Hair Do Blog/Podcast
This week Paulsen interviews Justin Luman, master stylist in Palo Alto, California. We talk about his history, and he shares some great insights into the client/stylist relationship! He's worked in different states in the US, and has some great insight into the hair struggles in each state! Thank you for listening!
Hairdouncut@gmail.com
Twitter and instagram: @hair_do_salon @paulsenjhealey @justinkmpowell
I want to start with this
some of you may remember those sketchers commercials with Joe Montana (an old football player) saying, wearing shows were going to help burn extra calories and tone your thighs and butt by just walking…..Oh, not they don’t and they paid a 40 million settlement and threw the shoes/marketing out. Sketchers even went as far to have a chiropractor recommend the shoes based on an “independent study” he conducted...oh wait, we was married to a skechers marketing executive...oops
Snapchat when they came out told us your pictures magically disappear after 24 hours...not so...they were still holding on to pictures and taking more information then they led on and got blasted for it.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/08/snapchat-disappearing_n_5290101.html)
Listerine came out swinging in 2005 saying using mouth wash was better than flossing...yet, they had to pull commercials and information because of a lawsuit they lost because they were lying.
suzanne : How about all those filtered pictures on instagram of hair, makeup, #fitnessgoals that we all think are actual pictures
We bring these up to illustrate the point that...there are products overstating their significance, and if you’re not curious enough to research you’ll gobble it up like the rock on his cheat meal!
Now, all that said, it’s time to connect that with the topic of the day...Sugar bear hair, and any other product claiming strength to hair or increased growth to hair is leading the way in deceiving people...I cannot speak for nails or anything else on the body because we don’t focus on that, this is a hair podcast!
In order to find out what was true, I obviously asked hairstylists who study and work with hair everyday...but to really get a strong and factual response I e-mailed the institute of trichologists...Trichology is the study of hair. I asked them if you took a pill or special drink to grow your hair longer and if the biotin or vitamins travel down the entire hair piece to make healthier stronger hair...This was their response
It would be impossible for any vitamins or even food consumed to re-strengthen the hairs again down to it's distal ends as once the hair has exited the scalp it is essentially dead as it has keratinised.
The hair only receives nutrients when mitosis is at the root.
there is no magic pill to extended the anagen or growth phase (wouldn't this be lovely if this was the case but science is science unfortunately!).
If the kardashians are saying it helps their hair...they are paid to say that!!! If a stylist or blogger are selling sugar bear hair, or any other brand they use, of course they are going to say it helps...they got product to sell!
So in essence you are basically paying for really expensive gummy bears...woohoo!! But hey, you look cool on instagram eating the same gummy bears that the kardashians, bloggers do right!?
The fact is that your hair is not like a conduit of vitamins. It’s dead the minute it leaves your scalp...now...if you are eating really healthy and don’t smoke your hair will be really healthy..in it’s new growth...but your hair only grows about ½ half inch per month give or take a couple millimeters on the person specifically.
For those bad at math, that’s 6 inches in a year…..That’s it! So to get that 14 to 28 inch length...that would take….3 to 5 years...of healthy eating, no smoking and consistently caring for your body to have lucsious healthy hair….that’s alot to ask of people, so ….professional hair brands like Bumble and Bumble, Paul Mitchell, Schwartzkopf, olaplex use science to find ways to care for your hair, truly care so make the hair more healthy or the way it needs to feel (beachy, hydrated, repaired) without damaging your hair.
Science wins, not your feelings about your hair.
If dentists are telling you to only use mouthwash instead of flossing, or hair stylists or bloggers are telling you to eat something to get healthy hair, you need to double check and you can always research on google! I am happy to do research for you if you want to tweet or email the show!
There is a difference between selling services and products that are beneficial vs being sold to...for example...if you say you struggle with volume when it comes to your hair, and your stylist suggests a product that’s not really meant for volume, then they were not listening and they sold you a product not a solution to your problem.
If you have questions on a brand, product, or questions regarding your hair, please contact us! Use twitter, email, instagram, facebook
Ways to connect with the podcast
Email: hairdouncut@gmail.com
Twitter: @hairdomesa or @paulsenjhealey
Instagram: @hair_do_salon and @paulsenjhealey
Before we get started I want to start with this..
For those who have dated or are currently dating, remember that first date? Maybe it was a blind date, maybe you knew each other, maybe similar friends...The anticipation, the stress around what to wear, how the hair was supposed to be….When you're out on the date, and it doens’t matter what exactly what you did on the date, you could tell the date was bad at some point during the night or day and that there was not going to be another date.
