2020 was a wild year for all. I think especially the wedding industry saw a major shift as weddings everywhere had so many restrictions, you could only have so many people attending, your wedding ceremony couldn't be in certain places, so many things wedding related changed! I know for myself, I already had planned that 2020 wouldn't have as many weddings since I was having a baby literally right smack in the middle of spring wedding season. But I was shocked and saddened to see so many brides have to make the difficult decision to move their weddings to 2021. My 2019 final total of weddings completed was 42. My 2020 final total of weddings completed was 10. This is not a complaint, but an observation of how drastically weddings as a whole have changed. I look at my calendar this year and see how booked I already am for weddings, and am thankful, it's amazing how many of those are from last year though. I can't imagine all that the 2020 brides are going through. But I do have some images to share! With the 10 weddings I did, they were actually really amazing because they were small and intimate, so I didn't have as many people to get ready and it was an interesting new way of doing things, as I got to actually slow down and get to know that wedding party. So here are a few favorite bridal and bridesmaid hairstyles from 2020. There will be a part 2! I didn't want this to be a huge blog post that took forever to look at. But I chose a verity of updos, and half up hairstyles to showcase. Just wait until you see the last one! That is a bride!! So much fun and so different with her bridal braid. I truly enjoyed my 2020 brides that were able to make their ceremonies small and still have the wedding go on. with love & hair,
Megan
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It has been a while since I've kept up with this blog! Roughly 18 months. Which makes since, as I know have a 9 month old! If you follow me on social media or I do your hair in person, you already know this info, but for any reader that keeps up with me just on this blog, surprise!! June 2019 was my last blog post. July 2019 we went on an amazing vacation. August 2019 we found out we were pregnant! Then April 13, 2020 we welcomed our baby boy into the world! For me, the journey into motherhood has been amazing. I cannot complain about pregnancy, it was gracious on me. As for birth, I am so fascinated with how God designed the female body to literally grow a life and bring it into the world. I was determined to give birth with no medications and sure enough I did! Labor hit hard and fast around 11 pm April 12 (Easter Sunday!) and by 9:36 am the next morning, we were meeting our little one! Having a baby in April of 2020 means I honestly remember nothing about the start of the pandemic. I did not have to wear a mask while giving birth. However, as super human as I felt while giving birth, there's no way someone would have put one on my face considering how much you have to breathe! Coming home though, it's kinda like the entire world was on maternity leave with me. Which was nice. We were able to stay in without experiencing any FOMO. Although, with a newborn, I don't think I could ever fear missing anything outside because so much sweetness is inside! Mid June I started making my way back to the salon. Taking clients who were excited to get out of their houses for a little bit. I learned quickly though how much of my heart was at home. So for the rest of 2020, I spent time figuring out my working schedule which is now balanced and spending a good amount of time in the salon the couple days a week I am there, yet getting more time at home because I am off more days than I used to be. I am so thankful for my clients who have been so supportive of my into motherhood. Having people support me in my career and personal life really means so much and shows me that I have made some wonderful connections through the years. For 2021, I am working on being in the salon a couple days a week and still taking weddings, just not as many weddings as I used to. These precious days with our boy are flying by and I'm trying to soak in every moment! Now that you know what kept me away for so long, we can get back to sharing hairstyles!!
Please feel free to let me know any blog posts you would like to see. If there are any hair subjects you'd like to learn more about or salon services you would like to see. I am here to share all about the hair! To end though, here are a few more photos of our sweet boy! June was jam packed with weddings! There was one weekend in June that I did 16 heads of hair in a matter of two days. I have absolutely been blessed with simply amazing brides this year and I am so excited to share these fun updos, halfup styles and fun looks with you!! Starting with JP, who married her sweetheart at Merrimon-Wynne in down town Raleigh. She had her florist bring some extra flowers for us to put in her hair and I am SO glad we used them! This gal already has some amazing hair, but adding the flowers made her gorgeous locks stand out even more! The following 6 images were taken at Windy Hill Farm on the most gorgeous day for a June wedding that I think I have ever worked! Upon arriving, I was asked if I could take people outside whenever I needed to use hairspray. If you know me at all, hairspray is not the last thing done, it's essential during the process of building the hairstyle along with other styling aids. So, I found electricity outside on the back porch and this is where I did hair the whole day! I was happier than a little clam and could do hair there every single day! Next I was in Pinehurst at the Carolina Hotel for Melissa's wedding! Often times, I do get to know brides before the wedding. They find out I do cuts and colors as well and I wind up doing that for them too (which makes it so much more emotional when I have to leave their wedding day because I'm so involved at that point and so overly happy for them). This particular wedding though I got to know the bride and her mom by doing both of their colors prior to the wedding and I absolutely loved getting to know this mother, daughter duo!! The day of was so much fun already knowing both of them. Next, Dree was at the Carolina Inn for her wedding day! We did a smooth blowout on her natural curls the day prior to the wedding, but a rain storm caught her leaving her rehearsal dinner party and the next morning we had to do another blowout to get those curls back to their smoothness. Her soft waves and ever so gentle pieces of twisted hair made for a romantic, dreamy style that I simply can't wait to get all the photos back from!! Finally, Corey was a darling bride with this Audrey Hepburn vibe, who got married in the WRAL Azalea Garden's. I am in love with the dreamy, romantic updo we did for her hairstyle and I can't wait to show you more photos when they come back!! Several gorgeous new brides also came in for trials in June. Check out these styles ranging from a natural curly, side swept hairstyle to a really fun red, romantic updo! With love & hair,
