This is Beth. Having a bad hair day. Looking forward to good hair days.
P.S. Links to the song:
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This is Beth. And it’s April.
1. The Do—Brunette.
Inspired by many (sweet-looking) brown-haired beauties:
2. Music (what was playing at the salon during the doing of the do)—Note: music plays all the time at Bang, I don’t get to pick do-appropriate songs. This time what I heard, noticed, remember: American Pie and Have You Ever Seen the Rain (early ’70s this time).
3. Drink (what I sipped at the salon during the doing of the do)—Note: I do get to choose the do-appropriate drink. This time, red wine. And not just any red wine that any brunette might sip… okay, well, yes, it was.
4. The Theory—Girl next door. Nice, smart, serious, studious, brainy, even tempered, stable, competent. Also plain, boring. But, don’t forget trustworthy, faithful, confident, self sufficient, mature, clever, gifted, worldly. I learned that brown is a typical hair color for most ethnicities, so it’s relatively common—that may be why brunettes tend to get pegged as stable and dependable while rarer hair colors get flashy, more dramatic stereotypes. By the way, “brunette” probably best captures my natural hair color.
5. Reactions—Some of you will say that it’s the same as February and March. Others might recognize the “nice dimensional brown” as Monica put it. So, we’ll see… And please remember, we have several months of new dos a-comin’ plus (drum roll) hopefully another big change from Liz this month. Cheers!
P.S. Title song: Adam Ant from Friend or Foe
This is Beth. And this has been Up & Accessory month.
3/1 Messy tucked pony
3/2 Messy bun; tiny side braid for evening ’80s party
3/3 Messy french braid
3/4 Low bun with corkscrew pins
3/5 Low side pony (worn with leg warmers)
3/6 Feathery beaded headband (salon visit!)
3/7 Twists around face with fancy pins (thanks Kara) with swoopy smooth back by Monica [attempts at other styles failed despite salon tutorial]; the girl wore pins too
3/8 Gibson roll with headband
3/9 Exceptionally messy, very high pony for weekend; winter hat for sledding and soggy zoo visit
3/10 Two low side braids, tied together to avoid Pippi Longstocking look
3/11 [after two failed updo attempts] Feathers! (thanks Ginni)
3/12 Sock bun, smooth with lots of flyways (started with straight hair); the girl wore a bun too
3/13 Attempt at Ginni’s three-little-buns-across-back-of-head (messy & didn’t look like buns but got a couple compliments); the girl high pony with sparkly bow clip
3/14 Poorly executed gibson roll; the girl big bow headband and low back pony
3/15 Shiny blue flower pin (thanks Kara) on curly hair; the girl two french braids along face
3/16 Two skinny white stretchy headbands, straight bangs, curly back
3/17 Two braid buns vertically stacked back of head
3/18 Three-little-buns-across-back-of-head by Ginni; the girl super side swept
3/19 High sock bun (started curly this time) with black elastic headband
3/20 Super messy pony & pins, started straight
3/21 Headwrap (Asparagus Studio); the girl high pony
3/22 Knit hair “turbin” (Anthropologie)
3/23 High curly pony with straight bangs
3/24 Twisted in back with pins, sections fell out throughout the day
3/25 Tucked pony with fancy clip
3/26 Low bun with corkscrew pins, started curly this time
3/27 High two-section pony, ends wrapped & tucked, no bangs
3/28 Two skinny black elastic headbands, pony pulled through 1 1/2 times
3/29 Front pulled back with fancy bobby pins, back down, bangs
3/30 Top section pulled back in a pony, hair wrapping elastic, back down & straight, bangs
3/31 Lazily pulled back with two bobby pins
Best hairdo of the month: the girl’s “wrecking ball”
P.S. Special thanks to Ginni for hair advice and hair doing!
This is Beth. Shopping.
A deal?
This is Beth. Over the weekend I met a friend for a working breakfast at a hotel downtown. To my surprise and delight, we happened upon a flock of pink-flower-accessory-wearing-Mary Kay-convention goers!
Perfect for March Up & Accessory month.
The creator of the fabulous flowers even told me how she made them.
Nice!
This is Beth. Fabulous guest blogger Michelle has been chronicling the growing out of her own and her husband’s hair here (and here). Here’s another great growing-it-out story:
In Yael’s words:
No it is not a wig.
One of the main reasons I choose to keep my hair very short is due to my unruly, crazy frizzy, unpredictable hair, after my daughter was born I quickly got sick of her thinking it was funny to pull it as hard as she could when she was a baby.
