Blech....

What a dumb week...the weather hasn't been conducive to ANYTHING... Tuesday it started to snow, so I stayed late to take care of a client I would've been with Wednesday, which was a day I stayed home because the weather was soooo bad. Made the mistake of driving over to Walmart on Wednesday because, gosh, the roads by my house were clear! The closer you got to Walmart, the worse the roads got, to the point of not being plowed!! Thank goodness I got the car fixed two days before...Thursday was my day off, anyway...didn't do much there, either...it's done nothing but "slush" ever since. Tonight turned out to be a waste of time to go to work...one haircut...she was sweet...84 years old with the most beautiful head of pure white hair! Eventually, I left, though...couldn't take being bored any longer. However, while I was at work, Evelyn proceeded to complain about her last client and how she was about ready to give her to me. I told her "Go Ahead...I've got no problem with that". See, this nice lady has a full head of white hair underneath a ton of color. She complains about her color every time she comes in...how it's too dark for her taste. Now, a while back (I think I even blogged about it), I was able to apply her color...it was the day of musical hairdressers, and I got to talk to her a bit. She commented on wanting red hair, and I talked about how if I was the one to rinse off her color later, I wouldn't run the color through to her ends. Evelyn has the hardest time with her because she feels the client isn't listening to her. From what I was hearing, the client seemed confused that Evelyn did get her color right once, and that's the one she wants. I can only imagine when that was, because based on Evelyn's comments in this client's file, she's never liked her color! What do I think part of the problem is?? Lack of listening. Evelyn repeated herself over and over, stating that "Color doesn't lift color" continually, and loudly. I guess the client, in Evie's opinion, wasn't understanding that part. Personally, I think she DID understand it. What she doesn't understand is why she can't get a color she likes with coverage she can live with. Here's an interesting tid-bit. I asked Evelyn "why not try Color Sync??" "That won't cover it at all." This is where we differ...I'd be inclined to use the color reduction system we have kicking around, to deal with the color build-up on her ends first..may have to do this a couple of times. Then, evaluate what it looks like when it's done. IF the remaining color is light enough, see what you can do to match that up, maybe even introduce the red color she admires into the mix, just to see what happens. The worse thing that will happen is that the red won't do because it turns her white hair pink, and she may not get the coverage she's (possibly) looking for. Anything has to be better than to continually hear Evelyn raise her voice and watch Ginger act all irritated because she feels that Evelyn is right and the client is wrong. However, back to Color Sync....I think it will cover just fine, once you get some of the old, existing color dealt with. However, it's dealing with the previous color that is 3/4 of the problem...it was done incorrectly. What do I mean by this??? Every time she changed the color, the leftover permanent color got dragged through the ends of her hair. Is this a problem?? Yes. Years ago, back when Ginger was a newbie, and even when Evelyn was new, the procedure to refresh the ends of colored hair was to save aside the color in the bowl, add water, or maybe some shampoo to the bowl, add the mixture to the ends of the hair to "refresh" the color. What does this really do??? Well, since the hair color still has the developer in it (which lifts & deposits color, except when previous color is there, then it just deposits), it makes a mess on the ends, ultimately darkening the ends and making them feel rather "crispy"...it's hard to get a brush through that mess! The new way of doing things?? Mix together the same formula, in demi-permanent form. Why?? Demi color only deposits, it doesn't have the ability to lift, because it has no ammonia in it to swell the cuticle. What demi also does is leave the hair feeling conditioned and shiny...something repeated layers of permanent color does NOT do. It's gentler and safer for your hair. Now isn't that something you'd rather do than something that's harsh and damaging??? So, it's been a blech week. And, it's turning into a blech weekend, too...

What a weird week....

