A change may make you smile

Sometimes when you’ve been working with the same stylist for a while one or both of you falls into a rut.  The conversation becomes, “Same color?  Clean up the ends?”  Reply, “Sure”.  Every once in a while the response will be, “Can we do some foils too?”  Not for lack of ideas but sometimes because these people are friends and have other business to discuss!  Sometimes we get caught up in tradition (and conversation).

I am always happy when a friend comes in and says, “Cut it all off!”, and means it!!  These are my happiest days.  I LOVE change for my clients!  You want some red highlights and you haven’t done that before?!  Excellent!  I have free range with your cut as long as it can fit in a ponytail?!  Lovely!  These are the best surprises for me!  I hope to start documenting them a little better and sharing them.  Sometimes I believe complete overhauls are where I do my best work.  They get me thinking outside the usual lines where we’ve worked for so long.

My first such documentation for you is my friend Kim.  She is fantastic and I am very lucky to have her whole hearted trust.  We’ve been through a few changes together but this was by far my favorite.  Kim is a working Mom of 3 who is always running somewhere.  She has some wave to her hair and felt the need to flat iron all the time.  She also has a lot of hair.  How much extra time does any Mom have in her day?  None.  The flat iron can be a lifesaver for most who use it but time is sometimes a negative factor and the more hair you have the longer it may take.  Let me give you a visual.  This is Kim’s before photo:

A lovely lady, right?!  I STILL like her hair like this.  If she wanted to grow it out at some point I would be all for it.  She’s lucky in the fact that she can go long or short.  You will see what I mean.

Kim came in finally ready for a change.  I phrase it this way because she has been putting limitations on those changes for at least two years.  “When this happens, I’ll cut my hair”.  She had finally come to the glorious realization of, “Why wait?”  I love this realization!  More on that in a minute.  I want you to see the lovely Kim’s after shots:

Amazing, right?!  She looks absolutely incredible with shorter hair and beautiful golden highlights!  I can’t take all the credit, she came in prepared with an idea.  Here are some side and back views:

Isn’t she cute?  So it’s a great look for Kim that takes her less time in the morning.  Additionally I am happy to report that she left with a hop in her step!  She seemed like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.  I am happy to have helped her feel that way.  (Thanks for the pictures Kim!)

So back to, “Why wait?”.  Sometimes in life we get stuck in the cause and effect or effort equals reward cycle.  We need to remember that a little change can go a long way.  So maybe finally cutting Kim’s hair short has helped to inspire her in other ways so that the other things she has been working towards she can be even more confident about while working towards them that much harder.  I don’t know if that’s true but I like to think so.  A small change within ourselves can sometimes go a long way.

Maybe you are recoiling at my thinking this is a small change.  Really?  It’s hair.  It grows back.  Will it pay your bills if you have it?  Will it get you a better job?  Unless you’re a hair model, no.  How would you change your look?  Spring is coming.  Make the change.  Cut, color, style, whatever you can handle.  Who knows, it may make you smile

I had an appointment?

When you have an appointment at a salon you are in a time slot of the stylists day.  You are occupying their time in that slot.  No one else can get in that slot because it is yours.

When the salon calls to confirm your appointment they are reminding you that you are currently occupying that portion of the stylists time for services you planned at a previous time.  When you receive a call and they open with, “Hi, this is Sharon from Salon X-”, please listen to the whole message.  Did you or the person who gave you a reminder card write down the correct time?  Is it the correct date?  If not, please call and say something!  Otherwise you are taking an appointment space someone else may be in need of (or may come in too late to have services performed later).  Also, when a reminder call has been placed and the salon then calls you to see where you are 15 minutes after the time of the appointment, please don’t open with, “I had an appointment?”.  It’s just not an honest response after the reminder call went to a voice mail box with your name and/or voice.

Additionally, if you know you won’t be able to make an appointment please call as soon as possible to cancel.  If the salon knows on Wednesday or Thursday that you won’t be in Saturday (a salon’s busiest day) they can surely fill that time.  If you wait until Friday evening and call after the salon has closed it’s very frustrating to come in to get the message which leaves a blank spot in the schedule where someone else could have been receiving services.  Understandably, emergencies arise.  These are not the instances being referred to.  Things come up and changes must be made.  Just give the courtesy of a phone call so someone isn’t left waiting.  Because yes, you had an appointment, and now that person, who probably works on commission, has no one in their chair.

No one does that anymore…

I once had a woman tell me about her wedding hair experience.  It was long before she started coming to me.  It seems the client had a vision of what she wanted.  She brought photos to help with a visual as well as the hair crystals she wanted in her updo.  Some of these photos from magazines had similar gems in them.  Upon seeing the gems the stylist told her, “no one does that anymore”.  Who’s wedding was it?  If a bride tells me they want their great-grandmother’s brooch incorporated into their style I would never say, “No one does that” or “that’s not in style anymore”.  If  someone brings me a photo, bridal or every day, and I think their hair is not going to be able to support that style (if you have super thin short hair and you want to look like Jennifer Aniston circa the ‘Friends’ years) I will try to impress upon my client the differences in hair type, length, etc.  But for something that a bride has been thinking about for a long time, something as simple as hair jewelry, is it up to me?  Never.  Sometimes we as stylists face a difference in opinion from the vision of our client but at no point does that give us the right to make a negative of it.  My job is to make sure my client is happy – even if no one does that anymore.

A “quick” haircut

So let’s talk briefly about this. What is a “quick” haircut? Do you want me to wash and dry your hair? Do you want it styled while I dry it? Do you have hair down to your waist? None of these will lead to a quick haircut. If you are in a hurry please do not to expect to make up for lost time in my chair. A quick haircut consists of you sitting in my chair, we talk about the 16th of an inch you want taken off and I cut it dry. No wash, no style. I’ll blow the little pieces out with my dryer and if you’d like I’ll spray it but that’s it. And yes, it is a full price haircut.

About Me

Welcome to my online portfolio!  Thanks for taking the time to visit.

My name is Teri and I am a Connecticut licensed hair stylist.  My main base of operations is in Fairfield County, but I am always willing to travel for the right opportunity.

My specialty is weddings and formal affairs.  I am well versed in color, cutting, highlights, sewn and glued extensions, pieces, etc…  For many affairs I handle multiple clients, but always with attention to each one’s individual needs.

Please feel free to contact me at Hair4Hire@gmail.com.  I am happy to answer any questions.