While attending Empire Beauty School in Boston, Sasha Brown, a 30-year-old hairdresser from Watertown, spent nearly every evening after class Googling Nick Arrojo’s online hair tutorials for styling tips. Now, as a top three finalist in Arrojo’s Masters of Beauty competition, Brown can potentially put down the laptop and learn from Arrojo, the world-renowned celebrity hairstylist from “What Not to Wear,” firsthand.

“It’s a dream,” says Brown. “I always thought he was brilliant hair-wise and now I have a chance to work with him.”

The Masters of Beauty competition was open for all 150,000 students from 105 different Empire Beauty Schools in 19 states. The winner of the competition will win a 24-month apprenticeship with Arrojo at his New York City salon, Arrojo Studio, $10,000 for moving expenses, free classes taught by Arrojo and tickets to the New York International Beauty Show in April. The top two runners-up will also get tickets to the show.

“The goal is for the winner to become a really good stylist,” says Arrojo. “We’ll train them to the best of our ability.”

Brown says that winning this competition would be the best opportunity for her to grow as a hairstylist and to jumpstart her career, but she didn’t always think this window of opportunity would be possible for her.

Before the competition’s first-round deadline, her husband, Phillip Brown, had secretly entered her in the contest by submitting a picture of one of her haircuts. When Brown discovered she had made it to the second round of the competition, she was in shock.

“He mentioned the competition to me and I said, ‘No way would I have a chance with that.’ and he said, ‘Of course you will, you’re brilliant,’” says Brown, adding that her husband is her biggest fan.

The two then worked as a team to further her into the competition. As a professional videographer, her husband put together a video of Brown transforming her client, Leslie Pederson’s, look from a light brown do to a red asymmetrical bob. She was then selected to be a top 10 finalist.

“She wants to work for Nick Arrojo, she wants to go to New York City, she wants to learn as much as she can,” says Pederson, of Haverhill, who has been Brown’s client for eight years. “She listens and she knows how to cut hair. She deserves it.”

Arrojo says that the look Brown submitted stood out because her cut was up to par with his taste level. “She definitely had elements that I would consider the Arrojo style, which is contemporary and wearable,” he says. “We kind of have a more fashion-forward feel, and her cut kind of fit the brand.”

Although Brown had just started beauty school at Empire two years ago, her hairstyling practices began long before she was enrolled. While growing up in her hometown of Brighton, England, Brown would visit her mother, Lynn Rome, while she worked as a hairdresser at the Deborah Jane Salon. At the age of 5, Brown had started her beauty school education. She would observe her mother wash, cut, color and style client after client’s hair, and often helped braid some of the customers’ locks.

“I loved watching my mom do everything,” says Brown, adding that she continued to shadow her mother after they moved to a new salon in Palm Springs, Calif. when she was 13. “I loved watching her do perms, cuts, color, everything.”

Like mother like daughter, Brown dreamed of becoming a hairstylist and practiced her natural talent on My Little Pony toys, Barbie dolls and her family’s heads whenever she could run her fingers through their hair.

“I remember walking in the living room and my grandpa was on his chair and he had mini ponytails,” says Brown’s brother, Marc Rome, an attorney in Oklahoma City. “She’d use multicolored elastic bands to put his entire hair in pony tails.”

Brown and her brother grew up as polar opposites; Rome was a bookworm and Brown was a social butterfly. Where Rome was often spending hours studying for exams and quizzes, Brown spent her time singing, dancing and acting. Although she often felt the pressure to be “smart” like her brother, Rome never thought his little sister didn’t have brains.

“She was really intelligent, but she used her intelligence in different ways,” says Rome, who remembers Brown braiding her friends’ hair all the time growing up. “It’s more of a creative intelligence.”

After high school, Rome took the college route, attending Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., but Brown knew that school wasn’t for her.

“I was always interested in the creative half of things, which didn’t really require the schooling in college but required schooling,” says Brown.

Going to college was something her mother wanted both of her children to experience, so she initially did not support Brown’s decision to pursue hairstyling.

“Growing up, she wanted to be a hair dresser and I wanted her to have an education,” says Brown’s mother, Lynn Rome, who has been a hairdresser for nearly 50 years. “I just desperately wanted her to go to school.”

