Category: Coloring

Salon 718 Cut and Color!

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I really could not have been happier with this salon. The staff is gracious, down to earth and warm and friendly. The ambiance is chic and the service is spectacular. Plus, this was my one and only salon experience where they got it right the first time! I will surely be back.

Special thanks to everyone at Salon 718 and to our homegirl Andrea Lewis for putting me on. 

Book your appointment now! 718-623-6153

Shanti’s Blonde Reveal

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So I have been avoiding sharing this with you guys for a while now. I colored my hair originally about 3 weeks ago with very light and subtle red highlights. I was not satisfied so I went  to make them more prominent. I just went from one extreme to the other. Sweet baby Jesus!!!!! Anywhooo, I am living with this decision for a little while until I remedy it. Trust I am going to remedy it. Here’s my story.

The First Highlights

And Then I Lost My Mind

Shanti Goes Blonde

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What do you guys think?

So I have never ever dyed my hair in my entire life. I have decided that I am going to do it. I am going to have my first experience with coloring and I am very excited. I want to keep it simple but read instant funk. I am thinking a blonde streak in the front. BOOM! Dat’s it! I thought I would share the news with everyone and preface it with – “I will not be talked out of it”. I also wanted to share the news with everyone because then I won’t be able to back out of it. HA! I must admit, I am slightly scared of the outcome. I have worked very diligently to come to have a semblance of healthy hair and I would hate to be set back. As do many neurotic and indecisive people, I will write a pros and cons list. If I am missing anything let me know.

PROS

1.It will look doper than a lil’ bit

2.I will be forced to deep condition and diligently moisturize my hair.

3.It will look doper than a lil’ bit son.

4.I will get over my fear of coloring and perhaps learn to be more adventurous with my hair.

5.It will look great!

Cons

1.My hair will dry out terribly and fall out

2.It will turn out orange

3.I will be left with an inch of hair and be forced to cut it all off and start my hair journey all over again which would infuriate me and lead me to just get a perm.

4.It will change my curl pattern drastically and I will be left with some scraggily, stringy blonde pieces dangling in the front.

 

Well obviously the Pros far outweigh the cons. I’m doing it.

 

Here are some pictures of those that kill the look that I intend to shamelessly swagger jack  that I am inspired by.

Does anyone else peep this noodle necklace she has going on?


I am going to try and book an appointment next week.

Its. About.To.Go.Down.


Officially in Love With Aveda

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I ♥ My New Color!
So, I went back to Aveda just a week after getting my hair dyed way too dark and asked my stylist lighten my wig. I know what you are probably thinking but I had to. The color only looked nice with my hair straight. Those black and blue curls looked like a damn rat’s nest sitting on the top of my dome. Not to mention the color completely washed me out. I went through almost an entire compact of bronzer.

My stylist was so nice about it and gave me a great reddish-brown color that I love. AND SHE DID IT FOR FREE! I didn’t know this but Aveda has a 2-week grace period policy so if you are ever unhappy with your color, you can get it fixed. 

This color warms my face up and is perfect for spring. I couldn’t be happier. It’s pretty cool because the color changes drastically depending on the lighting. In sunlight there are pretty golden-red highlights and in low light it’s a gorgeous chocolate brown. Peep the new color below
In Sun Light
In Artificial Light
No Light
You can see where my ends are unhappy with me for putting color corrector on my hair but something had to give. Those black ‘Slash’ curls were a hot damn mess on my pale skin. Ew. But now it’s all gravy baby. I’ll nurse my ends back to health or slice um off but it was well worth it. #YOLO! 

Any Tips on Taking Care of Color Treated Hair? I Want to Write a Post About It. Help!

 

New Hair Color & Blow Out by Aveda

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All Black Everything
Like many of you I get bored with my hair very easily and I have been sick and tired of it’s ashy appearance and crazy orange highlights, so I was definitely in need of something new. #BOOM. It hit me. Why not some color? I am no stranger to dying my hair. It’s been jet black, blonde, reddish brown and orange but I have never had color look this shiny, rich and pigmented. My hair feels and smells great too. I am now so very in love with Aveda. Oh, and did I mention the blow-out or styling is complimentary after the session along with a hand and back massage! It wasn’t terribly expensive either for all the service’s that they provided, just $70.00. I might even mess around and try out some their curly girl products too and do some reviews : ) 

Aveda products and salons are great espicially for coloring  because they only use 1-3% of synthetic ingredients in their dye formulas and the are plant based. “Aveda did research into essential oils and plant extracts, and have found and patented a process to oxidize the dye using green tea extract. Not only is the end process less petroleum-based, but the result is more natural looking. The common base formulas for  (harsh) dyes are petrochemical solvents, and in this process Aveda has substituted protective and lubricating plant oils in the formula so that it is significantly less drying to the hair than the solvents normally used.” Read more: here. 
The Old Color
Old Color
The stylist actually laughed when she really looked at my hair color. There was red, orange, ashy brown and brown all mixed in together looking crazy. She was really sweet though and I would absolutely go back to her again. 
The Color I Had In Mind
This color is more of a warm, dark-brown because of the red undertone which would probably translate better on my fair skin.  But, I was a dork and too scared to let the stylist mix as much red into the formula as she wanted. SMH. So, it’s my fault. I’m not mad though. This is something new. I feel like my evil twin.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
We’ll see how it fades… Maybe it’ll be more of the dark brown that I wanted but until then this is cool. I’m on some you.only.live.once.ish. 

