One of our favorite New York hair salons is Salon AKS. They're always ahead of the trends and one of our go-to's for expert tips. A change in season usually signals a change in hair, makeup, nails and skin care. We love their recommendations for this Fall, in fact, I just got a blunt cut, shoulder-length bob just last week. (Now I'm just trying to find ideas for designs for the undercut I got, as well.) 1. The clean line- The blunt collarbone length haircut has been around for a few years now and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's a flattering length on everyone. However this season, try changing up the look with shorter face framing angles. These shorter pieces will add movement and texture and accentuate your cheekbones and eyes. 2. The short- If someone tells you short hair is easier, that's not completely true. You'll need to get your haircut reshaped more frequently then your long locks, but your morning hair routine time will be cut in half, if not more. It's a great way to change up your look and routine while taking advantage of low humidity. 3. Chocolate Inspired Hair Color- A lot of times throughout the summer, we let our color go by opting for the sun's natural highlights. However, what's not great is the dryness we get from the salt water and chlorine, not to mention the green (blondes) or brassy (brunetttes) undertones that our hair can take on by the end of the summer. Going darker for Fall will bring back a healthy shine and all over glow. Salon AKS recommends creating a deep chocolate base with ultra-subtle toffee colored highlights to emphasize tousled, texturized layers as well as wavy bangs. Tres chic! 4. Bangs! If you're ever in the mood to change up your hair and cut bangs and you ask your stylist in the summer, they'll usually tell you to wait until Fall (sweaty bangs stuck to your forehead are never the best look!) However, come Fall, bangs are a great way to switch it all up. This season, a bold piecy bang with long textured hair is definitely the way to go. If you have a crazy cowlick, a Brazilian blowout should be your best friend. A quick fix is to "Brazilian" just the bang itself to give you the ability to wake up in the morning, blast them dry then run out the door with a statement look. For the bang commitment phobe, another option is clip-in bangs! Customizable and face framing, 5. Scalp purification and Hair Conditioning- Post summer, purification and hydration is key! Stop into the salon a half hour earlier than your appointment and sit with an intense hydrating mask like PHYTO Phytojoba mask under the heat. Your hair will become silky smooth and manageable. Then clarify and hydrate your scalp with PHYTO Phytopolleine scalp elixir treatment comprised of 100% essential oils. It will focus on the hair roots as well as the scalp, leaving your hair feeling fresh and purified. For your daily routine, apply their AKS serum ($27) as your dose of vitamin E, keratin and argan oil. This will help keep static at bay and hair shining all day long. Which of these will you be doing for Fall? Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! beauty blog. Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

For the last month I have been giving serious consideration to cutting my hair.  Maybe it's just me wanting a drastic change for the new year, or perhaps I, like so many others have been tempted by the slew of celebrities that have been sporting shorter and edgier do's in the past couple of months, whatever the reason, shorter hair is really appealing at the moment. I've mentioned the desire to go shorter a few times to my hairstylist Pearson Knight, but he's been pretty hesitant, which is understandable especially considering that I have been known to ask for a drastic change without considering my lifestyle and hair texture, then regret my decision a week later.  (Can you relate?!) Instead of giving into my pleas to just chop it all off, Pearson suggested that I try wearing my hair in a faux bob, similar to the shorter length I was considering. He told me to try this for a few days to a week to see if I really liked the way I look with shorter hair or if I just wanted to be a part of the latest hair trend.  So I did as he requested and tried a faux bob, which was accomplished by pulling my hair into a loose, low ponytail at my nape and securing with a binder, I then left the ends of my ponytail in the binder.  I then slid the binder down my nape to gain a bit of space so that I would be able to roll the ponytail under and secure with pins to the base of my scalp.  When securing my hair with the pins, Pearson suggested that I criss-cross the pins so that it would be more stable and have staying power.  I then pulled the desired amount of hair over my hair and towards my jawline to create the desired length and fullness and lo and behold I had myself a faux bob! At first I loved how much lighter my hair felt.  It was also weird how naked my neck felt and my features stood out a lot more with shorter hair.  After trying the faux bob a few times, my faux shorter hair lost its novelty and I kept thinking about how much I loved my top knots, side braids and ponytails.  Needless to say I decided against going with shorter hair and instead went with shorter layers, which I LOVE.  If you are considering going shorter I highly suggest trying a faux short hairstyle before taking the plunge! Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Watch our reviews on YouTube. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

