Just got a haircut and I am seriously not happy :(

[hairgirl95]

YAY marriedwithdiamonds!! A fellow hair slinger! Kinda crazy scary how REAL my post really was, huh! And yes, I LOOOOOVE corrective color. I like the challenge, and I like the look on the clients face when they say "now THATS what I wanted--why did it not work for me?" LOL at the home color comment. It is true. People don't realize that when we color their hair, its not just "dump 1 bottle in a bowl" and color away. Its about mixing different tones and levels and the correct developer.......Nothing like some healthy hair chat on a Friday night!!

Princess--don't fret sweetie. Just communicate. If you are looking for something drastic, I would recommend bringing LOTS of pictures with you--both for the cut AND the color. Be excited, patient, and ask lots of questions. When the stylist sees that you are excited, passionate, and patient about this new look, she will be just as excited to do it!!! I love doing total transformations. They are so much fun, and really, a rarity. You don't get many of those a week. Its usually maintenance trims and regrowth touchups. I have faith that you will have a great outcome. Don't let the horror stories scare you. We've all heard it a million times--a happy customer will tell maybe 3 people. An upset customer will tell 15. Noone has posted on here about their hair happiness, have they??!! But I am willing to bet the majority of the board population, while maybe having a couple of bad experiences in their lifetime, are currently happy with their stylist, colorist, and current hairstyle. I am excited for you and your big change. I am sure you are going to looove it

 

[deegee]

I recently had a major miscommunication with my stylist, but I decided not to complain. I have been going to her for over 10 years. We don''t have an abundance of good stylists around here, and she is one of the best. She is an awesome colorist. I don''t know what I said to make her cut my hair from mid-back (around my bra strap) to barely touching my shoulders with two funky layers, one at my chin and one right below, but I left quite stunned. My hair is way too curly for whatever the style was supposed to be. Anyway, when I went back for my regular color, she apologized profusely for the cut and asked if she could give me a completely different style. I''m really quite happy with the new cut, although my hair is now wayyy shorter than it was a mere 2 months ago! I never did complain, but she knew she screwed up. She refused to charge me for my last visit even though she worked on my hair for a long time.

I think maybe I''ll buy some new earrings to compensate for the loss of hair.

 

[dianne]

Deelight--I am so sorry...I know how upsetting it can be. I recall my hair being at the center of my back, right at my bra strap, and I asked the stylist (my first time seeing her but she was highly recommended) to barely trim the bottom. She had hair the same length and I had told her I wanted it left long, like hers. Now, I had bleached blonde (pulled thru a cap heavily) and a perm on top of that. (mid 1980s) Healthy?...umm, no... but it was MY frizzy mess and I wanted to keep it. Well, she cut it up to my shoulders. She told me afterwards that it took off most of the dead, split ends (ya think?!) and would be much healthier. I couldn''t even speak trying to hold back tears and paid her silently and left.

I was very clear about what I wanted, I used the correct terminology, and even better I used the stylist, herself, as the model. How can I be sure I did all that I could?....well, I used to be a stylist, myself, but couldn''t continue due to rheumatoid arthritis.

I feel like I can relate to all these posts because I have been on both sides. I know how it is to have a customer you can''t please and I know what it''s like to be a customer who isn''t pleased. As far as being mean, I never was, but (hand on the Bible) I looked very hard at the stylist''s scissors sticking out of her pocket and envisioned myself grabbing her hair and cutting a big hunk of it off. I know, I sound like a psycho...and I didn''t do it...but the vision was uncomfortably clear.

I still come right in from a haircut and go directly to the mirror and re-do whatever has been done. As soon as I come in the door DH will say, "Get your hair cut?"
"Yes."
"So, now you''re going to the bathroom to recut it?"
"Yes."
"Why do you keep paying someone?"
"I dunno...I guess I keep hoping it''ll be right someday".....sigh.

 

[hairgirl95]

deegee--sorry to hear about your experience. But, I think you handled it like a grown up mature person. And it sounds like your stylist held herself accountable (and she should!) and I am glad to hear she is giving you some freebies and perks while you transition back to the style you want. You both handled it perfect. In the hair industry, it is never 100% fail safe. Accidents and mishaps do occur. That is true for ANY industry. We are all human and make mistakes. Its how we rectify them, learn from them, and grow from them that prevent us from making the same mistake again. Glad you like this new style though! Maybe it will "grow" on you....hee hee get it?? GROW on you.....okay, slap happy has set in. Its probably time for me to go to bed!!

