How to Know When it's Time for a Change

Lately, it seems that many of my regular guests have been making drastic changes to their hair styles. Perhaps it's the new season that is inspiring this trend, but whatever the cause- I'm loving it! If you have found yourself on the fence, perhaps considering a new look but not certain if it's going to work for you, let me say right now that you don't need to be scared.

Today, I am sharing 5 simple questions to ask yourself before you make the leap, so you can walk out of the salon wearing your new style with confidence.

1. How will my daily routine change?

With any change, it is likely that the way you style and care for your hair will change a bit. It is your hairstylist's job to make sure that you are comfortable and able to recreate your style at home. Personally, I like to check in about a week after any major change to make sure that it's all going well. If you've never had bangs before, it's only natural that getting them to lay just right will take some getting used to.

2. Will my new cut give me more/less options?

It's important to think about the versatility of your new style compared to your current one. For example, I recently gave my guest, Liz, a layered bob that allows her to blow it out smooth, wear it naturally curly, and also add in beachy waves with her curling iron. This was a huge selling point for her.

3. Have I recently experienced a major life event?

Someone (a man) once told me to never give a woman a drastic change after a breakup. While I am not going to say that I agree with this advice to a T, I believe that it is important to not make any kind of rash decision in reaction to a traumatic event.

After taking some time for self care, and healing, a makeover can provide a boost of confidence as you transition into a new phase in life. Shedding inches of hair can feel quite liberating as you are letting go of something in your life that is not serving you.

On a positive note, I have had a handful of my Brides go for a bob/long bob hair cut following the wedding. This change is usually one that they have been thinking about for months, and they love the fuller and healthier hair that it gives them!

4. Will this new style compliment my life style?

Knowing how your salon visit frequency will change is key. If you are used to having your hair cut every 3 months, and you are considering a pixie cut that requires an appointment every 4 weeks to avoid looking sloppy, we need to make sure that this change will fit into your life style.

Whatever look you land on also needs to work with your workouts. Speaking for myself, I won't wear short bangs or any length that I cannot braid. Otherwise, my hair will drive me crazy when I'm riding my bike.

5. How long have I thought about this change?

Lastly, I like to make sure that any considerable change is well thought out (not something a coworker mentioned 4 hours before your appointment). If you know me at all, you know that I am a planner. I am not saying that everyone needs to be thinking about a style for this long, but as my general rule of thumb I advise that if you have found yourself thinking about it for at least 1 month you are ready to go for it!

Beauty Trends from our Real Brides

With the 2019 Wedding Season well under way, I am excited to be able to show off some of the beautiful Brides who my team and I have had the pleasure to work with recently! First, let me say that the photos I am sharing in this post are limited to the Brides I have been able to stay in touch with after their Weddings and whom have agreed to share their photos with me.

You will notice that all of the Brides featured here have chosen a timeless makeup application to show up as an elevated version of their everyday selves, with some Bridesmaids having fun with colors that are more bold. All but one have chosen a hair style that is down/half down, proving that you certainly don't need an updo these days to look like a Bride!

Mary Kate & Kevin

photos by Erin Hoyt Photography

With a little extra curl, and a whole lot of hair spray a style like Mary Kate's can stand up to hours of celebrating and dancing. A game time decision to slightly change the look of her half up style made her feel completely like herself on her Wedding Day, and we can't wait to get to work with a few of her friends in Weddings coming up later this year!

Eloise & David

Photos by HB Photos

Eloise proves here that styling a bob hair cut for your Wedding needn't be boring. Loose waves and the perfect flower crown gave her the ideal effortless, boho vibe. (Bride's own makeup ).

Megan & Dan

photos by Gerber Scarpelli Weddings

Megan was a regular guest of mine in salon for a few years before she got engaged, so once I noticed the ring on her finger I couldn't help but jump right in to her bridal beauty inspiration! I'll let you in on a little secret; when you are already seeing me every couple of months for hair cuts it is super convenient to work in a conversation about your Wedding plans. Megan and I were able to brainstorm her vision and narrow down ideas over the course of her engagement resulting in a trial run appointment that was perfection!

