Judy De Luca

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

Glued Shut Nail Polish Top? Easy Fix

Posted on February 25, 2014 by judydeluca

How many times have we bought the perfect nail polish color only to find after a few uses the top has been glued shut from the caked on polish. In the past, I’ve tapped the top on the counter, soaked under hot water and even used pliers to get the polish to open.

Here’s a neat trick that really works. Put a little petroleum jelly around the grooves of the bottle and the cap. If you do this every so often you’ll never be frustrated again trying to get the cap off. It really works!

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Available at your favorite ebook store

From The Farrah Haircut To The Bi-level aka Mullet Haircut

Posted on February 18, 2014 by judydeluca

I set the time of my ebook, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, in the late seventies and early eighties because it was a crazy time for hair and I was a working hairdresser through it all! In this scene, Josie, the main character, attends the New York International Hair Show. There she learns all the newest trends, including the latest rage in haircutting, the Bi-level aka the Mullet. Until this new trend women wore their hair in the Farrah, long, full, permed and feathered back.

This is the scene from Towel Dry and a Good Cry:

Further down the row I was in, I saw a crowd gathering. A mini stage was set up, and a haircut was going on. The bi-level. I was trying to concentrate on every snip. Someone dressed in black with a headset microphone said to me, “Excuse me. Do you mind if I feel your hair? I’m Michael, with the cutting team.”

“Go for it.”

He ran his fingers through my hair and began scrunching it. “You have the perfect hair for this cut. Would you be my model for it?”

“Really? When, now?”

“Right now.”

I had to make a split-second decision. I thought it would be crazy and fun.

An assistant escorted me to a private area. Lots of models were running around in their underwear trying to find what they were supposed to be wearing. Makeup artists were applying, and assistants were washing colors out and blow drying. I was caped, shampooed, and brought up to the stage.

“What was your name again, darling?” he whispered.

“Josie.”

“This is Josie, everyone. She’s about to let me cut off some serious hair.”

Gulp.

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Available at your favorite ebook store

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

Latest Addition To Judy DeLuca’s Photo Museum of Hair History

Posted on February 11, 2014 by judydeluca

This was the tool that Barbers used to do bloodletting with.

Barbering is one of the oldest professions going back six thousand years. A barber, back in the day, performed other things besides cutting hair and shaving. It was common for a barber to pull a tooth or surgically do a bloodletting. They were known then, as Barber Surgeons.

To learn more visit my blog post on The Barber and the Barber Pole.

If you are interested in old barber and hairdressing tools visit my Photo Museum of Hair History

Judy DeLuca’s Latest Novel

Available at your favorite ebook store

http://www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

Natural Facial Scrub For Oily Skin

Posted on January 28, 2014 by judydeluca

Honey and almond flour mixed together into a paste is an excellent scrub for oily skin because of honey’s antiseptic properties and high levels of vitamins they both contain. It’s graininess makes it an excellent gentle exfoliator, and you can make it yourself!

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty tips.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry.

http://www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Tricks For Using Velcro Rollers

Posted on January 21, 2014 by judydeluca

Velcro rollers provide soft curl, root lift and can be used on damp or dry hair. The beauty of the Velcro roller is that the hair is not subject to heat abuse and is a quick easy way to spruce up your hair, especially if you don’t want to wash your hair. Velcro rollers can be applied to dry hair and sprayed with hairspray and left to set while applying makeup or dressing.

Another choice, especially for fine, curly or dry brittle hair is to wind the rollers on dry hair before taking a shower and the steam will help set the curls for a long lasting, conditioning style when you remove them.

For a loose long hair style, put hair up in a high pony and roll the ends up.

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty tips.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry.

http://www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Men’s Hairstyles of the 90’s

Posted on January 14, 2014 by judydeluca

Hairstyles for men in the 90’s came a long way after the ever so popular mullet of the 80’s. After surviving the 80’s as a hairdresser, I was glad styles for men made a drastic change. Here are some of the hairstyle trends that were popular for men in the the 90’s.

