The Bow! 10/4/14

Hey guys I discovered this hairstyle about a year ago and I really like it. I rarely do it because it takes so many bobby pins and I usually have to do it several times I am following this tutorial I found:

 

How to create a bow bun! 

Step One: create a "slinky bun" that stands up on its own! So fabulous!

Next take hair and for me I wrap it around the base and then back over the bun to make the "knot" in the middle.

  

This is how the first couple of buns turned out, not bad, but not what I wanted. 

 

A side view. I didn't under stand what in the world was going on. It was driving me absolutely crazy.  I started thinking maybe my hair has just gotten too long for this hair style (SAD DAY!!). Then I did some googling and saw that some people made the "end" of the pony come out front and did it that way.

Looking fabulous, maybe I should just leave it this way?

TADAA!! Bow! Still not perfect, but it was the best looking one yet and I was happy to call it "done".
To be honest I do think my hair is a bit too long for this style in one bow. And I saw a different tutorial that I would like to try and it would give me the oportunity to stretch my "teasing" skills. I hope you guys have a great Weekend. Stay safe and lovely

Nancy J
-the hair girl

Nancy and the no good bad hair day! 'Do 5 (10/3/14)

Have you ever seen a video on YouTube and went "Hey I can do that!" I have learned, no Nancy, you can not do that! Well that is how I felt starting out on this hair day 10/3/14. -Side note: Happy Birthday Nanny!!- (my grandmother)
Today I also conquered my fear of teasing my hair. I didn't tease much, I'm still scared of teasing a bit but I did it! And honestly, it is the only thing about this hair I did on the first go and got right and LIKED.

I decided to do this Hair style today: I am trying to get it to start at that particular hair style but it is not cooperating!! Go to the 6:12 mark and you have my hair style!

What I did different. I decided to have a little poof at the top of my head cause I need to get over this fear of teasing!

Look at me over there getting my tease on! To be honest I am really happy with the way it turned out. I used the Aussie Instant Freeze Hair Spray and it was so easy to brush out the next morning (10/4/14). 

Here I divided my hair into 3 parts : 

Nothing major, though the "bumpy" bits were a bit aggravating and I couldn't get them to smooth down for anything. 

Here is my first attempt: 

So crooked! my hair was getting tangled up in each other. When Trying to do the hair through the twisty bit I don't even know how much hair I pulled out of my head! 

Here I thought I would try just a "two twist" look. I didn't like it it. I felt like too much hair was getting in my face and it just didn't look completed. So I took it all down and re-sectioned it off again. This time I did something a little different. 

I decided to twist each pony into a bun while I did the next one. It really helped me from getting my hair from one pony tangled up in the next. I also added a small rubber band at the end of each pony (sorry no picture) to help with control pulling it through. I still got some tangle but over all those two ideas helped save me from just calling it a total fail and putting my hair up in one pony and calling it quits. 

And the finished look:

Pretty even, out of my face, pretty comfortable to wear. The only "bad" I have to say is I spent so long messing with it trying to get it to cooperate and do what I wanted it to do that it was super frizzy.

That frizz 'tho! 

I really wanted to go with a sleeker look more polished. 

Here are the finished side and front shots: 

A little lumpy, but after literal hours of fighting with it, I was just done. 

on a scale of 1-10 for easiness: 3

on a scale of 1-10 for "fun"; 5 

on a scale of 1-10 for durability*: 8 

over all like of the hair do: 6

Average: 5.5

On Durability: Once I got my hair up where I wanted it, it stayed. No falling or frumping. It was there and it wasn't moving. 

a note on the morning after: I had the bright idea to sleep in it, and I don't know what possessed me to this. I pulled my hair down. It got so tangled in the bands I had to break two of them to get it out of my hair. I brushed out the tease with relative ease. but the twists in back made me want to scream they were so tangled. I wasn't planning on washing my hair this morning but I had to it was just so crazy. It grew three sizes wide!!! Since I washed my hair I am changing my style for today but it is a fun one and ya'll will like it! 

