Warm Tone, Hot Woman

By Sommer Little:

It is always a difficult thing deciding what color to dye your own hair and what color wig or hair to get to compliment your skin tone.  As you may have seen from Rihanna’s red-hot hair to Beyonce’s golden tresses…color is the way to go.  Warm colors look great on women of color. Whether they are bold warm colors or elegant shades of gold or brown, they will compliment your natural skin tones. A professional colorist once told me never go too light or too dark when it comes to hair coloring, try to stay in neutral tones unless you are going for an outrageous look.

In the case of Rihanna the color she chose is a quite unnatural red but somehow she pulls it off. This color however I believe is not for everyone, but if you are desperate to strut your stuff with a fire engine red coif, here is what you can do to make it happen. You can either go and dye your hair a similar color or if you want to avoid permanently going red, buy a wig or weaving hair in 130 color which is very similar to Rihanna’s daring look.

Beyonce is one of those few women who I believe can look good in almost anything. She has been wearing her hair a golden blond for some time now and never ceases to amaze me with her radiant beauty. Queen Latifah, another golden skinned and haired beauty wears a similar color that makes her complexion shine like the sun!  If you want to try wearing a beautiful golden color like Beyonce or Queen Latifah, try either going to a colorist or dyeing it yourself, or for an easier and less permanent option buy a wig or install a weave. When choosing a wig color go for a 27, P2/27/33, F237, or F437 which should blend nicely to create a similar golden goddess effect.

Tyra Banks someone I consider to be a beautiful woman inside and out has worn almost every shade of brown blond or red you can imagine, but I especially like the color of her hair in this photo. Her hair is a vibrant brown, giving her skin a flawless luminosity. This is a much more complicated dye job but can easily be recreated with weaving hair or a wig. For this color try buying the hair in P4/30.

These hair colors look beautiful on women of color and I would love to be daring and dye my hair Rihanna’s flaming red, but alas I still lack the confidence. I can definitely pull of Tyra’s beautiful browns and look forward to trying it. Visit Elevate Style.com to explore your options on different hair lengths layers and cuts in wigs and weaving hair. If you opt to dye your hair either visit a professional colorist or try Clairol Textures and Tones for a do-it-your-self dye job. Remember with pride, confidence, the right makeup and accessories you can pull off your look whenever and wherever you want.

Photo Credits:

Rihanna: http://www.haironthebrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Rihanna-red-hair-color.png

Beyonce Knowles: http://www.sweetslyrics.com/images/img_gal/1119_beyonce1.jpg

Queen Latifah: http://concreteloop.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/72311200_10.jpg

Tyra Banks: http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/30316-tyra-banks-ending-talk-show/1262022997_tyra-banks-290.jpg

First Hair Weave Experience

by: Sommer Little

Suggestions, suggestions please, I am going to attempt my first full head weave single handedly armed with any suggestions, help or advice that any of the Elevate Styles Women have to give. Yes, I know this is an arduous task and will take many hours and will most likely leave me with a sore head and arthritis, but I am willing to risk it all in order to defeat this giant of hair styling wonders. I have never worn a full head sew in weave before just braided extensions, hair pieces and clip-on’s, now is the time to attempt such a feat while I still have the mind to. I never really have figured out how to braid the back of my head…. another difficulty that must be overcome, along with sewing in the weave itself.
I am sure those of you who have been so blessed at one point as to be able to figure out how to sew in a weave to perfection have plenty of advice on how to install it and how to care for it. I am asking if you, the readers, have ever done a full head weave and what are your experiences learning and mastering this artful technique and how on earth did you maintain it and look so spectacular!  Please leave suggestions so that I too can  look as fabulous as you all.

Diva in the Summer Heat

by Sommer Little

Okay, so the weather has warmed up and it is time to start thinking about what you want to do with your hair this summer. It’s a little difficult to enjoy your day at the beach or the pool when your hair starts to frizz up and dry out in the intense heat. And you start to feel and look a little bit like a matted poodle or worse. Here are a couple of good suggestions for keeping your hair neat and pretty while enjoying the humid temperatures of the summer:

Braid It!

Braiding hair is a good solution to dealing with the melting temperatures of the summer. From cornrows to kinky twists, braiding styles are always a popular and easy solution to the summer hair woes. For two yeas in the summer I would get my hair braided into what is called tree braids adding in wet and wavy extensions for body and length. This style always turned out beautiful and I received many compliments for its natural appeal.

Warnings!

 If you have a sensitive scalp or very fair skin braids may not be for you, because the sensitive skin on your scalp can be irritated or burned by harmful UV rays.

Weave It!

            A partial weave may be the best idea for the summer depending on your hair length and type. With a full head weave it may become unbearable in the summer heat as your scalp will be inaccessible not only from the harsh sun but from the cool refreshing breeze as well, but if you feel that you won’t get overheated and will appreciate the protection from the sun, by all means weave it!. But for those who just want to add a little bit of length to their own hair and don’t want the heat of a full head weave clip on extensions or braiding in extensions may be the best choice.

Warning!

Weaving hair is a little riskier due to the fact that getting your weave wet may not be the best idea in an uncontrolled environment, like the beach. It is a little less risky if you were to avoid getting your hair wet while at the beach or the poolside.

Wig It!

So the next viable option for those who want to look goo this summer is a wig. Now wigs I expressly don’t recommend wearing them to the beach or to the poolside unless you are very tolerant of the heat and are not planning on swimming or getting wet any where above your waist. I wouldn’t recommend swimming with a wig on for obvious reasons.

Warning!

If you have heat sensitivity, you may not want to wear a wig due to the fact that your head will be covered and will get hot underneath the wig.

Anyways, whatever solution you choose the best way to protect you head from the sun is a sun hat, which of course will go with any and all of these hairstyle solutions. So get out and enjoy the summer while looking like the queen you are. Enjoy your Summer and always stay beautiful.