Color Correction

Many people have heard the term “color correction” tossed around in hair salons, or seen it on a service menu perhaps. But most people (even many stylists) have never had to actually experience the process. And most people (including many stylist) don’t really know what can go wrong, or why, or why it’s so dang expensive (I charge $200 an hour with a minimum 4 hour appointment for severe cases, and that does not include a guarantee). So I thought you might like a blow-by-blow description of Monica’s recent journey from black, to slightly lighter red-brown. And by the way, it was a full two day process if you want to figure the price tag.

From what I know, she has been coloring her hair black for several years, and in very common occurrence in many stylists’, life she was doing it in a way that we wouldn’t perform on a client, lol. Like many other professions it’s “do as I say, not as I do”! Her hair was on the porous side, meaning the hair is sponge-like, and like a sponge it will suck up a lot of “off” tones (grabbing) usually a color we call poop green (honestly, every stylist I’ve ever known has used that term), and release a lot of color (fading), but it won’t let go of all of it (staining). To make the situation even better, when she mentioned that she was looking for a true “blue-black” but had never managed to find one, I suggested putting a blue Pravana temporary color over the top. That was the fatal mistake. And following, is the reason we have a policy in our salon that we don’t attempt removal of black unless it was a recent, and terribly bad, mistake. Removing an older black is usually not successful, because the color “sets” so deeply you generally don’t get a good tone. But what the heck, we’re professionals!

Monica started out on her own at home. We had discussed the procedure, she decided to try the Kenra dye-remover (no bleach involved at this point), and then after lifting to a reasonable red tone (when removing black it’s pretty much impossible to lighten with a dye-remover past red) she would do a bleach wash, otherwise the dark color molecules will re-oxidize to a very dark brown when applying a toner. At this point in the process she had a decent red, and the job was looking pretty successful. After all that work she took a nap, and woke up with dark muddy green hair.

Now, let me tell you, in 25 years in the hair business I have never seen hair spontaneously re-oxidize so quickly, or at all after a bleach wash, or to dark emerald-green! At this point we decided we should fix it at the salon. I had an extremely rare half hour break in my schedule that morning, so we did another bleach wash with a low volume activator. Perfect! until about 15 minutes later. Ever seen Elphaba’s hair in Wicked? Very dark emerald-green/brown. We tried another dye-remover, with heat. Red…then green. She went home with green hair. I don’t like to fail. Don’t get me wrong, I do fail, it’s the best way to learn, but I don’t like to, and I don’t quit.

She was going to do more later that evening, and around midnight came the Facebook status update. “Ohhhhh shit”. I assumed her hair had fallen out, and didn’t sleep much that night, ha! She was smarter than that, however. She had done test strands, and a google search. Pravana “temporary” colors can’t be removed. At this point I have to stop and say, what the f@*k?! It can’t be a temporary color if it can’t be removed! Well, in fairness to Pravana, turns out it doesn’t actually say “temporary” anywhere, no wonder I love how long their dark blue lasts in my hair. Lesson learned. The blue color overlay isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s just somehow managing to fade to emerald-green. There’s another fun fact; her hair starts red, and oxidizes to green. I would have thought that was physically impossible. Red and green make brown, where the heck is the yellow in this equation?

Never react, act. It’s words I live by in the salon. It’s served me well. I’ve done the Heimlich maneuver on a former employee, I’ve dealt with a hemorrhaging client unknowingly having a miscarriage, and I’ve dealt with my own color mistakes. Believe me when I say in the thick of the moment they both feel the same! In the final analysis they are not, of course, but in the thick of it, oh yes.

Our last attempt was to take a pure red pigment through the hair, we used our new Kenra permanent pure red pigment additive to stain the hair, virtually neutralizing the green, then sealed it with an application of Kenra demi color light copper blonde. Viola’, or should I say, thank god! A very decent red-brown, shading down in an Ombre fashion to darkest red-brown. Yes in the sunlight it still has a little bit of an ash tone in some of the ends, but overall it’s actually rather pretty. To make matters a little more amusing, after the fact of course, I just saw a girl on a bike ride by with the same color! We’re trend setters, lol…

Yes You Can! (repost)

I wrote this for my son William when he was in college. In light of today’s job market, I though it was still apropos. 

