PleaseFixUrHair

BRANDO C

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[pleasefixurhair]

Beauty school dropout

So you’re thinking about hair design school . Seems fun right ? You get to make people look and feel beautiful all the while looking hot as hell yourself , not a bad deal , and people call that a job ?

Not everything is for everybody though so before you go signing up , here are some things you should know eyes wide open before dedicating your life to the pursuit of making people feel like a boss .

Some might think working in a Beauty salon is about doing people’s hair, seems obvious enough doesn’t it, except that it’s not . It’s a little bit of vibing with every type of personality, it’s a little online branding & marketing, it’s a little reading people’s personal style in 3 minute or less, it’s a little mlm style PR, sometimes it’s being creative but it’s also knowing when not to be creative, it’s a little knowing when you can be creative vs when someone says you can but you actually can’t, it’s a little selling yourself, it’s a little updated training except that this part is never going to end, it’s a lot of listening, it’s never gossiping, it can be a little selling ( even when you know they actually need the product it’s still selling unless you’re giving it away for free ), but if you wanna stay in business then one thing it never is, is settling for good enough, because people are already fickle enough by nature, they don’t need an excuse, just ask any restaurateur who was blowing up right before the new kid in town moved in next door .

Know that It’s still a job first and foremost, I’m not taking anything away from the fact that you liked doing your friends hair that time after a couple glasses of Gin gin mules but attempting to please every stranger who walks through the door is a different game altogether.

You are not the star, the client is, nowadays days there is a lot of hair designer insta marketing that has a rockstar esque vibe, but remember this is a service industry, you have to enjoy serving people, all people, If there are certain types of people you would rather avoid than you could be in for a rude awakening.

Listen listen listen , you will be doing a lot of this as people often just enjoy an outlet that is separate from any of their social circles and it’s often their stylist, but usually this isn’t a seeking advice type situation, it’s more like purging so I hope you enjoy listening to people’s accolades and woes, insert more “it’s not about you” stuff here .

Despite what some schools will tell you right before signing on the dotted line this is a not walk on easy street paved with gold, there are literally hundreds of phenomenally talented stylists in any city and FYI they are all competing for the same BBB peeps .

There will be days when you feel like a Beyoncé or Jay and there will also be days that can make you feel more like Vanilla Ice on a casino tour, as much as we all love consistency and safety even the best stylists have their slow days and days when they are less happy with their work than others . If you let the good days inflate your ego than you’r just setting yourself up for a comedown at some yet unknown future date . Much like an artist or even a Wall st broker you’ll have to get used to riding with the ups and downs or they’ll end up riding you .

Now if none of that fazes you and you still decide you want to go ahead with it then as Chris Gardner once said ,

Don’t ever let somebody tell you.....you can’t do something, not even me.

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While its nice to be celeb inspired its better to be a 1rst rate version of yourself !

One of the most common things I have been asked about over the years is about face shapes , and TBH for a long time, I like many stylists just kind of winged it and used a combination of common sense and creativity . One day however I really wanted to understand this area and so I signed up for a course from one of the worlds masters , and damn was I ever glad I did . Once this area opened up for me it was a game changer in customer satisfaction . What could possibly be better . Only one thing could, sharing the deats so you can also have better communication and understanding with your stylist . So following are the basics of face shapes and hair .

To break this down to the basics you can think of matching any face shape with a hair style as doing one or two of these three things .

1 Adding on

2 Opening up

3 Closing off

So lets get into it .

Adding on simply refers to adding to areas that are in most cases too narrow, some samples would be head shapes that are too triangular through the top and needs more hair and volume in the corners, jaw lines that are diamond or heart shaped and can benefit from filling in a bit around the lower jaw / chin area, and long narrow head shapes that need a little density at the sides .

You would choose to open up your face if you want to accentuate features on your face . Face shapes that benefit from opening up include oval and heart .

Finally closing is an easy way to balance your face shape out more . Ideally Oval face shape is the most flattering so with all of these options we are trying to get as close to oval as possible, so if you have a long rectangular face shape or simply a high hairline and / or pronounced forehead a fringe can be a great solution . Additionally women with round head shapes can appear less round by having a longer hairstyle with some face framing layers a few inches below jaw length so the can let some pieces fall forward closing off the cheek area slightly while keeping the over all look soft .

