The new amika blog!

We're moving!

The new amika website has officially launched! It's equipped with features including: details about the latest amika tools + products, our online shop, styling how-to's, a press section, and of course a updated blog with a chic new design. So although we must now bid farewell to Blogger, you'll be happy, and hopefully excited to know, you can now keep up with all things amika on our new blog at: loveamika.com/blog

How-To Blowout Giveaway!

There really is so much more to blowdrying hair than simply getting it dry, especially when you're working with hair that is textured and voluminous. It's an art, and stylist, salon owner, and beauty blogger Tequila Fletcher is an artist. Don't believe the rumors, a well done blowout looks good on any hair type. Naturally curly and coiled hair can be made sleek without sacrificing body and bounce, while straight stands can be lifted an volumized. To prove it, Tequila is sharing with us her step-by-step pro tips for getting a perfect blowout for two very different hair types: natural + relaxed. Her tools of choice? amika of course, the Power Cloud Repair + Smooth Dryer, Straight Up Smoothing Balm, Oil Treatment, and Touchable Hairspray... and we're giving them away!

1) Start off with clean and conditioned hair.
2) Section hair into four sections.
3) Apply amika Straight Up Smoothing Balm to hair from root to ends. (Only apply a small amount of product. Too much product will make your hair greasy and weigh it down.)
4) Set your amika Power Cloud Repair + Smooth Dryer on a low/medium warm setting and proceed to dry the hair until 80% dry.

5) Clip all but one section of your hair.
6) Set your dryer to a higher and warmer setting and proceed to continue drying your hair using a medium round or paddle brush. Smooth the hair by sectioning small sections until done.
7) FLAT IRON TIME (do if you need to at this point). For those of you with natural hair, please make sure you are using a flat iron that heats up to 400º. For those of you with relaxed please make sure your not using heat higher than 300º. Smooth out your hair until finished.
8) Finish your hair using by using a few drops of amika Oil Treatment (if desired) and use the amika Touchable Hair spray set your perfect results.

How-To Blowout Giveaway!

Now that you've learned the steps to getting an amazing blowout, we're giving you the chance to win all of the amika tools + products you'll need to make it happen! Enter for a chance to win the ultimate blowout set that includes: the amika Power Cloud Repair + Smooth Dryer, the amika Straight Up Smoothing Balm, the amika Oil Treatment, and the amika Touchable Hairspray. We'll be choosing 5 lucky winners, 2 from Facebook, 2 from Instagram, and 1 from the entry form below. Contest runs Aug. 8-15th. (Open to US only. Prizes are non-refundable, and subject to change based on availability.) 

• For Facebook: LIKE+SHARE this post.
• For Instagram: Follow @love_ amika and @tequilaglamtresshair and repost this picture with #howtoblowout
• Follow the entry rules below. The more ways you enter, the more chances you have to win.

GOOD LUCK everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Night After Hair" Styled by Mireille Bertrand

amika Educator, stylists Mireille Bertrand, was working her hair magic recently. As you can see, when rocked properly, soft bouncy curls can be edgy and bold! Loving this look? Mireille's giving us the details on how to get it using amika tools + products:

To begin, prepare your hair with the Obliphica Oil Treatment. A few drops into the palm of your hand lightly distribute throughout the hair will eliminate frizz and will be improving shine. Using the 3P Triple Barrel Curler – and working only the mid-length and ends of the hair – create a rounded, diffused texture. Vary your placement of the barrel always taking a 2 inch section so the end result doesn’t appear too even.  The interchangeable barrel curler allows you to choose a large and medium size barrel for more creativity.  Allow the hair to cool and work you hands through in order to create a modern texture that will last.

Photographer: Jolie Kinga

Model from Next Agency

HOW TO: BETTY DRAPER 'DO

What’s not to love about Mad Men? The figure-flattering wardrobe, the abundance of cat eyes + red lips, picturesque views of old New York and—of course—the hair! Betty Draper has always been our fav, so we broke down her perfectly-sculpted curls in this surprisingly easy tutorial.

Get ready for the Season 6 premiere this Sunday in just a few steps!

Step 1: Create a deep side part and section off front of hair from ear to ear.

Step 2: Using your amika 25mm amika clip-less curling wand, curl hair on both sides of the part in a forward direction- keep the wand vertical and wrap hair flat around the wand-do not twist as you wrap- twisting will create more of a wave effect.

Step 3: Section off the hair in the back and curl in 1inch sections while holding the wand horizontally.

