Current Hair Favorites/New(ish) Hair Cut

One of my favorite things about hair is versatility.  Between cutting, coloring, texturizing, and styling, there are so many fun ways to change up your look with your hair.  I hadn't had short hair since 2010, and I decided it was time for a change and that I was tired of it taking so long to wash, dry, and style my hair.  About a month ago, I chopped it off.  I was inspired by one of my favorite YouTubers, Michele1218, who cut her hair over the summer.  She described her cut as a blunt cut with no layers.  I thought it looked so adorable and fun yet so grown up and sexy at the same time.  I don't even know how many inches my stylist took off--I just showed her a picture of Michele and asked her to duplicate it.  Because my hair is so thick, we altered it just a bit by adding a couple blunt layers and making it basically a long A-line bob (longer in front with a couple shorter blunt layers in the back).  It ended up being a little  longer than shoulder length, and I was (and still am!) very happy with it.  She didn't touch the color, and I still have a little bit of balayage left at the ends.

Fresh out of the salon.  This was a little over a month ago, and you will see from the more recent pictures below that my hair has gotten a bit longer since then. 

Styling       
As I mentioned above, I love the cut; however, learning how to style it to my liking took a little bit of time.  I thought I would need a smaller wand to curl it since it was shorter, but when I tried that, it ended up looking way too curled (too "done" and not effortless enough) and a bit poofy.  I believe the bluntness of the cut is what took me so long to get used to, as that is what caused the poofiness with the smaller wand.  I was also having trouble getting the curls to lay right and found that some pieces at the back stuck out and looked kind of funky.  After many trials and tribulations, I finally figured out the best way to curl it was with the same tool I used with my longer hair, a clipless, tapered wand with a barrel width of 3/4" to 1 1/4".  The one I have is the Conair You Curl Styling Wand XL.  I was pretty good at curling my long hair with it and never needed to use the protective glove.  With my shorter hair, I always use the glove because I wrap more of the ends around it than I did with longer hair.  Also, with less hair, it's a bit harder to control, and there's more room for error (ie: it's easier to burn your hand).

Straightening my hair is easy and didn't really take any getting used to--I pretty much do it exactly the same as I did with long hair.  The iron I have is the Ultra Chi 1" Ceramic Flat Iron.  I've had this for a few years, and I love it.  I had a Chi before this one that died.  Hopefully it won't, but if this one dies, I think I want to try a GHD iron.

Freshly washed and straightened

One day old curled hair

Two day old curled hai

With this hair cut, I like wearing it curled and straightened equally.  The curled look is a little more fun/messy, whereas the straight look is a lot more polished and sleek.  It just depends on what I'm in the mood for.  Curling it also stays looking good longer--I almost like it more a day or two after washing and styling it.

Products   

I've been loving Living Proof's Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1.  I use it from roots to ends in damp hair right before I blow dry.  It smells good, and I actually think it does extend my style.  I only wash my hair twice a week, and using this product keeps it looking good basically up until it's time to wash again.  It doesn't weigh my hair down and adds a little volume.

Another new favorite is Garnier's Texture Tease Spray.  I had been wanting to try Bumble & Bumle's Thickening Dryspun Spray, but it's pricey, and I couldn't bring myself to purchase it without researching dupes first.  I dug around and found that the Garnier texture spray was a good dupe for about one tenth of the price.  I'm happy I found this!  It smells great like all Garnier products.  After I wash and style my hair, I like to lift up my roots and spray it all over my crown, then I lightly massage it in.  I also use it through the lengths of my hair.  My hair is naturally very smooth and silky, and I need some texture to make it look and behave the way I want it to.  This product helps me  to achieve my desired texture.  It doesn't soak up oil like a dry shampoo, but I use it between shampoos to make sure my hair has some grittiness to it--this is especially useful when putting my hair in a messy bun.

Speaking of dry shampoo, you will never find me without one in my arsenal.  Over the years, I have tried many different brands and am completely dependent on the stuff.  The trick with dry shampoo is to make sure you let it sit in your hair before you massage it in--this is what allows it to do its job and soak up excess oil.  I let mine sit anywhere from five to 10 minutes before working it in with my hands.  A lot of brunettes are afraid of dry shampoos that leave white casts (and most do), but if you rub it in well enough, it won't be a problem.  I have found several dry shampoos I like.  Right now, I have Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo, and I really like it.  It does a good job of absorbing oils and has a nice citrusy smell.  If you have ever used Batiste's Original Dry Shampoo, it smells and feels almost the exact same.  Dry shampoo is great for adding texture as well, and before I discovered the above mentioned Garnier product, I would use dry shampoo as my texturizer.  I would even use it on freshly washed hair.  If you only want to have one product between this and a texturizing spray, opt for the dry shampoo.

I hope this post inspires you to do something new and fun with your hair.  Thanks for reading!