 

This post is written in large part for my son William.  Hi William!  I don’t even know for sure that he reads my blog.  Hubby Pete doesn’t…very often. But I’m hoping if I mention his name William will read (I like to think I’m a good father, guilt is good).

 

While working on a new design concept for my website (getting rid of the info for the Studio, very sad), I realized that between web designing, painting, hair…uh oh, my brain is swelling, ouch.  Oh sorry, I don’t mean to brag, I’m just trying to make a point.  I believe you can do what ever you want to do.

 

It’s a cliche, I know, but when I talk to clients about my artwork, they often say the same thing to me.  Oh, I wish I could (fill in the blank).  To which I always reply, “you can!”  It’s absolutely true.  We expect every person in this country (and generally the world) to be able to write, add, subtract, read, know basic science (at least since the last political cycle It sounds like we do), but we don’t expect them to know art or music.  Duh, I know to a certain extent we all know this, but the crux of the issue is, we don’t learn it at all unless we are interested. Honestly, how many of you were interested in writing.  But you can write an email, can’t you?  Can you write a book, maybe.  Are you as good as Steven King, maybe not. Do you sit and read the classics? Cook? Can you learn to be a great musician, maybe not, but you might learn to play an instrument well enough to enjoy yourself.  

 

And that’s where the light bulb usually comes on.  Can you draw?  If someone teaches you how, yes!  Will you be any good?  Do you want to be?

 

See how it works?  Humans are amazing creatures.  We have the capacity for so much.  But we also limit ourselves tragically.  When I was thirteen I went to live with my Grandmother.  She was a painter.  Was she any good?  Probably not if you didn’t love her, but the work I’ve seen isn’t bad.  I would be proud to own them. They have a voice. However, she inadvertently cut my art career short by giving me some painting supplies, and no education. Boy did I suck, and give up for a long time. It wasn’t until I was studying landscape design that I tried again. I figured I should be able to make basic sketches for clients, so I took basic drawing. It turns out I liked it better than design. I immediately switched to fine art. Turns out painting is my thing, because I want it to be.

 

Hopefully by this point you can tell that I truly mean it when I say you really can do anything you want to do.  I always dreamed of being an artist, or musician, or writer, or dancer.  I can dance.  Would I be any good?  Maybe.  Would I want to be?

 

The blog in which I insult your style. It’s not meant for everyone! (repost)

This is a repost from a few years back. I think it’s still relevant.

OK, I don’t get it.  Do we not understand the term “Dress for Success” any longer?  I read the best quote online doing research.  ”You are your own billboard”.  What a concept.  It says it so well I think.  The way you present yourself, is what people see.  It tells them what you want them to know about you in your first, and most important, impression. Humans are visual beings. We not only use our eyesight, but practically worship people who can offer us beautiful or exciting visuals. Movies, Television, Engineering, Disneyland for goodness sake, it’s all about the visuals. But we don’t see that in ourselves.

Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re entitled to dress any way your boss allows at work.  And we all dress down occasionally.  But really, don’t we understand what professional dress is any longer?

Now, I will confess that I was the kind of fashion nerd that wanted to get voted “Best Dressed” for the school yearbook. Sadly, I couldn’t compete with the money in the school I went to.  But even the most fashion challenged office worker should realize that the clothes make the (wo)man!

Oh, I’ve heard all the excuses. (I work in Davis, remember?  Have you ever been to Davis, CA?  It defines worker casual.)  ”It’s too hectic in the morning”, “I can’t afford nice clothes”, even (and you know who you are) “if I dress too nicely people think I’m going on a job interview”.  Yes, I know, If you dress nicely your office mates think you’re a brown-noser, or going on a job interview. That’s the point. You keep them on their toes, and they think you’re worth more than the otherwise would. Since when does it matter what our co-workers think, anyway.  If you are a professional, dress like it!

Think for a minute.  What do the people who your boss reports to wear?  Do they dress the way you do?  I’d bet not.  If you want their job you better dress like it.  Yah, yah, you should be able to dress any way you want and still get that promotion.  Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in.  As a matter of fact, with the new economic-and employment-reality, you might want to re-examine your image.  Just how secure is anyones job these days?  Wouldn’t we all like a little more security?  A little more money?