We've been battled the "stomach bug" for three weeks...we're now down to random stomach aches that will go away. She still needs to stay away from greasy food. This could be a good thing! Currently, KatieKatherine and her bff are hanging out in her room...they have February Vacation this week, so I decided it was a good time to have the bff over for a 3 day weekend. I remember how much fun they were with my bff, so, just thought I'd share that with KatieKatherine. We're also going to Massachusetts tomorrow to celebrate Chinese New Year with our chosen family...should be tons of fun!!! The weather has been weird, too...We had a snow day at the beginning of the week, now it's 40 degrees out, most of the snow is gone. Then, we're supposed to get snow earlier next week, too... My car had a look-see with the local mechanic...broken rear springs...$450, will be fixed this week. Just found out I have a head light out...mechanic will be fixing that, too... Had a great day Tuesday, at work, despite the storm...Did, what I like to call, a total transformation. Took a chin length bob to a cute short 'do...very stylish!! Did I take pictures?? Nope. Wednesday...zip. Nada. Nothing. Actually had a day off Thursday...KatieKatherine was in school (she made it 3 days this week!), so I rearranged her bedroom to accommodate her friend staying here. Friday, I was booked with 7 clients, and Saturday filled in most nicely. Let's see...what else is going on?? We're getting ready for KatieKatherine's 13th birthday party, which is in a couple of weeks. Should be lots of fun...roughly 25 people crammed into our apartment...lots of noise, kids running around..a blast, really. Also received some of my much anticipated education this week. Slightly disappointing, when I received my package. The information is GREAT, the presentation is lacking, particularly considering how much I paid for this stuff! My next bunch of education should be arriving this coming week or next. Here's hoping that's better!! Evelyn wasn't at work today...her husband wound up in the emergency room last night...he has acid reflux, a bacterial infection, was dehydrated enough to be delirious, so she stayed home with him. Which means, work was peaceful today. I worked on a couple of her clients, which was fun, gained (hopefully) some new clients, and waited on my favorite "old lady" client of the salon. Her name is Alice (for real). She's a 90 year old retired school teacher. She's been married to Dick (also his real name) for 60 some odd years. They have no children, just each other and their various relatives. They are the cute old couple that everyone aspires to be. I could listen to Alice talk all day, telling all of her fabulous stories when she was teaching 7th & 8th graders, way back when. She is also the client that I've learned how to do a french-twist on. She has sparse, white, crazy old lady hair that has spent the last 40 years being teased into the ceiling! When I do her hair, I put it in nice & tight, because I know, later in the week, it's going to loosen up. I also tease the living daylights out of it, so she's got a solid base to work with!! Ginger has been extremely friendly with me this week...Both Wednesday and today...coincidentally, it's because Evelyn is absent. But, that's okay. We actually get along pretty well. I don't always like how she handles things, but I'm not there to be aware of that, to that degree. I'm there to do hair, to take care of my clients. And, that's what I do. She's aware of it, and seems to be okay with it, so, there it is. A weird post, for a weird week!

So, I should've read Wayfarer first...

Wayfarer posted a meme....a list of questions to be answered. So, I'll post his questions, then my answers. ( I tend to love his posts, unless I get bogged down in what he's talking about) 1. Would you consider selling your soul to the devil if he made you a really, really good offer? Nope. No discussion. Just nope. 2. How often do you exercise?? When it's warm out, I'm out walking, everywhere. When it's cold...not happening. Consequently, my waistline has become non-existent, again. 3. What would you do if someone painted your house lime green by mistake?? I would not have a problem with this. My landlord is a separate issue. 4. What food will you never eat again for the rest of your life? It's not food, specifically, as much as the smell that comes from the food. Example: galumpkes...they smell like moldy gym socks boiled in dirty motor oil...Mom makes them and I don't go over for days....Garlic: for two reasons: A) the stench gives me a headache. B) it's associated with my ex-husband...enough said. 5. Would you ever drastically change your hair color or style?? (slightly paraphrased) I have, and I would. Even before I was a hairdresser, I was always messing with my hair!! 6. You had a party & you need to clean up, but, it's late and you want to go to bed--when do you clean up?? I have the type of friends that help with the clean up, so it's much easier!!! That being said, I've been known to clean up the worst of it in the evening, then the rest in the a.m.! 7. Would you ever walk in front of an obstructed window (during the daytime) naked?? Neither an obstructed nor an unobstructed window would ever get that experience!! 8. What is your favorite meal of the day?? Lunch. Mostly because it's a challenge. 9. Could you give up the Internet for a month?? Probably, although when my computer crapped out on me, I had a bit of the DT's ...so, maybe not! 10. How much do you use your imagination on a regular basis?? Like Wayfarer, I have a pretty rich internal life..so, yes, I use my imagination on a regular basis. 11. What's the craziest thing you heard over the weekend? The John Mayer thing is equal to the Tiger Woods thing. Mayer needs to learn how to SHUT UP, and Tiger needs to ZIP HIS PANTS and KEEP them that way!!! 12. What is the last thing you changed and what is something you'll never change?? Last thing: Bought a new pair of shoes for work...trying a different brand to see how they do...so far, so good! What will I never change?? My passion for my career!! Thanks, Wayfarer!! :)

Working with children...

