10 Minute updo braid. 3 section braid in crown. Braid each braid into one. Wrap lose sides around main braid like double dutch 2 times, split remaining hair 1/2 way. Take main braid and wrap around head like a flat bun, pin hair securely. Ends left out of braid, wrap around finger to make roller coaster mini rolls and pin below main detail of braid. Place flowers/pins/mini roses. Done

I saw your post in The Behind The Chair Page on Facebook
.
Here is some suggestions. I am going to go against what everyone else suggests BUT if you want to fast track what you are doing AND make some better connections you have to think of your self as an independent entrepreneur (which you sound like you are already)

Firstly. To build your clientelle find a salon immediately that will let you rent a chair for one day a week. YOU should keep track of your customers. Figure out a way to keep track of their names, address, phone numbers & email so that if you ever move YOU have your list of customers NOT the salon because this is YOUR career. If you work for someone and they build it for you.. even though you have people coming to you.. it is still their business.

Secondly. How to build customers fast. Once you have a salon that you found that you can rent a chair. Yes this will cost you a few bucks in the first two months BUT this is how you will make your business grow… GET OUT THERE. Seriously. Go to businesses and offer the owner a free blow dry, consultation, something that doesn’t cost you anything but your time. Fill up your day with free stuff, give away your time. Trust me. You got nothing to lose.

I went from having no one in my chair, moved to a new area across the country and I built my salon with NO advertising (and I still don’t advertise as I harness the power of word of mouth).

If you aren’t making money then you making connections. Go to the banks and offer the tellers there and night out hair do for free, or go to the local gym and offer a free pony tail class for 15 minutes “hair training”. Teach the things that you have already learned to ANY one you can help.

One thing that I did was offer a one time only 2 for 1 special.
(2 people who book together for the price of 1).
YES! they have to come together AND book back to back (do not bend on this because it can get messy to keep track).

Once you have people in your chair and because you are working one day a week (so far) tell them that you book up in advance and you are going to open another day up in your schedule once this day fills up.  Which day would they like to pre-book for their next appointment? Don’t have appointments all over the place.. open one more day like Friday & Saturday.. or Thursday and Friday

This keeps you organized and the training of your bookings constant and busy. People will depend on you and you must depend on them. Once you have the bookings service them the following month by phoning them 2 days before to remind them of their appointment. NO MATTER WHAT!

The people who  you are already helping with their hair (mom & friends? ) give them gift certificates for free hair cuts to give away. YES FREE!. Tell them that when that person received the certificate comes back a third time you will pay them (mom & friends) $10. Have a expired date on the gift certificates with , no exchanges, refunds, etc on it.. just in case some one thinks they can harvest money out of you.

Ask your friends to search for the people who you want to specialize in. Thin hair? Updo’s? Weddings? etc? Give that Free Hair Cut  offer to the people you used to work with (or even offer the free hair cut to your previous co-workers -but you keep the $10 on that third hair cut and then give them gift certificates to hand out and the 3rd hair cut/$10)

Contact photographers. Check Kijiji, find people who would need your services in exchange for photographs of your work. Both of you can help each other, bring the models into the salon you are working in, they will see you in your environment and get the models contact info so that later you can offer them something as well. Give the models your cards when you have done their hair.

THIS works like a hot damn. The numbers may scare you BUT think of it this way. You are getting new customers for free.. you don’t have to pay for advertising AND you pay once when they have come back a third time.. so the second hair cut is where you make money and the third is the icing for the first and third appointment.

The best part is that you are helping someone to trust you by taking away the factor that scares people.. spending money on someone who may mess up their hair.. but if you offer 100% guarantee on your work (100% money back and they didn’t spend anything, then everyone is happy).

Also start phoning your product distributors in your area. Offer to help at hair shows, do they need anyone to help at EXPENSIVE hair classes in exchange for your help (free education in exchange for work). They will see you are motivated and may hire you.

OK. NOW! Go out there and get yourself a chair! Don’t wait.. HEY if you don’t have the money for a chair to rent offer a salon that isn’t busy, one day of work/help exchange for chair rental. The second day in the salon you do hair for those customers that you are building a foundation with. On your days off spend time on networking and looking for new people who you can help.  YOU keep your appointment book on you . If you got an iphone USE the schedule and make sure you back it up!

I KNOW that it IS scary not to make money (at first).. and that you don’t have a job BUT you are setting the foundation for your career, creating a base of stability where YOU can decide what business you are in.. not someone else deciding for you that you WORK FOR THEM.. YOU work FOR YOURSELF!

One book you must read is E-Myth. Get it from the library (save the cash for your chair). You are at the beginning of something SO exciting! Good for you!

