Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women, writing
Aside Leave a comment

Today’s tale is short and sweet, like yours truly. After you read it, you will see why. Quite honestly, I find myself at a loss for words. I am all about new techniques and trends. Some are so cool I cannot wait to try them. Others, well, I will leave it for others to try and enlighten me afterwards. My aim is always to educate and enlighten so here goes.

So as I was surfing the web this morning I came across a new trend that has begun in England and is making it’s way across the pond. Downstairs Dye job. Yes, you read that right, Downstairs Dye job. (For more info. check out http://www.NYMAG.com  The Cut). It seems that women not only hate the pesky grays popping up on their heads, it is becoming an issue south of the border (and I don’t mean Mexico). I never realized this was an issue…gives “my roots are showing” a whole new meaning, and visual for that matter.

I know. Right now you have just crossed your legs and said “ouch” aloud. I know I did. The thought took  me back to the day I accidentally used Kleenex with menthol when the toilet paper roll was empty (kids). Let me tell ya…you NEVER forget that sensation. From the info. I have read, you can uncross your legs. It seems the bleach used is similar to the bleach used to lighten facial hair, and mixed with certain oils that don’t sting. Your southern belle can be dyed to match your northern ‘do. You can also choose a design for artistic flare; a heart, a star, an eagle, a beaver …couldn’t help myself.

So now not only can your shoes match your bag, the carpet upstairs can match or compliment your carpet downstairs. ….that’s all I got.

Gray coverage?

Beauty, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women

Gonna Moroccanoil your world

Leave a comment

At least ten times a day I have the same question posed to me “Do you sell Moroccanoil?”. The answer is always yes. Moroccanoil is a beautiful product and it sells itself – a perfect blend for any Salon’s retail shelves. Moroccanoil has an array of products for every hair type and hair woe. I have found that many of my customer’s have been using the wrong product, so they aren’t getting the results they had hoped for, so being me, I have compiled a little list of the best sellers (at our shop) and a little ditty explaining their features and benefits.

Curl Defining Cream – brings definition to curly/wavy hair. It’s heat activated technology provides intense conditioning and activates curl memory. *Keeps hair bouncy and helps to control frizz.

Curl Control Mousse – AWESOME for curly and tightly spiraled hair. A lightweight hold that seals in moisture and keeps out the frizz. *Control without crunch – looks soft and natural.

Intense Curl Cream – an ideal leave in conditioner to keep natural curl/wave. *No sticky residue

Restorative Hair Mask (orange lid) – a 5 -7 minute conditioning treatment that infuses protein back into the weakened hair shaft. *Awesome for thermal/chemically damaged hair.

Intense Hydrating Mask (brown lid) – a conditioning treatment that deeply hydrates and conditions. Dramatically improves the texture of the hair and improves the elasticity and shine. * Ideal for thick hair

Weightless Hydrating Mask (white lid) – much like the Intense Hydrating Mask (above) * Ideal for fine hair

Moroccanoil Treatment – an alcohol free and residue free oil that blends beautifully with other products. Helps to speed up drying time and reduce the look of flyaways and frizz. Morocannoil Treatment absorbs instantly to fill the gaps created by heat styling and environmental damage. * can be used on towel dried hair and after styling to seal ends and add some shine and smoothness to the hair. * Also available – Moroccanoil light for very fine hair.

Frizz Control Spray – a weightless spray that is humidity resistant. This gem is great for all hair types and all seasons – eliminates frizz in the summer and eliminates static in the winter!

Luminous Hairspray – A medium hold hairspray that adds shine and blocks out the humidity with it’s humidity resistant formula. Also available in a Strong hold factor.

Moroccanoil offers an array of shampoos and conditioners for every hair type, from fine to thick, damaged to dry. All are Color safe and sulfate, phosphate and paraben free.  Check out their website http://www.moroccanoil.com for more info. and great styling tips. Once you have smelled this product, like most clients and customers,you will want to have it, it’s a done deal. You will be holding the bottle in your hand and find yourself saying, in the infamous words of Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire “You had me at hello.”.

