Colour Trends 2013

Here at Real Hair By Clara we see no reason to stick to your natural hair colour all the time. Sure, there’s no reason your natural hair colour can’t be used to create a great style but now and then a new colour makes for an exciting improvement. Luckily for those of you looking to shake things up: striking, vibrant colours are a very popular trend this year. Check out some of our favourite colour trends popular this season:

Purple

A little unnatural but widely touted as the hottest hair colour of 2013, the always alluring purple! The colour can be worn in varying shades from the deep and bold to the subtle and light, the choice is yours, whatever you feel best suits your personality and style.

Reds

Feisty and fiery are the two words often used to describe redheads but of course a change to red won’t change your personality, unless you want it to! The redhead is an incredibly versatile style, there are so many shades of red from the fashion, to the copper to the fiery. The style works very well for those of you looking to capture the retro as well.

Dip Dyeing

Not necessarily a full blown colour change but certainly a change worthy of note. There are  already numerous celebrities sporting the dip-dye look and it appears to be going from strength to strength as the year progresses. The technique can complement a more natural approach with sun kissed tips or accentuate a vibrant style with even more colour.

Don't forget to check out our range of wigs and extensions, available in a wide selection of colours for you to embrace the hottest trends of the year.

Healthy Hair Tips

We all like to ensure we lead a healthy lifestyle. Eating right, exercising and generally living a healthy lifestyle is something we all like to pursue. A healthy lifestyle will ensure our bodies and minds function well and our hair is no exception.

Our hair is not something that simply exists independent of our bodies, it is connected to us and although it is not technically living once it grows out,  it can still be ‘healthy’. Our hair goes through a lot over time and failing to maintain healthy hair can result in unmanageable, poor quality hair or in extreme cases hair loss.  

Just to get an idea of how much our hair goes through we thought we would share this quote we recently found on the Marie Claire website: “According to a recent Unilever study, hair that is about shoulder length (around 9 inches long) has, after two years, gone through 411 washes, 6,171 brushes, and 10 bleaches, and had approximately 19,122 split ends and 36,206 breaks”. Following on from that  startling fact we thought we’d share with our readers some top hair tips to maintain healthy hair.

• When it comes to healthy hair it’s not all about what is done directly to the hair itself, what you eat can make a big difference to your hair’s health. Certain foods contain minerals and nutrients that help provide a healthier base from which the hair can grow. Omega-3, which is found in salmon and walnuts, is great for hair. Eggs and Spinach are also packed with key minerals for a healthy head.

• Hair dryers, as essential as they are, can be a real problem when maintaining healthy hair. Most hair dryers we use in our homes these days are very powerful and while they have the power to give us brilliant styles they can burn and over dry hair when used incorrectly. Treat damp hair with a heat protection spray before drying and remove the nozzle to diffuse the heat so it isn't so direct.

• Washing your hair every day may seem like a good way to maintain healthy hair, but it is not. Of course you should wash your hair frequently but shampooing every day drys both the hair and the scalp. Ideally you should aim for two to three times a week.

• Match your hair care routine to your hair type. Different people have different hair complexions and these require a different approach suited to the type of hair. Pick a combination of products for your hair be it dry, greasy, fine, curly, coloured, natural etc. There will be a product available for each and every type of hair so research a little and stick to what suits you.
  
  

2013 Ponytail Styles

With mobile company 3’s strutting and dancing Shetland pony becoming an absolute viral sensation across the net we thought we’d use the popularity of the pony to share with you another popular pony themed sensation: the ponytail!

The ponytail is set to become one of this year’s most trendy hairstyles and the good news is there is a great variety of styles for you all to try out. We've listed some of this year’s most popular ponytail styles for you to attempt!

The Side Ponytail.
A great style for someone with naturally curly or wavy hair. The look is a great playful style with a lot of texture that works best slung forward over your shoulder to rest in front. It’s been popular amongst celebs this year too with Rihanna stepping out with one for the launch of her River Island range.

The Low Ponytail.
Set to be a massive feature in the 2013 world of hair fashion the low ponytail is no longer confined to gyms and bathrooms. Very popular during New York Fashion Week the low ponytail is a lower maintenance, more laid back take on the classic ponytail. The ponytail allows for a great deal of creativity with the fringe and top of the style.

Wet Look Ponytail

The wet look was popular last year and it remains so this year. A very simple but sexy look the wet ponytail can be worn on any occasion. Apply a hair serum to the top of the scalp and comb back into a tight secure ponytail. You can wear the ponytail straight back or off to the side, we love how versatile the style is. Here’s Jessie J sporting the look recently in New York. 

Spring Time

Spring has finally arrived... we think. There’s no official date for the arrival of spring but we don’t mind, we’re already seeing a little bit of sun returning to the weeks and we are all set to welcome it with open arms! With the arrival of spring comes warming sunshine, blooming flowers, frolicking lambs and of course, new spring hair styles! So for this week’s blog post we decided to share with our readers some of our most anticipated spring hairstyle trends, try them at home and let us know how you got on!

