HairBoutique Blog

When I was younger I loved to travel.  That was then, before 911, airport security checkpoints, sky high gas fuel and extremely overcrowded airlines.

In my 20s I worked for one of the top software companies in the world and spent most Mondays and Fridays at airports around the US.  I racked up lots of frequent flier miles which I used for even more travel for vacation.  I become a whiz at learning all the ins and outs of the major airports and having fun doing it.

As CEO of HairBoutique.com it’s a requirement for me to travel from time to time.  I have become proficient at delegating trips to other HB team members whenever possible, or doing business via conference calls, net meetings or email.  Sometimes you just have to get on a plane and go do face time.  There’s no other way.

When I do have to travel, I employ every trick in the book to make it as painless as possible.  For trips requiring multiple changes of clothing I have learned to ship my clothes in advance and pack suits that are interchangeable.  I also prefer to stay in hotels with comfy beds to minimize jet lag and guarantee a good night’s rest. (more…)

Whether I have a form of ADD or am just obsessed with maximum multi-tasking, I never seem to focus my entire attention on one thing at a time.  Which can be a good/bad thing depending on a variety of factors.

Such is the case with Sex And The City (SATC).  Not the movie but the series.  When I recently joined the thongs pouring into the theaters (a few months ago) for the much anticipated movie, I realized I couldn’t remember a lot of the individaul episodes from the SATC series which lasted for 6 1/2 seasons.

I promised myself I would stop, go back and watch all of the SATC episodes from beginning to end.  With that ambitious quest in mind I recently stopped by a half price video store in North Texas and hit the DVD lottery.  They happened to be having a big sale and I was able to score seasons 1,3,4,5 and 6 for more than 60% off the original price of each season.  I already had Season 2 of SATC which I received as a past Christmas gift from my best friend Jeff Hines. (more…)

When I really want to know what’s going on in the hair color world I hit the streets and visit a hair colorist who works with color all the time.  Who would know better?

Today I went to see my fav Dallas haircolorist - Rose Zuniga. The fabulous Rose and my hair have a long history together. She saved my prized strands from a past color nightmare when a so-called haircolorist turned my baby blonde highlights to Day-Glo Orange. Yes it was traumatic, mainly because I was warned by other hair color experts that the only recovery from the killer orange would mean drastic action.  That action? Chopping off my thigh length tresses to chin length to remove the orange.

Twenty years of babying my tresses from chin to thighs meant I was not going to undergo a chop. Nope. Not gonna happen.  No matter what. (more…)

I have never been shy about sharing my hair color and hair care history, tips and techniques. Ask me about my weight, dress size or age…not so much. But hair color? I will spill the beans on my entire history starting back with my angst in 7th and 8th grade as my baby blonde hair slowly turned to mud.

Even worse, my cousin Mary Jo who started with the same natural baby blonde as me, only seemed to go blonder, as did the cutest girl in class - Susie Stimac. My very conservative mom wouldn’t let me even discuss chemical means to hold onto my blonde, so I did what most teen aged girls do - I snuck around behind her back and resorted to Sun In and a bunch of home grown recipes like lemon juice - which did nothing but dry out my tresses or turn them DayGlo orange.

By the time I was in college I had discovered the hair color aisles at the mass drug stores and became addicted to Nice N Easy from Clairol. Being very blonde was my dream and whether or not it helped me attract a lot of guys (I felt it did), I loved being uber blonde. I just felt better. Don’t ask me why - I just did.

Of course all that home hair color really did a number to my hair which started to break off in chunks in mid-20s. Everyone from mom to my guy-of-the-moment would tell me to stop coloring my hair but my Irish/German heritage makes me tres stubborn. (more…)

Whether you’re a long hair fan or not, using oils you buy at the local health food store or on the Web and whipped up into a hot oil treatment for your tresses can be a fabulous treat.

Yeah, I know, who has the time to hang around the house with their hair slathered in warm oil? Well if a chronic 7/20 work-a-maniac like me can make time to heat up 100% organic jojoba oils and apply to my strands (from the ends down only please), then so can most people.

I have experimented with a wide range of oils for my naturally coarse and dry below-the-waist tresses. I have even figured out how to get the oil onto my strands without slinging little oil spots all over the kitchen or the bathroom. Oiling your hair can actually be part of a wonderful at-home spa treatment. Since saving a few pennies these days is a good thing, there’s no reason not to indulge at home. (more…)