WIG SERIES!!

Whether your a Hair Stylist or a Doctor every woman loves her hair, from long to short, or black to red it's our signature. But, sometimes we like to get creative and even though we all can't tap into our creativity, it doesn't hurt to look & love! So with that said I present you COLOR, CREATIVITY, & FUN!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! + A Fun Hair Recipe

Happy Thanks Giving From The Hair Stylist Blog

Sick of cooking? Take a break and give your hair a treatment!

Hair Recipe Taken From The 5min Blog

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of Olive Oil – will make your hair strong and nourished and provides elasticity. It also helps to reduce stress, which can affect your hair, it’s true…a happy person has happy hair!

1/4 cup Philosophy- Old Fashioned Eggnog 3 in 1 Shampoo, Bubble Bath and Shower Gel (Sephora $16) – smell as yummy (or festive) as you look Directions:

Use Olive Oil, depending on the length of your hair to massage your scalp. Make sure to massage in circular motions. The stimulation of the scalp will feel good and increase hair growth. Run the rest of the olive oil through your hair to the tip. This will be an amazing conditioning treatment. Put on a shower cap and leave in for at least 20 minutes. Then shampoo your hair very well using Philosophy’s – Old Fashioned Eggnog (your welcome to use your own shampoo) and condition as you normally do. You can apply the olive oil once a month for shiny, healthy hair (especially if you would like to grow your hair).

Taylor Swift's Hair!

I know I touched on this a few posts ago, but it deserves it's own blog.

I just love the way that this style instantly changes the way she looks, just by changing the texture of her hair.

If you missed it check it out.

We would love to hear your thoughts!:

Elisabeth Moss debuted a new 'do at the International Emmy Awards in NYC on Monday. She lightened her normally brunette bob to a blonder, shaggier style. [StyleList]

BEFORE

AFTER

THOUGHTS:

Elisabeth is a beautiful girl with an amazing skin tone that could pretty much wear anything. After seeing her with the dark and the light next to each other I think I prefer her as a brunette, but the blonde she pulls off well. Her skin tone is perfect for both of these shades and she is one of those stars that can pretty much wear it all.

FORMULA:

Taking a brunette to a blonde can be rather difficult on previously color treated hair, but if done properly can be easy and beautiful.

Step 1: Know your desired tone and lightness. Ideally working from a brown golden shade it would be best for your desired result to stay within the warm golden family, as seen on Elisabeth in this picture.

Step 2: Decide the amount of blonde that is desired in the overall look. This will help you to determine the intensity of the blonde shade and amount of highlights that are necessary.

Step 3: Using a lightener, pre-lighten the hair to a level lighter than the end result (this will vary depending on the tone and lightness) by using a foil technique to match the desired intensity of blonde. Ideally you will want to highlight in a random fashion with lots of baby fine highlights.

*My suggestion - pre-lighten with a cream based lightener (10 - 30 volume depending on the texture) to a level 8/9 yellow color (pale yellow is not needed) *** If the hair is chemical treated on the ends but not in the regrowth (zone 1) you may need to adjust the formula in this section to a lower developer.

Step 4: Glaze the hair with the desired level and tonality.

*My suggestion - Glaze the hair with a Demi based hair color (such as shades EQ) level 8 Gold. My formula with a pre-lightened level 8/9 yellow would be equal parts 9G & 7GB. **Note: this changes according to the desired tonality and result of the pre-lightened color. It is also important that the pre-lightened color is equally lifted to a balanced result, if there is an inconsistency to the pre-lightened color, there will be an inconsistency to the end result.

THE END!!!

American Music Awards 2010 Hair Trends

For those of you who missed the American Music Awards this year here is a quick recap of everything hair!

