Q by Tracey: I know it’s best to leave hair cutting to the professionals, but my bangs grow sooo fast and I’m always tempted to give them a wee trim myself.  However, every time I take the scissors to my straight, typical Asian hair, something terrible happens to my bangs.  Are there any tips you can share for trimming bangs?

A by Reagan: Sure! Just don’t tell your stylist I told you though, because there is still a chance you might totally wreck your bangs, and I don’t want to be the one to blame! Just so we’re clear, I’ll do anything to avoid blame.

While I say to my clients, don’t cut your own bangs, I also understand that the whole thing is similar to telling teenagers not to make out. They’re all “sure, sure. making out is bad and I believe you a lot. So, not gonna make out. Promise.” but then like half an hour later and a few slow songs and they’re totally hard core making out. Just like bangs. Did that analogy work? No? Ok, cutting your own bangs is like a ship, sailing out to sea…..no? It’s not like that?

Ok, don’t cut your own bangs. Please. But if you insist, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

~Parting them off precisely is very, very important. Like, important enough that I should say the eff word somewhere in that sentence. When someone comes in red handed and ugly banged, the first sign is a really funky part. Suddenly there are all these long hairs or weird pieces added to the bangs that just don’t belong. Part off your hair properly with a comb, then clip the hair that isn’t going to be cut aside.
~Cut them dry. Wet hair is longer than dry hair. And you’re like “wow I’m so good at cutting hair, my bangs look rad”. And then your hair dries and you’re like “wow, my hair looks like a 5 year old cut it with plastic school scissors”.
~Cut a little at a time. One swift swipe of the sheers will likely send you to immediate tears. Little by little, my friends.
~Point cut them. Don’t hold your sheers horizontal. Hold them vertical. Cutting blunt is going to show all of the mistakes you’ve made. Point cutting gives a softer, more blended look. Which brings us to…
~Do NOT go near your own bangs if you are rocking the very blunt look. Puh-to the-lease. Many stylists (me included) offer free bang trims to regular clients. People who aren’t my clients are only charged 10 dollars, which is really worth it.
~Thin them out. If you are planning on cutting your bangs often, you might want to invest in a pair of thinning sheers. Once you style your freshly trimmed bangs, I like to thin out the ends a little bit to give them that really soft, uneven (in the right way) look.

I think there is a code that whenever talking about fringe, a picture of Zooey must be near. (ps is zooey nekkid?)

Reese too of course.

I hate to do it, but I might have to do a bang trimming tutorial. We’ve already filmed a bang blow drying tutorial, and we’ll get that up asap.

Do any of you trim your own fringe? It’s time to come clean.

FC (funny Client): “Going gray is like….it’s like a ship, going out to sea. You know? It’s always an adjustment….it’s always an adjustment.”

Me: “That’s true.”

My Head: ‘What? Did I just agree with the ship analogy?’

(half an hour later)

FC: “Going gray is like…it’s like getting dressed in the morning. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t”

Me: “That’s a really good point.”

My Brain: ‘Ummmmmm.’

ps I changed this post a little because I love this client very much and I was feeling guilty and mean about the alias I gave her. I’m not trying to be mean, I just have funny conversations at work sometimes that need to be shared with the world.

I have no idea who to credit for the hair/make up/photography with these stunning pictures, because they have been saved in a folder on my desktop for months. I love everything about these pictures. One of my dreams in life is to appear to have precious metal hair like these ladies. I’m sure Jake could figure it out for me. So, basically I’m overly obsessed with shiny hair that looks like gold. I especially like the top one.

Julianne Moore’s hair and make-up in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” is perfect. Nevermind how beautiful this movie is anyway, I just keep thinking about Julianne’s (Charley’s) hair.

Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to one day be a crazy, glamorous teased redhead who smokes and drinks too much. Maybe in my next life. hehe

It’s been a while since we’ve posted a tutorial on here! This is one we shot a few weeks ago with my friends Abbie (model) and Samuel (producer). Thanks for all your help, you two!

As I said in the video, this video isn’t so you’ll do your own color, PLEASE do not do your own color…this video is to help you know how to explain to your colorist what you want! I’m sure many of them already know how to do it, but if they don’t, here it is! (it’s also for some of you colorists who asked me how it’s done).

There are a few different ways to get this look, but this is the way I do it. I know other colorists who free hand the bleach onto wet ends. The water sends the bleach up the hair shaft. That’s a really nice effect too.

And now it’s time for an Ombre Cheer:

Let’s Go Ombre! Ombre Let’s Go!

Photography: Jake

Do any of you use the Enzo Milano curling wands? I have a few clients who bring theirs in for me to use on them, but I don’t actually own one myself. It’s on the “to-do” list. Or really the “to-buy” list. And that, my friends, is a very long list.

So, back to the Enzo Milano. These things are awesome! They are used by wrapping strands of hair around the iron to create different kinds of waves and curls. I have been wrapping strands of hair around curling irons as long as I have been clamping strands of hair inside curling irons, but there is something about wrapping strands of hair around a curling wand….The Enzo is just such a cool hair tool. Ok, I need to buy one right now..