Do 4 10/2/ 14- Crazy buns

First thing guys LOOK AT THESE  CURLS!! I left my hair braided all night again.

This was after I had taken my hair down from the french braids and oh my soul I love them. I wanted to wear my hair down all day. It just made me so happy. But instead I am using a favorite of mine and I just call them "Fun buns"

I need four hair ties, and i like it use chopsticks (or in this instance Highlighter pens cause i forgot my chop sticks at home and hey high lighter pens are fun) The highlighters were a total fail they are too thick so I ended up redoing them (you'll see) 

I separate my hair into two sections and put them in highish pigtails (right on my crown).

I am so sorry for the quality of this pic. Finding a place with light enough to take the picture was a pain the back side. I had to edit this picture a lot just to get it to show up. 

(for this I use the thicker hair ties pictured because my hair is so thick and these hold it so well)
the hardest part of this hair do for me is getting them up into even pig tails in the general same area.
Part of me wants to just leave these up in the pig tails because they are so cute. Also for the record this is the FIRST TIME EVER that I have been able to get my pigtails in one go. Today is my day!

Next I just wrap the hair into a bun I don't twist my hair because I like a few fly aways/stick out bits it helps make this look more fun (to me).

Here is a video I did, ya'll get to hear me talk all southern and what not. we will see how it uploads I may have to take it down.

The only thing I changed is after I put in the purple highlighter off camera I really didn't like the way it made that bun look so I took them both down and re did them but you can see that in the finished shots !

I hope you guys enjoy! Have fun

Nancy J-
The Hair Girl

Technical Difficulties

Remember that "I am learning, we are getting in to the swing of things, I am human and need patience" bit I was talking about four days ago. Well I really need it today. Well I have a sad day here. My camera broke. And with it all the pictures for my hair for Tuesday and Wednesday are gone. I spent most of yesterday searching for a USB Chord that may work to rescue my pictures but no it didn't happen.  I was able to take a couple pictures with my phone (which will be my new camera until I get a new real camera) that I am going to use. On to the hair!!

Tuesday: 

Tuesday I was sick, I had a migraine and it was all I could do to route the guys at work and lay my head on the desk. I brought my new lap blanket I got for my birthday as extra comfort. I am so thankful to have a friend who said "You need to have a day where it is just your natural hair." Since even my hair hurt that is what I did. Here is a picture I took of it back on vacation in July. 

 LOOK AT THAT LONG HAIR 

Here is one from just a few days ago from the front.

And for reference here is my amazing blankie I got for my birthday. Guys it is the fuzziest warmest blanket and I love it. My brother actually got me a solid red one for Christmas last year that is the same brand. They are the best! (its the better homes and gardens blankets)

Wednesday:

Wednesday I had a lot of fun, I was feeling a lot better! I decided to try and french braid my hair. I ended up with a TON of knots in it. It was bad guys! Luckily for me I have an amazing friend who is a licensed cosmetologist who said she would help me. Unfortunately all of my action shots of my friend Kelly doing my hair and the finished product immediately after are gone. (sad day!) BUT I did manage to capture a couple on my phone the morning after I woke up. It was a little loose, but if you spent all night wrestling with your mattress you would have the same problem. Braids are hands down my favorite kind of hairstyle. Once you master it, it is super easy, my hair is off my face, and it makes me feel girly. 

 SO LONG!!!! 

 This is the loose braid from where is slept but very secure and comfy. 

See this braid is so much neater! 

Braids Make me happy! 

Here is a great video that i watched when I tried to braid my own hair. As you can see when someone else is braiding your hair it is easier to get the straight back and not really a side like this video. If possible i do like having someone help for many reasons 1. It brings a social aspect to it, you are talking and having fun. 2. its less stressful. 3. My friend is a licensed  cosmetologist so I know she will get it right ;) 

Simple Braid-'Do 2 09/29

Hey everyone! I am not feeling so swift today, dealing with a raging migraine. I will have a hair do up tomorrow just not the one I planned, since I am spending most of my day at work with my head on the desk.

