Category Archives: Hair

Beauty, Hair, How To, Lifestyle, Style, Tips

Hair Extensions (For Dummies!)

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Joel and I have this one friend, Ben, who is an actual real life genius. He is a neuroscientist with an IQ of, like, 160 (probably). THE ONLY time I have ever seen Ben stumped or in disbelief was when we were all hanging out around the time of our wedding last year and he saw me casually pull out my hair extensions… The “waaaait, whaaaat?!” look on his face led my to believe that if I could fool someone so unfoolable, I must be an expert… yes, an expert at clipping in hair extensions, but an expert nonetheless.

I’ve been wearing hair extensions for a longgggg time because my stupid hair won’t grow all the way down to my butt no matter how hard I will it to do so. Also, I keep cutting it on top of forgetting to take my biotin so there’s that.

Back in high school, I used to buy the hair and sew in the clips myself, but these days, ain’t nobody got time for that. My friend suggested eBay for buying extensions, which is what I did this last spring. I would definitely recommend buying these if you want to give hair extensions a try. They’re inexpensive and good quality and if you need to tweak the color to match your own hair, it’s easily accomplished (my cousin applied a toner to mine and now they blend perfectly).

Here is my tried and true method to hair extensions:

HOW TO

  1. Begin by sectioning off the very bottom two inches of you hair. Clip the rest on top of your head.
  2. Using a teasing brush, back comb your roots (I read in a magazine once that this helps the clips stay in place)
  3. Clip in a two or three clip piece of hair and curl in sections (I like to use my trusty old curling iron, since my curling rod is MIA, to curl the top of the strands first then pull the curling iron down to the bottom instead of trying to wrap all the hair around at once.)
  4. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Sectioning, teasing, then curling. When your head feels like it’s 15 lbs heavier, you’re probably good to go.
  5. Lightly brush through all of the curls before adding hairspray and/or texturizing spray.

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Other Uses For Hair Extensions

  • Add extensions to a top knot to make it look like an avant-garde birds nest.
  • Misplaced your Groucho Marx disguise glasses? Use hair extensions to make yourself look like a sexy unibomber and go spy on your neighbors.
  • Need material to make a rope because you’re camping or on a boat or something? Braid your hair extensions and use those.

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Additional Tips

  • Brush your hair extensions both before and after every use.
  • Wash your hair extensions semi-regularly (obviously not as much as you wash your own hair, but don’t never wash them).
  • Definitely unclip and pull out your hair extensions in a public place to see peoples’ reactions.
  • If you’re wearing hair extensions when you go visit your sister and she asks in that patronizing way of hers if  “that’s all your real hair?” say “yes”. I mean, it is your hair, you paid for it.
  • Name your hair extensions. I call mine Sylvia.
  • Stop calling them hair extensions and refer to them only as your “weave” or by the name you gave them in the last tip.

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As someone who will never be able to pull off sexy, short hair, I appreciate the hell out of hair extensions (I mean “my weave”! I MEAN “SYLVIA”!). I plan to keep these luxurious locks for an unbe-weave-ably long time.

Beauty, Hair, Lifestyle, Sponsored, Style, Tips

Becky With The Great Hair

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img_8263Because your hair shouldn’t be just good when it could be GREAT.

Being a hairstylist for almost 7 years, I am constantly asked what are the “best” styling products out there to use on a regular basis. I attended an amazing cosmetology school and learned from some of the best educators and took pride in the culture behind the company. It wasn’t until I got out of the salon and began working for myself that I started playing with other brands and products. I very quickly had a wide spread amount of products but they all came from different companies. I couldn’t commit to 1 line because there was always something that worked better from a different company. All of that craziness ended the day I found Monat, or I guess the day Monat found me.

So why do I keep talking about Monat?

One day, scrolling on Facebook, my friend Ali posted about how she just started a new business with a hair care line. Ali is a dental hygienist, not a hairstylist, without major experience in hair care, so naturally I didn’t give it a second thought and kept scrolling. But she continued to post results and give a little insight into how much money she was making. And not just any results, I witnessed

  • her hair transform from dull to vibrant,
  • her brother-in-law’s receding hair line grow back in, and
  • her daughters’ unruly, tangled hair smooth out to angelic, tangle-free locks.