If you dress your best, you feel your best.  And if you feel your best, everyone around you will be blown away with how amazing you (and by extension your work) are.  Try a little test.  For one week dress in your best clothes, don’t go overboard, your dressing for work, not a wedding.  But really step it up a notch.  Spend a few minutes longer on your hair.  I am willing to bet that not only will you feel better heading to work, but your co-workers will comment.  In a good way!

And gosh darn it, why  not look good?  Don’t you want people to think your hot?

A Day In The Life, 2 (repost)

Originally posted 1-17-11

Well, today started nicely enough, with a good sleep in.  My first appointment was a little later than usual, so I got to be a slacker for a bit.  That was deserved.  I spent four hours at the salon on sunday adding shelving and generally upgrading my salon!  It actually gave me something to look forward to this morning. But no, today wasn’t going to be all sunshine and puppy dogs. I mean honestly, who expects a Kaiser to be closed, even on a holiday?  They told me my prescription would be ready, but they lied. It’s not cool to hold my antidepressants hostage on a Monday.

Luckily the work schedule was great.  I had gotten a client on my cancelations list in, so I knew I had gratitude going for me; however, a client being ten minutes late tends to bring my mood down.  It may not seem like much, but if my client is ten minutes late, I will normally be ten minutes late for a good portion of the day.  Really, I’m a great scheduler.  Her hair ended up fabulous, I’m good.

My next client was a very nice gentleman, with nice curly hair, easy to cut.

I had scheduled in a break today (very rare for me), so I had a chance to catch up.  Then, on to my next client, a new college student…veery cute.  Easy to do a nice cut for him.  Fine straight hair that fell perfectly.  Sigh, was I ever that cute?  Really feeling old today I think…

Next up was BD, old Jewish lady, whiny and often funny, likes her hair very short, but Judy Dench she is not, lol!

I’ve known my next to the last client for over 10 years, she’s a sweetie.  Used to have a pug, so she can do no wrong.  However, she’s got crappy hair.  Fine, very straight, pokey, and a strange hairline.  We give her ash blonde hair a fine application of foils with lightener, and use a dark copper blonde demi between the foils.  Perfect.

My last client, who also has fine straight hair, but hers like cotton candy, has been a wonderful friend of the family for many years, so I am always happy to wash away her grey, trim, and style.  That means I’m finished for the day!

Dinner with husband Pete, and William!  Can’t go wrong at El Centro.  Margarita Monday, woo hoo!!

P.S. $300.00 worth of clothes from English Laundry arrived today!!  All being sent back because it’s cut to fit a skinny 17 year old.  I am so old…

A Day In The Life (repost)

Originally posted in January of 2011

I’m not a morning person.  I’m barely civil until around 10 or 10:30.  I have a strange ritual to get going in the morning.  Most days I start with an iced tea, a scone, and the newspaper, safely alone in my car.  Nobody bugs me there, and I can’t offend anybody.  It’s the ritual that gets me out of bed in the morning, so, whatever. The rest of my day, however, is never the same, ever.

Today I had an awesome day.  I started with a man’s haircut; I’ve been cutting his hair for nearly 23 years, so I consider this an easy start to the day.  Simple cut, rather curly hair, likes it on the longer side.

Next was a cute newlywed who’s (I don’t believe) ever had anybody else cut her hair.  I taught her how to deal with her naturally curly hair when she was in high school, and at this point her hair is almost to her waste, or it was.  We cut it to her shoulders today, and her naturally curly hair was bouncy and fabulous!

Then came a fairly new client of a little over a year.  We color and cut his hair every 4 weeks, and boy did he need it!  We’d gone a little over on the schedule due to the holidays, and he needed a cut way bad.  It was moving toward “jewfro”.  Which, though cute on a high school kid, is not very professional.  Grey gone, not much hair left either!

Around noon I had another long term client who has her 100 percent grey hair “blended” to a beautiful golden blonde, a nice cut and a bit of blow-dry magic to convert her rather frizzy hair to a smooth mid-length layered cut.

This is when the challenge of the day started.  Two clients I love.  A local merchant I’ve known for over 25 years, and a wonderful young teacher who’s family I’ve known almost as long.  Booked “back to back”.  A little more challenging since my assistant Cece took a leave of absence.

