Saying Goodbye to Blogger and Hello to Wordpress

Hello!
   Well, this blog has MOVED! After my last post about a reader giveaway, YOU made it abundantly clear that this was a difficult website to navigate! I had problems with people trying to follow my blog, and receiving updates, and due to the overwhelming response, Cayla Does Hair decided to MOVE!! I have a new location and a new site! It is much easier to follow me, and you do not have to have a Google account or yahoo account of any form. you just type your e-mail address in, and every time I post a new blog, it is delivered directly to your inbox!
I heard you, and I hope you are happier!! Please follow me to my new location at :

www.cayladoeshair.wordpress.com , or you can click here .

You can still reach my new blog directly from my website www.cayladoeshair.com.

Plus as a bonus, I moved every thing I have written over to the new address, so you still have access to it all! Come visit me, and follow me!
The first 100 followers will be entered into a drawing to win my FAVORITE hair products!!! THERE!
 As always, thank you and I will see you

-Cayla , Owner
CDH

FIRST GIVEAWAY!

Uh. oh. 

What did I find??? I'm pretty excited about it... but it's all mine. Do you want it too? Here's how: 

1. Become a follower of my blog. If you don't know how, click here. 
2. Post your guess of what this picture is as a comment below. 
3. If there is more than 1 correct guess I will draw a name to see who wins! 

Then... IT'S ALL YOURS!! 

To win this, you HAVE TO BE A FOLLOWER.

Ready... 
Set... 
GO! 

An intimate look into the thoughts of a Stylist...

Please excuse my normal light-hearted posts as I venture in a direction I have never gone before. This is me, excusing the typical playful banter, and not reviewing anything that has to do with makeup or hair. This is just me, writing from my heart.

I am challenged daily to think about why I function in certain ways; Why I choose certain people to be a part of my life; Why I handle situations the way I do. A little over 2 years ago, quite possibly the most devastating thing in my entire life took place, and I have yet to deeply talk about it, or write about it because sometimes putting things into words is just too difficult. Today I am not choosing to write about it either, but express what this kind of devastation causes. It permeates everything in your life. It becomes a part of the filters with which you look through and view your life. After the "normal" stages of grief, you attempt to rebuild your reality, and that is where I find myself in 2013. This is a new year, and with it came a new hope. I have experienced how fragile life is (as most of us have) and I have had the breath knocked out of me. It took me this long to breathe in again. There also comes this sort of freedom from a type of thinking. Once you realize how quickly life can be taken away, I think it brings you to this place where you have to decide if you are going to live your life in a genuine authentic way, if you were not before. I certainly have never felt I am a "fake" person, but there are aspects of this industry in which you must handle things, deal with people, act in a certain way because it boils down to the fact that they are your client, and you are providing a service to them. I believe a huge part of what I offer is a break from reality. You get this time with me and you can talk about everything in your heart- and be pampered, and if I can give you this little time of freedom and make you feel more beautiful when I'm done, then it's a job well done.

In this, over time, relationships are created. As most people know, the relationship between stylist and client can become very very blurry. Are you a friend? Are you just a service provider? Are you less? Does it matter? Does it effect how you feel about yourself? Your craft? This person? Are they just your paycheck, or is there more- sure they are paying you, but are you passionate about what you are doing, and putting out there, and are you truly spending your LIFE wisely?

Today a very good friend of mine wrote something in her blog that has had me thinking all day. It was a blatant stand against hate in any form. It was earnest, heartfelt, and so true to the person she is. It was dividing. People may choose to not hire her because of her stance, but regardless, she was being genuine, true, and authentic to the person she is and taking a stand against something that she felt was wrong in so many ways. Her words have pushed me to write something that has been on my heart for such a long time. It is not quite as "controversial," but it is absolutely not something that we talk about a lot, and it needs to be said.