Megan May was full of brides and balayage! May is absolutely always one of the busiest months for weddings and proms here in Raleigh, so this month review is going to be packed with updos! Drop me a comment letting me know your favorite pic so I know what to share more of! As always, thanks so much for checking out my work! First time balayage for Leslie! We took into account her already naturally light hair and added in some hand painted pieces to brighten up her ends to have a completely naturally highlighted look. This is one reason I LOVE balayage. If you don't want a lot of maintenance and you also want people to think it's totally natural, balayage is your color style! Both of these half up, half down hairstyles were featured on two lovely young ladies for prom! The blonde was a Saturday prom in which I got to meet her grandma who has been styling hair for over FIFTY YEARS! What a little gem she was. I wish she was local, I would love to sit and learn from her. The beautiful natural hair below is on a sweet, young lady going to prom with her home school guy buddy. Can I just say, home school prom sounded WAY cooler than my prom back in the day. Homeschoolers know how to put prom together! McKenzie's wedding, below, was amazing! My favorite moment was driving away, only because this PRECIOUS moment happened where she was standing in the window of the beautiful old house she was getting ready in, in her dress with the biggest smile on her face waving so big to me. It felt like a movie moment. She is such a doll with amazing taste. Check out some sneak peaks from her wedding... It never fails! I always look so intensely serious when caught on camera doing hair. I promise I'm not mean while doing bridal hair, I'm just very focused! Jena's wedding hair turned out fantastic! We just had a lot of work to do to tell her hair who was boss and keep that curl lasting all day. After chatting with her after the wedding, These curls lasted all night long!! Below is a sweet sixth grade gal who wanted to change up her hair without commitment. Enter tape in extensions! All we did was purchase a pack of purple tape in extensions to install. After her haircut, we installed them in about 15 minutes and her smile suddenly lit up my room! Super fun and now she doesn't have to worry about the color fading while she does all her summer activities! Below are two trials for two weddings I am SO excited for in June! Both these ladies have very fun styles and I can't wait to participate in each of their big days. Just wait until you see the day of look!! Thank you so much for checking out all these styles! Let me know which one you like the most!
With love and hair, Megan - James 1:17 - April was the busiest month I have ever had in my life! I would summarize it as "balayage and brides", because everywhere I turned I was doing one or the other! Honest fact, I didn't feel comfortable and confidant with balayage until this year. I took a balayage class this year though that has lit my love for it on fire! So, in this visual April review, you will see a lot of balayage colors and bridal hairstyles. Thank you to everyone that came to see me at my little salon! Thanks so much for looking at my work! Tell me: which do you enjoy seeing more of? Colors or bridal styles or all of it? Also! Do I do your hair in real life, or are you someone who just appreciates the art? I'd love to know more about you! With Love & Hair,
Megan April is here! So that means it's time for a March review! I can't believe how quickly March went and how many people I saw. I have been so incredibly blessed this year to be seeing more people, helping more brides and in general having a thriving business. I've been meeting new sweet faces that want fun hair cuts and have had deep talks with me about our love for Jesus. Life is so good friends! I am grateful for you and I love sharing time whenever you set in my chair. Check out what kind of styles and cuts/colors happened this March! If you love any of these and would like to get in with me, I am booked till May! Make sure you get your May appointment now because they are already starting to fill up as well. https://salonlofts.com/megan_pirrocco Now enjoy these photos :) With love and hair,
Megan We are already entering the third month of the year and that means spring is SO close!! February was a busy month full of colors, wedding trials and some really sweet Father-Daughter dance styling. Here's what I've been up to in the salon this past month! And here's something super fun! I got to participate in a fantastic high fashion photo shoot in February! It's not everyday that we get to do really outside the box styling in the wedding industry. When contacted to be a part of this, I got really excited to expand my horizons a little and change up my normal styling. Here are a few photos of my work there! See below for who else was part of this great collaboration!! Photography: www.kurthiltonphotography.com/ Stylist: www.instagram.com/megantiffani/ Makeup: makeupbyashleymooney.com/ Hair: www.meganpirrocco.com/ With love and hair,
Megan One big thing to keep in mind when protecting your hair, is to be very gentle when you towel dry. In this video, I show you how to use a regular towel to gently towel dry your hair and keep from preventing breakage. Something really interesting about our hair is that when wet, it naturally has more elasticity, thus why it seems to stretch. For those of you with curly hair will really get it, doesn't your hair always seem WAY longer when wet?? When we are too rough on our hair wet, that can cause damage, thus leading to breakage. So if you are a person that currently goes at your wet hair with a towel like a small animal is on your head, watch to see how I use a squeezing technique to get the water out! Once your hair is towel dried, next is getting the tangles out! Do you use a brush or a comb to get tangles out of your hair? Do you change it up between wet and dry? In this next video, I'm going to show you how to properly use both tools. Here's the key: - NEVER use a brush on your hair wet. Always use a wide tooth comb or something built for wet hair such as the Tangle Teezer. - Always start at the bottom of your hair and work your way up through the tangles rather than going in anywhere and having a huge tangled mess. - Make sure you comb/brush your dry hair before going to sleep at night. I hope you find this video helpful! This is an older video, but it has become my most viewed video! A lot of people are searching for tips on how to properly brush! There you have it! The end of your shower routine. Next week we'll be going into products to use now that your hair is all combed out and ready to either air dry or blow dry.
