The Hair Diaries - Red for the Win!

I am excited to share another entry into my Hair Diaries. It was totally time for another shot at getting the perfect red for me. Four different colors went in to this killer color. I love the dimension of it and the brightness of the blonde. 

Here is the before and after: 

Red makes me happy. I've been pinning different red colors for so long, and it was a fun experiment to mix different tones. I got to see my friend Brittany this time for the cut and color. We always have great conversations and I'm so glad that she's back in town again. 

Yay for red hair. Let's see how long I like it until I want a change. ;) 

The Hair Diaries - Copper Blonde

Now that the show is over, and I am no longer playing Poopsie I decided it was more than past time for a new hair style and color. I have been pinning ideas on my Beautiful Hair board forever, and a couple of my newest ones stood out to me. I fell in love with the idea of a coppery blonde color. 

These pins are a little darker than I ended up with (I mean, I was going from white hair to this, so...) but I love how it turned out. Hannah and I always have fun experimenting and we both are comfortable with the "wait and see how it turns out" style of processing. And this one turned out great! I love the dimension and body it has. Hannah has sweet skills. 

Here are my Before & After shots. 

I love changing my hair. It is an integral part of who I am. Platinum was an enjoyable season and surprisingly, my hair is still in great condition. Hannah helps me pick out the right products and I try really hard to not use too many hot tools on it, and let it air dry some days. I think I'm going to grow it out a little now... 

Here's to fresh hair and a new season of life. Hooray for copper blonde! 

The Hair Diaries–Platinum

It took one more bleach processing and a good half an hour with my purple toning shampoo on it, but I’ve finally found my platinum sweet spot. For so many months I’ve loved Whippycake’s hair, and I think now I’m just about there! She can style it like no other, but she so inspires me.

Here are my before and after pictures from this round of The Hair Diaries at Hannah’s home salon. Its my favorite place to get my hair done.

This has been one of my favorite styles. I love the short, easy to style cut so much. So many times it just takes a little dry shampoo and some flat iron action and I’m good to go for the day. I love the Suave brand for dry shampoo. Smells good, works great and is really inexpensive. I also use a little Spoil Me by Bed Head. It adds lots of moisture back into my very processed hair. And once I have it doing what I want I spray it with my favorite hair spray, Kenra Volume Hair Spray to hold it in place all day. Quick and easy. And really playful.

Fresh hair makes me really happy.

What is a hairstyle you’ve been wanting to try?
What are your go-to styling products?

Another edition of the Hair Diaries

It felt like I just got my lavender hair done…but the length of my hair and how faded the color had become was proof that it was time to visit Hannah, my stylist cousin again. And this time I wanted something even more drastic! I wanted platinum and super short!

And we tried…we really tried. The cut is perfection, but after 1 bleach processing, a toner, and another bleach processing it still was quite yellow. I just have super warm undertones in my hair that do not want to let go! I’ve done a couple washes with my toning shampoo since then and it’s a little less yellow, but we’re going to have to keep working with it.

With at least half the hair and a scalp on fire I left my cousin’s house a happy girl. I just love drastic hair changes. I think it’s a integral part of my personality…and fortunately, Chris is always easygoing and lets me try anything.

Here are my before and after shots:

We watched Frozen and played with Harper while we did my hair. We talked about life and everything that’s been going on. Hannah has quit her job at the salon she’s been working for and is going to stay at home with the kids now. So we were talking about business ventures we could possibly pursue together…like hand lettered signs and art. Lots of possibilities in the future. I just love that girl. And little Harper is getting so big! Walking with help and not satisfied to just sit in one place anymore. lol. We had a fun day together.

So there you have it…the newest edition of the Hair Diaries. An (almost) platinum pixie cut. I can’t wait till there is a little bit of grow-out. I really like that look too.

What is your favorite hair style lately?
Are you brave enough to give it a try?
Check out my Beautiful Hair board for inspiration.

Lavender hair dreams

I have had a super short hair cut for a year in January, and I am just loving it. I kept thinking I was going to start growing it out now, but I like it so much I figured, why? Right?! But…being the Shaina we all know, I did need to change it up a bit. I don’t know where I saw lavender hair first, but I started pinning a bunch of fun images of girls with purple and lavender hair on my Beautiful Hair board.

So many fun ideas! That, plus my favorite girl, WhippyCake’s short cut and I had my idea set. Once again I went to my favorite stylist and cousin, Hannah. We have so much fun doing my hair together in her kitchen. We painted nails while the color processed, played with her baby Harper and watched the boys play video games. It was a perfect Saturday. Here are the results…my before and after pictures.

We started with really vibrant purple knowing it would fade to that really pretty lavender with time. I love how it turned out…the color and the shape. I think it’s a fun way to start the next year. I can’t believe its going to be 2014 already.

What are you planning on doing to jump-start your new year?
Planning a fun hair change like me? I’d love to hear about it!

Fresh cut and color

Man, is it really June 14th already?? After a month of blogging (almost) everyday in May, which I totally enjoyed, I needed a few days off. But what better way to jump back in than a Hair Diaries post. These are so much fun!

I have had my short hair for a few months now, and I totally love it. It does require a bit more upkeep than longer styles, and this week I went in for a fresh cut and color. Since my cousin Hannah had her baby she’s taking a little time off from doing hair, I was able to reconnect with my friend Brittany who did my hair a couple times years ago. I walked in to make my appointment and she remembered me and Chris from back then, which was a cool feeling. She cut my hair last month and then this week I went back to her for a blonde touch-up and a trim. The blonde is finally the tone I have been working towards and the cut feels perfect. I can’t wait to play more with it.

Thanks Brittany for rocking out my hair, and thanks Becki from Whippy Cake for the inspiration. I always take your pictures in with me to get your look. It’s the perfect pixie.

I just love my hair right now. Little things like a fresh cut and color can completely brighten my day.

The Hair Diaries: Gibson Edition

It was the puppy’s first time to the groomer’s this week and so I thought it would be fun (or maybe just funny) to do before and after pictures of him and share a Hair Diaries post all about Gibson. He is so good at posing for the camera…must be my dog.

The first week we had Gibson we took him with us one night to go get a movie. The lady that owns the local movie rental place has a schnauzer and she just loves the breed, so I wanted her to meet him. While we were there we also met a groomer who has a little shop in town. She said that if I brought him by she’d clip the hair that was in his eyes and trim his nails for free. So we went by the next day and he did so good. I was really drawn to her and impressed by her way with Gibson, so I knew when he needed a full groom I would take him back to her.

And that time was this week…okay, maybe before this week if you’re looking at the before pictures. Hehe. But that makes for a more dramatic before and after, right?

Here is my scruffy puppy before:

And my big handsome boy after:

The groomer even tied the cutest little blue handkerchief on him. So sweet. And she gave me some suggestions on working with him so they can get a better cut on his ears and near his face. He was a little leery of the clippers there, but he did good on other areas that puppies sometime have problems, so that’s good. And the conditioner smelled like blueberries. He was so soft and super cuddly afterwards and I enjoyed the rest of my day off with him.

Gibson has just lightened up my days and has brought so much happiness and fun to our life. I’m so glad we were able to get him.

A cut and a color

Back in December I was just checking Instagram one day like I love to do, and stumbled across this picture in Becky Higgins’ stream. And I instantly thought… “That is totally my next hair style!”

Luckily the darling lady was tagged in the picture, so I clicked over to her Instagram feed and was so excited to find tons of pictures of her sweet hair cut and lots of different ways that she styles it. Her name is Becki and she is the founder of Whippy Cake. You can follow her Instagram HERE. She also has a few hair tutorials on YouTube!

So of course I showed the pictures to Hannah, my cousin and hairstylist, and she said that the texture of my hair would be perfect for the cut! So I started making plans, deciding what products to try and dreaming of short hair. And on Monday the 21st we made it happen!

I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

I’ve had it short for a week now, and I am loving the texture of, how playful it is and yet still really feminine. I can’t wait to try a few more of Becki’s tutorials and see how it looks with curls and lots of volume. Its not the exact color I was going for yet, but my hair was pretty dark, so it will take a couple more processes and it will be perfect. Hannah did such a great job. I am so excited about this style!

And my little puppy Gibson had to get in on the photo action too! He is just the cutest thing. I’m pretty smitten. Look at that face!!

What is the most drastic change of style you’ve ever done?
Do you like short hair? Would you try it?

New hair in November

As the season changed I felt the itch to change my hair again too. I had kept it blonde since April, which if you know me (or have read this blog for any length of time) you know that’s a long time for me to have the same hairstyle! Chris really likes it short, so I knew I would get a bit of a trim and keep the shape pretty much the same. But I did decide it was time for a darker color.