So what are the head shapes and how can you figure out yours …

The basic face shapes can be narrowed down to seven categories .

Square, strong angled jaw, everything from the forehead down to the jawline are the same width . Go for height on top and narrow sides . Centre and Side parts both look great, soft side fringes and texture also work, face framing layers below jaw , and bobs below jaw . Avoid straight lines, one length hair, blunt bangs & width.

Long Rectangular / Oblong, face shape is longer than it is wide only difference between the two being rectangular has a more squarish jaw while oblong has a longer jaw that is more round than square . Go for loose curls, beach waves, salon style blow outs with width and side volume over height, fringes can look great as well . Avoid sleek hair and IMO shorter cuts .

Round, the width of the face and length are more or less the same, I have met many who fall into this category that feel self conscious, if you are one of them, you should know that this shape is also known as “ baby face”, so change they way you are viewing yourself, you have youthful looks on your side . Go for deep side parts , side fringes, height on top, long bobs, long layers and shorter pixie cuts with sides and back taken extremely short . Avoid shorter layers with medium length hair, width and short blunt fringes .

Heart, the hairline is the widest part of the face with a narrow chin and sometimes prominent cheekbones . Go for fullness around the jawline or chin, side fringes and lobs . Avoid middle parts and short baby fringes .

Diamond, the forehead and jawline are the same width, cheekbones are also the widest part of the face . The main difference between diamond and heart shape is diamond has a narrower hairline / forehead . Go for fullness at the temple and chin, also try tucking hair behind the ears .

Pear, the opposite of heart will have a larger, sometimes squarish jawline with a narrow forehead .Go for layers , width at the temple and styles with length to at least collar bone, if going shorter make sure to add enough volume up top . Avoid one length , hair pulled back and pixies if possible .

Oval, the length of the face is longer than the width, and the jawline is more narrow than hairline. If you have an oval face shape, congrats ! Oval is the most proportional, often considered the most flattering . When viewing celebs you will find this face shape the most common in the celebrity world , especially chameleon singers such as Madonna , Gwen Stephanie and Beyoncé , if you have an oval face shape congrats, you can wear almost any hairstyle.

It’s never a bad idea to have an idea about your own face shape pre salon visit, but of course always remain open to your stylists feedback when discussing your best options . Face shape is an important piece of the puzzle but not the only piece . Your stylist also has to consider which variety of styling you are most likely to follow through with when sporting your new do, hair density and your particular texture , and of course sometimes the most important, your personality and which style you will rock like a boss !

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Growing your hair from pixie dream girl to mermaid

So you’ve moved to a new city / graduated Uni / broken up with your last bf and chopped all your locks off and now you want them back, but you’re a little distressed about the road that lies ahead . Well fret not because the road is paved with gold, ahem, that is, lots of different looks and fun hairstyles along the way .As is evident by my instagram page (shameless plug here “pleasefixurhair” ) I clearly love a beautiful short cut but I also appreciate long glamorous locks as well . So here to help along your journey are my best tips for growing out a short cut .

One, make a plan of where you’re headed and all the stops along the way ! Like most things in life you can rest in the comfort that there is indeed a road map . The first step is to get from the Haley Berry to the Victoria Beckham, in other words grow the front out first . From here the next step is to get to a little chin length bobby number with some layers , ( yes there is a technical name for it but that just sounds so shop talky ). The infamous long bob Just below the shoulders is just around the corner from here, and for many, you might be quite content here. Otherwise now you’re almost home free, its just a waiting game to the shoulder blades, ( the ideal length for long hair, going much longer is just too long ladies , seriously doesn’t look flattering past the mid back ) . So don’t do anything from here, just wait. Don’t go in for a lot of cuts, don’t use hot tools too often, above all else do NOT go in for a big colour change, but but but, make sure you do use a good shampoo conditioner.