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

Immersed in Bain de Terre

6 Comments

Over the past months I have had many women come through the shop’s door looking like they have just lost their best friend. They wander up to the shelves and with a heavy sigh utter “I knew it. It’s gone.”. This is when I step in. “Can I help you find something?”. “I doubt it” is what I usually hear. “I liked the Bain de Terre Magnolia spray but it isn’t made anymore. I can’t find it anywhere.”. It is at this moment I am about to become their best friend. You see, Bain de Terre has updated their packaging, so the products are still available. I take my customer over to the new display of her Bain de Terre favorites and give her a can of the Magnolia Thermal Iron Protector in it’s new silver packaging. (The new packaging, by the way, is fabulous!) You would have thought it was Christmas by the smile on her face.

Bain de Terre is a beautiful hair care line. A hidden gem if you will. Their website – http://www.baindeterre.com is a terrific website, which offers how to’s, explains what products are best for each hair type and gives a complete ingredient listing for each product. Bain de Terre has updated their packaging and now their selection of Shampoo and Conditioner is paraben free and infused with argan oil & monoi oil – the result? Smooth, soft, silky lavish perfection. (* monoi oil – a known natural skin and hair softener)

Bain de Terre is a popular seller at our shop, so I have compiled a little list of the popular products at our shop; ( put it this way, I have seen grown women pout when a product is out of stock).

Magnolia Thermal Iron Protector – An awesome flat iron spray. It is an aerosol, fast drying with a light hold and a 24 hour humidity blocker. Offers heat protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for those of us who crank up our flat irons.

Jasmine Blow Dry Smoothing Cream – An awesome styling agent to fight frizz. This light weight, heat activated cream reduces breakage by over 70%. (and it smells terrific). To be applied before you blow dry.

Recovery Complex Anti Frizz Serum – a weightless serum that repairs, eliminates frizz and creates instant shine. It is alcohol free, Paraben free and color safe. It can be used before blow drying or can be applied after styling is completed to smooth out ends or to add some shine.

Bain de Terre has a few new additions to their product family;

The Purite Line – consists of a shampoo, conditioner and serum. It is free of sulfates, parabens, formaldehyde, colorants, Gluten, mineral oil and phthalates.  Available in;

Moisture Repair – doubles the strength of the hair

Color Protect – locks in color = healthier color, color brilliance wash after wash.

Another addition to the Bain de Terre family;

Macadamia Oil Nourish Shampoo and Conditioner – paraben free and restores the health of fine to normal hair types.

Argan Oil Sleek and Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner – paraben free and creates a sleek, smooth glow for thicker/coarser hair.

A tip from That girl in the red coat – when looking for your favorite product and you cannot seem to find it anywhere – always check the product’s website. Most websites will offer details of new packaging, discontinued product listings, and store/salon locator’s of where to buy your favorite product. So before you believe the person who tells you something is discontinued, check the website, or check back with me, that girl in the red coat. I got your back.

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

Full Moon Monthly

Leave a comment

Gather ’round ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Yes, it is that time again, another month has passed and a full moon is upon us. I used to think I was psychic, I could feel the shift of the tides, the shift in the karma of those around me. Now I know it was PMS. I know this because since my hysterectomy (getting the stupid cut out as I like to call it) I no longer get that psychic/one with the universe/could cry at the drop of a hat/punch someone in the face feeling once a month. I just see and hear some odd things and the calender confirms it…full moon.

A woman came in to the shop with three children in tow. Her daughter (age 4) saw our display of demo flat irons and curling irons and ran straight for them. “Be careful sweetie. Those can get very hot and you could burn yourself. Don’t touch them, let us help you”, to which the mother looked at me and told me “not to tell her children what to do.”. …it is 10 a.m..