Well the first and most obvious trend would be that many played it down. A lot of loose textured waves, with a very low maintenance feel. Check it out:

Jessica Alba was one of the few that brought a classic elegance to the party. Maybe it's the whole movie star thing? Either way I love the idea of her hair, I am not crazy about it on her:

Jenny McCarthy and Taylor Swift really showed something unique to their normal styles and I loved it! Especially Taylor Swift, she looks amazing and her hair color is flawless!:

Last but certainly not least: is that Kelly Osbourne or Dolly Parton? Well some how I kind of like this style. I think I like the idea more than I like her wearing this style. The truth is Dolly Parton is amazing and bringing any trend with the inspiration of Dolly kinda makes me smile:

Product Review!: Tri-Swim

This is an exciting section of this blog that I have been really anticipating and anxious to launch!

We have been contacted by many different hair care, hair appliance, etc. companies that have reached out to us in hopes of spreading the word about their products. I will only write about something that we have the chance to use and breakdown.

Once again in many ways this is a non-profit blog and we are writing to our readers with nothing but the most honest and truthful opinions and ideas.

So I am happy to bring you the very first of many! Product Reviews. This week we are going to introduce you to specialty based line that we find interesting. We hope you enjoy!

With out further ado we give you: Tri-Swim

What is Tri-Swim?

Tri-Swim is a Hair Care company with the swimmer in mind. Swimmers are constantly facing the problems of chlorine on a daily manner. Tri-Swim has dedicated an entire line to helping the prevention of chlorine in the hair and on the body! As we all know Chlorine can and will affect the hairs strength, color and shine.

In many ways Tri-Swim is the ideal cleansing and replenishing system for Swimmers.

How it Works?

Well, it seems Tri-Swim was named this for a reason. Tri-Swim is a 3 part system.

Shampoo - which is designed to cleanse and remove all of the excess dirt oils chlorine and build up of any sort that is kept inside of the hair.

Conditioner - this is designed to replenish the hair with moisture. Similar to the concept of washing your face, the shampoo (or "face wash") will remove everything that is not wanted in the hair shaft, then the conditioner will add everything you do want.

Body Wash - like your hair, your skin will create a build up of chlorine, dirt and oil. The body wash is designed to counter act the pool's affect on the skin and remove any of this build up.

Well now to the nitty gritty! Our thoughts:

Here is the deal. After using the product for quite a few days I enjoyed it for what it was. In many ways it is a glorified clarifying system. However, I think it is a great marketing tactic and a great niche to market to.

It really stood out to me with the fact that they had a body wash. In fact I have been using the wash more often when showering since receiving my bottle. It doesn't seem to over cleanse my skin which I like, but I will say that it does seem to cleanse enough to remove the chlorine, dirt, oil, etc.

The Bottles were easy to use. The logos and design were kind of flat in my opinion.

The smell wasn't fabulous in my opinion but it was not bad.

All in all the product backed up with what it was designed to do and I think it's a cool concept.

Final Grade: B

Learn Everything You Can About Tri-Swim HERE

Do You Love Ken Paves? Want Your Hair Styled By Him? Here Is Your Chance

Watch the video and then head over to bellasugar.com to make it happen

If 90's Are In I Guess This Makes Me Old?

So a lot of what I am seeing in fashion these days are 90's inspired garments and the runways are complementing these looks with the hair. This had me wondering what aspect of this is going to translate into a commercialized hair fashion??

There are a lot of thoughts that I have but I would love to hear from you!?

What do you think? Have any iconic 90's celebrities, characters, etc. that you can think of that will bring an inspiration to today?

Boys to men? Nirvana? Maybe some Blossom? Hmmmm... Maybe not.

Ironically enough I write this a post at a time when I am getting ready to go to a 90's themed party this weekend :)

Either way I love the way this could go and I love what I saw at fashion week.

Bonus! - Here is a fun Yeah or Nay 90's photo opt.

Great Article For Guests Looking To Go Dark

This is a fabulous article on any and all information about people wishing to enter the world of a brunette!

From the truths to the myths to the opinions as a stylists this has tons of information for your guests or for you to share with them!

Those of you who are non stylists this is a must read!

