"I have long curly hair ([think] Stevie Nicks, oy!) worn the same for as long as I can remember," says Rachael, 45. "I don't want a completely shorter cut, as I do like it long, but I have been dying to find something more interesting to do with it," she says. And after "too much time in the sun" during the summer season, her curls have turned dry and frizzy.
When the conversation turns to color, Rachael admits she's been neglecting her roots, which explains the noticeable brown and gray along her part. Bottom line: She's looking for natural, healthier-looking curls.
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The cut
Rachael's hair is "flat on top and super wide at the bottom," says Olson, which "gives her a triangular look." Lack of layering causes this, so curly hair types should avoid blunt cuts if they "don't want to look like a Christmas tree." To trim the tree, Olson cuts an inch off of Rachael's length to get rid of her dried-out ends, then removes weight from Rachael's curls by adding long, face-framing layers. She's careful not to cut them too short around her face as that would add width to Rachael's cheeks. Olson's snappy clean up will immediately make Rachael's curls more bouncy and less frizzy.
To maintain Rachael's bouncy curls, Olson urges her to wash and condition her hair with moisturizing products specifically formulated for curly hair as these will work best to enhance curl shape.
"We need to cover those grays and redo her color," says colorist Jherra Moreno. This will give Rachael's hair a more cohesive and healthy look. When roots get out of hand, your hair looks unkempt and that's why Moreno's first order of business is to use a honey blonde base to blend Rachael's roots. Once her base processes, Moreno paints lowlights and highlights on the top layer of Rachael's hair. This warm blonde refresh will help bring attention back to Rachael's face and showcase her baby blue eyes.
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The style
With such gorgeous, naturally curly hair, you want to do your best to define the curls, not try and pretend they don't exist by abusing them with heat styling. To keep curls manageable for a busy woman like Rachael, Olson recommends first applying a curl enhancing product to wet hair (try Pantene Pro-V Curly Hair Style Curl Enhancing Spray Gel, $3.99) to define the ringlets. Follow that up with a shine serum to help further cut the frizz. Once the products are applied and explained, stylist Reanna Garcia uses a diffuser to gently dry the curls. Finally, a pinky-sized iron is used to randomly curl sections of hair here and there to emphasize the curls around Rachael's face.
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The brows
To soften Rachael's look and to match her new hair color, makeup artist Amy Hollier lightens Rachael's eyebrows and shapes them. Eyebrows should always be close to the color of your hairline, says Hollier.
As a mother of a preschooler and a busy marketing professional, Rachael doesn't have much time left for beautifying herself. This is why her obvious roots and frizzy curls are due for an overhaul, but a maintainable one. That's why we called on our makeover team at the Warren-Tricomi salon in Los Angeles, Calif., which includes hairstylists Whitney Olson and Reanna Garcia, colorists Jherra Moreno and Ashleigh Childers, and celebrity makeup artist and co-founder of the Luxe Beauty Team Amy Hollier. Together they give Rachael sleek curls and a natural, low-maintenance makeup look that packs a subtly sexy punch. See how the transformation went down.
