Secrets of a Stylish Man

The Beauty industry is often focused on celebrating the styles of women and we often forget to focus on our stylish men. This month at the Beauty Box, we're focusing on mens hair and fashion by celebrating styles of the past and how much they have evolved. 

Let's take a look at some of the current trends that are taking over the hair industry. 

Master colorist Danielle Delong perfected the look of silver metallic hair on our male client. Being in the industry for over 6 years and also being the one who taught me everything I know, she's extremely talented.

The metallic hair craze has had a huge impact on women in the hair industry, but men are wearing it just as well. Brendan's metallic hair amped up his look and proved that more men should definitely be making the switch.

In this video, we see Danielle transform his brunette locks to silver fox.

Aside from Danielle working her color magic, one of our Master Stylists, Lindsey Jennex, made her way into Westchester magazine where she shared her take on popular men's hairstyles throughout Westchester County. Lindsey, being one of our Bumble and Bumble network educators, is extremely passionate about the many ways her clients can keep their look fun and edgy while being clean and well put together. 

Our staff at the Beauty Box is constantly on a creative journey and working as a team is our secret to success. We receive inspiration from everything around us and express it through our creativity. We hope we inspire you and see you soon at The Beauty Box. 

First YouTube Video

Making YouTube videos has always been something I wanted to do. It's so much fun to create something and be able to share it with the world, especially today, since social media has given us the ability to reach millions of people. 

For years, I have been watching YouTubers. Between makeup gurus and nutrition lovers, I would sit there and wonder the process of how all of their videos were made. I told myself I knew when I would be ready and finally this past week, I was. 

Purchasing my camera gave me the push to finally upload a video. I didn't want to do anything too complicated, so I made it short and simple. It was alot of fun and I cant wait to do more. 

I'm trying to be as nutritious as I can these days, with a few exceptions,  so even my chocolate pudding has some good stuff in it. I actually felt like I was eating dessert so I'm assuming this is going to be something I'll be making a lot from now on. 

If you're trying to be healthy also but still have a sweet tooth, this is great for you.

Recipe

- Half of an Avacado

- 1 Frozen Banana 

- 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter 

- 1 Tablespoon of Raw Coca Powder 

-1 Teaspoon of Organic Cane Sugar

- 1/4 of a cup of Almond Milk

Blend together in your blender or food process. Garnish whatever you desire and enjoy. :)

Powerful Anti-oxidant Tea

Lemon Ginger Tea

The more negative things I hear about the medical industry, the more I love looking into letting my food be my medicine. I've realized that although it's amazing to have access to any type to medical doctor who has had years of experience, nutritional doctors also have a very crucial part in todays society. We live in in a world where we are constantly given medication after medication and eventually pills aren't the solution to the problem, they are the cause. Many others who surround me are realizing this to and they are also researching into holistic medicine and following doctors who aren't all about prescribing pills.

I didn't look into any of this until I started having some serious health issues of my own and I have also seen the quality of life of a friend dramatically change as she started going the all natural route.

Before I get into what I am talking about, i'll give a brief description of my medical history.

In 2011, I started having some serious symptoms of headaches, dizzyness, severe low blood pressure, intense brain fog, light headedness, constant swollen lymph nodes and severe chronic fatigue.

Fast forward 7 months later, I was diagnosed with POTS syndrome and was told there was no cure and I had to just live my life every day managing my symptoms.

Another 4 years later, I had decided that it was time I invested in Invisalign since I had always wanted straight teeth. I found a new dentist and started my appointments to get my trays made.

This is where the story starts.....

In my X-rays, she had found a massive infection that was eating hole through my jaw. Turns out, this infection was brewing in my tooth for at least 4 years, coincidentally when my immune system issues started.

Two root canals and a pulled tooth later, the infection had started to clear up and my bones are still in the process of growing back. I am currently walking around with metal braces on and no front tooth. Loads of fun.

Throughout this process, I was on 2 types of antibiotics and was taking them for the course of over a month. 

After I finished my round of antibiotics, I noticed a weird film on my toungue. I didn't think anything of it and then developed some flu like systems. Since I get sick whenever the seasons change, I thought this was just the usual common cold. After this, I got sick the next month and the next month. Each time my lymph nodes completely swelling but oddly enough, I had no pain. I decided to take a look in the back of my throat to see what was going on.