 

[hairgirl95]

Dianne---

Man, its stylists like that that make me want to pull my hair out! Its sad really---there really are some stylists out there that really should hang up the scissors. Its idiots like them who give ALL of us a bad name. I laughed so hard when I read the dialog with your husband--I get the SAME THING! I ALWAYS come home and "fiddle" with my new cut. I think its ingrained in a hairstylists mind that unless we took our own shears to at least PART of the haircut, it can''t possibly be right, huh! And I laughed even HARDER at the shear glance whack her hair off to get even comment. That was hilarious!!! Thanks for the great giggle!!

 

[princesss]

Haha, hairgirl, you didn''t see my post a year ago. It seems this is a trend for me. I end up deciding on a huge change (last year it was hair just to my bra strap to a long-ish pixie cut) and then having to do it RIGHT THEN. I''m proud that I''ll have waited two weeks for this! I posted pictures last time, and I''m sure I will again... My new stylist (a lovely man named Rex) seemed really excited when I went in for my consultation, and explained to me what would be possible with my hair and what wouldn''t, so I''m feeling like he sees (at least colour-wise, since that''s all we talked about) what I''m going for.

I''ve been going through pictures and am going to bring plenty of info with me, so we''ll see how it goes!

Deelight, I''m so sorry you''re unhappy with your hair! It gets really frustrating when you feel like you''ve been perfectly clear and somehow your hair ends up completely different than what you imagined.

 

[hairgirl95]

OH princess--I went back and looked at the pics from a year ago---that was the MOST ADORABLE CUT EVER!!! I personally looooooved that on you! It make you look so cute and vibrant! I like your taste in styles. I admire your bravery for a big change. Honestly, I liked the short flippy cut better than your long hair. But, you have gorgeous hair and a stunning face so you could pull any style off. You have to post pics tomorrow after your new transformation. I am super excited to see it! Sounds like the consult went really well. I am sure you will be happy with your new ''do.

 

[dianne]

Date: 6/20/2008 10:18:40 PM
Author: hairgirl95
Dianne---

Man, its stylists like that that make me want to pull my hair out! Its sad really---there really are some stylists out there that really should hang up the scissors. Its idiots like them who give ALL of us a bad name. I laughed so hard when I read the dialog with your husband--I get the SAME THING! I ALWAYS come home and ''fiddle'' with my new cut. I think its ingrained in a hairstylists mind that unless we took our own shears to at least PART of the haircut, it can''t possibly be right, huh! And I laughed even HARDER at the shear glance whack her hair off to get even comment. That was hilarious!!! Thanks for the great giggle!!

hairgirl: You definitely know what it''s like to be on both sides, as well. I really can relate to everyone. From the first post I was shaking my head in agreement that I know exactly what Deelight is going through and feel so bad for her...then I got to your post and was shaking my head that I knew exactly what you were saying, too. Both sides are tough and, as it has been said before, communication is key...and finding someone who knows what they are doing helps, too.

I was like you that I was extra careful when cutting length, especially around the face, and was freaky-careful about hair with any curl/wave at all. Did you use the trick that if someone has a cowlick in the front you leave that section longer so when it bounces up it''s even with the rest? I had one customer who, I think, would have come to me just for this one thing. Remember, this was the 80''s-- but I have piggybacked a perm before with 5 rods on one hair section so solution and neutralizer got all the way to the end of someone whose hair was down her back. I just always tried to do the best I could as if it were my own hair I was cutting/perming/coloring. I think you see in every job there are some that care and some that don''t...and some are simply better than others. Good luck to all...especially those of you who plan to try something new!!

