I was frequenting Google the other day, as I am oft to do, looking up wildly curly hair for some inspiration when low and behold I stumble across these photo’s.
Just wanted to share these amazing hair hats that were made by the late Nagi Noda, a Japanese pop artist and director. Enjoy!!!
Grey hair is….IN?
No, you did not read the title of my blog post wrong. That right. Those little silver whispers that peak out of your head in the night that you are constantly struggling to hide, are finally in style.
For so long grey hair has been the enemy. It has been colored over, powdered over, penciled over, plucked out, cut off, and tucked under. Now we are seeing a may be something of a style trend. It may not be a look for everyone, but it’s definitely a style we are seeing more and more of.
So, back to basics, what is grey hair exactly? Wikipedia defines grey or “white” hair as hair that has lost its pigment. The onset of grey hair can be linked to genetics, as a side effect of certain medications, albinism, and even tobacco use in some studies. The most common denominator in most cases, however, is age. I think that if done right, there is nothing more beautiful than grey hair. It is a color that is hard to make, hard to earn, and should be cherished more by our culture. This is why I am so excited and intrigued by the growing grey trend.
So how do we use this grey trend in our everyday lives? Well, if you are already grey, and wrestle tirelessly with trying to cover them up, look to our female friend on TLC’s What Not to Wear. Stacy London keeps a perfectly placed streak of grey uncolored, while keeping the rest a dark brown, making her “mature” hair pop. It’s a gorgeous natural highlight that sets her apart effortlessly.
Or, there is the infamous Kate Moss. Kate has stepped out with chunks of grey in her perfect blonde crown. If you are a light blonde with dimensional color, you can add grey as a contrast for an ash spike that with surely turn heads.
And of course, last but not least, we have our dramatic version. For this example, who better than musical maven Pink to break the mold and strut her stuff with an all grey do. If you are a fan of platinum blonde, give this silver/grey hue a whirl.
Grey Hair has even hit the Paris runways recently.
Who knows how long this trend will last, but as a fan of grey hair, I’m hoping this trend will stick around for years to come.
We have all been asked or have asked the following hot button question at least once in our lives:
“How often should you wash your hair?”
Well, perhaps, hot button is a bit much, but it is my experience that everyone is curious about the answer to this question. And everyone has their own opinion. Whether it’s your hairstylist, your friend or your favorite celebrity, everyone has a theory that they are ready to share. Well, I’m here to say there is no easy answer.
Let’s break it down a little so maybe we can come to at least a reasonable one.
First of all, the right answer is different for everyone. As my mama used to say, “There are many ways to get downtown.” We are motivated to wash our hair for many reasons: to remove debris, to make it smell good, to get a desired style, or simply out of habit. Mostly people tell me they wash their hair because of how oily their hair or scalp feels.
What people don’t realize is that these oils are actually very beneficial. The natural oils excreted from the scalp is what moves down and actually nourishes your strands, protecting them from our everyday environment. If you wash it away every single day, it has less time to do its job and therefore can knock this delicate balance out of whack. The longer your hair has time to soak up these natural oils, the better.
“But Danielle, won’t this give us all dreadlocks and a foul smelling scalp?” Au Contraire, ma soeur (that’s french for ‘On the contrary, sistah’), I am not saying you should never wash your hair. Please do and my goodness please brush it regularly. All I ask is that you find balance in your grooming.
You should begin by gauging your own personal timeline. If you currently wash everyday, push it to every other day. If this seems feasible, push it to every two days. Now let’s say you wait four days to wash your hair, and it starts to look greasy, limp and lifeless. Suddenly, it is hard to style! Well then, four days may be too long for you to wait. Scale it back a day and wash your hair every three days.
A girl I know shampoo’s her hair every three weeks. And guess what? She has great looking hair, every single day! Like I said, the answer is different for everyone. A little trial and error can be fun, so give it a try - your friends will definitely tell you when you err. You will begin to see and feel the difference between overwashing and a balanced washing regimen (especially if your hair is curly or chemically treated).
“But what if I like my scalp to feel fresh? And I want my hair to have that just clean feeling, every single day?”
Well, let me introduce you to your new best friend. Sidlab Hair Couture has just come out with a product called “magic spray”. It does just what it says: magic. This is a cold spray that you can put on scalp and strands, that feels refreshing without leaving an ounce of buildup. It adds a slight bit of volume while cleansing away odor and last nights pillowtalk. Its not a powder, its not a mist, and its not a figment of your imagination. It is real, and it works. Oh yeah, and its paraben free too. Use it on those days you’re not shampooing, and try to stretch your “non shampoo days” even longer. Hey, it’ll even give you more time to relax in the mornings before work, now that you don’t have to spend all that time washing and blowdrying!!!! Trust me. Your tresses will thank you.
So, its a New Year and a New Decade. People are hitting the gym, frequenting health food stores, shopping for new clothes and hitting the hair salons to reinvent themselves for 2010. It’s always a good idea to update yourself so that you can invite people in to what is happening for you on the inside. Your appearance is the first thing that people see and if you don’t change your look you will give the impression that you are not growing and changing as a person. With all thats around these days as far as options, its getting easier and easier to have your own style reflect the ever evolving you.
In my opinion, your ‘New Style’ comes down to three things:
1. Your day to day life (You don’t want to a complicated ‘12-hours-to-create’ hairstyle if you are an extremely busy person)
2. Your personal aesthetic (Do you prefer modern angular lines or flowing curves? Do you prefer a short and funky style or long flowing locks?) and
3. Your inspiration (eras, shapes, people, architecture, fashion).
One thing that inspires me most is Old Hollywood glamour. It inspires my own style and fashion. But I also look to these images within my own work. I’m not saying I want to lighten every client to the likes of Marilyn Monroe, or finger wave until my fingers fall off, but there is something about the structure of these styles that affects me. Apparently I am not the only one either, open up any magazine and check out our modern day movie stars. It won’t take long to see that this year’s “new styles” are definitely harkening back to the ”old”.
When it comes to the classics of Old Hollywood hair, there is something for everyone. The great thing about all the techniques at our disposal these days is that we can take a classic due from Grace Kelly and funk it up for the likes of Kat Von D. Its all about our inspiration, or as I like to call “hair-spiration”. Whether you are more of a sexpot like Brigitte Bardot, or more of a clean lines girl like Audrey Hepburn, its hard to ignore that our new styles are just updated takes on the old. For me its exploring the idea that the hair said so much about the woman (and perhaps still does). From the color to the style, hair used to be and still is a large representation of ourselves and our attitudes. Open any history books and remember when Flappers cut their hair as a rebellion, and now a short cropped due on a woman is something of a picture of strength. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?. But
why is that? Just like with everything around us, modern day ideals always have ties to the past. Its great to see that even our red carpet looks recently have diverted back to the days when smoking looked elegant, not that I’m saying you should smoke, but your hair definitely should!!!!
So in looking at what inspires you for 2010, check out Elizabeth Taylor or Brigitte Bardot and add your own twist.
Then get yourself a nice faux-fur coat, a dry martini, and scarf and drive yourself around town in a convertible. Heads will turn!
