Wedding Wednesday....The black and white Hair Breakdown

I'm often asked if I only do "black hair" or do I do "white hair". This is by far one of the most ignorant questions that you can ask a hairstylist (in my opinion). I get offended when people ask me this (can't you tell?!) because I look at hair in texture not from a racial standpoint. It's broken down between fine/normal/straight/curly/coarse.
Race has nothing to do with the texture of your hair, however because of the stereotypes that people have been exposed to, they think it's only 2 types of hair textures, "black hair" and "white hair".
I have been in business for 11 years and I've seen ALL hair types. I pride myself on being diverse. Yes the majority of my clients are African-American, but that doesn't mean I'm not capable of doing an up-do or color on someone who isn't. As a matter of fact, I attended a cosmetology school where I was the only black person in my class. I went to a Pivot point school, which is a specific cutting technique. It was important for me to learn how to cut and color well, so I went to a school that had a strong history of producing master cutters and colorist.
I'm going to show you  a few different images and label the texture next to them.

Normal/Straight Hair:

Curly-Coarse Hair:

 Fine Hair:

Wedding Wednesday....Bridal Consultation/Trial

On sunday, I had a bridal consultation and we combined 2 different looks to create the look we did. I love styling brides, because I can get really creative. I enjoyed doing this trial appointment because the bride knew what she wanted and we were able to work together on every detail. I still put my personal touches on the finished product but it's cool when the bride has an opinion.
As I have a stated on many occasions, the trial is extremely important because you want to know how the style looks prior to your wedding day, just in case you want to alter it in any way. You may even want a totally different style than you originally thought you wanted that is why a trial is important.
A trial is like the rough draft for your wedding day.
I'm so happy that we was able to create this look for her to wear on her wedding day. She will be wearing a birdcage veil similar to this one.

Her natural hair 

We added Clip in Extensions 

Wedding Wednesday....Bridal Hair Tip

In the process of wedding season, I always get asked to do the #1 Bridal hairstyle, the side-swept one...you know which one....

Styled by Me 

Styled by Me

This style is beautiful and universal for any bride. It can be styled a few different ways and it transitions easily. You can wear your hair side-swept for the ceremony and then pin it up for the reception.

I highly recommend a pinup after the ceremony for brides that intend on having a reception involving dancing. It's nothing worse than sweating and having hair sticking to your neck and back. 

You want to have a good time without worrying about hair. 

With this style you can get 2 hairstyles within one. 

After taking pictures and greeting your guess, your curls would have fallen so pinning it up is the best option. 

The Tip is of you're planning to wear this style on your Big Day then make sure you factor in pinning it up for the reception. That's if you are planning to party after dinner. 

If no dancing and drinks are present then this style is perfect for the whole day and night. If you plan to wear this style for the whole day then get wand curls. They last longer than the loose curls. 

My favorite hairspray is by Redken. It's called 'Control Addict 28' . It's amazing. It preserves the style and it's easy to comb out.

Wedding Wednesday....Bridal Glam

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity of styling yet another beautiful bride. I never get tired of being apart of the wedding day of my clients. To be with a bride during one of the most vulnerable time of her life is so rewarding.
Courtney contacted me a week before her Big Day inquiring about hair services. I was shocked because I have never had a bride wait until the day of to vet a hairstylist. She called me a week before her Big Day and I recommended that we do a trial beforehand. As I have stated in previous post it's very important to have a consultation and trial appointment. Since it was short notice we did her trial appointment on Monday and the wedding was on Friday.
Courtney showed me two different pictures and we combined the two pictures to get one look.
We used synthetic braiding hair and achieved this look. I wasn't confident  that it would blend well but as I started creating it transformed into a masterpiece.
I really enjoyed working with Courtney. She was laid back and super sweet. Congratulations to the Newlyweds!!!!

Wedding Wednesday....The Turners!

On May 24, 2015, two became one in the presence of God. After a 2 year courtship, Fred decided to put a ring on Torri's finger.
Their story is quite unique as they went to the same alma mater, Howard University. However they didn't meet officially until after they both graduated from there. They met at homecoming and later developed  a solid relationship with one another.  Although distance was a factor, it wasn't long before Fred stepped out on faith and moved to Detroit, MI where Torri was resided.
 He moved without knowing anyone else but her.
With him living in Detroit they were able to nurture their relationship and it blossomed into marriage.
Torri and I have known each other for over 19 years, she is one of my closest friends.
She is such a genuine person and I'm blessed to call her friend. It's been such a blessing to see how God has moved in her life and in turn all the lives that have been positively impacted because of it.
I look forward to all that's in store for these two. They deserve all the blessings that's coming to them. You can see the Love and Respect that these two have for one another.
They don't even have to say how much they love each other, their actions personifies it.
I couldn't be happier for The Turners. May God keep them and Bless their lifelong union.

Hair: Styled by me.

Wedding Wednesday...Are Braids a good protective style?

Many women of all different ethnicity's chose to have their hair braided. Not only because its low maintenance but also because you can get a variety of different styles. I chose to get them because  I was traveling and I know I was going to a country where I didn’t want to worry about my hair. I wanted to focus on the country and getting engulfed in the culture of it. I went to Haiti a couple of weeks ago and decided to get “box” braids. They weren’t small or large rather medium in size. It took them 5 hours to install them. The woman that did them was really good and not too heavy handed.

I haven’t had braids in over a decade so I was slightly nervous to get them because of the tension on my edges.

I didn’t it would cause too much of an issue because I knew I was only going to keep them for 1 week. 

For that week that I had them, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed them. I was able to pull them up, wear them down, to the side, etc. I had a lot of fun with them. 

 Almost a week to the day, I took them out. 

I noticed some thinning around my hairline. I think the braids were to big and in turn pulling on my edges. It was too heavy for the amount of my natural hair that was braided with it. I didn't see any breakage in other areas of my hair but I did in the front of my hair.

The front of your hair is more fragile and so you have to be extremely careful of how much tension you apply to your hairline. 

I even used raw coconut oil around my hairline when I got the braids installed and I would apply it every few days. 

Braids aren't for everyone and I recommend if you decide to get them that you be cautious of who you allow to install them and make sure it's not too tight. If you are getting bumps that means it's too tight. The type of braiding hair plays a part as well. Some will cause an allergic reaction or cause breakage. I have used kanekalon hair and I've also used human hair. If you know that your scalp is sensitive don't be cheap just spend the extra money and avoid a he ache later. 

Wedding Wednesday...Is it mandatory to do a trial before your Big Day?

Many brides leading up to their wedding day have several trial appointments. At times with different stylist to figure out what hairstyle looks best on them. More often then not, you'll look online for pictures to help describe what your vision is for your wedding day. Sometimes it comes out the way you want it and sometimes it looks completely different than the picture you showed.

Usually when that happens you move on to another stylist because the last thing you want is for someone to "set you up" on your day.
I personally think it's important to have a trial if you're seeking an up-do. All up-dos are not created equally. It takes a special person to grasp the vision that you want and carry it out.
If you have had the same stylist for years then you may feel comfortable with not having a trial appointment. However if that's not  you then go to trial after trial until you find someone that meets your needs.