Musings by the Hairslave

I love styling at weddings. People are often surprised by that. All the shows we see on TV are about Bridezillas, we always hear the worst stories, etc. But honestly I haven’t had that experience at all. I assume it must be a little like being pregnant (wait for it, it’ll make sense).

If you’ve ever been pregnant, or married to someone who has been, you know the drill. You always hear the worst stories. 90 hours of labor, too late for an epidural, tearing (eeeew), back labor, nasty child (sorry, that comes later), only the bad. But that’s just because everyone assumes you don’t want to know the good stories. They’re boring.

Well I’ve been very lucky when it comes to weddings. I have never had a moody bride (Don’t get me started on bridesmaids. Why do they assume we care if it’s about them or not?) I have had some of the best times at weddings.

I’ve done weddings in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Capay Valley, Auburn, I could go on for quite a bit, and all of them have been worth the early morning wake up call or drive. The brides I’ve known have been cheerful and excited for the most part. And when else would I get to make someone feel like a princess? I think one of the reasons I like weddings is because I get to help relax the bride; I think that’s over half of my job.

One of my very favorite weddings was Shauna.

She, her mother, sister, bridesmaids, were all the sweetest people I could hope for on a wedding day. They were all worried that I hadn’t eaten (I don’t usually before 11), if I needed a break, was I attending the wedding-I almost never do, but I did in this case. The funny part is it’s their day, not mine! I drove 5 hours to get to San Luis Obispo, and in the end it was worth it to witness the joy of their day.

Cara was another bride I loved working with, she wanted to feel like a princess. She deserved it. She is without a doubt one of the most upbeat people I’ve worked with. At one point I was concerned by a somewhat unrealistic schedule she sent me. But though I worried of offending her (you never know!) she was totally sweet about revisions. Cara had shoulder length hair, she was trying to grow it as long as possible. To make the day even more special we decided to add temporary extensions. I think we achieved what she wanted. And reports tell of a joyous occasion!

Of course, the funnest (thinking of you Laurie), wedding I’ve done was my ex-wife Laurie, and her new Husband, Bill. It was a family event for both of us, our son was the only attendant (well except for Buddha),

and the day was like a family reunion. It was a great honor to have my ex-wife ask me to do her hair for the wedding. You can’t top that!

Part of the secret to a happy occasion is the run-through. Though I never try to achieve the actual “do” ahead of time, it’s crucial to be on the same page. I like to make sure we are both realistic about what the bride wants, and what the brides hair can manage. I set aside at least an hour to try out different hairstyles, and then I practice a few times on one of my doll heads to be sure I won’t make the bride nervous the day of. Having a clear idea for both of us allows me to focus on helping the bride relax. The hair time is a time when the bride can simply let go and de-stress if she is comfortable with my skills.

I’ve done enough weddings through the years that I can honestly say that the bridezillas must be pretty rare. I’ve never met one (and hope I never do!).

So I was at the hospital today with my father and step-mother. My father has heart problems, and is dealing with some blood-clot issues. It turned out to be a wait and see sort of thing, and it looks like everything will be fine. But something I observed troubled me. It was the consultation with the physician. She was bad at it. If it hadn’t been for the nurse (who gave us basically the same info, but in a way that made sense), we wouldn’t have known what was happening at all!

It got me thinking about something I take for granted, but my clients tell me they don’t. The stylist/client consultation. The consultation is the most important part of the whole visit. Make no mistake, I mean it. It can make the difference between an OK/bad style, and a truly wonderful style! And don’t think it’s all the responsibility of the stylist. A stylist should be able to explain what, why, and how. What your going to do, why you will be doing it, and exactly how they will go about it. But the client has just as much input into the process. If you don’t understand, or aren’t sure the stylist does, for goodness sake speak up! It’s your hair. If you don’t know what’s happening, how will you know what needs to be fixed -you do allow your stylist to fix their mistakes, right? But I digress.

A stylist should be willing to consult for a minimum of 5 minutes (I book 15 min. for new clients), and I mean that for all appointments. I try and have enough time in my schedule to talk to every single client I see in any given day. I never know when they may want a change, or have a problem with something we’ve done. You, as a client should be able to talk about your hair even if you are there for “the usual”. A stylist should also be able to explain in laymen’s terms exactly what they will be doing, what you should expect during the process, and what the long term consequences will be.

