I get lots of questions about my hair when I share that I’m at the salon on my Instagram Stories. It’s been a while since my last hair blog post so I ran a poll to see what you guys wanted to see from the hair category and majority of you voted that you wanted to learn more about my hair cut, color and style.

HMB Salon 1127 11th Ave. #202 Honolulu, HI 96816

Before I dive in, I want to talk about the salon I go to. I’ve been going to HMB Salon in Kaimuki for years now and all of the stylists there are at the top of their game. They are well-educated in the hair trends that their clients want and never push their agenda on you. A good hair stylist will listen to what you want and educate you about the process and timeline it’ll take to get you to your hair goal based on your hair’s current state.

Whether my hair is short or medium-length, I always ask for a texturized blunt cut. My hair doesn’t grow in length past the collarbone — instead it grows in volume and the ends get fluffy and heavy making it difficult for it to hold any kind of style other than straight. Getting my hair texturized lightens the heaviness without sacrificing length. Blunt cuts give any hairstyle (especially bobs) that “boss babe” factor and it looks super cute when styled with a curling wand.

TIP: When asking for a dramatic hair cut, bring in photos of what you do and don’t want your hair to look like.

My current hair color is the result of a grown out balayage. I love how versatile and low maintenance a balayage is after the initial [balayage] process. I got my balayage done in 2015 on my virgin black hair. It took three 5-hour sessions to get me to the cool-tone blonde color I wanted. Every appointment i’ve been to since that last session has been an “upkeep” appointment where I touch up my roots and get a gloss and tone.

Hair transformation: Virgin black hair to blonde balayage — first session.

I always get lots of questions about hair toners. Toner is a product that neutralizes brunette hair from turning brassy (orange) after it’s been bleached or highlighted blonde. If you’ve ever seen a color wheel, you know that there are primary, secondary and intermediate colors. The color opposite of the hair color you want is the color of the toner you’ll use in your hair. For example, I have natural black/brown hair but when my hair is colored blonde, it turns orange. In order for it to be the cool-toned blonde (yellow) that I want, I need to use a purple toner because purple is the color opposite of yellow on the color wheel.

Use complementary colors on the color wheel to help you determine the toner color you should use based on the hair color you are trying to achieve. Graphic via Mgxcopy.com.

Source: MGX Copy

It is not mandatory for you to use a toner at home but my hair stylist highly recommends it. My favorite at-home toner is the Pravana Perfect Blonde Shampoo for cool-toned hair.

TIP: If you’re thinking of getting your hair professionally colored, schedule a consultation and remember to be patient and trust the process. All of those hair photos you see on Instagram didn’t happen in one session. I also recommend you bring in inspiration photos of people with similar skin tones to you. This will make it easier for you and your hairstylist to picture your hair goals on you.

My signature hair style is big, effortless, messy waves. No matter how short or long my hair is, I always use a 1-inch curling wand and curl each piece of hair in opposite directions. I’m currently on the hunt for a new curling wand so if you have any recommendations please share it with me!