Last week at work I showed one of the colorists a picture of a beautiful golden blond girl. It was pretty light on the ends, but the roots were a rich dirty blond. It was hardly different from my current hair color, which is darker than usual right now. I just wanted more blond at the ends and ribboned into my bangs. We decided we would do it this week.

Yesterday when we were about to get start with my color, she said “I’ve been thinking about it, and i think we should do more reddish tones on your base”. I got excited about that, thinking of kind of a light carrot-y color. We had a totally different idea pictured in the two of our minds, because this is what the “reddish tone” came out as….

Lucky for my colorist, I love it. It is the prettiest red I’ve ever seen and I can’t believe how much it suits my skin. I always feel like I look terrible with dark hair, but maybe it was just the wrong tone? This will fade quite a bit since she used a semi-permanent color, and the pink highlights at the bottom (hard to see in the pictures) will turn more blond.  I love it just the way it is, but I’m excited to see it fade along the way into a new look each week!

I’ve never even thought about being a redhead, it’s so fun to do something so dramatic! Just one of the many reasons working in a salon is like having a sleepover as your career. Loves.

What about you? Do you go bold with your hair color changes?

PS I think I’m a bit Florence and the Machine?

Photography: Jacob Breinholt

Q by Sarah: So one of my BFFs is getting married this June, and I am the Maid of Honor. This is the third wedding for our group of friends, and in both of the previous two weddings, everybody’s looked really classic and timeless as far as bridesmaid hair and attire go. For this wedding, we thought it would be awesome if one of my Maid of Honor duties was having a really of-the-moment, trendy hairstyle on the big day. Ie. one that will be dated later so that we can laugh at the pictures in 20 years. Any thoughts on really of-the-moment, trendy Maid of Honor hair? My dress is one of those one-shoulder deals.

A by Reagan: This is definitely a fun question. The first style that popped into mind when I thought of trendy wedding hair, was long, loose wavy hair. This is how every bride/bridal party seems to be wearing their hair these days. I admit, at my own Vegas wedding just over 4 years ago, I did long, loose, flowing waves. It is more popular than ever now. It is a very Victoria’s Secret look. I think the look will keep around for a while, but it won’t be popular forever! I think one day you’ll look at the photos and know it was a 2011ish wedding. Remember when everyone wore their hair up for their wedding? Up-dos were the big thing? Most people are wearing it down. Down hair is the trendiest of all wedding trends right now. Also, look at the red carpet these days, down hair is all over that business too.

If you want to accessorize it in a trendy way, the bride can wear a birdcage veil, and the bridesmaids can wear a feather/flower piece.

The second look I thought of, is the topknot. The topknot (bun right smack on the top of your head), is definitely a big look right now. It can be done a lot of ways. You can make it slightly fuzzy for a soft/romantic look, thrown together for a messy look, teased to make it big like my party bun, or slick and smooth for a formal look. You can do it in the middle or off-centered. Do the topknot!

(i know the Mandy Moore topknot is very similar to a classic wedding bun, but it’s the fact that it is so high up that makes it trendy!)

Thanks, Sarah! I hope I get a picture of the look you choose!

We’re taking a break from the volume series for a pretty little tutorial.

The shampoo/conditioning process is very important in creating volume. It’s actually almost more important to know how to properly shampoo/condition so that you can prevent weighing down your hair. It is so easy to overdose on heavy conditioners thinking you’re repairing your hair, when you’re actually caking on more and more build-up, causing small tiny hair. So sad y’all.

So, here are my steps for the best, most volumizing shampoo to create enormous hair.

Step 1: Use a good shampoo, of course! A volumizing shampoo is always a plus, or a clarifying shampoo to remove product and pollution build-up. Be careful with clarifying shampoos though, they can strip your hair. You don’t want to use them more than once a week or every other.

Step 2: Shampoo thoroughly. Get all that dirt and grime out. I’ve mentioned before that it is good to shampoo twice if your hair is extra dirty or hasn’t been shampooed in a while. You don’t want to use much shampoo each time, just about the size of, or a little bigger than a quarter. You usually wont get much of a lather the first shampoo, and when you get a big lather the second time around, it means the hair is clean. While you’re shampooing, really make sure you scrub every single inch of your head. I’m surprised how often I see clients that have very dirty hair underneath, and really only rub in a small circle with their palm on the top of their head. They skip out on the scrubbing with the pads of their fingertips and they don’t get the sides, nape or crown properly cleaned! Lots of detail, but make sure you scrub!

Step 3: Avoid over-conditioning. This one is extremely important in preventing flat hair. To apply conditioner the right way, put a small amount in your palm, then start at the bottom of your hair and work it through upwards, combing through the strands. I don’t even put it at the roots, because my natural oils moisturize that part and the conditioner will only weigh the roots down! The next part is vital….rinse like crazy. A lot of people get out of the shower with slimy hair, it should be soft, but not slimy. Rinse well!

