The Benefits to Styling Products

As a new stylist you may feel a little weird about offering a styling product on your client, but as any stylist will tell you that is how you can up your ticket price. Styling products are a way for you to ensure your client will get the same type of style when they get home. There are many different types of products out there and you will here many clients say they will pick up their products when they go to their convenient store. Many hair products not sold by distributors or hair salons have been diluted and do not do the same as the regular products would do. Some hair products that you will use is moisturizing cream for people with dry hair, or extra body foam for a client who may feel their hair is not as full as they may want. 

We all use styling products such as gel or mousse but some other ones that can help you protect your clients hair and make you more money can be products for relaxers such as deep penetrating treatments that help to rebuild the cuticle of the hair, hair oils that will keep the hair hydrated and wrapping lotion that will assist you in wrapping the hair  up to keep the bounce and body from your roller set. Some product you can use on a person with curly hair is a anti-frizz mousse or a curl lock spray these are products that will help to maintain the curl and prevent the hair from frizzing up. These products should be applied to damp hair for the best result.

For short hair you have a wide variety of gels, pomades, and styling texturizers you can use to help keep up with the style they are maintaining. Many of these products is what us stylist are trained on using to give the best result and to train the clients on how to keep up with that style at home. Being a hair stylist this is a very important step in our job because if you don't offer these gifts to them and you don't use them then you are not showing the client the best work you can do. In the long run styling products will help you bring in extra revenue and also keep your clients hair loooking good.  

A Little Extra Bounce to My Hair.

Roller sets also known as wet-setting is a great way to get an extra bounce and body to your hair, along with a well desired curl. The effects of roller sets last longer then just curling your hair or blow drying an gives you a nice shine. Most people will look to doing a roller set when they are trying to avoid extra heat on their hair and wanting to obtain extra length. Roller sets can be done on any type of hair whether straight,curly or all natural and relaxed. When doing a roller set you want to shampoo the hair first and make sure to get the hair clean and conditioned. When you have thoroughly cleaned the hair you will want to brush the hair straight back. You will want to have at least 6 butterfly hair clips for your sectioning. 

First section your hair in to 6 sections, begin by making a vertical sections down the middle of the head to form a mo hawk down the middle of the head. Your next section will be horizontal from the tip of the ear to the other ear you should now have 3 sections going across the top. Then make two sections from the bottom of the earlobe to the middle of the head. Not into the mo hawk section clip those two sections away as well. You should know have four sections on the sides and a mo hawk section in the middle that is clipped into two sections. 

You can begin your rollers at the top of the mowhak section in the front making sure the hair is slightly wet, and place the hair on the top of the roller at a  90 degree angle and roll the hair to an on base position. Make sure to keep slight tension on the hair to make the hair as straight as possible when drying. The rollers will be going in a concave position and being placed on base. continue down the mowhak till you get to the crown area. If your client wants more volume you can continue down the mo hawk area, if they don't want to much volume in the back you can start to roll the rollers in a convex position with the rollers going in an upward position. 

Your front side areas will be rolled down in a concave position on base, making sure to use the roller as the width of your section if you need to make two rows in the front that is ok everyone head is shaped differently. Your back sections will be rolled down in a concave position as well. The top roller for the back sections will be smaller in width then the bottom, because you are trying to fit a roller in between two sections. Remember if your mo hawk section in the back is concave you will continue with concave and if it was convex keep with the way it was being rolled. 

When you have rolled the whole head you can put a hair net over the head to hole the rollers in place and place the client under the dryer for about an hour depending on how thick their hair is. You will need to feel the hair frequently to make sure it is really dry. When the hair is dry you can remove the hair net if you placed one on and remove the  clips that are holding the hair rollers in and remove the rollers, brush  the hair gently out and style if your client would like or you can wrap the hair up in a wrap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HtXHzoM5Yg    

Temporary Glue in Weave

Glued in extension are a quick and easy way to put in extension for special occansion. You can use these typs of extension for adding a splash of color or longer pices even to fill in areas that are losing hair. Some different types of hair pieces that can be used are the basic glued in weft method, fusion or individual strands, and even toupees ( mens hair pieces).  today we will be going over the basci weft mothod that can be used for some added length and fullness  for a client. Unlike a sewn in weave you dont have to worry about all the braiding of the natural hair, on the other hand you do have to check and make sure your client is not allergic to the hair glue that you will be using. You can check if they are allergic by doing a skin test. When doing a skin test you will take a little bit of the glue and apply a little dot to the inside of the wrist or behind the ear and wait 5 minutes and see if there is any redness or your client experiences any itching. If so you may have to use a different type of glue or try another method of how to put the extension in the hair. 

