The-hair-loss-solution-you-are-not-considering-but-should-be...

Hair loss and balding have an extremely detrimental effect on self-esteem. It may seem superficial, but the fact is that most people experiencing hair loss also lose much of their confidence. 

We live in a society that to a large extent judges us by our appearance, and even though we may try to ignore that fact, we cannot escape feeling "less than"" when we know we do not look our best. 

Today there are more possible treatments and procedures than ever to combat baldness, but the cure that all people hope for has remained elusive. Transplants are not for everyone. They are expensive and often fail to give the results that person hopes for. Most patients have two to four transplants over their lifetime to either address additional hair loss or thicken areas of their hair. The cost is sure to leave a hole in your bank account: The cost of transplant surgery will run you anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000, depending upon the amount of hair that’s to be replaced, according to WebMD.

Hair transplants are not the only option. Not as widely known as a transplant but just as effective and in some cases even more effective, is non-medical hair replacement.

Not your grandfathers "rug", today's non-medical hair restoration systems are extremely affordable, easily cared for, and look amazingly real. For those that want to wear hair 24 hours a day, I recommend professional attachment which must be done every 4-6 weeks and costs about $60.00 each visit to remove, clean, cut the growing hair and re-attach the system. However, recently we have started offering a lightweight skin system that can be worn for several days and is attached without glue or tape, but a specific hair gel. 

Before and after

Do yourself a favor and visit www.thehairreplacement.co to learn more

People are so easy to deceive!

I am big on honesty and transparency. Often to the point that it is detrimental to my business and relationships. The truth is that I am just not smart enough to keep track of lies or fabrications I may tell others so I believe that if I just tell the truth, everything will work out.

Had a call from a gentleman this week inquiring about my services in cleaning and styling his hair system. He said he had been purchasing his systems for many years from a competitor that now was leaving the business, and was looking for someone that could provide exactly what he had been buying from his former replacement specialist.

After asking a few questions I realized this man had been taken advantage of by his provider and had no idea of how the market has changed and that better products with much lower price tags were now available. This man was paying $1200.00+  for his systems, and then paying several hundred dollars to have them re-ventilated (new hair added) when the hair fell out in small areas. I told him that I could provide top quality systems at 1/3 the price and that it was best to just replace the system more often than to re-ventilate it for years on end. I explained that the hair used in these systems gets old and damaged, and just re-ventilating an area still leaves the rest of the piece with old, damaged hair. I also explained that if his base was thick enough to hold up to these repairs it could not look natural. Today's bases are very thin and look like natural hair growing from the scalp.

Unfortunately this was not what the man wanted to hear, because I could not even get him to come in for a consultation so I could show him the new products. As I went for my daily walk with the dogs, I thought to myself if I should have just kept my mouth shut, given the man his cheap system and charged him what his provider was charging him now. He was happy with what he was buying, who am I to tell him it is all wrong?
I would have made much more money by keeping the client in the dark, and he could continue to believe he was buying the best and looked great.

My conclusion was that for my own peace of mind, I could not take this client on and lie to him. I know that if a client does not look great and understand the downside to some hair additions, I don't sleep well. No amount of money will enable me to feel comfortable lying to my clients. It simply is not worth it.

In today's business climate, it is acceptable to use tactics that to me are just plain fabrications to get the customer's money. promise them anything and when you can't deliver, too bad! I personally can not live with that. I may never get rich, but I will sleep at night.