The Caesar

Curtains or the long fringe front

5888888

Long side burns

Shaved sides and back with a mop top or the swimmers cut

Crew Cuts

The Quiff, half pompadour half flattop

Spikes

And thanks to the Grunge era, a variety of Mohawks and colored Mohawks were also trendy men’s hairstyles of the 90’s

When I wrote my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, I chose the 80’s time frame because it really was the most outrageous time for hairstyles and a time before electronic devices.

Protect Your Hair Against Heat Damage

Posted on January 7, 2014 by judydeluca

Protect your hair against heat damage.

Glamming your hair up for all the holiday season parties and gatherings is a lot of work, not to mention all the extra heat abuse our hair takes from more frequent use of, blow dryers, curling irons, flat irons and hot rollers.

As a professional, I always recommend a thermal protection product before you blow dry, curl or straighten. The conditioners and polymers in the product will protect your hair from scorching. Be sure to have your hair trimmed every 4-6 weeks and ask your professional hairstylist which product would be best for your hair.

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty tips.

Judy De Luca’s latest novel is Towel Dry and a Good Cry.

View the book trailer: www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

A Hairdresser’s Christmas Story

Posted on December 17, 2013 by judydeluca

A Christmas Story

By: Judy De Luca

The slightly stooped woman left a Christmas gift on the hairdresser’s station on her way out of the salon. “Put it under your tree,” she had said. But the hairdresser opened the gift her longtime client gave her as soon as she got home.

The woman was old school, brought up by immigrant parents who valued life, loved their neighbor and went to church every Sunday. She had always been an active member of her church and raised her own children in the strict moral values her parents instilled in her.

And when the Lord took her soul mate, her last memory holding his hand while he took his last breath, she fought the loneliness that gripped her by doing even more volunteer work for her church, taking pleasure in helping others. The ladies sodality collected toys for under privileged children in the community every Christmas and she was elected chairperson this year.

The woman, not being an extravagant woman in any way, chose her Christmas gifts carefully, choosing the perfect gift, in her eyes, for the person she was buying for. Her grandchildren were easy, and so were the women, it was the men she had a hard time with. Her hairdresser was fun to buy for and she never forgot her at Christmas. Her hairdresser was responsible for her hair looking good not to mention, that poor girl listening to her cry and cry over the husband’s death and all her other woe’s throughout the year.

The hairdresser, at it for ten years, had many clients she felt were like family, a unique bond brought on by her profession. She was good at what she did, had the real talent, and was also good at talking and pampering her customers, creating herself a little empire of loyal followers at one of the better middle class salons in the area. A single girl, trying to make it on her own, was a little down on her luck this Christmas season. While her friends were out partying and spending money, she stayed home and saved hers, purchasing a three room condo six months ago. It was her pride and joy, her little place to call home and she had earned it with her hard work. Most of her tip money went into fixing her little place up. But life kept getting in the way for the hairdresser. First it was the horrific toothache that led to a root canal, an expense she wasn’t counting on and a week later the alternator went in her car, another expense that put her budget behind and now the mortgage was about due. The hairdresser loved Christmas time because it is the busiest time of the year and the time of year that she made the most money. The extra tight bookings couldn’t be helped with all the up do’s and blow dry’s for Christmas parties and that meant more money along with Christmas gifts and extra tips. She was hoping to make the extra money to pay the mortgage and to buy her parents and brother a Christmas gift.

She ripped open the wrapping paper in her hurried excitement, tore through the tissue paper, to reveal a chrome rimmed sink strainer. She allowed the barest chuckle and smiled to no one but herself. Then her eyes became tearful as she pictured this sweet, practical woman walking down the aisles of the five and ten looking for a gift especially for her, chosen out of love. The hairdresser’s soul filled with the Christmas spirit as she laid the gift under her tabletop ceramic Christmas tree her mother had given her.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel:

Follow me on Pinterest!

Dry Chapped Hands

Posted on December 3, 2013 by judydeluca

We all know as soon as the cold weather comes our hands take a beating. Being a hairdresser, my hands are always chapped and dry as a bone. My cure-all in these winter months for dry chapped hands is using a salt scrub followed by an intense moisturizer.

When your hands are dry and chapped the main goal is to slough off all those dead skin cells. A salt scrub is a cleansing, exfoliating product of basically salt and oil that will make your hands (and body) softer and healthier. Be careful if you are using a product such as this in the shower, the oil can make your shower very slick and slippery.