Just like when we was talking about putting in a sewn in weave you want to take 1/2" sections and in a horizontal lines and measure the weft from end to end. Be careful that when you are measuring you dont go over the ends of the hair but you stay fairly close to the inside of the hair. You dont want the ends of the extensions to show over their natural hair. After you measure the length of the weft you want to apply a small amount of glue along the base of the weft where it is sewn together at. Where youhave sectioned the hair you will then apply the weft to the scalp from one end to the other end, pushing down the weft to make sure it is all on the scalp. Be carful that you dont attach the weft to the hair but to the scalp so it will be easier to remove the weft when you are ready to take it out. Hold the weft down tightly to the scalp for an=bout a minute running your fingers along the length of the weft. Do not pull or add any tension the the weft for at least 5 min so it can dry completely.

Follow up the head with the horizontal section applying the wefts inbetween each section to the hair. You want to keep going up the head to the crown area ( high point on the head). Determine if your client would like to stop there or add more hair to the top fo radded lenghth and body. No matter where you decide to stop you have to make sure you have enough hair to cover the wefts and blend it in so it looks as natural as possible. When you are ready to take the extensions out of the head do not judt start pulling them out you can use a hair glue remover, vasealine  or any other cream based conditioner and massage the wefts by the scalp with the remover. This action allows you to loosen up the glue with out pulling out your natural hair. When you get the weft out of the hair take a comb and gently comb out any extra glue that might have been left in the hair. After you have gotten everything out of the hair you can wash the hair making sure you get everything out of the hair.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74DBDo3pPFo

I Would Like Longer Fuller Hair

For your clients who wants longer fuller hair you may want to offer putting in hair extensions. Extensions are a way for your clients to have a temporary length, color or added fullness. There are many different types of extensions and different way to put them in. Some ways you can put in extensions are by sewing them in, gluing, braiding or fusion and many more. Today we will be talking about some brief steps to putting in a  full head sewn in weave. When ever you are doing extensions you want to make sure the hair is washed and thoroughly dry. You want make sure you map out a plan on how you will blend the natural hair and the extensions together if you are not closing up the top. We will be going over the steps to a full head sewn in weave with a closure on top.

You want to begin with braiding down the persons natural hair in corn rows. There are many different ways you can braid the hair for the style you are trying to achieve. Today you can try with making braids across the back of the in a horizontal sections and going back and forth in a snake like motion. Continue this braiding technique all the way up the head to the top.When finish braiding thread your needle like you would if you was sewing clothes. Sewn down the ends of the hair to the cornrows. Measure your weft ( the hair extension) across the length of the braid cut it at the end where it fits the length. Push you C shaped needle through the sewn part of the weft and then begin to sew the weft to the braid making a X shape. Do this measuring and sewing across the braid up the head making sure to keep the tracks close together. 

Continue up the head past the ears going in a C shaped from ear to ear. When  you reach the top of the head you want to sew in a circle until you have a inch wide circle in diameter. When you reach your inch diameter you can measure the weave closure ( closes the top of the extension ) to make sure none   of the natural hair is being shown.  You can cut and style it the way your client will like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGwT8yKIZUs

I Have Flakes on my Scalp.

If you are finding that your client may seem to have a very dry scalp and a lot of dandruff  you may want to think of doing a scalp treatment. Scalp treatments are used for getting the dead skin that causes dandruff lifted up off the scalp to prevent excess build up of dandruff in the future. Getting a scalp treatment routinely will help with preventing this build up. A scalp treatment exfoliates the scalp. The stimulation of these treatments help to promote healthy blood circulation, and stimulates the hair follicle to grow.