www.chrisforhair.com 

Hair replacement from the Internet

I often receive emails and calls asking how much I would charge to cut in a hair system purchased from an online retailer. Unfortunately I have learned the hard way to pass on these potential clients. My reasons are somewhat complex, but the bottom line is that the hair system itself must be of good quality or no professional can make it look natural.
All vendors claim their replacement products are of the finest quality, but my research tells a much different story.Recently, in desperation, I purchased an all lace system after talking to the vendor on the phone. He answered all my questions, making me trust that the system would arrive and be sale-able to a client that had been a "club" member.  I told the vendor that if I was happy with the piece I may add him to my vendor list hoping this would encourage him to give me a quality product.
The system arrived within one week as promised, but when I opened the package I was horrified! The base was so flimsy that I knew it would hold up for a week or two, but no longer. The hair was an off color that had a tin look to it, and I am fairly certain it was animal hair, not human. The knots were bleached in the front, but the tie job was so coarse that one could see every knot without even trying.
I showed this system to several clients to get their opinion, and each one said "Oh, my God, that is horrible!"
The piece will serve to show potential clients what they can expect from online retailers, but hopefully it will also enable me to make the point that it takes more than a WalMart quality hair system to look believable in the real world.
At Chris for Hair we believe that it takes a great quality product along with superior service and an ongoing relationship to satisfy your need to have great looking and believable hair. We work hard to deliver all of that to our clients.
www.chrisforhair.com

Godly Locks: Inside L.A.'s Bizarre Human Hair Business - The Atlantic

Godly Locks: Inside L.A.'s Bizarre Human Hair Business - The Atlantic

This is why quality hair is getting far more difficult to find. The hair business is unique in that more hair can't be manufactured to accommodate increased demand.

The care and feeding of great hair extensions

You’ve just spent a small fortune getting those luscious locks you’ve always wanted. Your hair finally looks amazing, but how will you keep it that way? Remember, this is not your hair, it is at least 4 years old when it was cut from another’s head, and you have no idea what they did with it before you purchased it. Also, in order for the hair to be fit for consumption, it must be sterilized, colored, and in some cases permed to give it that natural wave…

You probably would not consider doing all that chemical service to your own hair, so keep this in mind as you care for that beautiful hair you just bought with your weekly paycheck.

The number one goal in keeping hair extensions healthy is to keep the hair moisturized. This means adding a layer of oil or conditioner to help keep the water in the hair from disappearing. Just like your skin, hair that is not protected will dry out, and when it does, it becomes brittle and will not hold style. So do not over shampoo, daily shampooing is not necessary. If anything, condition the hair daily with conditioner only. The conditioner will slide off any obnoxious smells and dirt that has attached itself to your hair. My recommendation is that you use a balsam or oil based conditioner. In fact, one of the best conditioners I have found for extension hair is actually sold to be used on my HORSE! The manes and tails of horses need constant “sealing” to retain moisture or they become wiry and unmanageable. I love to use “Show Sheen” on my horse and my extensions. Both become manageable and silky with continued use.

I do not care what any one tells you, chemically altering hair extensions is crazy. The hair has been already dyed with textile dyes, and these dyes can interact with normal hair dyes and create havoc in the hair shaft. If any coloring is needed use only a glaze, with no more than 10 volume peroxide. This means NO lightening processes, only toning and mild darkening are acceptable and only done by a professional with experience in dying wigs and hair pieces. This is not a job for a novice!

The owner of the last salon I worked in always said “Hair is hair…” and it made me want to scream! This is absolutely wrong. Even the best hair is a fragile substance that should be carefully manipulated and treated as if it were the finest crystal, easily broken, but beautiful when cared for properly.  Do not brush the hair roughly, apply excessive heat, or tie it tight to the head or you are asking for trouble. Do not swim, avoid any and all activities that may entangle the hair. If you are an enthusiast exerciser, tie the hair gently before you begin. Use satin pillow cases, and for God’s sake, stay on top during sex! Signing off now…enjoy your hair!

Christine Hanson

www.chrisforhair.com

There comes a time when the work I do is more important than the money I make

As a non surgical hair replacement specialist I see clients who are experiencing hair loss for a variety of reasons. One catagory everyone knows about is chemo therapy. However not all patients receiving chemo therapy lose all their hair. The hair may just become thin and lifeless but not drop out. So the client may see us thinking they only need a hair addition, not a wig. This is a special circumstance that requires us to use good judgement and good business ethics.