The phone rings. A woman has called the shop looking for a product that helps psoriasis. I let her know of the many shampoo’s we sell that are formulated to help with such a scalp condition – Smart Solutions Problem Hair ‘n Scalp Shampoo is our best seller and has helped many of our clients and customers. She then asks me if I think it could help her. I let her know that without seeing her it is hard for me to say, but I am sure it would be fine. “I can’t get in today” she said and then began to describe in great detail the size of the flakes that she had on her head “about the size of a nickel.”. I thanked her for the description and let her know that from her description, it should be just the product for her. …it is 10:20 a.m. – I shit you not.

From time to time I do not carry a certain product, so I put in a special order for our customers. There is no extra charge, and I will hold it for them for 2 weeks. I called a customer this morning to let her know that her product had arrived. “Well! I can’t get in today!” she said. I reassured her that I would put the product behind the counter for her and that I can hold it for her for 2 weeks. “Bet you will charge me extra for holding it!” she says. I let her know there is no extra charge. “You’ll forget who it’s for and sell it to someone else!” she says. I reassure her I have put a sticky note on the can with her name on it. “What if another Carol comes in and you give it to her?” (names have been changed to protect the innocent…and my ass). I tell her that I have her phone number with her name on the sticky note so that won’t happen. “Bet it will rain the day I get there!” to which I respond “well, you got me there Carol”. …it’s 11:30 a.m.

A woman came in the shop and asked me if I knew why her hairdresser messed up her hair. After a few seconds, I just frowned and said “I’m sorry, I don’t know”. “Why won’t anyone tell me why she did this to my hair?”. So I asked her if she had spoken to her stylist to which she replied “Oh no. I can’t do that. I might hurt her feelings.”. …12:15 p.m..

Our Salon is closed on Mondays. It was quiet in the shop so I thought I would go back in the Salon and help the stylists out by going over the floors once more and making sure the back bar bottles were filled up and towels were folded and ready for the next morning. I hear the chirp of the shop door and come around the corner and greet the customer with my standard “Hi there! How are you today?”. “I want my hair cut.”. he says. I explain that the Salon is closed on Mondays and ask if he would like to make an appointment for another time. “Salon ain’t closed. You’re in it.”. I smile and answer “You’re right! I am in the Salon, just tidying up a bit preparing for tomorrow, the stylists are off today, so the Salon is closed.”. “No it ain’t…you’re in it. If it was closed you wouldn’t be in it.”. I take a breath, Smile and say “You’re right, the Salon is open, because I am in it. The stylists are not here, it is their day off.”. To which he says, “See, told you it ain’t closed”. Then he walked out.  …I have stopped looking at the time.

Beauty, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Change of Plan

Leave a comment

I work in a Salon. I know when you think of a Salon, you picture laughter, coffee being sipped, gossip about the latest escapades of the neighbors and the smell of perm solution. Most days that is exactly what it looks and sounds like. Unfortunately life isn’t always so kind or easy. Some days, we are helping someone rebuild their lives. Some days we are helping someone have their hair “just so” to attend the funeral of a loved one. Some days we are helping a woman make the decision of shaving her head before all her hair falls out because of the chemo. Some days we are pampering our clients and taking an few extra minutes because we know it is the first time they have had for themselves in weeks because they are the caregiver of a loved one. Some days, we share our dreams of what we thought our life was going to look like. Some days, we are helping one another find our new normal.

When I was young, I had a vision of what my life would be. I was going to be a lawyer, living in SOHO in an awesome apartment with a fridge that was stocked with champagne and left over Chinese food from the fabulous place around the corner. I was never going to be married and no kids. Fast forward to 1992, he walked by and plans changed. Over a coffee that lasted 6 hours I had a new vision of what my life would be. I had no idea the career path I would take ( realized I wanted to be a lawyer on T.V. more than a lawyer…Hill Street Blues…enough said). What I did know was he was going to be in my life for a very long time, and for the first time in my life, I could see myself walking down the aisle, plans changed. Fast forward to 1996 and much to my surprise I find myself thinking it is time for us to try to have a baby. Poor hubby didn’t get much time to get used to the idea – got pregnant literally two weeks after going off the pill. You know it’s quick when your Doctor says “Did you just do it last night Sara?”, plans changed. Once our lovely, beautiful girl was born , as all parents do, we dream. We dream of our child’s future, and on those sleepless nights we dream of our lives alone with our beloved once the child has grown. Oh come on! All parents think of this…you know you do…the jig is up. Fast forward to Thanksgiving 2011. My hubby had a heart attack. Plans changed. While he was being admitted to the CCU, I sat alone in a blue waiting room, staring out the window at the night sky and said goodbye to best laid plans. As I sat there, I wasn’t thinking of the trips we didn’t take, I didn’t think of things we hadn’t done. I sat there thinking of how it felt to have my husband’s hand in mine. I thought of the sound of my husband’s and daughter’s laughter in unison. The dreams of travel and summer homes weren’t so important anymore, plans changed.

