The Top 10 Posts of 2012

I figured I needed my own "top of 2012" list. Let's take a look back at the most viewed posts of 2012.


10. How-to Tuesday: Headband Curls

9. #myboyfrienddoesmymakeup

8. How-to Tuesday: Tattoo Coverup

7. 3 Ways to Feel More Confident Instantly

6. Too Much Protein Can be Bad For Your Hair

5. Clip-In Extensions 

4. Nioxin/Rogaine: Does it Really Work?

3. Long Hair Upkeep

2. How-to Tuesday: Jimmy Neutron 

1. How-to Tuesday: Braided Mowhawk

There you have it! The top 10 posts of 2012. Did your favorite make the list?

Men's Shaving 101

It was brought to my attention that my shaving 101 post from last week was significantly female oriented. I can't have that on my conscience, so you are gentleman.

men's shaving 101

always shave on wet skin, much like how women need to, so you do boys. because razor burn on your face has to suck.

quality products, that includes your shaving cream and your razor. your face is the first thing people see, you want to take care of it. and for God's sake, make sure you change your blades.

with the grain, unlike on legs, men need to shave their beards with the grain of the hair. going against it tends to cause redness and irritation. you also don't need to press down as hard as you might think. let the razor do its job properly. and if your beard is really grown out, trim it down first. it will help, i promise.

rinse and soothe. you want to soothe down your face after you have just shaved. use a product that has tea tree oil or witch hazel, both good for soothing and calming the skin.


As I am not a man, I could be getting this totally wrong. So tell me gentlemen, what are your shaving tips?

Nioxin/Rogaine: Does it Really Work?

This post has been a long time in the making. In fact, over 90 days in the making. Here's how it went...

My boss, and one of the On Stage owners, was losing some of his hair...just a teeny bit, but we wanted to do something about it. So we came up with this experiment. Combine the use of Nioxin and Rogaine for 90 days. See what happens.

Products used: We put Marty on the whole Nioxin system. Shampoo, conditioner, and the treatment. He used all of it once a day. He bought the 5% Rogaine and used it twice a day.

Well...here are the results of said experiment.

**just a small disclaimer. Neither one of these companies suggests that you use their product in conjunction with other products.


Day 1

Day 30

We started to get excited at this point. You can clearly see that there is new hair growth. But we didn't want to get our hopes up just yet.

Day 60

By this point we were pretty much hopping up and down chanting, "It's working!" Okay...I was hopping up and down chanting. Everyone else was laughing. 

Day 90

I was pretty impressed that it worked so well. So impressed that I got my brother on the same "experiment" and it is working well for him too. Maybe it's not longer an experiment and just fact. Who knows. 

Just in case you need to see it again...

If you decided to try this experiment, send me your before and after photos to Cassidy@onstagehairdesign.com and maybe I'll post them to the blog!

Men's Haircut Terms 101

"How about we make a mullet, but shave the sides down to a 0?"

When I sit down in my stylist's chair for a haircut, usually I just say something like, "Take a couple of inches off." But it's more complicated for men. There are strange terms and different tools used than with a longer cut. And frankly, it can get confusing. 


If you go to different stylists every time or are just trying out a new one, it's nice to know the lingo so that you can get the exact cut that you want.

Arch
This is the space above your ear. Your hairline naturally arches around your ear. Some cuts require that the area is trimmed, while others do not.

Guard Length
I'm sure everyone has heard the terms, "#2", "#3", etc. But do you actually know what the mean? Well, after some Googling on my part, I learned that the number refers to length of the hair. Obviously right? But it is also refers to the number of weeks of hair growth left of the scalp after it has been cut. It's a fun fact, but it is easier to remember:

• #1= 1/8"
• #2=2/8"
• #3=3/8"
• and so on.

Bangs

Yup. Men have them too.

Blocked/Tapered Necklines

A blocked neckline is when a visible line is created at the nape of your neck. A tapered neckline is more of a faded look. 

Texture

Adding a bit of texture to your hair can create a more uneven, messy look. 

There are a ton of other terms out there. Mostly different types of cuts, from mullets to pompadours. And each one is a different thing, but hopefully these few terms will help you out next time your in a stylist's chair.  

photo

Gentlemen, it's okay to...

groom your brows. 

No one likes a unibrow, or overly bushy brows. So don't be embarrassed. Get those puppies waxed!

use more hair product than your girlfriend

Most days, I use exactly one product...and it's hairspray. So don't worry if your a two or even three-stepper gentleman. Sometimes it's easy to use more products than your girlfriend.

get a mani/pedi

If you've never gotten one. Go get one. They're fantastic, and they leave your nails looking clean...and ladies like clean.

share your woman's skin care products

Eye cream, toner, anti-aging product, sunscreen...especially sunscreen. It's all okay to use. Your skin works the same as a woman's, so it's okay to use the same products. 

spray tan

Laying outside or in a tanning bed is bad for your skin. So to get that summer tan, opt for a spray tan. Plus, they make you look leaner and give your muscles more definition. Who doesn't want that?

What else do you think is okay for men to do that they are sometimes hesitant to do? Tell me in the comments below!

photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

How To Tuesday: Men's Styling

I do a lot of tutorials on things that are primarily for women. Okay, let's be realistic, I do every tutorial on things that are primarily for women. Well...look at me shaking things up.