Client one, with very thick frizzy/curly hair I glazed a rich auburn red.  I then gave her a nice, healthy trim, and styled her using a diffuser to bring out the shiny, healthy curls she was blessed with.

Client two was a color, foil placement, trim, and style.  Both hair treatments came off without a hitch.

In case you’re wondering, I didn’t forget the lunch break; if I ever take one (which I almost never do), I’ll let you know what I get. I decompress on the drive home.  Most of my job is extremely social, and decompression is mandatory for me.  Today I was looking forward to dinner with hubby Pete, my near college graduate son William (yay!), and his mother Laurie.  We decided on a fairly new place.  Good Eats.  We’re still trying to decide if we like it or not.  Needless to say it hasn’t wowed us, but it’s close, and seems to be improving rapidly.  It is almost to the level I’ll recommend it, but not yet.  They do however have a bar, so there you go.  When Star Ginger opens next door (by the creator of Lemon Grass and La Bou), they may not be able to compete.  I’ll keep you posted.

*Update: Good Eats is gone, sad but not surprised, and the new Star Ginger is good, but no bar.  

Men In Skirts

Another repost from the archives…

Yes, I wear a skirt. Whew! That’s a weight off. Wait a minute, just to be clear, I don’t wear a girls skirt, I wear a guys skirt. Oh yah, you may call it a kilt, but it’s still a skirt, right? Okay, it’s actually called a Utilikilt; I’m not scottish.

The reason I wear a kilt? I’ve always loved kilts, I’ve always wanted to wear a kilt. And, I’m a grown man that can do whatever he wants. I also have a Mohawk.

The point is, as a hairstylist, I’m petty free to do as I please, it’s actually expected. The more I push the boundaries, the more success I find. However, the truth holds for you as well, YOU can do whatever you want. Just so you know, I am talking about hair, but it pretty much goes for anything in your life. In this day and age there are products, there are techniques, there are tools, to make your hair do almost anything. And in that same vein, there are tools, advisors, the internet, whatever you need, to help you do whatever you want with your life. It’s true! Go to school and get a degree in whatever you love. Get a makeover and wear the clothes that the people you look up to wear, or better yet, the people they look up to. Don’t loose weight, be healthy, love you and the way nature made you, but revel in it. By clothes that fit and show you off to your best advantage. Or join a gym and have at it. Go skydiving, or better yet kiteboarding in Hawaii. Get a way cool movie star hair do.

I dye my hair blue, I wear a mohawk, I wear a kilt. I’m not always brave and happy. I suffer a pretty moody guy a good deal of the time. Mostly mornings, as anybody who knows me is quite aware. But I’m here to tell you, if I wanted to, I could be a superstar. I could be Tabitha Coffey, or just me, but rich and famous, but who needs to work that hard? That’s not my dream. I live my dream.

Even if it is just to wear a kilt.

Why experience counts, or, don’t try that yourself! (remember Rocky and Bullwinkle?)

Another in a series of reposts from my deleted blog.

Have you ever seen that movie star that changed from blonde to brown, and then back to blonde. Oh, it doesn’t matter which, you can think of one I’m sure.  Did you ever wonder how big of a deal that is?  I’ll give you a hint…it’s huuuge.

The blonde to brown isn’t that big a job.  For a good colorist you can do it well in around 1 1/2 hours.  I say well, because it’s easy to turn it to baby poop brown.  I’ve seen it, it ain’t pretty.  And going brown to blonde isn’t a huge challenge.  Again, about two hours.

Blonde to red can be tricky, but not usually as time-consuming.  A number of glazes can be done in as little as 2 hours, if you know what to use.  But red to blonde, totally up in the air.  Red is one of the hardest colors to remove, there always seems to be that last little bit that doesn’t want to budge.  It’s ironic considering how quickly red fades!

But blonde to brown to blonde is a whole other world.  It can easily take 2 or more visits to remove the artificial brown.  There are some simple ways to go to a subtle blonde.  In a few visits enough foils can be added to get you there painlessly.  But if it’s to be a true blonde it usually involves a color remover (1 to 2 hours), a bleach wash (15-30 minutes), a filler (45-60 min), a glaze or two (1-3 hours), and possibly foils (1-4 hours).  This is all rough time estimates, length and thickness of the hair, porosity, darkness of brown level, and many other factors can affect a color correction of this sort.  And all of these are based on the hair being healthy.  Bad “at home” color is another game altogether.

