HairBoutique Blog

I met Barbara Lhotan shortly after I founded HairBoutique.com in 1997 when I spied her first updo book at a beauty supply store.  Actually Barbara’s book had already sold out and the only one left was the owner’s copy.

(Image of natural curly cut, color and style created by Barbara Lhotan – Courtesy of Barbara Lhotan – All Rights Reserved)

When I discovered the book was sold out I literally begged the owner to buy her book and even offered double the price.

Beautiful Updos & Long Hair Expert

The book was so great because it not only dealt with beautiful updos, it honored long hair, which is originally what lead me down the path of starting HairBoutique.  I later discovered Barbara is in big demand for her long hair and updo classes.

Although I didn’t personally know Barbara, I hunted her down and called her on the phone.  After a lovely chat with her sweet mom we finally connected and it felt like we had been working together all of our lives. (more…)

After recently spending one week in Las Vegas roaming the halls at Cosmoprof09 and attending NAHA 2009 it was my humble opinion that every professional hairdresser should participate in both events, at least once in their career lifetimes.

Why?  It will push the boundaries of your hair career to the next level.

Note: To read about the 2009 Avant Garde NAHA winner refer to: Dallasite Darian Bishop

(Image of Fashion Forward winning NAHA 2009 Entry by Faatemah Ampey from St. Paul, MN – Photographer: Buck Holzemer – Courtesy of PBA – All Rights Reserved).

Although I had been writing about and viewing images of NAHA (North American Hairstyling Awards) winners for years, it was literally exhilarating to personally experiment the excitement and energy pulsating through the audience in attendance at the actual awards show.

I honestly don’t believe you can attend a NAHA ceremony and not take away a renewed love of hairdressing.  I don’t even work behind the chair and I left the 2009 awards with a more passionate appreciation of what professional hairdressing offers to the world. (more…)