Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Newest Trend: The Scene Hairstyle


One of the newest trends in hairstyles today is the emo cut known as the scene cut, and this popular among teenage girls and younger women. It is one of the biggest trends today, and the reason it is named “scene” is because people who see those who wear this style say, “they are just trying to make a scene.” The scene cut is an emo hairstyle and the word “emo” is from the word “emotional” and those who are into the emo style are categorized as being very emotional. Emo is also a music genre and many people who take on the emo style are big fans of the music genre, and many of the artists within the genre started emo hairstyles such as the scene cut. The basic style for a scene cut includes choppy layers, with the shag look, and the top layers are short while the bottom layers are long (it seems like two haircuts into one; a short haircut topping a long one).

Cutting scene hair is not that difficult to do because the layers, and look in general, is meant to be uneven and messy. Before cutting you should straighten your hair to make the cutting easier, and before straightening you need to use a heat protector so not to cause damage to the hair (you do all of this after you wash and dry your hair). Next, brush through your hair detangling it and pull back a portion of you hair (the hair from behind your ears and on should be pulled out of the way), and then decide where you want to cut. When you have decided where to cut, then use your fingers to hold the hair at an angle, because this will give you defined layers and that is what the scene cut is all about. Then, when you are finished cutting that part of your hair with the scissors (making it as asymmetrical as possible), take down the rest of your hair and use a razor cutter (razor combs gives a messier look) to cut through the rest of your hair. Lift the back of your hair to where you can see it and cut it, which only a few strokes of the razor comb will give you the look you desire. The scene cut is meant to be asymmetrical (uneven) in all ways so if you mess up you really will not be able to tell.

The New Chic and Sleek Ponytail Hairstyle


The ponytail is a hairstyle that has been around for centuries, and it is unclear to when women started wearing the style. It is called such because it is tied at the back of the head with the hair hanging loose down the back, and this resembled a horse’s tail (hence why it is called a ponytail). The popularity of the ponytail as an informal, casual hairstyle has been around for ages, and many times it is associated with only young girls. Nevertheless, today many women still wear this style because it is the easiest way to keep your hair out of your face and eyes. There was a time where the ponytail was connected to a “bad hair day” and you would simply throw-up your hair, but today it can be fitted to wear in all situations. This hairstyle that was once only used as an informal way to style hair has now become the most versatile style of today, and it can be fashioned for any occasion (school, office wear, exercising, and parties).

There are various, versatile styles the ponytail can be worn in today, and because it is one of the simplest ways to put your hair up you can put any type of ponytail up fast and easy. One of the ways to get a perfect ponytail is to first lift sections of your hair and backcomb them, so you get volume, and brush the outer layers of the hair without removing the volume to the hair. Brush your hair to where you want the ponytail to sit (side, top back of the head, or the nape of the neck etc.), and from this you spray some hairspray on the outside of the hair. Then secure it with a hair tie while you spray a little more hair spray, and then take a small piece of your hair from the ponytail and use it to go around the base (covering the hair tie).

This hairstyle can be worn in different areas of the head, and one of the popular places to put it today is on the side. A loose side ponytail is in style today, where in the 80s women wore tight side ponytails halfway up their head. Other styles include a pompadour (basically a large bump that is done by backcombing the hair) on the front of the head with a ponytail anywhere on the head. Another style is a high ponytail with your hair covering the elastic band, and this is an elegant, sleek look that many stars have adopted.

The 1990s Hit: The Rachel Hairstyle


Stars are people’s idols and fashion trend starters whether they want to be or not – if a popular actress sports a new hairstyle people will flock to it (despite the actress’s own personal feelings about the style). This is what occurred in the early 1990s when Jennifer Aniston, playing the beloved Rachel from the TV show Friends, had her hairstyle become the most popular new trend. Every woman in America wanted the new haircut called “the Rachel” because it was the character Rachel’s new-do on the show, but, despite the popularity of the haircut, there was one woman who was not a fan of it – Jennifer Aniston. She later got a new, “new-do” and let the Rachel retire, but the cut was still widely sought after by women of all ages, ethnicity, and face types.

The reason for why the hairstyle took of as such a massive hit was because it was the perfect look for the everyday woman. Even other actresses were seen wearing the Rachel after it became popular, and it is still surprisingly popular today. The Rachel is a square layered cut that bounces freely just above the shoulders, which the length of the hairstyle may be the reason it was so popular in the 90s because many women went short in those days. Today, the Rachel can be adapted to fit any length of hair, and because of the way the cut frames the face it is a style that is versatile and many women can pull it off. Jennifer Aniston’s stylist Christ McMillan created the cut, and she wore the style for the first two seasons while she played the role of Rachel Green in the TV series Friends.