Ask my mom what I wanted to be when I grew up, and she will settle into this cute story about how I wanted to be a Barbie. Find my first little Precious Moments bible from my Grandmother, and in the 'About You' section the owner is asked to finish the sentence 'When I grow up I want to be...' I wrote "A Cosmetologist."
I believe I was under 10 when I received that bible. Clearly someone taught me what that word was. :)
I say this to explain: what I do for a living is in my blood. I have had moments where I waiver, grow fearful, get burnt out, beg for no one to text me, call me, or email me because they need their hair done.... but at the end of the day, I was born to make people feel beautiful and it edifies who I am in the deepest part of my heart. I LOVE what I do.

My good friend Anne Almasy  is a wonderfully talented photographer and she was interviewed on the blog "Experimental Wifery" about what she does for a living. (Please, read the awesome interview here!) In it she is asked what the worst part about being a photographer is and because I can literally not put it in better words, this is her response:

"The worst is the fear of someone not being happy with what you’ve created. Photography is really personal. If someone isn’t happy, it’s not like she bought a necklace from me and wants to exchange it. Instead it feels like a very intimate rejection of myself as a person, because my photography—my art—is such an extension of myself...."

How brilliantly stated. When I work with a client, it is personal. You allow me to transform the way that you look, as I artistically interpret you to desire, or I desire. You give me permission to do so. You trust that what I am going to do is going to be in your best interest and make you look beautiful. You trust my judgment, and my opinion when I tell you that I don't believe something is the best choice for you, or when I believe something is better in terms of color or cut, or your wedding style. Trust is a valuable thing to earn, and I don't take it lightly. 

The moment I started in this industry, I had a very open policy. If you don't like what I do- tell me. If I make a mistake in your color- tell me. If you still trust me- let me fix it. If not, I understand, but have the integrity to tell me as opposed to putting my work down behind my back, and never giving me the opportunity to understand or fix. I understand that I am not the perfect stylist. I will make mistakes. I am also not right for everyone. It is one of the things I tell prospective clients when e-mailing me about their wedding- look at my work, decide if I am right for you- do not hire me because of my price, hire me because of my work. I say all of this not because this is something that happens to me often, but because it HAS happened. It has happened to anyone who runs their own business.

 In this industry I get the opportunity to talk to many artists who earn a living from their art, and without fail, they all feel the same as I do about our art: because it [what I do for a living] is "an extension of myself"-when a client decides to suddenly stop seeing me, or goes to someone else, or decides to tell other people that I am not giving them what they need,  it can feel "like a very intimate rejection of myself as a person...." because when I work on you as a client, YOU are the expression of my art- and that "is such an extension of myself..." (to quote parts of Anne's interview.) It is more hurtful when it comes from someone that you have cultivated a relationship with over time, because it can feel like a personal rejection. End of story. 

Some clients will never be happy. We call them "jumpers." They jump from stylist to stylist, always looking for a better color, better cut, better dentist, better doctor, better, better, better..... Oprah Winfrey was on air speaking about her hair, saying (excuse the paraphrase) that the reason her hair is in such great condition and is truly all hers- not relaxed, no extensions- is because she has been with the same stylist for years. She trusts him, he tells her what to use on her hair, and she does. She trusts that he knows what he is talking about. Some of us have jumpers, and believe me, I have said bye to a few, but most of us have amazing clients-the kind that trust me to work on them and over time to get their hair to the best possible place it can be. My desire is to make my clients happy. I also desire to know them well enough to know what will work for them, and what won't. Yes, I charge for this service, but it's about more than just the money: I truly desire to put beauty into the world, and make people feel better about themselves. 

So, I believe this is my longest entry yet, but it is definitely something that needed to be said, because with friends like mine, who have the guts to step up and express what they believe, being genuine to themselves and those they love, how can I not say what has been on my heart. Life is too short. While there are those clients who choose to walk away, or clients who don't truly value who you are and what you offer, there are more waiting to welcome you into their world and let you work on them, express your creativity through bringing out the beauty that honestly has less to do with how pretty THEY are, but how beautiful their soul is. Those are the clients that make doing what I do worth doing. It's the first look a bride has when she sees what you have done for her on her wedding day. It's the client who sends you a note telling you that you gave her, her "man winning hair" as that is what caught the attention of the love of her life. It's giving your long time client's baby girl her first haircut. It's crying with your client as you do her hair for her husbands funeral. 