So my cousin (and hairstylist frequently mentioned in these posts) Hannah and I picked out a really rich brown color and planned to balayage on the highlights. That is where the highlights are painted onto the hair, instead of done with foils. The end result is really natural and not streaky at all. I love how it came out.

I’m loving fall with my dark hair. And thankfully, the snow melted away rather quickly and the weather has been mostly warm all this month. A lovely November, if I do say so myself. I have been busy with the transition from lots of free time at my old job to no time to be online aside from working on my blog design projects. So my blog has been a little quiet lately. But things are going so good. I am thoroughly enjoying my new job and I know when I look back at this time in my life I will smile. It might not be as well documented, but it is good.

How has your November been?
Do you like to change your hair with the seasons?
What is a new trend or technique you’d like to try?

September Hair Diaries

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, my hair has been pretty much the same since April, which has to be a record for me! But Chris really likes it short and blonde, and he’s been vocal about it when previously he hadn’t really said anything one way or another about my different hair styles. So it will probably stay like this for a little while longer. I feel beautiful because he thinks so.

So I went to see Hannah at her salon and we added some lowlights, touched up my roots, and freshened up my cut. I really love how it feels, and its been so much fun to try different styles with. I think I’ll have to do a Hair Diaries post with all the ways I like to wear it at this length.

It will be a great cut to transition from summer to fall. I can’t wait to start wearing my scarfs again with it! I’m excited to welcome and celebrate autumn.

Are you adventurous with your hair?
What’s your favorite chapter from your Hair Diaries?

Avenue Hair Studio

My cousin Hannah is a regular presence on my blog in all of my “Hair Diaries” posts. She’s been responsible for pretty much all of my adventures in hair colors and cuts. We’ve done my hair in all sorts of locations…a tiny kitchen, a bathroom where we permanently stained the tub, Hannah’s school salon, her new apartment, one salon where she worked, my house…sometimes with a cape, many times with just a towel. Always an adventure! And I’m so excited for Hannah and her newest adventure and space: Avenue Hair Studio on the Ave in Wenatchee, WA.

Hannah has generously opened her salon for me to share with all of you today. We had fun taking pictures and doing my hair one afternoon last week. Welcome to Avenue Hair Studio!

Her and her business partner created a fun modern space with a perfect shade of tiffany blue on the walls and accents of zebra print. It’s a fun, warm and welcoming space.

My current hairstyle really needs regular touch-ups and I’ve loved coming to see Hannah here. We people watch out the big windows and catch up on each other’s lives. This time we added some lowlights to my color and then she freshened up my cut. I love how it turned out. I have another before and after post coming soon.

If you live in the area you should so give Hannah a call and have her work her magic on your hair too. She’s got skills and she’s so creative. I love collaborating with her and coming up with new ideas to try on my hair. Chris really likes how it is now, so the short and blonde might stay a little while longer, though. Its been like this since April, which I think is a record for the last 6 years!

Thanks so much Hannah for sharing your salon with us. And for rocking out on my hair. And for being my cousin. You’re pretty awesome.

Are you loyal to a stylist?
Do you have any fun ‘at home’ hair stories?
What’s your favorite thing you’ve tried with your hair?

Its time for a short hair cut.

After I chopped my hair off in early 2010 I made a deal with Chris that I wouldn't do a drastic cut for at least a year.  And I officially made it 2 whole years!!  I changed the color and style a ton within those 2 years, but never cut my hair at all except for necessary trims and about 8 inches in December.  But of course I've been pinning new ideas for my next cut.  And I was ready for something short again...and blonde! 

Here are some of the styles I was drawn to and showed my stylist (and awesome cousin) Hannah. 

Please visit my "Beautiful Hair Pin Board" for all image sources.

I went to Wenatchee and was able to go to Hannah's new little salon again for my cut and color.  And since I have Instagram on my phone now I had to take some fun during pictures too.  Hannah chopped about 18 inches off.  The pile of hair looked almost like a little dog on the floor.  LOL. 

And here is my final before and after.   

I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  I've been watching lots of hair tutorials from The Small Things Blog and been trying them out with my new style.  And my favorite so far is with curls.  Hannah also got me some Aquage uplifting foam that adds great volume and texture.  I love that Hannah is always there for me and willing to try anything with my hair.  We have a lot of fun together playing with my hair.