We got visit yesterday from "The Big Wigs" (as Rita put it). It went well. I called and spoke to Coral (my newest district manager) and she told me I didn't have to come in early (I worked til 8pm last night, they were there at 9am). The only thing we truly got "busted" for was the back room door was left open and it's not supposed to be. BIG. WHOOPTIE. DOO.
Later that day, when I was in the middle of a hair cut, Coral called back, wanting to briefly talk to me. I'M NOW OFFICIALLY THE MANAGER!!! PAY RAISE, BONUSES COMING MY WAY, EVERYTHING!!!
It wasn't a case of what I was doing as opposed to what I SHOULD be doing. And I didn't suspect that at all. It was a case of having the "wrong" people above me that wouldn't advance me, for whatever reasons they could come up with. Every "hoop" they presented, I jumped through. Every challenge they passed my way, I grabbed and shook the hell out of it. And, I still, when I asked, got told there was "more" I needed to do to become the manager. So, I finally just gave up. I worked the minimum hours required (38-ish), submitted schedules on time, and did the supply ordering. THAT'S IT. I refused to call in my hours (which I was supposed to, so I could get the "acting manager" stipend, which, by the way, still didn't cover what I was supposed to be making).
My theory behind not calling in my hours is this: If you'd just make me salon manager, I wouldn't have to call in my hours, and still not get paid what I'm supposed to. Consequently, when I talked to Coral yesterday, I'm now getting a retroactive check to cover all the weeks I didn't call in my payroll, and as of August 1st, I will be on manager's pay (which is 50% commission instead of 40%, regardless of what I pull in for client services).
That all being said, stay tuned for another exciting installment of "All My Scissors" because I'm too sure the shenanigans will be starting up, AGAIN.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Over processed hair
WARNING: Do NOT come into a hair salon and think that you'll be able to pull the wool over a hair dresser's eyes.
Yesterday, Tina had a client come in, wanting a perm. Once the client took her hat off, and started apologizing for the condition of her hair ("Oh, I didn't brush my hair today"), I started paying a bit of attention. I had a former hair dresser in my chair who audibly gasped when that hat came off, so I turned around. Unbelievably over processed hair. Not just "not brushed". OVER PROCESSED.
I called Tina over to me, privately, and told her that a strand test is a MUST. There is no way that we're going to provide a perm to anyone whose hair will not take it. Nope. Nada. No freakin' way. So, Tina took a sample strand from the back of her head, set it to soak in developer, and then gave the client a clarifying treatment to get out all the product in her hair. (the client has baby fine hair to start with, old, bad perm on the ends, and some old hair color to boot)
Tina took the strand out of the solution after 10 minutes, rinsed it. We then separated the strand into two sections; One for me to pull on, one to pull on in front of the client. What a surprise! The hair shredded in my fingers. No perm for you, honey.
Tina took the other strand out to the client, to do the same thing. The client was PISSED we didn't provide the service. She got a great haircut, a conditioning treatment, everything. Her comment: "Well, I won't be coming here again." Her husband, who works for Walmart, came into the salon to see how things were progressing. The wife put forth a snotty attitude when telling the husband why we were refusing the service. His comment? "Well, just go back to the other place and get it done". I can't wait to hear him bad mouth us. It will be fun explaining to him that you can't fool a hairdresser.
We don't normally refuse services to clients. It takes extenuating circumstances to do so. Head lice is number one. Open wounds on their scalp is another. Over processed hair is the third. Don't lie to me about what you've done to your hair. I'll find out, and manage to prove you a liar. It's certainly not something I enjoy doing, but it's something that has to be done. My license, my professional integrity, and my professional reputation is on the line. Not to mention the salon's reputation, which is always on the line. If we had gone ahead and permed her hair, we ran the very serious risk of her hair coming off in some one's hands, if not a point of service, then later on, while combing, washing, or brushing the hair. And then, whose fault is it?? The client who insisted on the perm?? Nope. The hairdresser who should have known better.
She'll go to another salon, she'll get the perm. She'll find a hairdresser with limited integrity (because there are a lot of them out there, trust me) who will look at her as dollar signs and not as a real person, and perm her hair. And when it disintegrates (not IF, WHEN), she'll understand why we wouldn't do the perm. Or, she'll just keep thinking we're a bunch of idiots. Doesn't matter to me. We did the right thing.
