Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Texture: Commitment-Free Retexturizing
by Michelle Breyer on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
There was a time when the only option for temporarily changing curly hair to straight or straight hair to curly—or to go from long to short and back—was a wig or a chemical treatment.
These days, there are numerous ways that stylists and consumers can temporarily change the look of hair, without chemicals. They range from innovative new styling products to natural-looking extensions.
Product Innovations
Toronto stylist Jonathan Torch, creator of the Curly Hair Solutions line of products, wanted to create a product that could temporarily loosen curls without chemicals. He spent years trying to find the ideal ingredient that could smooth the curls and keep the hair shiny and soft.
Before
The answer, he says, was lecithin.
“It as a complete aha moment,” Torch says. “It’s in all of my conditioners; it’s thick as tar and it makes the hair shiny.”
Curly Hair Solutions is launching Extenzz this fall, which pushes water into the hair and uses the weight of the wet hair to straighten or loosen curl by using the product in conjunction with different brushing techniques.
While Curly Hair Solutions discovered a creative way to relax curls by using eggs (which contain lecithin), many of the most exciting advances have come in the laboratory, where chemists have concocted new formulations of polymers and silicones that help straighten and defrizz hair.
Living Proof, which has stormed onto the beauty scene, developed a new technology called polyfluoroEster—a smaller molecule than the traditional materials used for frizz control. Due to its chemical nature, the formulation adheres tightly to the hair, which allows for long-lasting moisture resistance and rebalancing of the hair fiber’s interaction with the atmosphere, even after extreme humidity.
After
“It helps prevent friction that causes hair to frizz,” says Eric Spengler, senior vice president of research and development for Living Proof, a line sold in both professional and consumer outlets. The Living Proof No Frizz Straight Styling line is designed to make it easier to and faster to blow out hair, while the Wave collection helps define curls.
“These products provide an alternative to silicone and more permanent chemical treatments,” Spengler says.
Stay tuned for several new products in the coming months that will be able to give people a straighter, smoother look for several days without using chemicals.
Hair Extensions
With hair extensions, a client can go from curly to straight, straight to curly and from long to short. The client can even get bangs, without the long-term commitment. Extensions are available in clip-ons, which can be put on for a quick change, to strand-by-strand extensions that can last several months.
“Extensions are a great option to chemicals, whether it be texture or color,” says Kimberly Castagna, public relations assistant at SO.CAP USA Hair Extensions, a leader in the world market of producing natural and synthetic hair.
“With our extensions, people have found they can create texture that feels better and looks more natural than their own hair,” she says
Curly hair can get a smooth, elegant by pulling the hair back and adding straight extensions. Wavy and curly extensions can be added to straighter hair for a completely different look. You can also add volume without length by putting in strand-by-strand extensions, Castagna says. Extensions are being used in place of wigs by some women who have undergone chemotherapy.
“It gives them the option of looking like its their own hair,” she says.
Stylist Reveals Secret to Drying Fergie’s Hair
by CurlStylist on Monday, August 23rd, 2010
The Black Eyed Peas’ tour has been a smash worldwide and Fergie’s beautiful costumes and on-stage hair looks have been getting rave reviews. Jason Medina is her longtime stylist and masterfully creates the fast-paced hairstyle changes required between sets, during concerts and throughout the tour.
Among the styling essentials which have been spotted in his tool kit is the Velecta Paramount Paris x:Q Onyx hairdryer, which has now become a fast favorite among top red carpet and editorial stylists.
Medina says, “I love this dryer! I even ordered EU versions for our European tour since I didn’t want to be without it. Speed is really important to me backstage because there’s so little time to get Fergie ready after a quick costume change between sections of the show. The Velecta Paramount Paris dryer works faster than anything else I’ve used, and
believe me I’ve tried everything. It’s not only powerful and lightweight, it’s ergonomic and compact, which is great when we travel. I also like the fact that it’s low EMF.”
The model Jason Medina uses is the super-light Velecta Paramount Paris x:Q Onyx (hand-made in France) which delivers 2000 watts of power while radically reducing noise pollution. It features a remarkable airspeed of 81 mph, 60% faster drying time, and has the finest tourmaline and ceramic components available for negative ions and far infrared heat. It incorporates patented ergonomics to reduce stress on shoulders, wrists and elbows and has an energy-efficient, turbo charged, low EMF motor.
