Assistant Manual: Tip 2

Be honest about the skills that you can bring to the table or if you have any to bring in at all.  The stylist will expect you to help out in the area mentioned that you are skilled in.

When you oversell yourself and you can't come through on what you sold the stylist.  It doesn't turn out to be a great experience because the stylist is disappointed and you, the assistant, will feel as if you can't catch a break.  But why should you when you lied?

Be upfront about what it is that you can do and no one gets hurt.  In the meantime, brush up on the areas where you are lacking.  Your career will go as far as you want it depending on the work that you put in.

Tip of the day: Product for Your Hair Type

Use the appropriate oil/elixirs according to hair type.  Too much gunk due to too much product will leave the hair limp and without body.  It will also attract more dirt.

Tip of the day: Stop Heat Abuse

Over use of the flat iron especially when hair is full of product is like singeing the hair with heat.  You will notice right after you touch up with the flat iron that there are strands just coming out or popping off.  In addition, you are giving yourself instant split ends which will keep you from retaining length.

Tip of the day: Moisture

Beware of sitting under air conditioning vents, they can dry out your hair.  Stay moisturized (relative to your hair texture).

Tip of the day: Fragile edges

If your edges are fragile and your getting your hair relaxed, have your stylist apply the relaxer to the edges last or have them texturized. Be sure to inform your stylist about your fragile edges, as well.

Transformation Thursday

A naturalista has many options.  One of the options is getting a ceramic press.  First, the hair was shampoo'd and was given a steam treatment.  Secondly, (upper right) the hair was sectioned in six for control and was blown out by a ceramic paddle brush. Then the hair was sectioned in two and sprayed with a anti-humidity spiritz then silked out (bottom right).  Finally she was curled with a flat iron and left with bouncing, behaving hair!

This service usually takes approximately two hours.  If interested, book at www.instylhaircare.com, hit schedule now.

Tip of the day: Hair Goals

When your are visiting a stylist, be as upfront about your hair goals and all the concerns that you have about your hair.  When you and the stylist are clear then you get your desired outcome.

Tip of the day: Being a KITCHETICIAN!

The most important thing you can do for your hair is not to do your own chemical work on your hair, i.e., color, relaxers.  Why get inconsistent results and chance breakage when you can get a professional to do an oustandinf job with consistent results.

Assistant Manual: Tip 1.

Tip 1:  Know your position

Make sure you are working for someone that is within the field that you aspire to work in.  If your interest is in coloring, make sure that you work with a colorist.  If your passion is cutting, make sure you work under a stellar cutter and so on and so forth. This way you won't be bored because assisting can be tedious but it instills discipline .  Discipline makes for a great assistant and better yet, an excellent stylist.

Your role as an assistant is to assist the stylist in all facets according to the needs that the stylist stated to you when you began.  Be sure to be clear on what the needs are when the they are explained so that you and stylist can be on one accord.

Observe and be attentive to the stylist's style in doing things so that when he/she calls you to do a blow dry or to do an application in color, you will know how the stylist like things done.  Also, understand that you may have a way of doing things with your own clients but you still have to do things the way the stylists that your working under would like it.

Stay humble and leave the ego at home.

     

Tip of the day : Considering a Weave?

If you are thinning and are contemplating a weave, just be sure that there is not a lot of tension where the hair is thin.  Tension in that area will lead to more thinning, making the area worse.

Long haired girl

This story was inspired by the women on the train who stare then follow by tossing their hair to get my attention.

My short hair is a choice.  It will always be what I love, what I aspire to have, maintain and keep.  When I was young, I feel in love with the beauty of short hair.  There was a beautiful woman who lived on my block whom I admired.  She would walk up and down the block, assumably going to and from work.  She had a short natural...something like a Carl Lewis haircut.  She wore it elegantly and the fact that she was breathtaking added to it.  I saw her best features without the accessory of long hair.  Now, that to me, was bold and pretty darn spunky!  So when I grew up, I wanted to cut my hair.  

My mom is a hairstylist as well.  She is a believer that hair is a woman's glory.  I agree but we had different perspectives on what that statement meant.  My mom felt that long hair is beautiful and the ultimate choice for a woman and that short hair is for boys, men or if that was the card that God dealt you.  My outlook is whichever way looks good on you is how you wear it.  As long as it represented your lifestyle, your style of dress and your personality.  I am a hairstylist and I appreciate all lengths.  It just so happens the I love short hair and prefer my hair that way.

With that said, to all the long haired women that toss their hair to check if I'm looking.  The answer is yes. Yes I am, either to admire your hair or to find ways to make it better.  I will never look to envy or crave your length.  I am fine with mine, thank you.

Wellness Wednesday Tip of the day:

Make sure you have your daily Omega 3's to promote healthy, shiny hair.

Fell off the running wagon but making a comeback.

On December 2011,  a friend invited me to go for a run with a couple of girls.   Well, actually, I invited myself.  At the time, I was doing a program called Personal Running Trainer and was doing the 5k portion of it.  I was running on a track and got bored but was too intimidated to run in the park with the regular running folk.  I needed a little boost, you see.

In came BGR, Black Girls Run, a running group that encourages African-American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority.  I joined her at the park to meet the girls and off I went and finished the loop in the park for the very first time.  I was elated!  I did it!  With the help of fantastic women running and/or walking in a group.  Fast forward to running a half marathon (which I thought was a 10K) without any "goo" (had no knowledge of what that was or if it was even helpful) and was traumatized.  Although I finished, with a bad cramp in my calves ( I should of worn compression socks) and my soles burning...I made it through the finish line looking like a seven month pregnant lady (I was so swollen).  I accomplished my first half and was glad but was terrified.  I finished a half and it beat me up..now what?  I made excuses and got scared of my own expectations.

I'm now geared with my Nike Running app in hand and is running for 35 min at least twice a week.  I'm a single working mom and not an early riser.  I'm sure I will get to where I'm going but by myself for now with the motivation of the group.  It's something I have to do myself so that I'm not dependent of the group...am I making sense?  I think I am.  Next month I will add 10 min or maybe 5 min to the runs until I'm brave enough to sign up for a race again.