Two, cut back on your salon visits. Yes I said it !!! But I also never said stop going . Take good care of your hair and go in for three to four visits per yr if you are trying to grow the length otherwise and then every 8 weeks to maintain after you’ve reached your goal

Three, be prepared to invest in a descent shampoo / conditioner ,

Just to be clear a very good shampoo’s and conditioners are sold in salons, they are NOT sold in drug stores , if you don’t believe me go online and do some searches on some highly respected salon shampoos and conditioners and read the ingredients . Ingredients such as almond oil, sea kelp extract, palm tree butter, milk thistle extract, wheat germ, vitamin E and B5 are not cheap and the money these companies spend to research things such as how your hair can receive optimal benefits would blow your mind. As with most things in life The cost reflects the product quality.

Four pop in for quick in between clean ups in between cuts when needed , , many full service salons will offer cleans ups ( fringe, neck hair, around the perimeter ) to their loyal clients in between visits as part of their service.

Five, Look into biotin or silica, both of these natural products have really taken off in the last few years when it became widely circulated that they help with fuller, shinier hair growth, results do tend to vary from person to person but hey it’s worth a shot, and as an added bonus your skin will also thank you .

Six, don’t over colour , now is not the time to decide to go from brunette to blonde ( no fry lights ) and no colours that can be found in a bowl of fruit loops.

Seven, hair is meant to be fun so have fun with it along the way and don’t stress, it’ll get there when it gets there .

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They say if you don’t feel like you are working then you have found a passion and purpose. In 22 yrs working in salons I have never felt like this is a job . Every day brings with it un expected and new situations filled with many different personalities. I have had the pleasure of getting to know so many wonderful people from years of doing their hair and am fortunate enough to continue meeting many more to this day . I consider myself lucky to have worked with many of Vancouvers extremely talented stylists over the years and I continue to enjoy learning from and being inspired by those around me . If I am able to lift some ones day a bit and bring some added joy to their day and at the same time have some fun doing it , what more could anyone ask for ? #vancouverhairstylist #vancouverhairstylists #vancouverhair #vancouversalons

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What I’ve learned about people from being behind the chair ...

As I am writing this it is approaching the new year and I’m feeling that introspective inspiration we sometimes feel around this time of year so this time around I’m diverting slightly .

I’m sharing some things I’ve come to find about people from standing behind a chair and having conversations with the same peeps every couple of months for many many years, in an environment which I still have yet to figure out why, many people in fact just open right up to you !

Some of them just want to be heard without judgment. Others just want you to lend an ear, perhaps no one in their life is truly listening and present in a world where we are all too consumed with phones, finally others simply enjoy a more open honest and vulnerable conversation in a world where most of us are all too consumed by how we appear to others.

So here are seven things straight up no BS non sugar coated things I’ve learned about people and our relationships with them from behind the chair.

One of the more profound things I’ve found having personally heard so many peoples personal stories is that it seems the more personal a struggle feels the more universal it likely is. Everyone is going through their own challenge. You know those people that seem to have to all together ? Well guess what, they don’t, no one does. Everybody is going through their own struggles, they just aren’t announcing it. That work peer who’s crushing it, they might still be looking for love and unsure why it has eluded them. That associate who seems so popular and who’s social life is so off the hook, might actually still be searching for more personal fulfilment and trying to fill some void, that couple you know who are so in love its sickening, might have a business that is struggling , or not, you actually never know, so don’t be so quick to get a case of the fomo’s.

Everybody wants to leave a positive impact on the world, but how they see that impact always differs. Whether that means being the best parent they can be to their child, volunteering for a cause that is close to their heart, or whatever that might be for that person, one thing I can tell you is that it is definitely not the same for every person, so don’t project, it’s all to easy to forget that everyone doesn’t share the same values and passions as you.

Yes A holes and FnB’s do exist but encountering one is just slightly more common than a Unicorn sighting . The rest that just seem like sociopaths to you are likely just people at a different stage in their personal growth than you, which is sometimes all too easy to forget in the moment. Others are people you just don’t resonate with, and that’s ok, not everyone is supposed to get along with everyone else, it’s not a 90’s love party. We can do our best to except everyone for who they are, but most of us are somewhere the middle, somewhere between tolerant and impatient and have good days and bad days .

