Henna Warning!!

IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING DYING YOUR HAIR WITH HENNA PLEASE READ THIS!!!!

As a hairstylist there is nothing more that I hate then Henna hair color. Yes it doesn't give beautiful shades of color into the hair and adds so much shine its unbeeavable. The downside of it is, it is almot impossible to remove from the hair.

So, If you want to dye your hair with henna by all means go ahead! BUT!!! If you say yes to any of the below questions i really hope you reconsider.

Do you want to change your hair color in the next 6 months to a year?
If so, you may have to pay extra in order to get the henna out of your hair. It takes a long time and a lot of work and possibly even a couple sessions if you want it and lighter then your current color. The more services you get done in order to remove the henna to change your haircolor, the more money it will cost you in the end.

Do you want to get highlights in the next 6 months?
If so, thats almost impossible. Since it takes multiple times of bleaching to remove the henna color from the hair it is very hard to do with highlights considering its impossible to get exactly the sam strands of hair into a foil/highlight multiple times. So if you do want highlights, please reconsider because you could end up severl damaging your hair in te long run.

ALWAYS tell your stylist when getting a color service done if you have henna in your hair. This will give a more acurate price and time frame for the service in questions. Also some dyes can also have a bad interaction with henna hair colors and can end up melting off your hair. Perms and relaxers also have this effect with henna color.

So please, talk to your hair dresser first before deciding to color your hair with henna and hopefully they will ask you these questions and stear you in the right direction!

Wella Kolediacolors Review

In this post I'm going to be talking about my experiace with Wella Kolidacolors. I have been using the line for a few years now and I love it for a few different reasons

Reason 1: It makes absolutly beautiful warm toned colors across the scale. Whether you want a warm blonde, red, or brown this is deffinitly the line that I go to first. They give very true to color results without much worry or concern for something going wrong.

Reason 2: The intense reds in this line are georgous! They are ver bright and vibrant and do last for quite a long time inbetween touch ups!

Reason 3: There easy to measure, mix and to apply. They have your standard 35 minute processing time which makes life in the salon eas.

Reason 4: They have line of "special effects" colors to add a boost of a certain shade to the color you want. They are very concentrated so a little goes a very long way chich is great for getting brighter bolder colors.

Now for that I don't like about this color line.

Reason 1: If youre trying to acheieve a cooler tone in the hair like a nice icey blonde, its just not going to happen. Wella has a naturally warm color base to it which makes getting those nice cool colors very hard.

Reason 2: Learning all the different numbers and what they mean and what to xpect from them. They ort of go in some kind of order i think but they have some weird names for some of the colors. For instance cendre instead of blue. Its just straight blue. Thats number 8 by the way.

So, in the end, I do think wella is a very god all around color line or those nice rich warm shades for the spring and summer but for when clients want to cool things down for the fall and winter, I would suggest using something else.

Today Behind the Chair

As always, there's one or two difficult clients that you deal with from day to day. Here's my story of what happened.

So this woman came in today and wanted her hair blown dry straight and then use the flat iron over it. She had naturally really curly and frizzy hair which is much like my own so it would seem to be no problem to me! I shampooed her with some smoothing shampoo and conditioner and then used some products that would follow suit in helping me on my endeavours. I blew dry her hair as straight and smooth as I could get it and then went over everything in small sections with the flat iron. When I was done her hair was super smooth and straight. When I asked her how everything looked she said it wasn't straight enough. I just looked at her and thought how much straighter can on make straight hair?!?!?! So I went over everything again with the flat iron and then added some oil on top to make it super silky, almost like that 90's super straight almost wet look and she loved it.

The point of that story was to just remain patient and to make her happy with the service I am providing. Sometimes people don't want the trendy styles of today, the prefer something their used to and us as stylists need to be prepared for that and learn some older techniques in order to satisfy everyone.Now was I frustrated? OF COURSE I WAS. It took me so much longer to do her hair the I would have likes but hey, sometimes life just likes to throw you a curve ball.

And there'salways those clients we get that we just don't feel like doing that day for one reason or another. 

I got very little sleep last night for reasons i don't wish to disclose. And in comes a woman wanted color and a blow dry. She has probably the thickest head of hair I have ever seen in my life. And I've seen many heads of hair! Putting on her color was a very tedious process that me being sleep deprived really wasn't in the mood to deal with. After I washed out all her color which took about 10 minutes, which is a crazy amount of time, I brought her over to the chair. It turns out her hair is curly and she wants it blown straight. It took me about 45 minutes to do this blow dry and I couldn't feel my arm after. The whole time I was just thinking, someone kill me now.

She was a very nice and sweet lady in the end! She was very thankful and appreciative of my time and work and I was well compensated. Sometimes you just have to do things and push yourself through them even when all you want to do is curl up on the floor in a cape and fall asleep for the rest of your shift.