It was easy to tell you know? Maybe he talked too much about himself, maybe she had a tooth picking habit right, gross! Maybe he or she was too handsy and presumptuous, maybe he was not chivalrous...Whatever it was, it was easy to tell a bad date black and white….But those grey dates...he was kind, she was nice, there was good conversation, you laughed, the food was good, the dancing was great, there were some physical sparks eh…..ehehe….
You go on a few dates, and after a few dates...truth comes out...you can't handle his obsessive compulsiveness, maybe they were a terrible kisser, maybe she has anger issues, he is dating someone else as well...it doesn’t matter...but you had a few good dates and maybe you found some things to look for in the next person you date that you would prefer…
Seeing a new stylist is the same thing. As much as we want to eliminate all the previous bad experiences, stylists or partners that we “wasted time with.” But it’s impossible...I don’t care what tinder, bumble, eharmony, whatever other single dating service says...Most of us take a few tries to figure it if it’s a match or not….The same with your stylist. It takes a stylist, mostly 3 times cutting your hair to really get it down, get to know you..
Now are there times that its a slam dunk, you mesh, you gel, the stylist knocks it out of the park, it’s love at first sight...but again, rare...From this analogy, give a stylist a few tries if they were kind, professional and did a good job, don’t jump on facebook to ask for a new stylist, then 40 come at you and you have to try and choose. That’s super stressful
So we are talking trust. That thing that is hard to attain but easily broken...but what if we changed out mindset...so many people want perfection in order to trust….What about trusting them to do the right thing, trust they are doing a good job and they are doing what they can for your best interest. If we expect perfection from our partners, we will be sorely disappointed
If you think about how much we trust it’s pretty incredible...We trust that the food at a restaurant is fresh if they say it is and no one did anything gross to it, that the meat is sourced the way, the veggies are clean, they say and that it’s real meat...what about candy...we trust they are cleaning those machines...We trust dentists to poke and prod our teeth for the good of our oral health. The hardest one for me...trusting car guys...I am always on the defense with a chip on my shoulder with car places...but once you find that person, wow….you just want to hold on to them forever, right!?
It’s hard to trust but it’s so freeing when we do, and I dug up an article on the huffington post website about the writer, named Anya Strzmien who at the time was an editor for the magazine, talk about how she was always a control freak with her hair, telling the stylist exactly what to do, even though she wasn't a stylist...she decided to just let a stylist go and do what was best for her...I’ll post a link to the story if you want to read it in full and see her before and after pictures.
Highlights of story
Trusting someone is always the hardest part, especially when it comes to your hair! But, if you do research you can avoid pitfalls so here are some things to keep in mind when looking for a salon or stylist to trust and things that will be red flags.
Research:
Find an instagram, facebook, youtube, google, snapchat, vero, the salon (or their personal website). Call in ahead of time to see what level of professionalism they portray
Manage your expectations. If you are showing pictures of an actress or famous blogger and you don’t look like that person, trust the stylist when they recommend a different route.
Remember, their livelihood is based on people coming back to them over and over and over...Most stylists will do their best job
Listen to their recommendations on hair upkeep, you’re not going to wake up with fabulous hair, it takes effort!
Read reviews - no company is perfect, I mean, there are bad days and difficult clients that want to voice their opinion, but you’re looking for a majority of positive reviews - like 4 stars
Red flags for the first time:
No online presence or extremely limited, because seriously it’s 2018, get online or get out
Take more than 1 day to respond
A poor consultation - it shows low professionalism
You don’t know anyone that goes there, now if the online presence is strong, then not knowing anyone that goes there is just fine
If it feels weird, it’s probably weird...go with your gut. We have had many clients say they walked in and they knew it wasn’t going to go well and it did not, then we were fixing the issues.
If they are not upfront with how much they are going to charge...Too often I hear salons and stylists not talk about money, then charge whatever...that’s a terrible feeling to leave with clients and again shows amateurism instead of professionalism.
If the haircut is super cheap...yup...cheap haircuts are not great ones, I don’t care what you think
One of the harder red flags to discern is if the stylist is doing things in your best interest or for theirs. I have hard of stylists ignoring what they client was wanting, because they didn't like the look, the stylist did what they wanted to and the client didn’t like it...A great stylist has a preference, but can change it up when the client asks for something specific.
They overcurl your hair, and you shower your hair and hate the haircut a couple days later..it means they weren’t as good as they may have stated.
