Beauty, Business, communication, Fashion, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized

The jig is up

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I’m going to let you in on a little secret and I hope I am forgiven. Men have hair issues too. I’m not talking about back hair or south of the border over growth – that is another tale for another day. I am talking about their lovely locks or lack there of on top of their heads.

I have found there are two types of men looking for hair products or answers to their personal hair dilemma. Type 1 – struts into the store, sunglasses on, shirt open, always using the same opening line “Got anything to make me more beautiful?” as they rub some part of their body. (do they get a handbook in the high school locker room?). Type 2 – won’t make eye contact, doesn’t want help, wanders around the store until he wanders up to the counter, leans on his elbow and asks out of the corner of his mouth “what do you have for men in here?” (like we are in a high tense spy movie and he’s about to drop the secret briefcase).

Now, something to remember, men are as sensitive if not more than women when it comes to their hair – only one other asset has greater importance. Yeah, I said it. An unfortunate fact is most men will suffer from hair loss or a receding hair line. Think about it for a minute – when women are little girls – they look at their mother and get to see the killer heels they will one day wear and the great accessories and they will get to have great hair and highlites. When men are little boys – they look at their father and get to see a receding hair line or Mr. Clean. Sure they also see the strength and the great car their Dad drives – but the hair loss is always in the picture and always in the back of their minds. It is a genuine fear for most men that they will lose their hair, and rightfully so – come on ladies – you know you freak out if you see more than one strand of hair in your brush.

Another tidbit of info. – ladies – you know when we look at magazines or actresses up on the silver screen and judge our figures accordingly? Guess what – when men are looking at magazines or the actor up on the silver screen – they do it too – they just don’t show it. We as women are fortunate as we are allowed to voice these fears and insecurities – men are not – at least not in public.

A little list of professional hair care lines for our gents –

MITCH – Paul Mitchell – a little line – Shampoo, Conditioner, body wash, pomades and gels – the newest addition to the Paul Mitchell family

American Crew – Shampoo’s & Conditioners for all hair types – thick, grey, dry, oily. An array of styling products and a beautiful Shave line and Classic fragrance. – the smell makes a woman think of Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, take your pick.

Quantum – The Fix Gel in this line is awesome.

FixMen – another little line that is not well known but terrific. Has an array of styling products with a matte finish (* most guys don’t want the shine).

Be kind – as I have stated in blogs before – do not make fun of a man’s hair – EVER. It is cruel – plain and simple. Try to remember that the men in our lives are not just men, they are human beings with fears and insecurities. Treat them as you want to be treated. ( oh – another little secret….if they bring home a gold bikini and brown bun hair pieces for you – don’t be afraid, don’t question it…it’s a guy/star wars/ princess Leia thing).

Beauty, communication, health and wellness, Uncategorized

Bring it on

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We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us. – Joseph Campbell

Today’s tale is more of a personal decree. I am hoping today’s tale may help at least one more person out there to have a better day today and even a better day tomorrow.

In recent weeks I have found myself bombarded with negativity. Be it from clients, customers, friends, even squirrels – yes, I have a squirrel that sits in my driveway attempting to play chicken with my car with a “oh you think” glint in his eye. I have had nasty comments made about my hair, my marriage, my life in general. To this I say – BRING IT ON! You see, I am breaking the mold that others had created and people don’t seem to like that. I am now living my life the way I want to live it and in a way that is best for me and in turn for my family.

There was a time that I would have let all this negativity control me, detour me off the path I am supposed to be on. No more. I have come to realize that when someone is happy with their life and improving themselves, most people will try to push you down, hold you back or be generally nasty to you – and that’s ok. Most of the time they are afraid that if you move forward, they will be left behind. If you improve in any aspect of your life, they will be left feeling inadequate. If you have great hair, no one will look at them. If you behave, their rudeness will be seen.

That being said, there are many of us out there like myself that are truly happy for any achievement you may have, be it losing that last 5 pounds, getting the promotion, finally learning how not to get the round brush caught in your hair (something I have yet to master.). When you feel like the world is going crazy, when you feel as though you are being kicked in the teeth or punched in the stomach, when people, even your loved ones mock what it is you are trying to do – stay true to the path you are on, keep on keepin’ on. It’s gonna be hard, even lonely at times, that’s how you know you are doing the right thing and on the right path. When the goin’ gets tough, the tough get goin’. My Dad was right. Again.

