Red is that color you see on someone else and gush at how vibrent their color is but shriek at the thought of putting it in your hair.  It takes a lot of confidance to pull off red, but honestly there is a red for everyone.  Did you know I was a violet based red the majority of my high school years?  It wasn't until cosmetology school when we really started playing with colors that I went away from it.  It's that color that has so many possibilities but yields up keep, which can be intimidating but pulled off correctly, is SO so good!

Take B for example.  She has always loved a good red.  She never made the full commitment until recently though.  In her high school days, she tried the Kool-aid trick to get some red. (I have to be honest, she taught me that it was a thing, I had never heard of it before.  But I can't help but wonder, who was the first person to try it and what made them think to do it???)  She had been sporting her natural for a good while and finally decided to take the plunge.  Can I just say, it was perfect for her!!  Check out the before and after below and let me know your favorite type of red!

With love and hair,
​Megan

Being involved in the wedding industry, I always get involved in friends weddings beyond the title of bridesmaid.  Back in 2016, my friend Sarah asked me to be her Maid of Honor and her hair/makeup team for her big day and I graciously accepted.  I've been close with Sarah since we met in 6th grade.  Our friendship is at this date over 15 years old!  ​

Today I celebrate 8 years since graduating cosmetology school!  That means I've been doing hair for 9 years now and I wanted to write a blog post to share some images over the years and just simply state how grateful I am for everyone that has been there for me all these years. 

If you don't know my back story,  I grew up in North Durham and went to cosmetology school right after high school.  I wasn't too far away from home, in fact I lived at home and commuted to Chapel Hill where I attended the Aveda Institute on Franklin St.  Oh Aveda, there were so many photos I had to go through to pic out a top few to share.  It's incredible how fast it all went by and how ultimately it laid down the foundations of my career, but I've learned so much more over the years from being out of school.

Those images above of the girl with the HUGE hair are from the Fashion show we were a part of.  We were put in groups of three and had to come up with a style based on a particular fashion icon.  (All things that if you know me, you know I am so bad at keeping up with any of that!) So, that girlie with the blonde bangs in the bottom middle picture, had the fantastic idea of us giving our model a huge, blonde afro.  It was AMAZING.  Would you believe we made this poor girl sleep with her hair up in bobby pins to get that z pattern so we'd have the texture?!  I think the fashion show is really the highlight for everyone in school.  It's a time to really get outside your comfort zone and do things you wouldn't do everyday.  

After graduation, I already had been working on my day off at a salon in Durham.  So I went full time there and started building my clientele of the sweet people that have followed me around the triangle.  Here are some images styles I've done over the years.  Note how the pictures aren't taken to really look good and the styles aren't my style today, but all these people have helped shape me into the stylist I am today!

We can't walk down memory lane without peaking at a few works from the cuts and colors all of you have let me do!

Thank you SO much for walking down memory lane with me.  If you read this whole blog and I do your hair, how long have you been with me?  There are some stories of those of you that have watched me grow up, I've watched you grow, we've grown together.  It makes me happy to have such connections with people and I thank you ALL for so much support!

Who loves the look of fresh highlights?   There is just something about that out of salon look that puts a pep in your step and turns on the sassy.  But how often should you be going in to get your highlights touched up?  I have some people who come in every month to get a touch up so they don't look like they ever have new growth.  But sometimes we don't all have the time to be in the salon for a couple hours every 4 weeks, so whats the proper balance?    

The above photo is roughly 6 months of new growth.  No touch ups, no glazes, just wear and tear of everyday hair.  Now, this blonde loves her blonde.  But when she came back in this state of color, she was frustrated with her look and almost ready to pull a Britney.  But I calmed her down by going over steps we can take to keep up with her highlights without her always having to be in the salon.  (Although I do love catching up with everyone,  but I understand we can't see each other nearly every other week!)

Check out the before and after side by side.  It's miraculous what fresh highlights can do.  Can you tell how many colors are in her hair though?  I used FOUR different shades to create this seamless blend!  F O U R!  Who knew there were such options?!  The beauty in highlighting is we can have bright highlights, blending mid-lights and contrasting low-lights.  When you use more than one color, you get a more natural looking dimension, which helps the new growth to not stand out as much.  So you could potentially get 8-10 weeks out of this one highlight!
Check out the close up of all those colors...