With love and hair, Megan Hair conditioner is what we use to make our hair softer and more manageable. It greatly eases the detangling process and also manages frizz and friction. Conditioner is AMAZING! But how do you know what to choose?! If you don't color your hair, you really don't need the most expensive and nourishing conditioner. A good "daily" conditioner or light moisture is just fine. If you do color your hair, based on the integrity of your hair, you may need something a little more moisturizing. So what do you choose?! 1. Moisturizing - The name pretty much tells it all. This type of conditioner adds moisture to the hair and in turn adds shine. If your ends feel dry or you look in the mirror and your hair looks dull, this is a great conditioner for you! My favorites are from Moisture Treatment from Loma and Hydrolock from Jack Winn. 2. Nourishing - This is for dry, thirsty hair that has been through many coloring treatments. If you get highlights, this is for you! Nourishing conditioners usually have a protein in them for strengthening the hair. My favorites are Loma's Nourishing Conditioner and Jack Winn's Biobond. 3. Deep Conditioner - This is one everyone should have! This is a once weekly or bi-weekly extra nutrients and moisturizing treatment. So, how do we use conditioner? In the following video, we're going to go into detail on how to use conditioner. Because it's main purpose is to put moisture into tangled hair, you want to make sure it isn't put directly on the scalp. Your scalp naturally produces sebum which is a good natural oil for your hair. Your hair next to your scalp is receiving that sebum the most, therefore you do not need extra conditioning there. Take your conditioner and start in the middle of your hair, around where your ears are. Cover from there down. Do this before you start the rest of your shower so you can clip up your hair and let it set with the conditioner until you're finished getting clean, then rinse in cool water. What to see how this is done? Watch here: So there we go! Did you learn a quick tip in this blog? Tell me in the comments! Hearing from you helps me know what else to teach on :) I do hope this helped you!
With love and hair, Megan Healthy hair starts in the shower! What's in your shampoo, how you shampoo, even how often you shampoo your hair all factors into it's health! So what do we look for that's good? Sulfate free shampoo is a must to get healthy hair. Sulfates are harsh detergents that not only fade color, but majorly dry out the hair. It originally started in shampoos back in the day our sweet grandmas were going to the salon every week. They needed something harsh to get the build up off from a week of that style, so enters sulfates. Over time, when people started washing their hair at home and more often, it started getting noticed how dry their hair was getting and their beautiful color was fading much quicker! Shampooing everyday can quickly over dry hair and keep our scalp from producing it's natural sebum. Sebum is that oil that you think is gross when in reality it is your hair's best conditioner! I myself shampoo my hair only once a week. But I have trained both my hair and myself to go that long. (My record is 11 days!) If you are shampooing everyday, don't fret! There are ways to cut back. 1. Start with every other day shampooing. If you still want to get your hair wet on the day you do not shampoo, that's ok, but not necessary. 2. Dry shampoo is your best friend! Don't go toxic though. My new favorite that I sell in salon is from Loma. If you are not in the Raleigh area where you can come see me, find your local salon that retails Loma, it is wonderful! They use tapioca as the ingredient to soak up oils instead of tons of toxic chemicals. That or arrowroot powder, cornstarch, any natural and drying ingredient. But I sure do love Loma's dry shampoo! 3. Learn ways to wear your hair up! Wearing your hair up is a perfect way to keep the frustrations of a little oil out of your face. I always say day 1 and 2 are down days and then anything after I have various go-to's for upstyles. Try a perky ponytail, a fun little top knot bun or a nice french braid. Have fun with your styles so that shampooing less is fun too! 4. Get a Scalp Detox! One of my very favorite new services I have is a scalp detox. Since this isn't a blog focused on it, I won't gush too much, but think of how great your skin feels whenever you exfoliate it. A scalp detox has a similar feel and has so many good nutrients for your scalp, but a huge benefit is how clean it gets your scalp! This is how I had my record of 11 days with NO shampoo! To shop my one of my favorite lines for color treated hair, check out my storefront for Jack Winn to try either Hydrolock which is for color treated hair or Bio Bond which is for damaged color treated hair (if you have highlights or any kind of lightened hair, this one is for you!) So tell me! What are YOU going to try to help your shampoo routine? I hope this helps you get inspired!
With love and hair, Megan |
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