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

I’m looking for that girl in the red coat.

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I know that there is a full moon upon us, and it is the second one of the month. It is referred to as a blue moon, which is where “once in a blue moon” comes from. Well, that phrase doesn’t seem to ring true in my life lately for the events of the last few weeks happened more than once.

In the past few weeks any accomplishment has seemed to be belittled or poo-poo’d (don’t like poo-poo’d- call Websters and lets move on), on more than one occasion my thyroid scar has been pointed out and at, I have been questioned (with rolling eyes) about why I do a blog, oh…and my favorite, that my plans are just dreams and a “cute” way to spend my free time. I must admit, I started to let it get to me. I started to believe the hype.

It was at this moment a woman came into the shop and came right up to me and said “I am looking for that girl in the red coat.”. I shit you not.(pardon my french…sorry Dad). You see, thanks to Twitter, I had been tweeting daily affirmations to some of my rockin’ ladies who own businesses in town and she was always part of the tweets so I began to include her in my daily tweets. I shouted “That’s me!!”. I did, I kind of get excited and at 40 years old I shouted. We both laughed as we shook hands. She asked me about the shop, she listened to what I had to say. My ideas were not belittled, I was not told how “cute” my plans were and not a mention of my scar. That night when I got home, as I entered my bedroom, my copy of GUTS by Kristen Johnston fell of my shelf. Again…I shit you not. Again, although in different circumstances, another person reminded me that different is great.

What I am trying to get at without using a bouncing ball over my words is this…Be kind. I know, I have blogged about this before and all you want to know is what conditioning treatment is the best. (Kpak Revitaluxe…but I digress). Trust me, I will continue to blog about product knowledge, customer service and all things Salon. I will also continue to blog about kindness and courtesy. I will continue to blog about lifting each other up, not pummeling each other and our dreams into the ground. I have said it before and will continue to say it, I believe a little fairy dust goes a long way. Sometimes a little kindness helps remind someone of the beauty that is still in this life. Being excited for another person’s accomplishments, no matter how small they seem to you, can make the difference between their success or failure.

…and quite honestly, no amount of hair color, mousse or hairspray can make cruelty beautiful.

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

Getting the stupid cut out

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I found myself thinking about the moment I knew I wanted to do a blog. I was at home recovering from my hysterectomy (or as I like to refer to it as “getting the stupid cut out”) and my hubby had rented Julie and Julia for me. I love this movie. When Julie said (forgive my paraphrasing) “I could do a blog. I can write.” I thought, “Hey! So can I.”. Then the ever present fear reared it’s ugly head. What will people say? What will people think? Will anyone read it? People will laugh and think it’s stupid. (Hey, I said I got the stupid cut out…it took a few years for the remnants of it to leave my brain.). Fast forward 2.5 years later, with trembling fingers, I typed out WordPress into the Google search engine and with butterflies in my stomach I began my adventure in blogging.

You see, I, like many of us, was letting fear decide my fate. Fear is ugly and this blog is about beauty, not just about the newest and most awesome conditioning treatment on the market (Joico Kpak Revitaluxe…had to say it) but about everything that makes us beautiful, our inner and outer beauty, our idiosyncrasies.

This week, I don’t know if it is because the universe has blessed us with two full moons in August, I have heard so many women saying I can’t, or what if, or I hate and fill in the blank. I think I have given out more hugs and words of encouragement this week than hair products. No judgement here ladies, I have been that girl, and she is a sad and lonely girl. I am here to tell you that you can do whatever you want. You can. Be it blogging or running a marathon or going back to school. You can do it. You must be patient – that is the toughest part – trust me – when I want something, I want it now…had to learn patience and trust me, I would have rather been back in grade 8 woodworking class with the teacher that was missing two fingers and teaching me to use a jigsaw than learn patience. Once you embrace patience and let go of the fear…wow…the life of your daydreams slowly becomes your reality.

Like I have said before, people are gonna talk no matter what you do, so why not really give ’em something to talk about. It’s time to be who you are meant to be, it is time to stop trying to be like someone else – that job is already taken. It is time to let go of the fear of what could be and time to anticipate what can be. (and if you use Kpak Revitaluxe your hair will look and feel fabulous).

 

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

It’s not my opinion…it’s a fact.

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I am very fortunate. I love my job. I love the beauty biz and I love to learn. That is the great thing about my beloved industry – it is always evolving and there is always a new product or a new technique or an improved technology to learn about and embrace. I deal with over 10 reps from various distributors and am given all the FREE information and FREE product knowledge education a girl could ask for. What I find surprising is this – every stylist and Salon owner has all this free education and product knowledge at their fingertips and they aren’t taking advantage of it. Forget about increasing your salon sales which is a major perk, what I can’t understand is why they wouldn’t want to be able to serve the clientele/customer base more efficiently – give the client the product they need, show them how to use it, tell them why it is better than what they have at home, tell them what makes it stand out above the rest. I have to remind myself on a daily basis that, like my father has always told me, I am not like everyone else. I have to remind myself not to be offended when my customer’s repeatedly ask me “Are you sure you know what you are talking about?”. To be clear…when it comes to professional hair care products, I do know what I am talking about, it is not my opinion, it’s a fact. (Physics…still workin’ on that).

So, I have decided to take it upon myself to enlighten you all a tad. Every now and then I am going to give you the low down on certain products and why they are different (not better) than their competitors. Here is a little list of some of the newest additions that are flying off the shelves (well…at least at my shop);

JOICO KPak Revitaluxe – A weekly treatment that instantly corrects years of damage and protects the hair against further damage. With each use your hair feels softer, gets stronger and is more moisturized. Want your hair to feel like a 5 year old’s? Use this.

Schwarzkopf OSIS Dust It powder – A powder that you sprinkle at the roots of dry hair, rub it in and VOILA! Height and volume that will hold all day and well into night, because it is a powder it is great for all hair types and won’t look greasy or shiny.

QUANTUM Refresher – a dry shampoo. What makes this stand out over all other dry shampoo’s is it does not leave a powdery residue. Awesome for brunette’s or darker shades.

SOMA Solace – a cuticle sealer. Wonderful for all hair types. No hold factor – just seals that cuticle so no more frizz. In a word…Miraculous.

NIOXIN Diamax – you want volume and dimension? This is your new best friend. This little gem increases the diameter of each existing hair strand and makes it look fuller and makes the hair more manageable and protects against breakage.

Keep checkin’ back for more information, tidbits and tips my lovelies. You won’t be disappointed and you may even begin to like your hair.