I've Officially Got To That ANNOYING Stage!

One day it was fine, the next day ANNOYING!

Kim warned me it was about to happen - and this week has been a challenge.  The thing is, I can blow dry it under (ish) and it's fine, but by the end of the day the curl has dropped and it's driving me nuts...

One evening this week (granted it was hot and so I was feeling all hot and bothered and over my hair full stop!) ... I even resorted to using the first thing that came to hand:

Not a look for outside of the home, me thinks!!

Yesterday was another hot day, and as my hair is growing all over now, I was able to squeeze it into a small (very small!) pony tail and dig out one of my many hair bands.

I chose a double all round band (like giant elastics really) and this helped not only the look of my fringe but also helped with those odd bits at the back that would quite go into the pony tail - bit of a result all round then!!

SO, to today ....

Well, I've just blow dryed it - I can no longer have a blunt fringe .... partly because it's a bit long for that now, but because due to erratic growth, the fringe is no longer straight :)  So blow drying with a large round brush and pushing to either side ...

As at 9.45am on Monday morning, I'm liking my hair ..... ask me tomorrow!!!

Growth Check

Day 1

After 3 weeks (2 days ago):

Significant growth - I can now feel and see growth all over ... it's definitely spurring me on writing this blog.

I think in another month, my fringe will start to part more in the middle as I push it to the sides to see out!


Like this without the side length:

Using a Hair Band

OK, so hairbands organised - plenty to choose from and others kicking around somewhere...

Basically, there are a few options:

1.  The traditional hairbands - these come in skinny, about and inch wide or 2/3 inches for that super 60's look.

2.  Those that are on a circular stretchy band - material, sequined, crochet etc - these are great for combining with a bun or pony tail, although they can sometimes slip and ping off backwards (kirby grips advised on shiny straight hair!)

They can also be worn in a more boho fashion:

Personally, I have never mastered this look without feeling like a total fashion victim!  Maybe I just need more confidence or to grow my hair super long for this one?  

So, next week I will be trying some of the styles seen below:

I particularly like Sandra Bullock's triple hair band.  I DO have one of those in a plastic, faux leather look but I think I need to wait until the rest of my hair is a bit longer ...

3. The band/scarf combo:

You can tie your own - like this:

Defo one I will be trying ....

How Do The Stars Do It?

So who else has tried to grow their fringe out?  I decided to check out celebs who have tried, and succeeded ....

Alyssa Milano

Apparently it took TWO years ....

Katie Holmes

3 years later ...... HOW LONG??????

The Lovely Heidi Klum

Rachel Bilson ...

SO, it CAN be done .... but how do stars style their hair whilst they grow their fringe out?

Jessica Alba gets to that too long stage and sweeps to either side - I quite like this!

We all know that when Nicole Richie embraces a style, it looks good!

She has chosen to follow Jessica Alba's example (or maybe it was the other way around!)

I think I will try this  in a couple of months as it gets to that tricky stage and when I'm fed up with kirby grips!!

I haven't ventured down the hairband route yet - maybe next week...

I know I have loads of them in the attic, in most colours, and even a funky PUCCI one - now that could look good for summer!!!  I'll be sorting them out later at the weekend so watch this space :)

Coming along nicely..

Having side parted my hair yesterday, I have simply run the GHDs through this morning (as I had quite bad "bed hair" and a brush just wasn't cutting it!).

What I've found, is that to do this style well, you need to avoid taking the parting too far to the side - in doing so you create too much weight on top which flops forwards through out the day - drove me nuts on Friday!!

So, best to do a slight side parting and put the fringe across - it still looks fine but is easier to cope with :)

Excuse the bags - I have hay fever this morning!!

Keeping my eyes on the prize ..... I wonder how long until my hair looks like this?

Defo by Christmas ..... (fingers crossed!)

Growth Check ...

OK, so I started this about 10 days ago and it's been a few days since I dried my hair in the normal "bob" style, so I thought I would see if there is a noticeable difference ...

Here's day 1:

And here's what the hair looks like today:

Defo and increase in growth - NO EYEBROWS!!!!  about half and inch by my reckoning (probably closer to 1/4 inch in reality!) ... not quite at the shaggy dog stage, but on the way :)

Am feeling very motivated - it definitely helps to take photos periodically - I would recommend this to anyone embarking on this challenge ...

I can't find my tape measure this morning, so will check back later with the ACTUAL growth ...

The Dreaded Benders!

So.....

Today I have tried out the "benders" (bendy rollers) ... Kim keeps saying, "I told you you should try it with a curl..."  Yes, alright ...here's the result!

Step 1:
Putting them in was actually quite easy - I used John Frieda "Take Change" mousse, combed each section and then wound them around - in no particular direction ...