Steps to a Scalp Treatment:

• You want to start with untangling the hair, comb out any and all knots that might be in the hair. Doing this step will make your sure your client is comfortable durning this procedure.
• Section the hair starting in the back with 1/4" to 1/2"  in sections you may section in a T part if you like or just horizontal parts across the length of the head. Starting at the bottom and working your way up to the top.
• Take your comb not a wide tooth comb but a regular width tooth comb and start scaling the scalp. Scaling is when you take the comb and using the tooth side you make little small circles on the scalp to lift up any dead skin.
•  When you have finished scaling brush the hair to get the extra build up out of the ends of the hair. You may do this step at the sink if you would like.
• Wash your clients hair with a cleansing shampoo and towel dry the hair. There is no need to use a conditioner because you are about to give them a deep conditioning treatment. 
• Using either cholesterol or a cream based deep conditioner you will apply it to the hair and begin massaging the head in a slow deep circular motion. You want to include using all of your massage techniques (efflurage, petrassage, and tappoment).
• Massage the hair for at least 15 minutes. You may go longer if your client is enjoying the massage.
• Slowly take your hands off their head letting them know you are about to stop massaging their head and placing them under the dryer. Sit them under the dryer for 20 minutes  
• When your time is up rinse out your conditioner with warm water. They may feel a little shocked when the water first hits their head because of the temperature change, that is normal.
• You may then dry and style the hair as your client would like.

This treatment is beneficial for the look , feel and overall health of your client. The deep tissue massage will help any one relax on a stressful day. If you notice that your clients hair is looking dull and full of flakes be sure to offer this added bonus to  your client. It may be a treatment that keeps them coming back.

Hot Oil Treatments

Hot oil treatments are used mostly for moisturizing dry damaged hair. It it used to help with the everyday stress your hair goes through from blow drying to combing and brushing. When you are doing a hot oil treatment it is a added bonus for you and your client. You can charge more for a hot oil treatment and your client hair is getting an extra conditioning treatment. If your client has very dry hair you would want to do this treatment twice a month. For average hair you would do this treatment at least once a month.

When you are starting a hot oil treatment you want to heat your oil in hot water never in a microwave you could cause severe burns to your clients scalp. Start with shampooing your clients hair to remove any products and dirt buildup, making sure the hair is getting thoroughly cleaned. This is another way of conditioning the hair so you will not need to use conditioner after you shampoo. Apply the oil in a downward motion coating the hair and scalp but not over saturating the hair. Give a deep scalp massage to the head and hair for at least a minimum of ten minutes. when you finish massaging your clients head place a plastic cap on their head and place them under the dryer for 10-15 minutes. Going under the dryer helps the oil get into the cortex of the hair and scalp. When their time is up take them from under the dryer and rinse the excess oil out of their hair.

You wont need to use any additional conditioner since you have done this it will coat the cortex of the hair strand and nourishes your scalp as well. You may style your clients hair as they desire but this is not recommended to do on someone who wants bouncy curls the same day. The oil can be a little heavy and weigh the hair down for a day or two.

Retouch My Roots

Relaxer retouches are done when a person has previously relaxed their hair and it has started to grow. The new hair that has grown in is called new growth and is found by the scalp.Retouching can be tricky because you have to be sure to not over process the hair that has been previously relaxed. You want to start off with your basic steps such as applying your protective cream, and sectioning you hair in a T part so you will have four sections, as before.You can also apply protective cream to the ends of the hair that was previously relaxed for added protection.

When beginning the relaxer you will again start with the most resistant area of the head and continuing your 1/4" inch sections. The smaller the section the better it guarantees that the hair has even and full coverage. When starting to apply you want to start at the root area of the head closet to the scalp and ONLY cover the new growth area. Going further down will cause over processing of the previous relaxed hair and can cause hair breakage. You will then begin your smoothing with the back bone of the comb do not comb through the hair while the relaxer is in it can cause the hair to stretch to much and break.

Processing time for a retouch is shorter than a virgin relaxer because you are working with less hair that needs to be straightened. When your processing time is over rinse the hair with luke warm water and follow with neutralizing shampoo. Be careful not to scratch the scalp when washing it is very sensitive and easy to cut. Condition the hair with a conditioner that is best for the clients style and texture of hair, dry and style.