Yesterday, Tina had a client come in, wanting a perm. Once the client took her hat off, and started apologizing for the condition of her hair ("Oh, I didn't brush my hair today"), I started paying a bit of attention. I had a former hair dresser in my chair who audibly gasped when that hat came off, so I turned around. Unbelievably over processed hair. Not just "not brushed". OVER PROCESSED.
I called Tina over to me, privately, and told her that a strand test is a MUST. There is no way that we're going to provide a perm to anyone whose hair will not take it. Nope. Nada. No freakin' way. So, Tina took a sample strand from the back of her head, set it to soak in developer, and then gave the client a clarifying treatment to get out all the product in her hair. (the client has baby fine hair to start with, old, bad perm on the ends, and some old hair color to boot)
Tina took the strand out of the solution after 10 minutes, rinsed it. We then separated the strand into two sections; One for me to pull on, one to pull on in front of the client. What a surprise! The hair shredded in my fingers. No perm for you, honey.
Tina took the other strand out to the client, to do the same thing. The client was PISSED we didn't provide the service. She got a great haircut, a conditioning treatment, everything. Her comment: "Well, I won't be coming here again." Her husband, who works for Walmart, came into the salon to see how things were progressing. The wife put forth a snotty attitude when telling the husband why we were refusing the service. His comment? "Well, just go back to the other place and get it done". I can't wait to hear him bad mouth us. It will be fun explaining to him that you can't fool a hairdresser.
We don't normally refuse services to clients. It takes extenuating circumstances to do so. Head lice is number one. Open wounds on their scalp is another. Over processed hair is the third. Don't lie to me about what you've done to your hair. I'll find out, and manage to prove you a liar. It's certainly not something I enjoy doing, but it's something that has to be done. My license, my professional integrity, and my professional reputation is on the line. Not to mention the salon's reputation, which is always on the line. If we had gone ahead and permed her hair, we ran the very serious risk of her hair coming off in some one's hands, if not a point of service, then later on, while combing, washing, or brushing the hair. And then, whose fault is it?? The client who insisted on the perm?? Nope. The hairdresser who should have known better.
She'll go to another salon, she'll get the perm. She'll find a hairdresser with limited integrity (because there are a lot of them out there, trust me) who will look at her as dollar signs and not as a real person, and perm her hair. And when it disintegrates (not IF, WHEN), she'll understand why we wouldn't do the perm. Or, she'll just keep thinking we're a bunch of idiots. Doesn't matter to me. We did the right thing.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Other people's blogs
I read other blogs, particularly hairdressing ones. I don't claim to be the reigning authority on things, but, over the years, I've done my research so I can answer people's questions effectively and accurately.
Here are portions of the blog I read and just HAD to comment about.
"How to save on hair cuts, hair color and hair products"
1. "You only need to lather once" Really?? Here's how shampoo works: Shampoo has oil loving molecules and dirt loving molecules, meaning these molecules attract what is in your hair that needs to come out. The first soaping loosens up these items, the second soaping removes them completely from your hair, leaving your hair CLEAN. When you only soap it up once (particularly in the interest of "saving money"), you are not getting rid of what is making your hair "dirty". Consequently, your complaint is that such and such a shampoo is making my hair greasy.
2. "Skip the fancy schmancy shampoos & conditioners--you can get a good product at the grocery store" The cheaper the shampoo, the harsher it is on your hair. The cheaper the shampoo, the more you need to use to have "clean" hair. The cheaper the shampoo, the more often you find yourself purchasing MORE because you don't have enough to last you a while (even in the big bottles).
Professional product is more concentrated, so you use less. You almost NEVER need more than a quarter sized dollop of product, EVER, in your hair--the exception to the rule is usually a deep conditioning treatment. I DO agree with "buying the jumbo bottles"--you spend, in general, about 15-20 cents per ounce of product per bottle. A "serving" of product (to wash or condition your hair) is generally .02 ounces. Which means two shampooings plus a conditioning might cost you about 30 cents.
3. "Consider growing out your hair cut". Ummmmm.....you still need to get a hair cut, other wise it's a shaggy mess. All you're really doing is pushing out the cost of a hair cut a few more weeks. Really not a savings....
4. "If you get all over color, skip the salon and do it yourself". Do you know how to formulate for grey coverage?? How about for combating unwanted warmth in your hair?? Do you understand how permanent color actually works?? What's your formula for a gorgeous chocolate brown?? How about Cherry red?? Do you know why your hair feels "dry" after you color your hair??
