A Diva State of Mind

Based on last week’s temperatures, it’s safe to say that winter is here! Cold weather means it’s time to pull out those hats and scarves, but your favorite hat and scarf may be damaging your hair.

Here are some hair care tips, provided by the ladies of Lolita & Alicia Hair and Makeup Team, to help you protect your tresses during winter:

1. Avoid WOOL!  The warmest hats are ones made of wool and they are so necessary when it’s 25 degrees or lower outside!   But if there is a wool hat you just can’t resist, try sewing a silk lining on the inside of your hat to help avoid breakage.

2. Avoid washing your hair in HOT water. Instead, use warm or cool water.  Using hot water will dry out your hair. If you’re washing your hair while showering and have to use hot water, rinse your hair in cool water to lock in your conditioner. 

3.  Try a leave-in conditioner treatment to add moisture after you shampoo and condition. The leave-in conditioner should be applied before blow drying or sitting under the dryer and styling.

4. Do not overuse your hairdryer. Excessive heat will dry out your hair. When blow drying your hair, set the setting to cool or warm.

5. Limit the use of curling irons and flat irons. Too much heat can cause breakage.  Those of you with longer length, try wrapping your hair at night; that way curling your hair every morning won’t be necessary.

6. To tackle static during the winter, add a little hair spray to your hairbrush (or comb) then brush or comb your hair; the spray acts as a shield to the electricity that creates static.

Please remember these hair care tips during the winter season; no need to damage your tresses while trying to bundle up!

You can follow the ladies of Lolita & Alicia Hair and Makeup Team on twitter at @LnAHair

Fall is not only a time to add a few new pieces to the wardrobe; it’s also a time to change your hair! It’s a time to regroup and repair our hair from the harsh summer sun and activities.  In order to provide you with a full trend report, I asked my hair stylist, Alicia, to share with you this Fall’s hair trends and tips:

COLOR

Before you decide on any color for this Fall/Winter season, consult with your stylist on the integrity of your hair (don’t risk the health of your hair for hair fashion). In terms of color this fall, shades of red are huge this season.  Many shy away from reds because they feel like red may be too loud and bright but reds have a lot of character. There are a wide range of shades; red-orange, red-red, red-violet, red-brown, violet-red and pink-red.

Take your color to the next level by framing your face with highlights or adding dimensional color; using 2-4 shades in the same family to give your hair a natural soft progression through the different colors.

HAIRSTYLES: BOB

After determining the best color for you, it’s time to figure out your haircut. A great haircut can go a long way! The famous and very maintainable BOB is classic and versatile. You can update a BOB with a bang that fits your face.  A longer BOB is a way to have a stylish haircut without sacrificing length. Curls and waves update the BOB tremendously; try to use a 1” flat iron or a large barrel curling iron to give some wave to your modern BOB.

SHAG

For those who like to be adventurous with your haircuts and styles, my favorite is the SHAG. The SHAG creates lots of CHOPPY layers and lots of texture.  The Shag is for those who like lots of texture and movement. You can add bangs to a SHAG or SHAG out a BOB on the top with layering. Generally SHAGs are styled by quick styling with some type of styling aid like pomade, wax, or something dry like CIBU sticky rice.

Alicia is a hair stylist (and the master behind my short haircut & color) at Lux Studios in Bethesda, MD.  You can contact her through email at [email protected] or twitter @LnAhair. To make an consultation or appointment call (301)907-6810.

BUN

For those women with hair past your shoulder or those who prefer to wear extensions, the CLASSIC BUN has made a strong appearance this fall. You can achieve a classic bun with a bun circle form you attach to your pony tail then you cover the form and you’re done. Or you can make a messy bun with folding like a classic bun but instead of smoothing the ends shift it to the right or left to give a spin and you have a Messy BUN.

This summer has been hot, humid and muggy.  With these weather conditions, the last thing you want to do is pile on make-up only for you to sweat it off your face during the day.  And honestly, during the day, it’s really too hot to have all of that STUFF on your face anyway (foundation, concealer, powder, blush…….)

So what is a girl to do when you want a great daytime look without having to pile on a lot of make-up?Cream bronzer is your life saver!! Two weeks ago I headed down to Miami for vacation and during the day I wanted to wear something that would give me a great glow without having to cake on multiple layers of make-up.  I tried the MAC Beach Bronze Cream Bronzer. It gave me a nice glow for the beach and it could not only be used on my face, but on my body as well (you can add bronzer to your arms, legs and cleavage for a litte extra glow). A cream bronzer is a must have summer alternative for make-up during the day.

For a nice daytime look, apply cream bronzer on your checks and t-zone.  Highlight your eyes with natural hues like L’Oreal High Intensity Pigments (HIP) and finish the look with a subtle sheen lip gloss. 

MAC Cosmetics has teamed up with Alice + Olivia for a limited edition of lip gloss, eye shadows and nail lacquer.  The collection is fun and edgy!!  I absolutely LOVE the nail lacquer colors; two of them are my favorite colors (teal and purple).  I usually don’t step outside of dark purple during the winter and french manicures during the spring/summer, but the Alice + Olivia collection has me considering stepping out of my comfort zone (these colors would be great for my Miami vacation!!!)
 