Fast forward to present day. Hubby’s heart is strong, so strong that he ran on treadmill for his stress test for over 10 minutes. (which made me realize it was time to get my lazy ass off the couch ‘cuz I didn’t have a heart attack and couldn’t run for 2 minutes -let alone 10). To support my beloved we changed our diet, we cut out the junk. We bought an exercise bike, we go for walks, we went for a hike to see the waterfalls that I didn’t know were a 45 minute drive from my home. Some days our plans change because my hubby isn’t feeling so great – be it from the medication or life stresses. (The heart and stroke foundation have a wonderful video series explaining the emotional/mental toll that heart attack/stroke can take on the patient – http://www.heartandstroke.ca ). Many friends and loved ones understand this, some, sadly do not, and that is okay, that is their journey, this is mine. Plans changed.

Plans change. Some times the road you are travelling is a dead end and you have to turn around, plans change. You thought you would look like Jessica Rabbit with red hair but you ended up looking like Ronald McDonald – back to the salon you go, plans change. You said you would never marry or have kids, plans change. You thought your life was going to be different, plans change. What I have learned – the plans change, for the better.

Beauty, communication, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Fool on the hill

2 Comments

I woke up this morning with “The Fool on the Hill” by the Beatles in my head – so clearly that I actually checked my clock radio to see if it was on. (Yes, I still have a clock radio. It was my grandfather’s. He got it free with his “Maclean’s” subscription and when I saw it I thought it was pretty cool, so he gave it to me and it has been at my bedside for 25 years). Needless to say, the radio was off. I got up, made some coffee and the song still played in my head.

It got me to thinking about the past few weeks of my life, and the lives of those I love and cherish. You see, for me, most of my life is pretty awesome. I have been a  guest blogger on http://www.salonmagazine.com . I have been invited to blog on another website – which one you ask? Well for that one you are gonna have to wait – it’s a surprise! I have a 16 year old daughter who still wants to be seen in public with me ( A HUGE deal if you ask me.) and I have the love of a great man, who has loved me for over 20 years. My lovely hubby is why I said “most” of my life is pretty awesome. You see, his health has not been the greatest as of late, by no fault of his own. Those familiar with my blog know that my love had a heart attack back in 2011. His heart is well on the mend, alas the medication to keep his heart healthy is not so nice to the rest of his body.The kick in the ass is everyday he feels different, he doesn’t know until he gets out of bed what the day will hold for him. Some of the medication makes his skin super sensitive to touch, some of the medication causes acid reflux and chest pressure – the latter is a another  kick in the ass since chest pressure is how his heart attack felt. – AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL SEGUE! – not all heart attacks present with a pain shooting down your left arm and a red face followed with a collapse to the floor. If you are not feeling well, pain or pressure in your chest area/upper back that won’t subside, pain that goes up your neck into your jaw – go to the hospital. As the Doctor’s say to us – they would rather everyone come and it be nothing then wait too long and nothing can be done. Back to the tale at hand.

