Summer Hair & New Things

My life seems to be full of many changes at the moment. I've been feeling a bit exhausted adjusting to a new schedule — while trying to keep at (and add in more) things I enjoy — but also feeling very happy. A new job, a new site to launch soon, and a new season, why not throw in a new look too! To be fair, I've been wanting to cut my hair into a pixie again since cutting off the length last fall, but something seemed to be holding me back. After this last long weekend, with summer like temperatures, I finally felt it was time to get out my scissors again.

This cut took me four hours to do — and I had to wait for Will to get back home from work to finish — as it is a bit difficult to check the back for uniformity on your own (especially when you're blind in one eye). When I started cutting, I wasn't sure how short I wanted to go. I just cut slowly, judging and deciding as I went until I reached a length I was happy with. I still think this is a little long, by my standards at least, and after wearing it for 3 days now I'm considering trimming it (at least the sides) a bit more for easier styling. But I love it. And I loved it immediately. It feels very light, classic, and me. I think it will be the cut to wear all summer long.

What do you think? Have you ever cut off your hair for the summer? Do any of you cut your own hair too?
xx Emorie

Oops, I Cut My Hair Again

I'm feeling a little sick today and as a result I am also feeling a lot unmotivated. Don't worry though, that just means that (because of all the stuff I haven't gotten to yet) I'll have even more for you next week. So instead, for now, here are some pictures of my face topped with my new hair.

I took these on Wednesday, after I had spent the day cutting it. I'm sure most of you know by now that I cut my hair myself. And that I also can be a little scissor happy and cut my hair on a whim. I should clarify, though, that I am still a very cautious cutter. I rarely am displeased with my own haircuts, which is great because the very reason I started cutting it myself was disappointment after salon cuts. I'd always end up fixing my hair the next day! So why not do it myself to begin with? This cut took me about 4 hours, as I cut slowly and very small sections at a time. And, you know, it's kind of difficult to see the back. I was a little upset with the bangs at first, they ended up shorter than I had planned (I was using this picture for inspiration/a rough guideline). But don't worry, I'm actually really liking them. And of course, they'll grow faster than I expect anyway.

Have a lovely weekend!
xx Emorie

Stylish Shorties

one / two / three / four / five / six

Since cutting my hair, I have been having to get used to the fact that I now have less styling options. It's been a couple years (I tried growing it out for so long) since I've been anywhere near this length and it is taking time to adjust. I won't lie though, even when I had long hair I rarely did it. Bed hair wasn't as rough when I had long hair, and if I did have a terribly bad hair day I could quickly pull it into a messy bun or control it with a braid. I love my simple short hair, but I do really miss crown braids sometimes. Now with short hair and feeling like I have less last-minute type options, I wish this encouraged me to spend more days doing my hair. But in reality, it means I am walking around most of the time with a matted bed head. Lumpy hair is totally fashionable, right?

These, shall we say, hair goals I have collected at least make wish I took the time to style my hair more often. I think that is a step in the right direction. It is also making me want to take even more length off. I'll probably keep this cut for awhile, but going through old pictures from the last time I had a pixie, I'm feeling scissor happy. Perhaps I'll have to cut it all off for my birthday. . . In the meantime, do any of you with short hair have tips for simple management? Should I just be a big girl and wash my hair more often?

Braided Crown 3 Ways: The Bohemian Wrap

It is here at last, part 3 of my first ever hair tutorial, a Braided Crown 3 Ways. I am calling it The Bohemian
Wrap. This look sure has quite a bit more personality and funk than the other two crowns I have shown you, which is why I love it. I've been an avid wearer of a forehead braid for quite some time; for as long as my hair has been long enough to allow it, actually. Up until recently I had only been braiding a forehead braid to just past my ear and wearing it with my hair down. Or around the back and into a side ponytail. I thought, why not take it a step further? I love the spin a forehead braid puts on a braided crown, so I had to share.

This may be the most difficult of the braids I have shown you. It is tricky to get the end of your braid to lay right. And it may be tricky for you to braid your bangs. It will be more difficult if you have bangs that are shorter than to your ears, but you can definitely still try (be prepared to be tucking lots of ends in with bobby pins)!

