Many people fear it. Some have experienced it
first hand. It's something that didn't turn out to be all you thought it
would, or worse. What is it? A so called "bad cut".
One of the biggest reasons for a bad cut is poor
communication. The result is the same whether it is on the part of the
client or the hairdresser. There are haircuts that are accurate, precise
and fit the client's facial features and are still labeled as "a bad
haircut" simply because it was not what the client wanted.
Try to express what you want clearly, have a
picture if possible and try to avoid using the lingo of the business if
you are not absolutely sure that it means the same to you and your hairdresser.
There countless people who feel they have to talk like their hairdresser
to convey want. After the cut the client finds out the term they used to
describe what they want did not match their intent. Keep in mind new terms
are added to the industry lingo as fast as the new trends you are trying
to describe.
Although it's tempting to jump into a new hairstyle
on a whim, too many people make the change for the wrong reasons. Don't
try to create a new inside from the outside. Some people feel if they cut
their hair to fit a sterotype, their insides automatically change. It is
true when we look good on the outside it can pick up our spirits inside
but if you take the plunge into a drastic change when you really aren't
ready, many times it makes for an unsatisfied feeling instead of the euphoric
feeling you were expecting.
Be sure your hairdresser has the ability to listen
and understand as well the ability to cut.
Do not be afraid to ask your hairdresser questions
about styles, products or anything else pertaining to the industry. Your
hairdresser chose this profession and has been educated and licensed.
If you and your hairdresser can effectively communicate
and he or she has the necessary cutting skills you will not ever have to
experience "Bad Haircut Syndrome".
Just read the page. Well done!!! Some great tips
for not only the public, but us professionals, too!!
It's so funny...I stumbled onto your page by
sheer luck. I did not realize there was a page out there like this. Last
month, a co-worker and I were saying how we should start a page on frequently
asked questions, solutions, and other haircare tips for our clients. Today,
I told that co-worker about your page. You beat us to it!!!!!Ha-Ha!!
P.S. On the conditioner question about weighing
down of the hair....I find a lot of clients end up putting the conditioner
more on their scalps, than on their ends where it is really needed. So
I always advise them to apply to the ends first, then massage it through
the rest. This will avoid that weighing down problem; if, of course, they
are the correct product for their hair type. Anyway, just thought I'd add
that.....See Ya!
Hi! Mike,
Guess who? Well, I can't help it, I'm always
thinking about work...
Wanted to mention a new product that we just
got in the salon. It's a temporary straightener for the hair(naturally
curly or permed). It really works!!!!
I've had a lot of curly-haired clients having
difficulty trying to achieve today's smooth styles, without that "frizzy"
look. This product makes it quite easy. There is much less blow dry time,
and much less pulling and tugging with that round brush. It is truly an
anti-frizz/anti-curl lotion. Apply it evenly through damp hair, then blow
dry. You can really see it start working even as you're applying it.
So to all of you naturally curly "I Hate
My Hair" people, try this product. And to you professionals...this
product makes it easier for you ,too. And your arm won't feel like it's
going to fall off after that blow dry!!!
I have normal textured hair. One kind of shampoo that
really worked for me was Jhirmack. It gives hair a healthy shine and nice
smell. When I go out to parties,which is fairly often, I like to curl my
hair. I don’t use curling irons because I know how bad they are for hair.
Instead I use the healthier way- wet curlers and some hair spray. I use
Jheri Redding hair spray. It works great for keeping your hair in place
and doesn’t leave it too stiff. To get out the build up from the hairspray,
I use Herbal Essences Shampoo. from malomar@erols.com
Very well put. I only wish Some of my salon patrons could
read your column. I wish people would only realize the importance of
maintaining a good cut & style. Styling tools and products really make
the difference. People that are use to using "over the counter"
or "store bought" products don't know what their hair is really
suppose to feel like. I try to sell good professional products. I'm always
telling them to Try it for at least a week or two before they make up their
mind. Then they end up liking it. I think alot of the problem with professional
products is, the customer doesn't like how their hair feels because it
feels like it is suppose to feel. And they are use to it feeling all junked
up from the non professional type products. I've been a stylist for
13 years. I am retiring next week. I'm only 31. The salon industry , in
my opinion, is getting too much for the little guy. Good luck to you though!
This is a really great idea.
The best haircoloring book I’ve ever read is called “No
Fear Guide to Home Hair Color” by Dorian R. Boyle. It really opened my
eyes. I saw an add and just tried it. Boy was I surprised. Anyone that
wants their hair colored should call EMG (612) 566-4032 and order a copy
of this book. They’re only $12.95. It’s totally worth it.