Today's tutorial comes from the experts over at Aveda. Never heard of Aveda? Well basically they're a company that sells products for skin, hair, and your other beauty needs. But the kicker: They use as many organic compounds as possible when they make their products. All their products have this nice nature smell. Pretty cool right?


Plus, I like a man to smell outdoorsy.






So all you men out there...tell me, what kind of tutorials would you like to see for your lovely XY selves. Nerd humor...too much?

Men: A Simple Trick to Keep You Looking Good

And really isn't that what we all want? To look good all the time.

Guys, you have it so easy. It doesn't take a lot to make you look good. A shower, a shave, and bam! Good looks. It's pretty quite amazing. Us ladies, well, it's more of a process.

If you're using your deductive skills, then you've probably guessed that the trick is cleaning up your neck line. It's a fast and easy way to keep that haircut lasting a bit longer.

I've got one tip for doing this yourself:

• ask someone else to do it.

Yes. You could probably do it yourself, using tape and an electric razor. But you know what? If you mess it up, then you're going to have to go into the salon anyways. So do yourself (and your stylist) and favor and ask someone else to do it for you. Your girlfriend. Your roommate. Your mom. Anyone will do. Just tell them to follow the line that you already have. You designated neck-cleaner-upper should be able tell where your new growth is and where to shave it off.

It's easy as pie.

Gentlemen, what are your other ways of keeping up with your look?





photo 1

Men's Products

It's easy to get caught up in thinking about products just for women, but the truth is a lot of products out there can really be used for both men and women. Yes, it's also true that there are lines out there made specifically for men--like Paul Mitchell's new Mitch line--but hey, what's a world where things are only black and white and never gray?

"Oh, that I were a glove upon that hand/ That I might touch that"...hair. 

So men out there. Here are a couple of things to know about the products that you're putting in your hair, or about the ones that you should be.

First and foremost, shampoo and conditioner. It seems pretty simple, but I've know some guys with super short hair that use the same soap on their hair that they do on their body. I can tell you that their scalp wasn't very happy at them. Happy hair=happy scalp, which in turn means no flakes on your shirt.

Mitch Double Hitter: the man's one stop shop

Then it can get a bit complicated with creams, pomades, hairsprays, waxes, muds, fibers, and the like. Though they may vary in name they are all styling products.

Choose your weapon wisely. 

Each different styling product can offer you a variety of looks from messy, just-rolled-out-of-bed-look to a sleek finish. Talk with your stylist to decide which one will work best on your hair.

So men, the lesson of the day is that it's okay to use products. In fact, it's encouraged. Just look at Mr. Dempsey up there.

And women, don't shy away from men's products just because they are men's products. Depending on what type of cut and hair you have, they could work just as good.


Class dismissed.


photo 1

AskAlzy: Smelly Hair

Alzy,

I've recently noticed an issue with my hair and scalp that I'm hoping you can help me to address. My scalp has slowly begun producing a faint musky smell, which has perpetuated and worsened through the past week or two, regardless of washing. Even after trying a baking soda scrub and rinse, the smell came back. Not only that, but my new motorcycle helmet didn't fit the way I wanted, and it makes me look like a bobble head. Would appreciate your input!


Sincerely,

Bobblehead

Dear Bobble head,

Think about how often your hair stays in a wet/damp state. After you shower you let it air dry, which obviously stays wet longer opposed to when it is blow dried, from working out and sweating, when your hair is still wet you pull it back or even put a hat on, which in turn cuts off an air flow to your scalp, and rewetting it throughout the day, etc.

Another thing that could be an added cause to this faint musky smell is if you produce a lot of oil and have white flakey dandruff looking skin particles.

Along with these things getting built up on your scalp and the fact that your hair stays in a damp matter for the greater percentage of the day, has formed into a (mild) form of fungi.
This is not something that doesn't happen over night, it has been building up to this point. Address the issue now before it turns into something more serious.
In order to correct what has been going on you are going to need a few key ingredients in your shampoo/conditioner (no, not just any shampoo will do the trick!):

sulfu and silicylic acid.

The sulfur is what helps get rid of the nasty fungus that causes the odor. The keratolytic properties of salicylic acid works in synergy with the sulfur to cleanse the oil from your scalp that the fungus thrives on.

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree line: $6.00-$25.00

Paul Mitchell's Tea Tree line does WONDERS!

Start washing your hair everyother day, and when shampooing leave it on for a few minutes before rinsing. The reason being for 'everyother day' is that it gives your hair a chance to breath and actually be dry for a little length of time and it will eventually help control the oil that you naturally produce. Did you know that the reason you feel so oily the day after washing your hair is because you washed out the natural oil it produced so that it has to reproduce what you just took out? Once you start washing your hair everyother day and your hair gets use to the new change you've made, it will slow down!

Just know that the smell and fungi will not go away over night. It takes a little time, just like it started. Keep using the Tea Tree Shampoo/Conditioner and you will notice the change.

I hope that you have a better understanding for what is going on and what is causing the smell and that you are able to put a stop to it. :)

-Alzy

P.S. I wish I could help you out with the helmet issue, but alas that is not my specialty . . . Maybe in the winter it won't look so awkward seeing you'll be wearing a lot heavier and bulkier clothing. Rock the new look, eh?



Do you have a question for Alzy? Email it to askalzy@gmail.com