Last week was Cosmoprof, and our feet are still sore from all the walking. But we had a great time catching up with Vicki and Dino from Pomp Salon. We also spent some quality time with a few business colleagues, and got to meet a few new faces. Unfortunately we didn't really get a chance to see any demos or shows. Most of our time was spent setting up our booth and then sitting in it. But we think it came out pretty nice. It was a decent home for three days.

Many thanks to those who came by and talked to us. It was great. To those who didn't, we're sorry you couldn't make it. But it was a nice set up. We were there with the Tina Dao apron line, and Tina Dao herself, of course. We got to meet lots of fashionable people from around the country and different parts of the world (apparently we have fans in Canada, Mexico, and Ecuador). We also got to see Larisa Love for a little bit, but we must have been too star struck to get our phones out, because we have no pictures of her.

(We would have put the picture right here, if we had it. The things that could have been...)

Clearly we need to work on our camera skills. But we do have plenty of pictures of our new friends Bruno and Georgio. Here they are pointing at a giant wall of Fanola.

They're representatives for Fanola who came all the way over from Italy just to see us!... and some other people. But we did get to talk with them a lot, and if you're looking for news on that encounter, we'll only say we might start carrying more Fanola products in the future (but sshhh. It's a secret for now). So keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, you can still find Fanola colors with us, and you can GET your hair colored with Fanola at Pomp Salon. What we're trying to say is these are some of our favorite people right here, and they should be your favorite people too.

So there you have it. Actual proof that we had fun at CosmoProf 2015. It was a fashionable mess over there, but it was great to see so many talented people dedicated to the beauty industry gathered in one place. There was a lot of energy and talent walking around Vegas last weekend, reminding us why we're still in this business. Special thanks again to the Pomp Salon folks and especially Tina Dao (where would we be without her?). It was tons of fun and we can't wait for next year. Until then, keep styling, everyone. We're here because of you.

Is your August schedule looking a little bare? Summer is usually a hopping time for salon appointments between wedding season and the harsh rays of the sun. But now might be an awkward phase. We're almost done with July, the bulk of the local weddings have run their course. Independance day is come and gone, and there isn't another major holiday in sight until October. So if you're looking around your salon and don't hear the same volume of chatter or the constant hum of the blow dryers, you need to start looking for ways to liven up the dry season. Here are some quick and ways to get those styling chairs full again.

Quality Check

It's important to try to figure out why your quiet first. Is your place looking a little drab? Is it comfortable? Are any of the stylist's rude? And finally, is it boring? Attracting attention is one thing, but you need to make sure the quality is there once you have it. That doesn't just mean the quality of the styling. We leave that to your judgement. The quality of the salon itself comes from customer service and experience. That includes how you speak to clients, the comfort of your waiting room, and the whole look of your business inside and out. It needs to be the kind of place that attracts people and makes them talk. So here's how to get people looking and talking.

1. Online Booking

This is probably one of the best ways to lure traffic back your way. Online booking is standard with most salons and barbers now. In fact, lacking online booking might be the reason you're slow right now. It not only makes it easier for people to set up appointments, but it also makes you more visible online so more people can find you. We covered this topic a couple weeks ago if you're not sure where to start with online booking. It's pretty common now, and easier to start than you think.

2. Blowouts

If you already offer blowouts, make sure people know. Have a summer sale on them. Post pictures of them on social media, have a blowout party. Frankly, blowouts are probably a fad, but right now people are eating them up like candy. Consider what your potential clients are usually doing in summer: they go to the beach, they go to weddings, they wear lighter clothing, and they lie around inside for hours trying to stay out of the heat. They need managabel hair that can stand up to sun and water and look great with pastel colors. They want blowouts. But some of them might not know they want it yet. You need to tell them.

3. Give Aways

There's something about free things that makes people act, even if it's not a useful free thing. Stickers made us try to excel as children, and maybe we never really grow out of that desire. But let's think bigger than stickers. Let's talk free hair cuts for life. We're stealing idea from a Behind the Chair article (which has some other great tips), but we love the idea enough to spread it around. Lifetime free haircuts seems like a big offer, and it is. If you calculated the amount of money you're giving away with a lifetime free haircut offer it would probably come to a pretty significant number. But this will pay you back, because guess what a person who just won free haircuts for life is going to do? Talk about how they got free haircuts for life, and when they do, people will ask where. Now you've got a decent word of mouth campaign going. And that's not even addressing the attention you'll get while the raffle is going on.

4. Unique Referral Discounts

You might have noticed other companies offering discounts or free samples if you refer someone else to them. It's a quick way to encourage people to talk about your salon and bring in new faces. The only problem with this suggestion is that every other salon is probably doing this. That's fine; it's a solid business move, but you need to make this idea unique to your business. Don't just hand out punch cards or printed notes saying "sent by so-and-so." This is an opportunity to show who you are and what makes you different. For example, if you're a green salon, tell customers to spread the word that anyone who brings in a flower will get 15% off their first color. This would generate conversation while making people feel as though they're part of something special when they participate.

5. New Refreshments

There's a sort of new thing going around salons and barber shops involving alcohol. A cool drink while getting pampered really completes the experience. We should note that in some states this is still illegal without a liquor license. We're working on that here in California, but be sure you check your state laws before you invest in a wine rack. Otherwise it doesn't have to be alcohol. Offering complimentary beverages gives you a huge range of possibilities. In the summer you can offer orange juice and lemonade. And as the weather cools you can start bringing out the coffee and hot cocoa. When people go out, it' usually with the intention of eating or drinking something. When you offer drinks, you give them one more reason to choose you when they go out.

6. Give Your Salon a Makeover

This could mean a lot of different things, so let's clarify. It's good to have a tradition and consistent recognizable features, but we guarantee something in your salon is getting old in the worst sense of the word. Some people are afraid of change, but they're also intrigued by it. Renovating the inside, changing the theme of your salon's decor, or even revamping your site attracts attention. Especially if you make a big deal about it. Change something and post pictures of it. Have a "New Design Sale" where you offer 10% off haircuts the first week after a new paint job to encourage people to see your new place. This is the beauty business. Get in the habit of showing off a little.

7. Update Your Social Media Pictures

This sounds stupidly simple, but it's effective. If your salon has had the same profile picture for a couple months, it's time to switch it out. Even if you're consistently posting to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you can fall behind other salons in the relentless current of information pumping through our screens every day. People scroll quick, and most of the time they're looking for pictures. A small visual change in their feed will make them stop, so change the pictures and make them striking.

It's All Just Summer Fun

These are all quick ideas. They're jump-up-and-shout-it-out ideas to get people looking at you before the season ends. This is about fads. These ideas are not keys to a wildly successful business, although, some of them might get you there if keep doing them consistently. In the long run, it's good customer service mixed with a little talent that keeps your business strong, but we all have dry spells. Sometimes you just need a quick boost. So get back out there, spice up your image, and have fun.

