Consultations and a Hint of Spring

My first unhappy client:
For the next two months every Monday night I bring two models into the salon and perform two womens haircuts to be graded on. There are 8 haircuts total and I have to do each one twice. The first time I do the cut I've got to get an 85% or higher. After I accomplish that one I have to do it a second time and get a 100%. This is part of the intensive training my salon requires and I think it's great. Since I am new to the area, I have been using craigslist as a recruiting tool. All in all it's worked out great. Last Monday however, I had my first unhappy client. In the end it all worked out. After a few days of messing with it the woman ended up liking her cut. I was very upset at first, and a little embarrassed. After talking it over with some more experienced stylists I learned some important things.
*The consultation may be the most important part of the entire service
*There are many ways a consultation can go wrong
*The customer always has an opinion, even if they say they don't
-If the client says they have no opinion on their hair and you can do whatever you want, you are probably not asking the right questions.

I am hoping tonight goes better!

The most depressing tax return ever:
I finished my tax return. The refund was not as much as I expected. But at least it will be just as much as I have gotten back in past years. The depressing part was my total income for 2008. When I saw the number I was floored. Let me just say that it is well below the poverty level. I know I am chasing dreams, and there are consequences in doing so. But I really cannot believe I have been able to live on an income so low. I slipped into an afternoon depression after that. I couldn't even look in the mirror. I have a very strong work ethic. And despite the fact that I have pretty much been working full time over the past year, the number did not reflect it.

The Weather:
Denver has a 60 degree week ahead and let me just say this might just get me through it! Living in the midwest, this is the time of winter that gets brutal. February can be the hardest month to get through with all the 30 degree overcast days. I can't say enough about the mild weather and sunshine at the foot of the Rockies and how much it can effect a person's emotional state. Yes, I am still smitten with this city!!

Chemical Texture & Style Statements

Yes indeedy!! I have been seriously lacking here. I would start inundating you with heartfelt apologies except for I do not feel the need to apologize.

Why? Not because I am rude, or insensitive. I also know that it's not a lack of dedication to this blog that has kept me.

Because I have been working!!! And not at a desk in front of a computer, in the salon. Behind the chair. Behind a mannequin head! Behind live models!! Part of my assistant ship at this salon is intense education. This is one of the major reasons I feel so privileged to work there. But the education takes place on the only two days of the week that I don't work so I have been working and learning through 80 hour weeks at a time with few days off. So there. No hard feelings right?

Having recently scored a 93% (please hold applause until the end of the piece) in the "chemical texturizing" phase, I will address the way I would like to offer this service once I start seeing clients.When I say the word "perm" I know we all get the same image in our head:



For Some, it is your own face you picture radiating from behind this out-of-control poof. For others it is a friend or family member. One way or another we all have a negative connotation in mind of a perm. What I am asking you to do now is throw out those stereotypes. Leave the 80's perm in the 80s. In 2009 there are new, and better perms.

Is your hair fine and limp? Does it refuse to do much aside from lie there? Is your hair thining as you age? Do you crave more body in your hair? A perm can be the answer for you! New and improved perms are much gentler on the hair, leaving less damage. There are many different techniques we can use to give a softer curl, and more natural curl pattern. Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, after a decade of bone straight hair, curl and wave are back in a big way. Just look at all the photos from the 2009 grammys. Hardly a head without a curl or wave!

Below are some very recent photos from the net. (I strongly apologize for not giving the proper credit. I found these photos on People.com and Instyle.com)



I am almost sure that most of these styles are not curls from perms. These waves and curls probably took a lot of time and energy to create. Lots of time and skill that most of us don't have on a daily basis. But if someone with straight hair got the right perm, these styles would take very little time and effort to create for the average person. Once your straight hair is infused with the body of a perm it is much easier to get the curl and body that these women are sporting. So c'mon ladies, out with the old! Start pumping more body into those locks!


Because I believe personal growth, and self exploration are so important to everyone,I would like to share a recent personal favorite that has brought some nice surprises. I recently saw a book suggestion from Apricot Tea.(one of my favs!) Style Statement is a tool that can help to live your life in a way that's true to you. (so the inside cover says) I am an optimist. I like to give everything a fair shot. I am not sure yet if this book will change the way I live, but I will keep you posted. What I can say for this book is I have discovered some things out about myself that are new to me. Being at the end of my 20s I started to think I had myself mostly figured out. How nice of a surprise it has been to still make new finds.