#bree marshall

The morning after my fiancé proposed to me, I was woken up to sweet kisses and him telling me that we should start looking at venues, because he wanted to get married in October (a mere six and a half months from our engagement.) Of course, any girl would be happy to have a man that was that excited to marry her, but my mind (and the hairstylist within me) immediately went into a panic thinking about my hair. 

Being a hairstylist, I must admit, I have been hard on my own locks. Boredom and the constant access to new products in the industry makes messing with your own hair too hard to resist. Also, being a hair-obsessed chick, I had always imagined having mermaid hair for my wedding. 

So, now what to do now? My hair seemed to be stuck in this just-above-the-boob no-man's land for a couple of years now, and some major changes HAD to be made. Below is my current bridal hair boot camp! I will be doing a follow-up blog right before the big day to show you all of my progress!

1. Less heat, less washing. I have opted to wash my hair every 2-3 days (I am using a moisture masque as a conditioner EVERY time), and I am not blow drying my hair at all. I am either embracing my natural wave, or going in and adding some more uniform curls with a flat iron for a more polished look. 

2. Vitamins! I am currently taking 500mg of biotin every day, along with fish oil, b12, a women's probiotic, and drinking ten drops of Biosil (which is a liquid form of collagen).

3. No coloring whatsoever! Back in January, I had my lovely assistant Britt paint some very gradient and tiny highlights to connect my blonde hair to my dark roots. I have vowed to embrace the grow-out and not touch my hair with color until right before the wedding. I think limiting hair-stress will be key. 

4. No cutting whatsoever! My hair is not breaking off, frayed, or overly processed, so trims are completely unnecessary. I want optimum length on my big day, and trimming it regularly would definitely stunt the process.  

5. No tight pony's, headbands, or messy buns! I had a serious mishap about six months ago where I wore a tight headband that had a knot in it for an entire busy day of work, and once I had removed it, I had a bump on my head where the knot was (right smack dab in the middle of the front of my hairline). The bump scabbed for some reason and the hair fell out in that spot! I am literally growing out this little spot of hair because of a dumb headband! Braids are the way to go girls! Don't kink and break your hair with headbands and hair bands!  

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I have found that growing out your hair, for the majority of the population of my clients, tends to be really hard. I hope that in 3.5 months from now, I can follow you all up with some positive results from this hair journey of mine! ​

I got to spend my Christmas holiday with my grandma (mom's mom) this year. Although I nearly always lived a fair distance away from my Grandy, I feel as though I grew up very close to her. From a young age, I admired her always-changing hairstyles and fashion sense. She was born in 1940 in Compton, California where her mom would perm or braid and twist up her straight hair. She grew up and lived in a time where going to a beauty shop for curled coifs and teased beehives could be styled for a dinner party and bleaching her hair to a California-blonde hue for beach days and Mexico excursions was a normal occurrence. She would pull her hair up in a pretty pony while she shopped in Panama markets with a baby on her hip, and pin little curls up with a bow for get-togethers with doctor friends. When I sort through photos of my grandma throughout the various decades, I find myself fully inspired and in awe of the way things used to be. Beauty was part of a thorough, daily routine that makes my day-to-day rituals look lazy and unthoughtful. This is why I find myself in awe of, not only my grandma's stunning, natural beauty, but the effort and love she put into enhancing it. This is why my Grandy is my style, beauty, and life icon. 

I hope you all enjoyed this small bit of my life! Until next week! -

When I was in the third grade, I was gifted a book on how to make friendship bracelets. The book came with string and beads of all colors and step-by-step instructions on how to complete the most intricate designs. It only took about two weeks before I was writing down orders from all of the kids in Mrs. Copeland's class (boys included) for me to realize that this meek talent and small passion of mine could help fill my little piggie bank. But this is not where my knack for weaving things started.

When I was small, I lived with French braids in my hair. My mom had taught me to French braid as soon as my younger sister had enough hair on her head, and it came naturally to me and was a practical solution to tame the thick, unruly hair on my own head. I still love to rock braids of all sorts on an occasion, (or for a special occasion) and love, even more, to braid up the gorgeous heads of my own clients. 

I have known Brittney for a very long time and have felt so lucky to finally get the chance to play with her color and style. We are in a bit of a "hair-color-transition" with her right now, which has allowed her hair to currently be extremely dimensional and contrasted. I could not ask for a better colored hair to braid! She let me whip up these fun looks real quick and snap a few photos of her out in a field near her house. It truly is amazing when something comes together amidst my disorganization and lack of vivid direction. 

I hope this Holiday Season brought everyone close to their loved ones. Until next Year!