Check it out:

"

If you're thinking of going darker with your locks, winter is just around the corner! So, what are you waiting for?

"Women who choose a darker color create more contrast, giving the hair a fuller look with more definition and texture," says Ludovic Audesson, celebrity colorist at Pierre Michel Salon in New York City. "In addition to being very chic, dark hair is not trendy or a fad -- it's really more of a statement!"

If that's the case, why do so many women choose to go lighter?

........

Finish the article!

Hair Colorist Wednesday: Do Not Fear Green

Hot tip for the day!

Are your beautiful golden locks starting to turn red?

Has the tone lost it's vibrancy and starting to look like a flat auburn as opposed to a beautiful golden brown?

Don't Panic! We have a solution!!!

But first.......

Lets talk about why this has happened.

Your hair or guests hair has faded into this color, due to the exposure to the true or natural pigment.

What happens when we color our hair with a permanent dye is our hair's natural pigment is being lifted or lightened, very similar to what a bleach or lightener will do, just with a little more control. During that same process, the artificial pigment will begin to deposit or color over the now lightened hair.

A level 5-6, border line 7, which 99% of the time will be the level of the color that fades to that auburn/reddish color, will begin to shine through the artificial pigment due to fading. What you are actually seeing is a combination of natural (red/red orange/orange) and artificial pigments (golds and browns) blending together and visibly giving the appearance of auburn.

SO WHAT TO DO??

Step 1: Prevent! Use shampoos and conditioners that help to reduce and stop color fading. My choice? PureOlogy - truly you can not beat it!

Step 2 - When refreshing the ends, do not fear your green based dyes. Green is a natural balancer for red. So when formulating utilize your greens in offsetting red. You may not necessarily want to use just a green in your formula, especially when looking for a golden result. Remember we want to keep warmth and neutralize red, in other words maximize yellow and reduce red.

So enough of the blah blah blah.... on with the formula! My formula of choice.

On a level 5 this is the formula I would apply to the ends of my color. Using a Demi based color - in my case Redken Shades EQ

For a One & Half Ounce Formula

1 oz 5G (Gold) & 1/2 oz 6GN (Green/Yellow Base)

ENJOY!

Comments/Questions?

Peaches Christ Superstar!

So Peaches is bringing her one woman show to the states.

Based on the Musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" Peaches dramatizes the role in her own style which could only be one way.... Peaches Christ Superstar!

So for those of you who are unfamiliar with Peaches and why on earth I am writing about her on a blog specifically made for hair. Well, Peaches is amazing! She does her thing, she is rude and crude and rebellious and of course oh so inspiring!

Not to mention.... Check out her hair, no one could pull this off, except for Peaches of course.

For those of you going... Ewww, No, I dont think so... Just take a little moment in the life of Peaches and get to know just how and why this works! Also make sure to check out her music. Highly entertaining.

So if you happen to live in or near any of these cities, make it appoint to check out her show!

Move over Jesus Peaches is coming to America:

The dates are as follows:

DECEMBER 10TH - BOSTON, MA
Institute of Contemporary Art

DECEMBER 11TH - NEW YORK, NY
The Concert Hall at New York Society for Ethical Culture

DECEMBER 14TH - CHICAGO, IL
Portage Theater

DECEMBER 17TH - LOS ANGELES, CA
Orpheum Theater

DECEMBER 18TH - SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Herbst Theater

DECEMBER 21ST - TORONTO, ON
Queen Elizabeth Theater

Ellen DeGeneres is Snookie's Hair for Halloween

Well.... it is hair related.

Ellen DeGeneres dresses as Snookie's Hair for Halloween.

Why bother styling your hair when you can just be your hair!

Sneak Peak Heidi Klum's Halloween Costume

I know I know it's not costume related. But it's Heidi Klum and it's Halloween and this costume is bad ass right?

Check it out.

The red-and-purple armor costume was designed by the creator of the Victoria’s Secret angel wings, Martin Izquierdo. It seems this suit of armor will also be equipped with stilts so Heid can scope out everyones Halloween fashion from a birds eye view.

