12 Tips For Your Wedding Hair

If you didn't already know, I started a wedding hair company. Check us out WedLocks Bridal Hair

Planning my wedding was one of the most difficult experiences I have ever been through. For those of you who have yet to go through this life changing experience, let me tell you, it is incredibly overwhelming! I mean where do you start? Food, silverware, plates, music, napkins, venue, vows, tents, lights, the list goes on and on. I took solace in knowing that there were people around me who were taking care of a lot of those little details for me, but there was one thing that I would do myself... my own hair! I am a hairstylist after all. And in my case, I knew that I would be the only person to do it the way I like it. I am a firm believer that if there's a professional for it, then let them do it. So I did! I did, however, take it one step farther and I also styled my mom and my sister's (maid of honor/my only bridesmaid) hair. Hair is my therapy and I honestly believe that being able to do some hair on the big day, kept me calm, cool, and collected. So here are a few suggestions that you may or may not have thought of when it comes to your hair and wedding planning.

Me doing my Merm's hair. Yes, that is my mom, not my sister. 

1. If you haven't already, set up a Pinterest account with a "Wedding Board." It's the best way to gather your thoughts, collect pictures, and give you an idea of what you like and what you want.

Speaking of Pinterest, Follow us!

2. Always consider your face shape!

3. Always have a hair and makeup trial to make sure your hairstyle is the look you a going for.

4. Consider scheduling a trial right before a dress fitting, that way, you can see the whole vision of your hair with your dress!

My bestie's hair for her wedding! ((Photography by: Suzanne and Ryan Houchin))

5. Be open to your stylist's advice! Remember, they're professionals.

6. Wear a button-down shirt or a robe when getting ready so you don't ruin your gorgeous hair and makeup!

7. Consider having the bride get ready first, that way she can have a last minute touch-up and finishing spritz of hairspray just before walking down the aisle!

8. If you wear your hair down on a regular basis and that is what makes you feel the prettiest, then wear your hair down! You do not have to go with an up-do to look beautiful and elegant.

The Lovely Katie (and Josh)  ((Photography by: Suzanne and Ryan Houchin))

9. People change their dresses from the ceremony to the reception, why not do it with your hair? Have an Elegant up-do for the ceremony and sexy tousled curls for the reception!

10. Veil? Bring it to your trial!

11. No veil, no problem! There are so many alternatives to wearing a veil, like a sparkly headband, tiara, braid crown. If you do have any alternative head attire, bring it to the trial!

12. You do not have to have dirty hair on your wedding day. Yes, some stylists prefer it, but for my ladies who have scalps that are more on the oily spectrum, go ahead and wash!

Bonus!!! Do you! Nothing is more frustrating for a stylist than when someone else is telling the bride what to do with her hair. Do what you want! You are a grown a$$ woman who is getting married, you are entitled to make your own decisions on YOUR day!

Check out my Bridal Hair Company WedLocks Bridal Hair!

Follow me on Instagram @ninemorrison 

I hope you learned a lot! What else would you like to read? Comment below!

Adventures In Blonding Part Deux

For those of you just joining us, this is a follow-up of Adventures In Blonding, so take a gander at that first, so you're not lost.

...And the journey continues! So Stephanie tackled the beast again.

It has been six weeks since our first adventure together and this time we got my hair even blonder! And I'm so in love!

This time around, we had to fight against every blonde's arch nemesis, Roots! So we started there, since that hair is the darkest and needs the most time to process. We applied lightener all over my regrowth area (AKA Roots) first.

Photos: Lightener on regrowth (roots); Lightener all over

Then we pulled a more gentle lightener through the rest of my hair to get it even lighter. 

And then we waited, and waited...

And waited.

Finally, we rinse!

Photos: Hair after rinsing; Hair with toner on

Again, we have some not-so-lovely highlighter yellow hair. For that, we call in every blonde's handy-dandy sidekick, Toner! Remember him? Toner is what neutralizes unwanted tones using complementary colors on the color wheel. It is also something that is custom to each person. So remember kids, don't try this at home! You could easily turn your hair green! EW!

Photos: After! All work done by Stephanie Pion!

After styling and a much needed trim, Voila! Its gorgeous!

Photo: Olaplex!

