I'm thankful that I've got my health...could it be better?? Sure. I could actually work HARD to lose all this weight and work to become more flexible (I feel stiff as a board, most mornings), but, over all, no real complaints.
I'm thankful for my daughter. No, really. For all that she drives me crazy most days, I'd be lost without her, and I've told her so. (she never believes me, but I've told her)
I'm thankful I've got a job that I truly love, warts and all. My job is nothing if not a constant challenge, which is what I like most about it. I'm NEVER bored!!
I'm thankful for all of my clients....without them, I wouldn't have a job!!
I'm thankful for my given family, in many different ways.
I'm thankful for my chosen family, who are always there for me, in ways that, sometimes, my given family can't be.
And, I'm thankful for all the events in my life that have shaped me into who I am today. Without all those people and things that have happened, I wouldn't have the strength I have to get through each and every day.
What are you thankful for??
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Updates....
So, I rearranged the cosmos at work...Rita is now right next to me, and Tina is across the way. They both, previously, were where they could not be seen by the customer, so people would walk by and think no one was working. Not any more. At least, not when they have a client in their chair....Still haven't figured out a way to keep them out of the back room when they're by themselves...
We had a staff meeting last week and I just reiterated the basics, which is what we're focusing on right now. I restated company policies regarding cell phone usage, timeliness, etc. Whether or not they follow through remains to be seen, but not only did I state the rules, yet again, but they also got a copy of what we went over, so there's no questioning what I said, or how I said it. And threw Tammy's name out there every chance I got. How productive or not productive they are is all up to them.
I continue to gain new clients...I just wish I could remember them when they come in three months later, expecting me to remember everything from the conversation we had!! I feel bad when that happens...it's not that I didn't enjoy my time with them...I did. But, depending on how many people I've seen between then and now is what erases my memory of them!! I apologize profusely when it happens. Sometimes it means I've kept them as a client, and sometimes not.
I'm now also getting people that ask me to promise not to move to another salon without telling them!! That's a good feeling, I've got to tell you. I also had a lady (who suffers from OCD & anxiety) yesterday who loved what I did and who will be back...so exciting!!!
The girls aren't calling Tammy with their personal sales figures like they're supposed to...I've caught both of them not doing that this week. I suspect it goes on a lot more than it should. I'm just as guilty, however, I don't normally do it on purpose....I tend to remember right when the nightly paperwork is printing, which means the computer is "polling"...sending the information over the phone line to home office. If I pick up the phone, it breaks the connection...and I'm not supposed to call Tammy from home, either... (working off the clock, you know...)
I'm also looking forward to my two days off this week...Wednesday and Thursday (which happens to be the holiday)...I'm wiped out!! It's been so darn busy that my body is reminding me I need some rest...I get the feeling I will COLLAPSE on Wednesday...I've only got laundry on my list...and I'm hearing that we're supposed to have sloppy weather on Wednesday...hmmmm.....
We had a staff meeting last week and I just reiterated the basics, which is what we're focusing on right now. I restated company policies regarding cell phone usage, timeliness, etc. Whether or not they follow through remains to be seen, but not only did I state the rules, yet again, but they also got a copy of what we went over, so there's no questioning what I said, or how I said it. And threw Tammy's name out there every chance I got. How productive or not productive they are is all up to them.
I continue to gain new clients...I just wish I could remember them when they come in three months later, expecting me to remember everything from the conversation we had!! I feel bad when that happens...it's not that I didn't enjoy my time with them...I did. But, depending on how many people I've seen between then and now is what erases my memory of them!! I apologize profusely when it happens. Sometimes it means I've kept them as a client, and sometimes not.
I'm now also getting people that ask me to promise not to move to another salon without telling them!! That's a good feeling, I've got to tell you. I also had a lady (who suffers from OCD & anxiety) yesterday who loved what I did and who will be back...so exciting!!!
