Hair Memories

Sleeping Beauty

Willa Cather in My Antonia said “In the course of twenty crowded years, one parts with many illusions.  I did not wish to lose the early ones.  Some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.”

Ms. Cather’s words are very true for me now as I am up to my roots in hair memories while I work on moving the HairBoutique.com location after almost 14 years in the same place.

Of course I knew that this day was coming for more than 12 months.  I’ve been sorting, cleaning, pitching, packing and donating hair and beauty products for most of 2013.

As I go through various parts of the HairBoutique.com warehouse, which covers 12,800 square feet, I find many hair memories which I know are reality and others which were definitely illusions.

When my friends ask me what it’s like to pack up theHairBoutique.com warehouse for our move, I tell them to imagine cleaning out a closet that’s hasn’t been cleaned out in 14  years.  Except that the closet extends almost 13,000 square feet.

Every day I find more hair related products, accessories or tools I had completely forgotten about.  I’m also finding little items left behind by the many Hairboutique.com team members who’ve passed through these doors and left for a wide variety of reasons.

In the span of a week I found old veterinary bills for a former employee’s sick cat, a drawer full of movie stub receipts, grocery lists and even photo albums of former team member family members. Read the rest of this post »

Introduction – Celebrities Who Fight Their Hair

Taylor Swift With Mary J. Blige On NBC Today Show – NBC – All Rights Reserved

When adoring fans see their favorite celebrities on The Red Carpet, performing on TV. or in similar venues, their hair usually looks picture perfect.

Most celebrities have some of the best hairstylists on their speed dial.

The stylists make sure any hair challenges are addressed and their famous clients looks amazing for any appearances.

The reality is without the help of those amazing celebrity hairstylists, many celebrities who fight their hair have shared their strand challenges.

Listed below are celebrities who fight their hair and have been quoted about their tresses:

Taylor Swift Hated Her Curls

Taylor Swift has given interviews in the past where she confessed to hating her curls when she was in middle school.

Why?  All the popular girls had bone straight strands and Tay felt left out.

She temporarily straightened her hair to hide her texture.  Ultimately she embraced her natural curls and waves which her fans now adore.

Kourtney Kardashian Was Jealous Of Her Sisters

The Kardashian sister confessed to being jealous of her sisters.  She told the media her hair is not nearly as wavy or naturally textured as her sisters and “sometimes it made her jealous.”

Of course Kourtney’s sister Kim not only has beautiful wavy hair, over the past few years she’s grabbed headlines by going blonde.  Kourt’s other sister, Khloe, made a huge media splash when she went red.  Meanwhile Kourtney Kardashian seems to be much more conservative with the colors and styles she adopts for her dark brunette tresses. Read the rest of this post »

Introduction – Taylor Swift Hated Her Natural Curls

Taylor Swift With Matt Lauer – 2009 – NBC – All Rights Reserved

The superstar told Twist Magazine a big secret about her hair growing up.  Taylor Swift hated her natural curls.

Taylor told Twist Magazine when she was in middle school all the most popular girls had stick straight strands.

On the other hand, Taylor had highly textured hair which was bursting with lots of curls and waves.

Tay told Twist “my hair’s naturally really curly.”

Obviously the fact all the popular girls in her school had bone straight hair posed a big challenge for the singer/songwriter. She felt left out in school because of her hair.

Taylor Fought Her Big Luscious Hair Loops

Taylor decided to fight her big luscious loops and straighten her hair to fit in with the popular girls and their straight tresses.

The star who is now famous for her natural hair texture felt she needed to hide her curls back when she was in school in order to fit in.

She embarked on a hair straightening mission and worked hard to eliminate her natural curls.

Taylor confessed to Twist that she used to spend an hour or more straightening her hair before going to school.

Eventually all the time she spent on straightening her hair began to wear on Taylor.   Besides all the time and energy she had to spend fighting her natural curls, she didn’t feel cool or confident with straight strands. Read the rest of this post »

Introduction – Megan Park Curly Hair Envy

Megan Park – Curly Hair Envy – ABC Family – All Rights Reserved

As Grace Bowman on The Secret Life Of The American Teenager, Megan Park showcased an array of beautiful long blonde hairstyles with a perfect side swept fringe.

Ironically Megan had a history of struggling with her hair.

The actress and singer (born July 24, 1986) told Twist Magazine she grew up hating her naturally stick straight hair.

Instead Megan Park had curly hair envy.

Megan confessed “my straight hair was my biggest issue.”

Naturally Thick Hair Challenges

Growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, all of her “friends had curls” while she felt her own naturally thick straight strands “just hung there.”

Not having curls only made Megan envy her friend’s ringlets.

Her own hair made her feel really  insecure and act somewhat obsessed about her tresses.

Wearing Ponytails Every Day

The actress told Twist her curly hair friends joked about her hair obsessions.  Her hair fix?  She confessed to wearing her naturally straight hair in daily ponytail, almost like a uniform, to hide her lack of curls.

Megan’s curly hair envy sprung from her love of natural texture.

When she was growing up the actress confessed to being in awe of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s natural waves  and sprinkling of curls.  She thought the Olsen sisters “had the coolest hair.” Read the rest of this post »

Introduction – Lucy Liu’s Hair History

Lucy Liu Hair History – Photo: Nino Muñoz/CBS©
2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Lucy Liu’s hair history is full of interesting secrets and scoops. Just as the actress loves vintage stuff and being original, her hair has a lot of interesting aspects.

Born in Queens, New York (December 2, 1968) the gorgeous actress originally captured worldwide attention with her long ebony shiny hair and iconic growl as Ling Woo on TV’s Ally McBeal.

Although she had already booked several guest spots in films and on TV long before her role as Woo, it was her McBeal appearances which thrust her into the International spotlight.

The actress wisely combined the sexy Woo growl with a withering stare, designed to intimidate female colleagues and entire males around the world.

As Ling Woo, she also used her long silky tresses to full advantage in her role as the man-eating attorney.

Joan Watson’s Classic Hairstyles On Elementary

Now the beloved star of a long string of TV and movie roles has won the hearts of a whole new generation as Joan Watson on TV’s Elementary co-starring Jonny Lee Miller and Aidan Quinn.

While her hair is still dark, shiny and silky, it’s no longer a key component of her role as a physician, somber companion and budding detective.

While the actress still wears her famous hair down in her role as Dr. Watson, she’s just as likely to wear her tresses pulled back in classic sleek ponytails or chignons.

When she’s out investigating crimes with Holmes, her hair is often styled out of the way or covered with an array of accessories. Read the rest of this post »