Hair Colorist Wednesday: Celebrity Hair Color Formula

This week we are going to break down Jessica Biel's new color. Thoughts, opinions, etc!

Tis the season to be brown right?

So lets start with my thoughts.

Personally, for me it's just a tad to dark. I think on her I would have loved to see a level lighter.

With that said, I would like to state that I am quite the fan of this color. I think it's a beautiful fall color and I love the concept of keeping the subtle dimension underneath.

Oooooober trendy in a subtle way and I am cool with that.

You know getting back to my opinion... as I am writing this I am looking back at her with this color and I know what would make me love this on her! It's the brows. Give her a darker or stronger brow and I am all in for this shade on her!

So enough with the fuss right? Lets get on with it. And of course this is my concept/opinion of the formula, I would love to hear yours as well!

Formula:

Looking at this shade I see a lot of depth and a lot of background. Not quite as much tonality to this shade. The process of filling is a non factor if formulated properly and working with two formulas - The top and bottom sections.

Lets start with the formula on top - Level 3N (Neutral) and equal parts Level 4G (Gold Brown) of your favorite Demi based permanent hair color.

Now the highlighted areas - Level 5G (Gold Brown) and equal parts Level 4WG (Warmest Gold Brown - yellow/orange tone)

What do you think?

Kate Moss Has Bangs Again... What Do You Think?

Check out it out!

What do you think?

I dig them. I mean it's Kate Moss. If she does it.... well quite frankly it works!

Hair Colorist Wednesday: Color Formula!

Here is another great Color Formula!

This week we are taking our over highlighted medium to light blonde (Level 9) to a beautiful Golden Medium Brown with natural golden highlights.

Ready Set Go!

Starting Level: Natural Level 6 with Level 9 Blonde (Gold/Yellow) Highlights

Desired Level: Level 6 Golden Brown with Level 7 Golden Beige Highlights

Here are the steps!

Step 1: Retouch the previous highlights with a low level lightener, such as a powder lightener with a 10 volume developer. Apply this formula using baby fine highlights taking horizontal sections from the bottom to the top on both sides. Apply a conditioner based product, such as Cholesterol to the ends of the hair to isolate it inside of the foil.

Step 2: In between the foils apply - Formula #1 = 2 Parts Level 5 Gold - Shades 5G & 1 Part 4 Warmest Gold - Shades 4WG from roots to ends.

Step 3: Process for 20 min

Step 4: Shampoo Hair and Apply Glaze Formula from roots to ends (equal parts of Level 7 Golden Beige - Shades 7GB & Level 8 Warmest Gold - Shades 8WG)

Step 5: Process 20 min

Finished!!

Ashlee Simpsons New Hair: What Do You Think?

Ashlee Simpson hits our blog again. She has an impact on us and an excitement when it comes to hair fashion!

Her Husband band rocker, Pete Wentz, posted a twitter pic saying how much he loved Ahslee's new hair.

What do you think?

My thoughts?: Well I think it's fabulous! For two reasons

1. It will drive people into the salon! I mean this is such a statement and such an amazing look! We are seeing a lot of stars bring their long luscious locks to a short pixie from Michelle Williams to Carey Mullingan to of course Ashlee Simpson. This very well may be the start of a wonderful trend!

2. She looks amazing! I think she is becoming quite the fashionista and with this look, she does it again!

What We Are About! & We Want You!!

Hello everyone!

I just want to write and tell all of you readers how grateful Myself & The Hair Stylist Blog is for our readers!! This site is growing so quickly and its because of all of you! The site really is for hairstylists by hairstylists with no other intention other than sharing knowledge and growing together. There are no gimmicks, there is no marketing & most importantly, there is no selling of any sort!

In so many ways this site is my hobby and slowly becoming quite a passion for me. It truly is an amazing community we get to be apart of and I think it is important that we give ourselves the opportunity to share it with each other!!

Thats where you come in!