To be a hairdresser in a hometown salon, you need to be kid-friendly, for many reasons. The salon I work in is a family salon, so that's reason #1. It's an important reason. An equally important reason is this: if the child feels comfortable with you, and the parental unit picks up on this, it's highly likely the parent will come to you, as well. Case in point: Friday night, I had the cutest little boy as my client. There was a very important semi-formal dance at the local elementary school and selected students got to go (had to do with grades or attendance, I forget), so this little guy was excited for a few reasons..A) that he got chosen to go, and (most importantly) B) he had a date. His date was actually my little cousin, who is in 2nd grade, as is he. He picked out the haircut he wanted from one of the books (clippers up the back & sides, scissors for the top, smooth it down with a little gel afterwards to control it....VERY cute!!). We chatted it up the entire time, talking about what dances were like, what he was wearing, stuff that's very important. I always talk to kids like they're people, not like they're itty bitty toys to be played with. Kids tend to like this, and warm right up to me. I genuinely love kids, and they can feel it. The parents get to see it. And, they like it. The dad-type person (actually Mom's boyfriend, but he likes the kids) booked an appointment with me for Saturday, Mom booked for Tuesday (today). Dad's hair was pretty simple, since he didn't have a whole lot. However, we chatted about all kinds of stuff, and he also bought the shampoo I used on him (good old Tea Tree!!). Suh-weet!!! Mom came in today and picked out this really cute short haircut, that was perfect for her head shape. She was sooo thrilled with the haircut that she tipped me HUGE!! She was supposed to come back for highlights, however, today's snowstorm changed those plans, which was okay with me!!! I love my job!!

Mostly unrelated to my job...

So, my daughter, KatieKatherine, has had the "stomach flu" for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It's been a bizarre ride. She'll be okay for a few days, then, whoops! it starts all over again. She's been at the doctor's office more in the last few weeks than she was when she was a preemie & I first brought her home!!! The end result?? She probably has an intestinal parasite. The only way to know for sure is to catch a stool sample. Did I neglect to mention she has diarrhea?? Poor baby. Where did she get it from?? Have no idea. My fine friends at www.about.com suggest all kinds of stuff. My bff, who had this same issue when she first moved here said you can get it from water...and the best thing to do is to ride it out. There are some natural remedies that may help (involving copious amounts of garlic...more on that in a minute), but, basically, the parasites will not last forever in a human intestinal tract, so...ride it out. Garlic: is probably the most offensive aroma to me. I will put up with nasty body odor before I will tolerate the smell of garlic. It's been known to give me wicked headaches, bordering on a migraine, because my system just doesn't tolerate the smell. And, everyone who knows me thinks I'm whacked for feeling that way. It's also tied to my ex-husband, who, if I'd let him, would've eaten garlic cloves WHOLE. ick. But, luckily, he's my EX-husband, so his dietary and hiegenic habits are no longer my concern!! But, anyway, that's why the aroma is so nasty to me. That being said, if that's what it takes to make her better, garlic, it is...luckily, it also comes in pill form...and apparently, the little buggers don't like what ever garlic contains. So, my mission today, and I have no choice but to accept it, is to get some more yogurt for her and garlic pills, use garlic powder in her food today, that fun stuff. Oh, boy! Is my house gonna STINK!!!

I actually got praise...

One of my regular clients, we'll call her "Louise" came in for her haircut. She is a client I inherited from the salon I used to work at (as a receptionist). Now, she has a head of beautiful white hair, a titch of her natural pigment still in the back, that's fine in texture, medium in density. She has always comment on how she's wanted "CFM" hair ("come f--k me"). It's been interesting to take her where she wants to go, because she's relatively unwilling to put the effort into styling her hair every day/time she needs to. So, we figure out a plan, and I start cutting. Louise is good for changing her haircut about every 3 times, so I'll be interested to see how long we keep this one!! I layer her all over the place, so she can flip up the ends of her hair, similar to how I style my hair. I get done, style her hair. She's also decided to have a light bang again...so she's now fussing with it a bit, trying to get used to it...She loves her haircut. ( Yay, me!!) Later that afternoon, Ginger and I are in the back room, doing stuff (she's mixing color, I'm getting ready to go home) when she actually PRAISES me for a great haircut on Louise. I'm a bit flabbergasted, not going to lie. However, I thank her for the praise. Her praise was actually GENUINE, which is rare. By Jove, I think I've got it!! Stay tuned....