The girls aren't calling Tammy with their personal sales figures like they're supposed to...I've caught both of them not doing that this week. I suspect it goes on a lot more than it should. I'm just as guilty, however, I don't normally do it on purpose....I tend to remember right when the nightly paperwork is printing, which means the computer is "polling"...sending the information over the phone line to home office. If I pick up the phone, it breaks the connection...and I'm not supposed to call Tammy from home, either... (working off the clock, you know...)
I'm also looking forward to my two days off this week...Wednesday and Thursday (which happens to be the holiday)...I'm wiped out!! It's been so darn busy that my body is reminding me I need some rest...I get the feeling I will COLLAPSE on Wednesday...I've only got laundry on my list...and I'm hearing that we're supposed to have sloppy weather on Wednesday...hmmmm.....
Thursday, November 17, 2011
And now we are three...
So, Stephie gave her notice last week...Thursday, in fact. This past Sunday was her last day. I don't have a problem with her having left, except that she just should have told the truth. She gave me some song and dance routine about how this job opportunity just "fell in her lap". Of course it did. In this economy, hairdressing jobs, especially for someone without a genuine client base, do NOT just "fall into your lap". Sigh. Whatever. I do wish her the best of luck. She is a talented hairdresser. And in the right environment, she can really shine. Smartstyles just wasn't the place for her....it's not the place for anyone fresh out of school, really....
So, with that in mind, we had an emergency staff meeting on Monday, just to go over the basics, really. Because we're down to three, there is no room for error. No one can get sick, no one can be late. There is no one to cover. I outlined, yet again, the company policies that not everyone follows. I also stated that the only way you get to leave early is if you're either scheduled that way (say only til 3:30 instead of 5pm) OR if it's Saturday, dead, and you're not the closing person. And don't you know, Rita honed right in on that one. She's been whining about how the hours got cut, she now has more hours, and wants to know when she can leave early. Unreal. Not unexpected, just unreal.
I've got another application in the drawer...one I'd actually hire. Except right now, we don't have the payroll to hire someone else. We need to focus on everyone getting on commission and staying on commission, for a month or more, to even entertain the idea of hiring another person. Of course, if any of us get "letters" again, and any of them state that someone is all done, then I have to hire someone else. Thank goodness I've got someone in the "hopper"!!
I had one of my newer clients the other day....she had been going to the chi-chi salon over in Keene, getting her hair done by the same guy for years. She had gone to him about a month or so ago, asking him to take her darker, as she couldn't afford to maintain the blonde any longer. He had originally colored her regrowth her natural shade (just warmer, since she's ashy) and left it at that. ( My client thought maybe he was on something that day). When he was done, she looked like she hadn't had her color done in MONTHS....very dark regrowth, very light ends. She went back the next night and told him he was fixing it....she was ANGRY, as she had a right to be!! What he wound up doing (because approximately 2 weeks later, it was obvious) was putting permanent color over the top of the old highlights, then re-highlighting a couple of spots to brighten it up.
You know what happened 2 weeks later when she started asking me questions about it?? The darker color faded away (as I knew it would), leaving some very ashy sections behind (as I also knew it would) which is what told me he'd put permanent color over the top of the highlights.
When she was in the other day getting her hair trimmed up, she asked me what I would do to get her where she wanted to go. I explained it this way "I'd use permanent color on your regrowth to match what was already done, then I'd go through your ends with a matching demi permanent color, leaving out select pieces of your lighter hair to use as highlights, giving those pieces a nice deep conditioning in foils to isolate the hair and keep it in the best condition possible. You'd have the darker hair you're looking for, and natural looking highlights to break it up so it doesn't look so shockingly dark until you adjust to it. We may have to do your color this way for a few visits until the darker color stays on your fragile ends, continuing to to trim up your hair every other visit to help your hair to better condition, because the only cure for these fragile ends is to cut them off...product to smooth them is only a band-aid, not a cure."
She LOVED what I had to say!! She promised she'd be back (the hair cut was her third visit....first was wax, second was her son's hair cut, third, hers)..I can't wait to do her color!!
So, with that in mind, we had an emergency staff meeting on Monday, just to go over the basics, really. Because we're down to three, there is no room for error. No one can get sick, no one can be late. There is no one to cover. I outlined, yet again, the company policies that not everyone follows. I also stated that the only way you get to leave early is if you're either scheduled that way (say only til 3:30 instead of 5pm) OR if it's Saturday, dead, and you're not the closing person. And don't you know, Rita honed right in on that one. She's been whining about how the hours got cut, she now has more hours, and wants to know when she can leave early. Unreal. Not unexpected, just unreal.
I've got another application in the drawer...one I'd actually hire. Except right now, we don't have the payroll to hire someone else. We need to focus on everyone getting on commission and staying on commission, for a month or more, to even entertain the idea of hiring another person. Of course, if any of us get "letters" again, and any of them state that someone is all done, then I have to hire someone else. Thank goodness I've got someone in the "hopper"!!
I had one of my newer clients the other day....she had been going to the chi-chi salon over in Keene, getting her hair done by the same guy for years. She had gone to him about a month or so ago, asking him to take her darker, as she couldn't afford to maintain the blonde any longer. He had originally colored her regrowth her natural shade (just warmer, since she's ashy) and left it at that. ( My client thought maybe he was on something that day). When he was done, she looked like she hadn't had her color done in MONTHS....very dark regrowth, very light ends. She went back the next night and told him he was fixing it....she was ANGRY, as she had a right to be!! What he wound up doing (because approximately 2 weeks later, it was obvious) was putting permanent color over the top of the old highlights, then re-highlighting a couple of spots to brighten it up.
You know what happened 2 weeks later when she started asking me questions about it?? The darker color faded away (as I knew it would), leaving some very ashy sections behind (as I also knew it would) which is what told me he'd put permanent color over the top of the highlights.
When she was in the other day getting her hair trimmed up, she asked me what I would do to get her where she wanted to go. I explained it this way "I'd use permanent color on your regrowth to match what was already done, then I'd go through your ends with a matching demi permanent color, leaving out select pieces of your lighter hair to use as highlights, giving those pieces a nice deep conditioning in foils to isolate the hair and keep it in the best condition possible. You'd have the darker hair you're looking for, and natural looking highlights to break it up so it doesn't look so shockingly dark until you adjust to it. We may have to do your color this way for a few visits until the darker color stays on your fragile ends, continuing to to trim up your hair every other visit to help your hair to better condition, because the only cure for these fragile ends is to cut them off...product to smooth them is only a band-aid, not a cure."
She LOVED what I had to say!! She promised she'd be back (the hair cut was her third visit....first was wax, second was her son's hair cut, third, hers)..I can't wait to do her color!!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
What a color I did today!!
One of my regular clients, Kathleen, has been toying with going darker for quite a while. She's actually been dying her hair a light golden blonde for quite some time. But, because she's a level 6, the blonde she was using wasn't quite the color she was looking for. She wanted a paler golden blonde (maybe a 9 or 10) and what she got was a darker golden blonde (because she's a level 6 to start with and the hair color just doesn't have the ability to go where she wanted it to go). She was willing to trust me to take her where she wanted to go, just making sure I had it clear she didn't want to go too dark.
So, she's a natural level 6, fine hair, a smattering of grey (less than 25%). The formula for her regrowth is this: Socolor 7W + 7M + 7N + 15 volume. W is warm, M is mocha (which is mostly brown with a titch of coppery pink) and N is natural dark blonde. I used 15 volume (10 + 20 divided by 2) so that the color spent more time depositing than lifting. The color for her ends is this: Color Sync 10WN + 7MM + 8N + Color Sync developer. WN: warm natural. MM: Mocha mocha, N: natural. When using Color Sync, it's best to keep in mind that it's an opaque color, so you need to keep it on the lighter side of things to keep it looking natural. Otherwise, it can look like shoe polish on your hair. (dark, dense, one color)
How I applied the color is this: Mixed up the permanent color first, applied to her regrowth, feathering it down a bit towards the lighter color. (she had a good inch of regrowth, which means if I'd brought the color all the way down to the line of demarcation, there would be a distinctive bright band throughout her hair) Then, I mixed up the demi permanent color, and started applying it in the back, first, because natural hair color is always darker in the back than on the top or in the front. Once I got to the occipital (curve of the head), I used foils to isolate the pieces that were to remain blonde, using conditioner as the product, rather than trying to lighten her hair even more, thusly damaging the heck out of her hair...really, she got a deep conditioning treatment while her color was processing!! And then, in between the foils, as I'm working towards the front of the head, I'm painting the demi permanent color on the hair, feathering it up into the permanent color, so it all blends. She sat like that for 30 minutes (mostly because I took a hair cut in between). While I wasn't a bit nervous about how the color was working, Kathleen was. And, she didn't like what she looked like with the foils in her hair.
I rinsed her color out, and was pleasantly surprised at the results, even when it was wet!! Took her back to my chair, cut her hair, and watched Kathleen's face light right up as she watched her hair dry and reveal the color. I styled it, and she LOVED it!! It looks natural, it looks as she wanted it to, it was even lighten than she thought it was going to be....I love it when that happens!!!
So, she's a natural level 6, fine hair, a smattering of grey (less than 25%). The formula for her regrowth is this: Socolor 7W + 7M + 7N + 15 volume. W is warm, M is mocha (which is mostly brown with a titch of coppery pink) and N is natural dark blonde. I used 15 volume (10 + 20 divided by 2) so that the color spent more time depositing than lifting. The color for her ends is this: Color Sync 10WN + 7MM + 8N + Color Sync developer. WN: warm natural. MM: Mocha mocha, N: natural. When using Color Sync, it's best to keep in mind that it's an opaque color, so you need to keep it on the lighter side of things to keep it looking natural. Otherwise, it can look like shoe polish on your hair. (dark, dense, one color)
How I applied the color is this: Mixed up the permanent color first, applied to her regrowth, feathering it down a bit towards the lighter color. (she had a good inch of regrowth, which means if I'd brought the color all the way down to the line of demarcation, there would be a distinctive bright band throughout her hair) Then, I mixed up the demi permanent color, and started applying it in the back, first, because natural hair color is always darker in the back than on the top or in the front. Once I got to the occipital (curve of the head), I used foils to isolate the pieces that were to remain blonde, using conditioner as the product, rather than trying to lighten her hair even more, thusly damaging the heck out of her hair...really, she got a deep conditioning treatment while her color was processing!! And then, in between the foils, as I'm working towards the front of the head, I'm painting the demi permanent color on the hair, feathering it up into the permanent color, so it all blends. She sat like that for 30 minutes (mostly because I took a hair cut in between). While I wasn't a bit nervous about how the color was working, Kathleen was. And, she didn't like what she looked like with the foils in her hair.
I rinsed her color out, and was pleasantly surprised at the results, even when it was wet!! Took her back to my chair, cut her hair, and watched Kathleen's face light right up as she watched her hair dry and reveal the color. I styled it, and she LOVED it!! It looks natural, it looks as she wanted it to, it was even lighten than she thought it was going to be....I love it when that happens!!!
Monday, November 7, 2011
An addition to yesterday's blog...
If you're going to do these precise hair cuts, do NOT blame your struggles on making this hair cut accurate on the fact that your client came in wearing a hat....WASH HIS HAIR and get rid of the "hat head" issue.
I fixed yet another hair cut yesterday that I shouldn't have. Clearly, some of us aren't paying attention to what we're doing....lots of small bits of hair where it shouldn't be, and it needed some SERIOUS blending to make it happen. Sigh...
The upside to all of the mistakes and stupidity?? When the client comes back and I fix the hair cut, I wind up gaining a new client or two...YAY for me!! Not so much for the stylist who will complain I'm "hogging" all the clients....Oh, well...
I fixed yet another hair cut yesterday that I shouldn't have. Clearly, some of us aren't paying attention to what we're doing....lots of small bits of hair where it shouldn't be, and it needed some SERIOUS blending to make it happen. Sigh...
The upside to all of the mistakes and stupidity?? When the client comes back and I fix the hair cut, I wind up gaining a new client or two...YAY for me!! Not so much for the stylist who will complain I'm "hogging" all the clients....Oh, well...
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Precise Hair Cuts...
If you're going to blah blah blah to your client about how you like doing military hair cuts, you might want to make sure you do the as precisely as the client is asking for.
Something I've learned: When a guy asks for a "high & tight", he's done military time or is a police officer, which means A) he's had this cut a million times and knows what he's looking at (which means you can't bullshit him) B) he's a bit of a perfectionist and wants this hair cut done right. Take your time and do it correctly.
What does this mean, in case you didn't get my meaning?? Well, it means establishing where the guard change in your hair cut is going to occur, discussing exactly how long the top (where the only length to the hair cut actually is) needs to be, the shape of the hair line in the back and the clean up around the ears , as well, need to be precise. Get where I'm going with this yet??
When you do the initial cutting of the longer hair on top, and the desired length is "finger length", you can't just cut it in one direction and call it good. Nor can you walk away from that hair cut without checking the "corners" to make sure you left no unnecessary length behind. What "corners" am I speaking about?? The ones at the front of your hair line...kind of the "bang" (fringe) area. If there's any length left behind, not only does that hair cut look incomplete right then and there, guess what it looks like as it grows out??
What you must do when cutting the length is this cut is cross check it...if you start vertical, check it horizontal, THEN check it on the diagonal. There will be weight points (hair that was missed) EVERY WHERE. It's also important, and this was taught in beauty school, to not cut hair past your second knuckle. Why?? Two reasons. 1) you're more likely to cut your knuckle or the web of your fingers...NOT a pleasant feeling. 2) That's also where your hand is likely to curve to rest your wrist on their head to keep the angle of your hand where it needs to be. Which, in turn, creates a curve (and a weight point) in the hair cut. When you're cutting at the round of the head, you actually WANT this....when you're cutting the top, where it's supposed to be flat, not so much.
Thankfully, I saved the hair cut. Whether or not this man comes back to get his hair cut with us again remains to be seen. I made sure to chat it up with him, and to be friendly, just to help things along. I also made sure to ask him what he wanted and paid attention to the details to make the hair cut happen. The lines of the hair cut were there, just not complete.
Something I've learned: When a guy asks for a "high & tight", he's done military time or is a police officer, which means A) he's had this cut a million times and knows what he's looking at (which means you can't bullshit him) B) he's a bit of a perfectionist and wants this hair cut done right. Take your time and do it correctly.
What does this mean, in case you didn't get my meaning?? Well, it means establishing where the guard change in your hair cut is going to occur, discussing exactly how long the top (where the only length to the hair cut actually is) needs to be, the shape of the hair line in the back and the clean up around the ears , as well, need to be precise. Get where I'm going with this yet??
When you do the initial cutting of the longer hair on top, and the desired length is "finger length", you can't just cut it in one direction and call it good. Nor can you walk away from that hair cut without checking the "corners" to make sure you left no unnecessary length behind. What "corners" am I speaking about?? The ones at the front of your hair line...kind of the "bang" (fringe) area. If there's any length left behind, not only does that hair cut look incomplete right then and there, guess what it looks like as it grows out??
What you must do when cutting the length is this cut is cross check it...if you start vertical, check it horizontal, THEN check it on the diagonal. There will be weight points (hair that was missed) EVERY WHERE. It's also important, and this was taught in beauty school, to not cut hair past your second knuckle. Why?? Two reasons. 1) you're more likely to cut your knuckle or the web of your fingers...NOT a pleasant feeling. 2) That's also where your hand is likely to curve to rest your wrist on their head to keep the angle of your hand where it needs to be. Which, in turn, creates a curve (and a weight point) in the hair cut. When you're cutting at the round of the head, you actually WANT this....when you're cutting the top, where it's supposed to be flat, not so much.
Thankfully, I saved the hair cut. Whether or not this man comes back to get his hair cut with us again remains to be seen. I made sure to chat it up with him, and to be friendly, just to help things along. I also made sure to ask him what he wanted and paid attention to the details to make the hair cut happen. The lines of the hair cut were there, just not complete.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Chemical Hair Cuts....
Had a client come in yesterday, signed up to see one of the other girls, thinking she was going to get some color done. Thank GOD she asked me my opinion on what she wanted done!!
I had heard about this woman's hair (without knowing who it was) the week before. (One of my stylists can't keep "secrets") She had been getting her hair bleached for quite a while now. And she needed her regrowth done. Well, apparently, she had a lot of gold banding going on, because she waits too long between appointments. So, the stylist went through her hair with lightener and applied it to those spots. And left it on too long. So now, this poor woman has tons of breakage going on and WHITE areas in her hair.....which is destroyed hair waiting to break off.
She had come in last week, when I wasn't there, and spoke to one of the younger stylists, who told her she can do all kinds of things to her hair. When I heard about it from the blabbermouth, I flipped a lid. There isn't a damn thing you can do with hair like that, other than let it grow out and get regular hair cuts. There isn't a product out there that will heal that hot mess.
The poor woman cried. I felt so bad for her, but the hair cut needed to happen. The color she showed me (from the book) will look FABULOUS on her, once all that blonde is OUT of her hair, and I told her so. Her hair is fine, and she's tried to have it long for years and all it has ever been is scraggly. When she heard how much needed to come off, she started to bawl and comment about how the man at home was going to be upset because he loves long hair. I HATE hearing that. I whipped around, looked her right in the eye and said "Hey...does he love you or your hair?? " I'm sure she didn't appreciate that comment, but seriously...it's freakin' hair. It WON'T heal, trust me. The only cure is a hair cut, plain and simple.
Once the hair cut was done, and styled (which it will NEVER look that way, ever again), it looked beautiful, thick and full. And, we managed to convince her to let that color grow out, no matter how bad it looks in the mean time. She's got breakage so bad, some of the sections of hair are barely 2 inches long. We'll see how this one goes....
I had heard about this woman's hair (without knowing who it was) the week before. (One of my stylists can't keep "secrets") She had been getting her hair bleached for quite a while now. And she needed her regrowth done. Well, apparently, she had a lot of gold banding going on, because she waits too long between appointments. So, the stylist went through her hair with lightener and applied it to those spots. And left it on too long. So now, this poor woman has tons of breakage going on and WHITE areas in her hair.....which is destroyed hair waiting to break off.
She had come in last week, when I wasn't there, and spoke to one of the younger stylists, who told her she can do all kinds of things to her hair. When I heard about it from the blabbermouth, I flipped a lid. There isn't a damn thing you can do with hair like that, other than let it grow out and get regular hair cuts. There isn't a product out there that will heal that hot mess.
The poor woman cried. I felt so bad for her, but the hair cut needed to happen. The color she showed me (from the book) will look FABULOUS on her, once all that blonde is OUT of her hair, and I told her so. Her hair is fine, and she's tried to have it long for years and all it has ever been is scraggly. When she heard how much needed to come off, she started to bawl and comment about how the man at home was going to be upset because he loves long hair. I HATE hearing that. I whipped around, looked her right in the eye and said "Hey...does he love you or your hair?? " I'm sure she didn't appreciate that comment, but seriously...it's freakin' hair. It WON'T heal, trust me. The only cure is a hair cut, plain and simple.
