As I promised, I’ll be keeping you up to date on my hair-growing process. Last night I learned that, to gracefully grow out my pixie, I’m going to need way more patience than I’d anticipated. My bangs were LONG when I went in, and while they still have the swoop, the necessary shape took out a lot of length. Most importantly (at least to my bangs) were that he gave them a bit of an angle from my natural part. That allows the length to keep coming without having heavy fringe hanging in my eyes.

Kendall’s trick this time around was to cut deep Vs into the longer parts of my hair to give it a great deal more texture. Then, he cleaned up the back and sides – we’re waiting for the top to come down to meet them before we start letting them grow, lest I succumb to a mullet.

My final step was a toner/gloss treatment – my first time getting color in the salon! I’m well versed in at-home hair dye dating back to middle school, and I gave up color altogether about three years ago after too many years with too-dark hair. My stylist explained that a toner/gloss isn’t damaging in the way that a dye job is; there’s no ammonia, and it doesn’t remove any existing color – it simply builds on what there is. You can do a clear glaze, but I opted for a translucent tint, at Kendall’s suggestion. The cinnamon color is so lush and rich – I can’t wait to experiment with new cosmetics to complement it!

N.B. when you add color, especially with auburn undertones like this one: you’ll probably need new products. I already use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner, so I didn’t need to do anything with those, but I did end up purchasing a UV protectant to preserve the color as well as a tonic lotion to use in lieu of water when I wake up rocking wicked bedhead.