Olivia Jeanette

I get quite a lot of questions about my hair routine, so in collaboration with my friends at Space NK, I wanted to share my daily tips and tricks for my hair preparation.

My Hair Journey

My hair is naturally curly and as a young girl, I really struggled with styling my hair. Even now it gives me some trouble from time to time, especially when its really humid out. My mom still tells me about how I use to lock myself in my room and cry about how much I disliked my hair. I dreaded going to get a haircut as a child because they’d always cut it too short and I didn’t know how to style it. They use to love to chop and ask questions later…no bueno. Ever since, I always make a point to make it clear that I only want ‘x’ amount taken off. I still get a little nervous every time I go in.

When I got into high school, I discovered that I could straighten my hair with an iron. I’d ask my mom to help me and she would, of course, show me how it’s done. When I say iron, I mean the iron we use on our clothes. Ya, I know, but at that time there were no such thing as flat irons, at least that I knew of. I’m aging myself a bit here. After using the iron for a while, I then discovered a curling iron. I remember waking up early before school to curl my hair with a 1″ barrel curling iron. I looked like curly sue! My senior pictures are hilarious.

Practice Makes Perfect

After years of trying what seems to be nearly every beauty product, hair style, treatment and styling tool, I finally have a hair routine that is perfect for my hair. I will say that it’s been a journey, so if you’re feeling discouraged, remember that it’s a learning process. Once you find what works, stick with it but don’t be afraid to continue to try out new products and see how they stack up. Today, I’m answering some of the questions I get on the blog and social below. Hope you enjoy and be sure and let me know if there is a product or process you are using that you want to share. Love learning new things!

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Styling Tools

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Who colors your hair?

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***Updated

 

Patrick Kyle

I first met Patrick while working on the Nexxus campaign earlier this summer. He gave me a beautiful trim/cut. After lots of really bad haircuts, I always ask for a small trim on my first visit to a new stylist. It gives me an idea of their personality, style and a gauge as to whether we’re going to connect. A stylist and colorist are people you need to have a comfortable relationship with, especially when it comes to telling them what you want. More importantly, if your hair doesn’t turn out the way you want it to, you should also be able to tell them that you want a different style. I understand this isn’t always easy, but it will be the best way to build trust and a long lasting relationship with your stylist.

For my recent visit with Patrick, I requested natural highlights around my face. Over the next few months, I’d love to start adding more highlights to my current color. I wanted to start small and slowly build up to my ideal color. My hair turned out beautiful. Patrick did an amazing job. The color was an exact match to my current color. Typically my hair turns a somewhat orange or red color. Needless to say, but I was really excited when he revealed the perfectly blended biolage hair.

As someone who’s had some interesting experiences with color, he recommended that those with dark brown hair should ask for colorist recommendations. Coloring brunettes can be challenging for someone who hasn’t had a ton of experience with going from dark to light. It’s best to find someone who’s worked with dark hair. He also recommended to bring photos, lots of photos. Another great piece of advice was to tell your colorist what you do and DON’T like. For example, I told him, I do not want red in my color. I want it cool, not warm. From the beginning, he knew what I wanted and he worked his magic from there!

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Aveda – David

He’s been in the business for years. He’s seen every type of hair color, cut and style in New York City. When I went in to see David, I needed a toner to get rid of some of the orange that crept into my hair and I wanted my hair a little darker. He put in lowlights and highlights. Since he’s fantastic and a Senior Stylist, he’s in the top tier of pricing. Well worth it! He did a great job and next time I’m going to get even more color throughout my hair.

Marie Robinson – Maggie

It’s been a few years since I’ve seen Maggie, but she’s one of the best colorists at Marie Robinson. If you’re familiar with the salon, you know it comes with a price tag. She’s actually told me a few times people have come into the salon asking for my exact color, which is pretty cool. She know’s how to pinpoint and execute on color! I need to get back in and see Maggie on one of my next coloring appointments.

Sassoon – Valencia

She’s the Color Director at the salon and did an amazing job! Great price point too. When I first meet with Valencia, she was color correcting my hair from a previous stylist. She understood what would work best in my hair and how to keep it from turning orange. I’d highly recommend giving her a call and trying her out!

For my Kansas City Readers

My friend, Sara, colored my hair for years. She’s one of the best colorists and truly understands hair. Sara takes her time and makes sure she’s doing everything the right way – which is obviously super important. If you are in Kansas City, be sure and check her out, she is great. Get an appointment well ahead as she gets booked up quick.

What are some pointers for going into a new colorist?

If you can get a personal recommendation from someone with similar hair color, that’s the best way. You can typically see the colorist’s work beforehand. Make a point to do just that and see what they’ve done before. Find out the about the cost and their process. Not sure about you ladies, but spending my hard earned money on a bad color (or even cut), can ruin my day. In my linked post below, this hair color ruined several weeks. Since my hair was so color saturated, I had to wait to have it colored again. Leaving me with orange hair, which is fine but when it’s not what you are looking for, it’s not good.

Top 3 Tips when getting your hair colored

• Know the the salon’s policy if you’re unhappy with how your hair turns out. It’s not always possible, but try and find a quality salon that has a “warranty”, where you can have it fixed if your not happy. Play it safe until you find your spot. If not and you have sensitive hair, look for another salon. It will be worth it, especially if you’re forking over more cash than usual.
• Bring in 2-3 Inspirational photos – this will give the stylist a framework to use to get your hair to the perfect color or at least darn close. This sounds like a no-brainer, but there have been times that I didn’t go in with any photos and it didn’t turn out as well as it probably could have. I wish salons would tell you that when making your appointment. It will help you to remember.
• Go into the salon with clean, styled hair. This will show the stylist how you wear your hair and showcases your hair’s texture and color. If you go in with wet hair or dirty hair, your taking chances you don’t need to take.