Step 4: Smooth a few drops of amika Obliphica Oil Treatment onto the hair to add shine. Brush through the hair forward from root to tip.

Step 5: When curls are completely brushed, begin to sculpt the hair—creating a smooth wave in the front and rolling waves on the sides.

Step 6: Finish off the final look with a few spritzes of  amika Obliphica Touchable Hairspray for hold and shine. 

Halloween Hair: "Wigging Out"

The reasons why wigs are such a Halloween hair staple is because you can find them in all lengths textures/colors, and if you can't find what you're looking for you can style a wig into whatever you want it to be! Yes, wigs can be somewhat intimidating if Halloween is the only time during the year when you actually wear one. As long as you know a few simply tricks for wearing it correctly, a wig can be the easiest way to completely change your hair without actually changing your hair.

1. Before you even put on your wig, prep your hair, so it's as flat to your actual head as possible. The best method is to wrap your hair, but braids or a pony (all depending on how much hair you have) can also work.

2. The most important thing about wearing a wig has to be, do NOT skip the stocking cap! It might not be the most glamorous looking thing before you actually put your wig on, but it does wonders for ensuring no rogue hairs escape form under your wig.

3. Lastly, those little combs and elastic bands hidden on the inside of the wig are there for a reason. Use them to keep your wig secured and in place. Loosing your wig, is NEVER a cute look.

Overall your goal is to not let your wig end up looking like Lindsey Wixson's does here. Having two hairlines tends to ruin the illusion :) 

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

How To Get a 60's Inspired Look with The Obliphica Blow Up Spray

60's hair is all about volume(think Bridget Bardot). The best way to get this look is with the new Obliphica Blow Up Spray. 

Annastasia of Michael Angelo Wonderland Beauty Parlor in NYC shows us exactly how to get the look step by step:

Here's how to get the look:

Step 1 Prep hair with Obliphica Blow Up Spray

Step 2 Blow dry hair smooth

Step 3 Section hair from temple to temple at the top of the head 

Step 4 Grab Section 2-3 inches in length and begin to tease using 5 short strokes at the base and then another 5 longer strokes as you work towards the end of the hair. Repeat throughout entire section.

Step 5 Repeat teasing method to two sections on each side of head

Step 6 Loosely smooth teased hair back with comb top layers back to develop desired shape.

Step 7 Finish with Obliphica Blow Up Spray 

Modern Salon captured the "how - to" on video - check it out:

Now that we've given you all the techniques, get out there and rock that volume!

How to get editorial curls from hair stylist Rich Magana

Do you ever wish you could replicate hairstyles from magazines? Well, hair stylist, Rich Magana gives us details on exactly how to get the Polished Effortless Curls from this fashion story in Bunker Hill Magazine:

Step 1: Prep
I put a few drops of the Obliphica oil in my hand. I rubbed my hands together and then gently combed the oil through my models hair for shine and to help defrizz.

Step 2: Section and Curl 
I sectioned the hair out in three sections: mohawk, sides and back.

I took pyramid shaped sub-sections and curled them using the 19mm and 32 mm for natural polished look. Each section was curled in a specific direction. For the back section, the curls were curled down. For the mohawk section, the sub-sections were curled back. The sub-sections at the side were curled on an angle for that flowy curl.

I sprayed the curl with amika Rice Spray and pinned each curl and set for 30 mins. Finally I released the curl and brushed through with my fingers.

Check out Rich's Twitter and Facebook page for more tips!

How are you wearing your hair tonight? Here is a look to try: The Bardot

Bridgett Bardot's famous sexy, tousled hair is timeless. Lucky for you, we've got a tutorial on a modern take of the Bardot using amika products!

1. When hair is damp spritz some volumizer onto the roots - Try the 2 in 1 Volumizing and Styling Spray

2. Flip hair and blow dry upside down to give it more volume - Use the NRG Professional Drying System
3. Flip hair back up and then curl random strands with a big barrel curling wand in alternating directions - We recommend the 25mm Tourmaline Curler
4. Lightly tease the crown of your hair and then grab two large sections of hair from each side. Pull those sections back and then gently push upward before you pin hair in place.
6. Finish everything off with a light spray of the Obliphica Finishing Shine Spray and you're done!

Disclaimer: This tutorial was rewritten from glamour.com for our amika users

Learn How to Curl Your Hair with our Ceramic Styler

Watch this new video on the amika™ Ceramic Styler. Celebrity stylist David Lopez shows you how to create perfect, shiny curls with our versatile styling tool.



What do you think of the look of our video?