Thursday, July 03, 2008
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Mandy Zelinka owns 77 Salon in Portland, Oregon, and wrote to me after I blogged about
Jenna Bush’s wedding half-updo urging you to sharpen your skills with our
online updo classes. At 31 years old, Mandy totally gets the whole thing about brides
choosing today’s definition of elegance over yesterday’s traditional piled-high updo. The photo here shows Mandy’s most-requested knot. “I have had people email me from all over the country asking me how to tell their stylist to do it,” she reports.
For her own article on the same topic, Mandy had earlier written: “Moments after a bride has been proposed to, her mind immediately starts to race. An overwhelming sense of urgency to find the most skilled professionals to assist in creating the atmosphere for the most important day of her life. Then it happens...horrific visions dating back to her high school days. PROM HAIR. Panic flushes over her entire body. Images of teased, overly hairsprayed tresses fill her head. Ten minutes into being fiance’d she is already exhausted from the preliminary planning process.”
She’s happy to let brides know that their wedding need not repeat their prom experience, and she agrees that
hair styling education is the answer. “There has always been a proficiency blip when it comes to hairstylists and the ’do,” she says, adding that few stylists “are able to efficiently manipulate the locks of brides.” Mandy writes a blog of her own at
seventysevenportland.blogspot.com. Check it out!
Monday, June 30, 2008
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Last week I encouraged you to elevate yourself to "hair whisperer" status. But how? I think your strategy must be three-pronged. As usual, I urge you to take all sorts of
hair classes, because education certainly is one of the three
considerations. The second is your natural gifts; I never underestimate not only the raw talent required to achieve a great cut, color or style but also a person's need for creative expression that typically drives a passion for the work. The third prong is the repetition inherent in experience.
A fascinating book I picked up recently, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell, addresses how we make instant, instinctual decisions that end up looking like true brilliance. We subconsciously base decisions on a combination of the first two prongs, training and natural skill, with our lifelong experiences. We use every ounce of personal history and seasoning that have become part of our very fabric.
I'll bet that sometimes when a new staffer asks you how you know where to cut or how you figure out a color formula, your response is, "I just know." That's blink power. It isn't conscious thinking, but it's still a thought process. It's a magic that you rely upon every day in order to make the split-second decisions that lead to a great hair cut or color. But it's not really magic. It's based on your experience, your inborn creativity and, my favorite, a lifelong schedule of
hair education.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
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Here in Illinois the somewhat seamy trial of R&B singer R. Kelly was front page news for weeks, and afterwards
The Chicago Tribune ran a story about the intriguing way that Kelly's attorney, Sam Adam Jr., addressed the jury in his closing remarks. What's that have to do with
hair education? Adam delivered a monologue that provides valuable instruction for any service professional who must appeal to all sorts of individuals to win a case or, more appropriately for hair stylists, retain clients.
According to the
Tribune, Adam prepared for the closing by figuring out what made each jury member tick and then including something in his remarks that would resonate with one jury member, then the next and the next until every member could relate and feel invested in the lawyer's plea to acquit the defendant. The article noted: "For the preacher's wife, he quoted scripture. For the Romanian immigrant, he described the American justice system as a beacon for all the world. For the twentysomethings on the panel, he mentioned ‘The Office,' Hannah Montana and Dave Chappelle."
Applying this lesson to your
hair education, think of your clients individually, not collectively. Speak to their varying needs, tastes, lifestyles. Follow politics, watch reality shows, know where your local sports teams stand. Ask about the wedding or graduation the client was looking forward to attending. Establish a one-to-one relationship with each client and you will be rewarded with a full book, just as Sam Adam Jr. received R. Kelly's acquittal.
Monday, June 23, 2008
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I thought I was being original when I decided to suggest that you call yourself "The Hair Whisperer" if you just have a way of getting any head of hair to obey your commands. I planned to ask you whether you supplement your natural hair whispering gifts by updating your skills through
continuing hair education, practicing on your own time, talking with colleagues and other means.