As a client, you should feel comfortable with any question regarding your hair. There are absolutely NO stupid questions. You should not be expected to know what any terms mean, and you should expect to have anything explained so you can learn.

But in return, you have to try to be as clear as possible with your wishes. I recently acquired a new client. She has beautiful hair, and I really liked her. However, the first time I met with her she showed me several styles, and gave me very conflicting ideas of what she wanted. Guess what? I could see immediately that she was not happy. I think it all turned out fine in the end. A few days later she came back for a “tune-up”, and I think she was pleased. I hope to have gained a new client (I liked her quite a bit, and I think she could be a potential model for the future). But it could have turned very ugly, if you’ll pardon the pun.

When you go to your stylist, take pictures with you. Take pictures of what you like (it doesn’t matter if you think your hair will do it, it’s what you like), and take pictures of what you don’t like! It’s very helpful to know what not to do to someone’s hair. If you say layered, what does that mean. Well, to some it might mean soft long layers. But to someone else it could mean a shag! A picture of a shag with you saying, “absolutely not”, would be very helpful about now, don’t you think? Curl to one person is wave to another, wish you had that picture with you? You see where I’m going? A picture speaks volumes; don’t feel bad about visuals.

Talk, talk, talk. Don’t be shy, and don’t feel like your wasting time. I would rather talk with someone for a few minutes than spend an extra half hour fixing something!

This one is just silly. Husband Pete and I are crazy about our pug Buddha. Don’t get me wrong here. We love our cat Ebi, and we like our “other” dog Homer. But Buddha is special. So without further ado, a bunch of stupid photo’s of our furry friends.

[caption id="attachment_328" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="How many dog's get their own cat? Or is it the other way around?"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_329" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Yes we have another dog. That's Homer the ugly step-child."][/caption]

These beasts and all their cuteness are available for future worshiping at my studio. Can you resist It??!!

Well, come back for more some time, if I haven’t sickened you enough!!

This one is just silly. Husband Pete and I are crazy about our pug Buddha. Don’t get me wrong here. We love our cat Ebi, and we like our “other” dog Homer. But Buddha is special. So without further ado, a bunch of stupid photo’s our furry friends.

[caption id="attachment_328" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="How many dog's get their own cat? Or is it the other way around?"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_329" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Yes we have another dog. That's Homer the ugly step-child."][/caption]

These beasts and all their cuteness is constantly available for future worshiping at my studio. Can you stand It??!!

Well, come back for more some time, if I haven’t sickened you enough!!

As I’ve said before, I’ve worked in Davis for over 20 years now. That means a certain aversion to styling products has been ingrained in my psyche. I’m working very hard to overcome that mentality now. For me and my clientele!

Seriously people, products are your friends. You don’t have to worry about the eco-consequences any longer, almost all of the products created today are vastly superior to the old hairspray and mousse. We’re no longer destroying the ozone layer. I promise. Most of the products I use (possibly all) are tested in salons (not on animals!!).

Some of my favorite recipes are pretty simple, but the application is just as important. If you tend toward frizz, but like your natural curl (bless you!) start with a smoothing lotion. Something the texture of hand lotion is what you’re looking for. Look for anti-frizz formulas. I like Kenras Straightening Serum (yes for curly hair, it won’t automatically straighten your hair!). Be sure to distribute evenly. If it’s not scalp to ends it will only help the half of your hair it’s on. Follow with a curl creme, I like creams for curly hair because they have a “flexible” hold. That means they don’t get crunchy or hard. Kenra Curl Defining Creme, or Aquage Curl Defining Creme are two of my favorites. Again, comb it through. Scalp to ends is the only way it will work properly! For you lucky women (and men) with naturally curly locks, bravo! That’s all there is to it. If you want to go all out, by all means use a diffuser. Scrunching will work just fine if your lazy.

For straight hair, follow the same basic principle, but instead of a curl creme try a root boost. Aquage Uplifting Foam is awesome, and I love Catwalk’s Root Boost. I’ve never been able to use too much. Apply to the roots (that’s what that funny nozzle is for), and once again COMB THROUGH! Blow dry with a round brush and your friends will be blown away (sorry, I like bad puns).