Normally I get some really awesome clients that really stand out to me, but sadly that did not happen today. The rest of my many clients were just your average haircuts and casual conversation. Nothing fun or special but being so tired it was a nice way to go through the day. I could just stay focused on my work and make sure I'm doing a good job for all!

Motivation

Are you a hair stylist in need of a little motivation? Is work starting to get boring? Are you starting to hate what you do? Well, then I've got a little inspiration/motivation for you!

Sometimes doing hair can get boring after awhile. Threes only so many haircuts that you can do without starting to hate each and every one of them. Same with highlight, there are only so many different ways that you can foil someones hair. Needless to say, doing hair can get pretty boring after awhile, if you let it that is.

The best think to do when you're feeling bored with your job is to learn something new! Learn a new haircut for one of your clients or learn a new coloring/foiling technique to spice things up. Think of that one client you have that gets the same thing every time. Isn't there something new you can try that you know they would like to spice things up a bit? Try just throwing in a few foils or try a different color or cut on them Even if its something slight itll make them happy and it will keep you from doing that same thing day after day.

Another thing you can do is take a class or go to a seminar. You can learn so much in just a day! They really are such wonderful tools that are welcome to us and the best part is a lot of salons will pay for you to take those classes!! Free education or even discounted education is something you should always take advantage of.

Another thing that always helps me get motivated is going to do free haircuts for the homeless. There are many centers around for homeless families and children that love these types of things. Just go out and find one, then get in contact with someone there and try and set something up. I normally get a huge turnout whenever i do it. It really makes you feel good to give back to the community and to help someone out with something so simple that seems like nothing to you but is a luxuary to them. Having people be so happy and appreciative for hat you've done for them is enough to realize whether or not you really are meant for this industry.

Honestly, not many people are ut out to be hairdressers. Its a ver tough industry to stick with for a long period of time. Having to deal with customers all day long and the stress of having to always make people happy can really get to you after awhile and also theres only so make long layered haircuts you can do before you want to scream!

So don't feel bad if it's not for you! Try something else in the feild like makeup, facials, waxing or nails! Our cosmetology degree covers so many work options! So don't give up until you find what suits your needs and makes you happy!!

Pravana Vivids Review

Let me start by saying that I have a lot of experience with the entire Pravana Vivids line. It is by far my favorite line for fashion colors. I have used all the colors in the line and will be telling you my favorites and least favorites, from personal experience and use in salon and at home on clients and myself.

The wild orchid is deffinitly my favorite color in the line. It creates a beautiful blend of purple, red and pink and is absolutly georgous!! It also lasts the longest out of all the colors that I have used in this line. My next favorite would be the blue and green. The blue creates a very deep yet vibret royal blue that lasts for a decent amount of time. The green on the other hand comes out as more of a teal color when used on level 9 prelightened hair. The lighter the hair for the green the more teal it looks, the darker the more green comes through.

The orange, yellow, an silver are also very nice. They last for a normal amount of time ans stay vibrant thought quite a few washes. Nothing good and nothing bad about these colors. The silver is also very nice for diluting the other colors in the line to make them a little less intense.

My least favoite is the red. It lasts maybe 2 washes before becoming bright orange. I was really expecting more out of this color due to the fact that the rest of the line is amazing. The purple I was also not too happy about. The first time i used it on white blonde hair, which was my own, it came out black and didn't start to even look purple for about 2 weeks even with excessive washing. When diluted with the silver it actually makes a very beautiful color.

The whole neons line is amazing!! They are such nice bright neon colors just like it states. The only flaw is that your hair needs to be a level 10, the lightest blonde possible with ver pale to o yellow left in the hair. This can also cause a lot of damage on darker hair colors. No matter what color or how light our hair is, you still need to bleach before using this line if you want a true to color shade.

They also came out with a "locked-in" line recently as well. The colors are the same as the other vivids in their main line The best part about these is that you ca do multiple different colors in the hair at once and they wont bleed together! The fac that you can do a purple to pink ombre and not have to purple bleed into the pink is absolutly amazing!! These are pointless to use if only doing one shade on your hair, unless youre naturally blonde or have any sort of blonde in your hair, the it will prevent it from bleeding onto the rest of your hair. The only downfall of his product is that it feels very waxy on the hair for the firs few washes and can get a bit annoying with very think hair.

Hope this helps!!!

Finding The Right Salon For You

Hairdressers: 

Finding the right salon can be a very difficult task especially when you're right out of cosmetology school. It might even take a few try's to get it right. But before choosing a salon to work at there are a few things you need to ask yourself. Such as;

1) Do I want to work in a fast passed environment? 

If you like working at a faster paced environment then go towards a chain salon. I know they get a bad rap but you will be happy and the money will be flowing. Take my advice though and go someplace that pays off of commission and not hourly or salary. You always want to make the most of your money. 

If you don't want a fast paced environment and want something more steady, then head towards that private salon. Most likely you will be assisting at first but after that you will be on the floor making money. A lot of them let you choose how much time you want to spend on each client so you can take your time and make sure your comfortable performing that service. It's harder to get clients at first but once you build up your book you'll be ready to roll!!