Clients who are on chemo therapy should never consider having any hairpiece bonded to their head. During chemo therapy the skin, which is our protective barrior, is compromised and tiny breaks in the skin can allow infection to enter the body. All bonding processes allow bacteria to grow under the bonded area. In a healthy person this is not a problem as long as the client has the bonded piece removed and the scalp thoroughly cleaned every 4 weeks. However clients who are on chemo can develop infections very quickly and these infections can become life threatening.

The American Cancer Society offers a program called Look Good, Feel Better, for which I was a long time volunteer. During the time I was presenting for this program we were taught that patients on chemo therapy should not have any service that causes irritation to the skin. This includes dying the hair, permanent waves, manicures and pedicures that cut cuticle tissue, tattoing the skin. In fact the program recommends that patients refrain from using cosmetics and skin preparations that contain alcohol and fragrance.

For a client that is on chemotherapy and does not lose their hair my first suggestion would still be a wig, but if that client does not want to wear a wig, I would test any attachment method in a small area before using it on the entire head. Even clients that do not lose hair may have sensitive skin and therefore not be a candidate for extensions or hair pieces. If there is sensitivity, it may be necessary to tell the client that hats and headscarves are the only safe alternative.

It may not make me any money, but the safety of my clients must come before profits for my business. Knowing when to pass on giving someone new hair is just as important as knowing which products are safe and will look amazing on a client.

http://www.chrisforhair.com/

Safety first with any hair additions

A simple search of the Internet will show you that extensions are hot and there is a multitude of application techniques that one might consider. However, having been in the hair addition business for over 20 years I feel it is important for the public to realize that while hair additions are a great solution for many clients, they are NOT always safe.
Every company looking for business states that their hair extensions and additions are safe and do not cause hair loss, and to me this is false advertising. In fact, every system, including clip in hair extensions, can cause permanent hair loss if the wearer is not educated about what to look for as a sign that the hair addition is causing problems.

Last week I overheard a client in another stylist's chair tell the stylist that after her last application her hair hurt for two weeks. DANGER!! Hair additions that hurt are telling you "Get this stuff out of my hair! Pain is always a warning that something is wrong and should be addressed ASAP. Sometimes a simple adjustment will alleviate the pain and the problem is solved, but if it is allowed to continue the result can be permanent hair loss. In fact, even if the hair loss is not permanent it takes a long time for the hair to recover and grow in again.

Another warning that something is not right is tangling. It has become much more difficult to find really good hair at a price the average consumer can afford. So many companies have resorted to using poor quality hair and coating it with silicone to make it look healthy. After just a few washings the silicone disappears and the hair starts to tangle. If your hair addition is tangling, or if the hair has curl when wet but looks frizzy as it dries, the hair is overprocessed and should be removed. Unfortunately I watched the same stylist perm a "unit" for her client and processed the perm twice as long as recommended by the perm manufacturer. The piece was of course fried, but the stylist actually bonded it to the head of the client, who by the way was on chemo therapy and never should have anything bonded to her head. I lost sleep thinking about what might happen to the clients scalp after seeing this.

Healthy hair has a luster that can't be duplicated with topical conditioners. Almost all hair additions have been processed in some way and this weakens the hair. While the professional stylist can do minor color change, it is not safe to just dye or perm the hair as if it were growing from the head of the person. So if your stylist says he or she can change curl or color be very careful. This is a warning that the stylist does not care if the product works and is safe for the consumer.

I love working with hair additions, we can make changes that were never before possible, but as professional stylists it is our responsibility to ensure that the methods and products we use are of the highest quality. We also must educate clients and not make claims that are not true. We must follow up to see that nothing is happening that may result in hair loss. And we must learn to say no when necessary and think about our clients hair, and not only our pocketbook.

http://www.chrisforhair.com/