1. Begin by combing through your hair to remove any tangles. Run a tiny bit of coconut oil through your hair with your finger tips, if you'd like. Doing so will help with frizz and create a nice smooth braid. Create a very deep side part and comb your hair flat over to the opposite side.
2. Select three strands of hair about an inch back along the side part and begin french braiding towards your forehead.
3. Once the braid has reached your forehead, continue to french braid but only gather new hair from one side. Gather from the side towards the back of your head, creating nice loops on your forehead.
4. Continue in the fashion all the way across your forehead, sloping downward towards the opposite ear.
5. Bring the braid over the top of the ear a bit, and continue it toward the bottom back of your head.
6. Once the braid has reached the back of your head, begin a normal french braid again, gather hair from both sides as you braid.
7. Braid all along the back and then slowly braid up again, towards your other ear, until you have all of your hair in the braid. If your hair is not long enough to braid all the way around, consider ending the braid near your first ear and wearing it with your hair down or bringing it to the opposite side into a side ponytail or starting another braid on the opposite side and meeting them in the back of your head (covering up the ends with a bow or clip if needed).
8. Finish the braid and bring it back over the top of your head, being careful that the hair around the ear lays flat when you do so.
9. Meet the end of the braid with the beginning of it as best you can and pin in place.

Be sure to also check out part 1 and 2:
The Criss-Cross Applesauce
The Upside Down and Around



P.s. I'm sad looking at this pictures because I lost one of those little white square earrings when I was camping and I am a baby.

Braided Crown 3 Ways: The Upside Down and Around

Here you have it, lovelies, part 2 of my first ever hair tutorial, a Braided Crown 3 Ways. I like calling this one The Upside Down and Around, because of the way you have to comb all your hair forward and hang upside down for a bit to achieve it. This is a more traditional way of achieving the gorgeous braided crown style than The Criss-Cross Applesauce and also a step or two up in difficulty. But don't let that discourage you, practice it a few times, and I'm sure you can get it down. At first I had difficulty getting the braid to lay right when I brought it around front to the top of my head and had to do it a few times every time to get it looking right. I can now get it in one go! Marvelous.

In my opinion, The Upside Down and Around is not quite as playful as The Criss-Cross Applesauce. Rather, I think the style of this one is super elegant and classy. But still the kind of classy you can pair with jeans and a t-shirt if you fancy. Try giving it a go!



1. Begin by combing any tangles out of your hair and then comb it all completely forward.
2. Select three strands of hair from the bottom center, near your neck.
3. Using these three strands, begin braiding a french braid in an inside out fashion. To do this, when you go to cross the strands of hair, bring the strand under the previous one instead of over, collecting more hair with each strand also. Braid upwards at an angle, sort of towards your ear. This is where I had trouble for the longest time. You do not want to braid straight upwards to the top of your head, rather bring it around the side a bit. Think of a halo or a crown sitting on your head and creating that roundness.
4. Once the braid has reached the top of your head, flip right side up again. Continue braiding in the inside out style, gathering the hair from the top of your head, including your bangs if you've got 'em (you can totally leave them out, if you want, don't let me tell you what to do).
5. Braid all the way across you head, eventually bringing the braid back down and back a bit. Gather any remaining hair from the nape of you neck, if any, and finish the braid.
6. Take the end of your braid and loop it around the back of your head following the pattern already there from the start of the braid. You will pin it back into itself.
7. Using a generous amount of bobby pins, secure the end of the braid in place, as well as flattening any bumps and tightening flyways. If your hair is not long enough for the end of your braid to reach all the way back around, you can secure the end into a bun, or hide the end of the braid with a cute lace bow.
8. Once pinned in place, loosen some of the loops of your braid up a bit, for a more romantic look.

There you have it. Have you worn your hair this way before?

Don't forget:
- you can see The Criss-Cross Applesauce here
- and The Bohemian Wrap is now here

Braided Crown 3 Ways: The Criss-Cross Applesauce

I am so excited to share my first hair tutorial with you guys! And because it is my first tutorial, I wanted to do something extra special. But also something that I actually do wear myself regularly. I of course immediately thought sharing a braided crown would be perfect. I soon also realized I wear a braided crown an assortment of ways. So, lucky you, I am actually doing three tutorials. That means it will be coming to you in three parts.