5 Ways Your Salon Mat Improves Your Health

We know. The salon mat doesn’t sound like the most exciting topic. It's the least active of all your salon equipment. Look down at that thing. What is it doing? It doesn't dry hair, it doesn't come in flashy colors, you can't mix anything with it, and if you posted it on Instagram you would kill all of your followers with boredom. It's a gray shape stuck to your floor out of sight, and under appreciated as a result. You might have that brief moment of relief when you walk onto it in the morning, but you probably forget what you're standing on once you get into the swing of the day. But foot problems are the most common health complaints among stylists these days, and while you're combing through those locks, the floor mat is (or should be) keeping your feet trim and healthy with a design rich in comfy science. So as you're working through your tired knees and sore feet, just think of these 5 ways your salon mat is improving your health.

1. Protection from Arthritis

Some of you young 'uns probably haven't given a thought to the state of your bones and cartilage 30 or 40 years down the road, but you'll start feeling the consequences of your standing profession soon. It's the fate of all hair stylists to stand for hours beyond the normal working person, and most people will have walked 75,000 miles by the time they're 50. You want to do the math on what the average stylist does? Neither do we, but we know that the cartilage in your ankles is at pretty high risk. It’s a matter of prolonged strain. You’ll be on your feet most of the time regardless, but you put less wear and tear on the cartilage in your ankles and toes when it’s easier for you to stand. Enter the floor mat. No brainer.

2. Helps Regulates Diabetes

There's no cure for diabetes yet, but podiatrists recommend anything that improves circulation in your feet to help combat the effects. That means taking care of your feet and legs. Most salon mats have a similar benefit to shoe insoles. They won't be as effective as custom orthotic insoles, but they should take a significant strain off your feet and keep blood flowing freely through your legs. That will help with everything from foot ulcers to decreasing the risk of amputation later.

3. Back Pain

Anything that helps your feet will help your back. The improved blood circulation we just talked about has something to do with this, but it's mostly a matter of support. All bones connect, and if your feet ache, odds are your legs and back aren't far behind (no pun intended). This mostly has to do with arch support (or the lack of it), and an increasing tightness in your back from standing up all day. Obviously you should be stretching every day and working to improve your diet, but a salon mat does provide more support for your feet, and that means more support for your back.

4. Happy Heart

Some days you just start feeling cranky and you can’t quite pin down the reason why. You might start by looking to the state of your feet. A lot of happiness depends on being able to live within the moment, and it's easier to appreciate that moment when you aren't aching everywhere. A good salon mat means better feet, and that means less pain with a more pleasant day in general. If you don't know about the healthiness of being happy, it's worth looking into. It has far reaching effects, gong all the way from your heart to your toes. It helps fight problems like cardiovascular disease and reduces the many risks inherent to stress, and it also makes you generally more active and motivated, which leads us to the next benefit.

5. Business Health

The success of your business is more reliant on your personal health than you might realize. When you're healthy and happy you treat your customers better. You're more likely to give them a good conversation and better service in general. You'll sound happier, you'll be more aware of your client's social cues and be able to address them. Happiness leads to a hundred different little improvements that lead to a better chance at turning a first-timer into a  regular or getting a higher tip.

The Science

If you're still with us, you might be the kind of crazy person who actually cares about the “how” and “what” behind all these effects. Most salon mats are made from a closed cell polymeric sponge material. You've probably seen that term if you've done any research on floor mats, and your interest probably stopped there. But just know that closed cell sponge materials are absolutely fantastic for standing on. It often means the difference between lying on a memory foam mattress and lying on a giant kitchen sponge (a sponge is an open cell foam, by the way, and not as comfortable as they look. Don't ask why we know that). Normally your weight rests on your heels and the balls of your feet. But when you step onto a closed cell polymer it displaces that weight along your whole foot, so your arch takes some of the weight too. That’s where the reduced pressure and improved circulation comes in.

A Foot's Best Friend

You can go a long ways on a good salon mat, so it's important to keep an eye on their condition and repair or replace them as needed. And if you aren't using them, you need to jump on that and promptly apologize to your body, because you've already done a number on your soles, knees, and back. Mats usually range from a half inch to a full inch, and these feel different with different feet (although most people seem to prefer 1 inch mats). Feel out the mats in other salons to get an idea of what will work best with your body, then get that padding rolled out on the floor. Because this isn't just an issue of comfort any more, this is about your well being: a happy life can start or stop at the ground.

A Brief History of Barber Chairs

A lot of barbers these days go in for vintage barber chairs. There’s something irresistible about the ornateness of a real Koch that brings a sense of legitimacy to a shop. As the world accelerates into the sleek automatic, laser-happy technology of the near future, some professionals cling to the styles of the past, perhaps as a way to stay grounded. The future is uncertain, but we'll always have the stories of the past so long as we have something to help us remember. But who actually remembers where the style of that vintage barber chair came from?

Ancient Barber Chairs

The cushiony monster we use today took a long time getting to us, much to the dismay of bushy haired men for thousands of years. And their shape changed somewhat to match the versatile nature of the barber. For example, this chair was used in England 300 years ago.

"Barber's chair modified for dental extractions, England Wellcome L0065953" by http://wellcomeimages.org Licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

We know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. That chair is just as uncomfortable as it looks. That little dip at the top is where the head goes while the barber performs dental surgery. Since they clearly had steady hands with sharp things, it seemed logical to most people that barbers should perform medical procedures as well. Thankfully, we've come a long way since then.

If you want to be philosophical about it, you could say that a barber chair is any chair a barber uses to sit his clients down while he cuts their hair (or extracts a tooth). In that sense, a sturdy bucket could be a barber chair. And over the ages, barbers took that to heart. During the civil war, when hair maintenance became highly regulated, barbers would use anything they needed on the field, from an old chair taken from a house to a fallen tree. Although, barbers were still operating as surgeons back then, so they also used something like the wooden torture device you saw up there.

Barber Chairs After the Civil War

It wasn't until the mid 1800s that companies like Archer and Koch started producing chairs with more mechanical conveniences. For example, one of the first footrests came from the Archer company in the 1870's.

"MOHAI - J. N. Hooper's Barber Shop - A" by Joe Mabel. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Archer company also gave us the first barber chair that could be raised and lowered mechanically. Then the Eugene Berninghaus company created the Paragon, a barber chair that could be raised and lowered as well as spun around just before Koch developed their own chair combining all these elements, and the three companies entered into vicious competition, producing many of the vintage barber chairs that collectors and shop owners pine for today.

Enter the Hydraulic Barber

Koken Barber Chair Schematic

If it hadn't been for the tsunami of European immigrants in the 1800's, you might still be using a screw base chair to lift your clients up. Because with that wave came the legendary innovator Ernest Koken. He swept into the factory workforce in the 1870's where he was introduced to the beauty supply industry selling shaving mugs. During this time, Archer, Koch, and Berninghaus were in intense competition, speeding out their barbering inventions to stay on top each other, so Koken had a lot of material for inspiration. He spent his off hours going over barber chair blueprints, and started developing his own designs. In 1881 he came out with his own reclining chair. Which looked neat, and even worked alright, but wasn't exactly new at the time. But ten years after that he brought us the hydraulic base, and changed the industry forever.