 

[hairgirl95]

AMEN Dianne!! I think you may be my long lost hairstylist soul sister!! Your post was great. I couldn''t have said it better myself. And, I must digress, I, too, been the victim of a shoddy haircut. I wear a very funky messy swooped front spiky messy trendy cut. And when I went for my 3 week trim (my hair grows like a weed) I literally had a scalp job. My hair was soooo short that it wouldn''t even spiky up at all. Laid flat to my head. I looked like a drowned rat. But, 2 weeks later, it was better. And I actually went 6 weeks between cuts that time!! I teased the girl, one of my employees, about being mad at me and taking it out with her scissors. She felt bad, we both blew it off, and at the end of the 6 weeks, no harm no foul. It was actually a bad haircut that inspired me to go to cosmo school. I had a HORRID attempt at a stacked swing bob when I was 16. Classic case of the stylist did NOT listen to me AT ALL. I wanted a trim, and got a hack job. But, that horrible haircut paved the way for the life I live today. That stylist does cut hair in Vegas now---maybe she rubbed off on too many people out there. lol So, yes, I can totally see both sides of the fence too. And I feel for anyone who has been in the situation of being unhappy with their hair. Its very frustrating. And ditto on the cowlick trick! an angled nip with thinning shears at a 45 degree angle halfway down the shaft works wonders for that too. Only on bangs or short hair though. Learned that little gem at a great hairshow a few years ago. It works wonders!!

 

[Gemma12]

Deelight, I''m so sorry that this has happened. I feel your pain as someone with thick very curly hair!

Is this a salon or a stylist who you have been too regularly? I have gone back into my salon after a cut when something is not quite right (like a too long fringe) and they have fixed it for free. Obviously they can''t fix this but they might give you a gift cert for a blow dry or something.... You may not want $$ off your next cut

! Having said that, I am a regular customer and go there for waxing, nails etc too. I agree that a calm approach is probably better in this situation.

I hope that it grows out quickly-what did your DH say?

 

[Deelight]

Date: 6/20/2008 8:28:16 PM
Author: marriedwithdiamonds
i am a stylist too and i have to say that what hairgirl wrote IS accurate!




i only keep gracious clients



also i LOVE at home haircolor, it brings in so many corrections!



if anyone thinks that store bought color is just as good as a salon coloring they are using the wrong stylist

I 110% agree with what you both have said my sister started her hairdressing apprenticeship when I was 1 I am now 28 so my whole life I have essentially grown up and hair and her whims (I used to also be her tea and tidy from time to time so I have even worked in a salon

). I had my first perm at 4 and my first colour at 12 . I have done a lot to my poor hair but she keeps on trucking .

The stuff from a bottle is nowhere near as good as the salon stuff but then again the quality of perm and colour solutions will vary from salon to salon. I do admit I will use the stuff I can do at home but I loathe paying $200 to get my hair colour done and have it fade in 2 weeks, might as well fly interstate to get my hair done which is what I plan to do next time .


I have never been all that attached to my hair previously but as I was growing it and was really proud of it and I was really specific with the guy I even said I want to keep the length, I definitely don''t want the layers to short all I need is to have it tidied a bit and shaped. When he finished he even said it was the same length which it wasn''t - I also know for certain as this cause this morning I found a chunk of hair that he missed cutting.

I will admit I can be picky but the things I am picky about a really things stylists should do anyway, like cleaning the hair off you when they have finished, check the sides are even, style your hair, cut your whole fringe the little things. In the 12 years since my sister moved I have found 2 people that can cut hair well one moved to England just after my formal and then the other got promoted to another salon about 45min away I actually went there but the distance is really to far she was touched though .

I didn''t get a chance to call the salon today as I had a wedding to attend but I will call them Monday I disagree that it will fall on deaf ears it may it may not really depends on the manager.

Gemma My FF goes there all the time the girl who usually cuts his hair does a wonderful job, she checks, double, triple checks she cleans you off as she goes she is UBER precise and does a good job he has hard hair to cut it is really thick and curly if I go back I will ask for her or the other lady who fixed my hair the last time it was smegged by their sister salon (that was worse from past the shoulders to monkey magic hair).

princesss Good luck with your change and good call going with the stylist. IMHO colours gone wrong are easier for me to deal with then cuts gone wrong because you can always colour over them . My advice though if you have colour/perm in your hair tell your stylist so they know as some chemicals can react unfavorably. Just be open to the fact if you have built up colour in your hair that it might take a a few goes to get it all out depends really on the strength and health of your hair .


Thank you to everyone for the support and sharing their stories it does make me feel a million times better

. Going to get myself some biotin tomorrow to help things along .

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 6/21/2008 10:28:55 AM
Author: Deelight
I will admit I can be picky but the things I am picky about a really things stylists should do anyway, like cleaning the hair off you when they have finished, check the sides are even, style your hair, cut your whole fringe the little things. In the 12 years since my sister moved I have found 2 people that can cut hair well one moved to England just after my formal and then the other got promoted to another salon about 45min away I actually went there but the distance is really to far she was touched though .

