Many of us have had a daring experience in chopping off our long locks. For some, it was a good decision. As for the others, we are left missing, and wishing, and praying for our gorgeous tresses to be just as long and luscious as they used to be. I fall into the category of wishing and praying for my hair to be just as long and beautiful as it once was.

So my journey began. I did my conditioning treatments. I used professional hair products. I got my trims every 6-8 weeks as time allowed. Months go by and I experienced very little growth. So why is my hair not growing??? And why does another stylist who had even shorter hair than I did currently have longer hair than me?

These questions motivated me to research what other factors assist in proper hair growth. And to my surprise the key factor was a healthy diet and regular exercise.  I read from Web.MD that a balanced diet is necessary for healthy hair growth because your hair needs these nutrients just as much as your body does. So here are some key things you should incorporate into your diet:

Protein! Protein! Protein!

This one made me laugh, because as a hairdresser, I know that your hair is composed of none other than the protein keratin. So if your diet is lacking protein, you’re depriving your hair of support and strength that is necessary for it not to break or become brittle during growth.

Lipids are also necessary. Lipids are fatty oils (healthy ones) that give moisture and shine to your hair. You can find this in vegetable oil, avocados, whole milk, cheese, fish and other select meats.

Iron is actually very important for hair growth as well.  Clams, beans, whole grains, tofu, and leafy greens (spinach or kale) are safe sources of iron. 14-15 mg are recommended for daily intake but do not exceed this amount, extra iron will do more harm than good and if you have other deficiencies and medication, we advise you to talk to your doctor about what levels may be appropriate for you. The reason iron is important is because it carries oxygen to your scalp and strengthens your hair follicles. Without it, your hair follicles may close or go into a resting phase which results in hair loss.

Now I also consulted with our stylist and salon educator, Arielle. She went from having a pixie cut to now currently, by textbook definition, long hair. I asked Arielle because as I mentioned, her hair growth went from 0-100 and she surpassed my length at a rapid pace. She has a strict diet and exercise plan, and also takes care of her hair with in-salon services and take -home care.

Here is Arielle’s journey:

How long have you been growing your hair?

“I have been growing my hair out for about 3 ½ years.”

When did you start to notice your hair growth?

“When I kept up with regular trims every 4-6 weeks I noticed my hair starting to take a different shape; if I did not get it maintained it would have just become wider in width rather than a lengthening feel.”

What diet changes have you made?

“Rather than going to Biotin, I just put more b5 vitamins into my diet via Salmon and Yellow Bell peppers.”

How often do you exercise?

“I try to exercise 4x’s a week.”

What is your in-salon care?

“In salon maintenance consists of receiving a blow out once a week; we use a hydrating shampoo and conditioner along with a scalp massage to increase blood flow. We use heat protection to preserve health and integrity of the hair that has been living longer.”

What is your at-home care?

“ Deep conditioning treatments every other week .”

Spring has finally sprung and it’s time to revamp your day-to-day make-up look. During the fall and winter dark lips and smokier eyes are all the rage. Now I love a dark vampy lip just as much as the next girl, but spring calls for lighter and fresher colors to take center stage. I love looking to fashion week for some fresh inspiration for a new season. This year, Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring Summer 2016 show not only showcased some amazingly bright and floral spring fashions but the models makeup was absolute perfection in my eyes! (pun-intended). The looks featured a freshly flushed face and simplistic eye looks. One model in particular showcased her amazingly gorgeous freckles- which I love! This look is perfection and it takes little to no time in the mornings- which if I’m completely honest is my favorite part.

This look in particular super easy to achieve- and anyone can do it, I have faith in you! The first step is to switch out your heavier, fuller coverage foundations for a tinted moisturizer. Not only does a tinted moisturizer give a fresher look, but it’s great to give your skin a break from the heavier of foundations and go for a more lightweight feel. A great option is the Beauty Addicts Mineral Sheer Tint, is quite buildable for a tinted moisturizer & its oil-free which makes it an option for all skin types. I also love how all the girls had a natural flush to their cheeks- not intense contouring; just a simple blush which I think is so beautifully refreshing. A great blush for the flushing from within look is the beauty Addicts Sleek Cheeks in Motivate. A great way to apply the cream shade in this compact is with a damp sponge, it will give you a more skin-like finish. Continuing on with the natural theme in this show were the lips- they stuck with a simple peachy pink, kind of like a your lips but better type of shade. I love the Beauty Addicts Lipstick in Flirt it’s an ideal peach shade with a hint of shimmer, if you’re looking for something a bit brighter I love the shade Vintage as well! I also loved how they kept the winged liner on the softer side, to achieve this liner look try using a black eyeshadow with an angled brush instead of liquid which can be a little more dramatic. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun with it & Happy Spring!