Modern Day

Truman Barber Chair (BC-10)

Since the Koken chairs came out, most changes in the barber chair world have been largely cosmetic. We went from the smaller, overwrought armchairs and rounded seats to large bed-like monstrosities with a more stable, square design. When we talk about history, it's easy to forget that we're a part of it. You're shaping the style of the story of the barbering industry every day. Ten years down the road, you'll be part of the past people cling onto. It's important to remember where things came from because that story informs what we can do with that thing and where we can go with it. So in that sense, you shouldn't be afraid to live in the present and look to the future to make what will become the past a better story. We all love the look of the vintage barber chair, but we're also excited to see what the next “Koken” will be, and that won't happen if we keep dwelling in the past instead of using it for inspiration.

Instagram Feature: Mustafa Avci

There are some types of beauty that seem larger than life. Decades of perfect, flowing hair on the silver screen has made the Hollywood wave seem inaccessible to the “mere mortal.” Your typical client is left with a sense unreality and helplessness when she watches flowing hair, beaming with film set lighting, as the princess walks into the ballroom to the building cacophony of dramatic string music. But New York salon owner Mustafa Avci is turning the light back toward the people. He has spent years mastering the fingerwave and updo and is now spreading his knowledge throughout the world with his workshops, teaching stylists how to give their clients the leading role look.

Mustafa came from Turkey and chose New York to start his American beauty career. He spent 11 years training in an upscale salon before breaking out on his own and opening Salon M in Brooklyn. Now, 7 years later, he's one of the most valuable beauty educators in the country. He's been flying back and forth across the states, running classes in LA and our very own Sacramento, before shooting back to New York. He has even teamed up with another one of our favorite stylists and masterful updo artist, Laura Kaszoni ( of lalas updos), to help run his workshops. Modern Salon has featured Mustafa a half dozen times, with good reason. So if you're looking for quick tips from Mustafa, they're easy to find.

His work personifies elegance and precision. Despite the free-floating ethereal look of his waves, he has a specific process by which he creates them. It's not simply a matter of wrapping up the hair with him. Mustafa curls the hair in brick patterns in order to give the sections more room. This way he can make the sections wider, and it adds volume once he lets the hair down. Modern Salon shot a video of Mustafa where he shows you what he does a little better than we explain here. But the point is, that loose-hanging hair is the product of a long trained knowledge.

Like any good artist, his path to success was paved with practice. The wonders he makes with hair don't just come from creativity or raw talent. He now has 20 years of experience as a professional stylist, and his days have been spent combing his fingers to the bone. The updos and fingerwaves you see here were made with techniques developed through long years of trial and error so he can bring another level of glamour to his clients. Life is not a movie, but that doesn't mean stylists can't give their clients elements of a movie. That's one of the beautiful things about stylists: they empower people.

You can try to track Mustafa down for one of his workshops through his workshop site. Or if you just want to stay updated with his hair creations (which we highly recommend), you should definitely follow his instagram @hairsalonm.

And while you're at it, you should stay updated on other great stylists by following us @salon_guys. Mustafa is unique, and one of the best in the business, but there's always another amazing talent out there to get inspired by, and we’re always on the lookout for them.

Keep styling, everyone.

Top Ten Salon Brushes

You need another salon brush. Maybe you lost your favorite one. Or maybe your set keeps mysteriously disappearing and reappearing into the hands of innocent looking stylists around the salon. Either way, you're searching the internet for a professional hair brush, and, my God, there are enough choices out there to keep you busy for weeks. Even if you know specifically you need a cushion brush with boar bristles, it could take you hours to find the one you like best. And never mind the color. Salon brushes are like candy when it comes to color. You can find one that looks like whatever you want it to be. And that's a problem for those of us who are indecisive. Well, we can't make the choice for you, but we can show you what other stylists like, and even tell you why. So here are the top 10 salon brushes from detanglers, to cushions, to round.

Detangling Brushes

Hair Tamer takes the cake on detangling. They specialize in gentle smoothness by relying on the basic strength of acrylic. They also create brushes in a vast variety of shapes and colors so you can find a perfect fit for your hand and aesthetic. So tangles beware; here are some of the best hair wranglers around.

Hair Tamer “Ergo” Detangling Brush

It's light, simple, and practical. The curvy body looks good and a lot of stylists find the shape more comfortable. Of course the comfort can vary with your particular hand shape and size. The other benefit of the Ergo brush is the huge variety of colors it comes it. This won't do much for hair, but no one will argue who's brush is the pink zebra print.

Hair Tamer Detangling Hair Brush

You'll think this belong in the “cushion” category below, but the real point of this is detangling. It has a traditional oval shape with a rubber-grip body, and it's absolutely fantastic at working through wet and damp hair. The wide space between the nylon bristles keeps the struggle down, and the combination of the cushion and ball tips pump the comfort up. Typically this is what you would use after a trip to the shampoo sink.

Hair Tamer “Kink” Detangling Brush

There isn't much difference from the Kink brush to the Ergo brush in terms of effect on hair. This change is all about you and your hand. Some stylists find that the horse brush style is easier on their wrists and gives them a little more control. Again, this can come down to personal preference, but if you have larger hands, this might be easier than gripping a normal handle.

Hair Tamer No Knot Detangling Hair Brush

The No Knot brings it back to the client's head. The shape is contoured for your typical crown, so each stroke should grip a maximum amount of hair without poking the scalp. This is a little better for general detangling on damp hair thanks to the slightly wider space between bristles, although it's not quite as heavy duty as the cushion Hair Tamer you saw above.

Cushion

Now we come to the cool comfort of the cushion. While the shapes here stay more or less the same, the material varies in important ways. Natural bristles are usually good for combing product through hair and finish off styles. When you still need to shape the hair a little, it helps to have a combination with nylon.

Spornette Deville Round Cushion Salon Brush

It's hard to go wrong with the classic wooden body. It's durable and classy, and the whole thing is comfortable just to look at. It's all boar bristle here, so this brush is a finishing move for thin to medium hair for getting the most out of the product you've put in the hair, along with the natural oils already in there.

Spornette Classic German Porcupine Cushion Brush

Spornette comes back with a wooden handle, although this one doesn't really look as classy as the Deville. But whatever it lacks in class it makes up for in function with the nylon bristle combo. Each tuft of boar hair is equipped with a single, long bristle designed to help the brush slip into the hair. This is what you break out when you've got a really thick head of hair in front of you.