Clearly this means you need to move here. I see this as the only solution.

 

[VegasAngel]

I just thought I''d post this link since Paula has very valid points that we have been discussing in this thread stylists & not. BTW if you dont Have Paula''s Dont Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products Without Me, check it out. A lot of the "The best products" are no longer around though since product lines are revamped so often. Still, the book has a wealth of information.

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/hair.asp?ID=397

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 6/20/2008 7:20:05 PM
Author: hairgirl95
Salons/stylists these days are such big rip-offs as it is I might start doing my own color for what $6 a box? I can afford to make a few mistakes & learn as I go.[/u]

Good luck with that Vegas. It will then cost you $100''s to have it fixed. by a PROFESSIONAL. Theres a reason hair color is 6 bucks a box. Its backed my an inexperienced person who can and USUALLY does mess it up.

Um. I can''t tell you the hair disasters I''ve had. (Mostly going from platinum blonde to natural looking dark blonde, and from yellow/orange to dark blonde.) Luckily, because I''ve been going to my stylist (who is also the owner of the salon) for so long, and add in the fact that my mom goes to her, as well as some more distantly related family- V is there for me every time.

If she''s not available, she finds someone who is and tells them exactly what to do. I''m picky with my hair and she knows it. I''ve done my part-I''ve bleached the living poo out of my hair more times than I can count, and every single time, she''s had to clean up my mistakes. And yes, I''ve had to pay for it, but one thing I''ll say is that I''m at least pretty darn good at messing up my hair, and it doesn''t end up costing 100s to fix-only because I''m not stupid about it and I think a long time before I make these mistakes.

Having said all of that, I won''t self color my hair anymore. Been there, done that, not going back. I''d rather go to my salon and get it done right the first time and pay $60, then shell out $10 for a box and then pay $80 to have V fix it.

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 6/21/2008 2:53:16 PM
Author: FrekeChild

Date: 6/20/2008 7:20:05 PM
Author: hairgirl95
Salons/stylists these days are such big rip-offs as it is I might start doing my own color for what $6 a box? I can afford to make a few mistakes & learn as I go.[/u]

Good luck with that Vegas. It will then cost you $100's to have it fixed. by a PROFESSIONAL. Theres a reason hair color is 6 bucks a box. Its backed my an inexperienced person who can and USUALLY does mess it up.

Um. I can't tell you the hair disasters I've had. (Mostly going from platinum blonde to natural looking dark blonde, and from yellow/orange to dark blonde.) Luckily, because I've been going to my stylist (who is also the owner of the salon) for so long, and add in the fact that my mom goes to her, as well as some more distantly related family- V is there for me every time.

If she's not available, she finds someone who is and tells them exactly what to do. I'm picky with my hair and she knows it. I've done my part-I've bleached the living poo out of my hair more times than I can count, and every single time, she's had to clean up my mistakes. And yes, I've had to pay for it, but one thing I'll say is that I'm at least pretty darn good at messing up my hair, and it doesn't end up costing 100s to fix-only because I'm not stupid about it and I think a long time before I make these mistakes.

Having said all of that, I won't self color my hair anymore. Been there, done that, not going back. I'd rather go to my salon and get it done right the first time and pay $60, then shell out $10 for a box and then pay $80 to have V fix it.

That is why I posted that link. It is certainly possible to do home color like I mentioned when I was blonde I did a great job. Never had bands of color or any other signs of a home/bad color job. Would I attempt HL's or something intricate? HECK no. I may need a correction doing it myself but I have also needed corrections for botched jobs from stylists.

As for my comment about stylists here needing training, if you live in Vegas them you most certainly know how hard it is to find a great stylist even with the overabundance of salons. That is a fact. I prefer stylists who continue their education via seminars and classes- A lot of them here dont.

I have 2 stylists that I love. One who does amazing color the other amazing cuts. My Stylist for color only works 3 days a week & since she does photoshoots & travels to/with clients I have a hard time getting appointments. My other stylist does hair & a second job so she is hard to catch. So, when I cant wait I try a new place.