This whole process would not have been possible without Olaplex. Olaplex is a bond multiplier used to prevent damage or breakage caused by lighteners. It is an added on service that take almost no extra time and is a complete life saver!

Photos: The whole enchilada!

Thanks again Stephanie!

Want To See More?

For Adventures In Blonding Part One

For my Beachy Wave Tutorial

For Confessions Of A Hairstylist's Bad Day

Transformation Tuesday

I love extensions! They are so much fun and instant gratification! No more waiting 5 years for your hair to grow back because you can have it now! This lovely lady has tried a couple different types of extensions over the past few months: Tape-Ins and Keratin Bond (Hot Fusion).

For more information about different kinds of extensions. Take a look at my post Hair Extensions 101.

Before & After Keratin Bond Extensions (Hot Fusion)

Left: Tape Extension; Right: Keratin Extensions

Which one do you like better on her? Tape or Keratin?

Transformation Tuesday

A little back story behind this transformation. This particular client was sent to me from another client. She had her hair done in Vegas on Thanksgiving vacation and it wasn't anything close to what she had shown him. Luckily, that stylist did most of the hard work for me by getting her dark hair lighter. Needless to say, she was extremely happy that she finally had the hair she had dreamed of before going back to school from her holiday break.

This was the inspiration for the color.

Before & After

Balayage Going Darker

More before and after pictures here.

The Importance of Buying Professional Hair Products (From A Salon)

A huge part of my job as a stylist is, not only to provide amazing services to my clients, but to educate them on their hair health. The best way to maintain the health of your hair is to use high quality product and here's why.

One of the first questions I ask a new client is, "What is the biggest challenge with your hair?" I usually hear that it is dry, it won't grow, the color fades fast, etc. The second question I ask is, "What products are you using?" When I hear that someone is using a brand from the drugstore, I ask if they are getting the results they want and is it taking care of those challenges? The answer is usually a resounding "No." Solution? Better products! Professional products!

Side Note:The funniest thing I see on drugstore products, are outrages claims like "Reduces breakage up to 97%" or "Repairs up to 2 years of damage." And all for $8.99. Really? If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

Protect Your Investment- If you are investing good money in your hair by getting regular haircuts and color services, then you probably want it to last. The only way to guarantee that is to buy professional products.

More Bang For Your Buck- Professional products are highly concentrated, meaning you have to use less product in your hair to achieve the results you want. Sometimes if you weigh out how much product you are using versus how much money you are spending, buying professional products can sometimes cost the same as drugstore products.

Sulfate and Paraben Free- Sure, you can find drugstore products that say "Sulfate Free" or "Paraben Free", but companies can still put a certain amount of sulfates and parabens into their products while still saying they are sulfate and paraben free. You are more likely to find professional products that are truly free of sulfates and parabens. 

Environmentally Conscious- A lot of professional lines have become super aware of their carbon footprint and have restructured their values based on their consumer's values. You can find so many professional brands that don't do testing on animals and use less plastic in their packaging. Some companies are PETA approved and are even working on being completely bio-degradable within a year of hitting the landfill. So cool!

"But I Can Buy It On Amazon."- When you buy professional products from anywhere other than a salon or authorized retailer, you run the risk of buying a product that has been tampered with, or is old. Sometimes, salons go out of business and sell off their old back stock, or there may even be Suave in that bottle of Paul Mitchell. There is no quality control and there's a reason it is so cheap.

"But I Can Buy It At Beauty Brands Or Sephora."- All I can say is "Support you local businesses!" Give your dollar to a family owned business instead of a corporation. Plus, it usually costs the same. 

Next time you are at the grocery store and you have that bottle of product in your hands, I hope these tips resonate in your head. Make the choice to buy local and buy from a professional. You won't regret it!

Thanksgiving Transformations

The holidays are upon us! With the cold weather and it getting darker outside, it may be time for a change. Lets step out of our comfort zones, a little, and spice it up for this holiday season!

Full Transformation Progression

Bleach and Tone (Using Olaplex)

Bleach and Tone (Using Olaplex)

Balayage Going Darker

Balayage Going Darker

Balayage and Cut

Balayage and Cut (with Dark Purple Streaks)

Just A Fun Side Braid

Transformation Tuesday

Balayage and Cut

Balayage and Cut

Bleach and Tone

Bleach and Tone

Balayage

Balayage

Check out more Before & After's here.