As a kid, Brown remembers her mother soaking her swollen feet in hot water and complaining about sore limbs, shoulder pains and pulled muscles from constantly styling hair. The hair profession was physically demanding, and that was another reason why her mother didn’t support Brown’s career path.

“She kept telling me it’s really hard on the body and it’s a lot of hard work, and I was dumb and I listened to her,” says Brown.

Following her mother’s wishes, Brown went into various jobs trying to discover her passion. She worked as a flight attendant immediately after high school, was a nanny for seven years, was a waitress at multiple restaurants and was a dental assistant for five years.

“It was good pay and my mom kind of coaxed me into the go-for-the-money kind of thing, but I was miserable doing that,” says Brown. “I worked hard at it but it didn’t fulfill me.”

It wasn’t until she was 28 years old when she realized doing hair was her true calling. Two years ago, her husband had come home with a botched haircut that  “looked like someone had their eyes shut when they were cutting his hair,” says Brown. She grabbed a pair of scissors and intuitively knew how to recover her husband’s awful new ‘do, and when she was done, Brown says her husband looked at her and said, “This is ridiculous. It’s time for you to do hair.”

“I like her cuts a lot better than other people I’ve been to, to be honest,” says Phillip Brown, her husband, who was in the Army, stationed in North Carolina at the time. “I’m really picky when it comes to who cuts my hair, and she does such a good job.”

When she moved back to Boston after living in the South with her husband for three years, Brown went straight to beauty school, where she’d have three-to-six walk-in clients a day coming in and out of the Empire salon. As a hands-on learner, Brown perfected her techniques through her experience at the school.

Emily Shuman, a career planning specialist at Empire Beauty School in Boston, says Brown was a standout student. She says that compared to other students, Brown had a large clientele and it was clear she produced quality work and that her clients were drawn to her perky, bubbly persona, which made them often come back asking if they could make an appointment with “the British girl.”

“Every single client left here with a giant smile on their face ready to book their next visit with her,” says Shuman. “She’s a very charming student here and made the clients feel very at ease. They didn’t feel like they were getting their hair done at a beauty school, she made it feel like the real deal.”

One loyal walk-in client of Brown’s at Empire was Jenna McGowan, who says that she enjoys going to Brown to get her hair done because she’s talkative, funny and a great listener.

“She’s very easy to talk to, which is great,” says McGowan, who started going to Brown a year ago. “That’s what people are looking for in a hairdresser.”

Brown’s brother agrees. “I think it’s really quite appropriate she’s a hair dresser because there’s more to being a hairdresser than just the design component,” says Rome. “There’s an entertainment component to hairdressing and she’s very good at being a hairdresser.”

In addition to studying Arrojo’s online videos and attending Empire part-time, Brown would seek inspiration by going into various hair salons throughout Boston and passively observing other stylists at work. She constantly envisioned hairdos that would look good on people everywhere she went.

“She’s always looking out for what she can do to people’s hair,” says McGowan. “She dreams about what she would do to their hair if they would let her.”

Her easygoing and welcoming personality and her commitment to improving her craft is exactly what Arrojo says he is looking for in a winner. “The salon is very friendly and I think very cool,” he says. “I’m looking for someone who’s very nice and someone who’s very committed.”

And committed, she is: Brown won first place in a competition at Empire put on by Arthur Miller, an owner of a salon on Newbury Street; volunteered to do children’s hair while teaching them about hygiene at the school; and always participated in school events, even dressing up as Betty Boop for an Empire look-a-like contest.

Currently, she is working at the Waban Salon in Newton, where both she and her more-than-proud mother work side-by-side. The competition winner will be selected on May 21, and Brown says if she wins, this will help her provide for her, her husband and their two children, Bailey, 6, and Brighton, 3, and it would create more opportunities for her in what she is most passionate about–the hair business.

“Finally my passion got the best of me and I did what I knew I should’ve done 10 years ago,” says Brown. “I love it and it’s not hard work to me at all. It’s loads of fun.”

Beautiful hair was everywhere at this year’s New York Fashion Week, and thanks to some of the industry’s top hairstylists, you can create these chic, straight-from-the-runway looks yourself at home. Read on for step-by-step instructions, and you’ll be looking runway-ready in no time!

