The Difference between Hair Types

Learning your hair type and texture is the first step to achieving your dream hair. if you don't understand your hair at it's basic level, then it's extremely hard to get your hair to do this or that style. Here's a little diagram i've created to describe the different hair types and some simple characteristics that usually follow those specific hair types. feel free to pin it as a reference for later!

Today I also posted a video all about hair types; why it is, what it is. I suggest you check it out (here) and learn more about your hair. then, with that knowledge you can better figure out how to style and color your hair in the way you want.

 as always, if you have any questions, just ask either in the comments at the bottom of this blog post, or in the comments section of my video on youtube! Thanks!

In more important news: my ALL TIME FAVORITE DRY SHAMPOO just came out in the BEST scent. seriously so amazing! it's jasmine and pomegranate and smells like the sexiest perfume ever. my husband and i cannot stop smelling my hair! check it out here: http://goo.gl/MpxSKL

Ways to Prevent Hair Loss

I uploaded another video to my youtube channel talking all about hair loss, why it happens, when it happens, and how to prevent it. BUT if you'd rather read than watch a 12 minute video, here ya go!

Tips:

1: don't brush or finger comb your hair when it's wet in the shower. that's when your follicle is the most vulnerable/loose and hair loss is easiest at this moment. 

2. rinse your hair/scalp at the end of the shower with cold water, this will close that follicle back up tight around the hair shaft, and also benefits the ends of your hair by sealing the cuticle (which helps with preventing breakage, and locking the color molecules in, and making it shiny!)

3. clean the hair out of your brushes! this helps prevent extra snarls, tangles or knots from forming while you brush.

4. take your biotin pill or make sure you have enough of it in your daily multi-vitamin!

5. drink lots of water and eat your protein!

6. let your hair air-dry as much as possible, and don't brush it until it's 50% dry

7. don't wash your hair everyday! use a dry shampoo to extend your styles as long as possible! the less your hair is wet, the better! the process of going from wet to dry is the most damaging on your hair. (but... product build up on the scalp can lead to hair loss as well, so don't go TOO long. but that takes ALOT of product. like: a week or more's daily use of dry shampoo.)

Education:

-hair has a growth/fall out cycle. it's phases are anagen, catagen, and telogen

here's an image that describes the cycle:

via

-high stress, a change in medication, going under general anesthesia, and surges of hormones typically cause hair loss about 3 months after the change/event occurs. some stronger cases, such as high doses of medication will happen immediately (example: chemotherapy) but be aware that these events may cause hair loss, and will cycle back to normal once you stop the reason behind it, and give it another 3 months. (the reason why i say a three month time frame is because typically the catagen phase lasts about 3 months on most women) This is the reason why most moms after child birth experience hair loss.

-if you feel like you are someone that just can't get your hair to grow past a certain length, it MAY be because you simply have a shorter anagen phase than most women. (but most of the time, it is due to damage/breakage.)

Hopefully you learned something new about how to take care of your hair in order to prevent any unnecessary hair loss from occurring! and for my recommendations about hair products and for my favorite biotin pill, check out the description box below my youtube video!

Scrunched Hair: the aftermath

By now you should all know that i try to go as long as possible in-between hair washings. not only because it saves me time, but also because my hair is so much healthier when i don't wash it as much! one of the biggest reasons why i had to wash my hair so often before i started using dry shampoo was because i would wear my wavy hair "scrunched" frequently. if any of you have worn your hair scrunched with gel, or mouse, or hairspray, or freaking egg whites, or whatever other binding agent pinterest has come up with lately, then you know that day 2 hair after scrunching is A MESS. it's so dry, and so full of products, and such a weird frizzy, dread lock kind of style. well, in my latest youtube video, i show three different days worth of styles i do to prolong that scrunched look, and refrain from washing!!

it might seem like basic principles to some, (basically the video is just: brush hair, apply conditioning creams and dry shampoo, re-wet to activate curl, and scrunch again) but this is one of the more frequent questions i get asked at the salon from my clients! and because i don't do their hair on "day 2" (or 3, 4, 5 etc) then i don't ever get to teach them how it's done. so... i hope you enjoy! (the products i use are linked in the description box beneath my video!)

and honestly, unless you are someone with wavy hair, that hasn't figured out how to style it on day 2, then this video isn't for you, but hopefully it will help at least one person!

thanks as always!

here's the video:

I Made A YouTube Video!!!