Also, I would say not to use a moisturizing conditioner unless your hair is incredibly damaged or over-processed. A moisturizing conditioner will be too rich and too heavy. Think Pantene Pro-V. I know it is a really good detangler, but it is too heavy and it will pull your hair down like crisco. All conditioners will be moisturizing to a degree, so again, unless your hair really needs the extra moisture, I’d go for a lighter volumizing one.

So, here is a short list of my favorite volumizing shampoos. (conditioners from all the following are good too, but this post is a little more focused on the shampoo!)

There has been so much that I’ve wanted to talk to you all about! I’m really pretty excited to share the news!

Last month I started at Whittemore House in the West Village as a stylist. I’d love for you to come in for a cut and see my new place. It’s a beautiful salon and I’m so excited to be there.

Next up, April marks the one year anniversary of Hairdresser On Fire! I am cooking up some different ideas on how to celebrate, but I keep thinking a big giveaway with my favorite products would be the best way to thank you all for coming back and supporting the blog. Your emails and comments are so fun to read through, and your participation in the blog means so much to me. I’m proud of the growth of this blog throughout the year, even though I haven’t always been completely on top of it. Let’s celebrate and look forward to another great year!

How would you like to celebrate? What are you looking for on HDOF? More tutorials? More product discussions?

I’ve decided to do a series focusing on how to get the best volume for your hair, because to me volume is the most important factor in achieving a good hair day. Doesn’t that sound so weird and funny? But anyone who knows me, knows that I’m constantly fluffing up my hair throughout the day, making sure it stays nice and huge. What is your passion? My passion is huge hair. Apparently many of you have a passion with huge hair too, because volume is probably my second most common email topic, next to frizz.

So, the very first step to creating wonderful voluminous hugeness, is having the right hair cut. The problem here, is I can’t just say “Go get your hair cut like ___” and have the problem solved. There are just too many hair types and textures and head/face shapes for that. That is why it is so important to find the right stylist (eh hem, me maybe?) who will be able to talk to you and find out with you what will work for your styling routine, texture and hair type.

Hair types= Thin, Fine, Medium, Course, Thick.

Hair Textures= Curly, Wavy, Straight.

Decide what your hair type/texture is, and that will help you find the best cut(s). **I say cuts because who is going to keep their hair one way for the rest of their life?**

My type and texture is wavy and fine with medium thickness. That really leaves me with a lot of room for different hair cuts and I have found that I can do many lengths and still have volume. What works the best for me though, has been to have a blunt bob (chin length to shoulder length) with no layers, or to have it long with lots of layers and framing around the face. When my hair is long, I absolutely have to have framing around the face. I have worn my hair short for the last year, and I have realized that I needed a regular trim much more often with my long hair to prevent it from losing it’s shape, than I do with my short hair. If I had something short and layered, I would probably have to get it cut more frequently than I do with my blunt cut. But again, it would be a completely different story if I didn’t have wave in my hair.

Aside from getting regular haircuts to maintain the shape, the technique being used is very important. If you have heavy or weighed down hair, it’s likely that a razor cut, point cutting or thinning for texture will help lighten it up. You wouldn’t believe how much your hair can spring up with the right cut!

This post will get way too long if I explain each and every hair type, so let’s continue it in the comment section! Tell me what cuts have worked best for you to maximize volume. Do you have questions about your hair type and what would work best for you? I’ll do my best to answer them so check back!

Sorry for the structural chaos of this post. I can’t help myself because volume is my passion.

Next Volume post will be about how to shampoo/condition for the best results!

Come back and you could have hair like this!

Ok, maybe more like this…

Because it always comes back to Zooey, right?

Hello, it is Jake guest posting today. This month Wired Magazine reviewed four “high tech” blowdryers. Naturally, I was curious to read the “Wired” and “Tired” aspects of the four models reviewed. I say this, because it seems like I am constantly repairing one of Reagan’s blow dryers. Before reading this review, I was unaware things like: blow dryers are rated for a certain number of hours of use; and some blow dryers come with two year warranties that cover “everything.” I was also glad that Wired remarked on the results of the drop test. Heaven knows I have spent many hours realigning the motors in Reagan’s Twin Turbos after they had been knocked off of her hair station onto the floor.

One of the dryers reviewed by Wired actually contains a motor built by Ferrari. Yes, Ferrari the Italian super car company. Try to guess which one, from the image above (hint, the bright red one with the little Italian flag on it).

Read the full review over here. If you are curious about Reagan’s personal recommendations, be sure to check out her hair answer, about blow dryers.

[Image: Wired Magazine]