These clients are why I do what I do, and regardless of the hurt that other clients can cause, and how intimate that hurt can feel- it absolutely cannot take away the memories I have with the amazing clients I have had in my life who have truly loved me, valued what I do, and become an intimate part of who I am. 

Follow my blog!

Fast entry and how to: HOW TO FOLLOW THIS BLOG::

1. View my blog.

2. Click the Icon that looks like this:

It is VERY small, on the right side of my blog, and it is followed by a blue rectangle that says : Join this site. 

3. It will allow you to follow me by signing into one of your previously created accounts : Google, Twitter, Yahoo, AIM, Netlog, or OpenID. If you don't have any of these, it gives you the option to create a google account. It's fast, and makes it easy to access a lot of other things that Google offers. 

4. By being one of my AMAZING followers, you get thrown into the raffle, of sorts, to win some of my favorite products!!! This is just the first of many give-aways, so the benefit to you is free stuff... and lots of good knowledge. :) Plus, you don't have to pay me to ask me all of your beauty questions. :) 

Hope that helps! 

What is in MY makeup bag?

Image Credit: www.realbeauty.com 

I am sort of a sucker. No, I am too nice. My parents did a fabulous job at raising me, and teaching me to be kind, but I think it really hit home for me when I began to work as a server (wait tables) when I was 16. I did this off and on for 5 years and I think servers have one of the hardest jobs in the world. It was a good experience at cultivating who I am today, and how I also treat others. These two reasons are why I have the inability to avoid eye contact with all of those sales women in department stores. I always get conned into sitting in someone’s chair and listening to their sales pitch at how AMAZING, FANTASTIC, and AGE-DEFYING their products are.  However, it IS entertaining to me, because they never bother to ask me what I do for a living, nor do they think that I might have a background in skin care. Here enters: sweet department store sales woman who was poorly educated on the science behind skin care.

I sat in her chair. I listened to her pitch. I asked her questions. I wanted to know what she had been taught by this HUGE company that boasts to be an industry leader in skin care and makeup.  She sounded like a t.v commercial, and coincidentally, a lot of her information was as incorrect as the commercials I have seen. What bothered me is that this bad information is being recycled over and over because this woman’s job was to sell, not to teach. Once upon a time, I also was one of those women. I worked for a large makeup company that specialized in their field, and I had to listen to managers go on and on about people not meeting their numbers, because their intent was to SELL, not teach.

As a stylist, I tend to get asked the same questions over and over.  It highlights the overwhelming fact that people are always searching for the answers to their beauty questions. We are told a thousand different things by a thousand different sources: magazines, television, friends, stylists, your best friend’s cousin’s friend’s sister’s baby daddy’s aunt, and yes, sales department store associates.  It is never ending, all claiming to be the ‘authority’ on whatever your topic under question is. Let’s be real: IT. IS. ANNOYING. So, here is my disclaimer: I am NOT an authority on ALL things hair and makeup. I will never be 100% sold on a single product, because my life and beauty care needs are always changing. What I am is a consumer with an educational background to understand the products that I am using and therefore I can claim that THIS is my specialty. I have spent years in school, taking classes, studying it, researching it, speaking with product chemists, and using it. This is my specialty, and so in a court of law, I get to be called as an ‘expert witness!’

One of my favorite things to teach is product knowledge. I taught this class in my salon. I taught my clients how to use what they purchased. I taught random strangers who seemed stuck when buying things. I love it. My favorite class yet, was with an amazing group of women who brought in their makeup bag. I taught them how to use what they already had. This presented another question in class “Cayla: what is in YOUR makeup bag?” So here it is, my FAVORITE go to products that are in my makeup bag all the time.