Hey Guys!

I started a new YouTube channel!!!! my first video is all about how to properly apply products at the scalp (like dry shampoo, powders, and root lifters)

here's the link if you want to watch it! (but i suggest watching it here on the official site, it's better quality there.)

I have been working on this project for about 2 months now. i'm so excited to be able to start sharing it with you and getting your feedback!! but first, a little history about how this came to be: I had been trying to figure out a way to get my enthusiasm back up about this blog, and the other social media projects i've worked on in the past. i had so much fun and was doing very well at blogging regularly when i was writing about how to re-fashion clothes, but, now with two kids, my sewing machine gets used less and less.

on the other hand... one thing i am always talking about, doing, and teaching about is hair and makeup! i do it at the salon while i'm at work. i talk about it with my friends while our kids play together, i teach my family about hair and makeup during our family events. it's just always on my mind. but... i didn't want to become another "beauty blogger" because i did not want to have that stigma following me around, i'm usually not wearing makeup, have day 5 hair loaded up with dry shampoo, and am not the skinniest girl in the world. plus, there are a million girls out there already doing hair tutorials and beauty tips. but... doing hair tutorials is honestly only one very small part about the information i feel like i could share. and that's where i feel like i can stand out, and be unique in this over-saturated world of beauty bloggers.

i want to TEACH.

not just show you how to do something. TEACH.

so, teach about what you ask?

well, i sat down and wrote out over 70 different tips and tricks i've learned as a hairstylist. some super nerdy one's like why red dye molecules are the first to fade out, but the one's that don't fade seem to hold on to the hair strand for dear life when trying to bleach them out! (hint: it's because it's the largest color molecule) and other simple ones like how to braid your hair to make it so that strands from your layers don't stick out during the day. i basically made a list of all the things i talk to my clients about in the chair at the salon. questions they have, reasons behind what i'm doing, and more.

now i am ready to spill those secrets to all of you!

i initially wanted a resource that my clients could refer to when they have questions about their hair but don't have an appointment to ask me about it for months. a refresher course of sorts for salon quality hair in-between appointments. but as i started talking with my friends, co-workers, and other bloggers. i realized that this could be a huge asset for more than just my clients, but anyone's clients! so... there you go. that's the reason i started this new side of my blog.

i hope you'll support me in this endeavor by subscribing to my channel and maybe even sharing the youtube video i made on your facebook page if you feel like the tips i shared were helpful!

i'm also going to be posting here on the blog, sharing tips on my instagram more frequently, obviously snapchatting about the behind the scenes process, and even periscoping about it (my username on all of these sites is @valerijones if you want to follow) i really am so excited for all that's in store.

if you got to the end of reading this entire post. you deserve a cookie. seriously.

much love!!!
Valeri Jones

A Hairstylist's Favorite...

Everyone has heard of the Wet Brush by now, and if you haven't... crawl out from under your rock and click that link and buy one right now. they are super cheap, and EVERY hairstylist at my salon uses one, not by force, but because it is truly the best. there are tons of reviews online, but i will add my review to the mix and say that the skinny long bristles help so much with detangling without pulling out hair, the bristles are long enough to brush your hair in one section, yet still flexible and soft enough not to cause any damage or scratching to the scalp. (which is crucial for us in the salon before we do any sort of chemical treatments or colorings.) plus, the biggest thing of all... my daughter loves it and if you have kids then you know that's saying something.

it's one of those brushes that you don't think or realize it's going to be as AMAZING as everyone says once you get it, and first start using it, it really looks just like a normal brush. But after you go on vacation and have to use your friends hair brush because you forgot to pack yours and put your hair through the torture you once did as a daily activity... you finally truly understand what is so amazing about it.

