Art for Hair on Cuteable

We are delighted that Art for Hair was featured on the Cuteable blog today. Cuteable is a 'treasure trove of cute for you and your home', featuring items from various Etsy and DaWanda sellers. Check it out and find all kinds of cute accessories, jewelry, art, apparel and more!

We'd also like to apologise to our Entrecard droppers for not being good about dropping back recently. We have just replaced our laptops and are having issues with Vista - we have tried to drop back, but are having problems with the Entrecard site and loading blogs. We're going to replace Windows with Linux (yay!) and hopefully, normal service will soon be resumed...

Our First Blog Award!

We are delighted to say that the Team SquidEtsy blog has nominated us for the Brilliante Weblog Premio 2008 Award! Yay! Thanks so much :)

Part of this award involves nominating seven blogs to receive it next, so here (in alphabetical order) are the next seven winners:

Annie Spandex
Effie the Pixie
Gifts, Etc
Memories Frozen in Time
Moms.....Check nyo
Simply Shiny
Worldwide Travel Blog

These are the rules for these winners...

1. The award may be displayed on a winner’s blog.
2. Add a link to the person who you received the award from.
3. Nominate up to seven other blogs.
4. Then add their links to your blog.
5. Add a message to each person that you have passed the award on to in the comments section of their blog.

'How to Grow Long Hair' on Squidoo and some great Custom Orders!

Art for Hair is part of Etsy's Team SquidEtsy, a group of craftspeople and artists who use Squidoo to promote their work. Squidoo is a site where anyone can set up a page, known as a lens, about any subject they like. Our newest lens is all about long hair - how to grow it and care for it. If you're trying to grow long hair, check it out!

We're working on some great custom hairstick orders - no pictures yet, but one will be a stunning bridal stick. We're really looking forward to finishing them and getting them to their new owners!

As we're in Florida, we're also waiting for Tropical Storm Fay. Right now, it looks like we'll escape the worst, but if you are trying to contact us about an order and we don't reply, it's probably because we lost power/cable. We'll get back to you as soon as possible!

11% off at our DaWanda shop today!

We're participating in DaWanda's summer 'shopathlon' (in honor of the Olympics and European football), and today there will be 11% off our hair sticks and hair forks at our DaWanda shop. Why exactly 11% we don't know, but it's a great discount! The discount is valid from 8pm-11pm tonight, Central European Time. This should mean it starts at 3pm US Eastern Time and 11am US Pacific Time. Everything else from participating shops in the 'accessories' category at DaWanda is also reduced. Happy shopping!

Long Hair Care: Brushing

When you have long hair, or are trying to achieve it, gentle hair handling is very important to minimize damage and strand breakage. Do the ends of your hair have split ends, or small white dots a little way up the strand? These are signs of hair damage, and lead to breakage. With too much breakage, hair will appear not to be growing.

Although popular wisdom states that you should use a brush to brush your hair, specifically 100 strokes a day, this is actually not the best idea for long hair. Most brushes damage hair as they have sharp or rough edges, and excessive brushing will literally wear away at hair strands, leaving them weakened and more prone to breakage. The '100 strokes a day' advice originated in times when women could not wash their hair as often as we do now, so the brushing was necessary to distribute scalp oils all the way down the length of the hair.

The ideal tool for long hair is a smooth, wide-tooth comb. This detangles well, and the smooth edges ensure that the hair is not damaged. 'Hair-safe' combs are available from most drug stores and beauty supply stores, and are not expensive. These combs do not have a 'seam' in the middle from being made in a mold. If you have a comb with a 'seam', you can easily sand it off.

Start gently combing from the ends upwards to reduce tension on the hair. Never comb hair when it is wet, as hair is much more elastic and vulnerable to damage when it is wet. To help prevent hair tangling at night and cut down on the combing necessary in the morning, try braiding your hair or putting it in a low bun. Satin pillow cases and sleep caps also help, as they are much more 'slippery' than regular cotton, so preventing hair from rubbing and tangling.

Using a hair-friendly wide-tooth comb and not combing excessively will help you achieve healthy, long hair.

Customer Review!

I designed this flower dangle hair stick as a special custom order for a lovely customer. We were delighted to hear that it arrived safely, and is just what she wanted. With her permission, this is what she told us about her new, unique hairstick:

"The hairstick arrived safely today! Thank you so much for making it for me. I love it! This is so gorgeous!

I'm glad that you added the dangle for me because I really like how it hangs and moves. The hairstick looks so beautiful when used in hair - just the right portion of wooden part and the flower part are showing, and the dangle is just so pretty.

Thank you very much again for such wonderful work of art."

Thanks so much for the review!