I'm here to tell you most people don't even know what their natural color IS, let alone which box of color to choose, or that they need multiple boxes of color to correct/achieve what they're looking for.
5. "If you have oily hair, skip dry shampoo and apply baby powder to soak up excess oils". READ THE INGREDIENTS IN DRY SHAMPOOS. It's BAKING SODA!! Which, by the way, is cheaper than baby powder.
I think I'm done ranting for now....stay tuned!
Here are portions of the blog I read and just HAD to comment about.
"How to save on hair cuts, hair color and hair products"
1. "You only need to lather once" Really?? Here's how shampoo works: Shampoo has oil loving molecules and dirt loving molecules, meaning these molecules attract what is in your hair that needs to come out. The first soaping loosens up these items, the second soaping removes them completely from your hair, leaving your hair CLEAN. When you only soap it up once (particularly in the interest of "saving money"), you are not getting rid of what is making your hair "dirty". Consequently, your complaint is that such and such a shampoo is making my hair greasy.
2. "Skip the fancy schmancy shampoos & conditioners--you can get a good product at the grocery store" The cheaper the shampoo, the harsher it is on your hair. The cheaper the shampoo, the more you need to use to have "clean" hair. The cheaper the shampoo, the more often you find yourself purchasing MORE because you don't have enough to last you a while (even in the big bottles).
Professional product is more concentrated, so you use less. You almost NEVER need more than a quarter sized dollop of product, EVER, in your hair--the exception to the rule is usually a deep conditioning treatment. I DO agree with "buying the jumbo bottles"--you spend, in general, about 15-20 cents per ounce of product per bottle. A "serving" of product (to wash or condition your hair) is generally .02 ounces. Which means two shampooings plus a conditioning might cost you about 30 cents.
3. "Consider growing out your hair cut". Ummmmm.....you still need to get a hair cut, other wise it's a shaggy mess. All you're really doing is pushing out the cost of a hair cut a few more weeks. Really not a savings....
4. "If you get all over color, skip the salon and do it yourself". Do you know how to formulate for grey coverage?? How about for combating unwanted warmth in your hair?? Do you understand how permanent color actually works?? What's your formula for a gorgeous chocolate brown?? How about Cherry red?? Do you know why your hair feels "dry" after you color your hair??
I'm here to tell you most people don't even know what their natural color IS, let alone which box of color to choose, or that they need multiple boxes of color to correct/achieve what they're looking for.
5. "If you have oily hair, skip dry shampoo and apply baby powder to soak up excess oils". READ THE INGREDIENTS IN DRY SHAMPOOS. It's BAKING SODA!! Which, by the way, is cheaper than baby powder.
I think I'm done ranting for now....stay tuned!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
"All My Scissors"
Work has very much become a soap opera lately. We now have a new stylist, which is very exciting. Her name is Erica. She graduated last fall, so she's FRESH, which is nice. Complete breath of fresh air, really. And, she's doing well, considering she's fresh out of school. I see her building a client base rather quickly.
The shenanigans going on: Rita, lovely, Rita....sigh....always an angle with her. She asked for April 28th off, as she had "tickets" in NYC. She went of one of those bus trips to see Morgan Freeman...when I asked her if it was a play, a presentation, whatever, she had absolutely no idea what she was going to, just that she had tickets and was going. So, we (meaning myself, Shezoa & Tammy) let her go. Luckily, Erica was hired in the meantime, so the schedule was somewhat covered. (Erica is slow, she's new....if all of us were on yesterday, it wouldn't have been a huge issue)
THEN, Rita also wanted Saturday, May 12 off. To her credit, she asked for it WAY in advance, thinking I'd just give it to her. When I looked at the schedule rotation, it would actually give her an entire weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) off, which is a big no no. When Erica came on board (mind you, Erica is on a training schedule, so she's not able to do things like open & close just yet. I want her getting used to the "system", the pace, etc.), she immediately presumed she would be able to cover the schedule and Rita would get what she wanted off. Uh, NO. Nice try, though.
This past Monday, Rita tried, yet again, to pester me about May 12. (which is in the middle of prom season...we don't get much in the way of updo's due to the fact that we don't book appointments, but it's also a Saturday, which means all hands on deck). I told her I would have to look at the schedules and see if I could switch anything around (which, really, I didn't want to, but I looked at it anyway). Well, lo and behold, she's scheduled 10-4. Not a big deal. I also asked her WHY she wanted that day off. "I'm doing my niece's hair for prom". DA DUH DUM DUM DUM....
