Jennifer Traig - Crafty Girl: Hair: Things to Make and Do

Copyright 2004 by Chronicle Books LLC.
Line drawings copyright 2004 by Stephanie Sadler.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4521-3368-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available under ISBN 0-8118-4033-6.

Designed and illustrated by Gayle Chin, Protopod Design Line drawings by Stephanie Sadler

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

This book is intended as a practical guide to crafting. As with any craft project, it is important that all the instructions are followed carefully, as failure to do so could result in injury. Every effort has been made to present the information in this book in a clear, complete, and accurate manner; however, not every situation can be anticipated and there is no substitute for common sense. Check product labels, for example, to make sure that the materials you use are safe and nontoxic. Be careful when handling dangerous objects. The author and Chronicle Books disclaim any and all liability resulting from injuries or damage caused during the production or use of the crafts discussed in this book.

Aleenes Tacky Glue is a registered trademark of Aleenes Licensing Company, LLC. Alberto V05 is a registered trademark of Alberto-Culver Company. Beadazzle is a registered trademark of Diamanti, Inc. ChapStick is a registered trademark of A.H. Robbins Company Incorporated. Rolls Royce is a registered trademark of Rolls-Royce PLC. Krazy Glue is a registered trademark of Toagosei Company, Ltd. Velcro is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V. Visine is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc.

Tangle-free thanks to Alain, Judy, and Victoria Traig. Deep-conditioning gratitude to Leslie Davisson, Mikyla Bruder, Gayle Chin and Stephanie Sadler, who have great clever brains beneath their stylish dos.

L ets begin by admitting that whats on top of your head is not nearly as important as whats inside it. Hair will not do your math homework for you. Hair cannot write or paint. Hair cannot run for president, although a really great cut could help get you elected. Theres something magical about hair. It is an infinitely complex substance. Hair is encoded with as much information as a computer chip. It contains your DNA and absorbs what you absorb, revealing who you are and what youve been up to. A single hair can solve a crime. And sometimes hair itself is the crime (Mullets? Rattails? What were we thinking?).

All in all, though, hair is fun and fabulous and forgiving. It keeps your head warm and gives you something to twirl around your finger when youre bored. Its more versatile than Spam. It can be straightened or spiked, curled or crimped. The best part: Even if you go wrong, it grows out good as new. Its your crowning glory, and Crafty Girl: Hair is here to help you make the most of it.

Humans have been doing outrageous things to their hair from the dawn of time. Cave folk adorned their manes with bones. Ancient Goths artificially receded their hairlines by shaving them back. Sumerian girls powdered their dos with gold, and Elizabethan women dusted theirs with flour. In the eighteenth century, fashionable folks worked wire springs and horsehair into elaborate styles that sometimes attracted rodents. Go ahead and laugh, but some of the stuff we do is pretty crazy, too. Remember that time you tried to lighten your hair with butterscotch pudding? Enough said.

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After you master the basics, put your skills to the test with the looks in High-Style How-Tos. Practice the Ponytail Variations .

Once youve got your hair looking its best, its time to gild the lily with some homemade hair ornaments. The crafts in Hair Jewels will help you do just that. Make Magic Floating Hair Sparklers to hide under.

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Ready? Then lets head out! Your first stop is the drugstore. Load up on good bargain basics like sprays and serums. If youre planning to do some advanced styling using hair pieces, color, or fancy combs, a beauty supply store is your next stop. Then hit a craft, fabric, or bead store next to pick up some materials to make the hair jewels of your dreams. And if your hair is just too unsightly to take outside, take heart: You probably have all the supplies you need to whip up a remedy in your kitchen cupboard.

Weve got barrettes to bead and bangs to bouff, so lets get styling. What are you waiting for? The sun is shining, the humidity is a frizz-fighting 0 percent, and the forecast is for nothing but good hair days ahead.

Perfect hair in a bottle? We wish. Nothing can transform troublesome tresses into spun gold overnight, or banish bad hair days forever. But there are lots of products that can give you shine, bounce, and body. Heres a guide to what to buy, what to make, and when to use em.

Theres not much to say about shampoo. It cleans your hair and thats about it, no matter how fancy or expensive the brand, no matter what the label promises. That said, different shampoos do clean differently, so its worth taking time to choose the formula that suits you best. If you have dry hair, pick a moisturizing formula and wash every other dayor even less frequently, if you can stand it. If you have normal hair, go with a gentle everyday formula and wash every other day, or even every day, if you prefer and your hair can take it. If your locks are oily, choose an oily-hair formula and wash daily. Switch to a normal-hair formula if your hair starts to get dried out. If you have thin hair, you might consider a volumizing formula, which contains every couple of weeks or so to get rid of product buildup.

We dont know what wed do without conditioner. We can live without food, water, and oxygen, but without conditioner we might frizz up into a tight little ball and blow away. Conditioner smoothes out all the rough spots. There can be, however, too much of a good thing, especially if you have oily hair. Choose a light, everyday detangler and be sure to rinse it out well. Normal hair calls for normal conditioner. If your hair is dry or curly, use an extra-moisturizing conditioner followed by a leave-in. If you blow-dry every day, use a heat-activated formula to minimize damage. And if your hair is really dry, or really curly, consider using hand lotion. It sounds crazy, but hairdressers swear by it.

Our very favorite hair potion. These always leave our hair soft and springy. If you have dry hair, get in the habit of using these on a regular basis. Save money by making your own .

If your hair has been replaced by a bundle of straw, you probably need a mask. Use a store-bought mask or make your own . You can make great masks from ordinary kitchen ingredients like bananas and avocado. If your hair is very dry, you may be tempted to try mayonnaise. Do not. We repeat, back away from the jar. We have the driest hair in the world and we tried this one time. We will never try it again. We had to wash it seven times in a row, no lie, to get it to look anything less than disgustingly greasy.