We are looking for people like yourselves to share their thoughts knowledge and insight to a day in the life...

Sound like something that your interested in? Well, let us know info@thehairstylistblog.com

We would love to hear from you!

-The Hairstylist Blog

Hair Colorist Wednesday: Color Formula!

Here is a great formula for Blondes I use all the time and oh so perfect for the Fall. We have talked a lot about taking blondes deeper and adding some more depth to your blonde. Well here is a fun way to take a NL 7 virgin guest to a perfect shade of dimensional blonde.

Base Level = 7

Alternate Formula 1, 2 & 3 in your standard formula manner for virgin application. Utilize extremely fine weaves throughout. The goal is to create an array of colors that give a beautiful dimension of color.

I use Redken Color So I will give you my Redken Formulas that I use. However, feel free to use the brand that you are most comfortable with.

1. Your favorite powder lightener with 20 volume (Redken Up to 7)

2. Your favorite high lift/double blonde Blue/Violet tone (Double Fusion = parts of AV & AB)

3. Demi-Permenant Level 7 Gold Tone (Shades EQ 7GB)

The result is beautiful and extremely low maintenance and pretty much the perfect color for a NL 7 looking to spice it up for the fall!

Check Out These Fun Shots

Miles Aldridge takes his signature vibe to an office setting for this month’s Vogue Italia. Charlotte di Calypso plays the role of an unproductive office worker while fashion editor Cathy Kasterine brings out sophisticated neutrals in wardrobe.

Check out the rest!

Michelle Williams To Play Marilyn Monroe

What a perfect fit! Check out this pic of Michelle in character as Marilyn. She looks excellent right?

I love any piece of work that not only represents an icon, but a point in time. This will be very exciting to see the hair, the fashion and of course the story.

Hair Colorist Wednesday!: What Hair Color Is Right For Me? - Know Your Level & Tone!

A few blogs back I wrote about Redken's Art Of Consultation. I am going to bring that back into play today. I would like to talk a little bit about how to know your guests or those of you non stylists know your own shade.

There really is an easy process to this. I will break it down step by step to make it easy for you.

First my thoughts:

Prior to my current knowledge I was under the impression that anyone could be any color if the tonal value was correct for their skin/eye tone. As I became a little more vast in the art of color I discovered this is something I know longer believe. Some of you may disagree which is absolutely fine, color is very much a subjective illusion. I can only write my thoughts.

There are many ways to discover someones ideal tonal value for their skin/eye color, which we will discuss in a second.

When you discover the difference of tones and shades it truly is amazing what it does to a person when you find their perfect complimenting tones. As you start to identify these differences you really will begin to see LIFE brought back into the color of the eyes and skin!

Lets break it down:

Step 1: Discover the level. It is important to find what level, meaning how dark/light one should be. The best way to do this is to use your level finder. Place the different levels, with the hair back and out of the face, onto the persons face near the corner of their eye and pay attention to the effect the level has on their eye and skin color.

Step 2: Discover their skin tone (You can do this step first, I prefer to do this second). You are trying to determine whether the person is cool or warm. There are many ways to do this.
1. Use the Redken Art Of Consult skin tone finder.
2. Use both a gold (warm) and a platinum (cool) piece of fabric.
3. Examine the persons eye color.

When doing any of these you are determining which tone compliments their skin color. For instance if you are using fabric, my tool of choice, would be to place the fabric around the person and pay attention to how the fabric compliments their skin and eye, does it brighten and soften them up? Or does the fabric make them look dull?

Need more assistance in this process? I found this article to be very informative. Check It Out!

Step 3: Utilize the knowledge and know what works. If they tend to be warm, utilize warm colors such as coppers, warm reds, golds, etc. If they tend to be cool, utilize cool colors such as cool browns, platinum, mahogany, etc.

Once you have this information you put it all together and it makes formulating easy!! You have norrowed it down to exactly the level and tone that you need. From that point you can utilize color to balance out the facial shape and even have fun with it by incorporating multi-tone coloring that you know works great on your guest!