So, I looked up the lyrics to the fool on the hill, and as with any piece of music or literature everyone seems to have their own vision of what the song means, myself included. You see, I am an optimist. I can’t help myself. I always seem to find something good in something bad, it’s what I do. Many times because of this I find I am ignored or not listened to, and that is okay. It used to hurt my feelings, now I realize that it is either because I over stepped my bounds (which I know I tend to do) or that the person I am speaking to is not ready to be happy or ready to have hope – I have found that giving over to hope and happiness is one of the scariest things for people to do – it sure as hell was for me. So the lyrics, “but nobody ever hears him, or the sound he appears to make, and he never seems to notice, but the fool on the hill, sees the sun going down. and the eyes in his head, see the world spinning round” comfort me. They do. I saw myself in the lyrics – the woman who always sees the bright side of life and is seen as a fool on the hill.

I also found a new perspective about my hubby. You see, he looks fine but feels like shit most of the time. As with any health issue, when the person looks fine people don’t always believe you when you say you are not well, so you begin to feel like “fool on the hill” and begin to doubt yourself and how you are feeling. Another great compliment is when people doubt that he is taking his medication properly, or accuse him of not taking care of himself properly. This used to make me mad, but after watching a few episodes of Honey Boo Boo and some other so called reality T.V. shows, I now understand why some people are, well, assholes where the health of my beloved is concerned. (if you have seen the above – no explanation needed).

Here’s the deal. In the immortal words of Bob Dylan “don’t criticize what you can’t understand”. Everyone is going through something, or has a loved one on their mind. Sometimes it shows, most often it does not. If you don’t know what to say, say nothing at all. Be careful not to judge too severely, for one day you may be the fool on the hill…and I will be more than happy to sit with you.

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

I’m gonna change your life

2 Comments

I am a huge fan of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in cars getting coffee. Google it then watch every episode. You will not regret it. Season two has begun and while watching the episode with Sarah Silverman, something she said has resonated in me and I gotta share it with you. “I’m going to change your life forever”. Something that is said to someone who just doesn’t realize how they look or sound. ( if you want to know more about who she was talking about it, you are going to have to watch the episode, don’t want to spoil it.)

Everyday I see or hear women hating their hair and they don’t realize that they can change that.  I also tend to see or hear the most idiotic or asinine behavior and/or comments and you know what? Most of these people don’t realize how they look or how they sound. I say most because unfortunately there are some shallow end of the gene pool swimmers out there that know exactly what they are saying and doing – but there is no changing them and that is a tale for another time.

A woman came into the shop to thank me for introducing her to Joico Kpak Revitaluxe. Her hair had never felt so great. We started a little chat about hair and our past hair woes and then she told me how she didn’t like the cut she had gotten the past three times with her stylist. I asked her if she let the stylist know, because if you don’t tell the stylist you don’t like your cut, you are going to keep getting the same cut, because she thinks you like it. “Oh, I can’t do that. It would be rude and maybe she would get offended.”. – I hear this phrase at least 10 times a week. Ladies and gents, once and for all, if you don’t like your hair style or the outcome of your hair color – tell your stylist, in a polite manner. Don’t go and throw the flat iron and a temper tantrum shrieking “I can never go out in public again!” – behave yourself and be a grown up and let them know you aren’t happy with the service and see if there is anything that can be done. Back to the tale at hand. I asked my customer “If you order a steak well done and it is rare – would you eat it and say nothing, or would you ask for it to be done the way you ordered it?”. To which she answered “I would ask for it to be done the way I ordered it”. This is when it happened. I looked her straight in the eye, smiled and said, “I am about to change your life. From now on if you are not happy with your cut, tell your stylist. It isn’t fair to her because she thinks you are happy when you are not. It isn’t fair to you because every time you look in the mirror you are unhappy. This is a win win for you – either she will listen to you and you will get the cut you want, or she won’t listen and you will know it is time to find a new stylist.”. It was quiet for a moment, I was hoping I had not overstepped my bounds (I kinda do that sometimes). She looked at me, blinked and said “You are right. I never thought of it like that before.” I gave her our Salon price list and let her know that she is more than welcome to make an appointment for a complimentary consultation. We ended up talking for over 20 minutes, about our hair and about our lives. As she left she winked at me and thanked me “for changing her life”. We both laughed and I could hear her laughter as she walked out the door.