A side note: Doing hair at home, no matter whose it is, according to Regis, is considered a "conflict of interest" and can get you written up and/or terminated.
I went on my two days off, which were Tues & Wed. When I came back, there were notes galore in my station. Rita and Tina put their heads together and plotted around what Rita wanted and presented me with their "solution". Which got instantaneously shot down when Rita asked me about it. "No. You can't have that day off, nor can you switch with anyone. You are scheduled 10-4. I'm not changing the schedule." Mad doesn't even begin to cover Rita's feelings about that one. She stomped around, slamming things. When the phone rang and it was for me, she barked at me about it. (I was on my lunch at the time) When I took my cellphone with me to go out onto the sales floor in Walmart to call my boss, she was standing just outside the salon, away from the door way, griping to a friend of hers about what a witch I am. (didn't hear the words...didn't have to) I placed my call (left a message) and went back to work. It took Rita a good two hours to calm down.
Tina's shenanigans: I had called her Tuesday morning to tell her about an issue with the ladies at the bank when she told me that the closeout book wasn't right, that Rita had left a note for Tina to talk to her about it when she came in later that day. So, after I got dressed (Katie and I were heading to the mall) we went over to the salon first, so I could check out the issue. A miscount in the deposit money. Easily fixed. When I walked in, Tina was at the desk, with a purple binder, a client log, really(one that can be purchased at any beauty supply distributor), and was copying down information from the computer to the binder. Guess what that is?? A big no no. I said nothing at the time, letting what I saw process a bit. And, Tina is good at distracting people into not seeing what she'd just done.
While Katie and I were having lunch at the mall, I texted (not the best form of communication, really) Tina, letting her know that it's not okay to have that binder. When I got home, there was a long winded message on my answering machine (not my cellphone, as she didn't want to "waste" my tracfone minutes leaving a text or message) telling me she's doing that to help trigger her memory with her clients, blah blah blah, THEN, she completely threw Rita under the bus by telling me that she was a good 1/2 hour late with no explanation. She's such a good "friend".
Friday morning, I had a most excellent 20 minute conversation with Shezoa regarding all the shenanigans going on. Rita is to be told that doing hair at home is a conflict of interest and it is to STOP. Particularly since she struggles with commission, she needs to have all of those "buddies" in the salon to fill her chair. It can lead to write ups as well as a dismissal. Tina, the binder is considered theft and she can also be fired if it happens again. I have already confiscated the pages she had and threw them (along with my notes I'd made regarding clients from way back) into the Walmart dumpster out back. She wasn't quite willing to hand over the binder, but it is empty and it is not in the salon any longer. I informed her that if I found it again, she would get an instant write up.
The other thing they tend to do is when they go to do the deposit, they make stops along the way, to get lunch at Subway, or where ever, which isnt' allowed, as it's stealing company time. Which, wait for it...wait for it....can lead to a write up, and a dismissal if it continues.
Stay tuned for another exciting episode!!
The shenanigans going on: Rita, lovely, Rita....sigh....always an angle with her. She asked for April 28th off, as she had "tickets" in NYC. She went of one of those bus trips to see Morgan Freeman...when I asked her if it was a play, a presentation, whatever, she had absolutely no idea what she was going to, just that she had tickets and was going. So, we (meaning myself, Shezoa & Tammy) let her go. Luckily, Erica was hired in the meantime, so the schedule was somewhat covered. (Erica is slow, she's new....if all of us were on yesterday, it wouldn't have been a huge issue)
THEN, Rita also wanted Saturday, May 12 off. To her credit, she asked for it WAY in advance, thinking I'd just give it to her. When I looked at the schedule rotation, it would actually give her an entire weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun) off, which is a big no no. When Erica came on board (mind you, Erica is on a training schedule, so she's not able to do things like open & close just yet. I want her getting used to the "system", the pace, etc.), she immediately presumed she would be able to cover the schedule and Rita would get what she wanted off. Uh, NO. Nice try, though.
This past Monday, Rita tried, yet again, to pester me about May 12. (which is in the middle of prom season...we don't get much in the way of updo's due to the fact that we don't book appointments, but it's also a Saturday, which means all hands on deck). I told her I would have to look at the schedules and see if I could switch anything around (which, really, I didn't want to, but I looked at it anyway). Well, lo and behold, she's scheduled 10-4. Not a big deal. I also asked her WHY she wanted that day off. "I'm doing my niece's hair for prom". DA DUH DUM DUM DUM....
