Beauty Week Day 3 - Hair

Hey guys! Betsy here, from the three.twenty blog :)
I am so honored and excited to be part of this amazing beauty week. I'm totally looking forward to reading all the beauty secrets behind the plethora of great (and beautiful!) bloggers that Michelle has invited to this fun feature.

My Hairy Story

Lemme first give you a little background story about my locks.
Growing up, I've had a collection of pretty embarrassing, odd, and downright terrible hairstyles. As a kid, I remember rocking the 80's power bangs, getting a bowl cut in third grade, and dousing myself in AquaNet before going to school. After swearing to never cut my hair again because of the endlessly mocked bowl cut, I think I went through all of junior high with my hair twisted up into a tight bun. High school was no different. My very, very curly hair was now very, very long but I still had no clue as to what to do with it. Most of the time it was tied up, slicked back, or overwhelmingly puffy. During the college years, I shed most of my teenage insecurities and decided to take a huge leap by cutting my hair into a really short pixie cut!

Getting inspired
With short, and lemme remind you- VERY curly, hair came a new set of challenges. Here is what my hair looks like now, on a daily basis.

Since my hair is so fine, I can easily straighten it out, but to be honest- sometimes I just get too lazy. Plus there's the added fact that I get enough heat on my hair by living next to beach to have to add even more damaging heat from blowdriers and flat irons! Most days, especially weekends, I just let my curls take control and lead the way for the rest of the day. However, when I wanna give myself a major self esteem boost by making my hair look extra cute, I turn to two inspiration powerhouses: Pinterest and Youtube.

Pinterest is like having a super trendy best friend with really great style secrets. It's got hair tutorials, cuts, and styles from all over the web. There's something for just about every type of hair. From afros, to pixie cuts, to shoulder length, to wavy, to crazy, to repunzel-esque long hair. I keep a running file of some styles I love in my "Hairy Pins" folder.

Youtube and Vimeo also have endless amounts of videos that offer tutorials and tips for different types of hair.

Like this video from my favorite youtube channel AskSash 88

VIDEO:
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And of course, bloggers often have picture or video tutorials of great styles. Look to people the stylish Keiko Lynn , Katie from Skunkboy Creatures and her vintage inspired styles, and the fun ladies behind The Beauty Department (including Lauren Conrad, my major lady crush!)


I often find myself searching for styles on Pinterest before a date night or when planning for a special event. Be sure to check out those sites and save your favorites. They'll be great help on days when your brain is just too burned out to think of what to do with your hair!

Lessons learned
Now, in my mid twenties, I'm finally come to peace with my hair. I actually like letting it get a little crazy and rockin' what I like to call the mini fro'. Here are three tips about hair styling that I've learned along the way:

1. Don't be a scardy cat.
As a woman, I understand that sometimes trying new things with your hair can make you nervous, so you stick to the usual year after year. When I first took a picture of a super short pixie cut to my hairstylist the first thing she said to me was "Are you sure? This is really short!" But oh man, was I sure. I was ready for change. I kept reminding myself that hair grows back, that I could cover it up if it was absolutely terrible, and that I would hate to look back in life and say I never did it because I was too scared. A few snips later, and I was in love!

Be adventurous! Try experimenting with different cuts and colors. The ombre style is a hit right now and seems to look great on everyone. Try going a few shades lighter in hair color, or switching up to become a blond, brunette or red head. You can also go colorful by adding some pastel colored tips, or even going all out like Kaylah or even Elsie  who dyed her hair pink for a while! Don't be scared to try something new or step out of your comfort zone. You might just end up loving it! And remember, hair grows back, color fades or can be changed, and at least you wont regret not doing it!

all pictures via my pinterest page

2. Think outside of the box.
Living off of a teacher's salary isn't always a walk in the park. There are a billion cute clothes and hair pieces I've had to leave behind because they would create too much of a strain on our budget. So, I've had to force myself to get creative. Last year, I got a really cute hand me down dress from my younger sister that included a rope belt. One day, while looking for a hair piece to tame my wild curls, the rope belt caught my eye. I folded it in half, made a knot at the end, and created a brand new headband. Voila! It's now my go-to piece for days I've got to rush out the door and don't have time to put any extra effort into my hair.

I''ve also fashioned headbands out of skinny belts by wrapping it twice around my hair and using bobby pins to hold it up in the back. I'm pretty sure you could style vintage brooches, buttons, and pretty fabric into hair pieces easily with a little creativity. Take a look around your wardrobe and accessories and experiment to find out what you can use and what you like. My favorite creative hair pieces though are scarves! There are so many different things you can do with a scarf, all of which add a unique touch to any outfit.

VIDEO OF SCARVES TUTORIAL
How To Tie A Turband 3 Ways from LEAFtv on Vimeo.


3. You are more than hair.
Too often I struggle with putting all of my self worth into how I look. There are days when I feel amazing because I look pretty, and days were I wanna hide under a rock and don't want anyone to look at my frizzy hair, my under eye circles, or my muffin top. I listen to the messages that the world sends me about how my jean size isn't low enough, or my how my clothes aren't trendy enough, or how my hair isn't pretty enough. Truth is, this world will one day fade away, as will everything that it has said about me. And my hair is so fine that one day I'll probably even have bald spots as an old woman, or wont have enough hair to hold up my makeshift headbands. But one thing that will never, ever fade are the what my Creator has said about me:

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
1 Peter 3:3-4

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30

and this is what I choose to believe beyond everything else.

Where do you get your hair-spiration from? I hope this post moved you to try something new or exciting with your hair this week! If you do, pretty please share so in the comments section right here or come on over and lemme know on my blog!

Have an amazing- and good hair- day!
Love, B.