I’ve been putting this post in the works for what seems to be forever — I always get so many questions about my hair and am finally spilling all the details! From how I get my hair done at the salon, to my favorite products and tools — I’m using this edition of #GLAMWeekly to answer all things hair. I’ve rounded up some of my most popular questions as well as a few additional that you messaged me about this week! If I missed anything, leave a comment below and I’ll make sure to get to it in a future edition of GLAM Weekly!
Where do you get your hair done?
I’ve been going to my girl Emily, the owner of Teazd Salon in Avon, CT for the last 5 years — she even did my wedding hair and makeup! While she was on maternity leave, I visited my friends at Fourteen Jay in NYC (they are located in Tribeca) since they had done some styling of my hair in the past for Fashion Week! At Fourteen Jay, I’ve had my hair colored by David and Deanna, and John handles my cut and extensions.
What technique do you ask for to highlight/color your hair?
I’m a natural brunette and I’ve noticed that my hair has gotten much darker with age, so I try to keep the top part of my head my natural color so I don’t have to make frequent trips into the salon to handle regrowth. Emily used the technique of hair painting on me as far as 5 years ago — which is when parts of the hair are actually painted on freely. It doesn’t need to be done in any sort of pattern and lets you place the color or highlights exactly where you want them to be seen. For this current round (pictured above), Deanna used that same technique and since I was going darker than before, she used a caramel color (instead of bleach) to achieve a more natural contrast.
Why extensions?
I got extensions for the first time earlier this year in February and have had so many questions on them. Since they really don’t add a lot of length (maybe 3 inches at most), I get asked “why” a lot of the time… since they are barely noticeable to most. I wasn’t born with my mother’s thick hair — she actually just told me she has no actual clue where my fine hair came from (haha!), so my hair ends up stringy-looking the bottom few inches. When I chopped off 7 inches of my hair 2 years ago, we went with a very blunt cut (which I had never done before). I loved the length, but I also loved how thick and full-looking my hair was top-to-bottom. As I started to grow back out my hair, I was already feeling the bottom part feeling fine again. When I was in NYC for Fashion Week last September, my friends over at Fourteen Jay styled my hair for an event that night and recommended putting in a few extensions (more for volume than length). I sat on that for a few months and then finally took the plunge the next time I was in NYC. It was definitely a great decision because not only does it give me a few extra inches of length (which helped get me through that awkward period between the lob haircut and getting the length past my collarbone), but it’s actually made my hair MUCH MORE manageable and actually cuts my styling time in half.
What kind of extensions do you have?
Fourteen Jay (which is an Aveda salon) uses VoMor Extensions, which are panels of hair that are taped into the top of the hairline (very similar to clip-ins). From what both Emily and John have told me, this newer process is much healthier for the hair as it requires no heat during application. Plus, since the panels cover over a longer area of hair (as opposed to bonded extensions), there is no damage to the hair underneath the extension. The process of adding the extensions this way is actually super fast as well — it probably took John around 30-45 minutes to add them in and cut my hair to blend them together.
How do you care for your extensions?
I had a preconceived notion that getting extensions was actually going to ADD to the maintenance of my hair, when in fact, it’s done the opposite. Washing my hair is actually the same — I just have to be careful not to tug at the pieces at the top of my head. After about 2 washes, I forgot I had them. I was never someone who could let my hair air dry without it looking kinky and full of cowlicks, but since adding the extensions in, I now let my hair air dry every time I wash it. The newer hair added is more coarse than my own hair and dries with a slight natural looking wave, which blends into my wavy natural hair and gives off a beachy look. I just make sure to dry the top of my head for about 30 seconds to make sure the adhesive on the extensions is dry (keeping it wet will break down the adhesive). I’ll also blow out the front part of my hair (where my bangs are) and will let the rest go au natural.
Do you like your hair long or short better?
I’ll be honest, cutting my hair off was liberating. I can’t explain it, but not having hair to hide behind was a crazy feeling, and it was almost addictive. I originally cut off 7 inches of hair and had it hit slightly at my collarbone for a lob hairstyle after having mermaid hair for our wedding — and then within weeks, I was back in Emily’s chair so she could cut off more. I’m constantly switching things up — that’s the beauty of hair. Right now, I’m loving my current length and would love to go longer again for a period of time, and then will likely chop it off again at some other point.
What are some of your favorite current hair products?
Right now, I’m switching between Aveda Invati Shampoo and Conditioner and the Kerastase Bain Croma Captive Collection for color-treated hair. I always mention this, but I love to switch up my shampoo and conditioner routine (I find my hair responds better when “shocked” into something), so anytime you ask me… I will likely have a different answer. For styling, I love starting with Drybar’s Prep Rally on my damp hair, before drying or using the curling wand. For texture spray, I love using Kerastase VIP Powder — for when I’m throwing my hair in a top knot or when I just want a little texture on the bottom of my waves. I was also introduced to Aveda’s Dry Shampoo powder about a year ago and love it — I’ve been hooked on dry shampoo powders for a few years and love this one. They also just recently launched their dry conditioner which is perfect to use along with the dry shampoo. You can use the dry shampoo on your roots to remove any oil and to feel refreshed, and then use the dry conditioner on the ends of your hair to prevent an older wash from looking dried out.
How do you curl your hair?
Since I’m now letting my hair air dry for the most part, I’m using the t3 Whirl Trio wands to create imperfect waves on a few pieces of hair. From the t3 trio, I switch between the 1-inch wand, and the tapered wand and curl random sections of hair away from my face (making sure to switch hands and the direction of the curls on either side). For the look above, I used the 1-inch wand.
Do you take hair supplements?
I do! I love Nature’s Bounty supplements and have been taking them for the last 5-6 months. Honestly, because I have extensions, it wouldn’t be fair for me to say it’s helped grow my hair, but I can promise you that it’s made my nails grow faster and feel stronger, so we can assume it’s doing the same for my hair!
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