(Who I am eternally grateful for her time, talent and ALWAYS makes me feel Bellissimo! ♥️😘)

I never loved my natural hair color. I remember being a little girl and watching my Mother get her hair done (a foil frost from my stylist cousin, Chrissy). I used to watch in awe at how her face just seemed to brighten up, her smile was a little wider and I could tell she felt truly beautiful as she glanced in the mirror at the finished product. I begged her for years to let me put one or a few sporadic highlights in my hair but her answer was always the same, “no you’re much too young for that”.

Finally, the day came she said “yes, you can.” and that was first time I was allowed to put a few sporadic highlights in my hair. I was thirteen years old and I was hooked. The rest, as the saying goes, was history.

I’ve had my hair just about every color you could imagine from platinum blonde to fire engine red and every other color in between before settling on my ravishing raven locks. During this time, I learned a thing or two about hair color and care through my experience that I’d love to pass on with all of you. Now as for where I receive this information, I have talked to many stylists (mostly within my own family) through the years and I always write whatever they say regarding tips and suggested products down in my journal so I can always look fresh. The time has come though to share these tips outside of my close friends and family. Whether you color your hair or someone you know and love does, hopefully you can help them out by sharing these tips.

1. Nourishment Gives It A More Natural Look

Let’s be real, if you want your hair to be healthy after you color it, especially if you lighten your hair, it’s important to keep it well-nourished and hydrated. Blondes, ask your salon if they carry Olaplex which prevents and repairs any damage bleach can cause your hair. Brunettes, Redheads and Raven haired people, ask your stylist for a glaze between color pull throughs (pulling the hair color all the way through root to ends excessively can cause needless damage ) to give your hair breaks and nourishment between salon visits. When I used to bleach my hair to get the color I wanted, I would apply cold-pressed coconut oil to my hair the night before I bleached it. This seemed to minimize the damage to my hair shafts which my hair is thankful for even to this day. I’ve come across this practice too on L’Oreal’s blog in one of the posts and chuckle because I’ve been doing this forever, well, since I was 19. Now that I keep my hair as dark as my mascara, I always get a glaze to nourish and lock in the color longer between salon trips and generally keep it medium to short in length. Trimming and cutting your hair every 6-8 weeks helps prevent the spread of damage by breakage and dead ends and my hair looks way healthier shorter.

2. Don’t Use Box Dye, Go To A Salon and Get It Done Right

Leave dying hair to the professionals! When searching for the perfect stylist and salon browse the before and after pictures posted on social media by past clients to ensure you go to someone who you feel comfortable with. If you’re hell bent on doing it yourself make sure you get a good dye and bleach so your hair does not get too damaged, visiting your local beauty supply store is a good start just check their requirements before purchasing as you may need a beautician license to get to the good stuff.

If you are lifting color with bleach, ensure you talk with a stylist or professional about getting the right developer for your hair color. For example, I can always tell when someone uses a 40 volume developer for hair that’s light to begin with because their hair looks more fried than a bucket of KFC extra crispy chicken. My hair was pretty light to start, so when I ended up flipping from red to blonde in 2005 my stylist at the time only recommended we use a 20 or 30 volume developer despite my cries of protest that I needed the stronger to fix my blunder. I’ve also shamelessly used protecting products like Brazilian bond builder in the months that followed that incident to minimize the damage I caused while I was stripping my hair of color of that AWFUL color.

While dyes are a dime a dozen, its always important choose a salon or a dye itself that is free of harsh chemicals like ammonia, my salon is really big on Redkin and I have to say I am highly impressed with the quality.

3. Don’t ‘Freestyle’ It

This goes back to tip number two, PLEASE go to a professional. I can’t tell you how many people have sat next to me in the salon telling their stylist the color on the box was NOT the color they got when they dyed it themselves. If you insist on skipping my sound advice follow EVERY step exactly in the directions that come with the box. Now is NOT a time to freestyle things it’s not a DIY craft you can add your own creative flair to. It’s your hair so treat it as such, follow the times for process to the ‘t’ and set a timer so you don’t forget to wash it out. You do NOT want to leave your bleach or dye on for too long, don’t believe me? Search it on YouTube and be scarred for life with the over-processed hair videos they’re truly frightening. Once again, find a salon and stylist you’re comfortable with and you can avoid any at home blunders all together.

4. Don’t Wash Your Hair Right Away

Once you’ve colored your hair, try to wait at least 48-72 hours (2-3 days) before you wash your hair again. This will help the color set in well and will minimize color bleeding. It would also help to oil your hair before you wash it as the oil will form a protective layer around your hair shaft, minimizing fading. As a staple, I ALWAYS wash my hair in cool to lukewarm water. Hot water can open your hair shafts and expel that color you paid good money to achieve while cool water keeps these shafts closed which keeps the color locked in and looking salon fresh longer.