Check your local MAC Cosmetics stores for the Alice + Olivia collection because many of the products are SOLD OUT online.  Clearly I missed the memo!

Recently celebrities have been breaking free of the Hollywood norm of wearing weaves and this picture may be all the evidence we need to understand why. 

Naomi Campbell was spotted at a photo shoot in New York City. We never hear the stories of what damage wearing weaves can do to your hair.  Is this evidence of the downside to wearing lacefronts for so long? I know for most people they are convenient when you don’t want to do to your own hair and add a little extra length when your hair won’t grow on its own.

But ladies, we may want to take a step back and pause for a minute.  Think about the damage you’re causing by continuously wearing weave. Don’t get me wrong, in the past, I’ve thought about wearing a weave because I wanted my hair to be “beautiful” and I thought it would make me more attractive. But after cutting my hair short, I’ve learned that short hair can be just as, if not more, sexy depending on whom is rocking the hair cut.

Why are we so infatuated with wearing a hair style that could cause us to end up looking like Naomi Campbell? Is this the Hollywood influence?

For those of you that wear weaves, does this make you reconsider wearing them or think about wearing them less often?

 Source: Splash News & Clutch Magazine

I don’t know what I can really say about this one! The infamous cougar Vivica A. Fox has fallen off in the entertainment industry so I guess she decided to create a wig line to revive her career.  I’m not even mad, cause everyone needs a hustle! lol

Fox is releasing her very own wig line this summer called “The Vivica A. Fox Hair Collection” which will feature a full line of wigs and extensions. I’m not surprised at all…

Check out pics that were featured on The YBF. What do you think??

So I went to Pittsburgh this past weekend for homecoming and had a GREAT time with my PITT family! We always have a good time when we get together.   That weekend, I saw so many people I went to school with 6 years ago! (Time does go by fast). One thing I did notice that seems to be a trend is everyone getting weave.  Now believe me, I understand; we all want to add some length.  I’ve been known to rock the ponytail myself.  BUT, if you are going to rock the weave, ladies ladies ladies, we must pay more attention to what the final product looks like.  IT MUST BE ON POINT!! The purpose of the weave is to look natural, but I think people have forgotten that.

If you are going to rock the weave, here are some things to think about:

1. The weave color should look natural– There is now reason your weave is orange, red, blond if your natural hair color is dark brown.  Come on! And if you decide to get a partial weave, the weave color and your natural hair color should match. A weave should look natural. 

 2. Your weave should move when your head moves – We are too old to use synthetic hair.  If you are going to take the time to get a weave, take the time to invest in one that looks good and natural which means human hair please!

 3. Your weave shouldn’t start 6 inches from your hair line – Do I really need to explain this one?

 4. If you are unsatisfied with the outcome, please let the stylist know – I saw some weaves this weekend that looked frizzy, puffy and not well maintained.   Before you walk out of the salon, make sure it looks the way YOU want it to look b/c you are the one that has to wear it.

5.  Invest in keeping it maintained - Now that you have committed to wearing a weave, you must maintain it! This means washing it frequently and having it tightened if you have a sewn in.  Talk to your stylist about best practices. 

So the next time you decide to get a weave, keep these things in mind.  A weave is an investment and if you want to wear one, you should make that investment!

I’m sitting here watching the View and one of the “Hot Topics” is about the new Chris Rock movie “GOOD HAIR” and why black women do what they do to their hair.  Barbara Walters throughout the show kept asking “do black women get weaves, relaxers and wigs to look like white women?” She asked Sherri, Whoopi AND Chris Rock after she was already told NO. We don’t want to look like you Barbara Walters and we won’t ever be mistaken to look like white women. LOL

Manageability and versatility are two main reasons why black women opt for the weaves, wigs and relaxers.  When I was younger dancing took up a lot of my time and sweated out my hair.  Even in high school, I attempted to grow my relaxer out while dancing every weekend and having step practice 3 times a week.  My mom wasn’t into spending hours and hours at a time washing, blow drying, using a hot comb and flat iron to straighten my hair.  So instead, I got a kid relaxer when I was younger and once in high school a mild relaxer to help make my hair more manageable.  I had too many activities going to go natural and at that age, I wasn’t able to manage natural hair.  Having a relaxer made it much easier.

Women, not just black women, get bored very easily.  So to keep ourselves entertained, we like to switch it up every once in a while. Think about it, the majority of white women you run into have dyed their hair.  All of you aren’t naturally blond!!  One of my white friends puts in extensions every so often to add a little length to her hair when going out and dyes her hair I would say every 6 months.  Every time I see her it’s a different color!   Wearing a weave or wigs gives women the change to keep their look new, fresh and exciting.   It’s almost like going through a phase.  Sometimes we want short hair, sometimes we want long and other times we want some color.

If there are any other reasons that I’m missing, ladies please let me know! Believe me, if black women wanted to look like another race, we would be racing to the plastic surgeon to have our noses and lips reduced.  But we’re not.  Everyone deals with her own insecurities, but as a whole, we black women love the way we look.  We just want more manageable and versatile hair.  Women in general go through a lot when it comes to hair maintenance so we can show up on point everywhere we go!