New Hair Color!

This is me, with my allergy eyes and new hair color! 

I had the color (a dark brown) done by my amazing stylist of 5 years, Corry, last Thursday. I have been red with blond and just red (I go back and forth) for two years and I thought it was time to change things up! I have not been brunette since 2002. I have been pink, black, platinum blonde,  blonde with black underneath, and even purple! But I have to admit I have a preference for the dark shades of color!

So, what do you gals think?

And, what color of hair (or colors) have you been?

If You Can't Make It, Fake It! (Or faking it until it grows back!)

This is me, decked out in my kimono, about to start my entire skincare routine before bed. Moreover, this is how my hair looks in its natural state. You may not be able to notice but my hair is very fine and thin. I began to shed a lot of hair back in late July. Even though I have been using Women's Rogaine for two years, the stress I endured this summer took its toll on my already thin strands.  In an effort to thwart any panic or further stress on myself, I began taking B-vitamins along with Biotin. I also went to see my dermatologist in late September who confirmed my hair loss was indeed stress-related and therefore, temporary!

So, until my hair grows back, I am going to continue my normal regime and wear a volumizing extension on a few days I wear my hair down. I love wearing my hair down but due to the shed, I feel my hair does not look its best and as a result, I have been wearing my hair in a ponytail or snood. However, with this lightweight hair piece, my hair confidence will be given a major boost!

The extension is made of human hair and comes on a 8-inch long weft with four small clips. The hair itself is 10 inches long.

http://www.voguewigs.com/10-in-easivolume-328-extension-easihair.html

Today my stylist Corry refreshed my red color and colored my new extension to match. He also trimmed it so it would better blend with my own hair and he also taught me how to properly place it in my hair.

Now, this is the back of my hair without the extension:

Here is the back with it in:

(I switched to my other bathroom. The lighting in my guest bath is too yellowy.)

Here is a front view with the hair piece in:

A view of the piece clipped in:

On the sides:

The extension itself:

And here is my cat, Misty Blue, yelling at me to brush her hair. She does this every night. She knows that when I am the bathroom at night (and in the morning), I do my grooming and she expects me to groom her as well. My cat actually recognizes my brush and understands the action of brushing.  Even if i simply I pick up my brush, Misty Blue will come running in the bathroom and demand I brush her (LOUDLY). I am telling you, this cat thinks she is a woman. A showgirl, diva, princess, queen bee, 'star of the show' woman!

Nevertheless, I am going to tough out this re-growing process. I am not going to let it get to me any more because stress makes hair fall out!  I also realize that at the end of the day, hair is hair. I count my blessings that all I have to worry about is thin hair!

But, I do acknowledge fully that I let that element of vanity get to me. When I see women with thick tresses, I do feel a pang of envy and wonder but in the end, I know I am going to be fine. I can already see new hair growing back. Up close, the new growth looks like tiny, pale blond sprouts. (New hair tends to come in pale and then develops its pigment as it grows out in most individuals).

Until my hair is filled in, I am going to rock out the fake (albeit human) hair. Like Corry once told me, "If you can't make it, fake it!"

New (and Improved) Red Hair Color!

 

After voting yesterday, I went to see my stylist to update my hair color.  My previous color was a cooler-toned red. Like all reds, the color began to fade after a few weeks and in an effort to refresh it myself, I used a blend of Special Effects Devilish and Aveda Madder Root color shampoo. As I stated in a previous post, the end result was less than stellar. Actually, it was hideous! My hair, especially my once-blond highlights, turned a candy apple, pink based red! I did everything from dish soap, clarifying shampoo, to using VO5 Hot Oil treatments. I able to get rid of most of the pink myself and Corry covered the rest using a warm-based, golden red color.  I am really happy with the outcome!

 Here is a closer view of my hair:

 My skin is very pink-toned and the cool-based red made my skin look more ruddy. The warmer gold hue evens out my skintone nicely. So, anyone with cool tone skin (ie blue and pinks) should stick to warmer colors to balance their complexion.

Not only have I realized that I need to stick to warmer reds in the future, I also learned that I should not "take matters into my own hands" by applying incorrect color blends at home! I should have known that the once-blond sections of my hair (being the most porous) would soak up the pink tones in the Devilish red! However, if my hair was notpreviously highlighted, I would have been okay.

Moreover, I discovered that a beauty store in my local mall that still has a few Artec Color shampoos and conditioners in stock! The Artec line was discontinued a while back so I was pleased as punch I that was able to find a big bottle of both the Ginger Root shampoo and conditioner! The Ginger Root is a PERFECT match for my hair color! I use it twice a week to maintain color intensity.

I did not get my hair cut yesterday. I had been getting regular trims (every 6 weeks) to upgrade my Middy (Baby, Middy, Middy Plus, etc) and now my longest length is 6 inches, the sides are 5 inches, and the length by the ears is 4 inches. When I get my hair retouched in December, I will get a trim to maintain my Middy while it grows out. I would love to have enough length to do a ponytail on lazy days.

 

New Hair Color! Fall is Here!

Now that Fall is pretty much here, I decided to freshen up my red hair color and cover up my summery highlight chunk. My hair is naturally a light auburn but over the years, the color has faded into a warm, dirty blond.

This is pretty much how my hair looked when I was younger:

And this is how my hair currently looks in its natural state. (Just imagine this shade 1/2 level lighter):

Before I visited my stylist today, I knew that I definitely wanted to cover my blond highlight chunk. I was envisioning a darker, richer shade for fall. But, there was a part of me that wanted to go totally natural. After much thought and consideration, I realize that my skintone looks better when I have my red hair.

So, at noon today, I visited my amazing hair genius, Corry, and we decided on a true, rich red:

Here is another view:

I love it! I feel so autumn right now even though it is 77 degrees and DC is has been bombarded with the remnants of a tropical storm since last night! This is how it looks outside my office window right now:

Nevertheless, tomorrow is the first day of October and the temperatures will be in the low 60s this weekend! I cannot wait to wear my 50s wool cardigans and rolled jeans!

So, what do you girls think about the new color? Do you ever change your hair color to match the seasons?