amika Obliphica Haircare Line in Modern Salon

The amika Obliphica haircare line is getting praise yet again! Thank you to Modern Salon for featuring the entire "Obliphica Line of Haircare" on their website. The line consists of a slew of styling products all of which are enhanced by more than 190 biologically active compounds found in the sea buckthorn berry, the star ingredient of the Obliphica line. We've harnessed the power of this Siberian native berry, if it can stand up to the harshest climate conditions in the world, then the daily wear-and-tear we put on our hair is certainly no match for this line of haircare products!  Shop the enitire Obliphica line at shop.loveamika.com 

Get "Your Body" like Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera almost made me late for work this morning! All be it not on purpose, of course :) I just couldn't tear myself away from the TV screen when the video for her new song "Your Body" was playing. Christina's "knocking-off" men in this video and looking fabulous while doing it! There's been a bit of buzz around Christina's hair ever since she took a dip in the dye a couple of months ago, but her colorful twists on retro curls and killer braids put this video on a whole other level! So this early morning burst of hair inspiration got us thinking... Hey, we can do that!

Christina's definitely got plenty of body going on in this video ;) her voluminous curly bob is one of our favorite looks. The only things that's tricky about recreating these curls, as you may have noticed, is that they're not all the same size. It makes sense when you think about it, the curls on the top of her head are bigger to add more volume, but become tighter and more defined toward the ends of her hair. We've got the necessary tools in our arsenal for this technique!

Get The Look: 

If you want the full on look, lavender color and all, we've got plenty of tips on hair color in our "Getting Colorific" post. Otherwise always start by applying a Heat Defense Serum. A good spritz of  Blow-Up Spray will add volume and texture. For creating the "big to small curls" the 5P Interchangeable Barrel Curler makes it easy to get curls from 19-32mm, with just one tool! Use a larger barrel at the top of the head, then create more defined curls towards the ends using a smaller barrel. 

Hint: 

If your hair is longer than bob length, try a "fob" (faux-bob). Add some tight curls to the lower back portion of your hair, then pin up the excess length to create the illusion of shorter hair. The hidden curls add volume. 

Watch Christina's video for "Your Body" and tell us which of her amazing hairstyles you're dying to try! 


(images, in descending order, via:) wetpaint.com, djmastersworldwide.com

Curled Bun Tutorial

This is our take on the Messy Bun, which can be achieved at home, without the help of a professional stylist! Get this look for a classy up-do in just 5 easy steps:

Curl. Start off by prepping your hair. Apply Amika Obliphica Heat Defense Serum from root to tip for a light-weight layer of heat protection. You're going to be creating semi-tight spiral curls. Do so by wrapping 1-inch strands evenly around the barrel of the 4P Styler and holding for approx. 10 seconds, making sure to curl the ends.

Bun. Once you've curled your entire head use your fingers to lightly comb through and separate the curls. Pull your hair to the back, gently twist your hair around and begin forming a bun in the center back of your head.  Adjust as you like, and grab some bobby-pins. 

Pin. Insert your bobby-pins as needed to hold your bun in place. The bun should appear somewhat loose, but be secure enough to stay in place. 

Perfect. Take any loose stands from the front of your hair and pin those back as well. 

Hold. Lightly spritz with amika Touchable Harspray for a light-hold and a smooth finished look.  

And there you have it. You're ready to conquer all of your fabulous endeavors!

Summer Hair Survival Tips

Parker Fitzgerald 

With all of the styling we subject our hair to on a daily basis, we should expect some dire consequences. There are many ways to protect your hair from damaging treatments and styling, so lets talk about them.

Offender:
Heat styling - It's true, tools like blow dryers, curling irons, and flat irons have the ability to damage our hair if used frequently or incorrectly. At amika, we use the best quality ceramic that makes stylers much gentler on hair than conventional flat irons, but we understand that excessive heat is not health for your hair.

Protector:
To avoid heat damage we recommend always using a heat protectant serum before doing any heat styling. We recommend the Obliphica Heat Defense Serum for protection.

Offender:
Summer - Not exactly. We're talking about all the things that come with the summer: sun damage, chlorine, and saltwater. Too much of these elements can dry your hair out. Trust us, fried hair doesn't look good on anyone.


Protector:
Well, it's pretty hard to avoid the sun but wearing a hat is really the best way to attempt it. You may even want to try using a good hair mask (Nourishing Hair Mask) with a hat if you plan to lay out on the beach all day.

As for chlorine and saltwater, you should wet hair with non-chlorinated water prior to swimming. This lessens the amount of chlorine and saltwater being absorbed by the hair. As always, follow up with a good mask after swimming.

Offender:
Chemical treatments - Permanent coloring, bleaching, relaxers, and perms can lead to really bad results.

Protector:
Since these chemical treatments work by altering the structure of the hair from within the hair shaft, it's best to leave this process to a professional.