Phillips Oval Cushion Brush with Metal Pins

This Phillips hair brush takes it in a different direction. When detangling, sometimes nylon isn't enough, but when you play with metal you risk poking the client. Fortunately the cushion on this brush negates that effect.

Round Brush

It's drying time again. Maybe. Round brushes can have so many different uses from adding a slight curl to the hair to simply smoothing out the style. While there are a few round brushes that can be used on their own, all these are designed to work with the hair dryer.

Spornette Smooth Operator Salon Brush

It's not just a clever name. This brush really is smooth. A lot of barrel brushes have nylon bristles, but these are crimped. Basically that means they're scrunched up and wavy so they feel softer and aren't quite so damaging to the hair. And thanks to the tourmaline infusion, you're also feeding a little health back into the hair. This is a great brush for light hair that’s a little on the brittle side.

Cricket Ionic Thermal Salon Brush

Here we're back with the nylon bristles, only this time they come with anti-microbial protection, so this round brush is more sanitary. It has other neat things like a tourmaline infusion and static free resin, but the thing you'll really notice is the grip. It feels like you're holding a baby... Okay, maybe not a baby. But something really soft that you won't want to let go of.

Cricket Friction Free Thermal Salon Brush

The big attraction on this brush is the easy style and the shape of the handle. Cricket did a pretty good job of contouring the grip so it's easier to hold. But there's also something to be said for the polymer blend in the barrel, which means the metal and nylon sweeping through hair actually neutralize static. It's handy to have, some pun intended.

Instagram Feature: Shonda Broadus

Let the hair rebels of Beaufort, South Carolina rejoice. You have one of the most intriguing, color crazy stylists around Instagram. Cutting and highlighting are among her many specialties, but it's the custom colors and highlights that turn everybody's eyes to the screen. She started styling back in the early 2000s and never looked back. Now, with well over a decade of experience, she runs the Color Me RAD Salon and shares her mind in the shape of hair and dye with us on Instagram. She lives by the simple mantra “Do dope ass hair.” The phrase mirrors what you see in her styling. It's different, striking, and bold.

Color Me RAD is where hair color goes to live the way it always wanted to. The stylists there aren't afraid to experiment and go big, Shonda least of all. She has cool colors, loud styles, and clean skills. Shonda has graced fashion magazines like Beauty Launchpad and Modern Salon with her keen knowledge and vivid color sensibility, if you had any doubts about her practical knowledge. They're a great place to go if you're looking for inspiration.

She takes her inspiration from her surroundings. And while it would seem that her specialty is vivid rainbow hair color, you can see echoes of sunsets and rippling water in her work. She isn't just creating vivid hair color, she's bringing a whole new meaning to the term “natural color.” She's constantly creating new techniques for coloring and processing hair to get different shades and textures. Which is another reason to follow her Instagram, by the way. She'll occasionally post tips and quick instructions with what she's working on.

You can follow Shonda's Instagram @shondabroadus.

And while you’re at it, follow us too @salon_guys to catch work from other talented stylists and barbers.

3 Hairstyles to Expect this Fall 2015

The temperature is dropping, the leaves are turning, and hair will inevitably turn with them. People like to change with the seasons, especially as the year-end-three-month holiday marathon draws closer. Women will not only want something they can wear in the cold, but they'll want something they can show off to visiting friends and family. So it's time to stock up on your fall hair colors and work on your blow outs, because it's a time of year for making hair loose and festive.

Medium Boho

We're all going more natural. Or at least, natural looking. People are starting to appreciate hair that seems to fall wherever it wants. Messy waves and curls that won't fail under the torrents of wind and rain, and in fact seem made for it, are a big deal and they'll probably stay that way for a while as the defining style of this decade. For those clients who really think ahead, you can expect them to want a medium length that they can grow out as the year gets colder. In these cases you should definitely get ready for the conversation about coming back in for a trim once a month to keep everything in line.

A-Line and Orange Hair

No matter where you live, Autumn just feels like a time to start turning everything orange and yellow. It would be worth your time to start experimenting with shades of brown, orange, and deep gold. Not pumpkin color mind you; no one wants to turn their head into a pumpkin. The more easy going, subtle style you often see in Emma Stone’s hair is closer to what most people will want. It's simple and practical, but it glows with some of that cozy autumn spirit.

Royal Platinum

Okay, it's time we addressed the tough one: Royal platinum blonde. We can thank Game of Thrones for a lot of grief, but we can especially thank the young star Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, for making the straight white blonde absolutely huge. Never mind if it’s a wig; the hair is pretty sweet. The show's popularity shows no signs of ebbing just yet, so this kind of hair will coveted by many a long haired woman, and some will be convinced they can pull it off in time for their Halloween costume.

Fall Talk

Some of these style will take a lot of work on some hair, if it's even possible in the first place. So you not only need to get ready for some pretty extreme color changes, but a lot of conversations about what's realistic with each client's hair. It's not such a big deal when they want to make their dark brown a little cozier with a dash of red, but keep in mind you're also going to have to deal with some pretty rough and tumble heads coming off the damaging summer heat. They'll be looking to regain their softness to breeze into the closing year.

What You Need to Know about Nail Salon Task Forces

You've probably heard about the recent War on Nail Salons in New York. It's been a hot topic ever since the NY Times published their groundbreaking article about the harsh working conditions in many salons around New York city. That article got pretty much every state talking about their own nail salon task force to whip these places into shape. So if you’re in the business of manicures and nail art, you might be wondering if you should be worried.

The short answer is probably not. Most task forces will be looking for extreme cases of worker exploitation and toxic chemicals. But just to make sure we're all clear on what to expect, let’s look at the major issues they’ll be looking for.

Do your workers get paid minimum wage and overtime?

The New York times article focused heavily on the exploitation of illegal immigrants. Many of the nail techs spoke little to no English, and believed they couldn't get a job elsewhere. So they didn’t argue when their manager told them they have to work 12 hours a day for little more than tips. One of the justifications for poor wages was tip income, but in many cases that still didn't provide a living wage. That's the situation many states want to fix. The NY state site provides a few calculations regarding tip income and regular wages.

Do you provide your workers with the appropriate protective equipment, and is it used?

They're talking gloves and mask here. They'd like nail techs to use a fresh pair of gloves for pretty much every new job and customer. There are a lot of strong chemicals flying around a nail salon (we'll get to that next), and a lot of foot touching. That means plenty of opportunities for harmful bacteria to spread and for nail polish and remover to eat into the lungs and the skin. Good safety equipment practice cuts all these dangers down.

Is there adequate ventilation? (No strong chemical odors)

Nail polish is smelly. And even if you like the smell, or have gotten used to it, it isn't healthy. We've addressed this issue before in our Green Salon blog post, but it's worth mentioning the toxic trio again. In most polishes you get a combination of toluene, formaldehyde, and phthalate (we're still not sure how to pronounce that one). A lot of products claim to be free of one or all of these, but that's a dubious claim at best. The simplest and surest way to get your air healthy is to open the windows, get some fans blowing, and maybe decorate your place with a few live plants.

