Hollywood Hair How-to

Do you ever have one of those hair days when you seriously consider ordering a Dolly Parton wig? (She honestly has her own line of big, blonde wigs. For a good time, Google the ads from the 80’s) Well, you might not literally want to look like a Steel Magnolia, but most women have two areas that they would like to be considered “voluptuous”, and Dolly is a good example because she just so happens to have both! Fortunately it is a tad easier to accomplish voluptuous hair than to attain the other.

The sexy hair of today belongs to the likes of Jessica Simpson, Carrie Underwood and Eva Longoria. Each of these ladies seems to favor the long, curled, voluminous Hollywood styles that average women envy. Of course these girls have professional hairstylists and expensive products at their disposal, but the most vital secret weapon in a starlet’s beauty arsenal is certainly extensions.

When you think extensions, don’t picture a braided-in weave. The hair extensions that are best for European hair (non-ethnic hair) consist of hundreds of separate, tiny little strands that are “bonded” (a nice word for hot-glued) into your hair near the scalp. This procedure works beautifully and is definitely the way to go if you have several hours and several hundred dollars to spare. As your hair grows out, so do the extensions, so not only do you have the large cost of the initial appointment, but of course this requires a lot of upkeep and touch ups. So basically, unless you have an abundance of time and money, this option may not work for you.

If you are desperate for thicker or longer hair, your next best bet just might be the Jessica Simpson line of at-home hair extensions called Hairdo. They are clip in extensions that are relatively easy to do on your own, come in a variety of different colors to match your own hair and can be found at stores like Ulta. Hairdo also makes a line of 100% natural human hair extensions that can be custom cut and colored by your hair stylist, although of course these do cost more and are not as easy to find. Now here comes the bubble burst. Not just anyone can slap on a long, wavy, glamorous extension piece and look like Jessica herself. For instance, if you have super thin, fine hair, the extension piece will more than likely be seen through your hair. If you have a short, stacked bob haircut, long extensions are a no go. Your natural hair will not blend with the extension and you’ll end up looking like you have a mushroom on your head. Color can also be an issue since these synthetic hairpieces cannot be dyed to match your own color. Keep those things in mind and only venture into extensions if they really look natural on you. The only thing worse than bad hair is a bad hairpiece!

Ok, so maybe you can do extensions, maybe you cannot. I personally prefer to forgo the possibility of my husband romantically caressing my hair, only to get his fingers all tangled up in my weave. That being said, I stick to big hair basics: teasing comb, curling iron and lots of hairspray.

Here’s how it works:

• Start by shampooing and conditioning your hair with volumizing products. A new cheapy favorite of mine is the TREsemme 24 Hour Body collection.

• Apply some volumizing mousse or root lift to your roots and comb through the ends. Blow dry your hair (letting your hair dry naturally is the worst thing you can do if you want volume) by using a brush to lift the roots or just flipping your head upside down. Make sure the hair is completely dry.

• Tease, tease, tease! Do not be afraid of backcombing! Section off the mid-top portion of your hair and just rat up that part. Take small sections, tease, then add another small section to it so it all becomes one big ol’ mat. Spray a little hairspray on the underside of the roots after you tease. When you reach the very top of your head where you part your hair, ease up a little on the teasing so you won’t see it there. It will look like a disaster at this point, but just wait for the end result before you get all worked up about Loretta Lynn staring back at you in the mirror.

• Use a 1 or 1 ½ inch curling iron to make your curls or waves. Section off your hair by pulling it all up on top of your head and securing with a clip. Starting at the nape of your neck, take down a horizontal section all the way around your head that is about 1-2 inches, depending on how thin or thick your hair is or how big or small you want your curls. Starting on one side and working around to the opposite side, take a small section of that hair and place your curling iron towards the top of the shaft (do not start at the ends). Clamp the iron closed on the upper shaft and start rotating the iron, slightly loosening the clamp as you go to allow the hair to move through. When you reach the ends, your entire strand should be wrapped around the curling iron with your ends secured under the clamp. Repeat this throughout your section until all pieces are curled. Take down another section and continue. It can be complicated at first, but the more you do it the easier and faster it becomes. Once you have the hang of it, thick hair should not take any more than 35 minutes.

• Toss your curls to loosen them up and spread them out with your fingers. I like to rub a dab of hair serum on my hands during this step as to not end up making fly-aways or frizzies. Once you have the curls and the top both the way you want it…

• Hairspray! Lift your curls and spray underneath as well as on top. Use your hands to scrunch your curls while spraying for even more volume. (The serum on the hands really helps in this step too so your hair doesn’t stick to your hands.)

Voila! Hollywood hair!

~ Courtney