It was gross. the back of my toungue had a thick white and yellow coating on it. I was completely alarmed and had never seen this before. Over the next two weeks, I went to the hospital twice and was sent home both times after being told it was just "mucus buildup" and it would clear up in a week. That never happened.

My guess is the overuse of antibiotics gave me a case of candida, which grossly enough is the overgrowth of yeast in the body, including the mouth and causing severe oral thrush.

During all of this happening, a close friend was having amazing results from holistic medicine and special diets that were made up by nutritionists. That's when she gave me this tea recipe.

Before I say any of this, I am NOT giving anyone medical advice. This is simply the experience I have had.

My friend told me to start drinking a cup of this tea every morning. Sure enough, I would get up, boil up some water with fresh slices of lemon, fresh ginger, cinnamon and honey. Every morning I drank it on an empty stomach. This tea is so good that it's easy to want it in the morning.

It has now been a month since I have been drinking this tea every morning and everyday the white coating on my tongue has been disappearing, to the point where it's almost completely gone and I haven't gotten sick. I have also seen a big improvement in my menstrual cramps. Usually, I am in agony unless I take something the day before it starts. I was shocked that I could fully function, at work, without taking anything at all. I am not saying that this tea is the complete cause of my symptoms getting better, but as soon as I introduced this into my daily routine, I saw positive changes. 

There are so many health benefits from the ingredients in this tea. Fresh ginger, as well as cinnamon, is an anti-oxidant and powerful anti-inflammatory. Ginger is also great for relieving nausea and other other upset stomach issues. I gave this tea to my mom when she had a 24 hour stomach bug and it helped her queasiness. Lemons are full of vitamins such a as vitamin C and vitamin B6. Having lemon water is also a great was to start the morning and get your metabolism going before you eat any solid foods. 

I really encourage everyone to drink this tea once a day for a month and see what it does for you. At the very least, it's warming during the winter so no matter what happens, it's a win - win!


Recipe

2 servings :

1 inch slice of fresh ginger, chopped

half of a lemon, juiced into water and then slices thrown in 

Dash of Cinnamon 

Bring to a boil and then Simmer for 20 minutes. Pour into mugs, top with some honey and enjoy!

Embrace your curls - Favorite curly hair products at the moment

Wearing my hair curly used to not be an option for me. I always hated my curls and would straighten and blow dry them until every strand was straight. I've learned to now embrace them. Whenever people see me now, they ask me what I did to my hair because they didn't realize my big hair was natural. I'm on a kick where I love my curls and it's actually a lot more easier then sitting in front of the mirror while constantly blowdrying. Less time and patience. 

With curly hair comes the need for great products. Every head of curls is different and it takes a lot of time for someone to find their favorite products to use. I'm lucky I work in a salon because I can do an endless amount of experimenting and using  different products together to see what works. 

Right now I am loving Bumble and Bumble and Kerastase for my curls. Many would think since these are the products we sell at the salon I work in, of course I'm going to advertise these. It actually took me a while to get to like Curl Fever by Kerastase. I was always so against gels because I hated any type of crunchiness in my hair. I was always someone who liked my hair to feel textured and not like I just put a glob of glue in it. My mentor was always telling me to just try it because she loved it. Finally, I did and I am so happy about it. Its actually part of the reason I'm wearing my hair curly on an every day basis because I know my curls are going to come out great. 

As for Bumble and Bumble, I will always love the surf line. It allows me to have beach hair all year round, and the packaging looks pretty awesome to. I use all of these three products for different things and each one is important. 

Kerastase Curl Fever - This is a gel that adds no crunchiness to your hair while still having some hold. I don't like the stiff feeling. This keeps helps keep my curls in tact without looking crusty. 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray - A sea salt spray for a beachy texture. It feels like you just stepped out of the ocean. Since its winter, there is no humidity in the air to help my hair get some volume. I use this at my root while its both damp and dry and it keeps my hair from looking flat and greasy. 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion - A lot like the Surf Spray, this also gives the hair a beachy texture but is infused with oils for some added moisture. The original surf spray is great for the summer but in the winter, my ends need more moisture since curly hair tends to get very dry. I get the same beachy texture without the frizzy, dry feel. 

Granny Gray

Gray hair isn't just for the old and wise anymore. Metallic blues, violets and silvers are all the rage in the hair industry at the moment. Young girls everywhere are going through the process of turning their tresses into silver strands.