Health Canada has received complaints of burning eyes, nose, and throat, breathing difficulties, and one report of hair loss associated with use of professional hair straightening products.

Formaldehyde is permitted as a preservative in cosmetics at levels of no more than 0.2%. Formaldehyde is a known irritant, sensitizer, and is linked to cancer in humans when inhaled chronically over a long period of time. Health Canada believes that the reactions are being caused by formaldehyde becoming aerosolized during the blow drying and flat ironing stages of the treatment. Any procedure containing formaldehyde above the allowable limits places clients and stylists at increased risk.

The following table provides the names of the products and the levels of formaldehyde found in our testing:
Product Level of Formaldehyde
Brazilian Keratin Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 1.8%
Advanced Brazilian Keratin Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 1.7%
Chocolate Extreme De-Frizzing Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 1.6%
Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy by Coppola 1.8%
Global Keratin Taming System Strawberry by Global Keratin 3.0%
Global Keratin Taming System with Juvexin Strawberry Resistant by Global Keratin 4.4%
Global Keratin Taming System with Juvexin Strawberry Light Wave by Global Keratin 1.4%
Pro-Collagen RX Keratin Treatment 2.8%
IStraight Keratin (Advanced Keratin Treatment) by IBS Beauty 2.3%
Brazilian Thermal Reconstruction by Cadiveu 7.0%
Who is affected

Consumers receiving these hair smoothing treatments, and stylists performing the treatment may experience reactions of burning eyes, nose, throat, and breathing troubles.
What consumers should do

* Consumers who are experiencing adverse reactions to these professional hair smoothing solutions are advised to seek medical attention. Consumers who have used this product and not experienced any reactions likely have no cause for concern.
* Stylists who use these professional hair smoothing solutions should immediately stop using the affected product. Health Canada has not tested all professional hair smoothing solutions. It is the responsibility of manufacturers, importers, distributors and sellers to ensure that their product is in compliance with the Food and Drugs Act.
* Adverse reactions to cosmetics can be reported to Health Canada using a form available on Health Canada’s website.

What Health Canada is doing

Health Canada is working with the Canadian distributors to address concerns regarding professional hair smoothing solutions and to stop sale of the products listed above at all levels of trade.
Products recalled/affected:

This advisory is for the products listed in the table above.

Health Canada understands that the affected products are typically available in salons only.
For more information

Consumers and health professionals wanting more information about this advisory from Health Canada can contact the Public Enquiries Line at 613-957-2991, or toll free at 1-866-225-0709.

Media enquiries related to this Advisory should be directed to Health Canada Media Relations at 613-957-2983.
How to report problems with consumer products

Health Canada is interested in receiving reports of incidents or injury reports related to consumer products and cosmetics that have been previously recalled (health and safety related complaints). Incidents or injuries may be about the same hazard or may be about a different hazard related to the same product. An incident report form can be accessed on the Health Canada website.
For the originoal article please see: Health Canada’s Website

I was reading an article about how to decorate a salon. In this article it indicated that ” if the first thing your clients see when they come through the door is a macramé basket holding a fern, the answer is “yes. you need to redecorate”
Think about it–your salon décor forms your customers’ very first impressions, so if it’s rundown or out-of-date, what does it say about you and your skills?”

If you haven’t been in my salon.. umm.. it is out of date. so far out of date it is cool. 1950′s themed cool. Classic and funky. The thing is though what they neglect to mention in the article is.. it doesn’t really matter what the salon looks like, what REALLY matters is what YOU look like when it is done.

I had a friend who lives in another province who went to a shi shi poo poo fancy pants salon and paid $270 for a basic cut and color. Her result? A terrible hair cut hack job (her words) that she had to grow out for 7 months and another $300 extra dollars at another salon having the  black color she didn’t ask for stripped out.

The best advice I could give anyone is: Go for a FREE consultation. Ask your hairdresser to see if she has a license (I think this is VERY important because it indicates dedication). Be clear about what you want. ASK what their definition is of a trim or a cut is. ASK what their definition of funky is. It is ok to ask. It is your hair and your money. She should be  confident to say that she doesn’t understand what you want and will not start until both of you are clear! That means she respects you as a person and as a customer.

If the hairdresser wears plain jeans and a t-shirt this doesn’t indicate her skills. For example If you are in your pj’s and your at home painting the most beautiful piece of art.. it is because you are happy and comfortable … you produce  what comes from inside you.  If the hairdresser chooses to become an investigator to find out WHO you are then she will produce the hair that fits your life style and personality…. who you are inside to express on the outside.