Velecta Paramount Paris is considered the finest line of luxury professional hair dryers in the world, and is the industry originator and global leader in noise reduction technology, faster drying speed and healthier hairdryers.
Velecta Paramount, founded in 1936, is France’s oldest and most respected maker of hairstyling tools, with each hair dryer carefully made by hand by
the same specialist—unique in the industry.
Clipper Guy Says . . .Nice To Meet You!
by Ivan Zoot/The Clipper Guy on Monday, March 15th, 2010
Ivan Zoot is the director of education and customer engagement for the Andis Company and the founder of Zoot! Hair professional hair care products. Ivan identifies, recruits, trains and manages Andis’ team of professional beauty industry educators. Ivan continues to be a featured presenter at industry shows and events, sharing his unique blend of information, education and enthusiasm for clipper cutting and the entire professional beauty industry. Ivan’s background includes experiences ranging from salon ownership to achieving 3 Guinness World Haircutting records.
You put a lot of time, effort and energy into keeping up on your skills and education as a stylist. You try to be well-versed in the care of any and every type of hair. The prospect of cutting heavily textured and naturally curly hair stops you cold. There are way too many chances for this to go wrong. It can take forever for a curly client to recover from a bad haircut. Then again, maybe you are the queen (or king) of naturally curly hair care and cutting in your shop. Being a leader and staying at the front of the pack requires continuous effort and reinvestment in your craft.
It is nice to meet you. Welcome to my new blog here at CurlStylist.com.
I am Ivan Zoot, a licensed cosmetologist, barber and salon industry educator. I have cut a lot of hair. My salon in the Chicago suburbs does more 300 haircuts every day. I do not cut celebrity clients. I cut hair for real people who want celebrity style and glamour but do not have teams of professionals in the bathroom every morning as if life was a photo shoot or a movie premiere.
Let’s talk about cutting curly hair cuts. Let’s discuss taking control of this large, passionate and profitable market. I have looked online. I could not find a web site called naturallystraight.com. There is an opportunity and a reason we gather here.
I like to break things down and focus on individual elements of a challenge. Here are my Top Five Tips to overcome the fear of curly cutting.
- Get over it True success as a commercial stylist can only come when you can stand at your chair, look to the door and know that whoever and whatever walks in, you can deliver a service and take their money. No exceptions. If there is a service you cannot perform or a type of client you fear, get over it. Period. Salon diversity and multi-culturalism is a salon reality.
- Get skills Once you have identified a skills “opportunity” like curly cutting, get the education you need. Take a class. Attend a seminar. Watch a video. Buy a book. Our industry prides itself on the wealth of education and information available.
- Get practice This is how you got started in our business. You are never too old or too experienced to offer services for FREE to learn and master a skill.
- Get the word out Promote. Promote. Promote. Once you have committed to expand the volume of services you do in curly cutting you need to let the world know. The clients will flock to you if the skills, the value and the enthusiasm are in place.
- Get busy Get busy curly cutting with passion. If you have spent a few minuets cruising NaturallyCurly.com or CurlStylist.com, you are well aware of the energy and enthusiasm this is segment is brimming with. By positioning yourself as an expert here you will be very busy being busy in no time.
I look forward to getting to know you and your curly cutting challenges, hopes and dreams. This blog is intended to serve as a forum for ideas, concerns and discussions specifically centered around curly hair cutting. Keep the cards and letters coming.
Ivan
About Rodney Cutler
by Staff on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
Rodney Cutler
Rodney Cutler, founder of Cutler Salon, is one of the top New York stylists, known for his innovative techniques and for creating sexy, healthy hair. He has been featured in top national and regional consumer publications and television programs such as Make Me A Supermodel, the Today Show, Rachael Ray and InStyle magazine, among others. In addition to running his successful salons, Rodney Cutler leads a talented, friendly and unpretentious staff of 150, 30 of whom are editorial stylists consistently working on cover shoots and fashion spreads. His celebrity clientele include Rachael Ray, Jamie King, Gavin DeGraw and Jordin Sparks.