People have a way of growing on you. There have been people I have met in my professional life that could not stop praising me and always telling me that their haircut was the best they had ever had but simply did not stick around, while there have been others with whom when I first met them seemed fairly indifferent , and I did not have that instant click with. But some of them just kept showing up and never went away. Over time I began to really look forward to when these same people came in and catching up with them . Most of these people I now consider to be somewhere between client and friend . Life is full of surprises .

People have a way of coming in and out of your life, …like seasons . Speaking for myself there have been people who I have known in a professional relationship who would always say and who I truly felt at the time would never stray as a client . Then one day, sometimes for a frivolous reason, such as” it’s getting more difficult to find parking near your salon “, or they moved recently and it’s now an “extra 20 minute drive”, will one day just stop showing up and stop calling for appointments. It’s not something that’s good, its not something that’s bad, it just is what it is. You had a good experience with them and its run its course . That being said, some will surprise you and show up one day out of the blue, back in your life . In my case returning for monthly appointments, sometimes after years . No matter how much you enjoy a relationship , whether it be business, friendship, or romantic, sometimes you just have to appreciate it for the moment in time it was .

Don’t judge people for what they are but instead except them for who they are . This is a much easier road, filled with less headaches . On a side note don’t size people up on what they say but instead on what they do. If you spend anytime working in a salon there’s kind of a standing joke that the people that come in that spend the entire time talking about how much money they have, are always the ones that never tip. To this day I really don’t know if most of them were just frugal or fibbers. But I hold no reservations or ill feelings either way . In fact the revers is true, either way I simply have empathy for them.

Lastly we aren’t as unique as we would like to think, we all have more in common at our core than we have differences, and what changes us are sometimes small superficial details, whether it be cultural, religious or financial . From veganism to yoga to hustling to putting family first, we all have a set of values we like to live in alignment with, that gives us a sense of groundedness, purpose or connection to something, in an all too often chaotic world . No matter how much some one appears to have it all together, it seems to me , everyone has insecurities , everyone worries about work, and everyone wants to love and be loved, even when they say they don’t, and in fact nobody is 100 % sure what they are doing . We are all doing the best we can , a little bit of guessing along the way and hoping it all works out !

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Behind the chair, everything your stylist will never tell you

So you’ve had a couple of bad salon experiences and its left you feeling a bit cautious ever since . Perhaps you even had a stylist you really dug and you still aren’t sure what exactly happened on that last appointment.

Well inspired by the late great Anthony Bourdain, here are some hard truths no one else will tell you about what really goes on in the salon that may help you make the most out of your next salon experience .

First , be mindful of going in for the 9:00 am Sat or Sun appointment if your stylist looks like they just graduated from cosmetology school. Even if it appears they’ve been in the game a couple of years you might still wanna be cautious. Many young Hairdressers are notorious for having the occasional after work Friday outing that turns always seems to turn into an “unexpected” long night . They are definitely prone to cut loose a bit on Sat evening as Sat is the most high strung shit show day , and the fact is that if your stylist did indeed cut a rug last night they are more than likely to be a bit tired and groggy on their first appointment, but fear not , because after one client everyone feels back in the game ! So if your stylist looks under 21 and you wanna be on the safe side ask for a time a couple appointments in if its the weekend. Of course that being said , some stylists have also been known to do their best work under these conditions so you never know….

Some might be surprised to know , as annoying as it is when you turn up and your stylist is running late, the truth is this is often because some one before you was late . This happens to everyone occasionally but people who do this notoriously annoy the crap out of their stylist. But if you show up on time or even a few min before your appointment time, even if they are running behind the stylist will often respect your punctuality and give you your full one hr even if that means they will be late again, but if you show up late w some story about parking, with a a fresh Starbucks in hand, don’t be surprised when you are being rushed through to the front wondering what just happened .

Also, keep in mind what your stylist goes through for you behind the scenes to make sure you have a smooth experience . Every stylist worth their own will always make sure every one walking out the door looks good, even the most high maintenance of clients, but the clients that come in genuinely friendly will always get that extra love, that extra mile, wether its something as simple as having your drink ready upon arrival to leaving the conditioner in a couple of extra min so your hair is extra soft for the weekend.

