Cover Story

Hair 'don't' to hair 'do'

Check the mirror, then read on to make sure you're not sporting one of the top five mistakes women make with their hair.

By Hilary Dickinson

ROCKFORD WOMAN

Aug 26, 2008 @ 06:52 PM

Still sporting the big bangs? Got a cute haircut but don’t have time to style?

If so, you’re not alone. Many women have trouble with their tresses, so we asked Weis-Morris DaySpa Salon to list the top five common hair mistakes women make.

Stylist Kirsten Osborne explains how to fix those faux pas and tells us which hair styles have frizzled out like a bad perm.

Not wanting to update
Many women are set in their ways and stick with dated hairstyles like big bangs and feathered hair, Osborne says.

“They think a new hairstyle isn’t them because they’ve had the hairstyle for so long,” she says. “But even making a little change can make a big difference.”

The change doesn’t have to be dramatic. Instead, start out with small, subtle changes. Hair trends are always changing, so be willing to change shape or style and try new products.

“Try something different,” Osborne says. “It tends to make you feel good about yourself.”

The infamous mullet
They aren’t very popular, but Osborne says a handful of people still have mullets. “It’s a bad trend from the ’80s that was never that fabulous,” she says.

Mullets are undesirable because it’s better to have one seamless, blended style rather than two different haircuts.

“In an ideal world, go with the shorter length and cut the length of the hair off,” Osborne says. “But in the real world, people are attached to the length of their hair.”

The ’90s chunky highlights
“You can still do fun splashes of color without the streaks,” Osborne says. Instead, disguise the color underneath called a “peek-a-boo color.”

In addition, keep the highlights subtle by using colors that blend well together. For example, if you have golden-blonde hair, get rich brown highlights.

Not styling
Too many women come in for cute haircuts but then don’t style them. “Every hairstyle requires a little work to some extent,” Osborne says. “Even the messy, ‘I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look.’ ”

Consider your lifestyle and how much time you have to style. Long hair lovers, don’t fret — you can still keep the length even if you don’t have the time.

Curly-haired women can apply product then simply blow dry; others can air-dry; and everyone can use products to help style. Tools such as heated roller brushes, the Conair blow dryer that simultaneously straightens, or wet-to-dry flatirons are time savers.

Drastic changes from the box
“A lot of people love using box color because it’s easy access,” Osborne says. When women dye their hair really dark and then try to lighten it at home, it’s a problem because color can’t be put on top of color.

The roots become lighter, but the ends stay the same color. A hairstylist will then have to strip the color out with bleach before putting color on. “It’s more expensive to fix something than have us do it in the first place,” Osborne says.

Even if you’re not dying drastically, Osborne recommends seeing a stylist because you can’t guarantee what color you’re going to get from a box.