A few of my product recommendations are:
(follow directions and comb through evenly on wet hair, use hand styling for dry hair):

On almost all hair types I recommend starting with Bedhead Superstar Spray Leave-in Conditioner, it detangles without weighing hair down!
Fine, Straight Hair
For volume use one of the following: Bedhead Superstar Thickening Blow Dry Lotion (wet, can also be used with any of the next products), Aquage Uplifting Foam (wet), Catwalk Root Boost (wet), or Paul Mitchell Extra Body Mousse (wet).
To combat frizz, layer with one of the following products: Kenra Straighening Serum (wet hair), Bedhead Afterparty (wet or dry), or Kenra Style Creme (wet or dry for texture), and I love most silicon based shine enhancers, Abba, Paul Mitchell, Aquage, and TIGI all make great liquid smoothers (shine enhancer).

Course Straight Hair
To add volume or control use one of the following: Aquage Uplifting Foam, Catwalk Root Boost, or Paul Mitchell Extra Body Mousse.
To combat frizz, layer with one of the following: Kenra Straighening Serum (wet hair), Bedhead Afterparty (wet or dry), or Kenra Style Creme (dry for texture), and again I love most silicon based shine enhancers

Curly Hair
Use one of the following: Kenra Curl Defining Creme (wet, can be scrunched in dry also for extra control, not too much!), Aquage Curl Defining Creme (wet, same as above), and/or Kenra Style Creme (wet or dry, on dry hair scrunch in to help hold curl and fight off frizz).

For Fine Curly Hair
Add Bedhead Superstar Thickening Blow Dry Lotion before any of the previous products.

All Hair Types
Bedhead Afterparty (a light smoothing creme for wet or dry hair), Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine (great for spiking short hair or holding a style all night), Sexy Hair Soy Paste (especially good for short textured cuts), Aquage Transforming Paste (not recommended for fine hair), most Kenra Hairsprays, Paul Mitchell Freeze and Shine, and once again almost all silicon based shine enhancers

For Mohawks or other spiky styles
Aquage Freezing foam is like cement, be warned!

Shampoos and Conditioners
For dry or bleached hair I recommend Bedhead Dumb Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner.
For curly hair I like Bedhead Foxy Curls shampoo and conditioner, frizz is a result of curly hair’s natural dryness, conditioners can help keep curly hair moisturized to defeat frizz.
For fine hair Bedhead Superstar Shampoo, I don’t generally recommend conditioner for finer hair types unless damaged or dry. Why way it down more?
For color treated hair I like Bedhead’s Self Absorbed shampoo, again, only condition if hair seems excessively dry or damaged.

Really people, good products are the foundation to a happy hair day. A little spray can fix a shoddy blow-out. Even a little shine enhancer can lift your mood! Go on, give it a try. You will like the results!

Well, I guess I should tell you a little about me and my interests. I’ve been a stylist for around 21 years now, I have one 19 year old son, William, at Chico State, and I’ve been in a long term relationship with my Husband Pete for over 16 years. My passion is color, both hair and painting. I owned my own salon for around 5 years, and now work at a salon in Davis, and at my own studio in Sacramento.

I do hair (sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning (Hairslave 24/7, get it?), I paint abstract portraits, and I do a lot of web stuff.

I always wished I had a really cool story about becoming a hair stylist. The truth is I just happened into it by accident. Oh, when I was young I had a doll with long blonde hair that I played with (I’m pretty sure it was a Thor doll, which would explain my lifelong fascination with comic books). And when my first serious girlfriend was “installed” in a strange sorority thing during high school I did a bunch of doll hairstyles. But I never had a burning desire to mess with people’s hair. In fact, if I hadn’t been unemployed and bored, I may never even have entered the school. But as soon as I did I fell in love with it.

That’s me in a nutshell, read the posts and you’ll learn a lot more!

Not anymore, but I sometimes wish I was!!