How To's to a Virgin Hair Relaxer

A hair relaxer is a way to chemically straighten your hair. Many people do relaxers for long term straightening of the hair. When doing a Hair relaxer you have to decide if you will be doing a virgin relaxer or a retouch relaxer. A virgin relaxer is when the hair has never been processed with any chemicals such as previous relaxers, color, perms, hair lightening treatments etc.. any thing that can alter the natural effect of the hair. Making sure you client has not done any of the services prior to getting a relaxer is very important because if they have had any of these services in a certain time period than you client will be at risk of their hair having breakage and or falling out.

We will be talking about the steps you should go over when doing a virgin relaxer.
First when giving a client a relaxer you want to give them a patch test to make sure they are not allergic to the relaxer. You can do this by applying a little amount of relaxer to the back of the neck by the ear, leave it there for about five minutes just to see if they have any redness or irritation on the skin. If they do they might be sensitive to the product, and you can use another product. Also making sure they have not put any extra tension on the hair such as braids and ponytails. This added tension is stretching the hair out of its natural state and when relaxed can cause it to break.

Start with taking protective cream and applying it all around the hair line and over the ears. Protective cream can be Vaseline or cholesterol cream. Section the hair in a T part so you will have four sections. Mix your relaxer if it is needed if not you want to clip up all sections but the one you will be starting with. You want to start with the most resistant area of the head first. For each person it's different some may be the front others the back of the head. Generally you want to start with the back if you are not sure what area is most resistant. With your first section take 1/4" inch horizontal sections and apply the relaxer from the root which is up by the scalp to the ends of the hair working on both sides the top of the sections and bottom. Continue up the head with that section letting it hang loosely not compacted together. Go over to the next section in the back if you started in the back. You want to continue with the 1/4" inch sections through the whole head.

After you have completed applying the relaxer to the whole head you will start smoothing the relaxer for the remainder of the time. You can do this by taking the backbone of the comb and gently running it over the hair to make sure there is no waves in the hair. Once that is done and your clients processing time has reached you may start to rinse the relaxer out with luke warm water (processing time is different for each texture of hair). You want to rise for at least five min before following up with the neutralizing shampoo. Neutralizing shampoo is a shampoo that is used to stop the chemical process that is being done and also to restore the natural pH of the hair. Some of the neutralizing Shampoos are color coded witch indicates that there is still relaxer in the hair. If so it will change colors letting you know to continue washing out the hair. You will then continue with conditioner, drying and styling your clients hair as requested.

I think I want to try hair color.

Hair coloring is an on going trend that allows you to express who you are with the colors you would like to choose. When you are coloring Virgin hair it is like having a blank canvas and gives you the opportunity to come up with a color that compliments the skin complexion and personality of the client. If your client has virgin hair you don't want to go to extreme unless they are completely sure that is what they want. Changing your hair color can be very shocking for some people so its best to work in baby steps.

Before any color is done on any client if they are new to you and has had color or even if they have virgin hair you always want to do a patch test. A patch test is a way to check if your client is allergic to the color. Since color is made with peroxide and other chemicals just to make sure it should always be done 24 hours prior to a color service.When doing a patch test you want to mix a little bit of color and apply it to either the back of the ear or inside of the wrist and cover it with a band-aid. Instruct your client not to wash the area and to look for any redness or itching swelling if this happen they should take some Benadryl. If these symptoms get worse see a doctor, those symptoms are signs of a positive allergic reaction to the color and they should not have color applied to their hair. Some clients may not be allergic to all colors maybe just the color line you work with so be sure to cover yourself. 

When you are ready to color after you have found your clients natural color and the color they would like to become you can begin with applying your protective cream around the hairline and  sectioning the hair in four sections ( T part). You will then start at the bottom of the head with 1/4" sections and apply your color starting at the mid-shaft ( 1/2" from the scalp)  of the section, not up to the roots. Applying at the roots first will cause the top of the hair to process faster then the ends due to body heat. Finish the whole head starting at the mid-shaft to the ends. When you have completed this step go back and apply the color to the root area. Let the hair rest for the processing time each is different depending on the color line so make sure to read your processing times. Set your timer when it goes off your client is done processing and now you can wash the color out of the hair and and begin your conditioning treatments, dry and style the hair your client may like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5NsxmTNRiQ

What's my natural Hair color

We all love to get our hair colored but when giving color to a new client's hair it can become a very tricky task, especially if it has been previously colored. Whether your client is going darker or lighter than what they may have already had you still need to be able to come up with a plan if action. Always starting with what is this persons natural hair color.

