hair

ADDING LENGTH TO SHORT HAIR

tutorial by Micha Brown, photos + graphic design: Kristin Ess

When it comes to super short hair, you often find yourself to be slightly limited with styling options. That’s why we thought it would be great to show you how to temporarily add a little length using extension wefts. This gives you a bit more versatility with your look. We’re pretty obsessed with Meagan Good’s short + sassy style. It’s really short in the back and gets longer toward the front. We’ve seen short hair on both Rihanna + Pink for years, but there’s something less edgy about this– it’s a very feminine, chic, flirty hairstyle. We’re so excited to show you how to play with length. Here we go! READ MORE…

hair

A TWIST ON THE LOW BUN

photos/post/design: Kristin Ess

Here’s another fun, cute way to pull your hair up off your shoulders during a hot, hot heatwave! It’s basically a topsy-tail looped through so many times that it starts to coil. Here we go! READ MORE…

hair

A FINE FRENCHY

As many of you already know, Alison Sudol (AKA: A Fine Frenzy) is an incredibly talented musician with the voice of a SPARROW ANGEL! My favorite songbird beauty just released a new single from her upcoming album “Pines” called “Now is the Start”. It’s such a fun, happy song! Click here + listen! The photoshoot for this album was such a blast and was shot by our good friends Angela+Ithyle. Ali and I wanted to do something timeless with her hair– something that wouldn’t distract from all the pretty lights, stripes, and um- giant SAILBOAT!! Sometimes when there are a lot of fun things happening in a photo (or even with your outfit) you just want to keep it classic + simple, right? So that’s what we did. Luckily, our darling Alison was kind enought to pop by TBD and show us how to recreate this textured french twist on herself using a secret little tool… chopsticks. Here we go!

top photo by angelaandithyle.com tutorial photos/post/design: Kristin Ess

First things first, click play on “Now is the Start”. You should be listening to it as you do this updo! READ MORE…

hair

HOT CROSSED BUN (REMIX)

post/photos/design: Kristin Ess

Lately I’ve noticed lots of emails coming in with requests for shoulder-length hair tutorials. And while this tutorial is nothing different than the braided bun from last week, I wanted to show you just how do-able these tutorials are even if you don’t have long hair. We always want everyone to have a fair shot at looking gorgeous and just because it’s done on a girl with longer hair doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try! The best part about any hair tutorial is modifying it and making it your own, right? I love when people tweet us a picture of a tutorial they tried where they added their own twist. It may not come out exactly the same, but it could sprout inspiration for something really cute! So let me show you how to get the “Hot Crossed Bun” look on short hair…

  1. Use a 1″ barrell curling iron to give the hair some wave when you’re trying to do an updo or chignon on short or fine hair. This will give it texture and bulk it up so you have more to work with.
  2. Add a little water-based texturizing pomade to the root for even more visible texture and bulk. You can see that her fine hair looks full in this photo, right? Now you have something to work with!
  3. Split the hair right behind your ears and push the front sections forward. Take the whole middle section/back and put it in a clear elastic.
  4. Wrap that into a little mini or messy bun. Just see what your hair will do. Every short haircut will do something a little different. If you need to add some hairspray to help, go for it! We did.
  5. Now do an inside-out french braid from the hair line back toward the bun. It’s okay if little pieces pop out. You can pin them at the end.
  6. Tuck the ends of the braid into the bun and secure it using a bobbypin or two or three.
  7. Repeat the previous braid on the other side and pin it into the bun as well.
  8. Pull some soft pieces out around the hair line for a more romantic vibe. Then pin in and spray any little unwanted pieces that might pop out.

GIVE IT A TRY! xo

hair

NO PHOTOSHOP

photos/post/design: Kristin Ess

Obviously we love to use photoshop for hearts, stars, polka dots and handwriting on ALL of our posts, but we really do use it as little as possible for anything else. And while sometimes a stray hair or a hang nail’s gotta GO, it’s always better to deal with the issue before taking the picture. That being said, I thought I would let you guys in a little trick I used the other day when I shot this braid post. It’s so useful- whether you’re taking a photo or just going out with friends. Here’s the deal…

  • Of course with a braid or updo you want to see the hair go in different directions, but you don’t necessarily want to see shiny scalp. It distracts from the over all look, right? If you finish a hair style and look in the mirror and you see a strong part/scalp where you just don’t want to but you don’t want to start over, then don’t!
  • Spray the part lightly with a colored dry shampoo. I always have THESE ONES in my kit in every color. I don’t use them as a daily dry shampoo because I have another favorite for that, but I do love this to cover an unsightly part. You can also find them in travel size sometimes.
  • Lightly (don’t over do it because it will look chalky) spray the visible scalp line with a shot of the colored dry shampoo and the focus will be right back on the braid or updo where it belongs.