BUT that is not why i am here today. i'm actually here to talk about the wet brush's little sister The Shine Brush

i was at an event last night with some other bloggers and i started talking with Kayti from the BeYOUty Bureau, and as i was recommending this brush to her, a crowd slowly started to form around us and i started recommending it to all these girls that had never heard of it before. for some reason i don't hear anyone talk about the shine brush. it is just a bit more expensive than the wet brush. and while the wet brush can be used for basically any of your hair brushing needs, (detangling immediately out of the shower, daily brushing, use with blow dryer, etc) the shine brush has only one use, but by golly it's a good one. this brush was made to be paired with DRY SHAMPOO. which as we all know, is a growing trend and a passion of mine (or else i wouldn't have written this 21 product review about it. haha) so here's the deal...

dry shampoo usually has two problems: 1: sometimes it leaves a white cast, if using the wrong dry shampoo for your hair type, or over-spraying product. 2: the natural oils from your scalp don't travel down the mid-shaft and ends, and leaves your ends dry-er and more straw like as each day passes.

this brush remedies both of those problems. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The Shine Brush has two types of bristles, the long skinny plastic ones we know and love from the wet brush, AND smaller boar bristle brushes that only go part way up the length of the plastic bristles. this does a few things, 1: the boar bristles absorb any extra dry shampoo, or "white cast" that is left behind,  2: using the natural oils from your scalp, as you brush your hair the boar bristles carry those oils down your hair shaft and to your ends to help hydrate and naturally adds shine to where you want it (at your mid-shaft and ends), and away from where you don't (at your root) 3. because the plastic bristles are also in this brush, it makes brushing so much easier than a typical boar bristle brush and your able to grab hold of bigger sections of hair instead of just brushing the very top of your hair like what usually happens with a normal boar bristle brush. -if you have ever used a boar bristle brush then you know what im talking about, if you haven't used one before, just be glad.-

one tip: don't use the shine brush with wet hair, it will get the boar bristles wet, which will defeat their purpose, and unlike the wet brush, it's not meant to be used with wet hair. like i said, there's really only one use, brush your hair with the shine brush before and after applying dry shampoo to both pull oils down your hair shaft, and remove excess product from your application of dry shampoo. (although i don't recommend using the shine brush with wet hair, it can be used with damp hair while you are blow drying to add even more shine)

Just so you know... Amazon has a deal where you can buy a set of each below for only 17 dollars!

Throwback Thursday pt. 2

a few years ago i was asked to collaborate with my favorite photographer, Clark Goldsberry (the guy who did our wedding/engagement photos) to do the hair and makeup for a photo shoot. the best part: some of my clients from the salon were used as the models.

the idea was to embrace some of the old, timeless beauty from the past, and yet still have it all seem light and airy as if a woman from each of the different eras had just come home from whatever she was doing, and at the end of the day, she had finally finished putting on that proper smile of hers, and her true self came through.

i did three totally different vintage hairstyles for this shoot: brushed out fingerwaves, messy curls from an undid updo, and finally a partially windswept  edwardian "psyche knot". the makeup was based around each of the different era's as well.

it was truly so fun to be a part of the entire experience. i cannot wait to do something similar like this again.

