HairBoutique Blog

Yesterday I was talking to some of my hairstylist friends and of course we’ve all been watching Shear Genius 3 (SG3) every week on Bravo/TV.

As a result of the show lots of topics of hair conversation have been popping up.

One conversation was the Shortcut Challenge which is one of two challenges which takes place every episode on SG3.

The challenge is always timed.  Often the SG3 contestants are only given 60-120 minutes, depending on the hair challenge and what other hairdressing tasks might be included such as applying color, chemicals, hair extensions or other adjunct hair styling procedures.

Which brought up the question, how long a hair cut should really take.  In the real world of course.  Not on a reality TV show. The answer?  It depends.

A haircut may include the following variables:

1.    Length of hair (very short to very long)
2.    Texture of hair (straight, wavy, curly, kinky, mixed textures)
3.    Type (thin, medium, thick, very thick)
4.    Children of adult cut
5.    Male of female
6.    Wet haircut or dry haircut
7.    Cut only or cut with blow out and styling options?
8.    Haircut combined with other chemical treatments such as color or texturizing?
9.    Cost of the cut (inexpensive to full service cut)
10.  Type of salon or hair establishment (cut-in-the-box, high end or celebrity salon)
11.  Experience and skill level of hairstylist as well as reputation
12.  Number of people involved.  Are assistants included?

Of course there are always unforeseen variables but in general the key variables are listed.

In cosmetology school once we were taught to caught hair we were required to practice, practice, practice and focus on getting fast while being being precise and efficient.  Of course time is always money in the world of hairdressing.

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Dry Skin, Wrinkles, and Foundation. Break the cycle.

Ever wonder why men seem to “age” more gracefully than women. Although men and women have similar skin, there is a key difference between how we treat them over time.  Women wear makeup and men don’t.

Why women, who typically take much better care of their skin than men, still have to fight the signs of aging even with their sun block and moisturizers?

(Image courtesy of Skindinavia - All Rights Reserved)

One of the most notorious culprits might be your foundation.   It dries out your skin. When skin becomes dehydrated and dry, it creases more easily. This creates fine lines or a sagging appearance.

Foundation is both a cosmetic and structural problem for the skin. On the cosmetic side, the dry foundation becomes powdery, cracks, flakes, and eventually disappears for loss of coverage. (more…)

If you’re a parent who understands the basics of child proofing and you use any type of hot irons, styling tools or rollers, you already have probably figured out the dos and don’ts of protecting your children from burns.

(Image of Conair Curling Iron from HairBoutique.com Marketplace - All Rights Reserved)

Even adults are not immune to hot iron and hot styling tool burns, but adults get burned more often when the irons accidentally brush against their skin while styling their hair. (more…)

As a self-admitted workaholic I often skimp on eating as healthy as I know I should.  I try, but sometimes when I’m in the work zone I really don’t want to stop to prepare and eat a healthy meal.

With that said, I do strive hard to always get 8 hours of sleep per night and have been doing that for the past five years.

(Image of Chives - Courtesy of Morderska - All Rights Reserved)

I also have gave up diet soda almost 10 years, coffee and decaf coffee for close to six months and rarely drink alcohol.

When I do, it’s usually a glass of red wine or champagne.  Even then, “rarely” translates to special events like Thanksgiving, Christmas and anniversaries.

Recently my horrendous eating habits and constant workaholic behaviors caught up with me.  My chronic candida went completely out of control and I felt terrible.  I decided to try a little harder with my foot and hit the aisles at Whole Foods were I loaded up on organic fruits and veggies.  I also dug out Oprah’s healthy soup recipe which calls for homemade chive oil and is very healthy.

Yes, I made the chive oil for the soup recipe which calls for blanched and iced chives pureed in the blending with 1/2 cup of organic canola oil.

However, I was befuddled about what to do with the leftover chive meat after I strained the oil out of the pureed mix.  Hmmm, I decided there had to be some good use for mashed chives, right? (more…)

In case you’re not an American Idol fan, Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American radio, television host, and television producer.

He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally-syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks, and the internationally-syndicated chart show American Top 40, also syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks.

(Image of Ryan Seacrest - American Idol - Fox/TV - All Rights Reserved)

On television, Seacrest hosts E! News, and American Idol.  He also produces several reality TV shows including E!’s “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” amongst other shows.

Ryan is an ongoing presence on the Red Carpets for the key shows such as The Emmys, The Oscars, The Golden Globes and similar awards shows.  Ryan is known for his on-air spontaneous interviews with celebrities.  Although a majority of the celebrities seem to enjoy chatting with Ryan, there has been controversy at times. (more…)