maintaining my mane

At 29 my hair is the longest it has ever been in my life.  I’m not sure what took me so long to figure out longer hair is actually easier for me to maintain than any of the shorter cuts I’ve had which required more elbow grease, time and products.  As someone who doesn’t really enjoy going to the salon, I tend to put it off for as long as possible but when I do go I take comfort in knowing my stylist Jessie always delivers exactly what I want and offer’s great advice on keeping my hair from turning into straw between appointments.  I also try to help my stylist as much as possible by showing her pictures of long hair styles I like and learning how certain styles are cut so I know exactly what to ask for.  As for upkeep, now that my hair has achieved a new length I’ve started noticing more frizz and dryness than ever before at the ends.  While the ends are especially dry since they are the oldest, I’m wary about weighing my hair down with too much product so it was important to find the right fix that provides lightweight conditioning while keeping my daily routine as low maintenance as possible.

Bumble & Bumble is a brand I haven’t had much experience with but I decided to pick up a few of their specialty sprays to keep my long hair from looking lackluster.  I also picked up Moroccan Oil which I’ve always wanted to use because it makes your hair smell incredible but my shorter hair didn’t need the extra conditioning treatment.  I’m really enjoying all of these so far.

1.

2.

  

3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. BB Tonic is perfect for dry/course/colored hair as a detangler and moisturizer.
2. BB Shine On was recommended to be as a great finishing spray that offers tons of shine without the weight of a ton of product.
3.  Moroccan Oil is a great conditioning treatment for damp or wet hair to de-frizz and add moisture and it smells amazing.

At my most recent haircut, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and go for a little feathery flare.  Here are some before & after pics of my beachy-inspired locks as they go from feeling sun bleached and tattered to sleek and more manageable.

        

 xo,

Lauren

lovesit hair: messy updo for day & night

If only I had known what an easier time I’d have with long hair I wouldn’t have been so keen on maintaining my ‘Lob’ a la Gwyneth all those years.  Though my hair is fine, I have a lot of it and it’s pretty straight but I’d have to straighten it in the morning when it was shorter (shoulder-length) to smooth it out.  Now that it’s long, my morning hair routine takes all of 3 minutes- I wash it at night or in the afternoon at the gym.  To give it a bit of a wave, I’ll usually go to bed with a braid and just brush it out when I wake up so its wavy and a bit messy.  If the roots need a lift, I’ll use a little dry shampoo and then I always slather Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum (previously mentioned here) to make the ends really shiny.  And I’m done. 

What I love about this messy up-do worn by Kim Kardashian, is that its pretty much the same style I go for but it’s a bit more glamorous since her hair is worn up.  This look is great for day, but I think it would also look really sexy and effortless for a chic nighttime look. 

To get the look:

Flip hair over and quickly flip it back to give it volume.  Gather into a high ponytail without smoothing the top of your hair so it’s a bit messy and uneven.  Wrap the ponytail loosely around the elastic to make a not-so-perfect bun and secure with bobby-pins.  Spritz with a shine spray, I love Sebastian Halo Mist.  Add a skinny, nude elastic headband for the finishing touch.

Try one of the elastic headbands from LoveBerman on Etsy:

      

Sebastian Halo Mist Weightless Shine Spray:

xo,

Lauren