5. Be SUPER Picky About your Products and How Much Heat You Apply To Your Hair

While on the topic of showering, always choose shampoos that are SULFATE FREE. I highly recommend L’Oreal Ever Pure Sulfate Free and Redkin Color Extend Magnets (which are personal favorites of mine). Just like hot water is hair color’s archenemy, so are hot tools. Blow dryers, flat irons, curling wands and other hot tools can all cause damage to your already fragile hair. If you have super wavy and frizzy hair, like me, try to limit the use to twice a week. Investing in a quality heat protectant spray will help combat any damage caused by hot tools. I use Tresemme thermal creations which provides heat protection for your hair from hot tools up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. I’ve used this product for nearly 10 years and have not experienced heat damage since. If you avoid washing your hair everyday and invest in a quality dry shampoo (baby powder actually works wonders too) you can make the most out of your choice of styled hair longer without turning to daily use of styling tools.

6. Don’t Wash Your Hair Everyday and Avoid Excessive Time In The Sun

Piggybacking off of number five, washing your hair daily is super counterproductive with color treated hair. Color tends to bleed out when you wash your hair too often so one of the best ways to make it last longer is to cut down on your washes. Because I have such greasy hair, I used to wash 3-4 times a week, I have now cut it down to 2-3 times a week. As odd as it sounds, if my hair still smells good and isn’t looking too much like a greasy pit I skip the wash and pop on a shower cap. Not only has this technique helped make my color last but also it also preserves the natural oils produced by your scalp that my Grammy used to always ramble on about and happen to nourish your hair.

Just like heat products in excess aren’t good for colored hair neither is too much time in the sunlight. Investing in a nice wide brim hat, I purchased mine at the end of last summer on clearance at Walmart, is key in having fun in the sun. They can be as simple or as fancy as you’d like but the important thing is they’re keeping your hair safe from that summer heat.

7. Wait 6-8 Weeks Between Touch Ups

While it may be tempting the second you see roots start to appear, always wait 6-8 weeks between salon appointments or at home dying. We don’t realize how much stress we put our hair through every time we color it, which is why our hair needs rest. Instead, invest in L’Oréal ‘s Magic Root Cover Up which is available in just about every color you can imagine and it helps you look like your fresh out of the salon even as the weeks to your next salon appointment are still three more to go, you can count on this touch up spray to see you through.

If you follow these steps you’ll be sure to have shiny, healthy and strong hair no matter how you choose to color or style it. Our hair sends powerful statement to others about who we are and what we like and it’s time to give it the proper care it deserves!

Until next time…

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

because some places are just best left on the silver screen…

It’s early November 2001, and I’m 12 years old sitting on my light pink leather couch. In one hand, theres a piece of popcorn which hovers by my mouth, my left arm suspended in mid-air while my right arm is pulling my terrified 4 1/2 year old brother close. We are watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Joseph is scared because the timid Professor Quirrell was just revealed to be possessed by Harry’s archenemy Lord Voldemort. As captivated as I am by the scene that’s unfolding before my eyes, I spare a glance at my little brother and whisper, “it’s okay, Joey, it’s just a movie.” This seems to calm him just a little bit, but as I went to bed that night, I wished with all my heart that it wasn’t ‘just a movie’ and having read all the books, I fantasized about what my adventures at Hogwarts would be like if it were real.

Now that I’ve got your attention, I’m sure if you took a moment right now that each and every single one of you had a movie that you felt that way about. It’s not surprising to me at all that according to a survey done by statista in 2017 the total box office revenue in North America amounted to 11.38 billion U.S. dollars in 2016 for the year. I think most people would agree that, as Americans, we sure do love our movies. It’s a temporary escape from real life, the chance to connect with characters, and a storyline that is meaningful to the viewer. I know every time I put in movies like Forrest Gump or the Harry Potter series there’s a sense of homecoming. It’s like visiting my hometown and seeing familiar faces and places which provide me with a sense of nostalgia that comes with the sense knowing where I came from and where I’m going.

I don’t need fancy statistics to tell you that people often associate movies with significant times and events in their lives even into adulthood. Think about your current significant other, I bet you that you can remember the first movie that you two saw together. I know whenever I think of the movie Anchorman, I think of that being the very first movie that Tom and I ever watched together as a couple. It’s meaningful and nostalgic and every year on our dating anniversary we snuggle together on the couch and watch that movie for old time sake.

Movie universes become familiar to us, they give us a sense of belonging and introduce us to the characters we love and invest our feelings into. The characters, become more like close friends or family members, and we want to see them succeed at all costs. The setting and plot also play a crucial role in whether we stick around or not, and while I’m sure I could easily think of several movie universes I wouldn’t mind living my real life in, that’s for another post. In this post, I’m going to discuss five movie universes I’m really glad I don’t have to live my real life in. Because let’s face it, some movie plots and settings are best left on the silver screen!

