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how to make a mosiac plant marker

ghost town – Winton, WY

abandoned motel in New Mexico

7 tips for maintaining bright hair color

Abandoned Rubber Bowl

where I work

the abandoned Anasazi Inn

FeatherSnap bird feeder review

in the garden // july 2023

abandoned Fort Courage, AZ

    how I style my hair

    by Kaylah Stroup September 13, 2016
    the dainty squid hair, green hair

    I’ve talked about my hair a lot, a lot, a lot on the blog. Really, the main ~thing~ about my hair is the color, I’m not ashamed to admit nothing else too impressive is going on. Genetics have “blessed” me with fine hair is insanely straight. While lots of people would probably kill for my straight hair, I’d gladly trade it without a second thought. (I know, I know, you always want whatever you don’t have when it comes to hair!) I’ve never really been a fan of my hair other than the colors I pizazz it up with so when I get comments or emails asking how I style my hair it feels like a real victory!  I thought it’d be fun to share a little bit about how I achieve my looks.

    My daily hair products + a little bit about what they do…
    ▴ Sparks Color Care Sulfate-Free Shampoo + Conditioner – My shampoo and conditioner for the last few months. It doesn’t lather as much as I’m used to with shampoos but still leaves my hair feeling clean.
    ▴ Pantene Pro-V Serious Repair Detangler  – I only recently started using this since deciding to grow my hair out. It makes my hair sooo easy to brush out when it’s wet. If I only use one product for the day after washing, it’s this!
    ▴ Hask Placenta – My all time favorite hair product. It’s a leave in conditioning treatment. I apply generously to wet hair.
    ▴ Pantene Pro-V Smooth Heat Protecting Spray – A must if you’re doing any kind of heat styling.
    ▴ Evo Love Touch – This just goes on the ends of my hair on days I feel like it could use a little extra shine. It smells SO good.
    ▴ Sparks Color Care Protecting Spray – Think of it as sunscreen for your hair. Helps fight fading and makes a world of difference if you’re going to be out in the sun. I apply one spray to the top of my head when my hair is wet and brush through. A little goes a very long way, too much and my hair is greasy.
    ▴ Pantene Pro-V Non-Aerosol Hairspray – Nothing too special, just my current hairspray of choice. I normally only use it on my bangs to help keep them in place.

    the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, dyed hair, blue hair
    So, how I style hair is depends on what length it is. Uh, duh? I’ve been rocking some fairly short hair for a few years now so we’ll start with that. For the longest time I really had no idea what to do with my hair and simply just blow dried it without any further styling. Then I discovered that a round brush would make a world of difference!

     

    When my hair is short I will simply separate it into three layers, basically just top, middle, and bottom, and blow dry each layer using the round brush to achieve a bit of a curl. I start on the bottom layer and tend to pay the most attention to the front since it’s usually the longest.

     

    It’s nothing special, definitely one of those putting lots of effort into looking like you just woke up things. Without doing this my hair is literally pin straight. Not the good kind of straight either, like stuck to my head straight. A round brush is a necessity for me when my hair is short. Eventually it gets to a length when this no longer works, or rather it just takes too long so I move onto my next style…
    the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, cleveland fashionb blogcurls from foam rollers taken out the previous hour.

    Spoiler alert: my long hair styling is nothing more than the result of foam rollers!

    Right now I’m rocking the longest hair I’ve had in quite a few years which means I’m having to figure out what in the world to do with it. Blow drying it with the round brush everyday is out of the question. It takes up too much time. My hair isn’t even that long but once it gets past a certain point I swear, the amount of time it takes to blow dry doubles. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you ladies with actual long hair. I prefer to use my blow dryer as little as possible, that heat isn’t good for your hair.

    After towel drying my hair, I apply the products listed near the beginning of this post. I brush it out and then scrunch it up with my fingers. From there I go about my business as normal. I make breakfast, drink coffee, sit down and answer some emails. By the time I’m done doing all my morning things my hair is nearly dry so I will blow dry upside down just to get a little bit more volume and toss in some foam rollers. I’ve had this set since 2013, and they’re still going strong. I use the largest size, the pink ones, for my whole head of hair once it’s around shoulder length. If it’s shorter I’ll use a mix of the largest, pink, and the next size down, green.

    How long I leave them in depends on what I’m doing that day / what time I need to be ready. On days I work at the flower shop and have to be out of the house relatively early they only stay in an hour or so. On days that I don’t have anywhere to be and my errands aren’t urgent, the rollers might stay in two hours or longer. If I have to run outside I toss a scarf of my head. After I take them out I’ll shake my hair out and run my fingers through the curls. It’s usually pretty crazy for the first half an hour but since my hair just looooves to be straight the curls settle down quickly. TA-DA!

    above: curls from foam rollers after a full day.
    below:  foam roller curls with shorter hair. More photos of this hair here.
    the dainty squid, green hair

    No matter the length of my hair or what I’m planning to do with it, I always curl my bangs with a curling iron. I own this one. It heats up quickly, and on a low setting does exactly what I’d like
    for my bangs – a tiny bit of volume so they’re not stuck to my forehead!

    I had this post finished and ready to go live when I got a curling wand from NuMe in the mail. Isn’t it just like a curling iron? NO! It’s safe to say I’m obsessed. I’m still not super stoked about using heat styling on my hair. But the cuuuuurls! My goodness, y’all! Can you say dream hair?! I can’t wait to share photos soon. I’ll be back with a full report on how I like this thing oh so soon.
    xoxo

    Psst. If you have any hair questions or are looking for some tips, check out my hair masterpost! 

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  • 3rd annual road trip out west

    by Kaylah Stroup September 12, 2016

    sunrise from our hotel in Las Cruces. I’ve barely finished rambling about my last little road trip (I actually still have one more post to share from that one!) and already I have a whole new trip to begin writing about! At the beginning of the year Jeff got a new full time job which …

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  • Dead Horse Bay

    by Kaylah Stroup September 7, 2016

    The whole reason we dipped down into New York after Maine was Dead Horse Bay. I have wanted to go to this beach for oh so long! While planning the trip and looking for fun things to do along the way I thought “Hmm, I wonder how much time Dead Horse Bay would add to …

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About Me

About Me

Hello!

I'm Kaylah! Renovating a 150-year-old home in Northeast Ohio. Likely found in my garden.

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THE DAINTY SQUID
  • blog
    • all the posts!
    • stroup mansion
    • some of my favorite posts
    • plants + gardening
    • beauty, fashion + hair
    • reviews
    • window shopping
    • explore everywhere
  • about me
  • contact
  • shop