at Forever 21 and my all time favorite place to buy really nice hair accessories is J.Crew. They have gorgeous things for your hair.

All I'm saying is you don't have to just wear a sad twist tie in your hair to get it out of your face. Be adventurous. Wear a scarf, it's not just for your neck!

Have a happy hair day!