Wear Your Support For Breast Cancer

It is always great to be able to show your support for a cause. Unfortunately almost everyone knows someone or knows someone who knows someone who has dealt with breast cancer.

With that said it gives us reason to fight back and show and express our support.

Is there anyway to express your self better than expressing it through your hair? I think not!

Get on the band wagon. Order some Clip-in Pink Extensions from your favorite extension company such as: So-Cap USA

Create a buzz about it at the salon with talkers and discussion. Sell the extensions in your salon and give the proceeds to your favorite breast cancer foundation. Send out a press release and get your community to not only show their support but Wear Their Support!

What a great way to help a cause & help others to express themselves.

Salon Business Monday!: Social Media & My Salon - Introduction To Facebook Part I

It's that time again. Monday! Let's talk about your salon.

So last week we left you a little on the edge and today we will cover most of what we did not.

We began this series of postings a few weeks ago, discussing the ways to integrate your salon and the virtual world via the internet. If you are just joining us make sure to go back and read the previous Salon Business Monday Posts, you can do so HERE.

If you are all caught up, well then let's continue shall we.

Today I am going to give you an introduction to creating a Facebook page and next week we will discuss the ways to utilize the Facebook page.

Why am I breaking this up into two weeks? Well I think it is important to not get overwhelmed with the information. The discussion of how to utilize Facebook will be vast and I would prefer to just give you some information on how to set up your page and save the insight on what I recommend you have on your page for next week.

Throughout this post I am going to be leading you to links on where to discover more information on the current topic of discussion.

How to set up a Facebook Fan Page & the difference between a fan page and a personal page:

Well this is quite easy and I am sure that most of you already know how to do this, but we will still run through the steps. However, I am guessing that many of you might see less value in a Facebook Fan Page as opposed to a Profile Page or maybe not even quite sure of the difference.

I am only going to tell you how to set up the Fan Page because I am going to be a bit biased in this post. Reason why?: Quite simple, there is far more value and ability to captivate your market and share your message clearly with the use of a Fan Page over a Facebook Page.

Here is a great article that explains the benefit of a fan page over the profile page.

And now my thoughts:

-Everything written in that article I agree with 100 percent. Having a Fan Page gives you more opportunity to reach your market and communicate effectively to each and everyone of them on a personal basis.

-Facebook had the intentions of business in mind when creating the "Fan Page" option. So naturally you will have more functionality with Facebook used in it's proper manner.

-Statistics are the only way to monitor what is working within your marketing process. If you are not able to track it, well then what is the point?

-Fans are never limited yet Friends are: apparently you can have too many friends, according to Facebook, 5,000 is the max. However, you can never have too many fans.

-I really could keep going but I think by now you get the point, also make note of this, A LOT of what we discuss next week on how to utilize your Facebook page, will not be able to be achieved with the profile page.

** I will make a note, you do have the ability to add friends in a profile setting which you do not in the Fan Page setting, but that is OK. Everything we discuss next week we help you to captivate your market and grow your Fan Base!

So Now that we have that out of the way, let's get this bad boy up and running shall we?

(Here is another great article: how to set it up and why it is a must have!)

Step 1: Easy as 123, Log on to http://www.facebook.com

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom and find the button that says "Create a page for Celebrity....." Click it!

Step 3: Enter in all of your information and make sure to do it as a Local Business.

(5 great reasons to make a fan page and to do so as a local business!)

You can subcategorize your business as health and beauty.

Step 4: If you already have a Facebook Profile, then follow the steps for that option. Otherwise it will guide you into creating one. You must do this. Even if you do not want a personal Facebook account just create one for your access to your Fan Page. It will strictly be used as an administrative profile. You can control how personal or public you allow your "profile page" to get.

Ok everyone. This is where we stop today. I know, I know its a little silly but I want to work this in steps. If you feel the need to go through and create your info and picture and all that jazz. Go for it! If nothing else you will begin to feel comfortable with the operating system.