When I turned 40 I dyed my hair blue. No, I’m not a grey-hair. It was blue. Cookie monster blue. I had it that way for a whole year and I loved it. You can’t be any more anonymous than when your blue. Believe me, when you walk into a room it doesn’t matter if you have toilet paper hanging from your butt, all they see is blue hair! The first time my husband Pete and I went for dinner he mused, “Wow, I could be naked and all they would see is your blue hair!” I’m not sure that’s true. He’s not a small man, and naked might get him noticed, but I’m sure you get the idea.

The reason I did the blue hair was simply to try something “outside the box”. Pete was directing a stage version of Rocky Horror. I wanted something that worked with the “dress up” vibe. But the truth is it was awesome. I loved the color. I’ve been blonde, I’ve been black, I don’t like red on me, green is so common. So blue made sense. In fact, I liked blue so much It kinda became my signature color. I still wear blue several days a week. It’s not as fun as the blue hair, but it’s easier to maintain.

Blue hair is a little time consuming. To start, the hair has to be bleached to very pale yellow, almost white. Not something that’s easy for the novice. It takes an expert colorist (or extremely tough hair and scalp). If the hair is too yellow (gold), it mixes with blue to make green. And primary colors such as pure red, green, or blue are generally temporary colors. That means they fade in just a couple of weeks, usually two to three. My hair is hard to bleach, so it usually takes a couple days to get the right tone. You see where I’m going with this. But it was worth it while I did it.

The other reason I did it was to show my clients the idea that you can take a little bit of a risk. Red is not so scary when your looking at someone with blue hair.

It’s interesting the reactions you get. One of my clients saw me in a restaurant a few days after I did it. Upon seeing me she yelled, “my hair stylist does not have blue hair!” (You know who you are) I’m sure my family thought I was crazy (not my son,of course). But overall it was generally positive, and I may do it again some time.

So think about taking a chance. Step outside your box sometime. You might be surprised what you learn about yourself.

What’s not to love about curly hair? It’s in style big these days, and if you’ve got it flaunt it!

Have you been paying attention. While we were all living in the 20th century, the 21st caught up with us. If you are plugged in to any kind of pop culture (which means popular by the way, whether you think you’re trendy or not, you don’t get to totally ignore pop culture. Sorry.) you’ve seen plenty of curl on the red carpet.

Today it’s the kind of curl most people can do. You don’t need a perm, though that might help. But unless your hair is totally stick straight and lifeless, you can take advantage of a curling iron to get those lovely runway looks. Refer to my favorite products blog for some of the products I love for body and hold. Blow dry hair with round brush or upside down for more volume (if your into letting your hair dry naturally, so be it, but it will be flatter). Take a medium/large(1 1/4″ or larger) curling iron and work with sections the width of the curling iron (bigger for softer waves), in the following pattern:
Curl from your bangs to the top of your crown forward. Curl sides down (it should be around 3 sections), from the top of your crown to nape, curl down. try to keep them in place as if they are set on rollers (if the curls fall just roll them back up!), and pin with clippies (you know, those things your grandmother used to keep her hair rollers in). Spray with a good medium to firm spray, and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Take out clippies and finger style. If you want a softer look (think 40’s glamour) brush with a bristle brush (a brush that is very soft and has boar or nylon bristles, not a vent brush which is usually hard plastic. Place the curls or wave where you want them and spray with a little more spray. That’s it. For more volume later, flip your head and gently fluff.

That may seem like a lot of work, but really, it can be done in about a half hour! That’s not long for movie star hair, is it?

Now, the cool part. If you have naturally wavy to curly hair it’s much easier to look fabulous! Again, refer to my products post for the correct formulas. layer them properly, and comb through! Comb through, understand that, comb through! Even if you have curly hair that’s important. You must get the products evenly distributed to combat frizz, and for curly girls the “products are our friends” slogan is particularly true. Then scrunch, with or without a diffuser. If you use a diffuser follow these instructions to the letter. Take that from someone who knows. I started in the hair business in the heyday of the perm. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to curl styling.

