Huffington Post: Gina Rivera: Don’t Get Mad, Get Ready

Let’s say you go to your stylist for some subtle highlights, just to freshen up your hair before a big event that night, but what you get is an edgy ombre. The party starts in a couple hours.

So, what do you do?

First of all, take a deep breath. Stay calm. Your chances of repairing any problem are better if you stay cool. Work with your stylist to fix the hair. You may be upset but, truly, this may not be anyone’s fault.

This ‘bad’ cut may really be a great look, but not the one you wanted … not even close. And the absorption of color, for example, can be affected by medications we take, for example. So, be cautious with blame, take a deep breath and focus on solutions.

So, what do you do with that ombre you didn’t want? Again, you have no time. Take another deep breath. Go for an updo, a high bun, like Sarah Hyland of Modern Family wore to the Emmys. Soften the color transitions by brushing them out. Take a bright layer and create a thin braid that you’ll use to finish the bun or weave it through a chignon. The updo hides the ‘bad’ color. Bring some soft strands and wisps around your face. This isn’t what you wanted but be ready to love it regardless!

Two more examples:

• You went for a trim and blowout but the cut is way too hard and geometric … beautiful, but not what you wanted. Get your stylist to round and soften the edges. Add some layers to further soften and create movement.

• Too short. You wanted a bob and got a pixie. Stay calm and focus on what you can fix. You could add hair accessories, like a decorative comb, a pin or headband, a cute hat — the styles and creativity are endless, everything from faux gems to thin strands of braided leather. Is the pixie too hard and edgy? That’s easy to change. Get some added volume with back brushing and teasing. Turn those spikes into soft feathery layers.

Virtually nothing that we do to our hair is permanent and there is so much we can do to blend and hide negatives.

A great solution is to avoid problems in the first place with strong communication with your stylist. This is another reason why smartphones are so great because we can arrive at our appointments loaded with hair photos of what we want (and what we don’t want). As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Be open change … even when you don’t plan on it!