I am rarely willing to tackle a black to (literally whatever you can get), but I gave it a shot for a dark blonde client who had “accidentally” tinted her hair black for Halloween.  I say accidentally because she didn’t read the fine print on the box of semi-permanent hair color she used.  Hint: no such thing as semi-permanent black.  Once you go black, you never go back, as we say in the hair industry.  What, you thought that meant something else?  Your bad…

Anyhow, after the first day (5 hours to get her from black to dark brown, ugh!  I don’t like to fail), I went home, tinted a doll head black (using the same color product she used) and proceeded to spend the next two days getting it blonde.  It only took me 3 hours to do it on the person.  It was amazing what I learned!

On the other hand, I accidentally tinted a blonde client black myself one afternoon (it’s really not my fault.  The blonde (6•1) looked exactly like the black (1•9) when held upside down!). And it only took 5 minutes to fix that! luckily I know shortcuts.

Why you should trust your stylist, or find one you will!

One in a series of reposts from my deleted blog.

First and foremost, you absolutely MUST trust your stylist.  No excuses.  If you don’t trust him/her, then you should not be sitting in that chair.  You should always be your own hair advocate, but if you don’t trust the wo/man with the shears, you will never be happy.

If you’re the type of client who knows exactly what you want, that’s fine. You pay the bill, you get what you want. But if you’re the kind of client who tells your stylist what to do, you are short-changing yourself. You may know (or think you know) what looks best on you, but you didn’t go to cosmetology school, right?  You don’t know how to layer, you probably don’t  even know the lingo. I can’t tell you how often someone has told me “how many” layers they want. There aren’t any number of layers! Layers aren’t (generally) like rock strata.  You shouldn’t be able to count them. Layers that you can count are chunks. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t have chunks! I’ve done beautiful cuts with “chunks”, but these are more accurately called “disconnected layers”. Layers are more correctly thought of as a continuum. We also use the term “graduation”.

When a client tells me they want a certain number of layers, I know it’s time to educate, delicately. That’s why they trust me.

You should, however, always be able to make your stylist understand what you’re looking for. I’ve discussed the consultation before. That’s where we build trust. If you “tell” your stylist how to cut your hair. Your wasting your time, and theirs.

If you’ve had trouble communicating with a stylist in the past, and are currently looking for a new stylist, please schedule a consultation. Any stylist worth their salt will be happy to set up a few minutes to talk with you. Believe me, I find the time is well worth it from my position as well as the clients! If the stylist has an attitude when it comes to booking a consult, they will only be worse when you’re sitting in their chair.

The consultation allows you to explain what you are looking for, or ask for ideas. The consultation is the first step in building trust. It lets you test the stylist’s knowledge, techniques, and most importantly, communication skills.

But how do you find this magical, all-knowing stylist? Well, your lucky, it’s the 21st century! Most of my new clients find me in one of two ways. The internet, or word of mouth.

The internet has loads of info. That’s what it’s for. Google hair salons, or stylists, and you’ll find so much info you won’t know what to do with it all. I’ve found some of the most general to be the best. If you get into sites that are specific, they usually have an agenda. Payed ads aren’t going to tell you much, unless they have a killer website, and even that’s paid propaganda.  Stick with google, or yahoo, maybe even LinkedIn or Facebook. Somewhere where you can get opinions.  I’m lucky to work in the city of Davis. You can’t beat the Davis Wiki. Information and opinion, if you use it right, you can trust the data. I look at it this way: if someone’s business is listed on a consumer site, someone likes them. If there aren’t many (or any) opinions, in all likelihood the patronage is older (not a bad sign if you’re not looking for trendy/artsy), no bad comments are a plus. If they have mixed reviews, they’re probably not too bad, people like to complain, you can’t please everyone, blah, blah. If they have raves, you should be impressed. Or they might be good marketers, but it’s your best bet.

Word of mouth is primo.  Stop someone whose hair you like on the street.  They’ll be flattered!  If they give you a recommendation, ask them how long they’ve been going.  At least three visits are best, but if you love their hair, go for it, even if the stylist is new to them.  A friend you’ve known more than a year is great.  If you like their hair and they’ve gone to the same stylist for at least 3 visits, jackpot!  That’s the safest bet you’ll ever get in finding a stylist.  I always say 3 visits because it goes like this: 1st visit the stylist does exactly what you ask for, 2nd visit the stylist isn’t quite sure what they did last time (we’re not computers) and they try their best to duplicate the cut, 3rd visit and they do what they think they should do.  If the 3rd cut’s good, you’re dealing with a stylist with talent.

