Guest Post: Time To Get A Grip!

Today's post is brought to you my a very good friend of mine who works in PR and was given the chance to have a hair styling tutorial at Brooks & Brooks in Holborn. Seeing as I have quite a few hair-related posts scheduled for this month, I thought I'd let her kick it all off and set the mood before things get hairier. Get it?

Anyway, carry on reading for her (I'm calling my friend 'her' because she wants to remain anonymous) review of the Get A Grip tutorial!

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Finally the day has arrived. One I’d been counting down the days for. Not including my last working day before we break up for Christmas, no. Instead it was for my hair appointment at Holborn based salon, Brooks & Brooks, for their new ‘Get A Grip’ hair tutorial. The thought of being tutored about how to tame my mane thrills me…why? Because whilst I love my hair, I just don’t know what else I can do to it but have it styled down, or into a messy ponytail.

To have long hair and not know how to style it is like having a Porsche but no driver’s license. So when I was offered the opportunity to review ‘Get a Grip’, it was my calling. How could I possibly decline?

The service offers you the opportunity to style your own hair with a qualified stylist. “How hard can it be to style your own hair?!” I hear you all say. Coming from a hair PR, believe me, there are some tricks and tips, even I didn’t know about!

I was sat down by my stylist Valerie, who made me feel at ease about my four days’ worth of unwashed hair. Now Valerie, might I add knows her stuff, having worked at fashion week in Milan, London, New York for designers such as Mulberry and Alexander McQueen. Valerie informed me that unwashed hair, gives you added texture and more manageability when styling your hair. She advised me that hair is ‘best gripped with a bit of grit.’ Phew! A lucky escape for me then.

Firstly, Valerie guided me through some hair styles to suit my face shape. Therefore we began our journey together, as Valerie bonded with me and my hair, taking me through me some very easy to follow step-by-steps, in creating the classic ponytail, a side bun and the fabulous fishtail.

It was like having reflexology or a face mapping facial. Only it was a hair reading. Together we studied the texture of my hair to help me figure out the best way to control it, using hair tools such as the Denman Bristle Brush and Bumble & Bumble hair pins. Who’d have thought that there is a wide variety of pins to choose from, as much as there are a variety of coffee shops to choose from?

First off she taught me where to position my ponytail, so that it is aligned with my cheekbones. If you misguide your ponytail too high onto your crown, the proportions of the style will look wrong. Bring it down a little lower, and it’s like a match made in hair heaven! She taught me to study my face shape carefully, and to create an illusionary line as to where I position my ponytail, using my cheekbones as a guide.

The one tip that blew me away and a common mistake we all make, is to create a ponytail in one section. Well of course, this is correct, but if you want to step it up a notch, the key learning is to separate the ponytail into two parts, a bottom and top section. The bottom half of my hair sets the foundation of the ponytail. The top section is backcombed into individual sections. The key is to then smooth the backcombed hair into the ponytail and bound it together as one. This gives your ponytail height and elegance and is incredibly easy to achieve. Genius!

Get a Grip’ is an excellent service idea and I’d recommend it to every girl who simply wants ‘more’ from their hair. So on that note, treat yourself to some fun education. Be it the gift of giving to oneself or someone else, and discover the inner beehive or side bun in you.

Get A Grip is a 1.5 hour service for £100 and is available throughout the year. Contact Brooks & Brooks on 0207 405 8111 or check out their website http://www.brooksandbrooks.co.uk/ for more information.

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Well, that sounds like a pretty good service to me but not sure it'll be everyone's cup of tea, especially with the £100 price tag. With so many hair tutorial blog posts and YouTube videos, personally I would be more inclined to check those out but if I wanted some professional teaching then I would definitely check out the Brooks & Brooks service.

Would any of you invest in some professional hair styling tutorials or are you happy freestyling with YouTube?

Until next time...
Keep swivelling those hips in your