BIG HAIR ESSENTIALS.

If you were to ask anybody who knows me how I wear my hair, I can probably tell you one word that will be used unanimously by every single person--- BIG.

As a bigger girl, I realized in my first semester of college (for teaching) that when my hair was bigger, it made me feel more confident. "The Poof" was one of my go to hairstyles. Not only do I feel like big hair makes me more confident, it also allows me to go a couple days in between shampoos, thus, making my color last A LOT longer! A lot of my clients will sit in my chair and say "I try teasing and it just looks goofy, so I brush it all out" or "I use the products you told me to use but they just aren't working out for me." I have been telling my clients (for over 2 years... sorry, guys) that I am going to write a blog on how to tease your hair AND MAKE IT LAST. Better late than never, right? It's all about product and tools, really. You can't expect big volume if you refuse to use products... ESPECIALLY hairspray. If you follow my product recommendations and tips & tricks, you should have NO problem giving yourself sky high volume!

First thing's first [I'm the realest... hahaha. I had to] These are the essentials for creating beautiful, long lasting volume:

- Teasing BRUSH.

- Hairspray.

- Dry Shampoo. (this is optional and only generally used on "second day" hair.)

- Volumizing Powder.
-Some sort of root lifter or volumizer.

 ~The best way to begin your journey for big hair is to apply a root lifter or volumizer to TOWEL-DRIED HAIR. After you apply the product, blow dry (WITH A CONCENTRATOR) in multiple different directions. Blow drying with your head upside down will also allow for more volume.

~Once your hair is 100% dry, part your hair.

~If you are starting with "dirty" hair, you will use your dry shampoo in lieu of volumizer.

~Use your teasing brush to make multiple little sections on each side of your part/crown area. Along the parting of each of these sections, sprinkle a tiny bit of your volumizing powder. Once all of the sections have been powdered, rub your scalp to spread the powder out evenly.

~Starting at the front of your head, back to your crown (the section directly behind your part), pick up 1/4 inch sections, spray lightly with hairspray and, using your teasing brush, back-comb in a "c" shape. Your hair should be able to stand up on its own before moving on to your next section. Repeat this until you have teased all of the hair above your ears. Now grab the sections to the right and left of your part and repeat the previous teasing instructions.

~Once all of your hair is teased, working from the BOTTOM up, LIGHTLY brush over the top of each section to smooth everything out. You never want to feel the brush on your scalp, as this will just eliminate all of your teasing. This step is finished off with parting your hair and making sure that no tease is visible.

~Finish your look off with a liberal mist of hairspray. It is totally up to you to determine how strong your hairspray is. I personally prefer a heavy hold, but you do you, boo.

 ~EXTRA TIP- IF YOU WANT TO CURL YOUR HAIR WITH THIS TECHNIQUE, CURL FIRST FOR SOFTER CURLS, CURL AFTER FOR TIGHTER CURLS.

You may need to go back through and re-tease certain sections just to get the hair so lay the way that you want it to.

I hope this was helpful, feel free ask questions!!

-BMM

GOLD IN A BOTTLE.. SORT OF.

Do you ever just feel like your hair needs a drink? Maybe your highlights have dried your hair out, or perhaps you've got a pool in your backyard and the chlorine is wreaking havoc on your hair. Whatever the scenario, I have a solution... Unite's "7Seconds Condition." This is BY FAR our salon's top-selling product! There's a very good reason why this is our bestselling retail product---- IT WORKS. I know you have bought a plethora of hair care products, only to be disappointed in not only the quality, but also the claims they make to "do this" or "do that."

 

7Seconds Condition is a jack of all trades. As you can see below, there are multiple benefits to this product, so you really get more bang for your buck. When I tell you that this product is WEIGHTLESS, I mean it! You cannot over due it with the amount you apply. The really cool thing about this particular product is that you can use it either wet OR dry. I mainly use it wet for detangling, being a thermal protectant and to lock in the beautiful color my client has just received. But, you can also use it on second day hair to give your ends a little bit of moisture to bring them back to life. I also like to tell my clients about its AMAZING pool protection! Not only are there UV protectants in the 7Seconds Condition, but you can also spray your hair before you get in the pool to protect your color from chlorine damage. How awesome is that??? You get protection from damage AND it's conditioning while you're having fun in the sun!