Is the Salon business license posted in plain view?

This should be a no brainer, but it's one of the first things they'll look for. It's a quick red flag for salon owners who are running something shady. So if you have it, show it proudly. And if you don't, well... What are you doing running a business when you don't have a business license?

Is the nail salon workers' bill of rights posted in plain view?

This is a little less of a no brainer, but it's just about keeping your employees informed, and letting everyone know they're informed. New York Governor Cuomo even drew up a new card for salon owners to put up on their walls just for this. Your state might be a little different, but either way you should have something like hanging in your business.

Now Clean Up and Get Involved

It's a tough time for nail artists right now. With all this talk of toxic chemicals and worker exploitation it's easy to forget the beauty you're trying to create. But there are people dedicated to the improvement of this industry, who are trying to make it healthier and better for the artists and customers. Groups like the California Healthy Nail Salons organization have been around for a while, trying to solve poor working conditions and find alternatives to toxic chemicals. So don't let yourself get too put down, and if you're feeling passionate about this, take a look at health concerned groups around you and see what you can do to help.

Salon Name Inspiration

If you've thought at all about opening your own salon someday, then you've surely asked yourself “what's in a name.” In the end, the answer is a combination of what you put into it and what people can take out of it. If you're looking for help coming up with names you can find a lot of advice on marketable names with clever or catchy twists, or just simple words to stick in people's heads. But the best help with naming will come from looking at other names. So today we're looking at some of our favorite salon and barber shop names.

Head Rush Salon

There's a lot to this name, and the more you look at the work that comes out of it, the more appropriate it feels. The married owners, Rickey and Brandi Zito, are a heavily tattooed duo of vivid color action. Rickey is well known for the glowing hair he creates, and Head Rush is probably the most succinct description of Rickey's artistic style and the effect it's bound to have on you when you see it.

Color me RAD

In a similar vein, Color Me RAD has a sort of shameless, punny, rock and roll vibe that perfectly encapsulates the style of the artist behind it. Shonda Broadus prides herself in painting hair her way. Fortunately, her way turns heads into color-crazy hair art. If there's a problem with the name, it's the specific reference to hair color in a place where the stylists clearly know their way around the scissor and comb. But that can be forgiven for the roll and rhythm.

POMP Salon

This place is a masterpiece of a salon owned by Dino Ballin, the locally renowned crafter of upscale salons and skilled stylists. It's based in Stockton, close to our home, so we're a little biased about it. It's not so much the name POMP by itself that's appealing, as what you can do with it... Because there's a lot of POMP in this name. It's where you go to get POMP-ed up. And it's classy without being POMP-pous. And the stylists here are POMP-posterously good. Short names are often the most profound.

Bottle and Barlow

We looked at Bottle & Barlow when it opened not long ago. But aside from being run by some talented, low key duo Anthony and Jayson, it has a pretty solid name. The bar and barber hybrid shop has a leg up on most other salons and barber shops with its double nature. It would be easy to get too clever and get a name that's too obscure to indicate what the place actually is (Hair Hops? Anyone? No?... Okay, fine). But they kept it simple and rustic, according to their nature. Bottle for the beer, Barlow for shears.

3 Hair Clippers for a Tight Budget

Finding a new set of clippers can be pretty easy. We talked some about a variety of clipping and shaving tools for men before, so we won't spend a lot of time on the technical details. After a little reading you'll probably realize the real decision as a professional is between the Andis Master, the Wahl 5 Star Senior, and the Oster 76. Anything after these clippers is a variation designed by the companies to meet complaints or feature a more powerful motor. But if you aren't ready to drop upwards of $150 things get a little more complicated. It's easy to find a low cost hair clipper, a little harder to find one for professional use, and that much harder to find one you'll actually find useful. So we've looked around the net and found a few low cost hair clippers you can sport in your business without forgoing too much quality.

Andis BGRc

A cool and quiet pivot motor always makes for a pleasant cut, but clients won't even feel this cutting their hair. In fact, one of the common complaints about the BGRc is the care you have to take with it, because if you don't watch what you're doing, you will cut someone right to the scalp. It's a lot lighter than most clippers on the market as well. It's gets a little heavier if you get the cordless attachment for it, but that's a small price to pay for barbers particular on freedom.

Wahl Magic Clipper

One of the staples of barbering back in the day was the Wahl Senior. It's hard to criticize that historic piece of machinery, but the v5000 motor and lack of zero gapping just doesn't cut it anymore. Thankfully Wahl came out with a host of answers to that problem. One of them was the Wahl Magi featuring the v9000 motor. It actually has a lot of the same performance as the Andis Master with a gentler price tag. Although, with that you also get a bulkier body, which could be a problem if you have smaller hands.

Wahl Peanut

This might seem like an odd choice, but hear us out. While the Andis Peanut is technically a clipper, it's more the size of a trimmer. But it has plenty of power to spare with a rotary motor so you can cut through just about any thickness of hair. And with a healthy set of attachments you'll be set for pretty much anything that comes your way. It's also one of the best options for cordless clippers/trimmers thanks to the small, lightweight body, so it’s also a great travel option if you’re looking for a personal trimmer.

You're the Real Hair Clipper

These are not the best hair clippers on the market by any means, but if you need something a little smaller or easier on the pocket to get you by for a while, these will more than serve. You can always save for one of the traditional tools in the tri-force of hair clipping, but until then don't be afraid to explore your other options. At the end of the day, the real value comes from your own skill. Finding a good clipper is really just a matter finding what will interfere the least in what you’re doing.

Why Oil Slick is More than a Trend

The Background

Image from Instagram @auracolorist

If you spend any time at all browsing instagram you've seen more than your fair share of vivid rainbow hair styles. A lot of stylists like bescene and hairgod zito do some incredible work with this kind of style, and a lot of others do some not so incredible work. But the point is, a lot of stylists are doing it, and there's some danger of it getting old. Fortunately we can always count on artists to play with styles and give us a fresh take. Enter Aura Friedman and the oil slick hair style.

Image from Instagram @auracolorist

Also referred to as “Duck Feather,” it started out as a way to give brunettes the rainbow color without a full, hair-ripping battery of bleach, but what ultimately came out was a new way of looking at rainbows. Friedman told Popsugar that she was inspired by the rainbows that form in oil puddles after it rains. She stacks purples on top of greens to create an “iridescent feel.” It doesn't pop like your typical pastel rainbow; it shimmers and glows.

Friedman is an Israel born, U.S. raised colorist with twenty years of experimentation under her belt. For many of those years she's been setting trends in New York on runways and with various designers like Peter Som. You've seen her work on the likes of M.I.A. and Lady Gaga, so it's no surprise to find her bringing something so provoking and a little outlandish like Oil Slick.