Who cuts my hair?

I recently went to the Nexxus salon in Tribeca and Patrick gave me an amazing trim. Since I’m trying to grow out my hair, I just wanted a few inches off the bottom to restore my hair.

The ladies at Marie Robinson are fantastic! I’ve gone to a few of the ladies at the salon and they always do a great job framing my face, layering my hair and getting rid of all the split ends.

How often do I wash my hair?

I’ll typically go 3 days in between washes. Every so often I’ll wait 4 days. This is particularly the case in colder months, when the air is cold and dry. Like most, my hair dries out pretty fast when I wash it too frequently.

How do you style day 2 or 3 without looking completely matte/dry from dry shampoo?

I use a curling iron. I avoid pulling my hair back at all costs. When my hair is in a ponytail, it looks really oily. Read below how I use dry shampoo to keep my hair from looking matte. 

What are your favorite dry shampoos?

Here’s the secret with dry shampoo.. you have to put it in your hair and they use a blow dryer to have it set. I’m sure everyone doesn’t agree with me on this one, but I’ve found that this gives me the best result. Instead of spraying my hair with product and letting it rest on the top of my hair, I use a round brush and get it into the roots of my hair. It’s where I typically see the most oil.

My standard procedure is to spray dry shampoo around the frame of my face and then use a blow dryer to blow out any oily spots or curls around my face.

With that being said, you need to find the right dry shampoo. Like most things, not all are created equal. I’ve tried a lot of dry shampoos. Some are really good while others… not so much.

Dry Shampoos

• Klorane is #1 in my book. Works wonders and comes with a great price tag! They make a few different types of dry shampoos, depending on your hair type and it’s available at most drugstores. Love me some Duane Reade.
• Oribe is the best in the market, but at $44 a pop, I use it sparingly. Typically for photoshoots or special occasions. Not something I use to freshen up my hair to run to the store.
• Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam is recent discovery and I absolutely love the volume it gives me! It’s a dry shampoo mousse. Be sure to wash your hands as this is a hands on application.
• Drybar Detox has the best scent, but wasn’t the best for my dark brown hair. It leaves a light residue if you use too much. Maybe I should’ve used less but I didn’t like the small margin for error. If you have blonde hair, this would be a great product.
• Amika smells fantastic and gives lots of volume, but I didn’t love the way my hair felt afterwards. At least for me, whether I’m having a good hair day or a bad one, I need my hair to feel good.
• Shampure Dry Shampoo by Aveda works wonders when I have a couple oily spots in my hair. Unlike other dry shampoos, this is a powder you squeeze into your hair.

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Dry Shampoos

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Has my hair been falling out since giving birth?

Yes! At my widow’s peak. It’s a lot thinner at the crown of my hair. I wish I could give tips on this subject, but the only thing I’ve done differently is to minimize brushing and touching my hair in that area.

My blowout routine

After getting out of the shower, I lightly towel dry my hair. I never EVER rub my hair with a towel. It creates breakage and frizz.

I’ll let my hair air dry for 5-10 minutes and then apply Kérastase Ciment Thermique (thermo-seal) and some type of hair styling oil (read about my favorite here). I apply about a quarter size into my hand and apply it to the ends of my hair. If I have any product left over, I’ll rub it throughout my hair. I only apply to the ends of my hair because my hair tends to get weighted down easily. When applying hair products to the roots of your hair, don’t forget that it can weigh down your hair making it look flat and dull. After application, I’ll run a brush through my hair to get rid of any kinks, making it much easier to blow dry.

I first section off my hair into three rows. I start at the bottom. First line starts at the top of my earlobes, then middle section and the top crown section last. Using a round brush, I blowout the bottom section of my hair, pulling my hair downward. After the hair is completely dry, I move onto the next section. When I get to the top, I blowout my hair to the front of face. Pulling the hair forward to give the top of my hair as much volume as possible. After blowing out my hair, I section out the same way as before and start curling.

Typically takes 35-45 minutes.

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Hair Oils

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Ceramic Round Brush vs. Wooden Round Brush

I prefer the round brushes because they still give volume while straightening. However, I switch between brushes. Sometimes I use a ceramic round brush, other times I use a wooden round bristle brush. When I’m in a hurry, I always use a large ceramic brush. It heats up the hair faster and allows for a faster drying time. I can also blow dry larger sections of my hair. The only downside, is that it doesn’t always straighten out my hair the way I like it because I’m drying such large sections.

The wooden bristle brush eliminates frizz and gives my hair a nice smooth finish. You’ll typically find stylists using this type of brush when you request a sleek and smooth look. The wooden brush is wonderful, but it’s so much more work. It takes 2x the time to blow dry my hair. The smaller brush does allow me to get to the roots of my hair much more effectively and gives a smooth look around my face.

It is quite the undertaking, but I’d recommend this type of care with your hair between washes. It allows you to wait 3-4 days before your next blowout.

My favorite styling tools?

For years I’ve used the Sulta wand, but I’m fully converted to the ghd straighter and curling iron. The tools add shine back into my hair, it’s incredible.  More on this subject in the near future! I’m working on a dedicated post for my updated straightening and curling routine.

Hope you were able to find one of two new things to implement going forward. There is so much more to talk about but we will save that for next time. Love hearing your questions and as always I want to learn what you all are doing as well. Till next time, I wish you and your hair well!

xo, Olivia

Today’s post was in partnership with Space NK.