Taking the plunge....cutting off my long hair!!

Yes that's right, you heard me loud and clear...I have only gone and had my hair cut, and not a trim a whole bunch has been taken off. 

If you know me you will know I have a little fear of having my hair cut...not a phobia or anything like that but when I was around 14 or so I had hair down to the bottom of my back and some wannabe trend setter hairdresser decided it would be a snazzy idea to chop it all off into a weird bob type boy haircut! It wasn't a good look for a young girl, who didn't yet have access to GHDs and so I wore my hair in the tiniest little bunches on top of my head for around a year...so much so my school friends said they looked like shrek ears. So as a result ever since then every time I visit a salon the usual 'trim please' blurts out as I have flashbacks to the whole 'shrek ears' phase. *Shakes it out* If you would like to see my horrendous boy hair please let me know and I may even do a hair story post to give you all a good belly laugh.

Anyhow, I had been thinking for months to cut my hair but never had the bottle to call up and book myself in. When my local Saks salon put a message out on their Facebook page saying that they were looking for models...only hair models otherwise they would be in for a shock when I walked in haha. Perfect I thought, they wanted someone for a certain cut a square layer if you will and suits mid to long hair. Great....so I messaged them and they booked me straight in. I also asked if I could blog all about the morning and they happily said I could :D

I have been a hair model a few times before but it has always been for colour, back in the day there weren't many people who would put themselves forwards for a bright red all over colour with purple slices. I once told school I was going to the hospital for some kind of made up appointment and walked back into ICT with flame red hair swishing behind me...oops!

The following week I popped down to the salon and a lovely lady who is currently an apprentice at the salon was all set up to get cracking on my Barnett. She talked through the cut I was having and if I had any questions, then the dreaded question came up "how much can we take off" I was brave and held up 5 inches ready to be chopped.  No going back now....

She was great, talked me through the whole process and there was a stylist with her to answer any questions she had or give her any hairdresser tips or tricks.

I could see the cut coming along nicely and instead of feeling anxious about saying goodbye to my long hair I was excited to see it being cut into a real style again. I even admitted to cutting my own hair which I have done for too long...and they could tell *slaps wrists*. And to be honest looking back I can tell, my hair never sat right and don't get me started on what my fringe was like...splinge alert. But since its all been styled properly and they corrected all my mistakes it falls so much better and my fringe has been fixed. Hoorah!

From This                                                                        To This  

To This :D

Bobbie-Jay, the lovely lady who re-did my whole do was fantastic and did this curly masterpiece blow dry with only brushes? Say What? I love it, I love how it has gone from random lengths all over the place to a lovely blunt cut at the bottom...I am even tempted to get another 2 inches cut off so it is officially mid length but it might take me another 8 years to pluck up the courage.

Curly version

Overall I am so pleased I took the plunge and finally cut more than a millimetre off my hair, I would recommend it to anyone that is contemplating it.

I now want to change the colour but one step at a time otherwise Matthew may not recognise me.

I totally recommend taking a look in your local Saks salon and asking if they have any apprentices that need models for cuts or colours. Why not get pampered and possibly a whole new look whilst saving yourself some pounds as well. You can check for your local Saks salons here. Alternatively if you don't have a local Saks just ask your nearest or most fave salon if they have any opportunities going.

Straight Version :)

Wahooo for new hair :D 

Love Kayleigh x

How I Dye my Hair Bright Red

This is a post that has been in the making for some time, since having Finley dying my hair has become an almost SAS procedure let alone blogging it. I have to perfectly time it around dinner, naps and make sure Matt is on hand, we wouldn't want Finners having a bright red streak through his almost non existent tufts! What would the mums at playgroup say?!

So here it is, a step by step guide how to dye your hair bright red :D Turn that frown upside down Kayleigh!

Just a little warning, this is a rather picture heavy post, also I am in no way shape or form a hairdresser, I just like to do my hair because it is cheaper...a lot cheaper! And, yes, that's right, I do have a space invaders wall in my hallway! haha, I love me a little bit of retro!

First off you want to gather all your bits and pieces together, I will list them separately in all the different stages but here is a glance of everything I used.  