Each year, Americans spends millions of dollars on hair-care
products and treatments. Unfortunately, some of these efforts are too rough
or done frequently. The result is hair damage rather hair care. Damaged
hair stays damaged until it grows out and is cut off. This can take many
months, because your hair grows only about 1/2 inch each month.
Choose shampoo and conditioner that is right for you
Hair gets dirty when sebum, an oily substance secreted by the skin's sebaceous
glands, coats the shaft. Dead skin cells and airborne dirt stick to the
sebum. A "good" shampoo leaves hair manageable, easy-to-comb
and glossy. Most modern shampoos are synthetic detergents called surfactant
-- replacements for the older types that dulled hair by depositing a scum
on its surface. Surfactant molecules surround a tiny glob of oil, forming
a package called a "micelle." Rinse water carries the micelle
away. Coloring, perming, combing, teasing and shampooing can break the
cuticle's long protein chains. The cuticle gets shaggy, and hair becomes
rough. Static, due to combing, can develop.
Most modern conditioners contain cationic quaternary
ammonium compounds that provide a positive charge which reduces static
and makes hair less "fly-away" and more manageable. Some products,
particularly those containing benzalkonium chloride as the active ingredient,
are good conditioners. Those with added polymers, collagen, balsam, silicones
or resins that bond with and coat the hair shaft, may provide a protective
film, smooth out the cuticle, reducing snarls and tangles. Conditioners
that give "extra body" may contain waxes that, when dry, make
it look fuller, some contain oil/fats (e.g., lanolin, mineral) to smooth
hair, and a few have humectants that supposedly hold in water content.
Price and exotic ingredients bear little or no relation to efficacy. Most
conditioning products that claim to nourish hair do nothing of the sort
as the ingredients cannot enter the hair unless they contain transformants
-- molecules small enough to pass into the cortex.
Quaternary ammonium compounds in conditioners have a
tadpole-shaped molecule that is attracted to a damaged site on the cuticle.
When many such molecules attach to hair, they make it slippery and easy
to comb. Shampoo molecules and conditioner molecules normally counteract
one another when combined. But several new shampoo/conditioners contain
conditioning agents that stay suspended until the hair is rinsed. Diluting
the lather releases these agents, so they can coat the hair.
Protein shampoos do not penetrate your hair, but they
do coat it, giving your hair more bulk. A protein shampoo acts as a shampoo
and conditioner in one. Follow your shampoo with a cream rinse or conditioner.
These products lubricate your hair between washings and help minimize damage
from brushing or combing. Those containing protein ingredients may also
thicken your hair temporarily. use shampoos tailored to your hair type--oily,
dry or normal. Permanent - waved, straightened, or dye hair needs low pH
shampoos. Excessive flaking may require dandruff shampoos (see treating
dandruff).
Choosing the right conditioner or shampoo for your hair
can be a matter of trial and error. Some products may make your hair limp,
while others may even dull it with a film. Choose two different brands
of shampoo and conditioner that are right for you, alternate use will give
the best result.
It is a myth that shampooing increases hair loss. Whether
dry or greasy, hair should be washed as often as required to look good,
even every day. Most experts recommend at least once a week washing to
prevent dandruff from clogging the scalp. If you have an oily scalp, frequent
shampooing will keep the hair from lying flat, weighted down by the fats
in sebum. Shampoo will also reduce surface sebum, which contains high levels
of testosterone and DHT that may re-enter the skin and affect the hair
follicle. Very dry hair may be improved by massaging with a little olive
or almond oil, covering and leaving on overnight, washing out next morning.
If done gently, daily shampooing will not damage your hair. The amount
of washing will depend on the type of your hair, the weather, your physical
activity, and perhaps even your occupation.
A proper and thorough brushing should precede every shampooing.
For proper washing, wet your hair completely with warm water. The first
rinsing acts as a pre-wash to remove dust and water-soluble dirt and hair-care
products.
After the first rinsing apply the shampoo with hand to
the oiliest part of the scalp and massage the entire scalp gently, using
your fingers instead of your nails as you work the lather outward from
your scalp. Try not to tangle the hair, and avoid scrubbing the ends, particularly
if your hair is long.
Rinse thoroughly with water. Shampoo can leave a residue
that can dry the hair, attract dirt, and irritate the scalp. If you shampoo
daily, lather only once, even if you have oily hair. Over- cleansing can
create a vicious cycle in which you stimulate oil production and then dry
out the hair. If you shampoo less frequently, experiment with one or two
sudsings.
Handle With Care
After washing, towel dry by patting gently. Since heat
from curling irons and blow-dryers are notorious hair destroyers, to prevent
damage, the hair should be dried naturally. If a blower is necessary, use
it on a lowest setting and leave your hair slightly damp. If you brush
or comb your hair while it is wet, you pull out much more hair than you
would by gently untangling it with your fingers and waiting until it is
damp or dry before you carefully brush or comb it. An occasional massage
with the fingertips will enhance blood flow to the scalp.