For this look, the braid. It is one of my favorites. It makes me feel super girly and frilly even though it is a pretty straight forward side braid.
A braid I had to re do SIX TIMES, the struggle is real with this one.

Braid 1. Looked really nice i liked it but over on the left side of my head it was really loose near the nape of my neck. So I took it out to re-do it and here are some pictures and comments I wrote down for braids 2-6
2: Lumpy weird bit where braid starts:

 (sorry for the blur) 

3: "What is it with this freaking lumpy bit!" 

Next thought: Maybe i can live with it, lets check a whole head shot: 

 

"No, No definitely too lumpy and weird I don't like it! I am just going to pull all my hair down and brush it and see if that helps: 

"Ahh so much hair! I need to wash it tonight its feeling annoying" Braid 4 was pretty much exactly the same as 2-3 no pic necessary. 

I finally figured out what I was doing wrong and was making it so lumpy and driving me crazy. I wasn't gathering my hair into a low side pony before separating and braiding like I did in the first almost perfect braid. I was just swishing my hair to one side, as in the picture above, separating and going at it.. hence: Lumpy bits I don't like. 

Braid 5: well I had the BRIGHT idea to maybe just start the braid a little higher, instead of a low pony a mid pony on the side of my head and the Results: 

pretty nice: but right over my ear and it was kinda bugging me. So I took it down and went back to a low pony and here for your viewing pleasure:

SUCCESS!!!! 

Until about halfway through the morning I go to wash my hands and bend in front of a mirror and see this one really weird part running along my head -.- REALLY??! 

But I refused to do it again, I was just going to have to have a weird part. Around 2PM from all the moving (and fidgeting with my hair) I had to redo my braid and made sure to not have a weird  part. 

OH happy Nancy with a not weird part!! 

The first "Do" 09/28/14 Beach Waves-Ish

Hey guys! Before we get into the hair do I want to up date the guide lines. I will be posting "a day late" for example: Sunday's Hair Do will be posted Monday, Monday's will be posted Tuesday etc etc etc you get the idea. Reason: 'Cause I said so! Yeah, yeah a little more explination would be nice. Here's the thing. I am a crazy busy person who does a crap ton of stuff, and I am going to keep doing that crap ton of stuff I am just adding a blog. And for me to take the time and do (and re do, and re do) my hair for a post, possibly have a good cry at the mess my hair is (I am still terrified of teasing my hair) will all take time. I don't want to rush some crazy half-done post in order to get everything done. And to be honest if i have a friend who sends me a text and asks if I want to have an A&E/BBC Pride and Prejudice marathon, I'm gonna say yes. Now that aside.. ON TO THE HAIR!!!

This first hair do on a scale of 1-10 on how well I think it turned out is hovering around a 5.
For this style I went with what I thought would do the best for my hair since I have had success with it in the past. Generally I have about a 90% success rate.. this wasn't one of those times.

I tried this style on 2 day hair. Side explanation for those who may not know- that's the 2nd day after I washed my hair last.
I used a wash cloth and dampened my hair and made sure to brush out all the tangles.

My Supplies: 

• Hair Brush & Several Hair ties 
• Suave Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave in Conditioner* 
• Aussie Instant Freeze Ultra Hold Gel
• Aussie Instant Freeze Hair Spray**

My Method: 

After dampening my hair I used two quarter size dollops of my leave in conditioner. Worked it through my hair, and added just a small amount of gel, barely a quater sized amount. I wanted to help keep the frizz at bay and add just a little bit of hold with out making my hair "crunchy". Here is a pic of the amount of gel I used for my very long and thick hair. 

 (sorry for the blurry pic. I took this picture four times and every one of them were blurry.)

After applying the product I brushed my hair out to make sure there were no tangles. Here is my hair after the product and brushing: 

Next came the fun part!! Braids! I ended up doing three kind of chunky lopsided braids. Remember I wasn't going for pretty. I was trying different braids to see what gave me the best type of wave. One was very tight to my scalp. One was a little looser and the last was a braid I have never tried before. A friend of mine mentioned a rope style braid. You twist your hair in one direction and wrap the strands in the opposite direction. This seems to me, in my limited understanding, like it would give the best "curl". I need to practice this braid as the one I did was a complete redonkulous fail. After the braids I kind of smooshed them up into buns because I was going to have to sleep on them and I really really didn't want to have them flopping in my face all night. 