Salt scrubs generally run around thirty dollars but there are many homemade recipes to make your own. There are three ingredients in making your own salt scrubs, sea salt, almond oil and a few drops of essential oils. If you tend to have sensitive skin you can replace the salt for sugar.

So, if you have dry chapped hands and want them silky smooth you might want to try this.

For more beauty info and tips follow me on Pinterest

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel

Max Factor The Father Of Makeup

Posted on October 15, 2013 by judydeluca

I can’t help it, I’m a makeup junkie. Here’s a little makeup history. Max Factor is commonly known as the father of modern makeup.

Max Faktor, born in Poland in the late 1870’s, was one of ten children. At age eight Max did an apprenticeship at a pharmacy and after mixing potions all day long Max became fascinated with cosmetics.

In the late 1800’s Max Faktor opened a cosmetics store in a suburb of Moscow selling his hand-made creams, rouges, perfumes and human hair wigs.

During that time a theatre group performing for the Russian nobility wore Max Faktor’s makeup and it made such an impression with the Russian nobility that they appointed Max as the official expert for the Royal family and the Imperial Russian Grand Opera.

In 1904 Max Faktor and his family moved to the United States and he was given the name Max Factor by Immigration officials at Ellis Island. He participated in the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis selling his cosmetics.

Max dreamed of Hollywood and in 1908 moved his family to L.A. and created a make-up specifically for movie actors, unlike theatre makeup.

Soon after he opened a store and movie stars were flooding into his shop to sample the makeup while producers sought Max Factor’s human hair wigs.

In the 1920’s Max Factor introduced a line of cosmetics to the public, claiming every girl could look like a movie star by using his makeup and to this day, the company still has that motto.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty info and tips.

Excerpt From Towel Dry and a Good cry

Posted on October 8, 2013 by judydeluca

I was sweeping the hair from Phoebe when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I jumped. It was Wendell.

“Jeez, Wendell, you scared me.”

He grabbed me in an embrace, broom and all. “I finally found you,” he said in a tone that made me want to barf. “I finally found you.” He smelled like he’d bathed in cheap cologne. I got an instant headache.

“You should’ve called me. I had to go back to your other salon and finally, someone told me where you went.”

He bent his knees slightly and made a quick ball re-arrangement, never taking his psychotic eyes away from mine. Son-of-a-bitch, he caught me off guard. I looked down. I felt the heat of his gaze, but I didn’t look up. I focused on the floor.

“I figured word would get around.”

“This is a beautiful place, Josie.”

“Let me show you where to get shampooed.”

“Okay. Do you mind if I leave my book here?”

I pointed to a clear spot.

When I came back from directing him to the shampoo station, I glanced at his book. The Joy of Sex.

Haven’t read Towel Dry and a Good Cry, yet? You might want to check out the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Hairstyles For Women Over 40

Posted on September 24, 2013 by judydeluca

As a hairdresser, I try to encourage my clients in their late thirties to grow their hair long before they get too old to wear it like that again. When a women gets to be in her late forties early fifties cutting their hair a little shorter can give her an instant facelift. Cutting doesn’t necessarily have to be a pixie but bringing up the length can give a woman a younger look instead of the long hair dragging her face down. Professionally speaking, that’s the last thing a woman in her fifties wants a hairstyle to do. This is a little gallery of some hairstyles that I think would flatter a woman in her fifties.

For more beauty info and tips follow me on Pinterest. Have you read my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry, yet? If you’ve ever stepped foot in a salon, are a hairdresser or Italian, this is a must read. Prepare for lots of laughs and tears in this heartfelt story. Check out the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/toweldryandagoodcry

Best Way To Test A Lipstick

Posted on September 10, 2013 by judydeluca

Fall is upon us and it’s time to change from our summer lipstick colors to autumn shades. The best way to test lipstick colors is on the inside of the fingertips instead of on the back of your hand. The color on the inside of your fingertips is the most like the lips, and will give you a better idea of how the color will look on your lips.

Follow me on Pinterest for more beauty tips and info.

Judy DeLuca’s latest novel