“If you can’t respect that, your whole perspective is wack. Maybe you’ll love me when I fade to black.”

Product Review: Lush’s Caca Brun Henna Bar

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Source
Ever since our interview with the gorgeous and huge haired Santana Caress Benitez, who so adamantly recommended Lush Henna Bar Hair Treatments, I have been itching to try them out. While walking to Union Square I happened to stumble on a Lush Cosmetics Store so I went on it. I bought myself a bar of Lush Caca Brun Henna. Apparently, that means “Brown Shit” in French. (side eye). If this is your first time reading about henna or for more information about henna read this post first.

According to Lush:

The Bar Breakdown

  • Persian Henna- They use the finest Persian henna, which has been used since ancient times to dye the skin and hair. The leaves are dried and ground into a powder and it is this, mixed with conditioning cocoa butter that forms the basis of their bars.
  • Cocoa Butter- The Cocoa butter provides added conditioning benefits but also helps the henna cling to each strand, maximizing its overall effect.

Product Claim:

  • Coffee Lustre- Choose Caca Brun for sleek, beautiful hair with rich, dark brown tones. Brunettes can use Caca Brun for its fantastic conditioning properties without seeing a drastic change to their natural color. Hair will also be left super shiny because henna coats each individual hair, smoothing cuticles, and protecting them from damage. Hennaed her is strong, glossy and absolutely gorgeous.

What Customers Claim:

  • It’s easy to use and gentle
  • Produces a rich, natural color
  • Overtime makes hair thicker
  • Adds body and shine
  • Is conditioning

My Review:

  • I have to agree with all of the above. Lush has a new customer. This stuff is all that. After only one use this henna bar left my hair a rich beautiful brown and added a ton of body and shine. Now, what really makes this product different from other henna I’ve use is it’s conditioning properties. In my past experiences with henna, while it was definitely strengthening it was also a bit drying and I would always have to deep condition after a treatment. This Lush henna bar has the complete opposite affect. It’s actually one of the best conditioning treatments I have ever used.
  • There are however two drawbacks, while it was easy to use it was a bit messy (but there’s always a risk of mess and splatter when dying your own hair) and it is time consuming. I was a dodo bird and wasn’t paying attention to the time and in the middle of the treatment realized I have to leave for work so I only left it in for 1.5 hours. SMH. Lush says you can leave it on up to six hours and most readers said they left it on for 3-4 hours. So, needless to say my color has faded a bit as a result of my daily wash and goes but that’s my own fault. It’s still richer than it was.

The Cost

  • The 11.4 oz bar was about $25.00 after tax which isn’t cheap but I didn’t have to use the entire portion so it ended up being fairly reasonable for all natural and organic henna.
What You Will Need
Gloves, heatproof bowl, spoon,henna and hot water, vaseline, newspaper, paper towels (not pictured)
Henna does tend to be a bit messy so before you begin especially if you are new to the game, you want to lay some newspaper down and have some paper towels handy.
The Process
Begin by putting some sort of protectant on your hairline, ears and neck. Henna will stain your skin so make sure the area is covered well. I used some good ol’ sheabutter as a protectant.
Add hot water to the henna and stir until it is the consistency of brownie batter. (mmh)
Now, here was my first mistake. I used 1/2 of the bar which was plenty for my shoulder length hair, but I didn’t break the henna up into little pieces before adding water. Make sure you do because breaking the bar down and making a brownie batter-like paste will be a lot easier that way.
Pictured here is the henna after being mixed with water in the consistency desired.
Begin carefully applying the henna to clean and conditioned hair.
I have to be honest. I was going to front and act like I did a test strand first but I didn’t. I went all in and applied it to my entire head. I can’t even front. But really, does anyone ever do a test strand first? I know I’m not the only impatient one out there. But you should just in case.
Swamp Girl Steeze
Finish applying the henna to your entire head. Leave on up to 6 hours. As I stated earlier, in most customer review reports it was said that the henna was left on for 3 hours. For darker hue, leave it on longer. Also, for a more brown hue leave your hair uncovered. Cover with plastic for a red undertones.
Rinse Out. Do Not Wash- This can take a little effort but Be Patient. Just stand in the shower and keep working the water through your hair. Keep rinsing until all the henna is out of your hair and the water is clear. I used some Hello Hydration Conditioner to create some added slip while I worked the henna out of my head. Then style as desired.
The Results
My Dull Colored Hair Before the Lush Henna Hair Treatment
My Vibrant Lush Brown Hair After the Lush Henna Treatment
Shwammmm! I love this stuff.

Visit Lush’s website for more information.
Who’s getting their henna on?

 

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