Please Don't Gild The Lily

I own a lot (read: too many) hair accessories. Some are very simple in line and colour, some are simple but colourful, and a few are very fancy, with Swarovski crystals or very ornate in other ways.

I so often see photos of very intricate hairstyles adorned with extremely ornate hair accessories. Now of course this is only my opinion, but to me, this detracts from the art of the hairstyle.

If I've spent time making a hairstyle with intricate braids and loops, I want the style to be seen; I don't want the focal point to be the hair accessory. It not only takes away from the work I've put into the style, but it also can look too busy. I need the accessory to complement the hairstyle, not overwhelm it.

On the other hand, if I want to wear a very ornate hair accessory, I would choose a hairstyle that is simple, with smooth lines. In this case, my hair will look sleek and hopefully pretty, but it also showcases the beauty of the accessory.

So the rule of thumb that I use is intricate hairstyle=simple hair accessory, simple hairstyle=colourful or ornate hair accessory.

Naturally, all bets are off if you are attending a Rennaissance fair, or if it's Halloween, but those are exceptions, in my mind.

In other matters, I am going through an impatient phase right now again. I know, I know, I'm whining again, but I'm telling you, sometimes this journey feels like it will go on forever. I am so close to BSL, but at the same time so far.

I am itching to do some styles that my hair simply isn't long enough to do, and also, I am eager to get to the point where my hair looks like long hair, not just longish hair.

Of course, in the real world, my hair is long hair, not only in my own age group, but even among teens, I rarely see hair that is below APL. Seeing waist length hair is a rarity: an exception, not the rule.

I'm also having a bit of a hard time adjusting to my new thickness as it's inching down my back. I tried to make a simple herringbone braid today, but I need to practice again with my changed thickness before I get it right. It's really amazing how much difference this increased thickness has made. While it means that I have to readjust my hairstyle technique, I couldn't be more delighted.

I hope that everyone's week is off to a good start.

My love to all, and extra hugs to anyone who's feeling blue. 'Til tomorrow my friends.

Never Give Up

I was inspired by a comment on yesterday's entry to write about not giving up on learning a new hairstyle, especially if it's one you really want to do.

I know that myself, I have had to practice, practice and practice some more before I could master most hairstyles. I am likely the least dexterous person I know, but I have managed somehow to learn how to do 5 strand braids, crown braids and other styles that were extremely difficult for me to learn.

The secret is twofold. First of all, practice doing the hairstyle only until you start to become frustrated. Once you're frustrated, no good will come out of it. Call it a day until tomorrow. Tomorrow you practice again. Stop immediately upon frustration. Just keep practicing every day, and I assure you, any of you that you will be able to do it. You might find a new fingering method that will work. You might find that a certain style doesn't work on freshly washed hair but might work on day 2 or day 3 after a wash.

If I had given up on every hairstyle that I failed at the first 30 times, I would still only have a ponytail and a single 3 strand braid in my hairstyle arsenal.


Just don't give up. There is such a sense of achievement when one finally masters a hairstyle. It's worth it.

Now on to another subject. AutumnLeaves, now that you've described the hair accessory, I think you might mean a Banana Clip. Does it look like this?  If so, I found that particular photo on this page that describes many different hair accessories. I used to use a banana clip when I wore my hair curly.  I loved it. They were very popular in the '80s and they're popular again now. I really hope this is the type of clip you meant; otherwise, I'm stumped.

Well, it's thunderstorming here, and I am so wishing that this will mark some less hot and humid weather for a few days. Sometimes the weather is so different after a good thunderstorm. I could really use a break from the hot, the hazy and the humid.  I think I have PMS right now, but unlike years gone by, I can't rely on the calendar anymore to predict the timing. I find this a bother, because I no longer know whether it's just hormones or if I'm going crazy, and I'm starting to really look forward to the day when I don't have to worry about PMS anymore.

I hope the week is starting off well for everyone, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.  Love to all.

My New French Twist Comb

Way back in 1998, my daughter and I went to our first "grown-up" movie together. It was the movie Titanic. My daughter was just ten years old at the time, and the movie left a big impression on her as well as me. It's also a very fond memory of a special evening with my daughter.

I saw this French Twist Comb in a thread on LHC. It's a replica of the comb that Rose wore in Titanic. It's not exactly like Rose's of course, but it's close enough to delight me. I knew as soon as I saw it that I just had to get one.

It just arrived today, and I had to model it right away. I'm using the comb in a diagonal French Twist. I know that this is not my best hairstyle photo, but I just couldn't wait to get my new comb photographed, so I did my hair in a hurry.