Serious face, 'Cause hair is serious bidness(yes I know you spell business<that way)  

This is the "twisted rope braid"

Crazy buns say haaai!! 

The following morning I un-braided my hair and to my disappointment it was still damp. So note for the future: if hair is that damp add a little more gel after taking braids down. I didn't brush my hair, only that "flip your hair forward and finger brush it to make it awesome" move and I sprayed it with a bit of hair spray. Like I said I didn't want "crunchy shield hair" just frizz control and a bit of hold. 

This is the "rope braid" 

 This is all my hair down "preflip/ finger brush"

TAAADAAAA!!! 

When it was still damp I really liked the wave it had. Not quite beach waves but not a scrunched do either. My hair dried maybe 15 minutes after it was all down and I took a finished shot of it as well. And since the waves were falling out (sad day!) I added a bit more hair spray (not enough, as by the time second service rolled around they had fallen out almost completely and I had "normal Nancy Hair is down Hair." 

My Birthday was awesome. I actually really liked my hair and the way it turned out even if it wasn't quite what I was going for. I have felt so blessed over the weekend with everyone just thinking of me and spending time with friends and family. I am now 25. I have lived a quarter century. This next year is going to be awesome!

*My note on my hair products. I know I didn't use heat for my hair, but after years, LITERAL years, of looking for something that helps tame my hair down for a "once/ twice weekly" use after I shower the Suave Keratin Heat Defense is the best. I have spent a lot of money on different types of product. Some of the cheap stuff, some of the stuff that makes my wallet cry (for leave in conditioner alone I have spent well into $20+ dollars for one product). For me this is the best

As for the Aussie Hair spray.. I loathe it. My hair is just too thick for that type of spray. I usually use a heavy duty aerosol type can of spray but when I went to grab my can of hair spray I learned it was near empty, and used my moms. Her hair is short and thin enough to have that kind of spray work well for her. 

I am not overly thrilled with the gel either, but I think in part is due to the fact I didn't use quite enough of it. I will wait to pass full judgement on it at a later date. 

The Idea

On this, the eve of my 25th birthday I want to do something different. I have bounced this idea around for the better part of a year. After encouragement from friends and family here we go!
For the next year (365 days) I will be trying a different hairstyle everyday. Project Hair 365- Hair for the normal girl.

Since I was a kid, I have always had about three hair styles I wear when my hair is long: Pony Tail, Messy Bun, Brushed and down. That is it. The brushed and down didn't last long; I always ended up pulling it up. I want to do something different.

The Guide lines:
1. Everyday a new hair style is to be attempted, understanding that sometimes failures will happen.
2. I will post pictures of said hair styles fail or not, every day.*+
3. I will give appropriate credit to any tutorials I found helpful in creating the look, as well as give my own advice for what worked best for my hair.

Now to the fun stuff, a little about my hair:
Its pretty much insane! Not really, I do threaten to chop it off on a weekly basis though; that helps keep it in line. It is very thick. I have small/fine like strands of hair there are just a lot of them. If Disney were to turn me and my hair into a pixar girl, they would have to write a software just for my hair, Elsa's got nothing on me! My hair is long about mid-back. Once I cut my hair very short, like GI Jane short. I swore I would never cut it short again!

I am really excited to start my first look, I am going with something a little easier "beach waves" for my birthday. I look forward to posting tomorrow.

Signing off for now,

Nancy J
-The hair girl

*In the event of a natural disaster or severe sickness a post will not be made. I am human ya'll so lets be reasonable. 
+I do not own my own computer. My boss has been pretty lenient and is letting me do this on my lunch break and on my days off it will be done from the library. My goal is to have a post done at the same time everyday but that may not be feasible. Patience is appreciated as I work this out and get the ball rolling and a rhythm in place.