The Art of Oil Slick

Image from Instagram @seangodard

Most of this you've probably read before. Oil Slick has been going around the fashion magazines for about a month now. But these magazines keep using two words that create misconceptions about the hair style. One is “healthy.” This is technically true because the technique uses far less bleach to dye dark hair than normal. But it's not free of bleach. You still use some to lighten strands just a little for lighter colors like blue and teal.

Second and more important, they call it a “trend.” That's fine if you're an angsty teenager looking for a way to stand out at prom, but Aura is a hair artist of twenty years. She told Popsugar this was an effect she had been trying to get in hair for years. She found something beautiful in a puddle of car fluid that most people disregard as a dirty byproduct of modern civilization, then used her craft to show us that beauty. That's not a trend, that's pure art.

Image from Instagram @carlycutsmyhair

That doesn't mean the Duck Feather will last forever, get hauled up onto the walls of the Louvre to collect dust and camera flashes. The Oil Slick will pass with time just like the mullet and the mohawk. But to call it a “trend” devalues it, and demands less thought than it deserves. There's always something to be gained from looking at a good hairstyle, especially coming from someone as experienced as Aura Friedman. Whether it's meant to make a statement or just bring some deeper understanding of beauty, hair art is about more than looking good, and our language should reflect that.

How to Bring Halloween Excitement to Your Salon

Photo source: Flickr user William Warby

Let's set the scene. It's Saturday night, Halloween, and Angela just walked into a living room packed wall to wall with store-bought “sexy” witch costumes and men wearing clip-on braided pony tails in a vain attempt to look like Doth'raki. Angela's robe-clad best friend sees her walk in, tilts her cardboard witch hat, and saunters over.

“Oh my God, Angela. Your costume looks amazing!”

“Thanks! It's 2012 Vampire Lady Gaga.”

“I thought so. Did you do all that yourself?”

“Of course not, dummy. A hired a team of professionals over at the Sweet Styles Salon.”

“That's incredible! I'm definitely going there to spend all the money I have.”

End scene.

Drink in the possibilities, stylists. It's 2015 and people go bonkers over a well done costume. Some people think about it the whole year through. They order robes and dresses and pieces of armor, match themes with other people, and always compare how well they pulled it off to others. It's time you got in on that competition. Costume fanatics will flock to stylists/makeup artists who know how to put that crowning piece together, because getting the face and hair right takes a lot more than finding the right costume shop. It takes skill. And when they venture out into the crowded streets with their polished faces and grand hair, you can bet people will ask where they got it done.

Time is running short right now, so here are a few ideas to get your brain moving.

Show Your Halloween Hair Skills

Before anyone will trust you with those platinum hair extensions for a Kahleesi hairdo, they'll need to know you can use them. If you've styled Halloween costumes before you better be posting and re-posting those pictures. If not, that's okay. You just need to show people you're good with what they need. Here are a few different styling services that will be useful for most costumes:

• Hair extensions

• Curling

• Hair color (probably temporary)

• Pixie cuts

• Updos

There are a few other, more specific techniques like pixelated hair that would be good to have under your belt. Just make sure potential clients know you have your techniques down, and you can pull off some pretty spectacular stuff if they'll let you.

Costume Contest

If someone is already going through this much effort for a good costume it means they want everyone to see, and you do too. Here are two ways to take advantage of that.

In house Competition:

Take a picture of all your costumed clients and post them online (Facebook or Instagram would probably work best). The most popular picture wins a sample basket of products. This is a nice, clean way to boost the activity on your social media with people who already follow you.

Out of house competition:

Ask clients to take pictures of their get up wherever they go and tag you in them. It would help to create a unique hashtag for this like “#sweetstyleshairoween” to keep everything clear. The best one gets the prize. This is a great way to draw more outside attention through your client's social network.

Hair-o-ween Fun Time

Halloween is a great time to market your salon and get people in for extra services. But it's also a great time to flex your mighty styling muscles. Halloween is one of the few times a year you might get to break the same old trim, ombre, and balayage appointment pattern and color and cut to the extreme. There are only so many times it will be appropriate for everyone to don red eyes, fangs, and black hair extensions down to their knees... Unless Comicon is coming up, but that's a topic for a another time. So get your hair clips and colors into the Halloween spirit, and have fun.

The 2 Basics in Building Clientele

Photo by Flickr user Mainstream

So hows your appointment book looking? If it's a little bare, and has for some time, you've probably been searching high and low for tips and techniques to get new clients in your chair. The internet is overwhelmingly full of advice in this area. Some of it is brilliant advice, some are just neat ideas, but the point is, you don't have to go far to find advice. The problem is knowing if it's good advice, and where to start with it. This week, we aren't here to give you more tips, but to help you think about all the advice you're bound to find. We read through stacks of articles about salon business tips, and we noticed most of it involves two basic elements:

1. Becoming visible, and

2. Being good.

It's really a simple process of telling people you have something they want, and delivering beyond expectation once they get there. But there are nuances to this simplification, so let's take a closer look at these elements.

Make Yourself Visible

Photo by Flickr user smjbk

We're talking advertising here, which can mean many different things limited primarily by your imagination. In the beauty business, word of mouth is the ideal. You want to get people talking about you, which is why the number one method of marketing yourself is to get on and maintain your social media! We've emphasized this point many times in this blog, but it can't be stressed enough. Past using that tool, the truth is no one can tell you the absolute best way of getting yourself out there to the clients you want. But it generally involves knowing two things well.

What are you good at?

Why would people want that?

But don't think you can say “I'm good at balayage, and people want it because it's pretty.” You and a thousand other stylists are good at balayage. Always strive to take your understanding deeper by considering the details of your location:

“I'm good at coloring and texturing naturally dark, coarse hair, while most salons in this town deal with lighter hair.”

You have something unique to offer; it’s just a matter of learning what it is and where it fits.

A Good Person Makes a Good Stylist

A lot of successful salon owners say you don't actually have to be great at styling hair to make money, you just have to know how to treat people. That is almost entirely true. It feels good to be treated like a human, and even if you're the best colorist in town, you'll have a hard time retaining clients if they feel uncomfortable in your chair. But getting a really bad haircut will make them almost as uncomfortable about coming back as being mistreated. And if it seems unreasonable to be expected to pander to the social expectation of your clients, remember this.

You're job is not to make hair beautiful, it's to make the client feel beautiful.

That person chatting away in your chair for twenty minutes is an individual human being with an incomprehensibly powerful human brain full of unique desires and opinions. It's the hair stylist's duty to negotiate with that individuality and find the crowning element.

Learning is Improving

If you hadn't noticed by know, there are just two basic activities that will lead to your success as a stylist: Get to know your client base, and get to know yourself. The communication and compromise between these two types of knowledge will be the source of some of your best ideas. If you're unsure how to attain that knowledge, the quickest way is to start taking risks. Challenge yourself, talk to people, and never assume you know everything.