Money means nothing.  Wait!  That means just because they’re expensive doesn’t mean they’re good, or that they’ll listen to you.  It’s hard to learn that one.  I’ve had a client for a number of years now who came to me after not having her hair cut in a few years.  She had been so traumatized by the high-end (read:expensive, very) celebrity stylist who cut all of her hair off in his Hawaii salon, that she hadn’t had a cut since.  He was very unhappy, apparently, when she started crying in front of the models that were waiting to be finished for a shoot she tells me.   I have to admit that at first I thought she might be a wack-job, but she’s turned out to be a great client!  She is always very happy, and we seem to click.  That’s what you should be looking for, someone you click with.

Don’t settle for less!

The Latest Cuteness

It’s been a while since I’ve written here. I think after I lost all my blog posts I just got kind of disengaged from it. I thought I was going to repost them, and maybe I will at some point, but it seems kind of boring actually. I have them somewhat safely archived at the moment, so that’s a job for later I suppose.

Instead I’ve decided to do something a bit more fun. I thought I would just do a fairly easy post, a bit of cheating you might say. And so, without further ado, a whole passel of cute puppy pictures chronicling our new baby Alyeska weeks 8 (the day we brought him home), through his current 18!

Here he is the day we brought him home, 8 weeks young…

and just a few days later he had his first day at the salon…

Here we are on the hunt a few weeks later…

Things seem to be progressing fairly well with the pack…

Growing, and growing…

And here we are, 18 weeks, and no end in sight! I think he’s awfully handsome…

but I fear there is a darker side, hm…

Archives

Hey loyal readers, a couple of friends helped me recover my old blog files! So my first blogs (to keep them in chronological order) are going to be a bunch of reprints. Hopefully still of interest to somebody other than me…

 

 

I do, I do, I do, I do, I do… (think ABBA) (originally posted on 11/30/2008)

I love styling at weddings.  People are often surprised by that.  All the shows we see on TV are about Bridezillas, we always hear the worst stories, etc.  But honestly I haven’t had that experience at all.  I assume it must be a little like being pregnant (wait for it, it’ll make sense).

If you’ve ever been pregnant, or married to someone who has been, you know the drill.  You always hear the worst stories.  90 hours of labor, too late for an epidural, tearing (eeeew), back labor, nasty child (sorry, that comes later), only the bad.  But that’s just because everyone assumes you don’t want to know the good stories.  They’re boring.

Well I’ve been very lucky when it comes to weddings.  I have never had a moody bride (Don’t get me started on bridesmaids.  Why do they assume we care if it’s about them or not?)  I have had some of the best times at weddings.

I’ve done weddings in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Capay Valley, Auburn, I could go on for quite a bit, and all of them have been worth the early morning wake up call or drive.  The brides I’ve known have been cheerful and excited for the most part.  And when else would I get to make someone feel like a princess?  I think one of the reasons I like weddings is because I get to help relax the bride; I think that’s over half of my job.

One of my very favorite weddings was Shauna. 

She, her mother, sister, bridesmaids, were all the sweetest people I could hope for on a wedding day.  They were all worried that I hadn’t eaten (I don’t usually before 11), if I needed a break, was I attending the wedding-I almost never do, but I did in this case.  The funny part is it’s their day, not mine!  I drove 5 hours to get to San Luis Obispo, and in the end it was worth it to witness the joy of their day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cara was another bride I loved working with, she wanted to feel like a princess.  She deserved it.  She is without a doubt one of the most upbeat people I’ve worked with.  At one point I was concerned by a somewhat unrealistic schedule she sent me.  But though I worried of offending her (you never know!) she was totally sweet about revisions.  Cara had shoulder length hair, she was trying to grow it as long as possible.  To make the day even more special we decided to add temporary extensions.  I think we achieved what she wanted.  And reports tell of a joyous occasion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, the funnest (I know it’s not a word, an inside joke), wedding I’ve done was my ex-wife Laurie, and her new Husband, Bill.  It was a family event for both of us, our son was the only attendant (well except for Buddha), and the day was like a family reunion.  It was a great honor to have my ex-wife ask me to do her hair for the wedding.  You can’t top that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part of the secret to a happy occasion is the run-through.  Though I never try to achieve the actual “do” ahead of time, it’s crucial to be on the same page.  I like to make sure we are both realistic about what the bride wants, and what the brides hair can manage.  I set aside at least an hour to try out different hairstyles, and then I practice a few times on one of my doll heads to be sure I won’t make the bride nervous the day of.  Having a clear idea for both of us allows me to focus on helping the bride relax.  The hair time is a time when the bride can simply let go and de-stress if she is comfortable with my skills.