I said, “Take my money.” Fast forward 3 months and I’m where she was at, doing what I said I would do and continually blowing myself away. My absolute favorite part about this decision is helping people bring their confidence back.  It’s like I can keep being a hair stylist without being behind the chair!

Charlotte loves the Junior Line! It’s specially formulated for kids 10 and under and smells like apples!

A little backstory

Before becoming a part of the company, I was constantly battling myself about wanting to stop working and focus more energy and time into my family. About a year ago, my father was diagnosed with a very rare form of stage 3 prostate cancer, one that only affects 2% of prostate cancer patients. It has been a crazy rollercoaster of a year with highs and lows but it has opened my eyes to how precious and short life is. Do I want to be able to help support my family so we can live the life of our dreams? Of course. But I don’t want to spend many hours of each day on my feet with increased pain in my hands, feet, and lower back (hairstylists, you know what I mean). Thankfully, my husband has been extremely supportive of my decision and insanely proud of my success so far. I am so thankful for all of his help- helping me set up spreadsheets and a contact list that I would have had a hard time doing myself. With each paycheck I make, we take half and put it towards our silly 20-somethings debt that’s been part of our family since we got married. Once we pay it off, I would love to start putting that income towards our children’s future and our dream vacations! Writing this out is bringing tears of joy! I can’t express enough how thankful I am for joining this company.

Enough about me, who is Monat?

Monat stands for Modern-Nature. Monat is an anti-aging, botanically based hair care company that DOES NOT LIE! It does what it says it’s going to do which is huge. It’s very hard to find a hair product that actually does what it’s supposed to do, and continues to do so while giving you the best crown of hair you’ve ever worn.

The main selling point is hair regrowth and reduction of hair loss. I’m constantly finding new baby hairs growing in and getting longer and stronger. Sarah even said her hairdresser asked if her hair was thicker, and that was only after a couple of weeks of use! Aside from hair growth, we pride ourselves in our “no’s”. In all of our products, you won’t find any phthalates, PEG, DEA/MEA, sulfates, parabens, harsh salt systems, harmful colors, or harmful fragrances. Um hello heaven! My color will forever be protected and my damage restored! I’ve hit the jackpot!

@kristinkamaile very talented make-up artist and photographer, started Monat a few weeks ago and has loved the results so far. Restored split ends, healthy scalp, and majorly reduced styling time.
My beautiful mermaid friend, @_erikaguerrero after her first wash with Monat!

 

What about me?

If all of this sounds intriguing, you can take this short quiz to help determine what products would be best for you! If you have more than one main concern, select your biggest concern first and then combat the next soon after.

If you’ve had major hair challenges or just looking for healthier, fuller hair, talk to me and I’ll get you the hook-up.
email: christinajoy16@hotmail.com
Instagram: DM me! @xtinatheunicorn

 

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My favorite 3 products: Rejuvenique Oil, Blow Out Cream, and The Champ Conditioning Dry Shampoo.

 

Post-use: If you use the product, I would LOVE to see your results! Document your results with progress pics and feel free to send them my way with your success story. We can be friends! 🙂
With love,
Christina ❤

Dress Up, Hair, Lifestyle, Party

Not Cool Enough For The 27 Club

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IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! I could write a post telling you all about how awesome I am but in reality, I am just incredibly thankful for my life, my family, and my friends. You all mean the world to me! Life is too short to whine about the things that don’t go well so focus your energy on what makes you happy!


These 3 people give me purpose and a reason to wake up everyday.  Love them all!


I had to treat myself in someway, right? I spent half a day in the salon yesterday changing my hair to this beautiful, dimensional pink! I love it!

I finally splurged a little and treated myself to some sparkly birthday nails too. Working with hair color most days, I struggle with keeping pretty nails since they’re continuously stained and ugly.  I can’t stop staring at these babies!