What many clients don't seem to realize is the process it takes to get to these tones and keep their hair looking perfectly silver all the time. It takes time, money, and a lot of patience. 

My client Michelle told me months ago that eventually she wanted silver hair. Being that she is also a hairdresser, she understood it would take a while. Especially since her hair was darker at the time and we wanted to keep it as healthy as possible. 

The first time Michelle came to me was in August. Our first task was to knock out the orange tones in her hair and match the banding that she had up against her natural color. She wanted to start growing out her base so that in the future we didn't have to battle previous color while lightening.

Our first session 

She then came to me again in October. I gave her a full head of Balayage and worked on getting her as light as I could, with the help of Olaplex of-course. Olaplex is a must, especially with big processes like these. We happily got her to a creamy blonde at her ends, keeping her a little rooty towards her base. 

Second session

In December, we were ready to get some more blonde into her hair and try out some silver pieces. When Michelle came in, she had oxidized to an orange tone towards her root and some yellow towards her ends. Since her ends were still very light, I went in with a Clear gloss and 40 volume because I thought lightener would be to harsh. Clear and 40 volume is a great way to shift someones color a half a shade to a few shades lighter without the use of bleach. I also gave her a partial highlight with foils to give her some finer, lighter pieces up at the roots. 

Before and after third session. 

After third session

After everything was rinsed, I toned her hair with L'Oreal Dialight 10.21 =15

volume and Olaplex. Afterwards, I low-lighted her with Guy Tangs' Demi-Permanant Kenra Metallics line. I used 8VM towards her mid shaft and 9VM towards her ends. 

After blowdrying her hair, her lowlights were nowhere to be found. I then realized I had purchased the wrong developer for the Demi Permanent metallics. Even though we were disappointed that her color wasn't what we were going for, the blonde still looked beautiful and she kept it for a while. 

This past week, she was finally ready to take the plunge and go for the full silver look. This time I made sure I purchased the right developer. 

I went back in with clear and 40 on her ends to lift out any yellow or brassy tones. Her ends came up to a white blonde while she still had a lot of yellow-orange in the mid-lengths. At her root, I went in with 7SM = 9 volume for a Deeper, Silvery tone, hoping it would knock out all of those brassy tones. At her ends, I went in with equal parts of 8SM and 9VM equal parts and Olaplex. She processed for 25 minutes and we then glossed with 10.12 Dialight 6 Volume and Olaplex. 

The result was gorgeous, even though it still wasn't exactly what we were looking for. Her mid shafts were not light enough to pick up the silver tones we were hoping, even though her ends took to a beautiful silver. 

These kind of colors take a lot of patience! For best results, the hair should always be taken up to a pale yellow - white blonde. Michelle's' hair wasn't exactly what we were expecting, but color isn't always 100% predictable. I do think that adds to the fun of it. We still are LOVING the way her hair is looking! 

A week later........

New Years came and went. The feeling of new beginnings and possibilities are in full swing. 

It's been 1 week since I posted about all my goals and resolutions I wanted to accomplish for the upcoming year. In my mind, my everyday schedule was supposed to be upgraded by this time. The feeling of positivity was to be felt everywhere. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. 

As we rang in the new year, I was getting a cold. A really bad one. It didn't take much time for me to be strapped to my bed with no willingness to move. My motivation and resolutions were put on the back burner. 

My biggest fear was to lose track of my goals all together and never start them. Keeping motivation is hard enough as it is, especially when you don't feel well. I had a lot of time to think while I was laying in bed. I kept telling myself I couldn't lose track of the small impacts I wanted to make on my daily life. 

Each day I was sick, I would try and pick which day I was going to start implementing my changes. After organizing and organizing, I realized I was doing it all wrong. Why do we continue to say "tomorrow". I'm so guilty of this and by the time comes, "tomorrow" is gone, as well as our chance to get going. 

I realized that instead of talking and thinking about my goals, I had to just start them right then and there. Even though I was in the middle of a fever and sweating through everything I wore, there was no reason why I couldn't do something at that very moment. 

So, if you have goals and resolutions that you've already given up on, don't. Just think to yourself, what can I do right at this very second that will take me one step closer. Its so easy for us to lose track, that's why It's important for us to stop, think, and bring yourself back to awareness. 

Just came to bring you this update and help you remember why you set your goals in the first place. Stay inspired and imagine what you can accomplish!