A modern, youthful twist

Designer: Preen 
Hairstylist: Paul Hanlon, lead stylist for Aveda

To complement Preen’s modern yet feminine look, Hanlon says he “wanted the hair to impart the same lightness, innocence and purity.  We created a sleek silhouette to mirror the clean lines of the clothes.” The result? Hair that is “pure and neat; it almost has a forties feel,” he adds.

How to do it

1.     Prep hair by spritzing throughout with Aveda Volumizing Tonic, then blow dry with a round brush.  Work hair away from the face and neck to keep the hairline clean.  If hair is dry or damaged, begin by prepping with Aveda Brilliant Damage Control, and follow with Aveda Volumizing Tonic.

2.     Once dry, gently brush hair away from the face and let hair part naturally on the left side. Smooth hair with a fine-toothed comb and a light mist of Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

3.     On the right side of the head at the top of the ear, begin to twist hair toward the back of the head, staying just on top of the parietal ridge.  Use a tail comb to neatly bring hair up into the roll, and secure the roll with “U” pins.  Avoid twisting too tightly at this point.

4.     Continue twisting toward the back of the head following the natural hairline.  Twist all the way to the nape, secure hairwith a clip.

5.     Repeat twist on the left side, starting slightly lower, one to two inches above the top of the ear, sloping downward at the back of the head to create a “U” shape when twists meet at the nape.

6.     Neatly brush hair upward from the hairline to create a seamless connection between the two twists.  This gives the appearance of a single, smooth, twisted roll that snugly wraps around the head.

7.     Use Aveda Air Control Hair Spray and the end of a tail comb to smooth all wisps and flyaways while replacing “U” pins with bobby pins, snugly tucked and hidden. 

8.     Finish with Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine.     

Long, loose, effortless waves

Designer: Christian Siriano
Hairstylist: Antoinette Beenders, lead stylist for Aveda

“The hair for Christian Siriano this season is playful and looks effortless,” says Beenders. “We’ve updated the loose, beachy waves of the ’90s with a more groomed look that’s smart, young and approachable. I was inspired by Christian’s muse for this collection: a charming, smart girl who radiates happiness. The hair is super wearable and reflects her flirty, yet clever nature.  It’s fun, fresh and modern—just like the collection.”

How to do it

1.     Dampen hair at the root with Aveda Volumizing Tonic and blow dry with a large round brush to create natural volume.  For added lift, use Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray as a setting lotion while blow-drying by lightly misting the hair.

2.     Use a one-and-a-half-inch barrel curling iron to curl one-inch sections of hair away from the face until all hair is curled.  Rake with fingers to loosen. 

3.     Flip hair upside down and gently brush curls through.

4.     Flip hair back up. Create a deep side part and gently smooth out the top of hair using a comb, maintaining volume at the part.

5.     Spray Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine onto a kabuki makeup brush and stroke the brush over hair from roots to ends to give a healthy shine.  Keep style in place and protect against humidity with Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray.

Textured and touseled

Designer: Band of Outsiders 
Hairstylist: Didier Malige, stylist for Aveda

Malige created two looks for the Band of Outsiders’ show (which was inspired by the dark 1975 Australian film “Picnic at Hanging Rock”), a romantic, “girly” look of textured waves, and a “boyish” look of a touseled chignon. “The hair for both looks at Band of Outsiders is textured, matte and has an easy look, almost undone,” says Malige. “It’s as if she’s done her hair herself, pulling it back into a loose chignon or letting it fall into natural waves.”

How to do it: The “girly” waves

1.  Divide dry hair into two sections with a straight middle part.

2.  Working with one section at a time, twist each section of hair away from the face while applying Aveda Brilliant Retexturizing Gel.

3.  Continue twisting hair and working in the gel until hair is nearly saturated.

4.  Holding the twisted section out with your fingertips, use a blowdryer to set hair. Continue blowdrying and twisting until hair is completely dry.

5.  Pin the twist to the side of the head, creating a large spiral. Leave for several minutes to set.

6.  Repeat on the other side of the head.

7.  Once the spirals have set, remove pins so that the twists fall onto each shoulder. Rake hair with your fingers to create waves.