I suppose I can still ask you about that, but I can't claim any originality. A Google search on "hair whisperer" turns up four or five pages of salons with that name and individual hair stylists who either have handed themselves that title or have been given the label by a client or peer. For example, Chicago blogger Beth Kujawski praises her hairdresser on her "Finding My Voice" site: "Hair architect, people. Hair. Architect. Or, as I dubbed him today, The Hair Whisperer. ‘I listen to the hair,' he says. ‘It tells me what to do.'"
Wouldn't you love for your clients to think about you that way? Better yet, to blog about your rare gift so that others may discover it? While I accept that raw talent gets you pretty far in this business, I believe that becoming a hair whisperer takes persistence, a high level of dedication to the craft, and a commitment to continuous improvement that includes a regular schedule of
continuing education. While it may not be that original, being a hair whisperer isn't a bad goal to have.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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Whenever I see a photo in a celeb magazine of Rihanna’s long-fringed pixie, which is constantly, all I can think of is: Gee, Rihanna sort of looks like American Idol David Cook. Also Ed Westwick
from “Gossip Girl” and Fall Out Boy lead singer Pete Wentz. What I’m getting at is that when you do your regular
hair education by practicing some of today’s popular short cuts on your mannequins (you do that, don’t you?), how much does
it really matter whether your mannequin was beheaded from a male body or a female one?
The cut I’m talking about, with male/female versions shown here, sweeps a textured fringe across one eye. It’s just edgy enough to be favored by rockers and young people, and it seems to me that one sex wears it as easily as the other, especially since Rihanna has brought it to front and center for the ladies.
Whenever you get clients to go point-cut short, they have to come in for frequent maintenance, so of course I encourage you to take
hair cutting education to sharpen your cutting skills for this potentially high-profit unisex-ish cut. I’ll also go out on a limb here and predict that once this cut drops off the hot-styles radar, it will morph into a great look for older women. I would love to know whether you’re doing this cut and, if so, whether the demand is more from men or from women. And I love receiving your pics!
The woman’s style: hair by Andi Scarbrough; make-up by Kristie Streichen; model is Megan Morris.
Monday, June 16, 2008
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Maybe you were one of those superstar stylists who went on to launch your own salon, and now you’re having trouble figuring out how to be th
e primary generator of business while also attending to your management duties. Recently I spoke with Matthew Scudder, operations manager at Harms Software, who believes it’s perfectly feasible to do both if you approach your available time realistically.
Continuing education is mandatory for success.
Matthew told me, “Owners don’t always take the time to analyze their business when they’re busy getting people in their chair. Ongoing training can be an afterthought.” How can you carve out time not only for running the numbers, training and hiring staff and performing all of the required administrative tasks but also for updating your own skills? Scudder suggests extending your hours a few days per week and raising your prices, which will push some of your clients to book with your lower-priced stylists. Then don’t take new clients at least for a while. Will your salon lose a few clients? Sure. You’ll make up for it through your heightened focus.
Use the time you’ve set aside to really get to know your business and also to sharpen your skills, both technical and business. Go to manufacturers’ workshops, take some
online education, check out trade shows. “I don’t think it has to be either/or,” Scudder adds. “You don’t have to choose whether to cut hair or run your business. I do think there’s a happy medium.”
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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I hope you’re online because you’re interested in taking our
online hair education, but whatever the reason,
as long as you’re here how about exploring the art world from the comfort of your computer chair? You’re a hair artist, after all, and often stylists tell me that they find peace and inspiration from observing artwork ranging from fine paintings in museums to graffiti on cement walls. You may be surprised at the wealth of art that’s online and free.
An article on lifehacker.com called “
Technophilia: Discover the .EDU Underground” includes a section on art with links that will have you looking at everything from classic Greek sculpture to a huge collection of Picasso paintings. Go find the biggest monitor screen you have, and enjoy! The links are: the Yale University Art Gallery at
http://artgallery.yale.edu/; all sorts of art and architecture supplied by Sweet Briar College at
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html; another set of resources at the University of Michigan’s site,
http://www.art-design.umich.edu/mother/; links to more galleries and resources supplied by Concordia University of Quebec at
http://www.harmsen.net/ahrc/; and that unbelievably extensive Picasso virtual museum I mentioned at
http://picasso.tamu.edu/picasso/.