I realize by bringing up red flags, many may nodding your heads and maybe have had experiences that have ruined your view on hairstylists, but if you do your research, you will find a safe place to be with a stylist that not only will knockout your hair but will be a great confidant, and hair therapist, or a salon with a handful of stylists to take care for you in your schedule...I have met so many that truly care about a clients hair, even when it’s not in their chair...Listen to their suggestions, trust them,
Now you hairstylists, don’t break that trust by mailing it in on an appointment and taking clients for granted. Solve their hair problems, educate yourself, make yourself visible online, and communicate clearly with them, add value to your services, and work to be better each day! If you are a stylist that is already doing that, keep it up!
For the first episode want to introduce myself and set the expectations for this podcast and the story of why this podcast idea came to be.
Full disclosure, I do not do hair! The way I got in the industry is through Hair-Do salon in mesa Arizona. My mother in law Suzanne Bell has owned the salon to this point 17 years. She let me work at the front desk a little in 2008 when I was dating my wife, from then it was part time, helping with finances, marketing etc, then in 2015 i joined her full time in running the salon. Suzanne has given me the opportunity to explore things in the business and mature and learn.
This podcast is one example of her trust in me and the fact that she allows this stuff to happen. IN all parts of our lives, it’s great to have people support us and love us, but it’s more important to me that the support comes in allowing people to expand themselves and take risks. Suzanne has done that and in failure or success, she has empowered me and I am blessed, lucky, honored, however you want to look at it.
I grew up in the Seattle, lived in southern California my senior year in high school, and lived in nebraska for a a couple years, and now I live in Arizona! I graduated from ASU with a business degree and enjoy all of things most people do, hiking, sports, watch movies, spend time with my wife and kids. I love to try new restaurants and tend to be a bit of a movie and song quoter!
Now
I am new to the podcasting arena, and I’ll be working though finding a format, maybe I’ll have a cohost, but I ask for patience as we work through how the show should be structured and what will bring the most value. I just read in AMerican MAgazine that 75% of women are not completely happy with their hair! That’s crazy and that should not be. We should feel beautiful and confident, so we will help with that, because I will tell you right now, there is some terrible and mis-information out there about hair...and we need to set the record straight because you hairdoers deserve better, wherever you are...you're hair deserves better!
Which segways into the idea of this podcast. Topics will be things I have noticed in the industry that I think clients need to be aware of. I’ll have articles on hair and that I think are relevant, hopefully I’ll be able to connect with owners and professional stylists from salons around the nation to talk about hair struggles in their respective states and how they overcome those struggles for clients, and their perspective on topics, and Of course stylists from Hair-Do Salon because I know them, trust them the most, but there will be episodes where I am just talking, responding to tweets/emails/questions, but there will be structure and topics I feel are important for the masses. My goal is to bring value to clients in how they interact and view their hairstylist in order to Enhance that relationship. I’ll also be aiming to bring on representatives from professional brands to talk about the value their products bring to clients.
The way you can connect with the show and the salon is by the usual places e-mails to the podcast hairdouncut@gmail.com and tweets @hairdomesa about topics you would like covered or questions you may have. You can follow the salon on instagram @hair_do_salon - I do have those running on the screen on the salons youtube channel.
For those of you who are professional stylists, we will have content for you as well and if anything this show will just be a validation/affirmation of the correct mentality we need to have in the correct relationship between client and professional stylist. You might even take some great points away to add value to your profession and personal mentality!
I sincerely thank you for joining on this first show and look forward to interacting with you all, solving problems, and hopefully bringing some entertainment along with information.
If you’ve been to the salon you have probably heard someone there talking about how we are a team based salon. Well, that sounds cool and fancy but you’re probably wondering what it means. Especially what it means for you, the client. Being a team based salon means a few different things, first and foremost as the the term suggests, we are a team. Working together as a team creates a different atmosphere from many other salons. Working together as a team means that when one stylist needs help, our other stylists are there to help. That may mean you have two people putting on your touch up or talking to you during your consultation, so when it happens, own it-because you know that's how celebrities roll. So consider us your entourage, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to feel like a celebrity from time to time.
Another rad aspect of being a team based salon is that it equals more flexibility for you- the client. The stylists at our salon trust each other and they will even suggest other stylists for you to see if they are busy. Guests can feel free to try as many stylists as they want without any repercussions; you never have to worry about feeling guilty for seeing another stylist-we promise!