As I sat down to finish my paperwork I found myself smiling and saying quietly to myself “Thank you Sarah Silverman for changing my life”.

Beauty, Business, communication, entertainment, Hair Care, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Full Moon Monthly

Leave a comment

For those of you familiar with my blog, you are well aware of my “Tales of Truth” series. As I was going through my archives I realized most of my Tales of Truth moments went hand in hand with the arrival of the full moon. So gather ’round ladies and gents, boys and girls and welcome to the first of many installments of Full Moon Monthly, brought to you by none other than That girl in the red coat. (as stated before…these are based on ACTUAL events. I have witnesses)

I hear the chirp of the shop’s door. I smile and greet the customer “Good Morning!”. She  looks around and says “Are you talking to me?”. I let her know, yes, I am talking to her. She stares. So I ask “Can I help you find something?”. “Yes, I am looking for a Shampoo that I can buy where I live, I don’t always want to drive into town.”. So I ask her where does she live and she tells me “I don’t tell people my personal information.”. …wait for it….there you go.

A woman came into the shop looking for the mousse her stylist just used. I asked her if she remembered the name of the product. She told me “No! Why would I remember the name of a product that I thought was horrible and smelled bad.”. So I asked her if she wanted me to show her some other mousses she may like and she said “No, I want the one my stylist used, if I go to her smelling like another product I might hurt her feelings.”.

There I was, innocently counting the nail polishes for an inventory count when a woman comes into the shop. “Hello” I say, to which she responds “I used to use these polishes until my niece quit beauty school and got ’em cheap for me. She is useless and spoiled rotten.”. …okay then. So I ask her “Can I help you find something?” to which she says “Yeah, tell me what will help me with my hair, since my husband left me 20 years ago and it gave me the cancer of the Uterus and the lying Doctor’s told me that my ovaries would keep the menopause away my hair just ain’t the same.”. As I went to show her some products she looked at me and said “I don’t have time for this, I gotta go catch the bus.Thanks for the lovely chat and I will be back!”. – cue Twilight Zone theme

From time to time, we are out of stock of a product, sometimes because of back orders, sometimes because the product is an awesome product and sells well. I know empty spots on the shelves are a no no, but they happen. I was told by a customer, three times in a row that it was pathetic that her product wasn’t there. (well, in the size of bottle she preferred). I explained about the back orders ( the distributor moved warehouses hence back orders for a few weeks). I offered to call her as soon as the product came in. She asked if I knew when the product would arrive. I explained that I didn’t know, that the warehouse would send them as soon as they get them, to which she again said “pathetic”. I told her I was just as frustrated as her, that I didn’t have the product for my clients and customers, but that it wasn’t pathetic.(I know – let sleeping dogs lie…I don’t always follow my own advice). As I rang through her purchase, I let her know our debit connection was slow, to which she smirked and said “I was going to say something but I won’t”. So, me being me, I asked her what it was she wanted to say. “I was going to say “you are used to waiting for things but that would be pathetic…or maybe you would be pathetic about it.”. Well played…gotta give her that…it’s all she’s got.

A customer asks “What shampoo smells the best?”. I let her know she is welcome to open up the bottles and smell them, because what I like she may not. “Pfft…you are a lazy sales person aren’t ya?”. Okay…here we go. I smile, tell her to follow me and show her our best seller, open up the lid and she smells it and exclaims “Why did you show me that?!? It stinks. Show me something I will like the smell of.”. As politely as possible I explained I don’t have the same sense of smell as her and maybe it would be best if she took a moment to smell some of the shampoo’s. She looks at me and says “Okay, why didn’t you say that it the first place?”. …sigh.

“Have you found Jesus?” – something I am asked quite often. One of these believers in urgent need of saving my soul left me a coin with a “version” of the Ten Commandments on it. The coin worried me a little…it was silver. I think she had five more.   ….wait for it….there you go.