A side note: Doing hair at home, no matter whose it is, according to Regis, is considered a "conflict of interest" and can get you written up and/or terminated.
I went on my two days off, which were Tues & Wed. When I came back, there were notes galore in my station. Rita and Tina put their heads together and plotted around what Rita wanted and presented me with their "solution". Which got instantaneously shot down when Rita asked me about it. "No. You can't have that day off, nor can you switch with anyone. You are scheduled 10-4. I'm not changing the schedule." Mad doesn't even begin to cover Rita's feelings about that one. She stomped around, slamming things. When the phone rang and it was for me, she barked at me about it. (I was on my lunch at the time) When I took my cellphone with me to go out onto the sales floor in Walmart to call my boss, she was standing just outside the salon, away from the door way, griping to a friend of hers about what a witch I am. (didn't hear the words...didn't have to) I placed my call (left a message) and went back to work. It took Rita a good two hours to calm down.
Tina's shenanigans: I had called her Tuesday morning to tell her about an issue with the ladies at the bank when she told me that the closeout book wasn't right, that Rita had left a note for Tina to talk to her about it when she came in later that day. So, after I got dressed (Katie and I were heading to the mall) we went over to the salon first, so I could check out the issue. A miscount in the deposit money. Easily fixed. When I walked in, Tina was at the desk, with a purple binder, a client log, really(one that can be purchased at any beauty supply distributor), and was copying down information from the computer to the binder. Guess what that is?? A big no no. I said nothing at the time, letting what I saw process a bit. And, Tina is good at distracting people into not seeing what she'd just done.
While Katie and I were having lunch at the mall, I texted (not the best form of communication, really) Tina, letting her know that it's not okay to have that binder. When I got home, there was a long winded message on my answering machine (not my cellphone, as she didn't want to "waste" my tracfone minutes leaving a text or message) telling me she's doing that to help trigger her memory with her clients, blah blah blah, THEN, she completely threw Rita under the bus by telling me that she was a good 1/2 hour late with no explanation. She's such a good "friend".
Friday morning, I had a most excellent 20 minute conversation with Shezoa regarding all the shenanigans going on. Rita is to be told that doing hair at home is a conflict of interest and it is to STOP. Particularly since she struggles with commission, she needs to have all of those "buddies" in the salon to fill her chair. It can lead to write ups as well as a dismissal. Tina, the binder is considered theft and she can also be fired if it happens again. I have already confiscated the pages she had and threw them (along with my notes I'd made regarding clients from way back) into the Walmart dumpster out back. She wasn't quite willing to hand over the binder, but it is empty and it is not in the salon any longer. I informed her that if I found it again, she would get an instant write up.
The other thing they tend to do is when they go to do the deposit, they make stops along the way, to get lunch at Subway, or where ever, which isnt' allowed, as it's stealing company time. Which, wait for it...wait for it....can lead to a write up, and a dismissal if it continues.
Stay tuned for another exciting episode!!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
"Chunk" highlights. Who thought of this and WHY?!?!?
I have done "chunk" highlights twice in the last 3 weeks. I think they are the ugliest highlights I've ever done, period. Why anybody would want them is beyond me, but, hey...I'm here to serve you.
What they are: Large bands of color throughout the head, as opposed to small, more natural looking highlights. While this falls under the more "creative" side of hair coloring, I have a really hard time with it. Mostly because I'm a little stuck in my ways, and really, I need to branch out a bit.
Anyway. The first time I did them, I truly had no idea what the heck I was doing. And they came out too subtle for my client. She wanted BOLD highlights. The blonde ones needed to be an INCH wide. Which, in hair, is HUGE in size. So, she came back a week later for me to fix them. Because her hair is so long, (shoulder blades), it took me 3 hours to get all the foils in. Part of that, I believe, is over thinking on my part. Anyway. In the end, she liked the colors, but it wasn't bold enough. So, she came back. That appointment still took two hours to complete. Again, mostly because of the length of her hair. However, when I was done, she had wide BOLD stripes in her hair. (Don't you know, she wondered if the blonde was too much after I was done?? Sigh...)
