The round brush

So many times people don't realize that to get the hair they leave the salon with, it's going to require the purchase of some tools, and some practice. That's it... there's no secret to it.

My number one best friend at work is the round brush. They come in different sizes for EVERY HAIR TYPE, and can be used for blow drying stick straight hair, to making corkscrew curls, to giving the hair body, and making it wavy. And I kid you not, every single time, I hear "But I just can't do it like that at home." I'm not buying it, YES YOU CAN!

When I started hair school, I couldn't blow dry my own hair to save my life. But, I practiced, every night, night after night, until I had it down to a 10 minute science. And if you've ever seen my hair, you know this is no easy feat.

All it takes is a trip to any store that sells them, some patience, and some elbow grease. Any stylist worth anything will take the time to teach you how to dry your own hair at home, so pick up your brush, get some tips, and practice practice practice!

Volumizers

I've been going to town on the volumizers at work these past few weeks while doing blow outs, and I am loving these two!

Volumizers are great for people with thin and/or fine hair. You spray it on after towel drying, directly onto the root. Since the root is where you want the majority of your volume, there's no need to spray it on the ends, so I just usually lift the hair up and spray straight on the root. After I spray I always like to rub it in just a little as well.

The first volumizer I've been using is the Davines Volu Mist. It never fails me, and gives incredibly lift to the finest hair I've worked on. It's a little pricey, but you're never using much at any given time so I think it's well worth it.

The second choice I love is the Aveda Volumizing Tonic. I think in our new love for the Davines styling products that the Aveda sometimes gets a little forgotten, but I'd just like to state here for the record, I never forget about my Volumizing Tonic! It smells amazing and I find myself grabbing for it on a daily basis.

I don't like one over the other, it's just a matter of which one is closer to me at any given time, but I love them both equally, and it's simply a matter of choice for the client. Both get my thumbs up!

September hair

Flashback to October, when I got myself a nice chemical haircut, due to the fact that I got a little too excited at all the hair colors available to me at school. I ended up with inchlong bangs and hair that was breaking off everywhere, so I chopped it off.

Currently, I'm right back where I want to be to start really growing it out. It's blonde, it's healthy, and it's doing exactly what I want it to be doing, which is nice, SINCE IT ONLY TOOK ALMOST AN ENTIRE YEAR!!!!!!!

Hair of the Day

I came across this photo online, and it's my sexy hair of the day. These curls are absolutely STUNNING!

I'm still on mission "grow out my hair" and can't wait for it to look like this!

Curly Girl

I got to put my curly girl expertise to use today, and knocked it out of the park.

I never forget that I'm surrounded by stylists with 4 or more years of experience than me, and I tend to just trust whatever they go with, because it works.

I've been doing a lot of blow drying lately for clients, which means figuring out what products work best for the hair texture, and then explaining them to the client.

A woman came in today with curly, frizzy hair, and told me she's noticed it drying out more lately. Before I knew what was even coming out of my mouth, I was explaining to her why hair frizzes, what to do to prevent it, and exactly what I do to my own hair to keep the curls in tip top shape.

Not only did she learn from shower to blow dry how to do her hair, but I sold my first products today!

It makes me happy when I can explain something to someone and then they can take that, apply it, and enjoy the outcome. It's probably the best thing about my job!

Shower?

As you may know, we moved the salon a few weeks ago, and with that, got some new toys to play with.

One of these "toys" are new shampoo bowls. Now, this might not sound like much, but let me tell you about these shampoo bowls. You get to lay down in them. And relax. Maybe even nap. These shampoo bowls will blow your mind... get it?

The new shampoo bowls are also the kind where WE get to stand behind the client, not next to them. Now, I know it doesn't sound like much, but we as hairstylists are highly trained shampoo ninjas, knowing how to tilt and lift your head just so, so that it keeps the water on your hair, and not on your neighbor. These new shampoo bowls made me slightly nervous the first few days, because my entire body angle was now different, and I had to hold the nozzle in a new way, the client's head in a new way, all the while trying to not hose anybody down. As the days passed it got easier and easier, and by day four, that shampoo bowl was once again my bitch. I should have known it was only a matter of time.

I like to think that I'm a pretty focused individual when I'm doing my job. I keep time in my head, know who is getting shampooed at what time, and what's going on their head. When toning someone, I never lose myself in the conversation, and know exactly what's going on at all times. So... I'm just going to blame this completely on someone else.

I'm not sure if someone lifted their head at the same moment I tilted the nozzle, or what, but that water went EVERYWHERE, and I will never again question the fact that we have some great water pressure in that new place. Lucky for me, the chair directly next to me was empty, and the client two chairs over only got what I like to call a "light mist" on her face.

End scene.

Light, Camera, Action

In the past few weeks, I've learned one of the most important aspects of my job: I am an actress.

In theory, hairdressers are free therapists. Well, or the price of a haircut. While we work people unload upon us all the dramas on their lives. Cheating husbands, nights out on the town, insane children, and the list goes on and on and on.

We come out from the back room with a smile on our face, no matter how sick or tired or sad we are feeling that day.

As a person who wears their emotions on their sleeves and all over her face, this lesson is perhaps the hardest I have learned in this job yet.