 

[hairgirl95]

Freke---lol at your post. You gave a great example of the importance of a great stylist. Sounds like you have an excellent one. I agree--corrective color isn't ALWAYS 100's of dollars, but it does depend on how bad you screw it up. And how well you know the stylist. Some stylists will give a regular client a hefty break on the price to keep them coming to them for future color jobs. Taking a hit in the beginning can give you a $60 every 4-6 weeks for the lifetime of the client/stylist relationship. There are some color corrections that, believe it or not, require MONTHS of work and many color combinations to bring it back to something normal. No, this is not the norm, but they are the most difficult and expensive to fix. Props to you and your stylist--sounds like you make a great combo!

Vegas--I read the article you posted, and a few things stood out to me. First, its really hard to determine how many people get their hair colored in the salon because there are NO statistics for it. The article says so itself.

Second: I copied and pasted this directly from cosmeticcops.com website:

"The ways hair dyes function and the ingredients that create these products do not differ between inexpensive products and those found in salon products. The major difference, and this is fairly major, is that a professional colorist can custom blend a specific color and control the amount of peroxide used. Plus, through experience, they also understand how the dye will affect your hair color and how long or short to process the color."

This is not total truth either. Yes, there are some drugstore haircolor lines that are of similar composition to salon haircolor. There are a few haircolor lines that make a professional color line as well as a consumer product line. But, there are many drugstore boxes of color that have a very different chemical composition--usually either henna or metallic bases. Both of these are really bad on your hair when mixed with chlorine and other kinds of drugstore or salon haircolor. When you have a henna or metallic based haircolor on your hair, you cannot tell, unless you read the packaging. When you mix other haircolor, bleach, or pool chlorine with these henna/metallic colors, your hair will turn funky colors, it can actually smoke when the metallics in your hair mix with developing chemicals, and in the worst case scenario, your hair can break off. The only way to prevent this is to ALWAYS use the same drugstore color, or if you come to the salon for a color, you have to have your hair stripped and clarified prior to a color service. Unfortunately, this is an additional service at most salons, and it adds to the cost of your color service. Metallics and henna also make your hair unpredictable--which means that there are no guarantees as to what color your hair will come out to be. A cool blonde may end up with a lot of warmth in it. A medium brown may have a greenish or pinkish hue that gets darker or lighter depending on the lighting. Also, when you purchase the box of haircolor at the drugstore, you really have no idea what the developer is. It is SUPPOSED to be a standard 20 volume. But, there is no labeling on the side of the box that specifies that it IS 20 volume developer. This is ineffective and unpredictable. Developer is usually 10, 20, 30, and 40 volume. The higher the number, the higher the peroxide content. When bleaching hair, 40 volume is used. When putting a darker color on the hair, you usually use 10 volume. If you use the wrong developer, you will not get the proper color outcome. It can make your hair come out too light or too dark. If the packaged drugstore haircolor puts the wrong developer in it, and the box doesn't tell you what developer it is, you are going to have a hard time achieving the haircolor you want. I know--theres a LOT to learn with all this, but to be honest, this is part of what you pay a colorist for. Salons do not use colors with metals or henna in them, and the developer can be adjusted and controlled. I am not saying that ALL drugstore colors are bad, but you have to be really careful when using them. The average consumer doesn't know the chemical components of haircolor, and should not be expected to.

Sorry for the long post here again--I am not trying to ruffle any feathers with this, just trying to be informative and pass along the knowledge that I have about the issue. There will always be people who do salon only color, and there will always be people who use the box of Garnier. Which route we go is a personal choice. BUT, to imply, as the Paula website does, that there is no difference between the two is a total falsehood. And, people who read this info on the internet and take it as the gospel truth are usually the ones that end up with unfavorable results.


ETA--Vegas--Most stylists have state requirements that make continuing education mandatory. Especially if you have reciprocity from one state to another. Some require that you have a certain amount of CE until you have had your license for a certain amount of years. Continued training is something that many stylists embrace and look forward to. It is how we stay on top of the newest techniques and trends of the industry. In every town, city, suburb, there are a plethora of hair salons, from the mom and pop to the chains to the posh day spas. You will find an equal number of people in most of these places that have taken TONS of CE or very LITTLE CE. Its more important to some than others. But, it does not make them a good or bad stylist. What makes a good stylist is having the technical skills to rock out some hair, good listening and communicating skills, and the artistic ability to give each client the style they want. I am guessing Nevada does not have a CE requirement when renewing their cosmo licenses.