8.  For added texture, scrunch Aveda Pure Hair Abundance Potion into waves.

9.  Finish with Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

How to do it: The “boyish” chignon

1.     Mist Aveda Air Control Hair Spray throughout hair from roots to ends to texturize the hair and give pliable hold.

2.     Gently brush hair through using a brush.

3.     Using a wide-toothed comb, backcomb hair from mid-length to ends, leaving the roots untouched. This creates grip and hold on the hair, making it easier to pull back and secure.

4.     Twist hair back and create a loose chignon at the occipital bone. Pin into place.

5.     Gently backcomb the top layer of hair and the chignon in a feathering motion, creating additional wisps and a slightly “undone” look.

6.     Loosen a few wisps of hair around the face for a natural, slightly mussed feeling.

7.     Hold style in place with Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

 A wearable, pretty chignon

Designer: Sophie Théallet
Hairstylist: Didier Malige, stylist for Aveda

For Sophie Théallet’s collection, inspired by the 1969 film “La Piscine” (meaning “The swimming pool”), Malige wanted hair that expressed “an understated refinement, an instinctual sensuality.”  Malige says that “the hair is that of a girl who has just gone swimming, as if she has offhandedly pulled her hair back in a chignon and just left it to dry.  It reflects a nonchalant sensuality, her natural and understated sophistication.”

How to do it

1.     Brush hair away from the face with fingers, while working Aveda Pure Abundance Potion throughout to texturize.

2.     Pull hair back with hands, gathering at the back of the head as if to pull into a ponytail.

3.     Twist hair and coil into a loose bun, fasten with bobby pins.

4.     Pat a generous amount of Aveda Men Pure-Formance Grooming Clay and Aveda Control Paste onto the head, massaging and scrunching to create a matte, wet-and-dried texture.

5.     Smooth sides very close to head and leave a little volume on top.

 

Hilary Swank wore her hair in a romantic bun at the 2011 Academy Awards. (Media Credit/Granitz, WireImage)

We’ve got spring/summer 2011’s hottest hairstyles straight from the runways of New York Fashion Week. This year, Sonya Metzler, creative director at Vim Fitness Spa and Salon in Cambridge, Mass., joined Aveda’s styling team backstage. Metzler shares her top three hair trends with Blast and gives us tips on how to achieve them.

Buns and knots

With the success of “Black Swan,” it’s no surprise that buns and knots made the list. Besides these updos’ homage to Natalie Portman’s character Nina, these ballet-inspired hairdos are perfect for the warmer weather. “This look beats the heat and humidity, keeping you cool and looking elegant,” says Metzler.

Where she saw it: Christian Siriano, Sophie Theallet and Jason Wu

Where we’ve seen it: At the 2011 Academy Awards, Sandra Bullock and Hilary Swank both wore buns.

How to do it: Pull hair into a ponytail either high on the head or at the nape of your neck. Secure hair with an elastic and twist into a bun, fastening with bobby pins. Hold the look in place with Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray.  “For a truly up-to-the-moment look, add texture and interest with twists, braids and micro-crimping,” adds Metzler.

Smooth curls, like these at ORGANIC by John Patrick, are sexy and flirty. (Media Credit/Jon Gurinsky)

Smooth and soft curls

There’s something naturally feminine about soft, loose curls, and this hairstyle is perfect to go along with flirty, flowy spring and summer dresses. “This is a style that moves beautifully and works well for both day and evening,” says Metzler.

Where she saw it: ORGANIC by John Patrick

Where we’ve seen it: Celine Dion and Amy Adams sported this look at this year’s Academy Awards.

How to do it: Prep damp hair with Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother to prevent flyaways and with Aveda Phomollient Styling Foam for volume and texture.  Part hair wherever you wish and blow dry hair with a round brush for extra volume and shine. Use a one-inch curling iron to make waves, working in sections from bottom to top. Rake through with fingers or a wide-tooth comb and finish with a light mist of Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

Natural texture

Natural texture, seen here at Rodarte, is playful. (Media Credit/Jon Gurinsky)

Rodarte’s “young and innocent coif” was a standout at this year’s Fashion Week. “It has a playful and organic feel,”  says Metzler. “The swooping side part is a little bit retro, and the barrette you choose infuses the style with your personality.”

Where she saw it: Rodarte

Where we’ve seen it:  Scarlett Johansson, Florence Welch and Michelle Williams chose natural-textured hair at the Academy Awards.

