i want wavy hair

over the years i've tried various different techniques to get my hair to be anything other than straight as an arrow. a curling iron proved to be useless, hot rollers worked, but my hair didn't hold the curls for long. i even tried out dry bar (see my post about it), which was a nice experience but a few hours after i left my hair was basically straight again, just with more volume.

finally i found a solution. the nalu waver by r sessions and it works. it really, really, really works.

the tool. looks like some kind of torture device!

my friend anjelica recently bought the nalu waver after her hairstylist used one on her, and because my hair is long now anjelica wanted to test it out on me! after the first time she did it, i fell in love and now am trying to figure out how i can afford to get one of my own (cause she can't do my hair every day!). we were heading out to cha cha lounge last night, so i thought there was no better reason for her to do my hair. again.

before the waves. this is my hair when i brush it out with my fingers when its wet and let it air dry. so straight.

while the tool may look intimidating, anjelica does her hair with the nalu waver herself so you don't need another set of hands to use it. there are a few different heat settings for various hair types, and a glove that can be worn while using it. you weave the hair around the two barrels in figure 8's, so wearing the glove is a must since your fingers are very likely to touch the barrels. about 20 mins later my hair was looking super wavy. the amount of waves can be controlled by the size of the sections of hair chosen. the smaller the sections of hair the more waves and vice versa.

waves for days! i love it!

from the back. never thought i'd have waves like this that would last even in the rain.

and the waves lasted all night. even with the rain, by the time we left the bar i still had pretty good waves. i even got asked if my hair was naturally like this since it wasn't going flat in the rain! this morning i woke up and still have a few waves. the overall assessment: having my hair done by anjelica looks better and lasts longer than dry bar. i give the nalu waver (and anjelica) 5 stars. next step is to try doing it myself, then i'll make the decision on buying it.

the blow dry bars

there is a new trend popping up all over los angeles right now, the blow dry only salon also known as the blow dry bar. what exactly is a blow dry bar? its a salon that only styles hair, no cuts, no color, just a wash and a dry at a price that won't hurt your wallet.

after reading a article on refinery 29, i decided i wanted to check out what all the buzz is about. i checked out a couple of different blow dry bar websites, and decided to book an appointment with drybar. they offer a menu of different styles you can choose, and its super easy to make an appointment through their website. its $35 for a blow out and they offer memberships and packages, which they call bartabs. they also have parties, you can book a private party at one of their locations (three currently; brentwood, studio city & west hollywood. newport & pacific palisades opening soon), or book an appointment during their brunch or happy hours and receive a free mimosa or cocktail.

i didn't want to get my hair done for no reason, so i made the appointment the morning of my friend/boss' wedding. the wedding was in long beach at 4:30, and in order to get my hair done, go home, get dressed and do my make up i needed to go in the morning. i made my appointment at the west hollywood location for 11am, which was also a good way for me to test the longevity of the hair style.

i arrived on time and waited for a few minutes for my stylist (or bartender?) to be ready. she washed my hair and gave me a little head massage (you can pay $10 extra for a 10 minute massage). when she was done we went and i told her how i wanted my hair, i chose the cosmopolitan, which is loose curls. i knew that this was the best option since they would loosen even more throughout the day and end up looking more like the mai tai.

the entire blow out was longer than the advertised 30 mins, and i skipped the mimosa since i was getting over a cold (not that it mattered since i was pretty drunk by the end of the night), but overall it was a very relaxing and calm experience. i think the worst part was driving to and from drybar, since i had to go through weho. i will definitely go back to drybar, but i think i will go to studio city so i can use the freeway. i totally loved my hair after, it was exactly what i wanted.

however, as i expected the loose curls got looser and looser as the night wore on.

anyway, i definitely recommend checking out a blow dry bar to anyone who has an event and can't do her (or his, they do guys too!) own hair.