‘Tis the season for gratitude, so I’m going to use this post to express thanks.

As you can see, hat and hairstyles have been coming and going throughout the ages.  Every now and then something “retro” or “vintage” comes back into play, but there are plenty of toppers and ‘dos that have faded into the shadows of history – with good reason.  You have to wonder what inspired some of these styles!  But mainly, I’m grateful that people rarely walk around looking like this anymore – and that I’m not expected to follow these trends.

• Rubber bathing caps with fake flower petals: These are not comfortable.  They do not look real.  They do not increase your hydrodynamicism (I totally made up that word, but you know what I mean).  Stick with plain Lycra folks, ok?
• Nightcaps: I know we have modern heating to thank for this one as well, but I’ve seen one too many episodes of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman that featured Horace and Myra in hideous 19th century pj’s, complete with a pompom-ed stocking cap for him and a frilly mob cap for her.  And as someone who covers completely for much of the day, bedtime is my only chance to let my scalp breathe.  When it’s dark, no one can see your greasy/unstyled/frizzy hair anyway, so you might as well let it down. (more…)

One of the first things you notice about a bride is her hairstyle.  One of the big things a bride has to decide is how to wear her hair!  What kind of veil, and which hairpiece are only a part of that decision.  The hairstyle itself is a big deal.  Whether you want to go up or down, classic or contemporary – there’s a lot to consider.

First off, think about your dress, your veil/headpiece (if you’ve already chosen it), and the overall style and vibe of your wedding.  Your personal taste – and comfort – count as well.  If you’re getting married out of doors on a hot summer day, (more…)

Sometimes, even with a trusted stylist, the look you come away with is NOT the one in the magazine photo that you showed her.  Or what looked fabulous on Reese Witherspoon looks horrendous on you.  Either way, you’ve got a problem; what do you do when a haircut comes out badly?  And if that bad ‘do is in a wig (which won’t ever grow out!), you’re in even bigger trouble.

First of all, you should talk to the stylist.  Tell them what you thought your cut was going to look like, and give them a chance to come up with a way to fix it.   (more…)

Three-stranded, six-stranded, inside-out, French, rope, fishtail…braiding is one of the most exciting ways to spice up your hairstyle, and the possibilities are endless.  There are SO many ways to braid hair that you could do a different one every day for months.  And while all you need for an awesome braided hairdo is a comb, a rubber band, and maybe some bobby pins, you can easily dress them up even more with clips and ribbons and flowers.

You don’t even have to braid all of your hair to make it look interesting. (more…)

Ok, I freely admit that this is my opinion, and you all probably disagree with me.  But in every generation, there are some fads that come and go that people look back on and say “I can’t believe I went out looking like that.”  Here are my predictions for styles that, twenty years from now, people will remove all images of them from their photo albums to avoid having their kids snicker over them.

1. The big hair bump.  If you push your headband forward a little, ok.  But when your bump towers over your forehead like Marge Simpson’s bouffant, it stops being flattering and starts looking ridiculous. (more…)

The latest Disney movie, Tangled, hit theaters last week, and it is all about hair.

Well, sort of.  It’s an adaptation of the classic Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, Rapunzel.  This Rapunzel’s hair has magical healing properties, and she finally escapes from her tower with 70 gorgeous blonde feet of it – that comes in handy in some unusual ways.  Check out this trailer, it looks great!

Hair has been a major feature in quite a few Hollywood hits.  Hair, the hippie subculture classic, was based on the ’60′s hit musical of the same name.   (more…)

Every few years, some new trend in fashion sweeps around the world.  Some “gotta have it” items are so unique and ubiquitous that they become symbols of a certain era – like poodle skirts or bellbottoms.  I had a chat with a second-grader about his Silly Bandz the other day, which inspired me to take a look back at some of the top accessory trends of the last fifty years.  Did you wear any of these?

• Cat-eye glasses were a staple of the fifties wardrobe, preferably decorated with rhinestones.  And don’t forget the scarf around the neck!
• The sixties were all about big hair – teased, back-combed, ratted, and rolled.  The bigger the bouffant, the better.  The more Aqua Net and Dippity-Do, the better.  And then, moving into the seventies, hairstyles took a total 180; hippie-chic called for long, straight, air-dried, single-length hair.  Curly girls, as my mother likes to tell me, had to tape their wet hair around soda cans to get it fashionably straight. (more…)

You’re going out for the night.  To a wedding, a party, the theater.  You’ve got the perfect dress, awesome shoes, and a new pair of earrings.  But what about your hair?

Sure, you can always just blow it out, straighten it, flip the ends up a little.  Let your curls down for once.  But when the sun beats down during the outdoor ceremony, will you wish you had put it up off your neck?  Will you yearn for the bride’s elegant updo? Or when the dancing starts will you suddenly discover just how sticky your lipstick is – because your hair keeps blowing onto your mouth?  Maybe you’ll realize that a plain black dress (hee hee) looks awesome – but also kind of boring.

There’s an answer to all of these questions.  Elegant hair accessories are easy to find, easy to coordinate with your outfit, and just might make you more comfortable – plus, you’ll look even more put-together than you already do.  Here are some ideas for dressing up your do for special occasions.

• Headbands are probably one of the simplest ways to get fancy – they come in shimmering, bejeweled, velvet, feathered, and dozens of other exciting styles.  If you wear a headband-fall, try one of our satin or studded wraps! (more…)

I used to have a summer job in a petting zoo of sorts, and one of my favorite tasks each year was coming up with perfect names for all the animals.  I called the donkeys Alexander and Napoleon.  The baby rabbit that kept escaping the hutch was Houdini.  I named a goat Mrs. Butler after my high school global studies teacher, and another little goat with a triangle on his head was Bandit – it looked like he was wearing a bandana.

And we had these two crested chickens at one point that I named Elvis and George Washington – Elvis’s puff tipped forward over his eyes, and George Washington’s tipped back. (more…)