How to do it: Blow dry your hair straight, using your fingers instead of a brush to achieve more texture.  Create an imperfect part on the left side of your head.  Rub a nickel-sized dollop of Aveda’s Light Elements Texturizing Crème in your hands.  Tousle and scrunch your hair to create texture and body. Finish with Aveda  Air Control Hair Spray. To add more personality to the look, secure a thick barrette to the left side, just above your ear.

For even more hair how-tos, go to www.aveda.com/video.

With everyone from Anne Hathaway to Eva Longoria, it seems that hair buns are the latest look to be gracing the fashion runways for summer and fall. Celebrities and runway models are sporting their buns everywhere, and not necessarily the ones made of steel.

Our pal Nick Penna, Jr. of SalonCapri, told us this is a versatile look that can be dressed up or down. He told Blast the steps to realizing this hot-off-the styling chair look. Go ahead and get cooking.

Penna explained that the key to mastering this look is to create a well-defined part. “I’d suggest a side part to draw more attention to your face. A part in the middle of your hair can sometimes appear too harsh, depending on the shape of your face,” the “Best of Boston” stylist said. Use a lightweight styling pomade or texturizer to smooth the hair along your part and create a sleek finish.

To achieve a wavier look like Reese Witherspoon’s for example, skip on the styling pomade and wait until the look is complete to use a finishing spray. Penna suggests Shu Uemura’s Liquid Fabric Texturizing Spray as an easy-to-manage product.

Sweep your hair back into a low ponytail and secure it with an elastic that best matches your hair color. This should be a tight ponytail and it should be securely fastened at the base of your neck. With a firm grip, pull the end of the ponytail clockwise around the elastic, making sure to smooth the hair as it is being wrapped.

After the circular shape of the bun has been created, begin to pin the loose ends with bobby pins. Secure as necessary. “You want your bun to feel secure and cleanly wrapped without flyaways and extra strands of hair sticking out,” added Penna.

To finish the style, use a flexible finishing spray. Don’t be afraid to spray the bun, part and sides of your hair to ensure a sleek look. If you’re aiming for a messier approach, use your fingers to further add texture to your waves and then finish by spraying. If you add sexy smokey eyes you are ready to sport the do with sexy heals and a classy dress. ‚ With innocent light makeup and pink lips you can wear the colorful spring palettes seen in a lot of runways this season to take over the arm weather.

Fall is here and along with it wind, rain, snow and similar hair-ruining weather changes. However, stylists and designers have made it easy for you this season with “hobo-romantic” hairstyles. Blast spoke to lead stylist and Fashion Week usual Nick Penna, who owns SalonCapri, to get the list of things to do to get the look.

First off, be prepared for long tresses. Throughout the catwalks at this year’s NY Fashion Week, long dark hair was ever-present. Think rich brunette colors. Penna assures that this serves a purpose, “at the Fashion Week shows what I was seeing was the kind of boho chick look that will be really in this season. Hair is long, very romantic, very soft. Subtle details included little braids; headbands are making a big statement right now too and this whole look is useful and fun, free and flowy.”

However most of us are not blessed with naturally “flowy” hair and deal with the typical frizziness or lack of volume, to name a few.‚  For this the stylist suggests using headbands. They have become very popular accessories seen all over the place, from Gossip Girl to Madonna’s forehead.

Penna said that the headband is taking center stage even more though, “headbands are huge accessories right now and they are very easy to use because they take the hair back and really show off the headband.”‚  By pulling the hair back into a sleek low-bun, ponytail or braid the simple do can be glamed up by adding a headband with details and any untamed hair is hidden.

Other tips include using smoothing and cream based products that eliminate excess frizz and soften curly hair to look soft and romantic.‚  Curl enhancing products are better too if you have a natural wave to the hair and want to give it more definition. Air-drying is also better than blow drying or straightening. The straight from roots-to-ends hairstyle is no longer popular and looks severe, Penna said.

Try this tip from the pro, “create braids in the front, near the temple area. Take a small section of hair in the temple area and braid the entire section, pull it back and join into a ponytail so you can see the detail from the side,” Penna said. Just remember to keep it simple. “Don’t over exceed, two or three small braids scattered around are more than enough.”

For a more vivid guide, look at Blake Lively. Penna is a fan of her hair, saying that for this season’s trends she is the, “epitome of the style without a doubt.”