If you’ve been curious about a salon but you’ve been unsure, check out their Instagram, it’s the beauty industry’s new business card . If they don’t have one, might be safer to just stay clear .

Know that stylists get antsy, but telling clients they are moving can be quite stressful if the wrong people are near by and can feel be too sketchy for the stylist . So if you like your stylist get his or her contact info.

You can’t judge a book by its cover but you can judge a salon by its product lines. There are many fantastic product lines with great products that want to market themselves as attainable to most tier two customers while luxury lines such as and similar to Kerestes, Orbe’, and Bumble and Bumble limit how many salons are allowed to carry them to appeal to a different status of customer and the business must actually be approved by the company as suitable for their tier one target customer base . The product lines they carry can tell you about what kind of customers the salon is targeting itself to .

It always helps to niche down what it is exactly you are looking for in a stylist or salon, for example some people don't care very much for being at salons and simply aren't that bothered about their hair, in which case go for a lower price point I'm sure you'll be happier, and some people simply have a thing for the nicer things in life and really do enjoy a posh environment and hot looking blow out . Speaking for myself and the many extremely talented people I have been fortunate enough to work with , the later is where we feel at home .

Finally if you are one of the few left on the planet who is thinking about a perm, if you ask for some one with lots of experience they may just give you the same kind they did all the way through the eighties, and if you ask for some one young and trendy, they will have no idea what they are doing since ombré’s are all the rage now, and if god forbid a perm has just recently crossed your mind, don’t, just don’t !

( Photo courtesy of the very talented Yuki of PekoPekolife.com )

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The smell of coffee and shampoo in the morning

The Beauty salon on the weekend, its a thing of beauty . The sound of chatter and smooth music and blow dryers , products to help you feel more beautiful every where , the excitement of people getting ready for the weekend , looking their best and talking about their plans .

But underneath the illusion of a well run machine , things unseen by the clients are often a hot mess in the background . But this doesn’t ever matter because its all about the client , with out them ( you ) none of it matters , and rightly so , what the client doesn’t see or hear , does not hurt them nor does it matter to the client

So why do we do it ? What keeps us coming back to serve ? The stylist is a unique kind of person who both feels at home in chaos , and thrives on the non static existence .

If you talk to most ( not all, I can hear the uproar now ) hairs designers , you’ll find a thread of commonalities that run through many . Many came from middle class upbringings , but still had a taste and an eye for the nicer things in life. On top of that there is a unique humour and dynamic to the people in the salon that speaks to the young apprentice washing your hair at the shampoo basin that says , I’m w my people here , I found a place where I feel at home .

I myself fell into it mistakenly but fell in love as time went on . My high school friend and roommate and I had enrolled in hair school because we both were artists who couldn’t figure out what we didn’t want to do with our lives and needed some sort of stable job besides the lower service positions we had been working .

The day before school we watched the movie shampoo which painted this career path kind of like a rockstar and arrived at school excited about the prospects in our future careers .

Of course hair school turned out to be nothing like the Warren Beatty film but it was still nothing to sneeze at. We were two young men surrounded by friendly women , no one told us we had to restrict our fashion sense and we could be creative . Whats not to love I thought .

After school I worked in a inexpensive quick salon and soon realized I actually knew nothing and even the owner knew little more than I did which was far less than what I felt anyone should know .

I moved from a smaller sized town to the city in pursuit of bettering my career and aquired a position at one of the more prestigious salons in the city as a shampoo boy . It was here that I saw for the first time stylists really dressed for success who looked at this as a serious career , I saw salons that were right out of design magazines , I got brought along to help in the back ground of photo shoots and fashion shows , I began meeting mentors who were as passionette about their craft as Steve Jobs was about his , and I fell head over heals in love with it .

Of course these perks do not come without their ups and downs and its all a learning process that comes w many peaks and valleys , but the peaks make it all worth it . So, I have decided to sell out the secrets of my profession that only we know and spill my guts .