Get Ready With Me! Christmas/Holiday Party Hair and Outfit

'Tis the season for holiday parties for jolly good times with friends and family! On top of spending time with your friends and family, Christmas/holiday parties are opportunities to show off all those awesome dresses you bought on a whim. Here's what I wore to a recent Holiday party I went to.

For this look I've accessorized with: 

• Forever 21 gold ring
• Forever 21 gold bow necklace
• J. Crew ball stud gold earrings
• Hot chocolate with whipped cream necklace (made by Olga)
• Michael Kors mini Madison rose gold watch

My outfit includes:

• Forever 21 red A-line dress
• Black knee high socks
• BCBGeneration black heels

The nail polishes I used are Essie's "Bordeux" and "Toggle to the Top".

For a full tutorial on how I did my hair and more about this look watch my "Get Ready With Me! Christmas/Holiday Party Hair and Outfit" video on our YouTube channel.

What are you wearing to your Holiday parties? Share your outfit, makeup and/or hair look with us on Twitter or Instagram using #decorateyou 

Healthy Hair Care Tips for Long Hair

Health hair care habits are essential, especially for long or colored hair. Here is a list of hair care tips for healthy hair!

1. Sleep with your hair in pigtails, a bun, or braid. This prevents tangles and hair breakage.

2. Limit your use of heat tools, close-range heat can dry or damage your hair. Let your hair air dry and try no heat hairstyles!

3. Lifting your hair from a dark to a light colors requires bleaching. The harsh chemical will damage your hair and leave it extremely dry if you leave it in to process for long periods of time. Give your hair a break and talk to your colorist about doing it over several sessions.

4. In between sessions do oil or mask treatments to moisturize your hair. Consider doing a hair mask once a week or at least twice a month. You usually leave a hair mask on for 20 minutes before rinsing it out, which is the perfect amount of time to soak in a nice warm bath! Check out our post on a chemical free DIY hair mask treatment for dry or sun-damaged hair here!

Click the image to see our DIY Hair Mask video

5. Wash your hair every other day. Everyday washing causes frizziness, dry scalp, and dries your hair out by stripping your hair of its natural oils. It’s not really necessary unless you do physical activity everyday. Use a dry shampoo spray in between washes to get rid of that greasy hair look. Check out our chemical free DIY dry shampoo spray recipe here!

Click the image to see our DIY Dry Shampoo video

6. Get a trim every 6-8 weeks to avoid split ends. The ends of your hair are older, thinner, and more fragile than the roots of your hair. They're more prone to split ends and damage so you'll want to get trims to prevent your ends from splitting.

Click below to watch our Healthy Hair Care Tips for Long Hair video on our YouTube Channel!

Share your healthy hair care tips with us by sending us a photo or message on Instagram or Twitter using the #decorateyou

DIY Hair Mask For Dry And Damaged Hair

It's important to keep your hair hydrated! Hard water, sun overexposure, bleaching your hair, your flat iron, and other heat tools can damage and dry out your locks. Hair masks are a great way to rehydrate and nourish your hair. 

I like to make my own hair masks instead of buying them because it's inexpensive and chemical free! Here is a simple recipe, with ingredients you probably already have in your home, to make a hair mask for dry and damaged hair.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey*

1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil

1 to 2 Tbsp of a protein-rich ingredient (avocado or egg yolk**) 

*Honey naturally attracts and locks in moisture

**Avocados and egg yolks replenish the keratin protein bonds that UV rays attack

What to do: 

Put into clean, damp hair, let sit for 20 minutes (the perfect amount of time for a bath!!), then rinse with warm water. 

Click below to watch our DIY Hair Mask For Dry And Damaged Hair tutorial on our YouTube Channel!

If you try this recipe out or make your own, use #decorateyou and share it with us!

DIY Dry Shampoo Spray for Light or Dark Hair

I love the volume of second day hair but hate the greasy look it comes with! I've learned that a dry shampoo or powder absorbs excess oils in between washes to get rid of that greasy hair look. Using a dry shampoo will makes your hair look great while washing less often (which is a good thing)! Washing your hair too often isn't good for your hair or scalp because:

• Most store-bought shampoos contain chemicals that strip natural and needed oils from your hair 
• Washing your hair too often causes your scalp to produce extra oils in order to compensate. This often leads to a situation where the scalp is very oily, but ends are dry and possibly damaged.

I like to make my own chemical free DIY dry shampoo spray with just a few simple ingredients from my kitchen. The spray is more convenient and less messy for me than a powder. Read below for the simple recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup arrowroot or cornstarch

1/4 cup vodka, rubbing alcohol or witch hazel

Essential oils or a spritz of your favorite perfume to scent

What to do: 

Mix all ingredients in a small spray bottle and shake well. Shake before each use and spray on roots or oily parts of hair. Let dry, or blow dry, and style as usual.

Click below to watch our DIY Dry Shampoo Spray for Light or Dark Hair tutorial on our YouTube Channel!

If you try this recipe out use #decorateyou and share it with us!

Simple Side Ponytail With Braid

Whenever I'm having a bad hair day I'm also usually running late. It's just my luck. I've learned to tame my messy bed head by putting it into simple and quick styles. I'll show you my side ponytail with braid look. Watch the full tutorial at the bottom of this post.

This look takes less than 5 minutes and all you need is:

• A brush
• 2 hair ties

Click the video below to watch the tutorial or watch it on our YouTube channel!

Use the #decorateyou on Instagram and Twitter to send us your hairstyle pictures!

Easy Fishtail Braid Tutorial

 

Fishtail braids are a great alternative to a normal braid. When fishtail braids first became popular I was a bit intimidated to try it! The braid looks complicated and impressive but it really isn't that hard. Once you have the basic 2 steps down you'll be a pro in no time!

Click the video below to watch me give step by step instructions on how to do an easy fishtail braid!

A fishtail braid goes with any kind of look. You can wear the braid with a casual outfit or dressed up. 

  

2 Quick & Easy Bobby Pin Hairstyles

 

Sometimes we like to hit that snooze button in the morning. If you're like me, you hit that snooze button ALL OF THE TIME. After hitting snooze about 5 times I have about literally 10 minutes to get ready. Luckily, I have 2 go to hair styles that take less than 2 minutes to do and help me look polished and put together.

Click the video below to watch the tutorials for these 2 quick and easy bobby pin hairstyles!

These hairstyles are quick, simple, and keep your hair out of your face. Plus you can add a bow to either one to accessorize.