1. Halloween– Any Universe which houses Michael Myers, the iconic knife-wielding killer of the franchise, is NOT a movie universe I want any part in. If someone doesn’t actually die when tranquilized, set on fire, stabbed, ran over, electrified and injected with acid, then that something is not worth going toe to toe with. Michael always symbolized pure evil, evident in the blank look behind his eyes, and any universe that holds that kind of evil is NOT one I wish to be any kind of reality.

2. It– This movie is the reason coulrophobia is a clinical term relating directly to fear of clowns (it’s certainly responsible for mine). Despite the fact that It was actually a shapeshifting monster who appeared in the form of whatever his victim was afraid of, any universe he exists in is not one I want to be involved in. In this universe you’re a part of a group called, The Losers, pre-adolescent kids who are running loose around the outskirts of a small town, bonding during the long summer days and nights with a lack of any kind of parental concern. This, of course, made my inner teacher cringe. In both movies, the new and old, Beverly has a terrifying abusive father; Bill has recently lost a brother, (the iconic scene of the little boy Georgie being lured to his death in the gutters) and his shell-shocked parents have mostly abandoned him to his own devices.

The creature which terrorizes town of Derry, Maine is not for the faint of heart. Watching these outcasts and nerds, whom are largely ignored and forced to find comfort in each other struggle against unspeakable evil is not any universe I want to be a part of. Not for nothing, but in this universe, you’d find yourself being hunted by a pack of ferocious, dangerous bullies — bigger kids who are bored with their sleepy town, and victimize other people for entertainment. If you can call, carving their name into their victim’s stomach, entertainment. You’d also set out to look for a corpse majority of the movie and along the way, become your fellow group member’s emotional support.

This tale doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending, at least in the original book and film where It comes back when the kids are adults and are forced to face their old nemesis once more. Despite the eventual conflict resolution, the universe itself is downright depressing and oppressive and not one I want to be apart of at all.

3. Nightmare on Elm Street-Nothing is more relieving then waking up after a nightmare and realizing that it was just a dream. Not in this universe. In this universe you are hunted down by the burn scar-faced and claw handed Freddy Krueger and if he kills you in your dreams you’re done for in real life. I’m not sure who it would be more disturbing to be in this storyline, Jesse, who watches his ex-girlfriend die in her sleep in front of him then gets blamed for her death or Nancy, the waitress who it’s later revealed was abused by Krueger as a young girl. This universe offers you no sleep and another indestructible villain who,if he could drag the protagonist through a mirror after she cuts his hand off and slices his throat, what chance do you really stand in that universe?

4. The Purge– Unless you live under a rock ANY kind of universe where all crime (including murder) is legal for twelve hours is not my cup of tea, including the idea that the ‘New U.S. government’ in this plot sanctions it. Incase you’ve never heard of The Purge the rules to this movie’s plot are as followed:

▪ The one you heard in the trailer, that siren blares throughout the U.S. to signal the start and end of The Purge.

▪ During this time all police, fire, and medical emergency services remain unavailable or suspended for the twelve-hour Purge.

▪ Ironically, the only people exempt from this Purge are Government officials with “authorization levels” of ranking 10 or higher. It is revoked in Election Year to legalize the murder of a political opponent though.

▪ Weapons of “Class 4” and below are permitted for use while “Class 5” weaponry (explosive devices such as grenades, rocket launchers, bazookas, etc., weapons of mass destruction, and viral/biological and chemical agents) is prohibited.

▪ Public hanging is the penalty for violators of any rules.

Let that sink in. Imagine being totally helpless with your family and friends at risk of being murdered or assaulted and nobody legally obligated to help you. Not my cup of tea and personally I can’t think of anyone who would want themselves or their loved ones in this universe, can you?

5. Predator– Last, but not least, a universe where you are the hunted by an alien. Mind you that running into an alien in any universe is not for me, but how about a universe where you are hunted by one for sport? Not to mention this is an extremely intellegent being who will follow your every move and raise your paranoia to new levels of high, while carefully plotting a sadistic death for you, such as skinning you and keeping your body as a trophy. The Predator also has a plasma weapon, far more powerful than any weapon we humans can obtain. Oh, and did I mention that the Predator has a cloaking device that makes it invisible, and yes he had one before Harry Potter, so to top it all off you can’t see this thing and thats even more frightening. So imagine living in a universe where there are creatures that you can’t see, have plasma weapons, and hunts you down just for sport, does that sound like a fun place to live for you? If the Predator took down Green Berets and an elite paramilitary rescue team, imagine what it could do to the average person like you or me. Yeah, no thanks, I’m good.

Which universes are you grateful do not exist in real life?

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo