So, I was on the Smartstyles Facebook page the other day, and came across an angry parent, who posted pictures on HER facebook page regarding the color job her daughter received. Once I looked at the pictures, I could immediately tell what went wrong, all the way around.
Here's what happened: Client went in, with level 6-7 hair, wanting bleach highlights and red low lights. Sounds pretty simple, right?? Well, it is, if you know what you're doing and if you're up on the current education. By the looks of this color job, I'd say the stylist wasn't up on the current education
Highlights were done with bleach, pretty straight foreward. The only mistake I could see was that the stylist should have used a lower volume developer, so the processing was slow & steady, to keep the damage to a minimum. The red low lights?? Well, that's where the "fun" begins.
To start with, permanent color was used. How could I tell?? The regrowth area were a nice, vibrant color, then ends were washed out. Problem #1. Demi permanent color should have been used instead for a deep, rich color.
Problem #2: When mom dragged teenage daughter back to the salon to get her low lights "fixed", the stylist should have gone back in with a similar, if not the same formula in demi permanent color, and picked through the hair to locate as much of the red as possible to go over it again, to intensify the color. This also didn't happen. More of the permanent color was used.
The end result?? The girl's hair faded to a weird pinkish color. Her hair looks FRIED, too.
What should have happened (if it didn't already): A THOROUGH consultation, to determine what color was desired. Then, if we're dealing with a relatively inexperienced stylist, some assistance from a more experienced stylist to help formulate. Also, a conversation with the client (and client's parent) about the fact that reds fade the quickest, so what to expect should have been part of the conversation.
What to expect: Because "red" has a large dye molecule, it is the quickest to fade because each molecule covers a much larger area than molecules for blonde or brown. So, the rich, vibrant color will FADE to something weird, relatively quickly. To help combat this, using the right color safe (sulfate free) shampoo or smoothing shampoo (which closes down the cuticle, keeping the color intact) along with washing the hair in TEPID water (hot water pushes the color out faster) will go a long way to keeping the hair color intact. IF you're going to insist on washing your hair in the hottest water imaginable, (and you're in the shower) get your hair washed and conditioned, pinned up out of the way, and GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE WATER. The easiest way to do this?? Turn around and face the water spray. Usually, I'll leave the conditioner on my hair, pin it up, finish my shower, then drop my hair down at the last minute to rinse it before I get out of the shower. Doing all of this ensures my red lasts as long as possible. Works every time.
Reds are difficult to work with, from a client point of view. They require a lot of TLC in order to last as long as possible. If you're not willing to put in the care that must be involved, reds aren't for you.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Plotting and Planning
I do a lot of plotting & planning in my life. When it comes to hair color, I MUST plot & plan--otherwise, your color doesn't come out as it should. When I finish your color, and I see the results of my efforts, sometimes I plot & plan for the next time you come in, so I can tweak the formula.
I'm also plotting & planning how to spend my tax money when I get it back (realize I haven't even received all the necessary paperwork to start this process). My income has increased, which means the few benefits I've received from the state have decreased. Therefore, what used to be (sorta) "disposable" income is no longer that. So, when my tax money comes back, a portion of it will go towards purchasing the sundry items that I need in order for my household to function.
Such as: Paper towel, toilet paper, laundry supplies, cat supplies, dish soap, sponges. I'm also spending a chunk on the car, if needed. The suspension type stuff (shocks, struts, springs) need a look-see to make sure they're not faulty, and my exhaust needs a look at, also. A chunk will go towards my latest educational needs. Michael Cole has a bunch of stuff I'm wanting, David Velasco has a second set of books that I want. And, of course, the child's birthday is coming in March. Since she's the only child I'll EVER have, her birthday is always a big thing. Birthday parties, for me, stopped when I was about 10 years old. I had sleep overs after that. Katie will have birthday parties until she tells me to stop. (which I don't think she'll do) And, I'm due for some new clothing, as well. My black shirts I wear to work are starting to look greenish. And, my pants are wearing OUT. I need new shoes for work, too. And new sneakers for walking as well as banging around. So, as you can see, my money is always well spent. Oh, yeah...vehicle registration and my cosmetology license will be up for renewal, too.
What are you plotting and planning??
I'm also plotting & planning how to spend my tax money when I get it back (realize I haven't even received all the necessary paperwork to start this process). My income has increased, which means the few benefits I've received from the state have decreased. Therefore, what used to be (sorta) "disposable" income is no longer that. So, when my tax money comes back, a portion of it will go towards purchasing the sundry items that I need in order for my household to function.
Such as: Paper towel, toilet paper, laundry supplies, cat supplies, dish soap, sponges. I'm also spending a chunk on the car, if needed. The suspension type stuff (shocks, struts, springs) need a look-see to make sure they're not faulty, and my exhaust needs a look at, also. A chunk will go towards my latest educational needs. Michael Cole has a bunch of stuff I'm wanting, David Velasco has a second set of books that I want. And, of course, the child's birthday is coming in March. Since she's the only child I'll EVER have, her birthday is always a big thing. Birthday parties, for me, stopped when I was about 10 years old. I had sleep overs after that. Katie will have birthday parties until she tells me to stop. (which I don't think she'll do) And, I'm due for some new clothing, as well. My black shirts I wear to work are starting to look greenish. And, my pants are wearing OUT. I need new shoes for work, too. And new sneakers for walking as well as banging around. So, as you can see, my money is always well spent. Oh, yeah...vehicle registration and my cosmetology license will be up for renewal, too.
What are you plotting and planning??
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The Legacy is over...
At one point, there was a salon around here that everyone flocked to. They were the premier stylists in the area. Their education and expertise was unparalleled. I was lucky enough (in some ways) to work for this salon as a receptionist. It's where I finally felt like I belonged, and I've learned so much from all of my experiences there.
Notice how that paragraph is in the past tense?? So is that salon. On Saturday, December 31st, this salon became history. Being that I was on the inside track for a long time, it wasn't a complete surprise to me. When the owner was alive, he was clearly the business mind behind everything they did. When he past away, his wife and son tried to step up to the plate and continue where he left off. Nine years later, they are closed.
While I worked there, (the last time) there were some MAJOR differences between management styles. He ran a tight ship. Everyone knew what was expected of them and everyone worked as a team. Of course, there were hiccups along the way. Not everyone always got along with each other, and he was notorious for having it out with someone on the salon floor, including his wife. (it was embarrassing to be a witness to these things. I always felt so bad for the person he cornered)
At one point, there were a total of 19 people working in this one salon, including 3 receptionists. It was a wild, crazy time. Were there underhanded shenanigans going on?? Sure. There's nothing quite like being set up (by the person who lobbied hard to get you a job there) so they can fire you. But, it was still a fabulous learning experience. I actually worked there a total of 3 times, equalling just under 4 years . It's where I got bit by the hairdressing bug in a big way.
When I went back the last time, it was very different. His wife ran everything loosey goosey. Suddenly, it was okay to come to work in jeans, as long as you were dressed up. (which felt WEIRD...I did it exactly once. Never did it again.) The person who was established as Salon Manager was probably the worst person for the job. She was a back stabbing tattletale. Not to mention one of the biggest ass-kissers I'd ever met, in my life. Between her and the owner's son (who had NO CLUE) what he was doing, they both managed to run the salon into the ground. And, lord knows, the owner's wife did everything she could to salvage that business, including mortgage her house to death and spend through all her retirement savings. At 67 years old, she's having to start over and still work as much as she can, just to keep her head above water. I don't envy her one bit.
What does this mean for me?? Nothing, really. I was a part of the history of that place. And all my experiences there, both good and bad, have made me the stylist/manager that I am, both good and bad.
Notice how that paragraph is in the past tense?? So is that salon. On Saturday, December 31st, this salon became history. Being that I was on the inside track for a long time, it wasn't a complete surprise to me. When the owner was alive, he was clearly the business mind behind everything they did. When he past away, his wife and son tried to step up to the plate and continue where he left off. Nine years later, they are closed.
While I worked there, (the last time) there were some MAJOR differences between management styles. He ran a tight ship. Everyone knew what was expected of them and everyone worked as a team. Of course, there were hiccups along the way. Not everyone always got along with each other, and he was notorious for having it out with someone on the salon floor, including his wife. (it was embarrassing to be a witness to these things. I always felt so bad for the person he cornered)
At one point, there were a total of 19 people working in this one salon, including 3 receptionists. It was a wild, crazy time. Were there underhanded shenanigans going on?? Sure. There's nothing quite like being set up (by the person who lobbied hard to get you a job there) so they can fire you. But, it was still a fabulous learning experience. I actually worked there a total of 3 times, equalling just under 4 years . It's where I got bit by the hairdressing bug in a big way.
When I went back the last time, it was very different. His wife ran everything loosey goosey. Suddenly, it was okay to come to work in jeans, as long as you were dressed up. (which felt WEIRD...I did it exactly once. Never did it again.) The person who was established as Salon Manager was probably the worst person for the job. She was a back stabbing tattletale. Not to mention one of the biggest ass-kissers I'd ever met, in my life. Between her and the owner's son (who had NO CLUE) what he was doing, they both managed to run the salon into the ground. And, lord knows, the owner's wife did everything she could to salvage that business, including mortgage her house to death and spend through all her retirement savings. At 67 years old, she's having to start over and still work as much as she can, just to keep her head above water. I don't envy her one bit.
What does this mean for me?? Nothing, really. I was a part of the history of that place. And all my experiences there, both good and bad, have made me the stylist/manager that I am, both good and bad.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
What a week!
Each of us has a sales quota, based on how many hours a week we work, then it's broken down by each day, for both services & retail. I did this when I worked at my old salon, just using my previous sales figures & giving myself a 10% increase.
This industry is very much feast or famine. I went into this knowing that information. And, I went into this industry knowing there are certain times of the year when it's DEAD....Usually, it's from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, then January to March. We started getting quiet the week of Christmas...I was the only one who made commission, BARELY. The next week, I was the only one who DIDN'T make commission. This week?? I'm $100 away from getting into the next commission percentage bracket. Holy Crap!
Something else that is happening is that my reputation is getting out there. I've gotten two phone calls this week, with people telling me that I came highly recommended and that I'm the only one they'll let touch their hair. I've also had a Walmart associate (who used to go to the high end salon I was a receptionist at) tell me she'll be coming to me....it starts because of our price & the fact they get a discount. It'll end up because I specialize in fine hair.... WOO HOO!!!
Why do I specialize in fine hair?? Because I have a head FULL of it. I understand what it does, it's limitations, how it responds to chemicals, why it will or won't respond to anything you do to it. And, it's GETTING OUT THERE. Which, for me, is exciting. I'm aiming to specialize in three things: Fine hair, long hair, color. And not necessarily in that order!
Some other things I've been doing at work: I've implemented "the proper use of foils" program. Meaning this: There is a plastic box with foils in them. One box for 7 foils, one for 14 foils (two foil specials we offer), partial foil (26 foils) and full foil (52 foils). I've also typed up and created a folder of pricing and explanation to go with it regarding how to charge for these services. I'm trying like HELL to oversimplify the whole process so it's a no-brainer.
What I've found out is Rita isn't charging accordingly. She has a friend that works at another Regis location...a different branch of the company, therefore they price differently. And, because her friend tells her where to poop and what color it should be, she prices like they do at her friend's salon. Which means she's under pricing at our salon. Which means I need to get on her case about it, maybe even calling Tammy & getting her involved in how to properly charge our clients. Which is also why I separated out the foils the way that I did. And I may just get Tammy involved, anyway....Because I'm a snot like that...
This industry is very much feast or famine. I went into this knowing that information. And, I went into this industry knowing there are certain times of the year when it's DEAD....Usually, it's from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, then January to March. We started getting quiet the week of Christmas...I was the only one who made commission, BARELY. The next week, I was the only one who DIDN'T make commission. This week?? I'm $100 away from getting into the next commission percentage bracket. Holy Crap!
Something else that is happening is that my reputation is getting out there. I've gotten two phone calls this week, with people telling me that I came highly recommended and that I'm the only one they'll let touch their hair. I've also had a Walmart associate (who used to go to the high end salon I was a receptionist at) tell me she'll be coming to me....it starts because of our price & the fact they get a discount. It'll end up because I specialize in fine hair.... WOO HOO!!!
Why do I specialize in fine hair?? Because I have a head FULL of it. I understand what it does, it's limitations, how it responds to chemicals, why it will or won't respond to anything you do to it. And, it's GETTING OUT THERE. Which, for me, is exciting. I'm aiming to specialize in three things: Fine hair, long hair, color. And not necessarily in that order!
Some other things I've been doing at work: I've implemented "the proper use of foils" program. Meaning this: There is a plastic box with foils in them. One box for 7 foils, one for 14 foils (two foil specials we offer), partial foil (26 foils) and full foil (52 foils). I've also typed up and created a folder of pricing and explanation to go with it regarding how to charge for these services. I'm trying like HELL to oversimplify the whole process so it's a no-brainer.
What I've found out is Rita isn't charging accordingly. She has a friend that works at another Regis location...a different branch of the company, therefore they price differently. And, because her friend tells her where to poop and what color it should be, she prices like they do at her friend's salon. Which means she's under pricing at our salon. Which means I need to get on her case about it, maybe even calling Tammy & getting her involved in how to properly charge our clients. Which is also why I separated out the foils the way that I did. And I may just get Tammy involved, anyway....Because I'm a snot like that...