The second one was just this Friday night. A partial highlight, so not as lengthy, but it still took some serious time. Again, her hair was long, however, not as dense as the last one. I did the highs/lows first: Lightener & 20 vol on regrowth, lightener & 10 vol on ends (previous lightening done) for blonde, 3/4 6N & 1/4 5N for dark stripe, and 6RV & 15 vol for the red stripe. Since this was a partial, I only had to deal with from the crown forward. The underneath stuff in the back was the 6N/5N mixture. Let it process (took a haircut while she was processing, so that made timing that much easier!), then rinsed it off, taking the stripes out, one section at a time and rinsing the daylights out of it so they wouldn't bleed. And they came out just as she wanted them (THANK GOD). Cut her hair, dried it up, checked her out, sent her on her merry way. PHEW!
Something else I discovered about this: I don't charge enough for this one. Need to figure it out for next time!
What they are: Large bands of color throughout the head, as opposed to small, more natural looking highlights. While this falls under the more "creative" side of hair coloring, I have a really hard time with it. Mostly because I'm a little stuck in my ways, and really, I need to branch out a bit.
Anyway. The first time I did them, I truly had no idea what the heck I was doing. And they came out too subtle for my client. She wanted BOLD highlights. The blonde ones needed to be an INCH wide. Which, in hair, is HUGE in size. So, she came back a week later for me to fix them. Because her hair is so long, (shoulder blades), it took me 3 hours to get all the foils in. Part of that, I believe, is over thinking on my part. Anyway. In the end, she liked the colors, but it wasn't bold enough. So, she came back. That appointment still took two hours to complete. Again, mostly because of the length of her hair. However, when I was done, she had wide BOLD stripes in her hair. (Don't you know, she wondered if the blonde was too much after I was done?? Sigh...)
The second one was just this Friday night. A partial highlight, so not as lengthy, but it still took some serious time. Again, her hair was long, however, not as dense as the last one. I did the highs/lows first: Lightener & 20 vol on regrowth, lightener & 10 vol on ends (previous lightening done) for blonde, 3/4 6N & 1/4 5N for dark stripe, and 6RV & 15 vol for the red stripe. Since this was a partial, I only had to deal with from the crown forward. The underneath stuff in the back was the 6N/5N mixture. Let it process (took a haircut while she was processing, so that made timing that much easier!), then rinsed it off, taking the stripes out, one section at a time and rinsing the daylights out of it so they wouldn't bleed. And they came out just as she wanted them (THANK GOD). Cut her hair, dried it up, checked her out, sent her on her merry way. PHEW!
Something else I discovered about this: I don't charge enough for this one. Need to figure it out for next time!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Knots...
I took a phone call yesterday from a frantic mother. Her daughter is 8 years old and has a huge snarly knot in the back of her head and she doesn't know what to do any more to get it out. Any suggestions? Yes. Bring her in so someone can look at it and go from there. It's kind of hard to do say anything over the phone. She agreed and brought her in later in the day.
The little girl's hair was pulled back in a loose braid. At first glance, things didn't seem all that bad. And then....I sat her in my chair, took the braid out, and immediately said "Why would you do this to your hair?? If this doesn't come out, I may have to use the clippers on your hair." I grabbed a pick and started working on her dry hair.
Some of the knots started coming out. On the sides of her head wasn't too bad, compared to the HUGE knot (bigger than her actual head) I had yet to tackle. This poor kid wound up in tears because my pulling on her knots was causing serious pain, so I took her to the sink to see what I can wash out and loosen up.
I washer her hair (as best as I could) 3 times to try to loosen things up. I held the sprayer on the actual root of the knot for a good minute, seeing if the pressure would loosen things up. Then, I worked some conditioner into her hair. I bring her back to my chair and dig in again. This time, things go much easier.
Over all, it took me an hour and 15 minutes to deal with that knot. I had to cut out two spots...one of them a smaller area, however the knotting went all the way to the top of her head. The other one I (Literally) chopped at was the jumbo knot in the back. "THWAP" went the chunk I cut out when I tossed it to the floor. Dad came in and took that clump of hair and kept it, to remind daughter of what happens when you don't take care of your hair. Once I got her hair all combed out, there were parts that WEREN'T EVEN WET. That's how bad that knot was.
After I cut the basic shape of her hair, I took her back to the sink and proceeded to wash her hair, AGAIN. This time, I was able to get it CLEAN. Back to my chair to finish the hair cut.
The entire time I was dealing with her hair, I found out that mom is a ding bat....and has no clue what to do with her child. Dad was incredibly frustrated with the both of them, and took what I said to heart. I also think that the daughter will NOT be doing this again, any time too soon, since it was such a painful experience. The kicker?? Mom & Dad had just pulled all those knots out just two weeks ago. Daughter was using a soft bristle hair brush to deal with her hair, which it wasn't able to do. This child has enough hair for 4 people. It's fine (which is why it knotted so badly) and it's slightly wavy. It was also 3/4 of the way down her back, all one length, with a little bit of bang.