Your hair requires gentle handling. Wet hair is especially
fragile because it might become stretched. A natural bristle brush is preferred
over a synthetic one because the synthetic material may create static and
cut the hair. Brush the hair gently from the scalp to disperse scalp oil
over the hair. Brushing is especially important for long hair because the
natural oils do not normally reach the ends, but it's equally beneficial
for short hair. It increases circulation to the scalp and stimulates hair
growth. If you prefer a comb, use a wide-toothed comb to avoid injury to
your hair.
Begin to brush the hair at the ends and remove large
tangles gently with your fingers. Continue to brush, picking up more hair
and working along the length of the shaft until you reach the scalp. Then
brush thoroughly from the scalp to the ends with long continuous strokes.
Bend at the waist and brush the hair down toward the floor to stimulate
the scalp by increasing blood flow to that area.
Styling
Certain hairstyles and treatments can cause breakage
or root damage. Avoid excessively tight braiding, buns, or ponytails. do
not roll your hair too tightly in curlers. Teasing and back combing should
be done gently or not at all. To much exposure to sun, wind, or swimming-pool
chemicals will dry out your hair and cause it to knot.
A styling gel or mousse can give your hair more body
or thickness. They do not necessarily damage your hair, but you may experience
extra dryness, especially at the hair ends.
Hair bleaches chemically alter the melanin granule in
the middle layer of each hair strand. Despite careful treatment, persistent
bleaching eventually damages even healthy, strong hair shafts, but it does
not injure the roots from which future hair growth takes place.
Hair dyes work more like paint by covering hair strands
with color or by mixing with the melanin granules without altering them.
Dyes come in temporary form, which eventually wash out, and semi-permanent
and permanent forms, conduct a patch test to check for possible irritation,
because a severe allergic reaction to hair dye could cause hair loss. Curling
is safest if you twist your hair into pin curls overnight. Use of hot rollers
or curling irons gives the best results for coarse hair, but they may damage
strands or roots when used to excess. When you use a curling iron always
roll in the ends last. For safe curling of fine hair, let it air dry and
wind it loosely around sponge rollers.
Permanent waving rearranges the inner hair molecules,
breaking and reforming its sulfur bonds, in a step-wise chemical process
(that gives off the familiar sulfide odor which wafts off the head being
waved). Permanent waving is safe for healthy hair, but you may find it
results in increased dryness and splitting. Straightening and permanent
waving use the same chemical methods to change the properties of hair strands.
Back to Top of Page
In permanent waving, a gentle shampoo first strips off
the sebum, then swelling agents open up the hair shaft -- to allow entry
of the bond-rearranging waving solution. Modern waving solutions (mostly
ammonium or sodium sulfide) are more flexible than the former types, safer
and more controllable. The latest acidic waving lotions, although more
expensive, have the gentlest hair-reforming action, and are advised for
use on fragile or tinted hair. Wound on rollers of varying sizes, hair
gets a permanent curl of the desired type. The final extent of the wave
depends on the kind of hair (finer curling faster), the time the solution
stays on and the size of roller used. After the hair is arranged in its
new, curly configuration. Waving solution is rinsed off and the second
solution, the neutralizer which restores the linkage is put on to halt
the curling process. The waving action must be stopped at the right time
to avoid overprocessing. Modern waving solutions are often self-timed,
the hair-altering reaction automatically halted after a designated time.
A permanent waving should never be done on hair dyed with metallic products
and only with extreme care (using the gentler waving lotions) on hair that's
been recently bleached or tinted with permanent, oxidative dyes. Dual processing
could disintegrate hair made porous by the tinting procedure. Waving after
coloring hair requires great care and use of weaker waving lotions -- a
fact known by any trained hairdresser. Done by a reliable stylist, permanent
waving today is pretty safe.
I recommend to anyone with curly hair to just leave it
alone... If you don’t abuse it, it won’t give you as many problems. Blow
drying it strai ght, combing it straight, burning it straight etc., just
makes it worse. I got my culy, dark blonde hair layered. It looks better
than a perm, and healthier, too. At least it has more personality and is
more unique than mo st other Caucasian’s hair. It seems to me that treating
your hair with kindness and respect gives you excellent paybacks in the
long run... All I need is a good conditioner, shampoo and de-frizzer and
I’m all set... No curlers for me. Nature doesn’t make mistakes... from
DaisyDk884@aol.com
Shampoos that contain hydrolized wheat protein and sucrose
polymers are great for baby-fine hair. To add fullness. from Ericka
-She's right!
If you have questions, comments or suggestions...
I welcome all Marketing and Chemistry questions
from Designers.