 

[VegasAngel]

Are you familiar with Paula Begoun, her books, the research she does to get her information? She hosts seminars all over the country & has been on many, many t.v. programs. She isnt full of baseless claims read her site bio, check out her video seminars etc..

Both my stylists tell me that the training in Vegas stinks. My stylist who started in California said it is standard to work under the salon manager or director before being able to work on your own. Here you go to school rent your space & start working. I think, though I could definitely be wrong that only instructors are required to have CE here

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 6/21/2008 3:47:47 PM
Author: hairgirl95
Freke---lol at your post. You gave a great example of the importance of a great stylist. Sounds like you have an excellent one. I agree--corrective color isn''t ALWAYS 100''s of dollars, but it does depend on how bad you screw it up. And how well you know the stylist. Some stylists will give a regular client a hefty break on the price to keep them coming to them for future color jobs. Taking a hit in the beginning can give you a $60 every 4-6 weeks for the lifetime of the client/stylist relationship. There are some color corrections that, believe it or not, require MONTHS of work and many color combinations to bring it back to something normal. No, this is not the norm, but they are the most difficult and expensive to fix. Props to you and your stylist--sounds like you make a great combo!

Lol. When I was there the last time getting my "LeeLoo" from The Fifth Element, hair fixed...oh I''ll just tell the story...

I had used an "Espresso" dye for a while for all over color-but when it faded-it faded to a not pretty reddish yuck color and my hair is a pretty cool dark blonde. So when it started to grow out it looked pretty awful. So I decided that bleaching the poo out of it was the best idea. Well I had a friend help me-and she and I took A LOT of care to do it well-avoiding the roots and just attacking the length with the bleach first because I KNEW my roots would bleach fast (I did my own highlights for a very long time-like 14-22 or so), and then filling in the roots with bleach after about 20 minutes or so. Well, despite our precautions, the length of my hair ended up being a very distinct shade of orange with my roots being yellow. My friend immediately took off because she thought I''d be POed. I wasn''t because I had been expecting this. So after she freaked out I went to Sally''s and bought some toner. Went home, used it, and transformed all of my hair from yellow and orange to all yellow. Yay! Success! So I called my salon and told them I needed an appointment with V for color correction. So I went, and V wasn''t available to do my hair but she told the girl exactly what to do. And then I was my natural hair color again. But to give you an idea of how garish my hair looked, BF offered to pay to have it fixed-he never notices ANYTHING. It was bad.

When I was there she told me a story about a friend of mine who also goes to V. She (A) went to the same high school I went to, and we had one of the best soccer teams in the state. Well the guy soccer team would bleach their hair blonde because our school colors were gold and black. So the girls decided to get in on it. A has golden honey blonde hair. The girls decided to dye their hair black because the guys had already done gold. Yeah. V told me that A was in there from open to close one day getting the black lifted out and turned back to close to her natural color. I can''t imagine what it cost.

I just thought it was funny.

Anyway, I''m very experimental with my hair color, but I''ve been very smart about it too. However, now I''m done. If I decide to do anything else it''ll be to add some honey blonde highlights to help disguise my grays...

 

[hairgirl95]

Vegas--CE is continuing education. Any type of cutting/coloring classes, product knowledge, etc. All the big name product lines have seminars/shows all the time. Vegas actually has 3 HUGE hairshows every year. I was there for the Redken show in 2001. Beth Minardi, Redken elite colorist, gave a FABULOUS color seminar. Paul Mitchell does big shows coast to coast, as does most product lines/hair tools companies. When you attend these shows, you take classes for cutting, styling, coloring, weaving, extensions, anything hair related. When you attend these courses, you get "credit" for continuing education. Or you just attend to acquire more knowledge. Thats why I asked if Nevada required CE--some states don''t, and if its not required, some stylists don''t go to these events. Primarily because they are expensive. As is everything in the hair business!! Shoot, just a pair of hair shears run at least $200.

