Finishing School – H is for…

September 22, 2010 | Category: Finishing School

I couldn’t let you down could I? Despite my mad life

at the moment I had to find the time to write this Finishing School post.

H is for…..Yes, you’ve guessed it:

HAIR

Quite possibly the single most essential thing for a women to be feminine and fabulous is her hair. A good hairstyle not only looks fabulous but it makes you feel fabulous too. I hope that the message I am repeating in Finishing School is starting to sink in – if you spend time making yourself look good you will feel good. Feeling good leads to better confidence, a brighter outlook, fulfilment and good health, mentally and physically. This is not shallow stuff, it’s important!

With regards your hair it’s simple, if your hair looks a mess you look a mess – fact! I see and hear of so many women walking around with haystacks as hair complaining that they ‘just don’t have the time’. If you’ve used that excuse then purrrrlleeeesss, who are you kidding?! It take seconds to run a comb through ones hair and this must be the absolute minimum that any women must do on a daily basis. Given I am certain you have more than seconds to attend your barnet I am going to talk about the must dos and the must don’ts.

You must wash your hair regularly. It doesn’t have to be everyday, in fact it’s better if it’s just a couple of times a week. The only reason you should wash it more often is if you are exposed to a smelly environment (if you smoke then daily is essential). Smells linger in hair so must be dealt with swiftly. Washing your hair more often than every other day is really not good for it, especially if, like me, you wear it up a lot.

I recommend using a good shampoo and conditioner suitable for your hair type for the best hair condition, however, lets face it, provided it cleans your hair and smells nice anything is better than nothing. If you have a few extra pounds then the investment will make a difference but if you haven’t then don’t worry.

Do see a hairdresser regularly. Every 6-8 weeks is best to keep it in tip top condition. At the very least you should have your hair trimmed/cut back into shape this often. If money is an issue just get the cut, forgo the wash and blow dry.

DO NOT highlight or bleach your own hair. I’m sorry, I may well offend but NOBODY and I mean NOBODY looks good with home highlighted or bleached blonde hair. An all over wash in dye to cover grey done at home is fine but anything more than this really must be done my a colourist in a salon. There is a reason they take months/years to train to do what they do! If you can’t afford to have your hair coloured properly and regularly then don’t do it, stay natural. Trust me I have never ever seen anyone who looks nice with home bleached/highlighted hair, it always looks dreadful. If you’ve been told otherwise i’m afraid they’re lieing.

Was that too harsh? Sorry, but it needed to be said.

If you dye your hair a colour too far removed from your own you really must have it redone regularly. Regrowth really looks awful and again, if you can’t afford or don’t have the time to have this done regularly then keep it simple and don’t dye your hair. Contrary to modern belief there is nothing wrong with being natural, in fact it’s far less hassle and far less expensive. To save some pennies when having highlights you can often just have a T-section, which is just the root section and normally half the cost of a full head of highlights. Again, you can always forego the blow dry to save more money.

Do speak to your hairdresser about your preferred style AND your lifestyle. If you really struggle to find the inclination to style your hair in the morning have a cut that requires little to no effort. If you love playing with your hair then have something more adventurous. I always have my hair shoulder length as I only ever put it up. My hair’s really thin so wearing it down requires too much effort blowdrying, hair up takes me minutes and can always look good with little effort.

If you have hair longer than chin length then play around with it. There are so many updos that can be created and give your hair completely different looks all the time. There are updos for every occasion be it casual or smart and honestly they are so easy once you’ve had a few attempts. I am addicted to playing with my hair and can normally be found sporting a different style every day. My current hair idol is January Jones playing Betty in Mad Men as per the pictures throughout this post. Her hair is similar in colour and style to mine and i’ve been loving copying some of the Mad Men creations.

Mix it up. Don’t stick to the same hairstyle. At the very least you MUST have a new hair style every five years. Aside from the home bleaching the other most horrendous thing is seeing a women in her fifties wearing her hair as she did when she was 20. It shows. Hairstyles date and what suited you when you were 20 doesn’t suit you in your 40′s. It’s another hard lesson but tis the truth. If your hairstyle is out of date or not making the most of you then do talk to your hairdresser. Mind you, if said hairdresser is the same one you’ve been seeing for 10 years and isn’t working in a forward thinking salon and therefore undergoing regular training then change hairdressers. It’s tough but a hairdresser without uptodate techniques is not going to be able to do your look justice.

Enjoy your hair. For women hair is such an essential part of our character. You only have to speak to ladies who have unfortunately lost their hair due to cancer treatment or illness and you appreciate just how important it is. Look after it!

I am intending on doing some hair up tutorials for 1940′s, 1950′s, 1960′s and modern once I arrive in the US and have more time. Until then there are many great ones already available on You Tube. I particularly like Strawberry Koi tutorials - I just like her. When you visit her fabulous blog you must remember me and make sure you come back!

Your Challenge

When was the last time you went to a hairdresser? If it was too long ago then please consider going asap, again, I appreciate that money is a factor and quite possibly time too, however, that two hours is such a good investment when you consider how fabulous and amazing you feel when you come out. The confidence a new or refreshed hairstyle brings is amazing.

However, I try very hard not to set you challenges that do not require you to spend money as I know this is not possible for many people right now. Therefore my challenge to you is:

To spend five minutes each morning, for a week, styling your hair. This may involve brushing it and using products to tidy it up, it may involve trying a new updo or simply adding a pretty hair slide. Whatever it is try something different and make an effort. Leave your house in the morning knowing you have spent five minutes on your hair and feel great about it.

As ever, tell me how this goes. Did you try out a new updo? Have you invested in a new shampoo? Have you brushed your hair for the first time in two years? Did you get yourself to the hairdressers to remove the dreadful home bleached job?

I must point out that your morning routine should be expanding after a couple of months of Finishing School. I hope you’re all still using mascara, taking care with your morning cleansing routine and generally considering how you look each morning. I know it takes time for a routine to settle but it will and Finishing School is a great start.

If you are new to Finishing School then feel free to jump straight in, you’ll find all of the posts A-H on my Finishing School page. You can either continue from this point forward or go through previous Finishing School posts and catch up. You need do as little as just reading the posts or as much as blogging about your experiences completing the challenges. I write this for you so it’s up to you what you do with it.

Can’t wait to hear abour your fabulous new hair styling!

Lottie -x-

5 Comments

Rhian
on September 23rd, 2010
1
I am a little bit behind what with holidays and all, but have written a little ‘catch up’ post to try to get back on track. Luckily with this challenge I had already booked a hair cut and was planning to go for something a little different. Appointment’s not for a week though so you’ll have to wait to see what happens!

Thanks again Lottie. xx

http://minidesign.blogspot.com/2010/09/lotties-finishing-school-catchup.html
Lottie
on September 24th, 2010
2
Fantastic post! It’s so good to see in one place everything you’ve been doing. You are fab! xx
Xidia
on September 29th, 2010
3
Done…you’re finding some tough challenges for us this month!
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