But for now and today.... Thats all he wrote!

The Brazilian Blowout: Is It Safe?

Panasonic Develops Robot Hair Washer

Take a seat back hairstylists Panasonic develops a robotic system that will wash your hair.

And no it doesn't have 10 fingers. It has 16!

"

"With 16 fingers, the robot washes hair and rinses the shampoo bubbles with the dexterity of human fingers,” the company said in a statement.

“The robot’s two arms scan the head three dimensionally as they move and measure and remember the head shape to apply just the right amount of pressure to each person when shampooing and massaging.”

Looks like this will not hit stores for another two years, but it is interesting non the less.

Redken Teams Up With Video Game Company To Launch Wii Game

This seems a little silly to me. I don't know though, maybe it will work. Maybe it will strike more of a positive result to kids? Not quite sure.

Redken one of the leading professional American Hair Care Companies teamed up with Little Orbits to create the game titled: "Busy Scissors"

Looks like the game will include shampoos, blowdrying, coloring, cutting and all sorts of things to bring your hair skills into the digital world.

Do You Love Mary Kate & Ashley O: Bing.com Is All Set To Premiere The Girls New Line

Bing.com has been filming the duo as they have anxiously been preparing their collection and show to showcase their work titled "The Row." Named after Savile Row.

Check out this short video that showcasing the girls work, some interview time and of course their inspiration.

I am very curious to know what these girls will send down the runway in the hair department. When I think of the Olson Twins, I think very organic. My guess is we are going to see very loose natural movement to their hair, Probably nothing to polished.

Make sure to check out the exclusive on Bing.com, October the 4th @ 7:30 pm

Lil Kim Opens Doors to Second Salon

Lil Kim (entertainer & SALON OWNER!) Opens the doors to her second salon in Charlotte.

Kim opened the first Salon "Se Swa" branch in Raleigh in 2004 with her cousin Katrise Jones and the two have now transformed the salon into multiples, opening their second branch in Charlotte.

The doors to the salon opened on Saturday, September 25th and was celebrated with family and friends.

Hair Colorist Wednesday!: The Power Of Color

It's Time For This Week's Edition Of Hair Colorist Wednesday!!!

I found this absolutely wonderful video on the internet of how color can completely change the vision of an image and influence an array of imagination, inspiration and creativity.

Before I talk about why this relates to Hairdressers I want to share with you a little bit about this video.

This video was a collaboration of four different artists working from different areas around the globe & working together to create one masterpiece after the other by becoming inspired by color, shape and each other!

All of the artists were strangers who have never met and who come from different backgrounds. One is a student who was taking art classes on the side. One is an aspiring artist who was interested in a fine-art career. One is a hobby doodler. All were brought together from different parts of the globe to interact artistically in a way that wasn't even possible just a few years ago.

The participating artists didn't spend much time interacting with each other beforehand, but somehow the randomness become many birds and bird people. I asked that we change that into a Van Gogh starry-night image but make it a sunrise. That little bit of direction was all it took for the video to take off. Everyone's imagination was on overdrive. People who were watching would make up stories to go with what they saw, and that in turn influenced the artists. It was all people playing and killing time.

OK SO WATCH THE VIDEO....... Then My Blog Will Continue!

So why does this relate to Hair Colorists?

Well many reasons, first being the obvious. It's art and as a colorist art is naturally inspiring and informative!

But it so much more than the obvious. My goal was to share this with the intentions to express the power of color. Did you notice that throughout the video there was a point to which the picture changed before your eyes? Of course you did! It was so simple when you really break it down. By utilizing the combinations of color and shading to create depth and silhouettes, the picture was able to move and change right before our eyes.

The same principles relate to hair color. Color is simply light and depending on the reflection and absorption of certain light waves, changes the way we perceive the colors, depth and dimension of the hair.

It is amazing that by combining certain colors and blending certain colors together creates an illusion of what is perceived and allows us an infinite possibility of creation.