A woman comes in the store, sees me and says “HEY! Haven’t seen you in forever!”. I look at her and don’t recognize her. “I’m sorry, have we met?” I say. “Come on! You know me! Come on! Come on! Come On! You remember!”. I stand there, cannot place her face for the life of me. “Come on! You know me! I know you Susie!”. I let her know I am Sara. “Well you look like Susie! Come on! You know you do!”.

I am starting to think that people are coming into the shop in hope that I will write about them.  For the love of god, I hope so.

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

Hospital gowns and customer service

Leave a comment

Today’s tale is about customer service. It is also about taking a moment and paying attention. It is about being kind. Life is hard enough, why add more road blocks?

Picture this…You are at the hospital. You are waiting to have a routine upper G.I. procedure. A nurse and a nursing student come to get you to get your I.V. started to prep you for the procedure. You are fine with a student being present (would have been nice if you were asked if you were comfortable with it).You are a little nervous since the last time you were at the hospital you had a heart attack and the pain you have been having for the last 9 months feels just like your heart attack did. The nurse looks at your hand and tells you your veins are horrible ( uh…yeah…you have been fasting over 12 hours), then puts the I.V. in (first try…bad veins…uh huh) and blood goes everywhere. She begins to ridicule you “why didn’t you tell me about your heart meds?” (all the info. was on the chart she initialed right before she began your  I.V.), then proceeds to ask if you took all your heart meds that day and you tell her no and she asks you why with a tone courtesy of Nurse Ratched and you find yourself looking for Jack Nicholson. You politely point out that on the form she just initialed that you take two doses a day of certain medications, one in the evening, one in the morning. She asks if you had a stent put in. You tell her no. She doesn’t believe you, because everyone gets a stent. (unless the artery was too small to fit a stent – hence the cause of the heart attack). Then she looks at your hand as she is wiping away the blood and see’s a mole that you have had all your life. “You better get that looked at…doesn’t look good…”. Then you are told you can go back to your seat and wait. So, you began your day thinking you just have a little tummy trouble or acid reflux and now you think you are stupid, have terrible circulation and bad veins and probably have skin cancer. The patient was my husband and Florence Nightinggale just turned over in her grave.

Yes, my husband was a patient, not a customer, but the lack of service he received was embarrassing. If I acted that way with my customers or the Salon’s clients, I would be out of a job. We are given two ears and one mouth for a reason – to listen twice as much as we speak.

When I have a customer come into the shop with a questionable scalp condition, I don’t look at them and say “Your scalp is horrible. Looks cancerous. Better get that checked!”, or run and get my stylists to come out and gawk. Wanna know why? One – that’s rude. Two – I am not a skin specialist. Trust me, be it a health issue or a scalp condition, people know what they are going through, they know what they have, they do not need to have it pointed out to them or shoved down their throat. What I do is this;

– I ask if they mind if I ask a few personal questions

– if the answer is no – I ask about the products they are currently using, if this happens only when the seasons change, if they are on any medications ( some medications affect hair/skin/nails), or if this is something they have always dealt with.

– if I need to get one of my stylists to take a look, I ask their permission first.

– I never blame them. I never make them feel like I don’t believe a word they are saying. Sometimes you don’t get the right answer because you didn’t ask the right question.

– I sell them the product that may help with the issue. The Nioxin line has helped many people with mild scalp irritations, Joico’s Daily Care Treatment Shampoo is quite nice, and Smart Solutions Problem Hair and Scalp Shampoo is terrific. I tell them to give it a week or two, explain how to use the product, and tell them if it doesn’t seem to helping, maybe give the Doc. a call.

If you are a Stylist, Doctor, Nurse, Teacher be kind. Pay attention. If you make a mistake, admit it, apologize. Read something wrong? Don’t blame the other person, admit it, apologize. Don’t know about something? Don’t belittle the other person and treat them like they are the stupid one, admit that you don’t know and get yourself informed. (pssst…there are these things that are big and rectangular in shape called encyclopedia’s and dictionary’s – or Google for our techies).

Be kind. Treat others as you want to be treated. Plain and simple.

