Veejay

Cute bob

                                                   This is what Veejay thinks of her new cut.

Model: Veejay
Hair: Emily Chumchal Andrews

Morris Wedding

Hair: Emily Chumchal Andrews

Model: Lissa 

Carol

Hair: Emily Andrews

Hair Model: Carol

Octoberness

It's October! Beautiful weather, fragrant soup, and costumes. So, in honor of all that lovleliness and in keeping with all things hair I have decided to post a couple of pictures of one of the messiest costume hair I've done.

Me as Cruella Deville.

Worth it. 

 I divided my hair in the middle and one side black (covering the other with plastic) and then the other side white. The spray came from Party City and because of the texture it leaves your hair you have hardly any need for hairspray. Perfect for Cruella. 

So much better than any wig would have been.

Happy Fall, y'all!

We All Strive For Easy Style in Texas Summers

Youth is in a grand flush, like the hot days of ending summer; and pleasant dreams thrall your spirit, like the smoky atmosphere that bathes the landscape of an August day.

Donald G. Mitchell

Natural Hair Dye

Question: I'd like to know more about alternatives to super chemical-ly hair dyes, like natural options such as henna. I'd really like to dye my hair, but I'm not sure what exactly I'd be exposing it to.

Answer:

So, it used to be that when you went to the hair salon the last thing you wanted was to leave with your hair green. But as of late "green" hair dye has become more popular (cue the ba da bum, cymbal crash). But, seriously, here is some information about traditional hair dye and natural alternatives.

The chemical in traditional hair dye that many people are concerned about is PPD because it has been suggested by researchers that it is "potentially" harmful although it has not proven to be. It has been proven, however, that some people are allergic to it which is why a patch test should be done before application. If you have been diagnosed with an allergy to any of the following then you should not use ANY permanent hair dye.

p-phenylenediamine (PPD or Para Dyes)
m-phenylenediamine
p-aminophenol
m-aminophenol

This includes any natural alternative because if it is permanent it still has to oxidize to be able to change your hair color. Therefore, it will most likely contain PPD.

 It used to be that your only alternative was henna (which only comes in red or black) but hair color has progressed and there are more options now. Most organic colors and chemical free (or almost chemical free) hair color will have a henna base but from my experience if you use Henna to dye your hair and mess it up it does not react well with traditional hair dye and can still take many washes to remove (and may leave enough traces when the color is washed out to react with normal dye). That being said, semi-permanent is your only other option to be free of PPD and peroxide and is probably the best choice.

If you are okay with PPD and would like something that lasts more than a few weeks, there is a line called Herbatint that has less peroxide, no ammonia, and no Resorcinol or parabens. Their line also includes semi-permanent dye and it IS free of peroxide and PPD. Here is their website http://www.herbatintusa.com/ I am sure you would also like to know that Herbatint has the stamp of approval from the Vegan Society.

No Limits is also a dye that is free of ammonia and PPD and it comes from Organic Color Systems. No Limits has ECOCERT and Soil Association certified organic ingredients and is also certified by PETA. It is only available to salon professionals.

There are other companies as out there as well but these seem to be the most well regarded and the most committed to natural and safe products. Natural hair dye will cost your stylist about three times as much as other hair dye and may be harder to apply so the price for the service will reflect that. That being said, you can do it at home (and Herbatint actually has a hotline!) but for the best results a salon visit is usually the safest bet.

Hope this answered your questions.

Questions

"Do you have any questions?"

Sometimes I cannot think of what to write for a blog post. What information should I convey? When people find out I am a hairstylist it never fails that they have a question about hair, usually their hair, that they want to ask me. So, I thought this particular blog I would ask you, the readers, if you have any questions pertaining to hair or style. Let me know!