Once the hair cut was done, and styled (which it will NEVER look that way, ever again), it looked beautiful, thick and full. And, we managed to convince her to let that color grow out, no matter how bad it looks in the mean time. She's got breakage so bad, some of the sections of hair are barely 2 inches long. We'll see how this one goes....
Friday, November 4, 2011
Crawling into bed...
When I have a busy, crazy day....when it's "Beth Appreciation Day"...when it's so slammed I can't leave work on time....I crawl into bed early. Why?? You might ask....you just stand behind someone and do their hair all day long...what's so hard about that??
1. I stand, basically, in one spot, all day long....on hard cement flooring covered by vinyl.
2. I stand with my arms raised to shoulder height, ALL THE TIME...try it for a bit...see how it feels. My arms are like that for 1/2 hour at a time. I bet, if you challenged me to a "raise your arms for a long time" contest, I'd beat you....hands down...oh, wait, hands parallel, actually...
3. My head is usually tilted slightly to the side, which means my neck has a slight crick in it and my shoulders have permanent knots in them. There's these nifty cords that run across the shoulders....mine are twisted up like a tight rubber band most of the time.
4. Then, there's the mental exhaustion. For every client, I'm "on". I'm chatting it up, finding out what your haircut needs are as well as getting to know you if you're a new client, or getting caught up if you're a repeat client.
So, what gets me through days like this?? Pure adrenaline. There are days I skip my lunch because it's just not an option. I just keep moving until the clients stop coming. What's really funny about the whole thing is every time this happens, every time I stay later than expected, whomever is working the closing shift begs me to stay with them, and, at the same time, grumble that I'm taking all the clients. Which is really funny, because if I've got a client in my chair, that allows the other stylist to take the next person who comes in. And gives them an opportunity to charm the socks off them so they'll come back.
I'm sure you're saying to yourself "Well, you chose this job". No. I chose this CAREER. I absolutely LOVE what I do. Regardless of who is sitting in my chair. This is my "Barbie Dream Job". But, it does have a physical toll. Take a look at your hairdresser next time you're waiting to get in their chair...check out their posture...ask them how their arms are feeling....
1. I stand, basically, in one spot, all day long....on hard cement flooring covered by vinyl.
2. I stand with my arms raised to shoulder height, ALL THE TIME...try it for a bit...see how it feels. My arms are like that for 1/2 hour at a time. I bet, if you challenged me to a "raise your arms for a long time" contest, I'd beat you....hands down...oh, wait, hands parallel, actually...
3. My head is usually tilted slightly to the side, which means my neck has a slight crick in it and my shoulders have permanent knots in them. There's these nifty cords that run across the shoulders....mine are twisted up like a tight rubber band most of the time.
4. Then, there's the mental exhaustion. For every client, I'm "on". I'm chatting it up, finding out what your haircut needs are as well as getting to know you if you're a new client, or getting caught up if you're a repeat client.
So, what gets me through days like this?? Pure adrenaline. There are days I skip my lunch because it's just not an option. I just keep moving until the clients stop coming. What's really funny about the whole thing is every time this happens, every time I stay later than expected, whomever is working the closing shift begs me to stay with them, and, at the same time, grumble that I'm taking all the clients. Which is really funny, because if I've got a client in my chair, that allows the other stylist to take the next person who comes in. And gives them an opportunity to charm the socks off them so they'll come back.
I'm sure you're saying to yourself "Well, you chose this job". No. I chose this CAREER. I absolutely LOVE what I do. Regardless of who is sitting in my chair. This is my "Barbie Dream Job". But, it does have a physical toll. Take a look at your hairdresser next time you're waiting to get in their chair...check out their posture...ask them how their arms are feeling....
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