For some reason, there is an orange reflection on the top of the comb in the photograph, but it's not actually there in real life. The colours in general, as often happens, are much prettier in real life.

To Alison, who just found my blog today, your comment on my "Sometimes I Scare Myself" entry honestly made my day. I really mean it. I am so happy that I was able to inspire you in some way, and I really have no thoughts of cutting my hair. As for you, remember The 2 Week Rule. I am so very grateful for your comment.

Melissa, I really enjoyed A Patchwork Planet. Did you like it?

SchnauzerMom, I can't believe that three of us have the whole Thin Man collection. That is just so cool!

AutumnLeaves, you know that I love you to bits too.

To everyone else, I send love to you all.  'Til tomorrow, my friends.

The Mystery of the Missing Hair Accessories

Over the past four years, I have amassed a fair sized collection of hair jewelry and hair accessories.

From time to time they tend to wander.  I do have a special spot for each and every hair stick, barrette, hair clip and hair fork, but from time to time I get lazy when I undo my hair and I put my hair accessories in a “safe place”.  Apparently the place is so safe that even I can’t find it.

I am in that world of lost hair accessories today.  I was looking for a lovely pair of Mei Fa hairstyx that I really wanted to wear, and they are not with my hair stick collection.  What’s worse, is that the other pair that I got at the same time is missing as well.  Clearly, I put them somewhere for safe keeping, and I played a joke on myself and forgot where that somewhere is. 

I decided to look through my collections, and I realize that I am also missing a much loved barrette and hair fork.

The Mei Fas are irreplaceable, as they are no longer to be found in that size and style.  Aside from that, I can’t afford to replace them.

The barrette and fork are replaceable, but again, I am not shelling out good money for something that I am quite sure is somewhere in this house.  But where?

I looked in all of the likely places and even some very unlikely places.  All to no avail.

Now, I have to admit that I do have many other lovely hair sticks, barrettes and forks, but these missing items are eating away at me.  What’s worse is that I now realize that they must have been missing for quite a long time before I noticed that they aren’t where I thought they were. 

This makes it even more problematic, because who knows what I may have surrounded them with after putting them somewhere for safe keeping.  I may have a year’s worth of items camouflaging them more than they already were.

So okay.  Lesson learned.  No matter how tired I am at night, or no matter how much of a hurry I may be in, I must remember to put any and all hair accessories in one place and one place only, if I can’t put them in their proper home.

I don’t know why I’m so upset about this today, but it’s driving me mad.  I think hormones may be at play here, but it really doesn’t matter.  I don’t need this aggravation that I clearly caused myself.

Well, I’m going to do some activities to distract myself from this obsession I’ve had today about these missing items.  And I have to remember that one day, when I least expect it, they’ll turn up.

Tomorrow I hope to have a new tutorial for you.  It’s an easy but elegant protective style.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.  I don’t want to have to come here tomorrow as I did on Friday and say that I can’t make a style work yet again.

Now, I’m just going to breathe deeply, relax and perhaps another movie is in order.  It really did the trick the other day.

Love to all!

Retail Therapy

Sometimes, when waiting for your hair to reach that next milestone, it's nice to get a new hair accessory for your hair. You can just put your hair up and forget about it for a while when you're getting impatient, and a beautiful new hair accessory makes it that much more fun.


Even if you're on a budget, as I am, it's a good idea to save a bit of money (even a dollar) each week, to save up for a good quality hair clip, hair sticks or any other accessory that you might like.


Drugstore hair accessories can be pretty, but they are often not very sturdy and don't always hold the hair well.  Some of the higher end accessories are products that will last a lifetime.  Ficcare hair clips are a really good example of this.  They are extremely well-crafted, they have extra strong springs that won't give out, and they're strong and sturdy.


While some people refer to their hair accessories as "hairtoys", I consider Ficcares, and some other accessories that I will discuss in future to be "Hair Jewelry".


Most recently, I purchased a Ficcare Maximas in the small size.  It's part of the now-defunct "diamond" collection.  The colour is Antique Silver with Aurora Borealis coloured crystals.  


After quite a search, I found it online at a reasonable price and it just arrived today!  I was so excited to go to my mail box and receive this parcel that had come to me all the way from Germany.

So here is a photo of my new Ficcare Maximas, another esteemed member of my hair jewelry collection.  Forgive the lack of much style, I just wanted to get that clip in my hair and show you right away!