All of our stylists are extremely talented and versatile, but they are not all the exact same. Just like every person bakes a cake differently, every stylist has their own unique flair. So try as many pieces of cake as you want because they are all delicious and you will probably find that you like several different pieces. We will always strive to line you up with a stylist that matches your skill requirements and personality, if you feel there is a mismatch, we have other skilled stylists to fit your needs!
Basically, being a team based salon relieves the pressure many people have felt in other salons. Our stylists are not paid a commission of sales and services, so when they are suggesting products or services based on your hair goals, it is not for their immediate personal financial gain but for the benefit of your hair. You can also rest assured that our stylists are not on an island. They have access to many tools and a team that is ready to help make sure trust is established and decisions that are made will be in the best interest of your hair. There are many times there will be 2-3 people helping on a consultation, color application, shampoo, blow dry, toning, etc. That’s a benefit not only for you the client but the stylists we employ feel that the security and help makes their job easier!
From a stylists perspective, a team based salon can be a great place to be. We are not saying it’s for everyone and that it’s the only way, but we believe in being a team that works together to make the salon great, make each other great and bring a high level of professional service to clients.
A team based salon brings stability in the schedule of the stylists but in their paychecks. They can plan on their pay each month and when people cancel last minute or no show they are still paid for that time. That mentality though is NOT an invitation to do those things. They are big no-no’s, no matter the stylist, their time should be respected, plan ahead and value the stylists time! But many times, when cancellations or no shows happen, the front desk works quickly to fill that spot so the stylist can focus on other aspects of their job, which transitions us to another benefit of a team based salon…
The front desk or customer service team. A front desk assists the stylists in scheduling clients, setting a pending list (which is a great way to have the option of coming in earlier when something opens up and we highly suggest utilizing the pending - or waiting- list). The front desk also reminds clients of their appointments and makes changes to the schedule if the stylist is sick.
The salon as a whole provides all the color, styling products, and some tools and marketing for the stylists at no cost to them.
These benefits help the stylists enjoy their time with their families and lives away from the salon. They have the security of knowing other people are working for them to make their career a successful one without having to do all that work (which can be extremely taxing on a stylists time) because think about it a stylist that works 8-10 hours a day doing hair, then goes home, texts/calls clients asking for appointments and reminding them, then needs to post pictures of their work regularly; and if they are on top of their game, interacting with other pictures on instagram to grow themselves and add value to the hair community in some way..it is a great deal of pressure and a major reason stylists stop doing hair after 5 years or just do it as a hobby not as a career. Our stylists are aiming for a career and alleviating that burden is our pleasure and the stylists at Hair-Do appreciate it!
The last couple benefits they enjoy is support by having a team around them as we have pointed out already in this post and continuous hands-on education. If they are having a rough day, there is a group of people that band together to help ease that burden. The education is required at the salon, and this is not your typical education, where it’s only a couple times a year, or just watching videos or watching someone do hair. The best way to learn a skill and improve is by getting your hands dirty and putting in the hard work. The education is required, comes at no expense to the stylists and is provided at the minimum once a month. Suzanne is the main point of education, and she is meticulous in helping people better themselves, but we have hand on education from Bumble and Bumble, Schwarzkopf, Paul Mitchell, and any visiting stylists throughout each year. That is the basics of their education, but you will always see stylists helping each other out on a daily basis. Continuous education/training/practice is crucial to a stylist. If athletes, actors, nurses, artists needs to continuously practice and make tweaks, so it is with stylists. The minute stylists think they have arrived and stop investing the time and money, they fall behind and skills dip. We have stylists that are hungry to be better, remain humble and work hard at being better and helping others be better.
Thank you for sticking through this post! We are grateful for your attention we can only hope if you are looking for a new salon you will give us a try. If you have been to hair-do and it has been a long time, we hope you will give us another shot to earn your trust and show you how we have changed in our mindset and skill. We would love to hear in the comments experiences good or not-so-good at hair-do, and you can even include those sentiments if you go to another salon and we will be more than happy to help you navigate those questions or concerns! Thank you Thank you!
~Written by Brandi Webb and Paulsen J. Healey
Be wary of false advertising. Stylists post their work on social media as a way of advertising to potential clients. Filtering is great for cleaning up a bad complexion or imperfections that models would prefer tweaked, but aside from increasing a little detail which can get lost in picture form...we keep it real. If we are showcasing a color service we've performed with the intent of advertising our skills, we don't change the color with a filter. Because that would be false advertising. ~ Suzanne Bell
