Graduation Day Hair at Believe

It’s finally here! Graduation season.

You’ve probably noticed your mailbox filling up with invitations (and your wallet shrinking from the checks you’ve got to send the graduates) or maybe you are a lucky enough to be a graduate yourself. If so, congratulations!

We at Believe hope there are lots of parties, good times with family and beautiful photos to commemorate the occasion…but if you’ve been wondering what to do with your hair under that mortarboard, we have a few suggestions for hairstyles and tips that will look good through those endless speeches and when you finally get to make your escape:

Straight behind the ears: Pulling your hair forward will give you too much of a boxed-in look, so wear some simple earrings (not too dangling, your robe will pull your whole look down enough) and flat iron your hair so it goes smoothly behind your ears and spray in place.

In a low ponytail: Pull your hair sleekly back and through elastic set low on your neck. Spray the whole thing so when you pull your cap off (to throw in the air?) your hair will stay in place.

In a bun: Sculpt you hair into a loose bun, looped back under an elastic band. After the ceremony you can pull out your hair, give it a shake and be ready to party.

Braid it: A long braid in the back or even two loose braids (with or without ribbons woven through in your school colors) will keep your hair neat under your cap but let it fly free (and wavy) for dancing afterward. Braid it dry for minimum wave or wet and by the time you get your diploma, it will dry into a mane of waves.

If your ceremony is outside: Make sure to use anti-frizz products like Chromastics Repair Extreme so that the heat and humidity doesn’t make your hair stick straight up or hang on with static electricity to your cap when you take it off (Hint: Rub a dryer sheet around the inside of the cap to keep hair from sticking and another sheet rubbed all over the inside of the gown and/or --heaven forbid--any panty hose you have to wear will keep the gown from riding up or showing off your figure in ways you don’t want.)

Moms & Grandmothers: Remember, you are going to be in all the photos, too, so take a little time from the hectic getting-ready period at your house before the graduation and tend to your own hair. Wearing a bun or French braid isn’t a bad idea to beat the humidity and use voluminizer like Aestleance Volume Spray (without alcohol) at the crown of your hair so the weather doesn’t beat your do down as flat as a board. Give it a little extra height and spray like crazy. Photos are more about what your hair looks like (and less about how touchable it.)

Don’t forget to plan for sun: Remember the sunscreen for everybody whose attending the graduation! It is best if you use waterproof (you are bound to get sweaty) and tear-proof (getting sunscreen in your eyes can ruin the whole day) and you may even want to take a page out of the Miss Universe Playbook—run a gentle ribbon of antiperspirant on your brow and upper lip---no extra “glowing” will then show up in those photos. It’ll keep any bangs dry, too.

Gift Giving: We all know money is the favorite present for every new grad but a personal touch never hurts. Gift that graduate with a beautiful start to this new chapter in the lives, stop by Believe for a gift certificate to redeem for a new style, cut and even color or some fantastic products from those we carry at Believe to take on summer vacation or hoard for college. Such a gift will tell them you love them. We ALL know how proud you are of them—and we are too. Congratulations to all grads from all of us at Believe.

Grab Life By The Tail

OMG. We read the headline on the web: “Skinny Girl Bethenny Frankel Creates The Skinnygirl Ponytail.”

How it got to be hers, when ponytails have been around as long as –well, ponies—is beyond us, but if you are looking for a stylish solution to get your long hair out of your way, we at Believe, hereby clue you into not only “Bethenny's ponytail”, but some other great ideas, too:

“Bethenny's” Tail: Brush out your hair with a paddle brush till smooth. Gather hair at crown of head and secure with an elastic, pushing the tail forward to create a mini-pompadour. Secure with two bobby pins, one on either side of the elastic. Smooth stray hairs at front and spray. Use either a curling iron (in small sections) or a ceramic flat iron on the tail itself.

The Side Tail: Spritz styling spray like SCRUPLES WHITE TEA EMBRACE on small sections of hair and make waves with a curling iron (wide barrel is best.) Use your fingers to sweep waves into a tail on one side of your head. Secure with elastic and use one bobby pin to hold it in place. Use flexible hairspray to avoid a stiff look.

The Messy Tail: Begin with unwashed hair (yes, we mean it. Unwashed hair is more manageable for this style.) Spray roots with volumizer like AESTELANCE VOLUME and let air-dry. Scrunch hair as it dries. Part hair in the middle or off center (or even use a zig-zag part.) Use your fingers to rack your hair back at the nape. Use an elastic to secure the tail (not too tightly) so it sits below the center of the back of your head. Secure with bobby pins above the elastic and crumple the tail itself with your fingers.