The Stylists that Stylists Should be Following on Instagram

Hair stylists don't use Instagram like other people. While the foodies post their lunch to the world and new mothers flood the feed with pictures of tiny socks, the hair stylist stresses over which of the ten pictures of the same ombre she should put up. For them, it's more than a social media, it's a place for networking and exposure, and an especially great place to get inspired by a lot of work from other stylists. Modern Salon came out with a pretty comprehensive list of trend setters to watch a few months ago, and it's a good list. But there are just a few stylists we think they missed.

Hairgod_zito

Rickey Zito is an expert with vivid colors. It's easy to find colorists doing that these days, but it's hard to find one who does it well, especially as well as Rickey. The Louisiana based stylist goes straight neon rainbow, and never looks back. If you're looking to start playing with vivid colors you could a lot worse than using Rickey for ideas.

Evalam

Eva Lam is another fantastic colorist. Based in Vancouver, she does a lot of work with lighter tones. Not many stylists pull the gray fox better than she does. Her Instagram has great examples of soft fantasy colors with a lot of depth. She's a great stylist to follow for work that's out of the norm, but still subtle.

Englishhair

Let's take step back from subtly now and look toward the southern hemisphere. Stevie English runs a chain of salons in Australia, so the Stevie English page features lots of different stylists doing everything from wild colors to grungy bobs, and big curly hair. The quality of the work they post is a little inconsistent, but it's always interesting. When you feel like you've gotten into a rut of doing the same thing, head over the Stevie English Instagram to find a few styles you probably never would have thought of.

Shondabroadus

Shonda Broadus is another color crazy colorist from South Carolina, but she puts a certain rock 'n roll rebellion vibe that you don't get in a lot of other colored styles. She's great with color melts and loud tones, and she has a way of cutting and styling that makes the colors more striking. You'll find a lot of experimentation on her page, and a lot of attitude.

No List is Complete

There are plenty of stylists not mentioned here who are definitely worth your time, and some we have to assume you know about (if you don't know about Guy Tang, what have you been doing?) Just know that these stylists have plenty to offer, and not just with hair inspiration. As you scroll through their posts pay attention to how they tag, how often they post, and the light they take their pictures in. They know how to use Instagram to its fullest. So get out there, pay attention, and get inspired.

And be sure follow the Salon Guys Instagram too, @salonguys. We’re finding great hair artists and repost a few every week.

How Hairstyling can Affect Your Community

Photo credit: Flickr user Mike McSharry

Painters, poets, musicians, etc. all come to that point in which they have to ask if this thing they spend hours a day refining has any real value to other people. To many of the greatest, the answer is irrelevant. They're going to continue and paint Starry Night, or write The Raven, or compose their Requiem, because they have a disease. Artists can't stop practicing their art. So it's normal for an artist to fall into depression because they can't answer the question “what good will this really do?”

You style hair, so it should be a little easier to answer, right? You make people look good. You make them feel better about themselves. Your audience is constantly interacting with your art. But even these facts aren't always enough to pull a battered hair artist out of the pits, so, for your encouragement needs, here are a few real-life, tangible examples of the good hair styling can do for a community.

Styling the Homeless

Photo from Beauty in Transition website

Feeling good about yourself goes a lot farther than you think. Jody Wood has been taking her mobile salon, Beauty in Transition, to homeless shelters since 2006. Wood has witnessed a real change in the people she styles, who say they've been “reconnected with who they are and who they wanted to be.” Wood claims to have a heart for the often judged homeless community, and wants to “rethink those social structures surrounding tradition through art.” If you're keeping track, this is someone actively trying to change people’s perception for the better in several communities through hair styling.

Family Connections

There's more than one story about a single father styling his daughter's hair. And every time, the story not only revolves around a healthy relationship between a father and daughter, but the domino effect of other fathers following suit. Phillipe Morgese has gone so far as to start an official workshop, the Daddy Daughter Hair Factory, teaching other fathers how to style their daughter's hair. It's a way to not only improve the hairstyles of frustrated daughters everywhere, but to foster quality time with their struggling single parent.

Styling for Cancer

Photo from “Fringe: The Art of Hair” facebook page

Kim Barbagallo became a hair artist against her parent's wishes, going into debt to put herself through cosmetology college. She spent years working her way up to opening her own salon, Fringe: The Art of Hair. But she came to understand a true value in her craft when she started styling a friend's hair who was battling cancer. She said she “was able to learn what cancer patients go through mentally” with this experience and dedicated herself to making cancer patients beautiful. Now she's licensed in coloring and cutting wigs so she can keep spreading joy through hair.

Hair and Identity

It's important to remember, as you move through your journey as a hair artist, that people identify themselves through their hair. They see it in the morning, and that's their image of themselves for the day. Other people see it and comment on it. A hairstyle can change a face from soft to severe. It's a form of expression for both you and the client that is always talking. And if it says good things, it will cause good things to happen.

The Lesson in Glitter Roots

The last week has been a dominated by a whirlwind of teenagers throwing glitter on their roots. Glitter roots is a fancy trend that probably won't stick around, although it's bound to last at least as long as it takes for everyone to get the glitter out of their hair. But what will last long is the New Jersey salon that started the craze. The Fox and the Hair had been playing with glitter roots for a while before the fashion magazines got a hold of it.

The Rise of Glitter Roots

They had been experimenting with glitter roots for a while and posting the results of their work on their Instagram. Then country singer Lucy Hale came across it, decided she liked it, and reposted it to her 10 million followers with the caption “hair goals.” That's all it took. After that is when you started seeing bloggers and Teen magazine spray the internet with a veritable fountain of sparkly excitement. Glitter roots has that consumable mixture of a simple concept and interesting looks. It's easy to look at and talk about. It's even easy to have an opinion on it, even if doesn't last long. So what can we learn from this?  

Post Your Experiments on Instagram

We're not saying you'll start the next nation-wide trend, but showing something original for people to repost and fantasize about is a great way to get attention. The glitter root is not a particularly striking trend, and frankly doesn't even look that good most of the time. But it is fun, and there are so many different ways of playing with it. It's what drooling marketing strategists would call “easily consumable.” And while there is definitely some artistry involved, the appeal for most people is lighthearted fun. So get out there and have fun.

Be warned, though. Not every experiment should be shared. The Fox and Hair posted refined work. They didn't show people their first attempt. They showed people the hairstyles that looked the best and the most intriguing. This goes back to something we've mentioned before, about only putting your best face forward in social media. People scroll fast, and bad or even mediocre pictures make them scroll faster.

5 Favorite Fanola Hair colors

Fanola hair cream is the permanent hair dye from Italy brushing across the nation right now. Hair artists everywhere have been experimenting with it and creating some pretty incredible works of art. It's been especially popular to use it for subtle toning like balayage or creating the Gray Fox and playing with blues. But stylists get pretty creative across the board with these colors. Here are a few of our favorites.