Cutler’s hair-styling career began at the young age of 16 when he was appointed to a four-year apprenticeship at Rifmik, one of Australia’s leading hair salons. After much success in Australia, his travels brought him to New York, and eventually lead to his employment at Bumble and Bumble Salon in 1992. At Bumble and Bumble, he rapidly rose to be one of their top stylists and co-developed a program that integrated innovative hair cutting concepts, trained other staff members, and coordinated the teachers for the Assistant Hair Cutting Program.
In 2001, after three years of running a salon with partner Nick Arrojo, Cutler decided it was time to take one step further and open his own salon. In 2001, the first Cutler salon was born. Naturally, this led to another salon opening in 2005, this time in Soho. To go with the downtown, funky vibe, he created the Soho location as a modern clean space with a loft-like, gallery feel, incorporating cut and color on one floor. A unique feature of Cutler salons is the Redken Lab, where colorist and client interact for in-depth discussions about skin tone, color choices and fashion, making each client’s interaction unique.
Continuing to extend his mantra of “Sexy Healthy Hair” to women at home, Cutler offers a full line of products, including shampoos, conditioners, styling products and a travel kit. Rodney continues to grow his business with new endeavors, including a new salon in the Gansevoort South Hotel in Miami, scheduled to open in Summer 2008 along with many more innovative products to come.
Follow Rodney’s Tweets!
Texture Tips: Top Challenges
by Mahisha Dellinger on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
Mahisha Dellinger, founder and CEO of CURLS LLC, is revolutionizing the way women care for their curls. As a multi-ethnic, naturally curly woman, Dellinger was no stranger to the frustration of searching for a product line that could properly care for her unique curls. After years of mixing products to create the perfect balance for her hair, Dellinger took matters into her own hands, launching CURLS, a comprehensive line of hair products designed for multi-ethnic hair.
Servicing curly hair clients is always gratifying, especially for stylists stuck in a rut of style slick straight tresses. BORING! The texture, the depth, the range, and all of the variety that curly tresses offer can be exhilarating! While there are specific challenges that are unique to curly hair, none of these challenges are without solutions.
Top Challenges
Curly Girls Face
1. Frizz control
2. Keeping tresses hydrated
3. Attaining the “perfect” curl pattern
The most common complaint that I hear from my clients, and the stylists who cater to them, is battling Frizz. More often than not, where there are curls, frizz is not too far away. There are many reasons why curlies are plagued with frizz. Some causes are client-inflicted, such as overuse of styling products or using the wrong type of products, such as drying mousses and hairsprays. Others are inflicted at the hands of stylists, such as overuse of heat appliances, damage from coloring, perming and bleaching.
Curl Ecstacy Hair Tea Conditioner
While hair cuts are the most requested service at Urbanbella Salon in Atlanta, GA, Keneesha Hudson says that it is her Steam Hydration Therapy, which she often uses in conjunction with our Curl Ecstasy Hair Tea Conditioner that solves dilemma #2 — dehydrated tresses. This luxurious curl therapy incorporates the benefits of steam with a deep conditioner to penetrate the hair shaft, lock in moisture and improve the condition of curls, kinks and waves.
Quenched Curls Moisturizer
IN HOME SOLUTION: Encourage your clients to moisturize their tresses on a daily basis, when they are not able to indulge in salon treatments. Recommend a daily moisturizer that is formulated natural oils and humectants. I recommended using a moisturizer formulated with jojoba, as it is the natural extract that most resembles sebum (the natural oil produced in the sebaceous glands in your scalp). Quenched Curls Moisturizer is a great option.
While most curlies state that they love their natural texture, some secretly long for curls rocked by their favorite Hollywood actress/model. While promising Halle Berry-esque curls isn’t quite feasible, delivering hydrated, frizz free, beautifully unique curls is well within your reach.
For more information, visit Curls.biz.
Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS)
International Redken Artist Jill Leitz talks about working with curly clients.
Ron King, L'Oreal educator, writes about his "easy-wear" philosophy.
Globetrotter Antonio Gonzales got his start doing his sisters' hair in Trinidad.
Ivan Zoot addresses haircutting.