Kristen & Chris

photos by Lidia Codrean

Kristen here, shows us all that a chic updo will never go out of style. A natural makeup application completed her Wedding day glow and was designed to perfectly compliment the shades in her bouquet.

Amy & Eamon

photos by Gold Grid Studios

Amy's Wedding day look was definitely glam! She choose to kick the natural looking makeup application up a notch with deeper tones and a smoky eye. Her hairstyle is my favorite optical illusion. While appearing like it is mostly down, it is in fact all secured together. This ensures that her hair will stay over her right shoulder all day and night as well as holding the curl.

The Biotin Experiment

A Review of taking a daily Biotin Supplement for healthier hair, skin, and nails for two years.

I have been growing my hair out since 2011 and it is currently several inches longer than it has ever been in my life! Along the way I have had to make choices (like doing less color/chemical services, mastering curling iron waves that last for three days without heat styling again) to maintain the health of my hair so that I could push past the long bob length.

In early 2017, I began to feel like my hair was thinning and it was starting to make me panic a bit. I could brush my hair and throughout my whole head I would find hair that was a length half as long as the rest (and we're not talking layers here). This was something I had seen before while working with clients and it was typically the result of a stressful phase in life having passed months earlier or post-pregnancy hair. In my case it wasn't the latter... it could have been stress, or something else.

Since we know that we grow something like 100 new hairs each day, I wondered if this was the simple explanation for the large amount of shorter hairs. I figured that there must be some truth to this idea and I just didn't notice it during all of the years that I wore my hair at shoulder length or shorter. Regardless, my mind still wasn't fully at ease and I decided it was time to try out a Biotin supplement and see for myself if they really work.

The Facts

Through a little research (on WebMd) I have learned that Biotin supports the health of the skin, nerves, digestive tract, metabolism and cells. While it is present in many foods making a deficiency rare, there are no known risks from having too much Biotin in your diet, resulting in an unknown maximum allowance.

My Natural Hair Today

The Downside to Biotin

I only have two complaints when it comes to taking Biotin.

I have a lot of fuzzy short hairs all around my front hairline. This is annoying in the instance that it poses a styling challenge. I need to try and blend them into the rest of my hair and when there is humidity they frizz out again. However, my hairline is much fuller now and the recession near my temples is less noticeable- so I'll take it.

My second complaint is my whisker! Yes, unlady-like as it is, need to share the full picture. Since taking Biotin, I have one coarse light hair that will grow just to the right of my chin. I check for it most every day and I always pluck it at my earliest opportunity! I must also mention that I am 37 years old and I have heard from other women that this is something that happens as we get a little older, so there is a chance that Biotin may not be the cause.

All the Details

As mentioned earlier, I began taking a daily Biotin Supplement in early 2017. While the results were hard to measure (minus the whisker mentioned above), I will admit that come Summer time the feeling of worry about my hair thinning had gone away. This might have been a placebo effect, but since I knew that I couldn't be hurting anything by taking it I thought that I might as well continue.

Fast forward to the Summer of 2018, and during a run to Walgreens, I found that the brand of Biotin I was accustomed to was sold out! I considered my options and went home with VitaFusion Extra Strength Biotin 5000mcg Gummies.

I continued with life as usual and was crazy busy since this was peak Wedding Season. One day I looked down at my nails and realized that I hadn't trimmed them in over a week and they were perfectly fine. This was around the same time that I began to grow a fuller front hairline. Then another week passed, and then another with no sign of a chip or a tear.

My old routine was keeping my nails polished and short to avoid breaking one at work and catching it in a client's hair all day. Now I can grow them as long as I want to!

Since these new results were blowing my mind, I decided to compare my new variety of Biotin to the old one and realized that I was now consuming double the quantity (from 2500mcg- 5000mcg) of what I was used to. That explained it!

While I haven't observed any changes in my skin, the benefits to my nails and hair have made me a believer, and I will continue to take this supplement and recommend it to others!

My Natural Nails Today with Traditional Nail Polish