Yes, a fancy pants salon can give you an “experience” but what is more important to me is the next day, next week and the month after your hair cut that means more to me. Having you look in the mirror and be happy and have fun with your hair (and not curse the day I was born) means more than sitting in a $2000 cutting chair, an $8000 desk to book your appointment and $9000 sink to suds up your head. The time you spend with me is the hour or two to treat you like you need a vacation, a little love and basic understanding and a ear to listen.. and even a hug when you need it. Because you are a person first not a wallet that I need to impress.

I do agree packing is important  but the inside is more important. Like you, who you are inside is more important than the surface and if someone cares about you and how you feel …this is priceless.

Next time you go to your salon, listen to the tones of how people are talking, are they happy to serve YOU?

There you go. Easy!

During a consultation i experience that most customers speak in negative words when describing what they want: Examples are I don’t want you to cut my hair short. I don’t want the back long. And what happens? You got a hair cut that WAS cut too short or they did leave the back long.

There are reasons for this. The brain negates negatives and leaves the left overs. For you that means I (don’t) want my hair cut short will then mean to the stylist “I want my hair cut short”. Weird hey?

Hairdressers if they have been trained to listen instead of cut first will understand what you mean because they should repeat back to you what they are going to do in the terms of what they hear in their own professional language and then proceed on your hair cut once they feel that you both are on the same wavelength.

Before I became a hairdresser  I remember sitting in the chair so excited because I found someone to cut my hair. I stalked the mall and waited outside a salon and watched all the ladies who had thin hair like mine until I found someone wearing the hair that I liked. I stopped her and asked her if she could come back in to the salon and I could talk to the stylist and show her the hair cut that she just did on this lady and do it on my head.

Yeha!

As I am sitting in the chair “I don’t want any layers and I want a bob like that lady”… well guess what I got… YIKES. I cried for days not realizing some of it was my fault for telling her in negatives and positives and dang the SHORT chunky layers.

Unfortunately this is very normal and requires the stylist to LISTEN for those ques of negatives and do the opposites from what the brain is interpreting. Just like when a boss says … “BOB! Don’t be late”… and.. Bob is late for work…

So when you go into a salon and are having a consultation try being aware of the conversation before the hair is washed and cut. Do you feel she understands you?  Are you explaining with pictures and descriptions in words that don’t contain negatives (get it?? 

Also listen to the stylist word choice. What words does she choose to explain back to you as to what she is going to do for you. Is her words a reflection of yours? Does she understand you? If you are a detailed person try to find a stylist who has a tidy shop or station, see if they are organized and on time (most of the time anyways). I know these are generalities but this gives you an idea of thought processes of the stylist and the salon.

If you are an easy going person and want someone creative… does the hair dresser express themselves through their environment if it is a one chair salon? Do they express themselves through their clothes and how they present themselves.

Some hairdressers let their creative juices flow on the customers who develop that trustin them and they preform miracles when they can combine what they hear are the parameters and join their creative ideas together. Then you have some spicy hair.

Call me now to set up your free consultation and lets make a plan for you to have fabulous hair!

250-675-4713

Yes the bumpie is alive and somewhat more elegant than a plastic piece jammed into the hair.
For wedding hair and updo’s the main details for the hair is this:

Updo’s
1. Hair is smoothly backcombed with approximately 2 inches of height at the apex of the head, some fullness on the side but still fairly tight to the head (Helen Mirren)
2. There are a few elements of 60′s bouffant roller stetted curls (Sarah Jessica Parker)
3. Hair is not high on the head but sits further behind the back of the head above the occipital bone that circles around the head and mostly can not be seen from the front when looking head on.
4. Hair is loop like with a few detailed elements of twisted sections that sit on the surface of the hair.

Hair Styles
Hair is still glossy smooth with heavy side parts (Sandra Bullock)
Hair styles are simple simple simple classic hair.
There are a few boy hair cuts and styled smooth and pushed forward from the crown and then swept to the side.
Overall the hair styles are approximately shoulder length with very few layers.

Hair Color
Dark shimmery sheen for dark hair levels 1-4 with no highlights fuller deeper basic color with less dimension is very prominent. (Sandra Bullock)

For medium based hair in levels 5-7 hair has larger highlights underneath and then the highlights traverse into smaller and finer highlights on the top.

Light based levels 8-10 were not as apparent or a focus for many of the stars but there are a few such as Merryl Streep that have dainty blond highlights that are in the same family of tones as the base color.

Make-Up
Warm nude eye shadows with strong eyeliner but in browns so that it doesn’t overpower the eye. Blush and lips are very gentle colors that have that sun kissed golden look but with a touch of creamy color.

If you would like more advice about make-up or help with your style. Book an appointment now by calling 250-675-4713.