I’ve done enough weddings through the years that I can honestly say that the bridezillas must be pretty rare.  I’ve never met one (and hope I never do!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talk, Talk, Talk (originally posted on 11/24/2008)

So I was at the hospital today with my father and step-mother.  My father has heart problems, and is dealing with some blood-clot issues.  It turned out to be a wait and see sort of thing, and it looks like everything will be fine.  But something I observed troubled me.  It was the consultation with the physician.  She was bad at it.  If it hadn’t been for the nurse (who gave us basically the same info, but in a way that made sense), we wouldn’t have known what was happening at all!

It got me thinking about something I take for granted, but my clients tell me they don’t.  The stylist/client consultation.  The consultation is the most important part of the whole visit.  Make no mistake, I mean it.  It can make the difference between an OK/bad style, and a truly wonderful style!  And don’t think it’s all the responsibility of the stylist.  A stylist should be able to explain what, why, and how.  What your going to do, why you will be doing it, and exactly how they will go about it.  But the client has just as much input into the process.  If you don’t understand, or aren’t sure the stylist does, for goodness sake speak up!  It’s your hair.  If you don’t know what’s happening, how will you know what needs to be fixed -you do allow your stylist to fix their mistakes, right?  But I digress.

A stylist should be willing to consult for a minimum of 5 minutes (I book 15 min. for new clients), and I mean that for all appointments.  I try and have enough time in my schedule to talk to every single client I see in any given day.  I never know when they may want a change, or have a problem with something we’ve done.  You, as a client should be able to talk about your hair even if you are there for “the usual”.  A stylist should also be able to explain in laymen’s terms exactly what they will be doing, what you should expect during the process, and what the long term consequences will be.

As a client, you should feel comfortable with any question regarding your hair.  There are absolutely NO stupid questions.  You should not be expected to know what any terms mean, and you should expect to have anything explained so you can learn.

But in return, you have to try to be as clear as possible with your wishes.  I recently acquired a new client.  She has beautiful hair, and I really liked her.  However, the first time I met with her she showed me several styles, and gave me very conflicting ideas of what she wanted.  Guess what?  I could see immediately that she was not happy.  I think it all turned out fine in the end.  A few days later she came back for a “tune-up”, and I think she was pleased.  I hope to have gained a new client (I liked her quite a bit, and I think she could be a potential model for the future).  But it could have turned very ugly, if you’ll pardon the pun.

When you go to your stylist, take pictures with you.  Take pictures of what you like (it doesn’t matter if you think your hair will do it, it’s what you like), and take pictures of what you don’t like!  It’s very helpful to know what not to do to someone’s hair.  If you say layered, what does that mean.  Well, to some it might mean soft long layers.  But to someone else it could mean a shag!  A picture of a shag with you saying, “absolutely not”, would be very helpful about now, don’t you think?  Curl to one person is wave to another, wish you had that picture with you?  You see where I’m going?  A picture speaks volumes; don’t feel bad about visuals.

Talk, talk, talk.  Don’t be shy, and don’t feel like your wasting time.  I would rather talk with someone for a few minutes than spend an extra half hour fixing something!

 

Unbearably Cute Stuff (originally posted on 11/20/2008) 

*I’ll have to recreate this one so I can insert the photos properly*

Product Knowledge (originally posted on 11/20/2008)

As I’ve said before, I’ve worked in Davis for over 20 years now. That means a certain aversion to styling products has been ingrained in my psyche.  I’m working very hard to overcome that mentality now.  For me and my clientele!

