Katie Amezquita

Last year was so difficult for all of us in many ways. I had two words that resonated in my life a lot in 2020.

The first word was fear. I have allowed fear to dictate far to much in my life and this year has made me grow so much more than any other because I became a mom. Something about having that little piece of your heart out there in the world although it can be very scary makes you so much stronger. They aren’t kidding when they say not to mess with a momma bear and her cub!

The other word that resonated a lot with me last year is patience. We sure as hell have had to have a ton of patience to get through last year and let’s be honest, this year isn’t looking any different.

Now, if you know me I typically make my New Years resolutions in February because I’m always a bit late to the game in that arena. This year I’m throwing fear to the side and replacing it with STRENGTH. This year may be one of the roughest for me but With the love and support of my family and friends I am going to thrive. And yes, that also means I am doing the usual eating better and whatnot, because we all should try to do that. I am tapping in to that hardcore patience we all have learned from 2020 and the huge optimist in me says 2021 will be great; but let’s be real here life is crazy. I’m going to try to enjoy the ride.

As I create my list of things I want to do or accomplish this year, I would love to know what your goals are! (I’m trying to put 100 things on there big or small)

Consultations are extremely important for every service, especially color corrections.

I use a lot of analogies to explain hair to my guests and one I use often is when they are remodeling homes on HGTV. You know, when they tear down a wall to creat this big beautiful living space but then there is a support beam in the way. You have two options, leave it there, or change it to a ceiling beam which is going to cost more and take more time.

This is a perfect example of what can happen when you are changing your hair color. If you have box color or direct dye in your hair that is difficult to remove our plan of action must change. A) We change the direction of our goal color B) We continue towards the goal through multiple sessions. Now sometimes option A leads into option B because we can’t achieve the goal in one day and have to creat something wearable in the meantime until we can get to the next session.

Moral of the story, if you have a history with hair color and you want a dramatic change, be patient. Be prepared for the time and financial investment. And most importantly, take very good care of your hair with proper home maintenance.

This color correction was in one day and took about 6 or so hours. decided to have fun with a pink balayage over the summer but was ready to return to her beautiful caramel balayage and I have to say I love it!

It’s never a bad time to make a big change!

It’s the end of the year and so many people wait until the new year to make that big change but I say go for it now!

had not gotten a cut in quite a while and we were very excited to go short. I absolutely love this new look!

This year has been so many things for all of us. It has been a huge struggle for many but has still had its positives for others.

For me, this year has been so much different than I thought it would be. My husband and I became parents to our beautiful girl. It has been so challenging and so rewarding.

This month particularly has a special meaning to me because it marks 10 years in the industry that I love.

I have grown so much in my career thanks to all of the amazing clients I have worked with. I grow every single time you have sat in my chair both in my skills as a stylist and as a person.

I have learned so much from working with so many extremely talented stylists and I am so appreciative of all the things I have learned from them.

I am particularly thankful for working with the amazing team I never knew when I moved here almost three years ago that I would have found my home. I truly think that Moving to Phoenix and working in such a great environment has pushed me to grow the most these last three years and I am so excited to see when the future holds.

Do you know the number one thing that curls need?

Moisture is super important for all hair but especially curly hair because it is naturally very dry.

If your curls need a little TLC, check out products. Since they are Aloe based they are the best products to maintain your beautiful curls.

with the beautiful hair.

Hair is a journey, not a destination.

I always tell my guests to enjoy the journey. It can take a lot or time, patience, and hair color to get you to that goal color.

Often times when you get there, you will eventually change it again. There is nothing wrong with that, just make sure you are doing this gradually to maintain the health of your hair.

My number one goal is to keep your hair as healthy as possible on your journey.

and I have been working on removing some red tones that we put in last fall. The process can be a lot but in the end her hair still feels good and looks stunning.

It’s so important that you enjoy the journey!

A fresh cut makes all the difference.

Coco Chanel wasn’t wrong. A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.

I absolutely love this haircut because it allows her to embrace her natural texture and looks so cute! We simply put in a few products and used a diffuser to dry her natural curl.