It has been short for almost 10 years, my hair grows quickly which meant a trip every 2 weeks for a trim, to the amazing woman that has kept my mane tame. When Beth mentioned her blog I jumped at the opportunity to participate but really I just needed an excuse to grow it out and stick with it.
Month number 1 I got by with extra goo, month number 2 required a flat iron, now on month number 3 and I am at the point where I typically give up and go get it chopped. It is big, wavy and in need of more help than I can provide, as a last resort I have raided my daughter’s hair accessories, barrettes are my weapon of choice.
I have no idea where my hair and I are going to end, my safety net is that I can always cut it short again, but not for 9 more months….. I made a promise……
This is Beth. Witnessing more amazing hair transformations.
Before:
The pic used to convince her mom that it was time for a change:
After:
In Whitney’s words:
I’m not sure I like it yet, shocked every time I see my reflection! Ben likes it more, and yes–my mom does too! I have been blonde my whole life (natural as a kid, with professional help as an adult) and the maintenance was just getting to be too much; I felt like I always had horrible roots! So, in essence, this is kind of my lazy way out of having to get it done every six weeks–which, let’s be honest, is a lot of money for hair. 😉 We’ll see how I feel come summertime…
P.S. Whitney got engaged shortly after becoming a brunette. Congratulations!
This is Beth. And this is one of the most dramatic hair transformations I’ve seen recently, complete with great story!
Before:
After:
In Suzuki’s words:
Since you asked about my thought process, a less-is-more spirit has been compelling me. After a lengthy period of neglect, I recently overhauled my office, cleaned out my closet, pruned my fruit trees, and stepped into a hair salon for the first time in a decade. (My husband is now off the hook for trims.) The time had come for an actual hairstyle!
Specifically, I desired a 1920s style that would work with my waves. I had to cut it a few times before it approximated what I had in mind.Then I had to figure out how to let it dry and get it styled into a somewhat decent shape. (The alternatives provide family entertainment. I can now look just like a human Q-Tip or like my head’s on fire.)
One thing I noticed after the latest cut was: Oh, I have a neck! Suddenly, jewelry seems apropos and looks right.
The style itself is a work-in-progress and I’m having fun experimenting. Change is good!
This is Beth. Mandi is one of my favorite people. Last year she cut off her long flowing locks, a fairly dramatic change.
Before:
After:
She is, of course, still beautiful. Inside and out!
Coming soon: a series of posts featuring other spectacular hair transformations.
This is Beth. And it’s March.
1. The Do—It’s Up and Accessory month.
Inspired by celebrity updos (several examples from the Academy Awards, thanks Jilly):
The very dark continues (so, not a new brunette, but I like the song).
2. Music (what was playing at the salon during the doing of the do)—Note: While I do get to pick the blog post title song, I don’t get to pick what plays at Bang. Often the salon is noisy, I only hear a few songs. This time: Don’t You Forget About Me—Simple Minds (the fourth time the song [or The Breakfast Club] has come up in as many days), I Wanna Dance With Somebody—Whitney Houston, and TIme After Time—Cyndi Lauper. Seriously ’80s.
3. Drink (what I sipped at the salon during the doing of the do)—Note: I do get to choose the do-appropriate drink. This time, a recipe from my Northampton friend—Jeff’s Bellini Martini.
Vodka, peach schnapps, prosecco (or champagne). The drink is fancy, like some of the updos I’ll attempt. It requires a shaker and special glass. All totally worth it.
4. The Theories—Two ends of a spectrum: super fancy party-ready undo or (and) super casual throw it in a ponytail.
From eHow.com Style by Marianne Moro: “An updo hairstyle involves pinning the hair on the top or sides of the head in a formal fashion. Usually reserved for special occasions like parties, weddings and funerals, the style can be adapted into a loose version for everyday wear. The most common “updo” stereotype is of a librarian with a tight bun of hair pinned on top of her head. But in the modern day updos are commonly used by teen girls at prom time, by actresses during award shows, and by everyday women who want a new look.”
By the way, I know lots of librarians and none of them wear buns. None fit a traditional “librarian” stereotype in any way, really.
5. Reactions—Although I just saw Monica at Bang, I started wearing the do up/with accessories (simple styles) the first of the month. So far not much of a reaction. Gotta admit, I’m glad Liz made a big splash with a dramatic, fun March do.
Monica spent some time time showing many ways to do updos, I hope to remember even half of them!
P.S. Title song: Billy Bragg from Talking With the Taxman About Poetry (“Whoops, there goes another year [whoops, there goes another pint of beer]”).
Changing the Locks 