Seriously people, products are your friends.  You don’t have to worry about the eco-consequences any longer, almost all of the products created today are vastly superior to the old hairspray and mousse.  We’re no longer destroying the ozone layer. I promise. Most of the products I use (possibly all) are tested in salons (not on animals!!).

Some of my favorite recipes are pretty simple, but the application is just as important.  If you tend toward frizz, but like your natural curl (bless you!) start with a smoothing lotion.  Something the texture of hand lotion is what you’re looking for.  Look for anti-frizz formulas.  I like Kenras Straightening Serum (yes for curly hair, it won’t automatically straighten your hair!). Be sure to distribute evenly.  If it’s not scalp to ends it will only help the half of your hair it’s on.  Follow with a curl creme, I like creams for curly hair because they have a “flexible” hold.  That means they don’t get crunchy or hard.  Kenra Curl Defining Creme, or Aquage Curl Defining Creme are two of my favorites.  Again, comb it through.  Scalp to ends is the only way it will work properly!  For you lucky women (and men) with naturally curly locks, bravo!  That’s all there is to it.  If you want to go all out, by all means use a diffuser. Scrunching will work just fine if your lazy.

For straight hair, follow the same basic principle, but instead of a curl creme try a root boost.  Aquage Uplifting Foam is awesome, and I love Catwalk’s Root Boost.  I’ve never been able to use too much. Apply to the roots (that’s what that funny nozzle is for), and once again COMB THROUGH!  Blow dry with a round brush and your friends will be blown away (sorry, I like bad puns).

A few of my product recommendations are:

(follow directions and comb through evenly on wet hair, use hand styling for dry hair):

On almost all hair types I recommend starting with Bedhead Superstar Spray Leave-in Conditioner, it detangles without weighing hair down!

Fine, Straight Hair

For volume use one of the following: Bedhead Superstar Thickening Blow Dry Lotion (wet, can also be used with any of the next products), Aquage Uplifting Foam (wet), Catwalk Root Boost (wet), or Paul Mitchell Extra Body Mousse (wet).

To combat frizz, layer with one of the following products: Kenra Straighening Serum (wet hair), Bedhead Afterparty (wet or dry), or Kenra Style Creme (wet or dry for texture), and I love most silicon based shine enhancers, Abba, Paul Mitchell, Aquage, and TIGI all make great liquid smoothers (shine enhancer).

Course Straight Hair

To add volume or control use one of the following: Aquage Uplifting Foam, Catwalk Root Boost, or Paul Mitchell Extra Body Mousse.

To combat frizz, layer with one of the following: Kenra Straighening Serum (wet hair), Bedhead Afterparty (wet or dry),  or Kenra Style Creme (dry for texture), and again I love most silicon based shine enhancers

Curly Hair

Use one of the following: Kenra Curl Defining Creme (wet, can be scrunched in dry also for extra control, not too much!), Aquage Curl Defining Creme (wet, same as above), and/or Kenra Style Creme (wet or dry, on dry hair scrunch in to help hold curl and fight off frizz).

For Fine Curly Hair

Add Bedhead Superstar Thickening Blow Dry Lotion before any of the previous products.

All Hair Types

Bedhead Afterparty (a light smoothing creme for wet or dry hair), Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine (great for spiking short hair or holding a style all night), Sexy Hair Soy Paste (especially good for short textured cuts), Aquage Transforming Paste (not recommended for fine hair), most Kenra Hairsprays, Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine, and once again almost all silicon based shine enhancers

For Mohawks or other spiky styles

Aquage Freezing foam is like cement, be warned!

Shampoos and Conditioners

For dry or bleached hair I recommend Bedhead Dumb Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner.

For curly hair I like Bedhead Foxy Curls shampoo and conditioner, frizz is a result of curly hair’s natural dryness, conditioners can help keep curly hair moisturized to defeat frizz.

For fine hair Bedhead Superstar Shampoo, I don’t generally recommend conditioner for finer hair types unless damaged or dry.  Why way it down more?

For color treated hair I like Bedhead’s Self Absorbed shampoo, again, only condition if hair seems excessively dry or damaged.

Really people, good products are the foundation to a happy hair day.  A little spray can fix a shoddy blow-out.  Even a little shine enhancer can lift your mood!  Go on, give it a try.  You will like the results!