Let’s talk about hot tools and temperatures!⠀⠀
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Do you know what temperature you should be using to style your hair? If not your not alone!⠀⠀
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Fragile/fine 250-300⠀⠀
Thin 300-330⠀⠀
Medium 330-350⠀⠀
Thick/textured/coarse 350-410⠀⠀
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Now be honest, what is your temperature usually set to? Do you plan on changing it if your not using the right temperature?

I am so happy to announce the arrival of our sweet baby girl Magnolia Marisol! Our own little Baby Yoda decided to come in to this world a little early even though I was trying to get in a few more days at work. (Again, thank you to all the guests who I couldn’t accommodate before my leave. Also, thank you to for taking such amazing care of my guests while I am out!) ⠀
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Magz is doing great! We did struggle a little at first because the hospital only taught me one hold and it wasn’t really working for me. Fortunately the Lactation Consultant at her Pediatrician’s got us doing much better.⠀
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I am also so grateful for the amazing support we are receiving from our own moms! I can’t even begin to express how helpful they have been, except that I got 7 hours of sleep last night (interrupted of course so I could feed her) which I know any new mom would kill for. ⠀
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Adrian is a wonderful dad and we both are absolutely in love with her! Again, I want to thank all my amazing guests for allowing me the time and space to adjust to this new chapter of being a new mom. I have so much appreciation now for how hard parents work. It is extremely hard but so worth it!⠀
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Enjoy all these super cute baby photos featuring this kick ass hat made by my amazing friend Stephanie! Happy Valentine’s day!

What do you do when your hair starts to become not so fresh? Are you a frequent washer or do you hold out for as long as you can to wash less?

When you are doing vivids most likely you are doing all that you can to reduce washing because the colors will fade.

A little secret, I wash my hair once a week. How do I go so long? Well, there are a lot of factors at play. My hair and scalp is naturally on the drier side. If it wasn’t my schedule might look a little different.

Here is my routine for washing and maintaining my hair through the week.

1. Wash 2-3 times with good quality shampoo. This ensures you get all the dirt and oil that has built up over the week. I 🖤 the Urgent Repair Shampoo from Eufora because it deep cleanses without overstripping and doesn’t fade your color.

2. When your hair is fully dry (air drying or blow drying) spray your favorite dry shampoo BEFORE your hair gets oily. That’s right, I always tell my guests to use dry shampoo like deodorant. You wouldn’t wait until after your work out to put it on, so why do we wait to put dry shampoo on after we get greasy? I typically will use dry shampoo twice a week but you may need it more or less. My favorite one is Berlin from Pulp Riot.

3. When it is starting to get closer to the end of your wash cycle, rock a messy bun, updo, or wear a cute hat! This can often make your hair look put together even though it is getting pretty grungy.

I would love to know if these tips are helpful for you! Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve for prolonging your wash?

Do you feel like there is never enough time in the day to get everything done?

You’re not alone! There are so many women out there struggling with their work life balance. It honestly doesn’t feel like that though with social media. It seems like there are so many people that work, raise kids, work out, cook amazing food, keep their house spotless, go out, vacation, enjoy their lives, etc all while we can barely manage to take care of ourselves. That is not really true though. We put out our best selves on social media. Behind that adorable baby photo was the temper tantrum they threw immediately after. That perfect mean they cooked didn’t show that the first time they made it was an absolute disaster. First, I want you to stop comparing yourself!

Second, if you feel like you are overwhelmed and you just can’t get it all done, give yourself some grace! We are not perfect, there is no such thing. So just STOP! Take a breath, and do something nice for yourself. It can be as little as taking a walk, having your favorite snack, watching your favorite show, or as big as a massage, getting your hair done, or going out on date/girls night. (Or if you really want to go big book that vacation you have been talking about doing for so long) Do something, anything that will make you happy and fill you back up!

As a stylist, the most rewarding thing is that every day I get to help my clients fill up their cup. Maybe it is the first time in several days they have had an adult conversation, they just want to relax and read, or they just enjoy a glass of wine and a good scalp massage; either way I love that I get to be a part of it!

I encourage you to find the time to do something for yourself because you are more than worth it!

What is your favorite way to treat yourself?