 

Beauty, Business, communication, health and wellness, Uncategorized

Be excellent to each other

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There I was, restocking the shelves, humming along to Adele, imagining us as the best of friends when I heard the all too familiar door chime. I turn to the door, smiling, “Hello there, how ya doin’ today?” to which I get silence. She saw me, I know. She looked right through me actually. So, I wander over to her and ask if I can give her a hand, to which she snarls “What did you say?!?!”. So I clarify I was just asking if she needed a hand finding what she needed or if I could be of any assistance. “Well, are you a hairdresser?” She asks. “No, I am not. I do know all the product lines and have been to many classes so I am sure I can help you today.” I say with my mega watt smile. “Pfft…doubt it” she states. CHALLENGE! is all that resonates in my mind.

Before I finish today’s tale, which I come out looking fabulous as always, I must tell you all something. I cannot stress this point enough. STOP BEING NASTY. Just stop. You look like an ass, you really do. If you get your kicks picking on sales people and stylists, there is a variety of medications to help you.

Since I want to enlighten and educate, I have compiled a little list. It is not the sales person/stylist fault if ;

– your husband is having an affair

– you chipped your nails

– you bought crappy product from the drug store and now people think you are auditioning for the part of the scarecrow from the land of Oz

– you hate your life

– your underwear is riding up

– the last salesperson didn’t help you

– your car has a flat tire

I could go on and on, I think you get the picture. Back to today’s tale. So, as the women stood there, her hand on her hip, smirking with pride at her go to grade nine back of the school picking on the nerdy boy phrase, I smiled and told her “I may not be a licensed stylist, but I know more than the majority of  stylists out there about product, since I sell over 30 lines and have been in the biz over 10 years, so why don’t you tell me what your “hair” issue is and we can go from there.” She just stood there, gaping, quite upset I am sure that I didn’t get nasty  or cry. She wanted a fight, but she wasn’t gonna get one. Long story short, she was coming out of a breakup and she didn’t know how to do her hair. She had just gotten a cute cut but the stylist didn’t show her how to do it, or tell her what product to use. So that’s when I said “I can fix this. I can help you to do your hair.”.  I found her the product she needed and as I rang through her purchase, she apologized. I told her it was alright, that I have had worse things said to me. I told her I was happy to help her. I did ask her to try to be nicer to the next person she spoke to. She just stared at me. I explained I meant no disrespect, but that she was lucky she ran into me because there are many people out there that would not have been so kind.

In the immortal word of Bill & Ted – “be excellent to each other”.

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Paging Dr. Ruth…

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In these days of Shades of Grey, I feel I must speak about our relationships with our significant other. EVERYDAY, in the salon I hear of someone’s romance woes. How their husband doesn’t pay them enough attention, or that their boyfriend keeps doing the wrong thing, or may all time favorite “we haven’t been intimate in months”. (sometimes I cannot help but wonder if the third complaint listed is not a direct result of the first two.). Now, If you are single, I get it, it is hard for the singles out there. There are a lot of crazies and it seems as though everyone has enough baggage to fill a 747. For those of us in a relationship/marriage, I believe we can be the crazies bringing more baggage into the relationship than we had when it began.

Ladies, and I say ladies because in all honesty we are usually the ones that turn nothing into something. Come on now, lets be honest, we have all been her. You can blame your boss, the kids, PMS, whatever – you know you have done it, started an argument for no real reason. Ladies, it is time to take a breath. Again, a deeper breath this time. Now that I have your attention, listen carefully….It is not your husband’s/boyfriend’s/partner’s job to keep you happy and satisfied – in all areas. Yeah, I said it. Yes, we deserve kindness, honesty, respect and love – everyone does. That being said, it is your responsibility and yours alone to achieve satisfaction and happiness – in all areas (nudge,nudge, wink, wink). It is uncalled for and unfair to expect another human being to make you happy when you are not happy with yourself. It is just plain mean to complain that your significant other doesn’t satisfy your needs when you have never told them what those needs are…come on, even Christian Grey had to ask Miss. Steele what she wanted.

Men are simple creatures – no offense or disrespect implied. All they want is a little peace and quiet, a good sandwich, a little lovin’ and a big T.V.. Oh and just so you know, and your children will someday know -when it come’s to the “bow chica wow wow” they don’t care if your roots are showing, they don’t care if you gained weight, all they care about it that they have a woman in front of them who they love and they get to touch her, plain and simple.