The different shapes of the iron give different effects when curling. There is something wonderful about the enzo that makes your hair hold curl amazingly. You finies and smallies (fine haired and small haired) should try out an Enzo!

(I hope to talk more about the Enzo after I buy one. Or three.)

Hairdresser on Fire Confession: I’m not a colorist. I’m a stylist. In my opinion, I’m quite good at color, but I don’t have specific training in color like I do in cutting/styling, and since that is the way the industry works in NYC, and salons are generally departmentalized, I’m only a stylist. BTW that includes cutting of course. I confess this, because although I know a lot about color, and I plan to talk about it frequently on this blog, I’m actually not an expert when being compared to the coloring geniuses that work here in the city. I actually do lots of color! Usually it’s on my friends and private clients. I love it and it is a nice way to shake things up when I’m getting sick of long layers and bobs at the salon.

So, that was a bit of a long introduction to this post. The inspiration behind this post is that my good friend Anna, who is a natural blond but has been coloring her hair dark for several years, has decided to go back to blond! It is a lot of work to keep your roots up if you are coloring your hair much darker or lighter than it’s natural shade, and Anna was ready to be done with the touch ups every 3 weeks. Since this is a very common desire and problem (it can be is very tricky) I thought it would make for an educational post.

The most important thing I tell my clients who want to lighten their dark hair, is that to avoid too much damage, it should be done gradually. Don’t expect to be Pam Anderson blond overnight (or hopefully ever).  It might take two or more visits before they are considered a blond. I like to start out with just a few foils on top and framing the face so that their natural color can grow in more, allowing the artificial pigment to fade a little before it’s bleached out. The less you have to lift, the less damage you’ll have.

The next thing I do is tone down the highlights to give a more even, subtle look. Instead of doing several processes to blast the color out of ends (you know how they love to go orange after being dark for so long!), by using a toner it’s a more blended, softer look.

Here is where I shoot myself in the foot. The before picture is supposed to be ugly, haha. And to be honest there is no such thing as an ugly picture of Anna. She is the epitome of stunning. Her hair could be dark, light, purple, stripey or bald and she would look just as beautiful. So, above is her before picture, so you can see just how dark (black really) her hair was.

Here is the after.

We did a partial head of foils with 20 volume and bleach. After the bleach was shampooed out (but before the conditioner) I used Shades EQ 9N as a toner and let it sit for 7-8 minutes before rinsing thoroughly and conditioning. The end result is substantially lighter than before, with absolutely no damage at all.

Then I was like, is it cool if I take a picture? It was about 10pm and she was in pajamas and no make up. We had been laughing and eating cereal and then the second I lifted the camera up she was in full blown model mode. I snapped about 3 pictures and they were all more sickeningly beautiful than the one before.

Oh yeah, did I mention she is a REAL model? Like the kind that does it for a lot of money and gets flown to Greece for jobs.

So, there you have it. A little bit about how to go light after years of darkness.

**Note, the first image of Anna does not belong to me. The photographer’s name is Fritz Leidtke.

****it looks like I’ll be doing a blow dry tutorial pretty soon! Way too many people want one to deny you all!

I wanted to quickly write about flat irons again. A lot of people are wondering about how to prevent damage from flat ironing. Many of my clients are surprised to find out that you aren’t really supposed to use a flat iron to straighten the hair. Flat irons are a finishing tool. Your hair is supposed to have already been blow dried straight, and just smoothed over with a flat iron. Going over and over the same section with an iron is going to torch anybody’s hair, it’s just not what they are made for!

Here is my best advise for someone who wants the straight look:

After showering, towel dry your hair. Put a protective product in it like a leave in conditioner, a protein spray, or a straightening syrem. If you’re not in a rush, let your hair air dry until it’s about 80% dry, or as close to that as possible.  Then blow dry sections of your hair using a flat brush to get it straight. Using a blow dryer with a nozzle will help it get more smooth and straight. Please try your hardest not to touch your hair with the point of the blow dryer. It is so bad for your hair, and it will burn your brush I admit, sometimes I do it on accident myself when the hair isn’t staying on the brush, as a reaction, but try to avoid this. We are trying to prevent damage, k?

After my hair is blow dried, I assess whether it needs flat ironing or not. Which is usually not. My hair is naturally wavy/curly so of course it doesn’t take the amount of work to straighten that some people’s hair needs. Also, I have loads of experience with blow drying every hair type, and if you’re not able to get it at first, you shouldn’t feel bad. It’s a skill that you have to work hard for!

I use my flait iron for making curls more than anything else. It might also be because I like big-full hair! Big like Dolly.

Ok, did we learn something today? What tips have you learned for blow drying your own hair? Would you guys like a blow drying tutorial?