Beauty, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Sunday Confession

6 Comments

Today’s tale is for the young ladies and the mother’s out there. Today’s tale is also a personal one. It is a confession of sorts. I am not in a church, I am not catholic, not a priest’s profile through a screen to be seen (I think it’s a screen, like I said, I am not catholic.).

As you know, I am  a manager of a Salon/Retail shop. Want to know something funny about that? For most of my life I thought I was ugly. Yep, my career and passion is in the beauty biz and I used to be the girl who thought I was too ugly to get my picture taken, thought I was too ugly to go to my neighborhood’s block party when I was 14, I thought I was too fat to go to the clubs with my girlfriends – something only I knew. I did everything in my power to hide this fact from everyone. I look back at the pictures I allowed myself to be in and I want to give myself a shake. I was pretty. I was not fat. I actually had a nice ass, not a fat ass like a lovely girl pointed out in grade 10.

Everyday, yes, I am sad to say, I hear young girls say the most horrible things about themselves, or worse, I hear the mother of the young girl say horrible things about her daughter, in front of her daughter.  I am not an expert by any means, I am a woman who wasted many years and missed out on many things all over my lack of self esteem and because I listened to the wrong people and didn’t listen to myself. I wanted to share this tale in hope that a  young girl will read it and realize how awesome she really is. I am a mother of a 16 year old daughter and I hear and see what she goes through, and what her lovely friends go through, so, being me I have compiled a list, a go to list if you will, for those days that are just too much.

– when you get a pixie cut, some people are going to tell you that you look like a boy. You don’t. You look awesome, they just don’t have the guts to be themselves and try something new.

– your oily scalp will go away. It’s hormonal. To help get through this unfortunate phase, a dry shampoo like Joico’s Instant Refresh, Quantum’s Refresher or KMS HAIR PLAY Make Over Spray is an awesome tool to have on hand. Just spray it on your scalp, rub it in and VOILA! Not a oily strand to be seen.

– people who tell you that you are fat are just being assholes. Plain and simple.

– if you are 15 or 40, I am sorry to say, there will always be someone out there that will say something nasty, especially when you are happy. It’s not personal, you just happened to be the nearest target for them to spew their venom at. Trust me, they would yell at Jesus Christ  himself that he wasn’t making the water into wine fast enough.

– if you want to try being a blonde for a while, go for it – AT THE SALON. Do not attempt to do this on your own – it is not nice and easy. It’s not.

– before you judge your mother too harshly, take a look at her relationship with her mother. Sometimes mother’s just don’t know any better. You can’t change it, you can only change how you decide to let it affect you.

– your mom was just as insecure as you are right now. She may still be as insecure as you. To all the mother’s out there, the jig is up. We can’t guide our daughter’s if we are lost ourselves.

– when a friend is being nasty, take a breath and think, will this person be in my life 6 months from now? If the answer is yes, be patient and try to find out what the problem is. If the answer is no, Adios amigo.

– if you are dating a boy who says nasty things to you – DUMP HIM! You can’t fix him.

– your BFF is wonderful, she is also the same age as you, so she can’t help you as much as a counselor or a doctor if you are dealing with an abusive situation at home or have questions about sex. *by the way – jumping up and down after sex will not keep you from getting pregnant. – Yep…2013 and people are still saying that.

– everyone feels the same way you do. EVERYONE. From the head cheerleader to the tuba player in the school band. Some of them just hide it better.

– although it may feel like it, not everyone is looking at you. Sorry to break the news to you, sometimes it isn’t all about you. I know right?! This revelation was a shocker for me too.

– when someone has hurt your feelings, try not to let it control your life. More times than not, they don’t even realize nor care that your feelings are hurt. They are going on with their day without giving you or their words a second thought. Don’t let them live rent free in your head.

It is okay to be yourself. It may get a little scary. You may find certain people distancing themselves from you, and that is okay. They are making room for all the awesome people trying to get into your life, to raise you up, help you see your beauty, to help you be yourself, to help you be happy.