Dual Braid Crown

this style is really pretty simple, all you need to know is how to french braid, but it's much easier than it looks and gets tons of compliments, and, my favorite of all: it's great for second day hair!
first you part your hair, then do a small "corn row" along your forehead until you reach your temples, or eyebrows, then stop french braiding and just finish braiding until you reach your ends. tie it off loosely or put a bobby pin on the ends for now to keep the braid from unraveling. then do another corn row directly behind it. do the same to the other side.
take the two braids farthest from your forehead and tie them together creating a "crown" then take the two braids closest to your forehead and tie them together, making sure this one is much looser so that the tie will sit lower on the back of your head. remove the other ties/bobby-pins that you had in each individual braid and unravel the braid until you reach the elastic.
from here you are done, unless you want to add some curls, these curls were done yesterday so i didn't have to do, but, it would look great if you had your hair in a french braid the day before, or you have some beach waves or natural curl to your hair already. if the back of your hair is greasy, i would recommend using your favorite dry shampoo, but besides that all you have to do is go out and enjoy the day knowing that your hair will be out of your face, and in place the entire day!!

yeah, it's that good! :P

My Massive Dry Shampoo Review (of 21 different dry shampoo's)

if you haven't figured out the amazing-ness that is dry shampoo then you are seriously missing out. dry shampoo is <most often> in an aerosol container that comes out as a liquid and dries quickly into a powder, absorbing some of the oils on your hair as it dries. making it so that you can go another day or two without washing your hair and most often adding a bit of volume as well. basically every hair style product line has their own version of a dry shampoo but here are a few i've tried over the years. if you have a favorite or one that you've hated and wasted money on that i don't mention on this post, go ahead and write it in the comments below! lets just come together to try and help a greasy haired sister out!

as a little bit of information about my own hair, i have fine wavy blonde hair that i just recently have dyed dark. so, i know a bit about both types of hair colors. i usually go 4 days between hair washes and on day 2 or 3 i usually use dry shampoo, and day 4 i always use dry shampoo and even then it's pushing it and i carry a hat around on hand just in case. over the past 6 months i have tried over 20 different brands of dry shampoo just to try and come up with this review. hopefully it helps!

how to apply dry shampoo:
for most dry shampoos you take 1" sections around your part and spray your scalp about 8 inches away from your head, let it sit for about 1 minute, then brush your hair. but honestly, with the popularity of dry shampoo's exploding recently, you really should just read the directions on the back of the bottle because there are new ways of applying, like the dusting powder you just dust onto your scalp by taking 1" sections around your part and then dusting your hair by tapping the bottle and imitating it "snowing" on your scalp. there are also moose/liquid dry shampoo's that you really just need to read the directions.
also, because it is often a powder in the aerosol container, the spray nozzles have a reputation for getting clogged and the bottle seeming to be empty after only a few uses. to those people who complain about that i would say, try to keep your nozzle's as clean as possible and if you do end up buying a bottle that only has a few uses out of it, then keep in mind these products are usually only a couple bucks  also, they are not really meant to last for months or years like some other products do. just keep searching until you find the one that works best for you, in the long run, the 20+ bucks you wasted in trying out other brands of dry shampoo will be worth it. promise.

(i will be giving each product a score from 1-10 ten being the best and a brief explanation  if you want to know more about a specific product, feel free to ask away in the comments below)

KMS "Hair Play Makeover Spray":9 love this product, comes highly recommended from some of my other hairstylist friends, works well, not much white residue, good smell, adds volume but... you have to have a cosmetology license in order to purchase it. that's why it's not a 10. ask your hairstylists if they can get it for you! i sell it to my clients for under $10

Batiste Dry Shampoo in "Tropical": 10 cheap, works amazing. my most reliable, even if i was pushing it to 10 days without washing my hair i swear this thing would still work, i might have to use an entire can in order to get all of the oil out but it would work. i find that if you spray too close to the scalp then it can leave a white residue but just be sure to spray 8 inches away from scalp and your good. no complaints. oh wait, there is one. the smell can be quite harsh. so if you're sensitive, hold your breath, or walk out of the bathroom for a few seconds afterwards. and... for those brown haired beauties out there batiste just came out with a colored "brown" dry shampoo that has a bit of a tint to it so that you for sure won't see any white powder if that bugs you. but... the smell reminded me of colored hairspray that you would use for Halloween.

