My Hair Through the Years: A Look Back...But Happy to be Where I Am

I thought it would be fun to post pictures of my hair color (and lengths) throughout the years. I love the color I have now, which is close to my natural, but it was also fun to try other colors. Looking back at these photos, I realize that the color I have now suits me best (IMO, at least.)

My hair in college (for the first 2 years or so) started off something like this (I had highlights, low lights and that was all my real hair, length wise)


Then came my blonde phase (I wore a lot of extensions during this phase, which explains the varying hair lengths.)






I was quite blonde! Wow. I used to have to get my roots done every 6 weeks or so, it was very high maintenance. Do blondes have more fun? Maybe. I'm not sure. The color is super hard to maintain for a natural brunette though...which kind of isn't that fun. But I digress.

After years of being a blondie, I took the plunge and decided to go darker. I was tired of the time commitment and cost of coloring my hair so often. Not to mention the damage. Oh the damage. This is how it turned out (sorry for the bad webcam pic, it's all I have on this laptop.)

Then, when it faded from that initial "going darker" it was this horrid orange color (I repeat, horrid. I shudder when I see this picture.)

(and BTW yes I am 100% aware that I pose thesamefreakingway in every single photo. I am getting better at that now. But yes, I'm aware, no need to point it out, I know. Trust me, I know.)


Then I went even darker:
I hated it this dark. I felt it didn't do anything for my features. it just washed me out and made me feel pale and gross. I went super dark right before I had my surgery because I thought "I don't want to be the bottle blonde with big boobs." (not that there is anything wrong with that, I was in a transitional period, and I just wanted to have darker hair.)

I soon realized that I wasn't happy with it that dark, even after it had faded a bit. So when I moved to Texas, I decided that I wanted to try and get it back towards my natural color. This is what it ended up like:



So that's what it was like initially when I first colored it after moving to Texas, and I've kept it pretty much the same ever since, but here are some of my most recent photos of my color:

So, after sharing all of these photos I'm feeling pretty nostalgic, hehe. Anyways, I just thought this would be a fun post to do because we all experience so much change in our apperance over the years- whether it's makeup, hair color, personal style etc. I think I've progressed a lot since college (thank goodness!)

Tell me about your hair color through the years! Did you change it a lot or stay pretty much the same since HS/college? Let me know in the comments below :)

Thanks for reading and laughing along with me at what a poser I am. Seriously. I guess that's my "good side."

xoxo,

Veronika.

Real Housewives Hair, OOTD & Contest Reminder

I don't know if any of you girls watch the Real Housewives of Orange County (the 5th season premiered last night on BRAVO), but it's definitely one of my guilty pleasures!

While watching, something I could not help but notice was Gretchen's and Tamra's hair (and in the previews, the new housewife, Alexis, seems to have good hair as well). I've seen previous episodes where Gretchen was shown styling her hair, and she appeared to be using Velcro rollers. Well, I need to find out what her secret is because my hair definitely does not take on the kind of shape her does, or has even close to as much bounce as hers. I am on a mission this season to find out how she does her hair. If you aren't familar with the show, here are some pics of Gretchen Rossi:

She has a fairly deep side part, and her long side bangs seem to fall and flip just the right way. Love her or hate her, you've got to admit she's got pretty great hair (not to mention styling technique- she always looks like she got a professional blowout!)

Why can't my hair do this!? seriously!? I don't know if she is keeping her rollers in really long or using miracle products, but she needs to share her hair routine with the world.

Reminder: Don't forget to enter my blog contest- it ends at midnight CST tonight!

Here is my Outfit of the Day:

Dress- Papaya ($27); Tights-Hue; Shoes- Jessica Simpson

The dress has a cute little rosette detail on the top part, which makes it a bit more fun. If you notice I have more color in these pictures, it's because I used Ulta's airbrush self tanner, and I'm having mixed thoughts about it- but I'll post a full review soon.