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what type of hair styles look good for specific face shapes. Today we’re going to talk about the round face shape. Because guess what! I’m a roundy myself! I like to say I’m in-between round and heart shaped, because I always thought it would be cute to have a heart shaped face, but I think I’m definitely leaning more on the side of round. How do you know if your face is round? Your face is nearly as wide as it is tall, and your cheek area sticks out the farthest.

So, the first thing I recommend doing, is looking at celebrities with round faces. Because a lot of celebrities wear their hair a lot of different ways, so you can compare what you like and what you don’t. I’ve uploaded a few images of fellow roundies, with haircuts/styles that I think are suiting in a good way. (please forgive the random order of the pictures!)

Kirsten Dunst. I think this girl is gorgeous. And let me just proclaim right now that the bob is universally flattering on every face shape and hair type. She looks great with a bob. In fact, stunning! Here she is wearing it with a little wave.

Cameron Diaz. I know she looks a little square in this picture, but in most pics it is more round. There are two important things about Cam in this picture…1) her layers aren’t too short 2) sweepy bangs! If her layers were any shorter than they are in this picture, it would widen her face more. The bangs balance out the roundness, and the heavy part breaks it up as well. Heavy part+sweepy bangs are the way to go for roundies! Want me to stop calling us roundies? Too bad so sad!

Ginnifer Goodwin rocking another beautiful bob with lots of fullness at the bottom.

I had to post two of Ginnifer, because this style works so great for a round face. Having her hair pulled to one side is a great way to not overcrowd her facial region. I’m trying to get creative with my descriptions, because I feel like I’m writing “face” too much.

Kirsten again with a bob, but this time it’s straight! See how she has a little volume/height at the t0p? That does wonders for a round face.

And the last picture is where it gets awkward. I am saying awkward, because although this girl has a round face with blunt bangs, I still think she looks very pretty. Blunt bangs and/or a center part don’t usually work as well on round faces. But I have to say, I do them both on occasion myself. I just need the variety!  Blunt bangs tend to smoosh the face down more, making it look short. But I just think they look so sassy, so I give myself some every few years.

Whatever I’ve put in this post is just to help you out when choosing the right hair cut or style for you. If you feel like something else might work, then do what you want! Try something new with your hair now and then, it’s not going to kill you if you decide later it wasn’t the best choice!

Key things to remember about us ladies with round faces…
*Avoid too short of layers
*A heavy side part looks best
*sweepy bangs make you look hot
*volume at the crown elongates your face

Lots of you have been asking about flat irons lately, and for Pete’s sake you’ve waited long enough! I own 3 different flat irons, and I have to say they’re all quite different! Here is what I have to say about flat irons, and their many talents.

The T3 is what I’ve been using the longest. I have the exact one pictured. It’s a nice smooth iron, doesn’t snag -which is extremely important to me- and it has lasted me a really long time. It is a great size for the flat iron waves, it’s overall a great little iron. BONUS: it is much much cheaper than it was a bunch of years ago when I bought mine. woohoo!

The funny thing about the Herstyler, is that I bought it from a peddler! She just walked into my salon, sold it to me for 40 bucks and walked out of my life forever. It was a total impulse buy and the only reason I did buy it, was because she let me try it out first, and I figured it would be convenient to own two flat irons in case I needed a back up in a jam. (this is the most important thing in the world with blow dryers, you never know when you are going to burn your motor right out, what the crap do you do then?). At first I just loved being able to have an iron at home and one at the salon, but I actually learned quickly that I like this iron better than my T3. It is kind of a CHI knock-off, but it is a great one…and very inexpensive. This is my preferred flat iron for doing waves, and I used this one in this video. I bought it two years ago, so I’d say it was well worth that measly 40 bucks, eh?

I recently bought the Babyliss because of the Keratin treatment needing to be sealed in with a 450 degree iron. Most irons hover around 410, so I had to buy one special for this treatment. I strongly advise against using this high of a temperature just for every day flat ironing, it is much too hot, but this actually is a great little flat iron. It is extremely skinny, which I’ve loved when using on my clients with ethnic hair. You can get so close to the root. It’s great! The plates on this iron are also very long, so I can take very wide sections cutting down on time. Making waves with this iron is a little trickier since it is so thin, because it can leave a kink when twisting. Also, it has an on/off button rather than a switch, which is a little annoying, but considering it heats up almost instantly, it’s not a big deal if I accidentally bump it and turn it off mid-use. BONUS: this is also less money than I paid. But that’s only a bonus for you!

Here’s the deal. I love all of these flat irons. I do. It’s true. But I’m a hairstylist and I’m totally allowed to have three flat irons, that’s the cool thing about my job.

So, since maybe you aren’t allowed to have 20 flat irons, the number one flat iron I would suggest to you is a CHI. Or a Herstyler if you aren’t trying to be spendy. The CHI (and it’s knock off herstyler) is so smooth and luxurious, and above all, it really is all around great for all types of hair and ironing.  I love it for flat iron waves. I think it’s a worthy investment, but again, I’m very happy with my Herstyler too.

Do you use any of these flat irons?