As for the working under the owner/manager and then being a stylist---some salons do this, and others do not. Once you finish cosmo school, the choices are totally up to you. Personally, I went to work at a commission based salon working for myself right out of school. Never worked as an apprentice, just started building my clientele. After 2 years there, I moved to Kansas City and went to work at a Redken Elite Salon (which is a fancy name for they only sell and use Redken products

) and there you are required to do an apprenticeship for 6 months. They do that to make sure you know how to use all the products they use. I had an advantage there because I went to a cosmo school that only used Redken. I apprenticed for 3 months and then had full control over my appointments. They didn''t teach me how to cut or color hair, it was more of a "get to know our salon and its clientele" thing so that when patrons met me, they were familiar with me before I actually did their hair.

There are pros and cons to apprenticing. Its great if you want to learn MORE right out of school, you feel insecure about your abilitites, or you want a transition from school to the real world. The cons are those situations tend to breed similarity--as in everyone there does the SAME THING. Same color technique, same cuts, etc. It takes the creativity element out of doing hair sometimes. Doing an apprenticeship is really a personal choice, and by no means does it make a stylist better or worse. I know a girl who did a 3 YEAR stint under a salon owner here in KC, and she NEVER made it on her own. She got too used to being his shampoo girl. Its a personal choice for each stylist. Don''t make a snap judgment on how qualified or good a stylist is based on if they did an apprenticeship or not. There are many great and horrible stylists from both camps.

As for Paula, honestly, I had never heard of her before. I did google her, and really only came up with info for her skin care line. I cannot base an honest opinion of her because I do not know her. But I will stand by what I wrote--that article you linked in your post is not WRONG, but not entirely ACCURATE. And, I am sorry to say, Paula does not appear to me to be a hairstylist. Which means that she does not have the educational background to make positive assumptions like she did. Based on her Wikipedia bio, which is the only bio I could find, she is going to rebuke the beauty industry to some level to promote not only her books but her cosmetics line as well. Not saying she is a bad person at all--there is some truth to what she writes, but be VERY CAREFUL to take someones biased writings as the gospel truth when they have no EDUCATION to back it up. If we were discussing makeup, I would take her word at face value. Thats where her level of expertise is. I don''t remember saying Paula was baseless--just not totally accurate.

I shared this post with my employees today. They got a kick out of the responses. And all of them were mortified at how badly some people have had their haircut. We all agreed that if you all make it to Kansas City, we would love to show you our cutting and coloring talents!!!

 

[VegasAngel]

^^& I was going to that if you come to Vegas maybe you can do my hair, hehe I''m really not so bad

hehe. It''s clear from your posts you care about your work.

I know what CE is I just dont think it''s required for stylists here.

As for Paula she works with chemists & people in all areas of the beauty world. She is very well respected. I notice a lot of stylists, makeup artists etc are usually not very happy with her. You dont need to be a stylist, or to sell makeup etc. to research ingredients, evaluate products, or explain how to use products. I''m sure she has many professionals help/verify her work, she lists her sources throughout her books.

 

[Deelight]

Date: 6/21/2008 3:47:47 PM
Author: hairgirl95

This is not total truth either. Yes, there are some drugstore haircolor lines that are of similar composition to salon haircolor. There are a few haircolor lines that make a professional color line as well as a consumer product line. But, there are many drugstore boxes of color that have a very different chemical composition--usually either henna or metallic bases. Both of these are really bad on your hair when mixed with chlorine and other kinds of drugstore or salon haircolor. When you have a henna or metallic based haircolor on your hair, you cannot tell, unless you read the packaging. When you mix other haircolor, bleach, or pool chlorine with these henna/metallic colors, your hair will turn funky colors, it can actually smoke when the metallics in your hair mix with developing chemicals, and in the worst case scenario, your hair can break off. The only way to prevent this is to ALWAYS use the same drugstore color, or if you come to the salon for a color, you have to have your hair stripped and clarified prior to a color service. Unfortunately, this is an additional service at most salons, and it adds to the cost of your color service. Metallics and henna also make your hair unpredictable--which means that there are no guarantees as to what color your hair will come out to be. A cool blonde may end up with a lot of warmth in it. A medium brown may have a greenish or pinkish hue that gets darker or lighter depending on the lighting. Also, when you purchase the box of haircolor at the drugstore, you really have no idea what the developer is. It is SUPPOSED to be a standard 20 volume. But, there is no labeling on the side of the box that specifies that it IS 20 volume developer. This is ineffective and unpredictable. Developer is usually 10, 20, 30, and 40 volume. The higher the number, the higher the peroxide content. When bleaching hair, 40 volume is used. When putting a darker color on the hair, you usually use 10 volume. If you use the wrong developer, you will not get the proper color outcome. It can make your hair come out too light or too dark. If the packaged drugstore haircolor puts the wrong developer in it, and the box doesn't tell you what developer it is, you are going to have a hard time achieving the haircolor you want. I know--theres a LOT to learn with all this, but to be honest, this is part of what you pay a colorist for. Salons do not use colors with metals or henna in them, and the developer can be adjusted and controlled. I am not saying that ALL drugstore colors are bad, but you have to be really careful when using them. The average consumer doesn't know the chemical components of haircolor, and should not be expected to.


