Long hair – Page 4 – BOLD BEAUTIFUL LIFE

Day 2 Eliminate and Enhance: Healthy, Shiny Hair

July 15, 2015July 15, 2015Leave a comment

Welcome to day 2!

How was day 1? Does your skin feel softer and look brighter?

For day 2 we are focussing on restoring shine and preventing further damage to your hair. I’m a believer in many kinds of fancy hair products, but nothing beats a good DIY conditioning treatment. I love this one, because of how shiny it makes my hair! Once you get over how weird it feels to smash avocados into your hair, hopefully you will love it too! Starting with damp hair will help you work the treatment in a little easier. I also prefer to quickly warm the treatment up in the microwave. I feel like it makes it smoother and able to penetrate better. Start by working the softened coconut oil in. You may need to adjust the amount based on how much hair you have. Leave that on for ten minutes while you combine the olive oil and avocado together. Make sure they are very well blended. If they aren’t you will be picking chunks of avocado out of your hair for a while…been there! I use a hand mixer. Work the avocado paste into your hair, keeping the coconut oil in as well. Pull your hair into a shower cap, or use plastic wrap to lock it all in place. Then wrap a towel around it and let it sit for 20-30 minutes. I like to blow dry the towel occasionally to keep the hair warm inside. At the end, rinse with cool water. I know, cool water is rough, but your hair loves it. It will help seal the cuticle around all that good stuff you put on it. Shampoo well and condition. When it’s dry it should be nice and soft, with a beautiful shine! It shouldn’t feel oily after it’s dry. If it does, you needed more thorough shampooing 🙂

Hair Mask: 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (microwaved about ten seconds to soften) 2 Tablespoons olive oil, blended with half an avocado (I have to double this for my amount of hair, feel free to adjust to fit you)

Some of my tips for keeping your hair in great shape:

Avoid brushing it when it’s wet. This can cause the hair stands to stretch and break. If you feel you have to comb it out, use a leave in conditioner and be gentle.

Protect it from heat as much as possible. If you are using heat, try a thermal protectant product.

Wash your hair less often. By removing the natural oils from your hair, they don’t have a chance to nourish your strands. You don’t have to wait until the point that it looks greasy, but giving it a day or two in between washes will improve the health of you hair. At first, you may feel like your hair is overly oily, but it will eventually level out as your body learns it doesn’t need to produce as much.

Eating nutritious things will help your body look and feel it’s best. Same goes for your hair!

Protect your locks from the sun when possible. Those rays can be damaging and drying.

Have fun! Hope you have a great day!

So Much Wind

June 1, 20158 Comments

So I have had these pictures for a couple months and haven’t posted them because of my own insecurities. For starters, my babe was only a couple months old, so I was still getting used to my shape. Also, a golden retriever bit my upper lip when I was nine years old, and even though I had multiple surgeries in the years following, I can still see the scars and imperfections. Of course, there are other things, but those are what stand out to me here. However, recently I have been working on letting go of some of my insecurities and embracing imperfection. I think that allows for more honest and meaningful connection with others, such as my family, and with God. Since those things are far more important to me, I’m moving forward in my efforts to embrace imperfection! I know it’s a process, but that is why it’s worth it.

I owe it to my wonderful photographer, Hannah Swenson, to post these because she is amazing! The wind was crazy! Hair was everywhere. I have a lot of hair anyway, but add crazy curls and it’s all over the place haha. To get these curls, I wrapped my hair around a one inch curling iron in all different directions. The goal was for it to look unkempt and free. If you are ever going for this look just add lots of hair product and lots of wind!

French and Pull Through Braid Wrap Around

June 1, 20152 Comments

Myla loves getting her hair done. Well, actually… she loves the bribes I give her to hold still while I do her hair, but kind of the same thing ha. She is so funny. I don’t understand how so much personality can fit into such a little body. Always posing and making jokes, I love her. I will be posting her hairstyles every now and then because she is too cute to leave out.

Step by Step Bubble Braid

May 30, 2015May 30, 20156 Comments

Wow! This is way overdue, sorry. I’m in charge of a big camping trip for the teen girls at church and it’s taking a lot of my free time. We are going week after next, though, so I hope it all magically comes together by then and ends up being a wonderful experience for everyone. After that, I’m planning to be a lot more regular in my posts, including sharing a lot of my favorite beauty products. I’m a total product junkie, and I can’t wait to share!