1.Foundation : Rimmel. I discovered it when I was desperate on a set. The actor I was working on also worked on ‘The Walking Dead,’ and had been shooting all week outside. I.E: SUNBURN. I needed to cover her red and peeling skin and it not show up on camera- so I layered. And layered. And LAYERED. It did the trick, and that meant it also did the trick for my “welcome to the teenage years” random breakouts.

2. Powder: I waiver depending on necessity. For a heavier coverage, I use Benefit’s “Hello Flawless,” otherwise I stick with my favorite with is Aveda’s loose translucent powder.

3. Cream Blush: I prefer a dewy blush finish to an overly powdered effect. I use N.Y.C Blushable Crème Stick.

4. Bronzer: My favorite was featured in my blog last summer:  E.L.F Golden Bronzer. One side has the darker colors for contouring if you want, and the other side has highlighting colors.  

5. Eyeliner: I have 2. My liquid choice (perfect for my favorite cat eye) is Loreal Lineur Intense in Black Mica. My pencil choice is N.Y.C  in Dark Brown.

6. Primer: Benefit’s Stay Don’t Stray, which I use only on my eyes on the days I play to wear eye shadow. It’s a miracle worker.

7. Eyelash Curler: Shu Uemura; If I can’t find it, I use N.Y.C.

8. Mascara: I always go back and forth on Mascara, there are a lot of great options, and an entire entry dedicated to it on my blog, but I always come back to Maybelline’s ‘The Falsies: Volum Express.’

9. Chapstick. Any brand works, I prefer one that has a bit of a gloss so if I don’t want to put anything else on my lips, it works. I like the Carmex Chapsticks. I also love Soft Lips.

10. and 11. Two things that rotate in and out of my makeup bag are eye shadow and lipstick, all depending on my mood. I may have a hot pick lip stick in my bag one week, and nude the next. Because my primer is AMAZING, I can get away with less expensive eye shadows, so this week it happens to be Nuance by Selma Hayek, last week it was E.L.F.

How about you? What are YOUR go-to products? Are there things you are using, but aren’t sure how to? Send me your questions! As always, you can e-mail me : Cayladoeshair  (at) Hotmail.com , message me on Facebook. Comment here!

If you haven’t yet, sign up to follow my blog! I am doing a giveaway of all my favorite products, chosen only from my followers!

My biggest beauty secret: Revealed.

When I started this blog, my intention was to use my salon background, and my product knowledge and education to provide you with sound advice on what to use, and what not to use.

The truth is, I am a research junkie. If I think that I want to use something personally, I will beat down any door, call any person, read any article, and semi-permanently move into the library, if need be, to be sure of what I am using and why- AND make sure it isn't just a new fad or all hype.

Last winter, I encouraged my readers to begin using olive oil as a moisturizer. It's cheap, accessible, easy to apply in the shower, and great for your skin. I kept mine easily accesible in the bathroom, for post shower moisturizing and occasionally did a hair treatment- which means wearing a hat the next day due to the .... moisturizing effects (*ahem. grease*). Around the same time, I was doing a good amount of research into creating my own brand of products. Something that has been put on the back burner for a little bit. I purchased a wide range of essential oils, carriers (the base to mix oils into), vitamins and etc. I happpened, at this time, upon my BIGGEST beauty secret, that I planned to keep to myself. :) And possibly charge for.

I began using this product recently, and fell in love with it in about.... 2 seconds. It started with a hair treatment, grew into a moisturizer, then I started using it on my horrendously chapped lips, and now, I am actually mixing it into food.

Making it's grand entrance is.... :

 

This is litearlly the kind that I keep in my shower. I purchased it on Amazon, and it is gold in my home.

The benefits were immediate- my skin was softer, my face began to clear up, the stupid little red bumps on the back of my arms (we all get them) started to disappear, and my lips began to heal. What is it, by the way, with this sudden onset of cold? Does the weather not realize this is GEORGIA?! Chapped lips are not something I have regularly!