Review from my fabulous sister, Courtney “Breathe,” that is what I keep trying to tell myself amidst my crazy life as a mama of seven beautiful babes. “Self-care,” I’ve heard myself preach the importance of it to my pre-teen daughter and to my patients who I care for in the hospital a million times. So as the collection of dust mounted on the silver envelopes of my now two unused Breathe Salon and Day Spa gift certificates, and my daily drive past their ever-so inviting window treatments called my name, my summer fizzled chlorine-damaged hair could take no more and I decided that I WAS finally making an appointment for me. The only appointment that a girl can make that will last a couple hours, but will be sure to rejuvenate her for at least six solid weeks, if she chooses wisely. I am no beauty expert, but I know what I like, and I do have a gift for creative flare that’s easy on the eyes. 215-362-1277, my fingers dialed quickly with a finger flip back to my icalendar, as I listened to a smile answer the phone to help me make my appointment. Did you know that it is a fact that you can hear a smile over the phone? Indeed, I could and it put me at immediate ease that this would be the experience I had hoped. In saying that, I might add that more of my salon experiences have been negative then positive. I always described my experiences to friends as the scene in the 1996 A Very Brady scene when David Spade is Mrs. Brady’s hair dresser and he goes in with a chainsaw and all, then she comes out looking exactly the same with that damn hair flip on the ends, lol. Seriously folks. Just know as friendly as I am I don’t give my every day woman’s stamp of approval of a salon lightly. Here is my scoop and review: Breathe Salon and Spa was recently voted, “Best Beauty Salon” by Readers Choice. They are friendly and created a welcoming environment from the outside in. The atmosphere was bright, filled with beautifully flowing fabrics, clean, and a light spread of coffees and sweets were presented after entering the door. They offered a great deal of services from facials to massages to hair/beauty, as well as a specialty in ethnic hair. Although they educated me about what they had to offer in terms of services, it was more as an FYI without the uncomfortable push. Rebecca Cooper, the master colorist, brought me back within minutes of my arrival to discuss my wants and needs. I remembered her talent from a previous salon and was immensely excited to have her do my color. She has a real knack for listening, advising, then producing color with a pow, like no other that I have met. Before I came for my “me” day, I looked up new looks and was inspired by the Rose gold color tones that I saw in Allure's pics of the fall 2012 hair trends. Rebecca took the time to listen and she even look up what I was telling her I wanted. I had some other ideas that I also liked, so we decided to mix them a bit to give me the versatility I love. David Van Guilder, owner of Breathe, came over to introduce himself as my hairstylist and talk about my goals and plans for my hair. We discussed my typical styles, my likes, and my work parameters. Though I have an idea of what I want, I simply love to get a hair stylist’s advice, in-put, and ideas. When I meet someone who is talented I truly respect and will listen to what they say. David was the first hairstylist to ever respect my own layperson ability to do my hair and he was able to also build in the versatility I wanted. For instance, I wear my hair naturally curly, I straighten it, I put it in up-do’s, twists, braids, I wear it in all sorts of creative funkiness, but I also need to be very professional at times if I am public speaking or out on the floor for my nursing job. David was able to truly listen to my needs, advice me on best styles for my lifestyle and on what looks would be complimentary to my physical features. David and Rebecca worked as a team to get it done and the results were marvelous. Love the color, love the cut, and I LOVE how many styles I can do my hair in, each giving me a different look with a different color enhanced. Awesome job Breathe Salon and Spa of Lansdale, PA!