Indian Head Massage

Indian head massage (also known as champissage) originated nearly 4000 years ago, as a technique to aid hair growth, improve health and decrease stress. Indian women use oils (often coconut) to nourish their hair, while the gentle massage improves the circulation and therefore helps stimulate hair growth. In Indian culture, the body's three highest chakras (energy centers) are located in the forehead, crown of the head and throat. Massage of these balances the body's energy, as the chakras regulate energy flow through the body. If you are trying to grow long hair, regular head massages can help you achieve consistent growth rates by stimulating circulation. It's also a great relaxation technique, and tired children love it too! Oil is optional, but does help stop hair tangling and also nourishes hair. If your prefer not to use oil, gentle massage should not tangle the hair.

To give a basic Indian head massage, start at your partner's shoulders. Gently squeeze the muscles, starting from the base of the neck and continuing out to the shoulders. Holding their shoulders, make small circles with your thumbs, up and down their neck. Now put your hands on the sides of their head, with your fingertips and the heel of your hands touching their scalp, and your fingers pointing up. Gently massage their head, as if you are working in shampoo. Next, put one hand against your partner's forehead for support, and massage their head with the heel of you other hand. Finally, make small circles with your fingertips on their temples and stroke their head from the forehead back. Make these strokes lighter and lighter to complete the massage, until you are barely touching their head.

If you do not have a partner, these techniques can be adapted for use on yourself. Regular head massage should help you grow long, healthy hair!

DaWanda Summer Games Discounts!

We've decided to take part in DaWanda's 'Summer Games' - between August 8th and 24th, in honor of the European Football Championships, DaWanda is holding twice daily discounts. Every day, between noon and 3pm, and 8 and 11pm Central European Time, selected items from participating shops will be discounted by 11%. Our understanding is that it is random which days our hair sticks and forks will be discounted, but check out the DaWanda site from August 8th, and our DaWanda shop, to find out more.

DaWanda Front Pages!

Our hairsticks and forks made the front page of DaWanda today! DaWanda is a European-based marketplace for hand-crafted items and art, much like Etsy in the US. We have had a shop at DaWanda for a little over a month, and have a variety of hairsticks and forks listed there. When I went to DaWanda to check on our shop today, I was surprised and pleased to see our Red Flower Custom Length Hair Sticks as one of the featured items on the front page! Yay!


These hair sticks are hand-carved from poplar, and can be made to order in any length. They feature Czech glass red and flower beads, accented with silver-plated beads. They are a great summer hair accessory.

A while later, our Red Oak Curve Hair Fork was featured too. This is hand-carved to any length you choose, from the beautiful hardwood red oak.

Check out our DaWanda shop for more information!

Featured Etsy Artists 6 - Effie the Pixie

This week's featured Etsy artist is the lovely Yuko from Etsy shop Effie the Pixie. Feminine care products may not be what you expect to find on Etsy, but increasing numbers of women are turning to cloth, reusable pads instead of disposable sanitary wear. Yuko's products are functional, comfortable, and environmentally friendly, as well as cute and colorful. Here's our interview with Yuko:

Tell us a little about your shop?
I sell environmentally friendly cloth feminine care pads. I also sell greeting cards, although I haven't made a card for sale for a while due to not having enough time.

How did you discover Etsy?
Etsy appeared on a search result page back in 2006. I can't remember what I was searching for, but since then Etsy occasionally came up in search results. I finally joined at the end of 2007. Etsy changed a lot during this time.

What were the first items you bought and sold on Etsy?
The first item I bought was "Whipped Body Butter Samplers in Your Choice of Scents". The first item I sold was a Mother's Day Card.

What are you working on right now?
I am making mini round pads for makeup removal. Also I just started working on designing carrying pouch for the feminine pads. I am lucky to have wonderful customers who gave me these wonderful ideas.

What is your favorite item in your shop?
At this time, my favourite item is the Butterfly Pad Set [right]. I love the Butterfly fabrics. Paris Cat Pads [below] are also my favourite, as I like coordinating fabrics.

What are your ambitions as an artist/craftsperson?
My ambitions as a craftsperson is to make functional, comfortable, easy-to-care and pretty(most important) feminine pads that a woman cannot resist to use.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?
I appreciate all the customers who have been very supportive, helpful, and encouraging. I am very glad that they like the pads, and I am amazed how pleasant my experience in Etsy has been both as a buyer and a seller. I got to know some very nice people. Finally, thank you very much for the opportunity of this interview.

Thank you for the interview, Yuko! Check out Effie the Pixie at Etsy now for more information and to purchase. Yuko is a wonderful seller to buy from, with great communication and superfast shipping, as well as an awesome product! Yuko also has a wonderful blog, which gives information about her work and new items, as well as featuring other Etsy artists and craftspeople.

Our Top Entrecard Droppers for July

Thanks so much to everyone who dropped their Entrecard at Art for Hair in July! Check out the blogs of our top 10 droppers for July:

Ideas for Women Blog
Annie Spandex
Unique You
The Makeup Divas Blog
Personal Finance Management Guide
Worldwide Travel Blog
New York Traveler
Caledonian Comment
A Rose by Name
Trip the Lady

This list will also be in our sidebar and updated every month :)