Tomorrow morning, my husband and I fly out to Los Angeles to celebrate our birthdays since he will be turning 30 on Thursday! Looking forward to some sunshine and waves.
Thanks again for all the birthday love! 27 was a crazy year but rewarding and beautiful at the same time. Love you all!

Beauty, Dress Up, Girl Power, Hair, Lifestyle, Real Talk, Tips

Look Good, Feel Good (Part 1)

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Do you feel more confident when you make the time and effort to do your make-up, fix your hair, and dress up? I know I do, but getting there can be a major struggle. All I think about is how comfortable my yoga pants and oversized t-shirt is. And as long as I don’t run into anyone I know, I’m in the clear. Unfortunately, that never works out.

Anytime I decide to stay in my slums, I always without a doubt run into someone I wasn’t expecting. Not only that but anytime I don’t clean up, I don’t feel good. All I want to do is lay in bed and watch Netflix or just sleep. I’ve realized it’s not healthy for me so I’ve decided to put more effort into my everyday routine.

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Go Dodgers, am I right?

Looking Good, Christina

After applying a hefty amount of dry shampoo and scraping out the rest of my “Full Coverage” foundation to cover up my hormonal breakouts, I’m finally looking and feeling better. When I feel more confident in myself, I have more energy to get out of the house and be productive. Even though it sounds like more work, it’s really not—once you’re done, you get things done.

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Dry Shampoo: Monat The Champ. Lips: Lipsense- 1 coat Purple Reign, 2 Coats Party Pink, Matte Gloss
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I’ve been obsessed with my pink frameless mirrored sunnies!

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So take on the challenge. Put in the extra effort, and look GOOD! Don’t do it for anyone other than yourself. You Go Girl!

xoxo,
Christina

Dress Up, Hair, Lifestyle, Real Talk

#ihavethisthingwith UNICORNS

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Would you believe me if I told you that I didn’t start actually loving unicorns on my own? In middle school I was known for being obsessed with flamingos, which I still am. But I had never really been HUGE into unicorns until recently.

It wasn’t until I started being brave and dying my hair different colors. It slowly started off with a few people tagging me in hair posts with different colors saying, “You should try this out! This is so you.” From the colorful hair posts, it evolved into rainbow food and drinks and then UNICORNS. I always appreciated them, but it was all of this push from everyone around me that made me embrace them as my spirit animal. Now I’m obsessed; I can’t go backward from here, only forward.

I own a unicorn mask that is mandatory for wedding receptions and photo shoots.


 

I have a Unicorn head above my bed that helps me think happy thoughts while I dream.

I’ve overheard people in the grocery store say I have unicorn hair.


I can’t get away from this, and I’m totally ok with that. Unicorns are part of me now, so much so that I will fight someone who has anything bad to say about them (I’m speaking directly to you, Zack).

The Starbucks Drink.



2-3 weeks ago I started getting tagged in posts about a Starbucks Unicorn Frappucino. Naturally, I was very excited and began counting down the days for this magical drink to appear in my hands. The time came to try it, and what did I experience? Cotton Candy Rainbows? Rainbow-sprinkled birthday cake?

Nothing like that at all! Major let down. Yes, consuming anything unicorn related will most likely have an exceptionally high sugar content so I knew what would be to come. BUT SOUR? I don’t know who had the crazy idea to put sour syrup and sprinkles in this drink, but it killed it for me. I was still able to drink it, but to all my fellow unicorn lovers, beware.



Enough about the drink. My love and obsession of unicorns have given me a creative outlet to express my inner being. I’m naturally a pretty happy and joyful person! If I could live on a rainbow and eat berries all day I totally would, but I would want you all to come with me. Can’t have a party by yourself!