2) What type of clients do I want to attract? 

The way you dress and act will also sometimes determine the type of clients you're most likely to attract. If you have tattoos and piercings and crazy hair, such as myself, you're likely to get an edgy type of client base. Along with the little old ladies. For some reason they just love edgy stylists! Working in a very upscale salon in the richest part of town can be hard with this due to the fact that not that many edgy people go to them. Therefore your business there might not be the best for you. 

3) What type of services do I want to do? 

Think of the work you most enjoy doing. Whether it's just cutting, adding some color in there, or if you want a full service place where you also do waxing and possibly manicures and pedicures.  Look at some places around town and see what they have to offer. Always make sure you are comfortable performing that service because nobody likes a nervous hairdresser. 

Hopefully these little bits of advice helped some of you out!! 

The Ugly

Now as a hairdresser you get your normal average clients that just want a trim and then there are some that have some strange requests. Such as mullets, rat tails, and the frizz perm. 

In my day, I have had to do an unfortunate amount of mullets. Some so extreme that they want the sides and top shaved and then the back down to their butts. That was probably the most depressing haircut of them all. 

I also hate when parents decide to give their young children these cuts. Like I'm sorry it's 2015 no one and I mean no one  except the select few thinks that mullets and rat tails are still in. And you wonder why your child is getting made fun of at school for his hair cut so you tell me that and think it's because the front is too long and the back is too short?!?!?!  Sorry sweetie but I think you have that backwards. 

And then there's the rat tails. Which is a horrible trend of the 90s and people are still getting them for their children. Even though I am a 90s kid I still think this was a horrible trend. Even back then. Just don't do it! Or I will cut that tail off. 

Along with your man bun!!

Just kidding!!

But that brings us to...the frizzy perm!! Now I understand that if you want a perm to get some curl and shape in your hair and that's perfectly fine! I love doing perms! But when you want the smallest red and your hair is long so you just get the frizz, I think you need glasses. Sorry but no one should ever get this. You don't even get curls from it. Everything just turns to frizz and looks horrible. In my opinion anyway. 

So please if you do have a mullet or rat tail or a frizzy perm, look online and find some cool new hairstyle that actually compliments your hair and your face and find your inner beauty!! 

The Bad

No matter what you do in the customer services industry you always get those assholes that just hate everything about you. And you know what I'm okay with that cause I can't make everyone happy 

The first time someone didn't like what I did I cried my eyes out. He was saying I didn't fade him right when in fact he just got a 2 on the sides and apparently the 2 wasn't even all the way thru. Looking back on it I laugh at my own stupidity about it but at that moment I freaked out. Now I realize that made me a stronger person and I just defend my work now. 

Then there's the color lady. She's a stuck up old broad that thinks she's better then everyone else and just looks down on the general population. She gets the lightest blonde color touch up know to man and then says her ends are too dark. Like look lady we never even colored your ends they're exactly the same color as when you came in. All she wants is free highlights. Every. Single. Time. Well sorry lady I'm not putting a full head of foils, which is about $120, for free because you don't wanna pay for it. UGH. 

Then there's just those normal everyday people who for lack of knowing I'll just assume they've had a bad day. That no matter what you do for them they just don't like it and give you a hard time about it. 

Then there's the ones, mostly guys, that think they know exactly what they're talking about and you go through a very nice consultation and they they tell you they want a 1 all over. And for those of you who don't know a 1 is the next closest think to completely bald. And you tell them that and double check that it's okay and tell them again that's it's gonna take just about everything off of their head. And they're still fine with it. Then you do it. And you've scalped them and they start yelling and say they weren't paying attention during the consultation and its your fault that you didn't tell them it was going to be that short. I'm sorry but what do you think I was trying to do by asking you 10 million times if you were okay with it being the next thing to bald? 

The point is some people just don't know what they want and others are just having a bad day. You can't take it personally tho. Just do the best you can and all will be fine in the end. 

The Good

The best part about being a hairdresser is that you get to meet some really interesting people. There are definitely some people that I love talking to and hearing about there lives.

 One of my favorites is "flat top". He's a sweet little Asian man who is just starting a family. He is deffinitly one of the nicest people I have ever gotten the chance to do. 

Another would be my favorite liberal politician. Some of the crazy stories this man has about his life in Portland are hilarious. Such as the time he was eating dinner at a cafe and then down the street comes a few hundred naked motorcyclists riding together. He is always determined to get me to move out to Portland but idk if I'd move that far away from home. 

An old time favorite is the marine. I loved hearing all his war stories and about his daughter who is also now a marine. Some of his war stories are things j will never share because they are deeply tormenting for such a nice sweet man to have to deal with. 

I guess what I'm trying to get at with this is there are so many amazing people on the world and every day I get to spend time with at least some of them.