Sorry for the long post here again--I am not trying to ruffle any feathers with this, just trying to be informative and pass along the knowledge that I have about the issue. There will always be people who do salon only color, and there will always be people who use the box of Garnier. Which route we go is a personal choice. BUT, to imply, as the Paula website does, that there is no difference between the two is a total falsehood. And, people who read this info on the internet and take it as the gospel truth are usually the ones that end up with unfavorable results.



ETA--Vegas--Most stylists have state requirements that make continuing education mandatory. Especially if you have reciprocity from one state to another. Some require that you have a certain amount of CE until you have had your license for a certain amount of years. Continued training is something that many stylists embrace and look forward to. It is how we stay on top of the newest techniques and trends of the industry. In every town, city, suburb, there are a plethora of hair salons, from the mom and pop to the chains to the posh day spas. You will find an equal number of people in most of these places that have taken TONS of CE or very LITTLE CE. Its more important to some than others. But, it does not make them a good or bad stylist. What makes a good stylist is having the technical skills to rock out some hair, good listening and communicating skills, and the artistic ability to give each client the style they want. I am guessing Nevada does not have a CE requirement when renewing their cosmo licenses.

As someone that has had there hair smoked and nearly turned to jelly from someone's else stupidity I can attest to that. In HS I dyed my hair black

, I tried to replicate the colour my sister did for me a couple of years before but she did my hair in a dark brown which made a world of difference. I tried to bleach bath it, I used napro to not make it look so death like (they use metalic base) and other things I can't remember but nothing worked called my sister and she told me they would have to strip my hair. Went to the salon told them EXACTLY each product I had in my hair and that my hair had a perm in it and was not naturally curly, this was all fine till they changed stylists half way through and didn't inform the next girl. I noticed my scalp was burning and so I mentioned it and the girl was like no thats fine it is meant to burn, I was sure it wasn't right about 3 minutes later I was swearing in the chair (which is unlike me) and riped the foil off my head thankfully I did I had smoke coming off the back of my head and was really close to having my hair turn to jelly they rushed me to the basin just in time.

I was really lucky my hair is as resilient and strong as it is they even were able to finish it and do the fill and colour and was told I was really lucky I didn't lose all my hair. this was back in like 1995 and at the end of all that crap I was charged $100 for the privilege of nearly losing my hair.

Moral of this story be careful of what you put in your hair and be careful if they change stylists on you.


Hairgirl Hairdressing qualifications in the US sound quite different to what they are here. In Australia you complete a 4 year apprenticeship at TAFE and as a part of it you work at a salon under a manager and train as you learn in a practical and educational context. You can do this while attending HS as well . There are private schools you can go and complete your qualification in less time but they are not always as well regarded. Interesting to see the difference .


ETA hehehehe Gwen Soon as I have the money I am so flying out to London

Devonshire tea

 

[hairgirl95]

Oh Deelight--sounds like you have had quite the experiences in the hair department!! Sadly, I have had some insane experiences too while I was in highschool. I turned my hair hello kitty pink on one occasion, had "jelly" hair from a bleaching "experiment" (I had nooooo clue what I was doing!) and then turned my hair goth black with a lovely slime green hue. It was so attractive!!

Ahhh, thankfully my hair recovered! Thats really interesting about how they train hairstylists in Australia. Its crazy how different the training is from place to place huh! It is cool to compare the different variations.

Vegas--aww sweetie I don''t think you are bad at all!! Yes, I get pretty passionate about what I do--but I promise it really is good intentioned. If I can save 1 person a hair tragedy, then I did my job!! I do hope you got your color problem worked out from the salon the other day. Hopefully either you or the salon are able to fix it to where you like it!