How To Have A “Lob-tastic” Style This Spring/Summer

As of right now, the lob is still killing it as one of the hottest haircuts of 2016. This style just keeps growing more and more creative with fun new styles. Lobs are no longer left polished, but styled with organic waves and fun top knots. SO, if you are looking for some more inspiration with your lob. Try these new styles this spring and summer!

 
So for your first day lob style, you can have fresh clean hair! Start with your natural hair pattern. Danielle has hair that can easily be blow dried straight, so that’s what we did! If you don’t want to leave it straight and down, you can wrap your hair in this low know spotted all over Spring Fashion Week runways! It’s super easy and very fashionable. The best part is that it looks best messy so try not to spend too much time perfecting it. For Danielle, we use a clear rubber band to wrap her hair and only a few bobby pins to secure pieces that were a little too unstructured. For extra texture, pull out some hair by the crown to give added volume to the style. Also, you can leave some pieces of hair to frame your face to give it a soft romantic feel.

Your next style is super organic. You’re going to use a Paul Mitchell neuro wand that has a cone shape. After wanding your hair, spray some KMS Makeover Spray at your root and shake through. Then spray KMS Sea Salt Spray in your hand and scrunch through hair. To finish the style spray KMS Playable Texture for additional lightweight texture.

 
Your next style works with straight, or wavy hair! The side braid is a great way to add bohemian/ organic style. To create extra interest, fan out the outside pieces of the braid. This look is very sexy as it opens up the side of the face accentuating feminine features like cheekbones. It’s even better if you do a deep side part.  If you need your waves to have a little more stamina, spray the interior sections of hair lightly with KMS Medium Hold Hairspray. This will give your waves more body without becoming hard or unnatural looking.

 
Our last style is one that has been on the rise for the past few months. Top knots are super cute and can be done professionally, creatively, and organically. You can make the top knot sleek for a professional look, or you can wear it with wavy hair to a party.

Rocky Barnes Inspired Spring Color

Every once in a while, a hairdresser gets to choose the fate of their clients hair. It is an honorable privilege to have another person’s hair as your personal canvas. In this scenario, my gorgeous guest allowed me to make a suggestion about highlights for the spring season. Luckily, I had been inspired by model “Rocky Barnes”.  Rocky is a model for all things bohemian and tropical. Her style is everything inside a gypsy’s dream, including her HAIR. Rocky’s hair consists of gorgeous hair painting and babylights to blend the dark root of her hair into the painted ash brown ends. My guest mentioned getting highlights but didn’t know exactly what to ask for. I asked if I could make a suggestion (being that I found my new obsession with Rocky Barnes) based on her facial features and skin tone. She actually resembled the model closely in those aspects and would look great with this highlight technique and color. After showing her the photo, she became obsessed as well!
So here is my starting canvas. The root color resembled Rocky’s.

And this was our final result.

My first step was to weave lighter pieces of hair. I chose to frame her face closely with the highlights matching Rocky’s technique and did a couple pieces throughout her hair. For these highlights I used Oxycur lightener with 30 volume developer.

The second step was to create the hairpainting in between the foils. I used Oxycur lightener with 10 volume just to shift the color and create a chocolate backdrop for the lighter babylights.

After processing, I first rinsed out the pieces lightened with 10 volume and toned them with 6BP in Colorance with blue lotion. That processed for 15 minutes and was rinsed along with the babylight foils.

My final step was to tone the babylights. I used 9GB and 9BA in equal parts to tone her babylights and processed for 15 minutes also.

And this is the final result!

Beauty Addicts Gets Hands On at Aurelio Salon

Here at Aurelio Salon, we pride ourselves on being a salon highly educated in the latest techniques and trends within the beauty industry. We constantly educate ourselves from the best of the best, and now we are sharing our learning experience with you! At both of our locations, we will be receiving hands on instruction from Samantha, a Beauty Addicts Cosmetics Representative! She will be giving our guest hands on instruction for the most current makeup trends found on the runway for fashion week 2015/2016.

The first of two trends that were focused on consisted of “strobing” which is a contra-contour technique. Instead of deepening the strong structured features on our face with darker colors, you will now concentrate on what is formerly known as highlighting. This leaves the skin with a pearlescent glow, giving the face a young refreshed and awake appearance.

The second trend spotted on the runway is the pop of color. Although this look isn’t technically new, it is one that is evolved through generations to match current trends. Deep evergreen hues and shades of navy shadows are boldly striking on the eye. Bold eyes are softened with a light pink lip.

So if you are interested in learning how to apply these looks on your face, we invite you to meet with Samantha! She will be visiting us here in Howell on March 23^rd and on March 8^th in our Toms River location. We will have gift sets available to recreate the looks you learn as well.