Were these people dirty?? Absolutely not. All were very clean, reasonably well educated. However, they were trusting the 8 year old to do a very daunting, intimidating job. Even better was the fact that Mom washes the kid's hair for her, so she knew what was happening, and did nothing to fix the situation until they brought her in to me.
The end result: Her hair was cut to the bottom of her neck (her choice) in a cute, fun hair cut, making it 5 bazillion times easier for her to take care of her hair, which made everyone happy. And, for the first time in a long time, her hair was CLEAN. To the scalp clean. One thing I've learned from this: I need to charge WAY more for dealing with that mess than what I did. Let's hope I only see her for hair cuts and not to get that knot out again.
Lesson learned.
The little girl's hair was pulled back in a loose braid. At first glance, things didn't seem all that bad. And then....I sat her in my chair, took the braid out, and immediately said "Why would you do this to your hair?? If this doesn't come out, I may have to use the clippers on your hair." I grabbed a pick and started working on her dry hair.
Some of the knots started coming out. On the sides of her head wasn't too bad, compared to the HUGE knot (bigger than her actual head) I had yet to tackle. This poor kid wound up in tears because my pulling on her knots was causing serious pain, so I took her to the sink to see what I can wash out and loosen up.
I washer her hair (as best as I could) 3 times to try to loosen things up. I held the sprayer on the actual root of the knot for a good minute, seeing if the pressure would loosen things up. Then, I worked some conditioner into her hair. I bring her back to my chair and dig in again. This time, things go much easier.
Over all, it took me an hour and 15 minutes to deal with that knot. I had to cut out two spots...one of them a smaller area, however the knotting went all the way to the top of her head. The other one I (Literally) chopped at was the jumbo knot in the back. "THWAP" went the chunk I cut out when I tossed it to the floor. Dad came in and took that clump of hair and kept it, to remind daughter of what happens when you don't take care of your hair. Once I got her hair all combed out, there were parts that WEREN'T EVEN WET. That's how bad that knot was.
After I cut the basic shape of her hair, I took her back to the sink and proceeded to wash her hair, AGAIN. This time, I was able to get it CLEAN. Back to my chair to finish the hair cut.
The entire time I was dealing with her hair, I found out that mom is a ding bat....and has no clue what to do with her child. Dad was incredibly frustrated with the both of them, and took what I said to heart. I also think that the daughter will NOT be doing this again, any time too soon, since it was such a painful experience. The kicker?? Mom & Dad had just pulled all those knots out just two weeks ago. Daughter was using a soft bristle hair brush to deal with her hair, which it wasn't able to do. This child has enough hair for 4 people. It's fine (which is why it knotted so badly) and it's slightly wavy. It was also 3/4 of the way down her back, all one length, with a little bit of bang.
Were these people dirty?? Absolutely not. All were very clean, reasonably well educated. However, they were trusting the 8 year old to do a very daunting, intimidating job. Even better was the fact that Mom washes the kid's hair for her, so she knew what was happening, and did nothing to fix the situation until they brought her in to me.
The end result: Her hair was cut to the bottom of her neck (her choice) in a cute, fun hair cut, making it 5 bazillion times easier for her to take care of her hair, which made everyone happy. And, for the first time in a long time, her hair was CLEAN. To the scalp clean. One thing I've learned from this: I need to charge WAY more for dealing with that mess than what I did. Let's hope I only see her for hair cuts and not to get that knot out again.
Lesson learned.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Things I've read today
Whilst scanning through a renowned color guru's Facebook page, I came across these comments, pertaining to permanent color. And, I thought I'd share them and my reaction to them.
"Permanent color that faded in two weeks". Apparently, this person still hasn't learned what's permanent about permanent hair color. It's not the dye load, it's the lifting action that's permanent. That being said, how you care for your newly colored hair is just as important as what you color it with. If you're using the wrong shampoo and screaming hot water to wash your hair with, of course the color won't last. However, if you're using sulfate-free shampoos, an acidic conditioner to close the cuticle, and moderate temperature water to wash & rinse with, you should have better success in maintaining your color between appointments.