The lesson learned here? We are performers paid well to do the job of making other people feel special, good about themselves, and happy. A salon is a place to relax, enjoy yourself, and leave feeling pampered and pretty. We are there to make them laugh, lend a kind ear, and a cheerful smile.

Chicago

Today I'm headed up to the Windy City for the weekend!

While I'm there I'm hoping to check out some salons, which is something I always just like to do when I'm someplace new. I like to see what other people's working environments are like, what products they have, what lines they carry, and I even like to watch the stylists work for a few minutes.

Pictures and a full report up on Monday!

Enjoy the weekend!

Facebook!

Well everyone, I've decided to link Curly Girl up to Facebook!

I'm super excited, and getting some help, but I'm hoping to utilize the Facebook portion as a way to do giveaways and start work on my portfolio.

Don't forget to "like" on FB @ http://www.facebook.com/raetzer#!/RaetzerCurls

Happy Thursday!

Love

Before I started doing hair, I had lived an entire life. I went to college, moved to the other side of the world, lost myself, found myself, and picked up the best canine companion ever somewhere along the way.

A few years ago I found myself sitting at a desk at a job that I hated, completely miserable with my life and what I had become, and I made a list of things that I wanted in a job.
    1.  I wanted a job that I was excited to go to each day, where I enjoyed the people I worked with and what I did.
    2. I wanted a job that made me feel good about myself, where I could be happy and proud of what I did.
    3. I wanted to make other people feel good about themselves, and to do something with my hands to bring joy to others.

I knew the first time I picked up my cheap plastic school shears that I had fallen in love with this profession. The moment I put my hands in someone's hair, I know that they're trusting me to make them feel and look beautiful, and the fact that I can do this brings me an untold amount of joy. To get to be creative every day, and to do something different every day, and to interact with so many people on so many different levels, this is what I wanted in a job. There is always something to learn, a better way to do something, and a different way to get to the end result.

Every morning when I walk into my work, and the sun is coming through the windows at just the right angle, I sit in the silence and just feel lucky. I am lucky to have found a place that I love and where I belong, doing what makes me happy. I can ask for no more than that.

The hardest part

There comes a time in every woman's life where she breaks up with a man and decides that she's going to cut all of her hair off. We've seen it in movies, and for most of us, experienced it first hand. This blogger has also done it, once, years ago, and learned her lesson to never do it again.

Why do women do this?

"They" say that the reason behind this is an act of rebellion. Most men like long hair, so when a relationship ends, women see the chopping off of their hair sort of like a "HA!" to their past partner. The woman is rebelling by ridding herself of something that her partner loved about her.

I think it can go either way. A haircut can be a refreshing way to start over, and try something new. However, in my experience, to hack off all of one's hair to an inch in length should sometimes take some thought and consideration, and I highly advise every woman out there to put at least a few weeks worth of thought into any new hairstyle.

I have learned that maybe drastic change is sometimes not the best thing for the moment. If you're going through some changes, it's best to keep some stability and comforts around. All I know is that this girl is holding on to her hair, curls, color, length, and all!

Happy Monday! More posts to follow...

Moved!

And we're back!

After a hectic few weeks of planning, preparation, and then actually doing it, I'm happy to announce that the salon has moved, and opened at its new location.

Last week was our first week open in the new space, and I think everyone is loving it, myself included. The space is bright, happy, open, and filled with good energy. I'm excited that I have a job that I love to look forward to every day.

Balayage

Let's take a moment to discuss balayage.

Balayage is basically a fancy way of saying "hand painted highlights". You forego the weaving and the foils, and instead free hand with a brush. The result? Sunkissed, natural, and what all the "in the know" ladies are going for these days.

Take a look and decide for yourselves...

Update

Hey all!

It's been a few months (or so) since I've posted anything, and I think I'm finally ready to start blogging again. I lost the motivation for awhile to write a single word, and only in the past few weeks have been telling myself that I really should get back to it.

In the months I've been gone I've been insanely busy, mostly working. I feel that I've finally gotten a handle on work, juggling it with a social life (sadly missing while I was in school!), and learning as much as I can all the while trying to do hair in my free time. Now it's time to start writing once more!

I am absolutely in love with my job, and with the salon, as well as the women I work with. When it all comes together it works so well, with everyone working together as a team, and I wouldn't want to work anywhere else.

On the education front I'm also learning an insane amount. Every Monday I have class, and every Monday I get frustrated when I can't master something right away, yet a few days or weeks later something always clicks and I think to myself "oh hey, that worked just like she said it would". I'm beginning to realize that having a good education base set up in your salon is an extremely important tool, and should be utilized to the utmost.

I've gotten to use a lot more of products also, so it's broadened my base of knowledge past what I learned in school and searched out on my own. Hopefully some of the items can be posted on Curly Girl soon!

More great things to come!

"Weight" loss

Last week at work I lost some weight. In my hair.

When you take weight out of your hair (or texturizing as it's called), you can change the entire appearance of a haircut without ever really cutting anything off.

Back in October I had gotten a haircut, a stacked bob that was longer in the front and shorter in the back. It's since grown, and grown, and grown, and I had some poof when the stack was growing out. So, instead of getting a haircut, a girl at work simply went in and took the weight out of that part of my hair.

My hair instantly felt lighter and different, but she hadn't cut anything off the length!

Instead of the stack, I now have a layered haircut that's simply growing out, with no bulge of poof in the back that was there before.