The Low Slung Bun

A great do for those of you who don’t have enough time to get a complex style together. It’s super easy and can be worn in a variety of styles including centre-parted, slicked back and undone low and loose. This look is for anyone and it’s back with a bang!

Rock and Roll Waves
Taking inspiration from rock and roll nineties groups is the ‘cool-girl’ look of this spring. The trick is to make the style look like it wasn't created but simply left loose. Left loose is unfortunately not how the style is created, it does require a bit of effort but if you’ve got the time it is the perfect do for a night out. 

Messy Braids

Sure to be one of the most popular styles this spring the messy braid is a playful do that can be accomplished with a variety of styles. The braid isn’t polished or glamorous but it’s certainly funky and carefree, so give it a go and be creative.

Low Maintenance
Great news for the laid back amongst you, the low-maintenance style is set to become a big look this spring! The style was seen on the catwalks of many major designers and has never been cooler. As the name suggests, it’s very easy to achieve. A little strand pull here or there or barely that and you’re done. How very lucky.

OSCAR Hair Styles and How-Tos

Last Sunday evening the eyes of the film and fashion worlds were fixed on the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the 85th Academy Awards. The award ceremony is undoubtedly the biggest in the award season calendar with Hollywood royalty everywhere you look! There were some brilliant hairstyles on display and following on from our BAFTA blog last week we thought we’d use this blog to share some of our favourite hairstyles from Sunday night’s festivities.

Jennifer Lawrence

Winner of The Best Actress award for her role in Silver Linings Playbook Jennifer opted for the safe and elegant up-do. The head turning twisted bun worked so well and is easy to achieve at home too. Here’s a helpful how to.

Adele

Another winning lady, Adele and Paul Epworth won Best Original Score for their song ‘Skyfall’. Not straying from her usual 60’s inspired look she took to the awards sporting her usual bouffant complemented with bouncy curls. Again there’s no reason why you can’t pull this off at home, here’s another helpful guide!

Jennifer Aniston

We couldn't mention hair without mentioning Jennifer Aniston could we? Supposedly Jennifer chose the style to be as comfortable as possible and it showed. Wearing it down and carefree the style creates an effortless effect. To be as comfortable as possible at home why not give the style a try, here’s another how to!

Amy Adams

Up for an award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in The Master Amy Adams chose to sport an up do the night. The actress opted for a classic elegant 1950’s inspired do for the night and it worked perfectly. And finally here’s how to achieve the classic look at home.

We hoped you enjoyed the night! Don’t forget to check back here every week for the latest hair tips and trends.

London Fashion Week

The annual London Fashion Week came to a close yesterday and what a week it was for us fashion lovers. There was something for everyone with the the latest and greatest in every area of fashion on display. As you would expect, we were on the look out for the newest hairstyles on display so we can share them with you, the readers of our blog! So without further ado here are our favourite hairstyles from London Fashion Week:  

Mix up your ponytail with this textured slightly messy ponytail. We love the effortless look creating the illusion she’s just got up without doing anything. 

Continuing on a trend of slightly weathered, effortless looks was this do from Felder Felder. With a side parting the style is chic but low maintenance, this shouldn't be too hard to do yourself!

For fans of the reserved English country look reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice or the more recent Downtown Abbey was this English country coiffure. On display at the Matthew Williamson show, the hairstyle nailed its brief of “An English girl on her travels”. Sleek and elegant, perfect for those with longer hair. 

We love a bit of daring colour and this modern twist on the classic beehive had us extremely impressed. But this style is not exclusively for a blonde and red tone, we think it would work with a number of colours.

Real Hair By Clara BAFTA Special

Stars of the big screen stepped out to London on Sunday for the annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Awards. Although the night’s focus is toward a celebration of film award ceremonies always provide a great opportunity to witness the latest in fashion and beauty.  Even with the typical rainy British weather doing its best to interfere with the fashion we saw some great work and so we’re declaring this blog a BAFTA Film Awards special. Below we will bring you some of the most intriguing hair styles on display Sunday night.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway, star of the epic musical Les Misérables won the award for Best Supporting Actor on the night and also had great success with her hair. Sporting a grown out crop the star brushed her floppy fringe forwards to create a simple but effective look. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Perhaps predicting the rain that came down on the ceremony Jennifer Lawrence wore her blonde hair slicked back with a wet effect. One of the stars of the night, we’ll no doubt be seeing this look in the future!

Jessica Chastain

The star of the critically acclaimed ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ used her flame red locks to great effect. Dazzling with her old school, long flowing waves.

Marion Cotillard

Bright and beautiful Marion Cotillard wore a coiffed up do as a throwback to the feminine 40’s.

Helen Mirren

Undoubtedly the stand out hairstyle of the night was Dame Helen Mirren’s. It was at the BAFTAs that Helen Mirren chose to unveil her radically different hair style. The star sported a youthful pink bob for the night which we think worked brilliantly, we can’t wait to see what Dame Helen does next, rumour has it she’ll be going green!