Well, back to the topic of the day…the bubble braid! This is one of my go-to styles because it is so quick and easy, yet looks really neat. I’m posting this as a step by step, so if you find it hard to follow and have questions, let me know!

First, gather all your hair to one side and secure with elastic. I like to pull all my hair tight and smooth, then pull out pieces around my face and adjust the volume on the top after I put in the elastic.

Next, move an inch or two down from the first elastic and add another one. Depending on how thick your hair is, or the length of it, you may need to adjust to make the gap between a little smaller than this.

Then split the gap between the two elastics in half. Flip the bottom of your ponytail through the gap, keeping it tight and smooth.

Move down another couple inches (the same distance you did on the first gap) and add an elastic. Repeat the previous step, splitting the gap and flipping the lower part of your pony through.

Based on preference, and if length permits, repeat again.

Now begin to gently loosen the sections, one at a time. I find that when I start to loosen the hair, I can pull quite a bit, but once it has started to loosen, I switch and just use my pointer finger and thumb to pull small sections.

There you have it! Let me know if you give it a try!

Moab: Delicate Arch

April 7, 2015April 7, 2015Leave a comment

Over spring break our good friends invited us to join them on a family trip to Moab, UT. They have three awesome kids about the same age as ours. We had never been there before, and were so excited to go! The trip went by way too fast, and we left already wanting to go back. Myla even asked if we could live there haha. It was incredibly beautiful, and the kids did so well hiking! We were able to go see a lot of the most well known sites. Our first big hike was to see Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. It was a couple miles round trip and I was so proud of the little kiddos. Most of the time we were trying to keep up with them! Pictures really can’t do justice to the beauty, but I’m glad we have them to help us remember it!

Myla always has to get a silly pose in the mix!

A Kimono Sweater and Gold Accents

March 17, 2015March 17, 20154 Comments

I’m bringing you my first fashion post today! A couple of my friends opened up a boutique called The Rambler and I’m in love with their stuff! They have so many unique pieces, including some of my favorite jewelry. Check them out here! This kimono is from their shop, as well as some items I will be featuring in upcoming posts. I have also teamed up with my girl Hannah Swenson to bring you a little extra spunk! She is a sparkling ray of sunshine as well as a very talented photographer. She took these photos and I love her to death! A tutorial for this super simple bubble braid is coming up soon as well!
Kimono: The Rambler Boutique
Pants: Rock & Republic/Kohl’s
Top: Old Navy (old)
Jewelry: H&M/Forever 21/Charming Charlie
Nails: OPI Sweetheart/ Jamberry Vintage Chic
Lip color: Clinique Matte Plum

Five of My Faves

February 27, 2015February 27, 20154 Comments

I decided to share five of my very favorite beauty products today! It is always fun to try something new, but there is nothing better than finding exactly what works for you. Hope you give them a try!
1. e.l.f. Mineral Face Primer
I have tried a lot of different primers for under my makeup, and I felt like they didn’t make much of a difference, until I tried this one. Now I’m hooked. It has a slippery consistency that really helps smooth and prep my skin. I never need to retouch my makeup through the day, and I even use it under my lipstick to make it last longer. It’s the best.
2. Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer
I don’t like wearing a lot of makeup on my face, but balancing those dark circles and redness are a must. I love this concealer because it is thick but easy to blend, and the applicator even does a lot of the work for you! I use it as a base for my eyeshadow as well. This is an every day product for me!
3. Clinique Matte Plum Lipstick
I love a bold lip! If I only have a couple minutes to throw myself together in the morning, my go to is usually mascara, brows, and lipstick. Something about that pop of color brightens everything up! Lipstick never seems to last long enough, but this one is different. It will stay bright all day, which iiiiis awesome!
4. Smooth and Seal by Sexy Hair
This product has not left my side since I first discovered it in cosmetology school. I have used it on every client I have ever done, as well as myself every time I style. It’s an anti-frizz shine spray that will make your hair look healthy and sleek. I can use this to flat iron my hair and it will stay shiny and smooth for days (I try not to go too many days without washing my hair, but you know how it goes haha) There are so many benefits to using the right products on your hair, it makes all the difference!
5. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom
I’m not a lip gloss girl, I can’t stand that sticky feeling on my lips, but I need some extra moisturizing through the day. This lip balm makes everything better! I honestly don’t leave home without it. I have tried a few of the other colors as well, but I always go back to pink blossom. It has just enough tint on its own, but also blends with all my different lipstick colors super well. Try it out, I bet you will be hooked!