I like to do what I call "melted"highlights.  These are basically highlights that are purposefully painted to not all look like they are coming directly from your scalp.  Some pieces do, some pieces do not.  In this particular example, I "melted" two of the four colors the help increase the blend.  This melted look, depending on what the desired result you chat with your stylist about, can get you anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks out of your highlighting session! I know those are the numbers people are wanting to see!  But wait, there's more!

Something new I am incorporating into my appointments with my highlight gals, is an in between services, quickie touch up.  Basically what I mean is a mini highlight, in which you really only spend 45 minutes in the salon.  It's a quick, few highlights right on top where your part is, where they are seen growing out the most.  This service is super helpful for longevity.  We know exactly what to do before you even get there because this is part of the overall plan and scheduled at your previous appointment.  Those few highlights on the part are going to give you the blending you need so you don't look overly grown out.  With this service being a "walk out wet" service, it's quick, efficient and cost effective for keeping your highlights fresh.​  This option is going to help your normal highlight appointment stretch out to around 10 to 14 weeks with a mini appointment around 5 to 6 weeks. Fear not also friend!  Just because it's a "walk out wet" service, doesn't mean you can't get a blow dry.  It's the type of service you have to chat with your stylist about before hand and plan both for time and cost of what it is you're looking for.

I hope you found this blog post helpful!  Please feel free to ask questions either in the comments section or email me your questions!
With love and hair,
Megan

When Maya first mentioned she wanted butterflies in her hair for her wedding, my first image was me circa 2001 with my big, glittery butterfly clips from Claire's that had a small spring on them so that wherever I walked, they bounced.  Once she explained her vision though, I immediately was on board!  It wasn't those clips I  so adored back in the day that drew in more attention than my tye dye t-shirt (yes, I had quite the fashion sense y'all), she had actual crafted butterflies that went with her wedding colors!
As I got to know her more, the more I felt this style fit her.  Maya has this beautiful beat to her drum that she marches to that doesn't fit anyone else.  She has this sense of self that makes you want to get in touch with your own self more.   She embraced her individuality from the normal, run of the mill wedding and it absolutely made for a gorgeous wedding.  If you know anything about me at all you know I was a DIY bride who embraced fun, quirky ideas.  I think that's why Maya and I meshed so well!  
So please enjoy these fun photos she shared with me!  But don't judge my nails to hard, this is why I don't even bother to wear nail polish anymore!  But sweet Maya, as soon as I pointed that out and started apologizing for "ruining her hair photos", instantly stopped me in my tracks and reminded me that such a small detail like that is something she wasn't even looking at.  

Makeup Artist: Thuy Khuat 
Photographer: Shutterbugs Creations
Venue: Rigmor House

With love and hair, 
​Megan

I probably drive my sweet clients crazy always wanting to take photos of what I've done on their hair.  But they are so incredibly sweet and always try to do what I ask for them to model for me.  I took some photo's of this mermaid wave the other day, both in the salon and just outside of it.  What can I say, I like variety!  So I came home, uploaded the files to my computer so I could crop them to fit Instagram,  and I immediately noticed a huge difference in the color!  I took these photos specifically for the style, however, I also do her color, so I thought this would be a fantastic lesson on finding hair color inspiration online.  Check out the two photos side by side...

They look like two completely different hair colors, don't they?  I've seen this so often though, and I wanted to share with you which one is the more true representation of her color.  Both images I love, and ultimately, I chose to share both for Insta because hello!!  Her hair is gorgeous!  Not only that, but she's gorgeous inside and out.  One day when we have enough time to do a full photo shoot, I'll share with you this gorgeous friend of mine.  But on to the break down of the color...

This first  solo photo, there is much more warmth in her color.  This was taken inside with a window beside us as out light source.  All lights in the room were out, however, naturally since we are inside here, there's a lot of things around us to reflect and cause a change in the look of her color.  This is the more unnatural version of her actual hair color we do.  If you take this photo to your stylist and tell the you want this,  you're going to get what is considered a "warm" toned brunette color.  It is a gorgeous color!  But keep going to see what her true color is...

This is when we went outside!  The sun is positioned behind us and I'm using the shadows just barely away from the sun, to get an image of her hair.  This is what her hair looks like in person.  A cooler toned brown with very subtle highlights.  Originally, I did take these photos to specifically show off those waves,  but this is such a great representation of how lighting changes the look of hair color in a photo, that I knew it needed to be shared!  So next time you find a fantastic color on Pinterest, make sure you really talk to your stylist first before diving in.  Ask them if the particular photo looks warm verses cool and which looks better with your skin tone.  Talk to them about the lighting in the photo and work together to see if you can figure out if the photo is a true read of the color.  Also, be careful about photo shopped photos!  A lot of photos are gorgeous colors, but you can find the original photo and see that the color had been photo shopped!  