Dove Dry Shampoo: 8 when i get a nozzle that doesn't clog up this brand is amazing. but, they do have a reputation of clogging easily or, being seemingly "used up" after only a few times. but i love the volume, and i love the smell, if there is any residue it's easy to brush out. lasts all day.

Johnson's Baby Powder: 5 i put this on the list just so that you know that you can use this as a back up. most everyone has some baby powder lying around the house. the pro's are that it works, and that it's super cheap/easy to find. but besides that, it's hard to apply, leaves white residue really easily, and smells like a baby's bum. people recognize the baby powder smell and have asked me before about it. awkward.

Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo Spray: 9 super cheap (2 bucks) , super easy to find, really, it's a good product. it does make my head itchy after the second day in a row of applying it. but, that's really the only con. super surprising for this hairdresser to love a product from suave. i never thought that would happen! they also recently came out with a "Keratin Infused"  dry shampoo (gold bottle) that i've tried and it works well, but not as good as their traditional dry shampoo.

TRESemmé Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo: 2. there are actually 4 different types of dry shampoo's in this line one for damaged hair, one for fine oily hair, one for straight hair, and one for curly hair. i tried the first 3 i mentioned and didn't like a single one. none of them seemed to work. if anything they made my hair more greasy/weighted down. what more do you need to know? i guess the good things are it is cheap and available at most stores.

Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo: 4 it doesn't leave a residue at all. ever. which is nice for people with dark hair, but, i didn't like the smell, and found that it looked oily again after a few hours. i got it at walmart. not the cheapest, not the most expensive. i would not recommend this to a friend.

Beyond The Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo: 5 this one only lasted about 1 hour on my hair. yet it left a pretty intense white residue. hopefully it works better with you because i thought the smell was good, and got it at sally's beauty supply store. i have heard that this one cloggs up as well, but i only used it twice so i guess i didn't even use it enough to see for myself.

Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS + Refresh Dust Bodyfying Dry Shampoo: 9 the best smelling dry shampoo in my opinion. professional quality. fairly expensive but it works! love it, but there are ones that work just as well that are cheaper. that's the only reason i'm not giving it a 10.

Psssssst Instant Dry Spray Shampoo: 9 this one is currently my daily go-to. it's cheap, at almost every store, it has a good scent and works well. if i'm really really greasy it won't do the job unlike the batiste i mentioned earlier, but if it's just for day 2 or 3 hair this product is great!

some other brands i reviewed but would not recommend include
schwartzkopff's got 2b: dry shampoo-weights hair down and doesn't last through the day
redken: powder refresh-doesn't work and is more pricey
alterna: dry shampoo- left my scalp itchy but didn't seem to work.
aveeno: pure renewal dry shampoo-leaves a film and is itchy

some products i have not personally tried but have gotten good reviews about them
Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo:edit: i just purchased this for myself after your reccommendations in the comments and LOVE it. i'd now give it a 10 score.
oscar blandi: dry shampoo
john frieda voluminous dry shampoo
bumble and bumble hair powder-more pricey($30), but a very good brand and tinted.

for other reviews women have made online about dry shampoo feel free to check out the links below.
redbook magazine review
sephora's dry shampoo review
a video review on youtube
another video review on youtube

and for those of you that are completely grossed out from hearing this, just know that each person has their own reasons for doing what they do, you may choose to wash your hair everyday out of habit or because your mother told you to do so, but i choose to use dry shampoo one, because it helps my hair stay healthy and grow longer. i choose not to wash my hair as frequently because the process of taking your hair from wet to dry is a big way to damage your hair, so in essence, the less frequently you wash your hair, the healthier it will be and the richer your color will stay. two, out of necessity. having a baby at home makes it very difficult for me to take the time to wash my hair everyday so i still am able to look refreshed by spraying a product in about 30 seconds instead of washing my hair, drying, and styling it in about an hour. big difference. also, more women are doing it than you think. some do it because they are going camping, others because they prefer the look of day 2 or day 3 hair in order to get those natural beach waves, some because they are in the army, some because they work out frequently and cannot always make it to the shower. others because they just live in conditions that make their hair oily even in the first day of washing.

basically. it's an amazing product that has just taken off and is quickly sold out on shelves because it's amazing. don't judge and just give it a try.

