NYC Hair

I'm cutting hair once a month at Little Axe Salon in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Come see me for a cut, braid, or blowout!

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Photographer Isabelle Selby // Model Emily Cross // Hair Rubi Jones // Makeup Jessa Blades

Muse :: Bianca Jagger

I've always been a fan of Bianca Jagger's style - her hair in the 70s was flawless, that iconic photo of her and Mick Jagger in a car on their wedding day is just incredible, and you can tell she always knew how good she looked. Looking at all these photos of her really makes me want to up my everyday game.

I fell in love with Bianca Jagger while finding these images not only because of her incredible hair and fashion sense, but her humanitarian work. This woman is really incredible and now a total muse of mine for so many reasons. Did you know she has campaigned for human rights, environmental protection, and social and economic justice for over 30 years? She was born in Nicaragua, went on a Political Science scholarship to Paris and has done an incredible amount of work in South America since then. This story below was jaw-dropping for me - I mean, who couldn't love this woman after hearing this?

"...in 1981, Ms. Jagger traveled to Central America, as part of a US Congressional fact-finding mission to visit La Virtud, a UN refugee camp in Honduran territory close to border with El Salvador. During her visit, an armed death squad from El Salvador crossed the border, with the Honduran army’s blessing, entered the camp and rounded up about 40 refugees. The refugees’ thumbs were tied behind their backs; we feared the death squads were going to take the hostages across the border to El Salvador. Ms. Jagger, the delegation and the relief workers decided to follow the death squads. The families of the hostages joined them and together they ran along a dry river bed for about half an hour, armed only with cameras. During the chase, they were taking photographs. They all feared that the death squads were going to kill the hostages once they arrived in Salvadorian territory. Finally, they came within earshot of the death squads and the hostages. The death squad turned around brandishing their M-16's. Fearing for their lives, Ms. Jagger and the relief workers began to shout, “You will have to kill us all,” and, “We will denounce your crime to the world.” There was a long pause. The death squads talked among themselves and, without explanation, turned around leaving their hostages behind - unharmed. This experience was a turning point in Ms. Jagger’s life. She realised the importance of being a witness when innocent people’s lives were at stake and how a small act of courage can save lives and make a difference."- Huffington Post

Bianca Jagger makes the world a better place (see here for more proof) and looks great while doing it. Inspiring to say the least.

Don't Dismiss the Low Pony

Ponytails are staples during fashion week, but as you may suspect, a runway ponytail has to be stepped up a notch compared to your typical running-out-of-the-house pony. So what's the difference between the two? Here are a few tips on how to elevate your everyday low pony to runway-worthy status.

1. Going for a messy look? No problem, spray a little salt spray throughout your hair so the texture matches from roots to ends. Clean it up a bit by creating a clean middle part using your fingers or a tail comb. Tuck your ears underneath your hair and brush your hair into place using your fingers to keep the softness while still having a little bit of structure. Use a thin elastic to tie off your ponytail as low as you can and apply a little bit of oil to your ends if they seem a little too unruly.

2. Put a bow on it. Who did it first? Heathers the movie or this Calvin Klein Sport ad shot by Bruce Weber? They both came out in 1988 but the look can still work today. If bows aren't your thing, you can easily use any other accessory to amp up an otherwise more natural low pony.

3. Make a statement with a middle part and a super-clean ponytail. This is great on really long hair, or thick hair. Use little or no product and a Mason Pearson brush to gather your hair into a really clean, low ponytail. Wrap your own hair around the base to cover the elastic and flat iron the rest of your ponytail so it really swooshes when you move. This would work just as well if your hair is on the finer side. And you won't believe what a difference it makes to hide your elastic with your own hair.

images: 1: J.W. Anderson Spring 2014, 2: Calvin Klein Sport 1988 by Bruce Weber, 3: Valentino SS15 Couture by Dazed Digital

Hand and Hand

I'm always looking for new hair accessories and I recently discovered and fell in love with an independent French brand called Hand and Hand. The designer Sabrina has such an incredible eye and the materials she uses in her pieces are right down my alley. They are a mix between raw materials, what looks like moon fragments, and hardware store gems. I love girly hair accessories but am sometimes also in the mood for something a little more industrial or eclectic, and this fits that mold for me.

Her jewelery is also incredible and if you're looking for a new French Instagram account to follow, this brand is a must.

PFW SS15 Recap

Fashion week is so fast-paced that doing these recaps acts as a great way for me to visually remember the shows I worked on each season. I think my favorites were the "chola" vibes at Miu Miu and the sexy waves at Anthony Vaccarello. What do you think of the hair and makeup from these shows?
Miu Miu hair by Guido Palau // Alexander McQueen hair by Guido Palau // Anthony Vaccarello hair by Anthony Turner //
  Kenzo hair by Anthony Turner // Christian Dior hair by Guido Palau // Acne Studios hair by Anthony Turner //

All images via Vogue.com

FKA twigs, GoogleGlass, and Vogue Battles

Have you watched FKA twigs #throughglass video yet? I've just been waiting for people to start taking wearable technology like Google Glass and Fitbits and all the other wearable technology people are inventing and make them not so nerdy. It's inevitable, and this video proves that it's happening.

I've talked about FKA twigs before and she just keeps getting better and better. She and all her doppelgangers in the video have the most incredible braids, pigtails, and gelled baby hairs! It takes commitment and confidence to pull off pigtails like that and not look like a 6 year old and they know how to do it. I just can't get over it.

The dancing. Do you know what Voguing is? I first learned about Voguing from a couple of different friends in my neighborhood growing up. We used to have "Vogue competitions" and go through training in our apartment complex playground. Another friend taught my sisters and me a choreographed dance to Madonna's Vogue a few years later so we could perform it at a talent show (he played Madonna of course). At the time I just thought it was dancing and modeling, but when I moved to New York I re-learned the term from a couple of my first work friends and mentors at Bumble and bumble. They insisted I watch Paris Is Burning immediately and WOW. Although I don't even pretend to know how to Vogue or even carry a rhythm (to say the least), I love and appreciate this culture and everyone in it. It was such a dream to be on set with a couple of Vogue dancers last year on a shoot I did for V Magazine.

Watch the video below!

NYFW Recap

Creatures of the Wind hair by Anthony Turner // ICB by Prabal Gurung hair by Anthony Turner // Badgley Mischka hair by Peter Grey // Public School hair by Anthony Turner //

I moved to New York in the Summer of 2008, and from the minute I got here, I was so eager to do hair for a fashion show. When I was applying to salon jobs, I told people at interviews that I wanted to do salon work and also be an editorial hairstylist. Years later and 12+ seasons under my belt, I'm still working on that goal - that's the thing about New York City, you never feel like you've made it - but every summer I still get as excited for fashion week as I did that first time.

Check out all the shows I worked on in New York this season with the amazing hairstylists below.

Ralph Lauren hair by Guido Palau // Trina Turk hair by Esther Langham //
Alexander Wang hair by Guido Palau // Opening Ceremony hair by Anthony Turner // Marc Jacobs hair by Guido Palau // Lela Rose hair by Esther Langham //

All images via Style.com