Braided crowns are a go-to of mine these days. I remember when the style was first becoming popular in my neck of the woods and wanting desperately to join in, but my hair was still a little to short at the time. But I kept trying; I'd put little bow were the braid ended or gather the end in a bun instead of wrapping it all the way around. When my hair was finally long enough to wrap my whole head braided, I may have jumped for joy a bit! And by that time I had plenty of practice and had the braided crown look down a number of ways. This has come in handy lately as the weather here has sure gotten unbearably hot fast and I have a whole lot of hair that I'm still not sure what to do with. I've probably mentioned it before, but this is the longest my hair has ever been (and I have to convince myself everyday to not take scissors to it). I am happy that it now seems to be long enough to allow me to do any kind of style I can think of (except cute, short ones of course). So I've been getting it off my neck and getting creative with it to.

This braided crown, which I love to call The Criss-Cross Applesauce, is most likely the easiest of the three braided crowns I will show you. As such, it is the one I wear the most. It takes a matter of minutes, two normal braids, and some bobby pins to pull it off. It is, in my opinion, a perfect combination of sophistication and casual. You are bound to get compliments on this hair-do. I'll leave it at your discretion as to whether or not you want to share how easy the look is to achieve :) Plus, you may be able to pull this off with shoulder-length hair, so long as you don't have a ton of layers.

1. Begin by combing any tangles out of your hair and then gathering your hair into two sections.
2. Apply a tiny bit of coconut oil with the tips of you fingers to each gather section. Braid one section and secure it with a small rubber-band (the closer to your hair color, the better). Do this to the other section as well. I like to hold my hair outward as I am braiding it, versus braiding downward,  allowing the base of the braid to be a little looser. This will help your braids sit better around your ears as you pull them up.
3. Take one of the braids and cross it over the top of your head. Adjust as needed, to get the braid to lay flat around the ear. Using bobby pins, pin the braid in place on the top of your head, paying extra attention to the end of the braid and making it lay flat. I like to imagine placing it where a headband would rest. Once pinned, loosen the braid up a bit carefully with your fingers to make it look more natural.
4. Do the same with the other braid. Cross it over the top of your head and the braid already pinned in place, tucking the end of it into to the other braid. Pin in place. Add as many bobby pins as needed for the braids to feel secure.
5. Tuck in any unwanted flyways and tuck your bangs back if preferred.

See, super simple. It just looks like you spent a lot of time on it. Plus, braided crowns are perfect for dirty, summer hair. And a HUGE thank you to my sister, Bee, for taking all the pictures for me. And for not thinking I was weird when I asked you to come over and take pictures of me doing my hair :)

Update:
- you can see The Upside Down and Around here
- and The Bohemian Wrap is here now too!

Summer Hair Inspiration

natural curls / beachy waves / cute short / casual up-do / forehead braid / messy

Summer to me screams natural hair. It is a time when everyone seems to embrace their own texture, color, and style. And I love this. One, because it is easy and realistic (given the summer heat) and two, because it is beautiful. This is the longest my hair has ever been and I'm struggling a bit as to what to do with it all. I still want to grow it out, but this time of year is when I always reach for the scissors and chop it off all over again. All this dark, thick hair is keeping me toasty; my sun hat has quickly become my saving grace. The fact that messy hair, or that beachy look, is desired this time of year is perfect because most days I don't have the patience to do anything with it. I'd sure love to experiment with new braids and up-dos, to get it all off my neck, but it is great to be carefree about my hair as well. Just air dry and go.

Summer is a perfect time to wash your hair less. Way less. You may remember me mentioning that I don't use shampoo on my hair. Well I wash it even less in the summer. Put it up, braid it, tie a scarf around, or put a hat on if you have to! Give your hair a bit of a break from all the damage it has been collecting the rest of the year from styling and give it regular deep conditioning treatments to protect it from the sun. I would recommend investing in some coconut oil.

Embrace those natural locks, lovelies.