A Note on Rag Doll Curls

I posted a while back about how I am inspired by the way women used to regularly style their hair in curlers and sit under a hood dryer.The rag curl tutorial was the first of many tutorials that go in that direction.

Rag curls are usually done on wet hair and slept on or dried under a hood dryer. This was a simplified version using the same techniques but not taking nearly as long. Rag curls or “rag doll curls” as some of my friends call them are great for anyone who doesn't want to damage their hair with regular heat styling. I've gotten a few emails from people who have styled their hair in rag curls after watching the video tutorial and they look amazing!

Are there any other similar hairstyles you'd like to see tutorials of?

video stills from tiger in a jar

Inspiration :: Short Bob with Layers

A modern take on Louise Brook's bob in the 1920's. I love everything about this photo but I think what makes the hair itself so good is the blunt bangs, and length of the bob (it's pretty short).

 

image 1 

graphics designed by Becca Clason

Crown Braid and Rag Curls Video Tutorial

I'm so excited to finally share this video tutorial that I shot with Tiger In a Jar. I feel like it's my little baby! They are a such a talented couple and such a pleasure to work with,. I hope you all do your hair in Rag Curls and Tresse Couronnes (Crown Braids) this weekend!

Thanks Moey and Tiger In a Jar!

Click through for written tutorials.

Tutorial :: How to Blow Dry Bangs

While in New York last week, I got together with photographer Alpha Smoot and two of my closest friends who are also hairstylists and shot a couple of tutorials that they will be guest posting on the blog. I'm really excited about them because these are tutorials I’ve wanted to do for a while, but they work so much better on different hair textures than mine. The first is on how to blow dry bangs!

Hi, I'm Kristen! I've had the pleasure of working with Rubi at Whittemore House salon, where we bonded over having the same birthday and cracking jokes on Chantell (who is doing a guest post next week).

I've had an on-and-off relationship with my bangs for the past couple years, mainly because I wasn't exactly sure how to handle them. You see, not only do I have a cowlick but I also have curly hair, so trying to tame those two beasts was an every day struggle. After being in the salon every day and closely watching everyone blow dry bangs, I picked up some tricks and realized it's actually not that hard to get your bangs straight and smooth.

Here's what you need:
- Flat boar bristle & nylon bristle brush (a Mason Pearson is ideal)
- Blow dryer
- Bangs( duh!)

1. Wet your bangs. I try not to wash my hair every day and usually my bangs are the first ones to let the world know, "Yes it has been about 3 days since I have been washed," so when you wet your bangs make sure your roots are really wet. This is the most important part because this is what will make them lay flat.

2. You "flat wrap" your bangs. Put the brush flat against the roots of your bangs and brush them to one side. Your blow dryer (with a nozzle) should be following your brush, smoothing and drying your roots in the direction your brush is going. Try not to brush all of your bangs in one swoop over to the side - do it slowly with smaller sections within your bangs like in the photos so you can get all your roots going in that one direction.

3. Repeat the flat wrap back to the other side. Do this from side to side until your roots are dry. Your ends should be a little moist and any cowlick you have should be tamed.

4. Once you have tamed the "beast" and your roots are thoroughly dry, grab all of your bangs, making sure the back of the brush is flat against your forehead and blow dry straight down. Hold the dryer slightly away from the brush with the air flowing down onto your bangs and blow dry them down (once should be enough).

*Tips: If you have a real stubborn cowlick that pushes your hair in only one direction, start by flat wrapping your bangs in the opposite direction. It takes some practice, but once you get the hang of it you'll never fight with your bangs again :)

photography by alpha smoot

graphics designed by becca clason

Backstage :: Philosophy F/W '12

At a fashion show, the hair, makeup, and clothes on a model need to be perfect from all angles. There is always a team of makeup artists, hairstylists, and clothing stylists checking each model right before they walk on the runway. Sometimes runway photos don't show the entire look that we are all stressing about backstage, which is why I love seeing backstage photos - they allow you to see a look from a different angle. In this case, nobody would have ever known how perfectly placed the buns were at Philosophy and the beautiful profile they helped create on each model.

images via Stylebistro

graphics designed by Becca Clason

Inspiration :: Braids and Peru

One of my favorite places I've ever been to is Peru. My husband and I traveled there last year and absolutely loved it. My two favorite things from the trip were probably the ceviche and the way the women in the city of Cusco dressed.

The ceviche was amazing! We went to a great restaurant in Lima that I HIGHLY recommend if anyone ever plans on going called Pescados Capitales. We wanted to eat there for breakfast lunch and dinner every day of our lives, it was so good.

And the women in Cusco all had a sort of uniform that they wore so well! It always consisted of a brimmed hat, a buttoned cardigan over a blouse or shirt, a full skirt sometimes with a longer white laced skirt worn underneath that went just below the knees, thick-knee-high socks and simple flat shoes. To top it all off though, a lot of women wore their hair in braids like in the picture above - usually two long braids that connected at the bottom and created a U shape.

I was OBSESSED - I'm still obsessed! I bought a hat and 3 skirts while there because I so badly wanted to be like them. I plan on braiding my hair like that now that it's long enough. They even sold yarn braids at the markets which connected their braids together into the U shape but I didn't buy any of those.

I marked the photo from a runway show a few months ago because it reminded me of the Peruvian women's hair. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the original source, so if anyone can recognize the model or designer please let me know. The Peru photos are all from the flickr stream of a lovely photographer named Kylie who used to live in Peru and also happens to be a triplet. She and her sisters have a blog called The Traveling Triplets.

graphics designed by Becca Clason

Recent Work :: STNTN Lookbook

My husband works in an office but he is certainly not your typical 9 to 5 guy. A few years ago he got kind of bored of the same white-shirt-and-tie look and started designing ties for himself. Taking inspiration from neck wear worn in the late 1800's, together we started a line of men's accessories called STNTN.

Our Spring 2012 collection is now up on our site and surprise, surprise - I did the hair for it. Like I said in an earlier post, a lot of men's hair jobs include a haircut, which is mostly what this consisted of as well.

Collaborating with my husband on a project like this has been one of my favorite jobs I've worked on. Sometimes it's very easy and other times it can be the hardest thing I've ever done but watching him design and helping him create things is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

You can view the whole collection here.

photographer: lauren cooper