 

 

This "liquid gold" can be used on ANY hair type, by people of ANY age! Check the link below to find a salon near you that sells Unite products & go give it a try... who knows.. you might fall in love!

https://unitehair.com/salon-locator/

 

 

-BM

IT'S GETTIN' HOT IN HERR... SO PROTECT YOUR STYLE.

In the south, it's not the heat that kills you, it's the humidity. It isn't even June yet in Memphis and I have already made my husband set up our window ac unit. I just hate working for an hour on my hair & makeup, only to have my afro appear and my skin look oily minutes after stepping outside.

 

The biggest complaint I receive from my clients in the summer months is how to deal with frizz. It doesn't matter if you can get your curls to look like Kim Kardashian, if it's humid outside, your style isn't going to make it outside. A lot of products out there claim to give you protection from the elements but very few actually hold up their end of the bargain. The stand alone product, in my opinion, that works for EVERY CLIENT to eliminate frizz is ColorProof's Humidity Rx spray.

 

Follow the link below to find a salon near you that sells ColorProof products.
http://www.colorproof.com/salon-locator

It is like this glorious, beachy smelling mist that protects your hair from any sort of humidity. I use this spray mostly for 3 different occasions: Wedding/Prom styles, Rainy days & Showers(I'll explain this one in a second.)

 

For weddings and proms, this is the ultimate finishing touch. I like to spray this on after I am completely finished with the style and I spray it on pretty liberally, making sure to get the nape of the neck especially covered.

 

For rainy days, this is my favorite add on to a beautiful blowout or curled style if the weather isn't as dry outside as it is inside the salon. Just a few sprays goes a long way and clients appreciate the extra touch to secure their style for the day/night. (I still recommend an umbrella, because this is just to keep humidity at bay, it doesn't make your hair 100% waterproof ;P)

 

And last, but certainly not least, use this for your showers!! Ok, so, not EVERY SHOWER, but I know we ALL have those days where we either don't feel like blow drying our hair, our style from the previous day(s) still looks good, or you have a vivid color and you can't shampoo your hair as regularly as a "normal" color, but you still have to get clean. (GUILTY) If you will pray this around the perimeter of your hairline & wrap it up in a ponytail holder or towel, the Humidity Rx will actually help keep your little baby hairs from going all haywire while you scrub-a-dub in the tub.

 

This product can be used on ANY type of hair and would make a fantastic addition to your haircare routine!

 

-BM

 

 

 

 

Why Clarify?

As most of you know, I am a HUGE fan of big hair, which means I'm also a fan of hairspray...

 I get SO many questions about how I get my hairstyles to hold. The techniques are simple to learn, but the products are tricky to remove. I was always taught in hair school to not use more than 4 products when working on a client... the only problem is they never said that about myself! I use a ton of product in my hair. And even if you don't use a ton of product in your hair, if you aren't using a salon quality shampoo and conditioner, the cheaper ingredients could be causing you to have build-up that you didn't even know existed! Build-up can present itself in many forms. Sometimes, it can look like flakes of dandruff, or little white "bumps" on your hair strands, or even a waxy coating. There are as million different Pinterest remedies, but the only thing, that I can professionally suggest is a clarifying shampoo. 

A clarifying shampoo basically does the same thing to your hair that a detox does for your body. You shouldn't use them religiously, but once in awhile, they are necessary. Clarifying shampoos aren't formulated to be used for every shampoo. For instance, if you shampoo your hair 4 times a week, only one of those shampoos should be with a clarifying shampoo. The less product you use, the less product build-up you will have (duh!) so you will need to clarify less.

For my girls with brightly colored hair [raises hand] you need to pay close attention to the brand and ingredients of your clarifying shampoo. Sulfates fade out any color, but especially vivid or bright colors.

My two favorite clarifying shampoos are Unite "Weekender" and ColorProof "Clear It Up."  Both of these shampoos are gentle enough to use, even on colored hair. I especially like the formulas for both of these brands. They are extremely concentrated , so a little bit goes a LONG way.