How To Find A Hairstylist

For most people, finding the right hairstylist can be more challenging than it ought to be. How are you going to find that stylist that not only has the skills and talent to make a masterpiece of your mane, but also a stylist that just seems to get you? You require someone who understands what you need and want, even if you don’t. It might be optimistic to find the perfect stylist complete with magic hair taming powers, but here are some tips and tools to finding a great stylist none the less.

How I Feel About Yelp

I hate to start off with a negative, but I want to get this first one out of the way. Yelp can definitely help in finding out some pros and cons about certain businesses, but there are some reasons why I would refrain from using Yelp. One reason is, it might help you find a great salon, but it might not help you find a stylist. Secondly, Yelp screens their reviews. They pick and choose which reviews they want to feature, and some can be years old and irrelevant to their current service. The biggest reason I don’t suggest using Yelp too much, is that most of the time people are reviewing a business is to report something negative, which doesn't necessarily give you an accurate depiction of the business. If you are going to use Yelp, I suggest sorting the "Recommended Reviews" by date and also checking out the reviews not recommended at the bottom of the page.

Ask Someone

The absolute best way to find a good stylist is by a referral. Whether it's from someone you know or just from asking a stranger in the grocery store, find someone whose hair you admire and just ask them who makes their hair so magical. A plus to this strategy is that you will probably make someone’s day and maybe even a new best friend.

But what if you're new to town or too shy to ask?

StyleSeat

There is a lovely little website called StyleSeat.com that some stylists use for a variety of reasons. One of them being, to find new clients. Granted, not every stylist is using this website, however, there are tons of great stylists on this site waiting to be discovered by you. My suggestion is to go on the site, search for your city or area and check out the stylists with great recommendations and call. They might not have a ton of availability, but that means they're probably good if they're busy.

6 Hair Washing Tips to Healthier Hair

Ever have the problem where you run out of conditioner, but still have half of a bottle of shampoo left? Or are the ends of your hair super dry, even though you're using the most hydrating (and probably expensive) conditioner out there? Well folks, the answer might be as simple as; you're not washing your hair the right way. 

Here are six things you can do in the shower to increase the longevity and power of your shampoo and conditioner. 

1. Water, Water, Water

When you are shampooing your lustrous locks, you need to have your hair completely saturated. If it isn't lathering well, dunk your head under the water real quick before you add more shampoo. This goes especially for professional shampoos because they are more concentrated compared to your drugstore brands. 

2. Shampoo Only Your Scalp

Your scalp is where most of your natural oils are built up and the only area of your hair that needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Unless your ends are actually dirty or have product build up, for whatever reason, then don't actually shampoo them on a regular basis. You don't want to dry them out!

3. Wring Out Your Hair Before Applying Conditioner (Or Towel Dry It If You're Really Hardcore)

Unlike water-loving shampoo, you get better results from conditioner if you remove excess water before applying it. You can use way less conditioner this way (solving your shampoo to conditioner ratio issues) and your conditioner can actually penetrate into your hair instead of running down the drain.

4. Concentrate Your Conditioner On Your Ends

The hair closest to your scalp gets the pleasure of receiving its moisture from your natural oils and doesn't need conditioner on a regular basis (or at all). Meanwhile, the mid-shaft and ends of your hair are the oldest, and therefore, the driest and in desperate need of some TLC in the form of conditioner. Also, your hair will be less oily at the end of the day if you don’t put conditioner on your roots. 

5. Leave Your Conditioner In Longer

If you want your conditioner to work its magic, then you have to give it a little time.

Hint: If you start your shower routine with washing your hair, then it gives you plenty of time to do your other rituals (shaving, brushing your teeth, washing your body, etc.) while letting your conditioner sit.

6. Rinse Your Conditioner Out With Cool Water

Easier said than done, I know, but this closes down the cuticle (outer layer of hair) creating less frizz, more shine, and healthier hair.

I hope this has been informative, but most of all, I hope your hair looks amazing!

Leave a comment, let me know what you think and ask me some hair questions.