Hairstyle How-To: Flipped Braid

This is another extremely quick and easy hairstyle.  It's so simple that it almost doesn't need instructions. It's also a great "convertible" style, as you can choose to begin your day with a simple 3 strand braid, and if you want to comfortably get the hair off of your neck, you can do this styles in the blink of an eye, provided that you have a hair clip, hair slide or a large barrette.  Here are the extremely simple instructions:

1. Make a single regular braid at the back of the head.

2. Flip braid up.

3. Tuck the braid's tassel under the braid.

4. Hold in place with the hair accessory of your choice.  I chose to use a Ficcare Ficcarissimo in the Eggplant colour.  The Ficcarissimo will hold that braid in place all day.

So that's it!  If you can make a braid and you have even a simple hair accessory, you can do this style in seconds.  This is a favourite for warm days that become hot days and it has a simple but classic look to it.

If you have some layers and bits stick out of the braid, don't give it a second thought.  This is one of those styles that doesn't need to look perfect.

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments yesterday regarding my instructions on how to trim your own bangs or fringe.  They're much appreciated.

Hairstyle How-To: Peacock Twist

This is a quick and easy hairstyle for people with shoulder-length to lower mid-back length hair.  It's a great first updo for when you're first growing out your hair.  Even at my length, I've just about grown out of it.  There are different ways to wear it, whether you use different clips, or whether you finish it by fanning the ends out, bending them to one side, or dividing them in two to both left and right.

On my hairstyle site, I've had several people write and request instructions for this style, so I'll give them in this entry. As I mentioned, my hair has gotten just about too long for it, but I'm adapting.

Here are the instructions:

1. Brush hair back and hold it as if ready to make a ponytail.

2. Twist hair several times in a counter-clockwise direction.

 

3. Pull twist upwards while twisting some more.

4. With right hand, grab a jaw clip, beak clip, French Twist comb, or the hair accessory of your choice.  I have chosen to use a medium Ficcare Innovation Beak Clip in Pink Marble.

5. Insert clip.  Arrange ends to the left as shown below.

6. Or for a traditional "peacock" look, clip a bit higher, if necessary and fan hair out as shown below.

And that's it!  You've got a Peacock Twist.  It will likely look a bit different every time you try it and at different lengths, and it is a quick updo that can be done in seconds, which can come in very handy.

Another variation would to be to part the ends in two and have them lean both to the left and the right.  Play with the placement of the clip and experiment with how you place the ends.  Have some fun with it!

Styling Longer Hair Without Causing Damage

When I decided that I wanted to grow my hair long, I knew that I had to stop using blowdriers, curling irons and hot rollers, if I expected my fine hair to be able to grow without damage.

This was a real challenge for me, as I am all thumbs, and not the least bit good with my hands.  I started trying to learn how to create styles that would not only look interesting, but also protect my hair and not require heat appliances.

The first style I learned was the French Twist.  I had often seen this style, but I didn't think I'd ever be able to do it myself.  But after reading a few tutorials, I was able to do it using just one little pic or comb to hold it up.  I then learned some other styles that worked with my length, such as the Gibson Tuck and a Tucked 3-Strand Braid.  All of these hairstyles can be found in the Updo Gallery of my website.

I had a book that taught me some elementary braids and updos.  I recommend it to anyone, no matter how much you think you may lack talent in styling hair.  It is Hair: A Book of Braiding and Styles by Anne Akers Johnson.  The styles you can learn in this book are the foundations for most more difficult styles that you may want to learn down the line.

As I said in an earlier post, until I was 45, I didn't even know how to use a hair stick.  I always thought that a bun held by a single hair stick was just a trick in the movies before I learned how to do one myself.  How happy was I to discover that it actually could be done!

As I became more and more interested in just what I could do with my hair, I began trying to learn more difficult braids.  I was able to do a French braid, but not much more.  My next project was to learn how to do a Four Strand Box Braid.  It took days for me to get the fingering down and to develop the muscle memory to successfully make this braid.

It took me even longer to learn a Five Strand Braid, but with patience and practice, I did learn how to do it, even a French Five Strand braid.  I think my happiest achievement was learning how to do a Crown Braid.  Again, all of these and more can be found on the Braids Gallery on my website.  All of the photos there can be clicked for larger images.

I've learned a lot since developing a knack for styling my own hair, including what hair accessories work best with each style, and that patience pays off.

In the coming days and weeks, I plan to give some tutorials on how to do some of the various styles I've learned, as well as discussing my favourite hair accessories, and what makes them superior to others.

I'm not the best stylist in the world, but I've been able to do things with my hair that I never thought I'd be able to do.

If I, who am not a dexterous person, can do it, so can you!  I'll leave you with a photo of the first style I learned, the French Twist. It is held in place with only a France Luxe Chignon Pic in the colour "South Sea".