The Rachel is very similar to a bob haircut, but it is square layered and razor cut (which can be similar to a shag hairstyle). The hair frames the face and the layers are cut so that they curve inward instead of flipping outward like many bob and shag hairstyles. This shoulder-length haircut has a light and bouncy feel to it, and it does not require much maintenance. To cut the Rachel, you have to have two or three (depending on the length of hair) tiers of layers razor cut, which is what gives the hairstyle that soft lift and light feel. The different tiers of layers can remind you of a pyramid where the top one has shorter layers, and the other two get longer. The thing that makes the Rachel distinct is the unevenness of her layers, and the razor cut edges and the only styling you need to do is a simple blow dry, straighten, and go.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

The Elegant Pompadour Hairstyle


The pompadour has regained popularity in the last couple of years during the first part of the 21st century. Though, unlike in the 1950s where it was popular only among men, today mostly women wear the style. The style is worn for both special occasions and everyday life for women, and the size of the pompadour differs with the preference of the wearer. Most women wear the pompadour where it is noticeable but not overpowering the rest of their hair, while other women where the style high on top of their head and it is similar to the old fashion ones – but with a modern swing. The name comes from the first women who ever wore the style, Madame de Pompadour (1721-1764), who was the mistress of King Louis XV. The pompadour style is basically the front of the hair brushed up and ratted or teased to make a pouf from the forehead to the back of the top of the head, and then the hair can be styled in any way desired.

The pompadour is an elegant hairstyle and even the everyday pompadour will give your hairstyle a sense of elegance. To accomplish the typical daily pompadour, you will first need to leave your hair unwashed because this will make the pouf effect of the pompadour more noticeable. Then, take a section of your hair from atop your head, which you can have the pompadour cover your whole front portion of the head or just a narrow portion. Section off the portion of hair you have chosen to use, and take one of the sections and backcomb it, which this will give it the pouf you want and then use a pin to secure it.

After going through the pompadour process, you can do whatever you would like to with the rest of your hair. Two popular ways to wear your hair with the modern pompadour is to straighten you hair and leave it down, or many time you will see women put their hair in a ponytail with this style. There are a lot of up-dos that have a pompadour in the front and a lot of actresses are seen wearing this style, whether it is for a special occasion or for their everyday lives. Sometimes women will wear a halfway pompadour, and this is where only a small portion of their hair (usually from the forehead to the middle of the top of the head) is pulled back into a pompadour. Usually it is the narrow style, so the majority of the hair is loose.

Creating Soft Edges: The Razor Cut Hairstyle


Even though scissors are still used to cut hair, there is a new, modern method used that has just recently become popular – razor cutting. Men’s hairstyles have been cut with a razor for the longest time, but now razors are being used to cut many of the popular women’s hairstyles. There are so many styles women get today that require a razor to be used, and the types of razors used on hair are a straight edge razor, a razor comb, and a razor shaper. If you decide to cut your own hair to get a razor cut hairstyle, then it is best to use a razor comb for do-it-yourself haircutting. The many different hairstyles that use a razor to cut them include the bob, the scene, the shag, and the emo cut.

Razor cutting hair was really never heard of for women until the 21st century, and even in the era before this (1990s) a razor was only used to cut men’s hair (electronic razor’s were especially popular during this time). Surprisingly though, the razor cutting method has been used for many years in Japan, because it was the popular way to get flowing movement in straight hair. The razor tools that have been used in Japan are traditionally named the nihindo, and how the modern razor works is that the stylist will take a section of the hair in their hands and use the razor sliding it down the hair at an angle. This method of cutting gives the hair a wispy, flowing look that many women today desire, and this is the look that is apart of the many modern hairstyles.

Cutting with a razor is not a hard method to learn, but if you are doing it for the first time you might want to go into a stylist (because you can take too much off of the hair). To begin the razor cutting process (on whatever haircut you have chosen, which it should already be cut to length at this time), thoroughly wash the hair in your normal way. Make sure you keep the hair wet by spraying it with water if you need to, and then start at the bottom portion of the hair and take a comb and comb it on top, under, and on top again. Then, take your hand to pull so you have medium tension to the hair, and take the razor to make a smooth cut. Do this all the way through the hair, making sure to comb the hair up, so you do not razor cut the same area twice. Also, mix up the hair by using the razor in various places, so you can get good texture (make sure to be careful using the razor around the bangs, so you do not take too much off).