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
With a little help from some "friends"
We had an "incident" in the salon the other day. Rita was doing color on a client (a friend, really) and decided to cover her entire head in foils (instead of just doing the method I described for doing a 14 foil process) because, well, she's messy and wants me to tell her what to do, then decide against what I've told her because it's not what she wants to do.
Anyway...Monday was an extremely busy day (I doubled my daily quota, got to go to the bathroom exactly once, and didn't get a lunch). Shortly before 5pm, I finally came up for air and was cleaning up around the salon. This is when I noticed Rita's client's head was COVERED in foils. When I questioned what she was doing, her reply was "Oh, yes, we're still doing 14 foils. But, I didn't like how you described to me how I ought to do this, so I'm doing it this way instead, 'cause I'm kinda messy" (like I didn't already know she's a complete SLOB when it comes to color). I immediately felt my blood pressure RISE.
I finished puttering around the salon, cleaning things up, getting laundry taken care of, making sure there's change for the register, when Rita went into the back room to write down what she had done. That's when I confronted her. "By all that's right and holy, you need to charge her for a full head of foils, plus the two colors, plus her haircut. How do you think we pay for all the foils you just used?? The foil fairy??" I was so angry at her....a complete waste of money she had going on, right there. And, I know that she doesn't care about it. I guarantee you that if I were to ask her "Where do you think the money comes from to pay for our salon supplies??" She'd reply "Ummmmm, I dunno...Regis??" (our parent company). NO, Bozo the Clown, it doesn't. It comes right out of any profit our salon may have. And, I'm too sure, Tammy has an expense sheet portion of her P & L that breaks everything down for her....what is charged for each color, how many foils were done and how much foil was purchased.
So, the end result, on Rita's end?? Well, when I looked briefly at the sales screen, it appears that she charged her friend accordingly. I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have a chance to dig very deeply into her Monday night. I'll be going in a little earlier tomorrow to deal with that part of the program, as well as Mop & Glo the floors to make them shiny again!
The other end result?? I'll be creating, with the help of my "sister" Lisa, a chart to fill out, regarding how much of what has been used, and I've also created a guide to refer to, as to how much of what product needs to be used. Such as how much color & developer to mix to do a retouch, how much to mix for a 7 foil application, etc. There is an awful lot of waste going on in that salon. As manager, it's my job to keep that stuff under control. And, it seems, I've got a big waster of products & supplies on my hands. Sigh...
Anyway...Monday was an extremely busy day (I doubled my daily quota, got to go to the bathroom exactly once, and didn't get a lunch). Shortly before 5pm, I finally came up for air and was cleaning up around the salon. This is when I noticed Rita's client's head was COVERED in foils. When I questioned what she was doing, her reply was "Oh, yes, we're still doing 14 foils. But, I didn't like how you described to me how I ought to do this, so I'm doing it this way instead, 'cause I'm kinda messy" (like I didn't already know she's a complete SLOB when it comes to color). I immediately felt my blood pressure RISE.
I finished puttering around the salon, cleaning things up, getting laundry taken care of, making sure there's change for the register, when Rita went into the back room to write down what she had done. That's when I confronted her. "By all that's right and holy, you need to charge her for a full head of foils, plus the two colors, plus her haircut. How do you think we pay for all the foils you just used?? The foil fairy??" I was so angry at her....a complete waste of money she had going on, right there. And, I know that she doesn't care about it. I guarantee you that if I were to ask her "Where do you think the money comes from to pay for our salon supplies??" She'd reply "Ummmmm, I dunno...Regis??" (our parent company). NO, Bozo the Clown, it doesn't. It comes right out of any profit our salon may have. And, I'm too sure, Tammy has an expense sheet portion of her P & L that breaks everything down for her....what is charged for each color, how many foils were done and how much foil was purchased.
So, the end result, on Rita's end?? Well, when I looked briefly at the sales screen, it appears that she charged her friend accordingly. I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have a chance to dig very deeply into her Monday night. I'll be going in a little earlier tomorrow to deal with that part of the program, as well as Mop & Glo the floors to make them shiny again!
The other end result?? I'll be creating, with the help of my "sister" Lisa, a chart to fill out, regarding how much of what has been used, and I've also created a guide to refer to, as to how much of what product needs to be used. Such as how much color & developer to mix to do a retouch, how much to mix for a 7 foil application, etc. There is an awful lot of waste going on in that salon. As manager, it's my job to keep that stuff under control. And, it seems, I've got a big waster of products & supplies on my hands. Sigh...
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