I know, you are thinking “this is supposed to be a blog about beauty” – well this is an important part of beauty. It does not matter how pretty the present is wrapped if the box is empty. It is time to be accountable to ourselves, about ourselves. It is time to be kinder and gentler to ourselves and those we love. It is time to stop having everyone else’s arguments, or blaming our significant other that our lives aren’t what we planned – it is not their fault you are unhappy – Yeah, I said it! It’s true. We teach people how to treat us, so go out there and educate those you love, you may find you learn a little something along the way.

Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized

Tales of truth…part 3

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I am sure you have heard of the “zombie apocalypse” ….well, I believe it has begun. There I was, talking with a customer, explaining to her how she was going to LOVE the Kpak Revitaluxe (you all know how much I love it) and I hear the door chime behind me. I excuse myself for a moment to greet the newest arrival, smile and say “good morning” to which I hear “ughk”. I kid you not. The woman I was helping gasped and looked at me with the “what the hell?!?” look in her eyes. I leaned over and whispered “it’s okay, welcome to my world.” to which she giggled and relaxed. I walked her up to the counter, looking over at the woman (zombie) and told her I would be right with her, to which I got the blank stare and a mumbled statement which I hoped didn’t translate to “I’m gonna eat your face”. My lovely lady paid for her purchase and looked a little worried, I told her I was fine and to enjoy her day, she left the store walking the long way around to the door. (you see, thanks to my glorious hubby, I have seen Zombieland, I am prepared, I know what to do.). Back to the tale at hand. I walked ever so cautiously to the woman and asked what she needed help with….she just looked at me. About 30 seconds went by and she finally said “I need peroxide”. Whew….speech… No need for shovels today.

It was a beautiful summer day in 2011, a day I will remember for as long as I live, or until dementia sets in (family trait). A women in her late 40’s or early 50’s came into the shop, dressed in a beautiful designer summer dress with the cutest sandals to match, clutching her Coach summer tote. I asked if she needed a hand finding anything, “just looking for the nail polish” she innocently responded. I showed her our collections and went to answer the phone. After my phone call I turn around to see this women sitting on the floor, tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth and putting nail polish on her toes. The first thing that sprang to mind was the childhood rhyme “I see London…I see France…I can see your underpants”. I kindly walked up to her and said “Oh honey, first, you can’t try on the polishes, second, we can see up your dress”. I still can’t bring myself to buy pink underwear…enough said.

Last but certainly not least… I know people are lonely and in this age of technology many people email or text, so there isn’t much human interaction. I love to help all the ladies and gents that come into the store to look beautiful and feel good about themselves. That being said, I don’t really need to know everything about them. I don’t need to know about your latest gynecological finding, don’t really need to see your fungal infection on your toe nail, don’t need to see the oozing bumps on your body, don’t need to be shown your body hair on places I didn’t know hair could grow. I will gladly look at your baby pictures, not their dirty diaper. I will be a shoulder if you have lost a loved one, don’t need to hear about the embalming process. Oh, and please…don’t flash me your bikini line asking me “what is this?” and don’t throw a flat iron.

Hair Care, health and wellness

For the boys…

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Today I bring you a tale of a delicate nature. Today’s tale is about hair loss. I know I usually come at these tales from a woman’s perspective, not today. Today I represent the men. Ladies – it is time to be kinder to our men, to remember that they like to look good  for themselves too. We always talk about how women hate their hair or hate the way they look…guess what? Men feel the same way too. I have heard too often a woman teasing her boyfriend/husband about his receding hair line or beer gut. That is not nice, plain and simple. Think about it – what would happen if he teased you about your roots or your muffin top? He’d be pushin’ up daisies and you know it.

Men feel they have no where to go or no one to talk to about their hair or lack there of. Well, here I am and I am going to shed some light for y’all. I have one word for you – NIOXIN.

Nioxin is a professional hair care line created to stop hair loss in it’s tracks and in some cases help the hair grow back. (*If there has been no hair growth in a spot for over 6 years – unfortunately no hair will ever grow in that spot again.). Nioxin is a 3 step program – The Cleanser(Shampoo), Scalp Therapy(Conditioner), and the Scalp Treatment(a leave on foam treatment). The key to this system is you have to use all 3 products. The Scalp Treatment is the kicker – it cleanses the hair follicle and rids the scalp of debris such as dead skin, product build up and DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). Big word – I know – look below…

*Testosterone converts into the toxin DHT which resides in the hair follicle

* Stress can cause over production of testosterone – so chill.