The High & Tight Tail: Spritz with volumizing spray like WHITE SAND INFINITY (GOOD FOR STRAIGHT OR CURLY HAIR) Dry straight (use a diffuser if you have curls). Tease a section (at the roots) at the top part of the back of your head to give your hair volume. Brush hair back into tail high on the back of your head above the ears. Secure with elastic. Pull the top of the tail up and out. Put some gloss, like AGADIR MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL through the tail using extra on the ends. Be careful of this one if you have a high forehead. It can make you look bald from the front. Bangs are your friends with this style.

The Pouffed Tail: This one makes use of volume at the crown to give the style (and the wearer) some height. Position your fingers in front of both your ears and pull them straight up. Hold the hair in one hand and use a wide-toothed comb to tease the roots with the other. Spray the roots. Hold till the spray dries. Let go of the hair and smooth into a tail, holding it with an elastic.

The Sleek Tail: Either blow-dry or flat iron your hair straight (this look requires no wave.) Spritz fly-aways at your hairline with spray and brush hair straight back into a tail. Secure with elastic. For extra shine, run a shine serum through the tail itself.

The Junior High Tail: Use mousse like AGADIR VOLUMIZING STYLING MOUSSE or spray for volume as your blow-dry and then pull your hair straight on to the top of your head (above your eyes.) Make sure the rest of your hair is flat to the scalp and sleek. For some more bounce, tease the tail right where the hair meets the elastic. Spray. Cover the elastic with a bow (remember, you are young at heart!)

Tip For All Tails: To cover the elastic in your pony tail styles, pull a strand about the width of a pencil from the bottom of the tail and wrap it around the elastic. Leave two inches to pul down through elastic. Secure with bobby pins

Whichever ponytail appeals to you, stop by Believe to buy the products you need to make each one work (or if you need a little help in finding the perfect ponytail for you.) With your ponytail and the help of us at Believe, you can swing into the cooler weather.

Does Your Hair Have The Humidity Blues?

We haven't even yet hit the dog days of summer and already it feels like stepping into your shower when you walk out your front door.

 The bad news is The Farmer's Almanac predicts a hot, wet summer for our area, full of thunderstorms and high temperatures. The good news is that we at Believe have some tips to help keep the humidity from wrecking havoc with your hair.

When dampness is in the air, hair suffers in three ways: It gets frizzy, flat, or so big you look like a 1940's country music star.

As a general tip, keep your hair moisturized and in good condition. Use a deep conditioner like Agadir Masque once or twice a week, halfway down the length of your hair to its ends. Towel dry it (by blotting, not rubbing)—retiring your hair dryer for the season if possible. Ditto with your straightening iron. The heat from both can damage your hair and make your problems worse. If you have to use a hair dryer, use the diffuser. And, in the sun, wear a ventilated hat. Letting the sun bleach your hair (and make leather of your skin) went out with the Gidget movies.

To deal with the frizz, use a small amount of a silicon-based smoother like Chromastics Tri Organic Extreme just on the frizzy areas. Don't overdo or you risk making your hair look greasy. An amount about the size of a pea is about right. Rub your hands together to emulsify the product and then lightly apply to hair. During the day, make your favorite hand lotion do double duty. Moisturize your hands with it and then rub your hands lightly over any frizz that springs up. (Your hair will smell good, too.)

If your hair goes flat, make sure you are using a shampoo like AESTELANCE G that doesn't leave a heavy residue (such residue gets even weightier when combined with the moisture in the air on a humid day.) You might also want to try a spray-on voluminizer like Chromastics Tri Organic Spray Gel (spray it on your roots while you hair is damp). For a styling product, use AESTELANCE Volume for a light hold and use a flexible hold spray like Scruples White Tea Embrace to finish the style. Other tricks include gentle teasing of the roots (done with a comb) to add volume, and spraying hairspray on the roots at lunchtime, then holding the hair straight up with a brush till the spray dries. A quick gentle brushing and voila—instant volume!

This YouTube video shows the effects of humidity on hair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU9JDCt5Hto. Your hair shafts actually poof up enough that you might resemble your neighbor's poodle. If that's the case, you may have to admit you can't fight Mother Nature. Pull your hair back in a classic chignon for the office, a sexy tight top knot (allow a few tendrils to curl down the back of your neck) for a dinner out, and horsetail braids and side-swept ponytails are perfect for a weekend shopping or a day at the beach.

We at Believe are here to help, of course. Whether it's recommending products, giving you a great layered cut to help fight the Flathead Syndrome or teaching you the latest braids--come by and share a refreshing iced coffee or tea and let us help you win the battle against humid hair. We look forward to seeing you soon.