"Organic" hair color: Unless you are using good, old fashioned HENNA (the kind that turns hair orange and is used to tattoo your hands during sacred ceremonies of the Hindu faith), there isn't a hair color out there that is "organic"...which, by the way, is a non-regulated word used by manufacturers of various products to get you to purchase whatever it is. It's a "buzz word". Oh, and the other "by the way"?? If you look at things this way: Things are either organic or inorganic. Something that is "organic" is living matter, animal, or vegetable, carbon based. Something that is "Inorganic" is non-living or mineral based. Which means, basically, that all hair color is both organic and inorganic, depending upon it's ingredients.
"Lift and deposit in the same application" This comment was said in wonder, like they've never heard of it before. What planet are you from?? ALL permanent color, whether it's the "non-ammonia" or ammonia based color, lifts first, to create a base for the color to adhere to, then deposits the artificial color after. Please get some education.
"Ammonia is effective because it's incredibly corrosive and extrordinarily destructive to the cuticle and sacrafices the hair's health and structural intregity". This one is a double-edged sword. With multiple applications, YES, ammonia is corrosive and destructive and will definitely sacrafice the hair health and structural integrity. Ammonia continues to swell the hair shaft, therefore pushing the cuticle open even further, making your hair feel dry. Because this cuticle is open, it also allows the dyeload to "pile up" in the hair shaft, making the strand darker with each application. That's why you'll see people with lighter colored hair at the top of the head and nearly BLACK hair at the ends. This is NOT the trendy "Ombre" look, my friends. THIS is damanged hair.
Something that also happens with color build up (and this even happens with demi and semi permanent colors) is that the hair will break off after a period of time. Hair can only take so much of a "beating" before it just gives up. And, this can happen both at home and with a professional. It's a bit hard to avoid. Careful formulation goes a long way to keeping the intregity of the hair intact. Careful application of color goes a long way, also. Don't overlap the product. Don't "run" the permanent color through the ends of the hair beyond a virgin application of color to hair that's never been colored before. And educate your clients on how to properly take care of their hair.
"Permanent color that faded in two weeks". Apparently, this person still hasn't learned what's permanent about permanent hair color. It's not the dye load, it's the lifting action that's permanent. That being said, how you care for your newly colored hair is just as important as what you color it with. If you're using the wrong shampoo and screaming hot water to wash your hair with, of course the color won't last. However, if you're using sulfate-free shampoos, an acidic conditioner to close the cuticle, and moderate temperature water to wash & rinse with, you should have better success in maintaining your color between appointments.
"Organic" hair color: Unless you are using good, old fashioned HENNA (the kind that turns hair orange and is used to tattoo your hands during sacred ceremonies of the Hindu faith), there isn't a hair color out there that is "organic"...which, by the way, is a non-regulated word used by manufacturers of various products to get you to purchase whatever it is. It's a "buzz word". Oh, and the other "by the way"?? If you look at things this way: Things are either organic or inorganic. Something that is "organic" is living matter, animal, or vegetable, carbon based. Something that is "Inorganic" is non-living or mineral based. Which means, basically, that all hair color is both organic and inorganic, depending upon it's ingredients.
"Lift and deposit in the same application" This comment was said in wonder, like they've never heard of it before. What planet are you from?? ALL permanent color, whether it's the "non-ammonia" or ammonia based color, lifts first, to create a base for the color to adhere to, then deposits the artificial color after. Please get some education.
"Ammonia is effective because it's incredibly corrosive and extrordinarily destructive to the cuticle and sacrafices the hair's health and structural intregity". This one is a double-edged sword. With multiple applications, YES, ammonia is corrosive and destructive and will definitely sacrafice the hair health and structural integrity. Ammonia continues to swell the hair shaft, therefore pushing the cuticle open even further, making your hair feel dry. Because this cuticle is open, it also allows the dyeload to "pile up" in the hair shaft, making the strand darker with each application. That's why you'll see people with lighter colored hair at the top of the head and nearly BLACK hair at the ends. This is NOT the trendy "Ombre" look, my friends. THIS is damanged hair.
Something that also happens with color build up (and this even happens with demi and semi permanent colors) is that the hair will break off after a period of time. Hair can only take so much of a "beating" before it just gives up. And, this can happen both at home and with a professional. It's a bit hard to avoid. Careful formulation goes a long way to keeping the intregity of the hair intact. Careful application of color goes a long way, also. Don't overlap the product. Don't "run" the permanent color through the ends of the hair beyond a virgin application of color to hair that's never been colored before. And educate your clients on how to properly take care of their hair.
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