Attach the diffuser to the dryer. The only kind of diffuser I recommend is the type that is bowl shaped, with “fingers”. The reason you want this type is because it not only reduces frizz, but encourages curl. The flat kind, or sock type won’t. Look at yourself in the mirror. Now tilt your head slightly back (don’t hurt your neck!) and carefully place your hair in the diffuser (while it’s on either medium or cool). When moving the diffuser to other places remove hair from bowl and replace gently, don’t move it around wily nilly. Your goal is to encourage the curl to stay in strands or clumps of spirals. Use this technique in the same way on the sides (tilting the head to the side and “cradling” the hair in the bowl). It’s important to tilt your head to encourage curl all the way to the roots. Continue until hair is around 90% dry. If you dry further you risk over drying the hair and going into frizz. (grrr, evil frizz…). Finish hair by scrunching with Kenra Curl Defining Creme or Kenra Style Creme for extra definition and hold. For an extra boost of shine, mist with a shine spray.

I obviously love curly hair, and so should you! If you’ve got it flaunt it. I think most of us get to have the hair type that is “in style” once (maybe twice) in our lifetime. Don’t waste your chance with the grass is always greener mentality. Believe me, the girls with straight hair will die of envy!

In response to Cary’s question about restaurants, I thought I’d post a quick review. It’s about our new favorite, Roxy’s on Fair Oaks Blvd., in Sacramento.

Pete and I have been there a few times now, and every time we’ve been very happy. But last night I had what Pete calls a food-gasam. I know not the best visual, but it is quite appropriate. It’s only happened to me a couple of times. Once was a special beef stew I was served at Harlow’s, on J. ST. It was unexpectedly delicious. You know what I mean. It’s so good you lick the plate, and you have to tell the chef how amazing it was.

Well Roxy’s reached that point for me last night. Pete had the salmon salad, which is almost always what he has. It’s a chop style salad, with a very tasty cut of Salmon overlaying the top. Doesn’t come with tomatoes, so that’s double bonus points from Pete. It always tastes fresh , I cannot stand fishy tasting fish! We keep coming back for it., so you know it’s good. I’ve had chicken pot pie (very good), steak (excellent) and a couple others I don’t remember too well (I think a really good beef salad, but I’m not 100% on that one). Last night I had the Port Spareribs. It was so tender I ate it with my fork, and the port wine glaze was so mouthwatering good there wasn’t enough. The spareribs tasted like pork spareribs, not “port” spareribs. O.M.G.!! (okay, O.M.F.S.M., Laurie), melt in your mouth food-gasam! It came with some very good vegetables, cooked perfectly, string beans and carrots, and some OK cheesy mashed potatoes. They were cheddar mashed, I don’t particularly like cheddar, sue me. So as a whole I was extremely happy with my meal.

With a full bar, very nice paintings, and a snazzy western elegance, what more do you need!?

I admit it, I play with dolls. Well, I actually have to admit I play with doll heads. Not sure if that’s better or worse.

The great thing about a doll head is no ego! I don’t have to worry about the doll head hating their cut or color. I have the freedom to try things with cuts that I would never have the nerve to try on a breathing soul (I don’t do well with rejection). I get to try new color techniques, cutting procedures, products, conditioners, you name it! And nobody gets hurt.

About 4 years ago I discovered the amazing benefits of working on doll heads (something I hadn’t done since cosmetology school in the mid 80’s!). It was a complete revelation. Now I order 1 or 2 doll heads every few months from on online beauty source (they come in an amazing variety of colors, ethnicities, and lengths) and have a blast.

I’ve used them to test color corrections: A client that died her hair black for Halloween (their is absolutely no such thing as “temporary” black by the way. Read the fine print in those instructions!). She came to me to go lighter. After 5 hours in the salon we booked for later in the week. I went home, bought the color she used, died the doll head black, and spent two days figuring out how to get it to look “normal” without melting her hair right off her head. Couldn’t do that on a real person! She was very happy with the results, and so was I!

A client getting married who wanted “princess hair”: To her this meant longer. So I took a doll head, cut the hair to her length and style, and proceeded to experiment for several days to get the best application of temporary hair extensions for the style we were doing (I admit to being a total hair geek, I’ll work until two or so in the morning If I’m really “in the zone”). No fear of a screw-up on the wedding day!

And I’ve developed styles for a few clients that were looking for a change, but weren’t really sure how far they wanted to go.

I’m very lucky to have a studio at my house where I can work with my doll heads. It makes it easier for me than the average stylist, and I’ve learned more in the past 4 years working with my dolls than I did for the 15 years of full time styling that came before!

A few more examples of my dolls…