I hope you found this helpful!  I'd love to know what you enjoy reading about and seeing on the blog, so please be sure to leave me a comment letting me know what you'd like to see on a future post!  Have a lovely weekend!

With love and hair,
​Megan

I often describe my style as "elegantly boho" and I really think this style I recently created on this gorgeous Mrs. is exactly the definition of that!  I like it when a style is still polished, but has some braids incorporated to give texture and add some "umph" to it.  This style incorporates curls with looping, twisting and braiding.  Would you believe when I originally started on this style we were thinking it'd be all up?  But it just didn't feel right.  When you're finding your perfect style, you have to go with intuition and just listen to what your style is telling you!  Enjoy the process of picking out your wedding hair (or prom!) and if it starts speaking something else to you rather than what you originally planned, go with the flow!  You never know what you might end up with. 

With love and hair,
​Megan

It's not everyday here in NC that I get to create festival hair for someone.  So, anytime I have the chance to just play however I like, I quite enjoy playing around with different ways to style and festival hair has been intriguing me lately!  

What is festival hair?  I'm certainly not a trendy kid, I sing Backstreet Boys in my car, but music festivals like Cochella are becoming more and more popular and all the cool kids are wearing super funky hair.  Think modern day Wood Stock.  For me though, this style of multi-braids is super fun for creativity.  So here is my most recent creation!

Here's the how-to on the infinity braid in this style.  This was the focal point that so many people have commented on and want to know how to do!  So, I have the footage for the entire hairstyle, which I'll upload as a video, but I decided to also have a video dedicated solely to the infinity braid.  It's a pretty easy technique of over, under.  Once you see it, it makes so much sense!

1.  SULFATE FREE SHAMPOO
 It's no secret that I am an avid ingredient nerd.  It's starting to get to the point that I am skeptical of almost everything.  Alas though, there are shampoos out there we can use that are better than others.  For frizz purposes (because I could go on all day for many reasons on whats bad for all reasons), make sure there are no sulfates in your shampoo!  Sulfates are harsh detergents found in laundry detergent among other things we don't use on our bodies.  Sulfates strip your hair of moisture just so you can get enough suds to create that shampoo Mohawk we all loved as kids.  
(If you really enjoy detailed info on such things, click here for a video from my 22 year old self where I share detailed info on sulfates, play interesting spa like back ground music, and literally show you a bag of the actual ingredient. :])

2.  CONDITIONER!
This one is especially for guys!  In general, I know most women are fans of conditioner.  However, whoever you are, if you are experiencing frizz,  no matter who you are, you need to be using a good moisturizing conditioner.  Frizz is lacking moisture.  Just like a raisin in the sun, our hair will dry up due to lack of moisture.
​(Click here if you want to see a more recent video of me showing you how to properly condition your hair!)

3.  PROPERLY TOWEL DRY YOUR HAIR
Do you attack your head with your towel thinking you'll really get the moisture out, only to look in the mirror and find tangle city?  OR do you do the standard old school tying up your hair in the towel?  (Although I must say, for nostalgia I do love that look of circa 1995, towel up in the robe laying out your pink fuzzy curlers you're about to put in.)  Properly towel drying means squeezing the water out, rather than attacking your hair. Click here to see me show you the proper way to towel dry your hair.

5.  THE HEAT VERSES NO HEAT DEBATE
Yes, flat ironing and curling your hair daily will tame the frizz.  But is that keeping your hair in it's healthiest state? No!  Heat drys out your hair more, therefore when you wear your natural hair, that glorious frizz we're avoiding is going to look even drier.  It's certainly a personal decision, but if you are trying to show love to your natural hair, keep the heat to a minimum. ​

This past week, if you follow me on instagram, you probably saw a whole lot of this blonde, romantic hairstyle.  I can't get enough!  So I wanted to share the full images with you!  This style would be great for a bride, but if you're really wanting to show off on date night, you could also wear it for that!  I hope you enjoy and please let me know your thoughts and what you enjoy seeing on the blog!

If you are a bride in or around North Carolina and this style is something you love, click here for more information about booking me to be your wedding day hairstylist!  I can't wait to meet you!
With love and hair,
Megan