An interesting incident...

Answered the phone at work, the other day, to a client requesting a haircut with Evelyn. She had already had her hair cut by her and wanted more taken off. Evelyn didn't have any openings until Saturday. Not acceptable to the client. Well...I offered her times with Chrissy and with myself...her reply was "I'll take you. Can you do 3 o'clock??" Why, yes, yes I can!!! So, three o'clock rolls around. The client comes in the door. I recognize her, acknowledge her. The first words out of her mouth were "I'm sorry I came across as such a bitch on the phone!" I replied with "Oh, no...you were fine" because, she was. She was just blunt and to the point about what she wanted. I don't have a problem with that. I direct her to my chair so we can sit and chat about what she wants. She's quick to point out that while the haircut she has is perfectly fine, it's not what she wanted. Backtrack: about a month ago, she came in with shoulder blade length. carrot-y red hair (my favorite hair color!!). What she wanted was a bob...the kind that is stacked up in the back and slightly longer in the front. What she got, because Evelyn went out of her way to try to convince her that short haircut isn't what she really wanted (it'll be a shock to see all that hair gone, blah blah blah), is a nice, long layered haircut. It looked great with her hair (medium in terms of coarse-ness, fairly thick in terms of density), however, it wasn't' what she asked for. Jump ahead to this past Wednesday: She's sitting in my chair, we're talking (Ginger is listening, I guarantee it). She pulls out a haircutting magazine and shows me exactly what she wants: "The Posh Bob", complete with a picture of "Posh" Spice a.k.a Victoria Beckham. (who is currently wearing her hair in another style, by the way). I explain how that haircut will fall, both in the front and in the back, just so we're clear on what's about to happen. She's all for it. Off we go!! Her hair turned out to be PERFECT for this haircut. I took my time, because it is a precise haircut. Small section by small section, I worked up the back of her hair, getting the angle just right so the hair falls just right. Then, I marry the back to the front, spending my time tweaking the cut so it's all falling correctly. Poof! Done. Stunning, stunning haircut on this woman...she's tiny with flaming red hair!! Not only did it look stunning, she was immensely happy with the haircut..a great choice! We go up to the desk to pay and reschedule. She asks if 6 weeks is okay to come in "Yes..Go ahead and book it that way. If you find you need to come in sooner, just call and we'll make it happen. Would you like to book that with Evelyn??" "No, it doesn't matter" I look at Chrissy, she looks at me, we make the mental decision to book it with me, and Poof! There she is, in my book!! I did some research afterward...she started out as a client of the stylist I replaced, then bounced from Ginger to Evelyn, apparently not getting what she wanted. We'll see how this one goes!! Yay, me!! :)

Educating...ME!!

So, I did my taxes yesterday...big bucks coming back..woo hoo!!! So, I've been looking around at different professional websites, pricing out the education that I want. Looks like I'm (possibly) going to spend over $600 to get what I'm currently looking for, which is lots of color education. I have other things to do with the money, first, though. My poor car needs some pretty serious attention. I wish there was a way to just take the car in and tighten up everything that's loose..you know, like when you have to re glue the dining room chairs because they're squeaky?? That would be cool. Unfortunately, cars don't quite work that way. Sigh. So, some lucky local mechanic is going to get some serious business in a couple of weeks. Struts, oil change, something is up with the intake, new tires.... We also need eye exams. The child continues to grow, so now her glasses look almost too small for her face, and she's starting to squint. And now that I actually USE my eyes for something productive, they need to be checked. I got progressive lenses last year, and what a huge difference it made in my haircutting skills!! It's amazing what you can do when you can SEE!! I also need to have a complete physical...there's too much diabetes in my family, both immediate and extended, to ignore it any longer. Must get tested. Period. Back to the education: There is a fabulous hairdresser, well, colorist, really, that I have tremendous respect for. Her name is Beth Minardi. She has a column at Behind The Chair that I read faithfully and have copies of, just so I can refer back to them. She's got 28 years in the business, most of them in color, which is where I wish to specialize, so I trust what she says and does. David Velasco is another one. Both of them offer education packages (which, I believe, I can deduct from my taxes next year, too) that are phenomenal, so that's where the need to spend the large sum of money comes from. I came to the conclusion, quite some time ago, that Ginger really isn't going to spend the money to educate neither Chrissy nor I, so I need to get it done, all by myself. The "funniest" thing is that whenever I try out something new that I've learned, and Ginger doesn't know what I'm doing, she gets a tad "testy". Doesn't ask me where I learned this stuff, just gets "testy". And, being the brat that I am, I don't tell her where I learn these things from. Not the most professional behaviour, but there it is. Well, off to search for more education!!