 

This is my challenge for you. Open up your heart and let a little sparkle in. It only takes a little bit of glitter to shine. All you have to do is believe!

xoxo,
Christina

 

Beauty, DIY, Dress Up, Hair, How To, Sponsored, Style, Tips

Turn And Face The Strange, Ch-Ch-Changes

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Being a blonde hairstylist with ADHD, I can get bored with my hair really fast! I need change often and change can be expensive and damaging when it comes to your hair! I try as best as I can to take care of it and keep it healthy. Washing it only once a week, and doing deep conditioners every other week. When I was at a hair appointment last summer, my stylist told me about a brand of shampoo called Pure Blends by American Culture Hair, you can use the shampoo to help either maintain colors, enhance colors, or use it to temporarily stain your hair. This immediately got my attention. It’s hard to go back and forth with most fashion colors which are semi-permanent, you use a lot of bleach and it can take a lot of time. I decided to try it out and I loved the results! The color mixtures I used came out vibrant and the fade is always a new shade. I would get excited to shampoo my hair because that meant it would be a different color when I was done.

The first trial I did was with the red shampoo on dry hair for 20 minutes. It came out to a soft pink and stayed vibrant until my next shampoo, then it turned into a rose blonde with my next wash, and by the third wash, it was almost all gone. Since I only wash my hair once a week, this color was the perfect amount of time to try something out without getting bored.


Next, I wanted to try purple which I loved so much because it faded into a silver. I re-did this color probably 3-4 times because I loved it so much! With the balayage/root-look being in-style, I was about to go a few months without getting my roots touched up. The purple/silver hair off-set the fact that I had 4 months of grown out roots. Saved me money and I got to change my hair color all at home!

Throughout the process of using this shampoo, I had been posting a ton on Instagam and making sure to tag American Culture Hair in the process. A few months passed and a representative of American Culture Hair contacted me about a blogging opportunity.  She sent me a few products to test out and that’s where I am at today.


Today, I used the Pure Blends Temped Pink Conditioner. I applied it to my prelightened hair and let it sit for 20 minutes. Viola! My hot pink barbie dreams came to life!


This is an awesome product to try out if you want a fun change! It’s also amazing to help maintain your natural colors and enhance the vibrancy of your hair. All of the shampoos are sulfate and sodium chloride free. They also smell like candy so it gives your nose a nice little treat when washing. If interested in trying out the conditioners, you can use my discount code to save 25% XTINA25 at their website. (Conditioners only) the price is not bad at all and you’ll get free shipping over $46!

Shampoo Cocktail recipes:
Soft Pink: 2 parts Chestnut – 1 part Cherry
Lavender: 2 parts Cocoa – 1 part Violet
Ice Blue: 2 parts Orchid – 1 part Violet
Rose Gold: 2 parts Sun – 1 part Cherry
Silver: 2 parts Violet – 1 part Orchid



p.s. if you have any questions at all about the products, feel free to message me, comment, or email me and I’ll answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Beauty, DIY, Dress Up, Hair, How To, Party, Style

How to create/wear GLITTER ROOTS!

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Because Coachella is always just around the corner…

There’s a new trend where people put actual glitter in their hair, it’s like totally a thing! Whether you’re at home with your cat, going to the grocery store, or hanging out with friends, this is the perfect look to make you shine.  To help me model, I had the alien princess Mikhala help me with some interstellar looks!


Here is what you need:

1 mixing bowl

1 color application brush

1 TBS clear hair gel

1 TBS fine or coarse glitter of your color choice (I used silver)

1 TBS of star confetti

8-10 star stickers

if needed- bobby pins, rubber bands, and hair spray

Directions:

  1. Section out your hair. I did a zig-zag part with space buns but you can also do a half-up/half-down with cute buns.
  2. In Mixing bowl, combine hair gel and glitter.
  3. Apply glitter gel to roots or apply to about 1-2 inches of hair at the scalp down the part line.
  4. Sprinkle in star confetti.
  5. Place star stickers throughout part line.
  6. Go out and party!

 

Isn’t she the cutest? I just want to shrink her and carry her around in my pocket!

 

To remove:

  1. Jump in shower
  2. Shampoo at least 2-3 times, I did 3 times.
  3. Condition your hair and comb or brush out hair before you rinse.
  4. If there are still signs of glitter, DON’T REMOVE IT! All of your friends and coworkers will just think you’re a unicorn!


So what are you waiting for? Go out, glitter yourselves, and tag me when you do it! @xtinatheunicorn

Peace,

Christina