There are other regimes to help with hair loss on the market. I speak of Nioxin because I have seen first hand many success stories, both for women and men. It has won awards 10 years running. Redken has a line out for hair loss – IntraForce. It has been on the market for over 1 year now. I have had some clients try it and have yet to see major results, not like what I have seen with Nioxin. Nioxin has formulations for those who don’t chemically treat their hair – #1 for early stages of thinning, #2 for noticeably thinning. For those that do chemically treat their hair – #3 for early stages of thinning, #4 for noticeably thinning. Nioxin offers an array of styling products from pomades to gels to hairspray.

There are many factors that cause hair loss. Stress, diet, genetics, illness, medications, your teenager learning to drive. Next time you see your man frowning in the mirror or refusing to leave the house without a hat – show them my blog, forward it to their phone or their email. Let them know they are not alone and there is an answer. Remember ladies – you teach people how to treat you – so if you are constantly nagging and teasing what do you think you will get in return?

Beauty, Business, communication, health and wellness, Uncategorized

Permission granted

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This tale is for all the women out there that are afraid of their voice. You know who you are. At some point we have all been her. You know the one…the one who keeps her opinions to herself , the one who doesn’t speak her mind, the one who goes along with everything out of fear of rocking the boat. The one who still speaks in a cutesy high pitched voice. The one who hates her hair cut so much she cries on her way home from the Salon but won’t tell her stylist because it might hurt their feelings or the stylist won’t like them anymore.  I know, we have heard all our lives, “be the good girl”, “just smile and be polite”, “boys don’t like girls who talk too much”, “the stylist knows best”. I have come to realize, all these lessons were taught to us out of fear. Our parents, teachers,mentors (take your pick) only knew fear, so that is what the majority of girls were taught, fear. Fear of what may happen if you speak your mind, fear of what may happen if you choose not to go with the flow, fear of being alone. As Maya Angelou says “when you know better, you do better”. Ladies, (and gents), it is time to “do better”.

Every day, I mean EVERYDAY, a woman will come into the shop or the salon, her eyes at the floor, mumbling a request. I make it my personal mission in life to raise these people up. I ask them what they need, what they are looking for and I always get the same response “I don’t know, what do you think?”. In turn I answer “I think you should have pink hair”…and then I give a gentle friendly giggle and tell her I want to help her feel better about her hair. I ask her what picture she has in her head of what she wants her hair to look like. 9 out of 10 women tell me they don’t like the style they have now, that their stylist doesn’t listen to them and that they hate the color of their hair. This is when I tell them “it is time to find your voice”. I reassure them, the world will not open up and swallow them whole if they speak their mind. That if they are able to yell at the girl at the drive thru for getting their coffee order wrong, I think they can talk to their stylist about what they want.

As women, we worry about what people are thinking about us or saying about us. It is time to stop worrying. As my Dad often says “worry is a debt that never comes due”. He’s right. People are going to talk no matter what, it’s what they do. Live the life you want, have the hair style and color you want, wear the clothes you like. Find your voice, embrace it, walk with your head held high, make eye contact. If you are still a little worried you are going to hurt someone’s feelings – get them a present – buy them “knitting for dummies” and tell them “here is your new hobby.”.

Beauty, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized

To go where no flat iron has gone before

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So, you are looking for a new flat iron. You see all these big words like Negative Ions,Tourmaline, Nano- Titanium. I know, you are thinking “What do I do?”, “What do I choose?”, “Where are Data and Jean Luc to help me decipher this language?”. Read on my friends, this should help you with your decision. To be honest, for home use, as long as the Flat Iron is a professional grade, it comes down to the price you want to pay. Heat is what you want. Most professional Flat Irons will achieve at least 400 degrees Fahrenheit at optimum heat. If you travel – look for “Universal Voltage”  – this means you can use that Flat Iron anywhere in the world and it won’t short out.(you will still need an adapter for the plug).

Look for these name brands and you know it is a Professional Salon quality flat iron;

AVANTI, BABYLISS, ZAZEN, CHI, GHD, FHI – Beware if you see these at a department store – they may not be the real deal – and when purchased any where other than a Salon – your warranty may be void with the manufacturer.

Negative Ions – Atoms that can stop the growth of bacteria & fungi which can result in healthier hair and scalp.

Advanced Ceramic Heater (MCH) – Refers to the heating element used to heat the plates in flat irons. Originally developed in Korea – now synonymous with top of the line quality.

Sol Gel Technology – A process that transforms nano particles of a material from liquid to solid, creating an ultra-high concentration, making styling tool plates stronger to resist chips and chemical corrosion and smoother for superior gliding through the hair.

Ceramic/Nano-Ceramic – A non metallic material that is durable, smooth and retains and distributes heat efficiently. A natural source of negative ions and radiates far infrared heat.