The wealth of information and enlightenment you can gather online is really remarkable. Spending an hour or two with artwork can give you ideas for your own craft, because hair design is just one more facet of artistry.
Online education for hairdressers can take a lot of different forms, and I recommend that you take advantage of all of them!
Monday, June 09, 2008
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Although I think that every hairdresser should have training in
updo styling, I’ve been interested to hear the reaction to my post last month asking you whether, in your experience behind the chair, updo’s are simply over, at least for the time being. Salon owner Kathy Patrick, author of the book,
The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life and the force behind the website
bea
utyandthebook.com, wrote this to me:
“I agree, most young women are selecting styles that are down or partially up for special occasions. I believe young women today are wanting something more than the beauty pageant look. I also am a firm believer that instead of cookie cutter hairdos, each client’s hair should reflect her own personality and desire.”
The photos here of the prom styles Kathy crafted for her blonde daughter and her daughter’s brunette friend illustrate ways to recognize the special event without necessarily piling the hair on top of the head. The hair moves and frames the face, two advantages that appeal to younger clients, but the looks are still complicated enough that the client needs a professional hairdresser to create the design and pull off the
updo styling-lite techniques. With prom girls choosing tea-length dresses rather than traditional floor-sweeping gowns, I’m not surprised that they’re opting to go with these newer half-formal hair styles. I have a little more on this topic, so there’s still time to share your opinion.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
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When I started this topic a few days back I figured I’d encourage you to get as much
hair education as you’d need to do all four
“Sex and the City” personality types. What I didn’t realize until I took
the quiz myself, identifying which SATC lady I most resemble, is that there are many more than four types involved. There’s an infinite number, because in real life women are combinations of the four, or more, in varying percentages; no two are exactly alike.
In my case, I’m 30 percent each Miranda and Charlotte and 20 percent each Carrie and Samantha. So you really have to stay on your toes to figure out whether a style is just a little edgy for one client or too conservative for another. That’s why the consultation is so important to the service you provide, and why being a good listener is a highly profitable quality in this business.
But back to SATC. Even broader than the personality range is the variety of hair represented. Let’s say these gals were your clients. You’d have to know
hair color, since you have blonde, red, light brown and dark brown. In hair
texture and style, there’s Miranda’s short-and-chic look, Carrie’s dual faces of blown-out straight and naturally super-curly, Charlotte’s long layers and Samantha’s loose midlength waves. Mix and match the countless variations of those hair looks with the endless personality blends, and you get what’s probably your entire clientele. You must be able to do it all!
Monday, June 02, 2008
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I find the TV series whiny, but, well, ok, I went to
ivillage and took the quiz to see whether I’m primarily
Carrie, Charlotte, 
Miranda or Samantha. From what I hear, and I hear a lot now that “
Sex and the City,” the movie, has premiered, every female skews toward one of those four personality types. But let’s talk about you, the
professional hairdresser.
I’m only moderately nosy about which personality you are, although please do take the quiz and report back! I’m more concerned about whether you connect professionally to all four, because you’ll get each of them in your chair eventually. You may specialize in one type, and that’s fine if your book is filled. Perhaps you do a ton of strong professional types like attorney Miranda or publicist Samantha, or maybe you’re located near a cultural center and have art world clients like Charlotte. But can you handle the others when you encounter them?
As a
professional stylist, you should have tricks in your bag that you can pull out for different clients rather than being a one-trick pony who feels comfortable only with the most cutting-edge clients or middle-aged women or whatever it is you prefer. Again, I’m talking only to those of you without full books. If you’ve built a bulging business excluding all but your favorites, more power to you. Let’s go further into this and also talk about their hair. Which one am I? Whoops, ran out of room. I’ll dish next time!