....and went about my business for a couple of hours.


Step 2:
Unwinding them was a bit tricky - for some reason they have a velcro type end (I have NO idea what this is for - other than to totally frustrate you when you come to take them out!)  I got one piece well and truly knotted in the back of my hair - probably because I just yanked when it got stuck - so Kimbo to the rescue.

Once all of the rollers were out, I had this very annoying bit that hadn't really curled (maybe I forgot to add mousse?)  and I was not at ALL convinced (as seen below!!!)

Step 3:
Using just my fingers, I teased the curls out - boy there's a lot of body in there.  The resulting style was not what I had in mind, as I had to tame the lion's mane, however I am not unhappy with it.  The main objective of these styles is to grow my fringe out  - this style makes it easy to pin my fringe up as the mousse and the curl add oomph thereby making for a better "scraped off the face" look!

I think this style is a definite keeper!!!! ... not sure I can do it for work though unless I get up REALLY early - maybe a hairdryer would speed up the process.....  :)

Getting the Hang Of It

I'm starting to get the hang of my side parting - not bad... only taken a week and I have been DELIGHTED by the comments from work colleagues (hopefully they're not just "being nice"!!)

It's becoming easier to style - my fringe is "behaving" and laying flat, so this is defo the "go to" growing out style of the moment.

If you didn't know otherwise, I reckon this would pass for a girl (or old woman!) with no fringe!! YEH!!!!

SO, this weekend I will:

• Try out the Bendy Rollers with the Boost It Mousse
• Experiment with "scrunch drying" using John Frieda's mousse especially for curls (Kim reckons if I squeeze REALLY hard whilst drying with a diffuser it will work - not sure about that, but prepared to give it a go ..

Watch this space for the results :)

Hopefully I wont end up like Worzel Gummage!!

Boost It

I had to think long and hard... how long ago WAS it that I'd used mousse?

I ask this because I came across some Toni & Guy "Boost It" mousse yesterday (put in a box with other hair bands and hairbrushes) - I defo don't remember buying it, so it's probably about 8 years old... thank goodness it doesn't go off!

So, I decided to see whether the mousse would make any difference to my hair.

I started with my fringe.  Just a small amount, finger dried and pulled upwards, created a cows-lick that could win an oscar - very "Something About Mary" !!!  ... and it was STILL the same when I got up this morning!  Pretty cool - I think I'll test this out all over my head at the weekend and see where it leads :)

Unfortunately this is not a style that I can wear to work and be taken seriously, so I've clipped it down....  hitting upon the fact that the clips grab the hair better so are less likely to slip out :)

Have bought some bendy rollers from the local chemist for hair trials at the weekend (just like these ones) - I'm looking for a curly bob effect ... looks easy enough ... watch this space!

80's Slick Back

It's raining, again, and I can't be bothered to blow dry my hair only to look like Worzel Gummage by the time I get to work .... so, I have taken inspiration today from 80's singer, Robert Palmer, and have slicked my hair back :)

This was dead easy - straight out of the shower, slick gel or other fixing paste through your hair - get it into a small pony tail (mine's very stubby but in!).  Grip and loose ends and then use a strong hair spray - Use your palms to smooth it all down (it will go hard in the end but this is what keeps it all in).  Hair spray is your friend for this style!  (I've added a hair band, but you don't need to)

This look really shows your face, so concentrate on getting your make-up right - red lips does work exceptionally well,  infact, any strong colour..

Here's one of the girls form the video:

I clearly need to work on the red lips!!

Watch Robert Palmer's videos on the left hand side of this blog!


UPDATE:  This style stayed in ALL day - even through a fast paced hour of aerobic exercise!!  This is definitely a style for those days when you have no space time or the weather is YUK - as it is here at the moment!  Just remember to use that STRONG hairspray ....


So, another 80's day today:

Doing the VB Shag!

"I've been looking through images of short hair on google and have decided to take inspiration from the Victoria Beckham's shag do as seen below:

Obviously, her hair is longer than mine especially the fringe so my take on it includes pinning my fringe back ... next time I think I might leave it down:

It looks a bit messy - definitely need more practice on this - but I think this has merit especially when I don't need to look too polished.  My hair is notoriously difficult in keeping a curl so perhaps I need a curl product (which will also help to keep it smooth) - will need to speak to Kim the Bald Englishman!!(www.baldenglishman.co.nz)

Anyway, to achieve this look all I did was take small sections of hair, wound them around my finger and then clamped them for a couple of seconds with the GHD (minus the finger of course!) ... let cool for 5 secs, let go and voila!!!  All of the sections look different, so quite a natural look is achieved!