Smooth Balayage

Brittney Perez knows how to make pretty much anything look soft and elegant. This blonde/caramel balayage transformation is no exception. Between the full curls and brown-to-blonde contrast, it looks like Brittney spun pure gold into this 'do. This transformation not only shows off the Fanola's light shades, but just how far you can take a head of long straight hair.

Follow Brittney @bp_styles. You won't regret it.

Red Updos

This is great, because not many stylists go red with Fanola. Brittany takes it a step beyond the color, though, with some braid experiments. She keeps the red reigned in by making it darker, and giving it a spicy tone, so it looks more natural than if she had gone vivid. She styles at the Exclusive Beauty Salon in Stockton, California, and you can follow her at britts_hair__art.

Dimensional Brunette

We mentioned Fanola is great for subtle color changes. This is partly what we meant. Sungei Vo-Peters adds a ton of depth to this brunette color and cut by texturing the hair and just barely lightening and darkening sections a few levels away from each other. She's currently gracing the city of Ft. Worth Texas, and you can keep up with her work @singi.vo.peters.

Blue Grime

Sadie travels much more into the pure self expression side of things with this blue work of art. This was actually re-posted by the Unicorn Tribe as “The Deadly Sins.” It's unconventional, and striking, and expertly done. Sadie is always pushing the boundaries with whatever tools she's using. You can follow Sadie @sadiejcre8s.

Balayage in Purple and Gray

And of course we can count on Miju to give us a perfect example of Fanola purple. He kept this light, just barely on the side of gray and deepened the color as it travels down the hair so you end up with a rich tone at the ends. Miju is one of the prime colorists in LA, and you should definitely follow him @dearmiju.

If you've inspired by this canon of colors and want to try your hand with the Italian line, you can grab some for yourself here. When you post your creations be sure to tag Salon Guys so we can see it.

The Guide to Stylist Gifting

Photo credit: Marco Arment

We're now entering into the mad December holiday rampage. Hopefully, that means you're thinking about what to get your favorite hair stylist. Especially since finding a decent gift for them really isn't that difficult when you consider the typical life of a hair stylist: She likely works 10 to 12 hour days, but probably doing what she loves (that's why most stylists get into it), she doesn't take many breaks, and lunch is more a whispered legend at this point. As the busiest person you know, the hair stylist will appreciate just knowing you're thinking about her. But if you really do appreciate her, the gift warrants some thought, so here are a few things to consider as you ponder on the perfect gift for your stylist.

Hair brush

This is the safest option, hands down. It's fairly cheap, the stylist will have plenty of opportunity to use it, and there are so many different types, shapes, and colors out there it's easy to find something uniquely interesting to your stylist. If you're a little unsure as to where to start with this, take a look at popular hairbrushes, and work your way from there.

Shears

Shears might seem like a great present on the outside. They're pretty, easily wrapped in a manageable size, and it's something the stylist uses constantly day to day. That last part is what complicates it, though. For something so essential as shears, the stylist needs something she's comfortable with. If the shears don't fit her hand she'll just end up with an awkward present she feels obligated to use. So unless you know what brand or shape she prefers, or have a great deal of knowledge on the subject yourself, it's probably best to avoid this one.

Hair Color

This might seem like a dangerous route if your stylist is an especially talented colorist, but the truth is, most hair artists love experimenting with something new. If you get them a color or brand they don't normally use, they'll still take it home and play with it, and they might even find a new style. A couple bottles of a new hair color wouldn't be all that different from buying a musician a new guitar. Except hair color is much cheaper.

Accessories and Jewelry

Careful consideration of one's personal appearance is a stylist's occupational hazard. External beauty is part of their craft, which means they could change outfit day to day like coffee filters. So some simple jewelry could go a long way to giving them more to play with, just understand they might not wear it all the time, if at all. Unless you're in tune with your stylist's unique flare, stay under the $20 mark.

Baked Goods

Now let's drop the act. Cookies are universally loved, regardless of occupation. If you're not a great hand in the kitchen there is no shame in store-bought cookies, but if you really like your stylist, it would be nice if you got them from an actual bakery. But, whether it's cookies, muffins, cupcakes, or chocolates, a box of sweetness is one of the most pure gestures of appreciation.

Should Every Chair be the “Quiet Chair?”

Photo credit: Flickr user James

Last week UK Salon Bauhaus announced their “quiet chair” option, which basically means clients can specifically book an appointment where the stylists will not speak unless spoken to. It started with the intention of keeping the salon a relaxing place for everyone because they realized how many people were really uncomfortable with small talk, although the owner, Scott Miller, still recognizes talking as an essential part of the business. But that’s where many other stylists would disagree, and ever since the Quiet Chair was announced, both salon clients and hair artists have started speaking up about their disapproval of salon small talk and its easy acceptance in our society.

The Talk-Free Hair Stylist

Hair artists like Mario Russo have actually been talking about this for years. In his view, he’s a working his craft at the salon, and it’s a very delicate craft, requiring complete concentration to accomplish to his standards. Which means no talking. At all. That’s not as uncommon a practice as you might think, and there’s scientific precedence for working with the “No Talking” rule.

Lots of studies show that when we try to multi-task we don't do anything well. Despite what you might feel, we can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Multitasking slows us down because it requires more power and concentration to switch your attention between different tasks. A single task includes listening, by the way, so just by trying to pay attention to your client’s words, without trying to respond is taxing your brain and making your work suffer.

Are there Benefits to Small Talk?

At this point the choice should seem easy. If you care about your craft then he quality of the work always comes first. But on the other side, many stylists believe small talk is the key to good customer service and retaining clients. It’s the cultural norm for the stylist to be willing to chat it up with everyone, and some clients really do come to the salon for that kind of interaction. And good business isn't the only thing that can come out of building a rapport with your client. Movements like Cut It Out rely on salon professionals who are close enough with their clients to recognize and report domestic abuse.

So what do you do? Stop talking to improve your work, or let your work get slipshod in order to create and maintain an attractive and even life-saving relationship with clients? And on top of that, wouldn't not talking throw out the essential element of human interaction that makes hair art unique from everything else?

Not necessarily.

Understanding Your Client

The instinct is to assume that the key to a close relationship with your client is through talking. But it would be more accurate to say it's through understanding. The client who is comfortable not talking the entire time but can still tell you if you did something wrong without hurting your feelings is just as close as the one who relates every detail of her home life to you. Part of the art is in knowing your canvas, and the really beautiful thing is that your canvases are living, breathing people with unique likes and dislikes, which means you need to adapt your technique, both physically and interpersonally to attain the best result with each one.

If you’re a natural chatterbox and you're satisfied with the quality of your work, by all means, continue. But when you find yourself wanting to push forward in your craft, or if you notice something off in your client, it might be time to turn the chatter down. So here's what we're asking of all you fat chewers:. try, for just one day, to talk as little as possible while you're styling, and see how it affects both your work and your relationships with your clients. You might be surprised how it changes how you see the work you’re doing and the people you’ve been doing it for.