Tourmaline – A mineral and natural source of far infrared heat and negative ions – similar benefits as ceramic.

Titanium/Nano-Titanium – The highest electrical and thermal conductivity of a metal. The most useful properties of titanium are corrosion resistance and strength to weight ratio of any metal and is stable at ultra high temperatures. * AWESOME for thick/coarse hair

Far Infrared Heat (FIR) – To put it simply -helps to retain moisture deep in the hair shaft which results in less damage to the hair.

Once you find the Flat Iron you want, no matter what happens, please don’t throw it at anyone – you will just look like a fool – trust me.

 

 

Beauty, Business, communication, health and wellness, Uncategorized

Some things you can’t “un-see”…

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I am an inquisitive person. There isn’t much I don’t want to learn about or see. That being said, lets begin today’s tale, shall we?

In my years in the beauty biz I have had many questions posed to me… “What is the difference between Root Boost and Mousse?”, “What is a good conditioning treatment?”, “How do I get the brassy tones out of my blonde?”. Many times I have had women (and men) show me their receding hair line, or their hang nail and ask what to do about it. There are a few things I nor any other person except your physician should see. “Excuse me…can you help me” is what I hear. As I look up, I see something I will never un-see. I kid you not, there was a woman standing by the counter, showing me the red bumps on her bikini line (and she did not look like Christie Brinkley nor have the body of Jillian Michaels – yeah – I said it). “Do you have anything that would help with this?!” As I looked over my shoulder, praying to see a camera, I answered “uh…yes, I do. You can cover that up now.”. I kindly let her know that next time all she has to do is tell us she has red bumps from waxing, we know what she is talking about, we know what it looks like.

Another thing for the physician – if your scalp has bleeding, oozing scabs on it, please don’t show me. If you must tell me..alright ….but don’t show me…I am sure I can picture it in my head. I know I am in a Salon, I know I have masses of product to sell you – what you need in this situation is a physician, pharmacist, exorcist…take your pick.

Last but not least….Hands. I know we have nail biters (I was when I was a child – no judgments), I know some of you pick at your cuticles…don’t recommend it but hey…whatever floats your boat. Just so you know (feel free to share this tidbit of info. with the masses), when your nails or cuticles are bleeding – not a good idea to be touching all the product on the shelves or opening up said products.

I wonder what I will see today….

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Do you know where that has been?

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So there I was, restocking the shelves when out of the corner of my eye, I saw her. Standing in front of the 8 x 10 sign which read “please do not try on the polishes – we have color swatches to show their true color” she was opening up the bottle of China Glaze Kiwi-Colada and just before the brush hit her nail I stopped her. “Please do not try on the polish unless you are planning on buying it” (service with a smile as usual). Then another favorite of mine “Well….how am I gonna know what the color’s gonna look like?”. (Did I mention said customer is in her 40’s?). So, I showed the sign, and the array of color swatches in front of the China Glaze collection and assured her that is the color after two coats had been applied which she responded “How do you know?”. Really? Do people hear themselves? So I let her know that I was the one who had made the swatches, had applied the colors, and labeled them to make her choice that much easier. (What I really wanted to say was “you aren’t Cinderella and this isn’t a fairytale”, alas….I kept my decorum. ).

Ladies and gents, I know you all like the newest things, the shiny packages, the pretty little bottles. I know you are itching to try that new cream or try on the new scent. If the package is labeled “tester” – go ahead, test it out….proceed with caution, but go ahead. I say proceed with caution because you don’t know who just tested the tester. At my shop we clean the lids and bottles of the testers we use. Most of the hair products our stylists use in our Salon, so our customers are invited back to the Salon to try the hair products. In the store, it’s mostly just the hand creams. Why you ask? As I just stated – you never know who just tested the tester. That being said – if there is not a “Tester” label – do not try it. Seriously, would you want to buy a used product? Didn’t think so. I may be turning 40 but I can still hear the crack of a lid opening 500 feet away. (and by the way…at my shop…you open it and try it…..you buy it sweetheart).

Back to the tale of the misguided polish painter. After she realized that I was telling her the truth, she told me she always tries on polish…everywhere she goes, that she had just tested colors at WalMart. I told her that I didn’t think that was a good idea, since she didn’t know if the woman she just saw do the same thing had a fungal infection on her nail. I swear I saw her shoulders roll forward as she looked down at her multi-colored nails. To top off the conversation and to make my day I got to hear the best question of the day… “Does this mean that I shouldn’t try the lipstick testers on my lips?”.

Common sense isn’t that common.