I have been in love with this hair dye for years! I get all my dyes of ebay so just have a quick search for the cheapest on there at the time. I do admit that I technically dye my hair twice in one day but I find the Majicontrast 'Red' dye is great for roots but fades far too quickly on the ends. So I top up with either a La Riche Directions dye or a Stargazer one through my fringe and ends. Both are semi permanent but last soooo much longer that the more expensive permanent option! 

This time around I opted to go for Stargazer in 'Hot Red' a pink based red but still lovely and bright! I also love La Riche Directions in 'Fire' or 'Poppy Red'. Cheap as chips and they contain no harsh chemicals that some permanent hair dyes contain leaving you dizzy.

Grab yourself your gloves, tint brushes and bowls and the peroxide of your choice, I always choose 12% 40 vol purely because I read that it lifts your hair the most meaning a brighter colour. If you have an old hair cap use that too, it comes in handy when you are 'cooking' and you need to still do a few bits around the house.

Mix together your Majicontrast tube plus the correct amount of peroxide for your hair type/length, swish around until you get a rather satisfying bright red paste hmmmmm. You are ready to get started. 

*Warning* make sure you are wearing one of Matt's Tshirts and old tshirt you don't wear anymore and use that old raggedy towel you keep hidden away to mop up any little splodges. 

Slather the colour onto your roots and work your way across your hair line evenly, this amount of mixture is only enough for my roots so beware - your hair is greedy and drinks that hair dye like its lemonade on a hot day - you are better to have a little too much than not enough.

Also if you have a vampire hairline/widows peak like me, make sure you grab those pesky hairs at the front, if you don't you will see them poking in your fringe and have to re-dye them.

*Top Tip* Keep a couple of your bobbles on your wrists, it makes it easier to tie your hair up so your not fumbling for bobbles getting dye all over your bathroom side.

After around 40mins I wash off the dye and start all over again with my all over colour, luckily this can be slapped on easily and requires no mixing but I leave it to soak in for an hour!

Wow, now all that time has added up you will be glad to wash it all off and get looking at the end result!

But before we can do that I have one final step to add some extra oomph to your hair, my secret weapon Philip Kingsley Elasticizer. This was flavour of the month some time back on the blogging front and I can see why, it leaves your hair with that fresh bounce for days after it has been washed. I pop some on for 20 mins before the final shampoo and it leaves it soft, silky and just like you have stepped out of the hairdressers for a treatment. 

Finally, we have had the final rinse and ready to style! Phew that took hours, but just think of the pennies we are saving in the process.

Grab your trustee hair oil, my current fav is Morocan Oil - run a few pumps through the ends of your hair, spritz with any hair mists you fancy. I love this Paul Mitchel Moisture Mist I received in a Glossybox months ago, and don't forget to protect your hair with heat protectant. For years I used my faithful Tresemme spray but on a whim decided to opt for a change, and wow I am so glad I did. I LOVE this Andrew Barton protection spray, it isn't drying, I don't see any frizzled ends of hair and the smell....wow I feel like Rihanna its like Barbados in a bottle! 

Style how ever you see fit, I have taken to blow drying recently, finally there is a brush I can manhandle whilst holding a hairdryer - I LOVE this Philip Kingsley Radial Brush it gives that root lift that long hair sometimes needs after being relentlessly dyed for hours on end! Or you can blast dry and straighten over after :)

YAY we made it, it only took all day and its now dark outside but just take in those lovely red locks you have. Beautiful.

I have left this pic un-edited to show you the real colour :)

I do love my red hair and have had it like this for well over 10 years! Sometimes I am tempted to dye it all deep brown and chop it all off but I know it just wouldn't be me, plus all my friends would have to stop calling me Red.

I hope this post has given you some tips and if you do take the plunge to dye your hair please let me see your results :) plus if you have any longhair hairstyles please let me know, I am stuck in a hair rut and cant seem to come up with anything more exciting than a top knot at the moment, I would love to try more fishtail braids and big buns but my hair just is a little too thin, maybe some extensions should be added to the wishlist! Let me know if you know any good'ens!

Love Kayleigh x