With a little help from my friends...

So, my friend over at Wayfarer Journal is back blogging again. I love to read his blogs..mostly because, since I know him so well, I can not only hear his voice when I read, but catch his facial expressions, as well, so it makes for fun reading. He and I tend to have some very interesting conversations most every time we get together. So, his latest inquiry is: What from the news touched your heart and/or mind recently?? Well, this isn't from the news specifically, it's from a post on my facebook page and I frequently get inspiration from what this person says, so, I'm going to quote what he's written. (some of it needed editing, since this person's native language isn't english. He speaks well, but loses something when he writes it!) "THE FORMULA TO ACHIEVE: Passion + curiosity>inquisitive mind= drive for success. I have never met anybody who accomplishes greatness who is not: passionate, visionary, creative. Passionate people love what they do. They can't stop doing it, thinking about it, or learning everything from anywhere and anybody." "Visionary people can see things that others can't and have the ability to find the direction of the future and turn it into reality. Creative people love to do things that nobody else does, and like to do everything differently. They make things up and don't like to copy & follow; they are adventurous and live to discover new things. Curious people keep asking questions and investigate things that look different and interesting. They like to study and investigate. They love to explore, find answers to anything that is extraordinary, abnormal, or unusual. Inquisitive mind is for curious and creative people who like to learn, study, discover, investigate and question. That is why they know a lot of things that a lot of people don't, for they never stop searching for information and knowledge to satisfy their hunger for understanding. Drive for success is from people who are ambitious, who want to be better, to achieve & accomplish for various motives and incentives. There is a driving force to keep pushing passionate, visionary, creative people to succeed, and they use their curiosity & inquisitive minds to have fun learning, changing, evolving. They like the process of metamorphosis, turning caterpillars into butterflies." This is why I do what I do, and he said it fairly well, so, that's why I decided to post it here!

We need to expand...

Our salon needs to expand. There's no two ways about it. We currently have 5 hairdressers and 4 stations. During the week, it's not such a big deal...Chrissy and I tend to work opposite one another, so she moves into my station after I go home. Unless I stay late for a client, but then Maude's station is available, also. The last few Saturdays, we've all been busy. But, because Chrissy does not have a station of her own, she gets to grab whichever one is available. Apparently, the immediate cure is to have Maude only work til noon, and Chrissy come in at 11 and work til 3. The problem with this is we all tend to not look at the book when fitting people in. If all 4 chairs are occupied at 12 noon, you can't book another haircut/color/perm/shampoo/set at that time. You can schedule a manicure, pedicure, facial or wax, but nothing to do with the hair on someones head. It's fun when it gets crazy, but it's also frustrating. And, I can guarantee the clients will get frustrated with it after a while, too. Ginger is continually complaining that she doesn't have the money to expand right now. It's all you hear "I can't afford..." And in the next breath, you hear about her son going overseas for his spring break from private school. Sigh. I'm hoping, with a little help from my sister (we've talked briefly about a website) I can get myself rolling, so my Saturdays are booked up. It's not that I want to put the screws to Chrissy--on the contrary, I want her to succeed and may very well put her in my website, too, to give her some help--But, the game tends to be "watch out for me", and I want to be booked solid all the time. This month I had a huge increase over what I did last year, mostly because I didn't start working until the end of the month, but also because I now have a bit of a client base to work with! I've even gone so far as to set sales goals for myself (thanks to all that training in retail, I can read and understand all those reports!), to keep things rolling in a forward manner! We also have to keep meticulous track of our tips...Uncle Sam is cracking down on hairdressers, so...my books are all set up to keep track of these things!! But, anyway. My point is, if I'm booked and poor Chrissy is having to turn clients away due to lack of space, maybe, just maybe, Ginger will become aware that she needs to spend some CASH on the salon to accommodate her staff! Stay tuned!! :)