Thanks for reading, and I can't wait to announce the winner after midnight tonight!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Air-Drying Left me Damp (Literally)

Yesterday evening, I proudly came home from the gym after a good workout and washed my hair so that I could embark on the wonderful journey of air-drying. Unfortunately, my-air drying experience left much to be desired.

After applying mousse to my roots and Morrocanoil to my ends, I dried just the front and top part of my hair with a hairdryer to ensure my side part would set properly. Then I put two velcro rollers just at the very front of my hair.

I went to sleep and ended up waking up several times, shivering from the ceiling fan blowing on my wet hair. I made an effort to towel-dry it as best as I could, but alas it was not enough.

My hair looked surprisingly good when I woke up for work. The waves/curls were not frizzy and my hair seemed to have unprecedented bounce to it. I had to blast some sections (mainly the back/ends) with a hairdryer to get the rest of the moisture out, then, I set it in velcro rollers. I used a flat iron to straighten the underneath parts of my hair (they always get the curliest).

I must admit, I was pleased with the results. However, I need to develop a new approach so that I don't end up with wet hair that makes me shiver all night. Next time, I plan to blow dry all of my roots (front, top and back) and only let my ends air dry. The way I see it, I only wash my hair twice per week, so the damage I inflict on it with my hairdryer isn't as severe as someone who heat dries daily.

Tomorrow is my long-anticipated micro-trim. I will post pics after my haircut, even though I'm certain it won't look much different.

Speaking of hair, I just stumbled upon this awesome new pic of VS model Alessandra Ambrosio and I am loving the way her hair is colored...it's a little but blonde, a little bit brunette.

I also can't resist posting these gorgeous pics of Kate Beckinsale's hair. It's official- If I could have ANY hair (color, cut, style) it would have to be hers. Be still my heart. (Click to see larger: photos from The Skinny Website)


xoxo,

Veronika

Mousse: If you're not using it, you should be

If you haven't used mousse in your hair since 1995, it's time to reconsider. I too stopped using mousse for several years and then found myself wondering why.

Mousse just might be the perfect hair styling product. It leaves no detectable residue, gives volume that lasts for days (if you do a good blowout, of course, nothing in life is free!) and overall doesn't give the hair the stiffness other products can.

Immediately after towel drying, I use a paddle brush to smooth tangles and brush out my entire head. Then, I apply about 2 golf ball sizes of mousse to my brush (you read that right, I apply it directly into the bristles of the brush) and starting from the center, then to each side, I work the mousse from my roots to the mid-shaft of my hair. Then, I apply Morrocanoil to my ends and blow out my hair with a round brush.

I set Velcro rollers into the front and crown sections of my hair, let them sit while I do my makeup (15 minutes or less), and then I used a flat iron (CHI ceramic 1 inch) to smooth the underneath parts of my hair (the parts not in rollers).

Once the rollers are removed, they give hair a great shape and perfect amount of volume. I don't use hairspray because I don't like the way it makes my hair feel the next day. I will only use hairspray if I have a special event.

The above technique makes my blowout last 3 days, and I will typically use dry shampoo on the 3rd day. The exception to this is if I've had a really intense workout, then I will wash sooner. Note that I do "touch up" my hair in the mornings after having slept on it.

IMO, mousse is the key ingredient to make a blowout last. I can't even remember the last time I didn't use mousse. I find it makes volume last really long, even when hair is slept on. I love Tresemme 24-hour Body Mousse, and Garnier Fructis XXL Volume Thickening Mousse. I have never tried "high-end" mousses, because I am not sure if they would be worth the money. I may invest in the Kerastase volumizing mousse because I tend to love all of the products from their various lines (I use the Nutri-Serum from the Oleo Relax line to smooth flyaways and split ends, and their "ciment thermique" as a heat protectant- though I've stopped using this since my love affair with Morrocanoil began).

The gorgeous Ashley Olsen-rocking a volumized hairstyle.

Hilary Swank's uber-voluminous do

Carrie Underwood's might be one of the prettiest blowouts I've seen

I hope these tips will give your locks a lift!

xoxo,
Veronika.