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.