Curling Hair Without Heat

I pride myself in being able to wear sometimes silly or crazy things with confidence. whether that's an outfit, makeup, a costume when it's not halloween, or a unique hairstyle. this for example happens to be the later: a unique hairstyle. before garrison and i started dating, there was this one day where i pinned my own hair in a braid around my head like a hippie. i remember seeing garrison that day and talking with him and being impressed that he could handle my crazy and talk with me without starring at the hair mass on my forehead. i'm pretty sure that was the day i knew we would work well if we got married. :)

anyway.... like i was saying the cool thing about this hairstyle is that it curls your hair without heat! (as a hairdresser i've taught this hairstyle to lots of clients who want to grow their hair out. cause using lots of heat = hair not growing) it also is kinda old, antique looking while it's drying and... if you decide to sleep on it, it's actually comfortable! some people call it the victorian twist, some the friar tuck, i don't know what i would call it but... it's similar to those with a few of my own adjustments.

Here's what you do: wash your hair, towel dry, then let it air dry for a minute or two. part and comb your hair straight down. put a headband on top of your hair, around your forehead.(make sure you still have a little poof on the top of your head so that you have some volume when it dries.) pick a side of your head to start on. grab a section of hair from that side (the smaller the section, the smaller the curls, the bigger the section the bigger the curls) and wrap it around the headband away from your face (in the pictures below i started on my right side, the thinner side) then, with the same concept as a french braid, you just keep wrapping and add a new section of hair each time you wrap. you do this around the entire head. once you get to the other side of your face and you have no more hair to add you just wrap the left over hair around and around across your forehead. (this is the trickiest part, because you don't want these curls to be lots tighter than the rest, so make sure you don't do the wraps too tight.) here's some pictures to help. sorry about the flash!!

let it air dry completely, and take the headband off.

comb through the curls with your fingers and hairspray. not everytime will turn out perfect. but usually there are only a few curls that went crazy so, it is alot easier to only have to curl one section of hair with a curling iron instead of the entire head. (i didn't have to curl any in the pictures below) that's it!

tips: I have wavy hair, so mine curls and holds a curl easily. but, if you have hair that won't hold a curl make sure you let it dry completely before you take the headband off. i'd blow dry your head with the headband on for just a few minutes just to make sure it was totally dry before you take it off, also, you can add a little gel/product to your hair before you wrap it when your hair is wet to help the curl stay longer but... these curls usually work on any hair type.

other places in my blog where i've done my hair like this: here, here and here.

Jean Vest: taking it in {with a brief hair tutorial}

i found this vest at D.I. for a whopping 3 dollars. the problem: it was a size large, i am not a large. so, i took it in 3 inches on each side and made a vest that fits! also, stop staring at my hair and wondering why the heck i look like i tried {and failed} to pull off the 30's with my hairstyle and instead... zoom down to the last picture of this post and you will see what happens when my hair dries and i take that silly headband off. yeah. now you think i'm awesome. i bet you wish you could curl your hair without a curling iron too. :)

anyway.... back to the vest. here's how i did it:


pin the vest on each side where you would want it to fit:

 cut just to the outside of the pins leaving enough room for a seam allowance:

flip inside out, repin, and sew with some heavy duty thread.
tip: make sure that the bottom hem and armpit holes match up perfectly. this will be the area most noticeably "homemade" if they don't match up. 

flip right side out, cut your excess strings

 and do a mini photo shoot with your dog. :)

 so... this is later that day after i changed into something a little less denim overwhelming and took my hair out. i'm going to do a step by step tutorial of this hairstyle soon. but for now, here's a video on youtube about it.