This is an amazing lesson; to follow the principles of color theory. Know your color wheel and understand the law of color within every formulation that you are working with. Take into consideration the colors your currently working with, to understand the colors you want to achieve, just like they did in the video.

Even though the video went quick, it was sped up and with out a doubt there was a thought process and a science put into the decision of what colors were going to be used to create the each segment of the video.

The most important message I want to share though, is let color and other works of art inspire you. Do not live in a bubble and definitely do become self absorbed! Become inspired by what you see everyday and appreciate others work, just like these artists did and allow your mind to take you to new possibilities!

What a wonderful world when hairdressers inspire hairdressers! We are so lucky!

Thank you for reading this post!

Salon Business Monday!: Content On My Website's Links

Hey Everyone! it's Monday and it's time to talk salon business. If you are just joining us then make sure you go back to the past and check out the Salon Business Monday posts for the last 2 weeks. We have been breaking down your salon websites. From how to start one, to what should be on your home page, to today: What content should be on your website's links!

If you need to check out the last 2 posts, you can do so HERE.

Lets get started shall we? Also if you are rushed for time that is OK! Today's post is short and sweet!

So Lets Break down what these links should have on them.

Services:

This is where we "sell" what we do. Any time there is a purchase to be made "we" are purchasing based on perceived value. It is not enough to just list your serv ices. Break your services down by category, for instance color, cutting, etc. Within each category make sure you talk about why each service that you give is worth what you are charging, without directly saying why. Also discuss the added value within each service make sure to talk about the added value that comes with that service, whether it be a blow dry, a hand treatment, a foot massage, etc. It is not enough to sell a service, it is imperative that well sell an experience and offer a welcoming and comfortable environment no matter what the market.

Make sure to list the products that you have available in your salon in this section. This is a great place to make it simple for people to find everything related to services within your salon. In my opinion, you want to make it as easily accessible to your visitors to navigate through your site. Maximum information in least amount of spaces. By combining your products and services into one location this allows that. Also talk about your products, talk about why you use them and what makes them so special.

About Us:

This is the fun part! This is where we get to talk about the salon. Tell your guests and future guests what makes your salon so great. Make sure that your literature is consistent with what your are selling and your message is consistent with your brand. A lot of what is listed on this about us section should be a more extensive version of what we talked about on the homepage from last week.

In the about us this is where you put your bios. This is where the visitors get to know the staff. List the staff in order from levels. The owner first of course and then the most experienced to the newest. This gives some structure to the navigation to the bios.

The bios should be as personalized as possible. Talk about what they offer and what services they love to do, but also talk about what they love to do outside of work. Make this fun and personalized. Let their personalities come out. Let your visitors find the staff member that makes them relate-able to them and have fun with it!

Specials:

Keep your specials visibly clean. Do not overwhelm this page with all sorts of giveaways and specials. Offer what you are offering but make is seem special. Do not make it seem like something that you give away every week. As the weeks go on we will get into more of what to offer, why, how and when. But for now my message is simple. Keep it clean and remember perceived value!

Media (videos, pictures, etc.): We are going to skip this section today as we will get into this next week! We are going to talk about social media and how to make it work for your website.

Calendar:

Your calendar should be simple and personalized. Have a staff birthday? Post it. Having a special event coming up? Post it. Anything and everything that is solidified by a date should be posted through the calender. This will keep your guests in the know!

My recommendation would be to use Google calendars. Want to know more about it? Check that out here. It is so simple to use and can be updated from anywhere!

Contact Us:

In the contact section make sure to have access to any form of communication to your salon available. Phone, email, maybe even AIM, etc. You want to give your visitors multiple possibilities to communicate with you, because everyone prefers a different method.

It is also imperative to have a map of your location, driving instructions and if at all possible a link to do a customized driving directions to your location. Also make sure to add links to your social media.


So.....

This concludes today. Remember Next week we will be going over social media. One of the most benifical peices in our segment. SO YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS IT! : )