Hair Care 101: Fall Edition

“Great Hair Doesn’t Happen by Chance. It Happens by Appointment.”
– Unknown

Hair is the accessory you wear every day, and if there’s one thing I love, it’s changing up my hair color. I cut my hair into the lob about a year ago to the day, all thanks to my amazing hairstylist, artist, colorist extraordinaire, Cara Hoggood.

I get asked almost on the daily who does my color, or who cuts my hair, and ladies and gents, it’s Cara. Yes we have the same name, and yes, I love it. And if you want your hair cut, styled, or dyed by this amazing lady, I recommend making an appointment ASAP. She books up.

Cara agreed to sit down with me and tell all you lovely Mimosa Ladies & Gents about her favorite hair trends, care, and so much more. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to her!

Cara is the Creative Director for Ivy Salon, an Aveda Salon (so you know it’s good y’all), in downtown, Greenville, SC. When she’s not creating masterpieces, she can be found with her dog Boston, spending time with her mom who doubles as her biggest fan and inspiration, or her fiancé—did I mention she just got engaged on the beaches of Barcelona? Talk about dream life.

Q. What’s your favorite part about doing hair?

A. “It’s so hard! When you go for cosmetology you learn everything! I loved it all. hair, skin, nails. I do my own nails and I’m really dedicated to skin care. But the thing I love most is the people aspect, getting to know my clients and their families.”

Q. What is your favorite thing or style you’re getting to do now?

A. Right now I’m really into doing super textured, un-perfect waves, and you’re seeing a lot of that right now. I love those un-perfect waves paired with a great complimentary color, and mixing highlights with texture.

Q. When sitting down with a client, what’s important to getting the cut or the color right?

A. Consultation is always the number one goal. We work hard on our consultations, to make sure we understand our clients and are on the same page. People don’t always know the technical terms or the words, so it’s important to discuss what a balyage means to them, or what color caramel highlights are.

Q. How can a client prepare to get the hair cut or color they really want?

A. The number one thing I can say is to bring a picture! A picture is the best way to make sure your vision and your stylist’s vision align. I’d also say to have confidence in your stylist and trust they’re going to be honest with you on what will look good and what won’t. My number one concern with a client is keeping their hair healthy. Sometimes to get the color you want, it’s a multistep process, not every color can be achieved in one sitting. Adjusting the color for a specific person isn’t just about their eye color or face shape, it’s about their lifestyle too and determining whether a color and/or cut is manageable on both the upkeep, cost, and time spectrums.

(my current hair a la the hair goddess herself)

** This is something I’ve always loved about working with Cara, I bring in a picture and an idea of a color and she’ll talk me through the direction we’re going to take the color, so it’s similar to the picture but adjusted to look PERFECT for my skin tone. Talk about service.

Q. Whenever I started getting my hair dyed, I’d always get asked, do you have color on your hair. How far back do you need to go when answering this question?

A. It totally depends on the type of color used! If you got a salon and they use permanent color, like we do at Ivy, all of that color is there, it never goes away unless you cut it out. So to get the right hair color next time, I have to know what’s underneath. For things like semi-permanent dye, that will wash out over time.

(my previous highlights, look at that balayage!)

Q. Let’s talk trends. What are some of your favorite things you’re seeing for fall?

A. I love to do this technique, that looks very natural, some call it a flamboyage. It’s a blend of traditional highlights and balayage. It’s a low maintenance color that looks very natural and dimensional. I’m also seeing a lot warmer colors, for example, for blondes I’m seeing and loving a lot more golds or neutral beige for the fall and winter.

I’m also seeing a lot of rooted likes. It’s not an ombre, but it’s where you can see the traditional highlights and the base color at the roots, it’s a very easy color to maintain.

Q. What about styles?

A. I’m really seeing a lot, and totally loving, the piecey textured, layered look. The done but un-done model off duty. I am seeing more length than we did a year ago, but you still want that messy wave.

Q. Any tips on how to get that look?

A. I’m loving flat Iron waves and curls flat iron waves. Curling irons and wands were really big for a while, but they create a lot more perfect curls. A flat iron can really help get that textured look. For up-do’s I’m seeing a lot of low knots, it’s still professional but a little more fun and less uptight.

If you’re ready to take your hair color or cut to the next level, make sure to book an appointment with Cara, she’s a dream, and trust me—your hair will thank you!