When looking to find a persons natural hair color you will need to start by checking if your clients hair has any products in it such as gel or hair spray. If so just gently brush the hair out, so you can lift up any of the products. You want to look at the top of the head for a line of demarcation. This line is a line that is in between the natural color and the previously colored hair. When you find it, it will give you an idea of how much new growth your client may have. Next you want to part the hair down the middle of the head and and look for that line of demarcation again. You will then take your color swatch book and hold it up to your clients head starting at the crown area in the middle of the head. After that you will check the nape area of the head and will go with the color that is closest to their natural hair color. You will always want to look in these ares for a person's natural hair color and not just the top because the sun, tanning and environmental factors can change the color of the hair. So you want to try looking for the areas that is the least exposed to sunlight or anything else that can change the hair.

You may then come up with your plan of action on how you may be coloring your clients hair and what colors you may need to use.  

Dry Me Please...

We all love when we are getting our hair dried by a salon professional, but for some reason it never comes out the same way if we were to do it our selves. When you are done washing the hair if you cant execute a well  blow drying of the hair it can completely mess up the style you may want to do after with tons of fly aways and frizzy hair. Even worse leaving the salon and your hair still feels wet. Well I'm going to give you some tricks to keep up the look you have always wanted to achieve.

First: Towel blot your hair to get all the excess water out before you begin to blow dry the hair this will only give you extra work and be more time consuming for you.
Second: Do not add any products in the hair just yet it is still way to wet to absorb any of the product you will like to use.
Third: Blow dry with out using anything no brushes just let the air from the blow dryer get  rid of the excess water do this for about two minutes.
Fourth: Now you want to get your vent brush not a round brush yet and get the hair at least 25% dry when you feel it is damp but not dripping wet you may add in your hair products, such as thermal heat  protectant's straightening cream and sealants.
Fifth: After you have added you hair care products you can then continue to blow dry with a round brush starting from the bottom and working your way up the hair strand. Try not to start right at the top of the hair strand because the hair will tangle as you pull the brush down to the ends. When the piece you are drying feels dry you may use a cool setting on the dryer to hold the curl in the hair.

These steps will make you drying experience a lot more enjoyable with out the added wasted time.

Give me a good Shampoo...

Shampooing is one of the most important services you can give a client in the salon. It may seem simple enough on how to give a shampoo but there are techniques that you can do to keep your clients coming back every time. Having patience no matter how busy it may be in the salon and great massaging techniques can make your client feel special every time they come to see you. Here are some great tips to giving an exceptional shampoo that will keep them coming back for more.

Trim Your Nails: Having nails way to long may seem like a great thing for washing hair but in reality it's not. Everyone likes their head to be scratched but when washing hair the scalp is easier to create cuts and you can really cause damage with them claws. If you do have long nails put on gloves and when washing use the balls of your fingertips not your nails.

It's Raining on Me: When shampooing you don't need to give your client another shower, or remove their makeup unless your doing a free  makeup application. Be sure to hold the hose to the sink close to the head to avoid water splashing all over them.

My Back Is Wet: When your client is sitting in the chair before they even put their head in the neck rest of the bowl make sure the cape is over the back of the chair and not in between their back and the chair. Also make sure that all their hair is in the bowl and not in the neck rest. Doing these little things will help you make sure your clients back does not become soak and wet from water running down, and you wont have to worry about blow drying your clients clothes after you shampoo.

Is there a Fire: We all know you have other clients coming in but your client shouldn't be able to tell from their shampoo experience. Rushing through shampooing the hair is the worst thing ever. Shampooing gets your clients relaxed and makes your job easier. Give a five to ten minute deep scalp massage letting them know they are important to you. The more important they feel the bigger your tip can be in the end.

Shampooing can be a tedious task for all stylist but it is where you can make the big bucks in tips if clients feel rushed or you manage to soak them with water you will loose that person as a client. Prevent these little mistakes by taking time and letting them enjoy the service they came to see you for.