Braids, Braids, BRAIDS

Claire's Braids

 Can I take a moment of your time to brag about how awesome my daughter Claire is doing in cosmetology school? Since she won't make her own blog/portfolio, someone has to show the world her style.

 Her braided pompadour was done by her classmate Glammed by Yasmika. The creativity found in cosmetology schools is endless, you should support your local school with a visit to their salon.

Live and Let Dye!

Used A New Color Product

  Part of the edgy hair color experience is being pleasantly surprised when my color doesn't come out exactly as I had hoped. What is totally unprofessional to do for a client is pretty freakin' fun to do on yourself as far as experimenting with dyes and a "plop it on and see" attitude.
 My roots are at least an inch plus and very dark against the silver grey blue tones of my current color, which breaks up the layers great in some points but looks kinda yuck as a face frame. I didn't want to bleach out my roots yet so my plan was to tone the brass between my old bleach (silver blue grey) and my roots (just yuck) with Wella T18. Armstrong & McCall closes so early that I find myself at Sally with the Wella T18 and a tube of Ion Color Brilliance Lavender and I pick up the new-to-me Ion Ash Intensifier, which you add to the color process to drab that brassy red brown ick that makes blues and purples go all green. This product is VERY POTENT, please use the minimum amount unless you're cool with surprises like I am.

 Here's how the drabbing went down.

Back of the hair is getting more brass than ash, making green tones.

I liked the dark roots in the crown and bangs but -ugh- not against my face.

What a difference sunlight makes! Same day, hair looks platinum silver grey outside.

To blend in my dark roots more, I decided to add a whole tube of Ion Ash Intensifier because it was suggested in the instruction pamphlet to use up to .5 ounce (size of the tube) to make a dramatic difference. Oh, I would say DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE was had here.

SO... WHAT I LEARNED IN BEAUTY SCHOOL IS:

Always do a test strand! Or not, because I'm cool with this blue hue too.

T.G.I.S.!

T.G.I.S. (Thank Gawd It's Saturday)

My work/school week is Tues-Sat, with open salon on Th-Sat, so we get one weekend day and one weekday to relax before getting back to relaxers. And roll sets. And color.

                                                   
Photo ops at Target with the cute Bull Terrier. I look like Lumpy Space Princess, I'm aware of that. My color is achieved with twice weekly Joico Color Endure Shampoo to cut the brass in my level 9 Wella T18 toned hair. I apply to grungy dry hair, leaving the shampoo in for about an hour and keeping it OFF the scalp, then a warm rinse followed by a few minutes of conditioner.

 My daughter Claire is a NATURAL with cut and color. She went into her freshman year at a major university, living in the dorms, and just felt the time wasn't right for academics so she's now in cosmetology class and already has clients asking for her. Her color is Ion Color Brilliance in Lavender and Magenta. Her thick but fine hair is naturally spiral.

 After looking through the picked over clothing selection at Target, we had some ice cream at Marble Slab. She had vanilla bean with cookie dough mixed in put into a white sprinkle cone. I had a brownie sundae with caramel sauce and the cookie dough flavor, which lacks chocolate chips and tasted like buttered pecan. WHICH MEANS DELICIOUS. I'm a bit lactose intolerant so I don't eat ice cream often and always get the percolating gut afterward, so it has to be worth it.

How To Dye: Silver Steel Blue Grey Version

Silver? Blue? Grey? Whatever it is, I love my hair color.

I made the radical shift from years of brassy hot copper hair color to this cool mermaid look in tones of blue, grey, ashy silver and purples last year before summer. I went from this:

..... to this in a 24 hour process which I did myself at home.

UNlike most of the silver grey hair you see online, I don't use a filter or mess with the saturation/warmth of my photos, so what you see is actually what I wear, not a photoshopped version of a steely gunmetal blue gray dyed hair that is next to impossible to achieve. Sure, I use a blur tool on my skin but I'm 43 -- I MEAN I WOKE UP LIKE THIS. 

I will never be tumblr famous because I'm old, but my hair is really rad and I think the cooler tones suit me better than the hot reds.