 Once upon a time I watched one of those typical dude survival shows- and I remember time and time again being told that coconut water was nature's gatorade. As I did my digging and typical late night, I can't fall asleep so I must do something- type research- I discovered blog after blog, and doctor after doctor stating all the benefits of using coconut oil. Like here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html, Or here: http://www.howdoesshe.com/coconut-oil-moisture-treatment/ .  I remembered talking with a friend about why she was drinking coconut water after a long run- and how she felt it's effects already- (Hi Beth M!)  taking away the soreness from a long run (any runners? I can totally understand the aftershock of running more than 5 miles.)  Then I talked with another friend about how she was instructed to take it orally (Hi Katillia!) So, I decided to try it out myself. I have been consistently using it for my skin, and been amazed at the results, so now I'm giving coconut oil a try else where in my life, and I will let you guys know how it goes!

Just take it from me- I am the queen of coloring my hair. I add a highlight here, a low light there, all the time- and it has taken it's toll on my locks- but one hot coconut oil treatment later, and I had soft hair. You can't argue with personal experience, folks.

Give it a try, let me know how you like it- and I will keep you updated!


12-1-12 Update:::

I forgot to explain the texture of Coconut oil. When you open it up, it looks like a hard oil. A little like Crisco- but harder feeling. Once you get your hands into it, it feels grainy. It isn't. Don't worry. Once you warm it up in your hands, it melts- but as another reader pointed out, and a great tip- If you whip up your coconut oil, it makes it MUCH easier to scoop out. I don't bother, mostly because I am lazy, and have a toddler running around wreaking havoc on my home. :)


Pretty cool to update that a friend/ follower/ fellow organic natural all around craftiness lover has posted a picture of her new stash of coconut oil to be used:

 

 

 

 

Can I also mention that she has a pretty cool etsy store that I dig? http://www.etsy.com/shop/MommaSweetPeaCrochet?ref=top_trail

 

In fact, I dig her shtuff so much that I currently have a request for a very awesome scarf that is SOLD OUT. Thats how awesome she is. :)

The Beauty of Birchbox

 

Words cannot express the excitement that filled my heart as I walked up to my porch and saw a little pink box hiding in my mail. Two words (maybe one?)  that make the middle of my month 100% happier: BirchBox.  This is an absolutely genius company that has put together these special boxes that deliver a variety of hand-picked products,  from lip and cheek stains, facial masks, ear buds, even designer Band-Aids, for $10/month. Crazy, right? I know people who spend $10/week on soda! $10/month for fabulous new beauty products to try each month? It’s a win win for everyone.

 You can influence the type of products that you receive by checking the things you like on their website: www.birchbox.com, but I genuinely LOVE not having a clue what is coming to me. The packaging of Birch Box is impressive, with its quality little box, and pink ribbon, AND makes opening it up all the more exciting. Clearly, I have a thing for packaging. Inside you will find products, with explanations of what each are, and what they are for. If you happen to want full size of any of your samples, you can hop on over to their site and order them! You also receive very cool perks like points, by referring friends, which turns into money you can use to purchase full size products!

 Another cool side of BirchBox is they also have an online magazine/blog, where you can read articles they have written about the hottest designer products, as well as very cool new and upcoming beauty companies: ALL FOR FREE. This month the site hosts articles directly written for BirchBox from Glamour Magazine; BirchBox teamed up with Glamour, whose July issue features the 5 senses.  My BirchBox  reads : See it, hear it, taste it, touch it, smell it. Yes, you guessed it, I received products to … see, hear, taste, touch and smell! So, the crowd consensus, well, my consensus, is that BirchBox is pretty much amazing, and now I have to leave you with this review to go dive into my little box of goodies. My recommendation? Apply for your membership now! You might be put on a wait list, and they will send you an invitation. I just happen to have a pretty cool editor who did all the hard work for me, and I get to enjoy all the benefits of this fabulous company.

 

** As always, please check out the magazine I write for and post lots of happy comments! A portion of this article can be found at the following address: http://datenightmag.com/story/beauty-budget-beauty-birchbox 

Also, don't be lead astray by the name, it houses a lot of awesome articles, not only on dating, but also on restaurants, salons, traveling, etc, so check it out! **