The LONG & short of it...

Want beautiful long hair and don't know how to get there?
Here are some tips to help you achieve long, fabulous looking hair:

-Use good products! Shampoo & Conditioners with the right ingredients really do help! Your hair is an investment so why not use good products every day in the shower to keep hair soft and silky.

-Extra TLC goes a long way. Deep conditioning masks and leave-in treatments that have both moisture and protein help keep hair shafts strong and lessen split ends / hair breakage. In salon treatments also help customize what extra boost your hair needs taking into consideration the existing health and texture of your hair.

-Get it cut. People always ask me why they need to get trims when they're growing their hair out. The answer is, cutting off weak split ends while they are just starting helps the problem from getting worse. Hair shafts can split up and out of control causing straggly ends. Getting mini trims every ten weeks or so really helps.

-Have patience. The average person has a 1/2" of hairgrowth per month. So depending on what length you're starting from it can take awhile to reach Rapunzal status. So have patience and enjoy the growing out stages you go through.

Before you know it you'll be chopping your hair off and starting all over again!

Favorite Hair & Beauty Quotes

"Happy girls are the prettiest!" ~ Audrey Hepburn

"Beauty comes in all sizes - not just size 5." ~ Roseanne

"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know I'm not blonde." ~ Dolly Parton

"This is California. Blondes are like the state flower or something." ~ T.V. Show, Beverly Hills 90210

"How can I control my life when I can't control my hair?" ~ Author Unknown

"Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic." ~ Rosalind Russell

"I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin deep. What do you want - an adorable pancreas?" ~ Jean Kerr

Hope you enjoyed! Which is your favorite? 
Love, The Happy Hair Stylist

My Neighborhood

The Downtown Saratoga Village may not be as booming as it once was, but there are a lot of hidden treasures that await you if you give it a try. Stroll the streets and stumble across the wide variety of fun and professional merchants including restaurants, hair salons, nail salons, gift stores, wine shops, spas, jewelry boutiques, and more.

Bring the family and go creek walking, have a BBQ, or play on the playground at the park on 4th street just a stone’s throw away from the Saratoga Inn. Have breakfast or lunch at some of the cutest coffee shops and cafés. Enjoy dinner at one of Saratoga’s amazing restaurants including La Fondue, Florentine’s, The Plumed Horse, The Basin, Hong’s, and a many more.

Numerous beautiful high-end salons and spas can help you make the perfect pampering day. Indulge in professional hair services and treatments, get your nails done, or relax in the spa. Daydream Salon is located to the right of the village entrance on Saratoga Sunnyvale road in charming Neale's Hollow.

For a complete listing of the fabulous businesses Downtown Saratoga has to offer, click on the link below.
http://saratogavillage.info/businesses0609.html

Hope to see you around the neighborhood soon!
Love, The Happy Hair Stylist

Get A Brand New Look for the Brand New Year

As a hairstylist, I am by nature creative and constantly trying to come up with exciting and fresh ideas for my clients and myself. Whether it’s subtle changes for more conservative clients, or dramatic makeovers for the more daring, here are a few fun ideas to consider to help you look and feel your best in the new year. Here’s to 2011!

The Ombre’ Color Technique
Rich dark roots that fade into light brown to blonde ends. This dramatic look is very trendy right now in Hollywood and certainly for particular tastes. The big pro about this look is because roots are so dark the color maintenance is easy peasy.

The Pixie!
Always a bold and daring cut but oh so stunning! Not for the faint of heart but amazing if you want to make a statement. Easy daily maintenance – just wash and go, but higher salon maintenance due to quick outgrowth of the style.

You don't have to have a crazy color technique or chop all your hair off to look amazing in 2011. My advice to you if you are looking to make a subtle change is to look at old photos of yourself through the years. When did you love your hair most and what did you like about it? When did you hate your hair most and what was it that drove you crazy? Answering these questions can help you make better educated decisions for color and cuts in your future. Talk to your stylist in depth about all your options. Consider all over base coloring to richen up dull tones, add highlights around your face to brighten up your look, or add a few lowlights if you are getting too blonde and washed out.

As far as getting a new haircut - you can change the shape of your cut without taking off length. Add shorter layers to add volume or make a goal to grow layers out for a sleeker look. Other changes to your cut could be to add some bangs, take two inches off at your next trim instead of one, or add layers just around the front of your face.

Hair is such a fun way to express yourself and your style so don't take your mop on top for granted. Make it the most it can be and choose 2011 to get inspired. I know I am!!!

Love, The Happy Hair Stylist

Fun! Quick! Sweet Hair Tips!

Here are a few fun tips and tricks for cute, healthy, and happy hair!

.Make sure your hair is completely dry and moisture free before applying any hot tools. You may boil and burn your hair.

.Need to trim your own bangs in an emergency? Take small sections and point cut ends instead of cutting straight across. Hair will look more blended & forgive any mistakes.

.Hair can be over protein-ized and become brittle so make sure you alternate or rotate with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.

.HAIR TLC!!! Make sure you use the concentrating nozzle on your hairdryer. Always point the hot air down the hair cuticle to help smooth your tresses. Blow with a cool shot at the end to set and seal.

.Got Bangs? A cute way to get them out of your face but still look chic is with a twist or small braid. It’s perfect after the pool or beach when you can’t blow dry and style right away.

.Never go to bed with wet hair. If your scalp stays too wet for too long it can start to flake. So if you take showers at night be sure to blow dry most of the moisture out of hair before your sweet dreams.  

.Want Volume? Use a small tooth comb and tease the roots of small sections on the top of your head. Hair spray and then smooth over the top layer of hair for instant va va voom volume!

Hope these tips helped inspire you! Love, The Happy Hair Stylist

Bangs. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Have you ever had bangs? Loved them? Hated them? No matter what your relationship with your fringe has been - here are a few glimpses into the lives of the many types of bangs.

The most daring and committed type of bang is the straight across cut. The entire bang is pushed forward over, right at, or above the eyebrows. Looks extremely sexy and dramatic. Takes the most time to grow out so make sure you have given the straight across bang some thought before taking the plunge.

Side bangs are fun and flirty and easy to maintain. Make sure hair is angled slightly so as not to look to blunt and heavy. Have the ends of side bangs point cut or thinned to help keep them soft and fresh.

The bangs that fit behind your ear are the total non-commitment bang because they can disappear in an instant. They can blend into shorter layered cuts but look cute to soften ponytails and updos.

If you were reading this to find out what to do if you hate your fringe right now -here’s a tip that surprisingly not many people know. HAIR GROWS! It may take patience and some pre-natal vitamins but sooner or later your tresses will get long enough that you’ll want to cut bangs again.

Words of Beauty

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt