Hair Points

Why pay for professional services when my friend does extensions for almost nothing?

2011-10-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I have repeatedly given consultations to potential clients to replace their hair extensions that were installed originally by someone who THOUGHT they could do extensions but were actually not professional hair replacement experts.

Each time my initial reaction to seeing the previous work done was horror! The hair had become matted together in such a way that the only way to get the extensions out of the hair was to cut it off at the scalp. To have to tell a client this news is devastating to me, and of course when cutting the hair off is the only option, it limits my options in offering solutions that can give long hair to clients. Often the solutions will be much more expensive than the client expects to pay, and if they had not tried to use untrained people to do the original installation, they would have saved money in the long run.

Hair additions are a wonderful service to offer, we have more options than ever before. But, this type of service also can cause great damage to existing hair, and many if not most clients have no idea of the potential danger involved. It is up to the professional to fully inform the client of what is required to install and maintain hair additions.

In today’s business climate it is unfortunate that many people see the opportunity to make good money in offering a service but do not understand their obligation to follow up with the client to be certain no problems are developing.

My success is based in my integrity and the desire to build long term relationships with my clients.

www.chrisforhair.com

What is Traction Alopecia?

2011-09-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

Traction alopecia is a term used to define hair loss due to strain placed on hair follicles (roots) from pulling the hair off base and too tightly. All current methods used to replace or extend hair can cause traction alopecia if incorrectly installed. Traction alopecia can mean permanent hair loss. Once the hair follicle dies, hair cannot grow from it again.

In the hair replacement industry it is common to see traction alopecia particularly in Hispanic or African American clients. These clients frequently start braiding or pulling hair tightly to control unruly hair during childhood, so the issue can begin early in life, and by the time we see them, the hair loss may already be permanent. Also contributing to hair loss is the use of chemical straighteners, wearing dreadlocks that are very long or any other hairstyle that places undue stress on hair follicles.

Wearing a wig does not produce alopecia, however if the wig is attached too tightly to the scalp with combs, clips, or any semi-permanent attachment, hair loss can occur in the attachment area. The same is true of wearing any hair piece.

It is important that all potential hair replacement clients understand the benefits, as well as the limitations of adding hair. Knowing this information allows us to use safe practices in our hair replacement business. We believe that having the ability to replace, extend, or thicken hair is a great service option, however we also believe the client must be well informed as to the risk involved also. There are many unscrupulous people in the hair replacement business, and we believe it is our duty to provide our clients with the safest and best quality products available. We also believe that it is unsafe for untrained people to apply hair additions as they will undoubtedly fall victim to some of these unscrupulous companies.

When searching for a hair replacement specialist one must ask certain questions to be sure that person has the interest of the client in mind. Some of these questions are:

1. What is your personal experience and training?

2. Where do you purchase your products from, and how do you know they are of the best quality?

3. What methods of attachment do you recommend and why do you choose them?

4. What is your policy regarding unsatisfactory results?

5. Can you also perform any chemical services needed and what is your policy regarding this?

6. Can I expect complete confidentiality?

7. How often should I expect to return for appointments? How long will those appointments take and how much will they cost?

8. Will you educate me and provide any products I may need to care for my addition between visits?

9. How long will my addition be expected to last?

10. How will you attempt to protect my existing hair?

11. Do you have references that I can talk to regarding your services?

Choosing a hair replacement specialist should not be an arduous task; however one must use good common sense and have a good feeling about the professional they choose. Often times several options must be explored before the right combination of products for each individual is determined. Make certain your hair replacement professional is willing to work with you and change direction if necessary. Understanding, communication and technical skill are the key ingredients to a successful outcome.

Visit me at http://www.chrisforhair.com/

How much integrity does it take to know when to say "No!"?

2011-07-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

A simple search on the Internet will show you that adding hair is becoming just about as common as getting color or a cut. Yes, it is somewhat expensive, but everyone wants Kim Kardashian's hair and they will charge their future away to get it. So of course there are those who are willing to do your extensions for less money out of their home, car, whatever...

I have seen more than a few of these jobs lately, and it truly frightens me to know that when someone without the critical thinking skills, or the training and know how starts installing extensions, the end result can be PERMANENT hair loss. That means it is never going to grow back, you will no longer need a hair dresser because you will be wearing wigs for the rest of your life! (And believe me, wigs are not comfortable in 90 degree heat!)

Just look at the African American community, (who have been adding hair forever) many of them are now bald, or have bald spots on their head. This is because not everyone can do hair weaves, and those who do them poorly, end up causing more hair loss. The same will be true with white clients who choose to find someone cheap, then neglect the care instructions that should accompany every hair addition. Hair additions must be monitored by a qualified professional, or they should not be installed.

Hair weaving, hair extensions, hair pieces are making it possible to create looks and resolve issues we had no solutions for in the past, however, they do come with risk, and careful installation is just the beginning. One must develop a relationship with their extension professional, and be able to trust that the installer has the integrity to speak up if issues are starting. Think about this, does your extension expert want to give up a lucrative client if necessary? Or will they just keep adding more hair until there is nothing left to add to?

At Chris for Hair, integrity is our most valuable service. Without it we believe we have nothing to offer.

www.chrisforhair.com

I hate my color, now what??

2011-07-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today I want to talk about hair color. Just had a call from a lovely young woman who had her hair colored at another salon, was unhappy and wanted to see if I could fix it for her.

After asking a few questions I learned that the stylist has been dying her base color brown, THEN highlighting it after. This is a very dangerous way to go because one can not dye hair, then dye it lighter. Once it has been dyed, only bleaching will lighten the hair and it has to be strong bleach which not only damages the hair but can result in many off colors such as fushia, orange, even extreme red. In this case the stylist performed this service several times, making it even more difficult to get color out.

I had to tell this caller that even though there may be people out there who will say yes they can do her, she needs to leave her hair alone for at least 6 months, then perhaps it can begin to be corrected.

Once the dye is in the hair, it has to grow completely out before it can be done properly. At the rate of growth of 1/2 inch per month in 6 months we only have 3 inches of new growth. EVEN IF YOU CAN NO LONGER SEE THE DYE it is still in the hair, and needs to be accounted for.

Recently I had a client tell me she had not dyed her hair for over 1 year and wanted highlights. I processed it and checked the color near the scalp. When it looked the appropriate color I shampooed and during the styling phase I realized she had lied, her hair had been dyed about 4 months previous.

What we ended up with was beautiful highlights on the new growth and the same black ends where the hair had previously been dyed. Had I known she had dyed it 4 months ago, I could have adjusted my formula to account for this, Because she was not truthful we now had a mess. Luckily in that case I was able to recolor and the ending result was what she wanted, but it took 2 complete applications and I needed to charge her for that. So not to mention the extra time this took, the client paid twice to get the look she wanted.

Always tell your stylist the truth, and be accurate about previous colorings. Your hair will thank you...

What's up with feather hair extensions??

2011-07-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

We now offer feather hair extensions. I must admit that I thought the latest beauty craze was somewhat silly, but you know, they DO look cool in the right hair style! And, they are very reasonable in price, take only 5 minutes to apply, and make you look like a true Diva...

Feather extensions can be washed as you shampoo, come out easily when you no longer want them in your hair, and hold up well to all we do to our hair.
If you want feather extensions call us today, tomorrow you can set the trend for all your friends.
www.chrisforhair.com
925-245-0194

Walmart for hair??

2011-07-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on top of a full book of back to back appointments I had one final appointment to do a consultation for a removal and re-installation of hair extensions. I had my reservations about taking this appointment as the person on the phone kept talking over me and trying to get me to commit to a reduction in my pricing structure. However as usual I let my intuition be overruled and booked her.

Almost as soon as she walked in the door I knew I should have listened and told her to move on as my intuition had suggested. The salon I work in is very elegant, quiet and private as we service numerous clients who have a need for privacy because of hair loss issues.

This young woman walks in, helps herself to a stack of hair extension products located at another stylists station, and starts playing with them. I told her that the piece she was throwing on her head at the time was $1400.00 worth of hair hoping she would get the point that we are not Wal-mart, and we do have a protocol. Unfortunately she did not get that point and proceeded to try on wigs over her obviously dirty hair.

As soon as I finished my client I asked her to be seated and looked at her existing extensions, a feeling of horror over came me, and must have shown on my face. The extensions were dread locked 3-4 inches down the hair shaft with bundles of 3-5 extensions in each dread lock. Knowing what I do about hair extensions I knew this woman was in grave danger of losing her hair in the dread locked areas. I tried to explain this to her and tell her that hair extensions MUST be maintained properly, or severe damage can result. She continued to make excuses as to why she had not gone back to the person who installed the extensions, and I admit I lost my patience with her. I told her that I did not think we would be able to work together and get along, and with that she went off on me telling me I had poor customer relation skills. I quickly backed off and tried to recover the situation by telling her I was angry at the person who installed the extensions and that she should have been informed about taking better care of them...

She then proceeded to ask how much I would charge her just to take them out, but by this time nothing in the world would have made me take this job on. She also tried to tell me that this was not a big deal, the previous person only took a couple of hours to get the knots out. This of course told me she did know of the risks involved with extensions and she would not follow directions again...

And so we ended our consultation with her,( I am sure) feeling abused, my feeling uncertain of how I could have handled this case better.

After thinking this through, I do feel as though I was with in my rights to tell her the things I did, having hair additions is a commitment to taking good care of them and one's hair. Going to someone who works out of her home, as this woman did, can only result in a disaster. I did not tell this woman that it is unlikely she will find a professional who will take her on, as anyone with the skills and know how should be busy enough that they do not need to take on problems like this. And, the particular extension this woman had installed requires a specially made tool to remove them that is expensive and not all hairstylists will have.

My best word of warning? Don't go to Wal-Mart when you need a Nordstrom installation. If you really want hair extensions, save your money, find the best expert you can, then keep your mouth shut and listen. You will be happier in the long run.

Sometime we know just enough to be dangerous...

2011-07-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

A potential new client came in today for a consultation, and having talked with her on the phone previously, I knew she would require special attention. I booked out a full hour for her instead of my usual 1/2 hour because she had some complicated issues.

When she arrived and removed her hat, I immediately felt the anger and frustration levels in my body elevate. My frustration was not directed at her, but at the fact that it only took a quick look to know that this woman had been scammed big time. As she told me her story I realized that she thought she knew some things about hair replacement that were actually just the result of unscrupulous people who want to tell every client "Yes, we can do whatever you ask," then do whatever they want, just to collect the money.

In this poor woman's case her extensions were so bad that she had to cover them with a hat because if the wind blew at all, the tape attachments would show. In addition, the methods used to attach to the top of her head were not appropriate for that area and could cause further hair loss.

At first I am certain it looked as if I was angry with the client, but the truth is it is the responsibility of the professional to let the client know what can be done safely, and what can not be done safely.
Since there are currently no license requirements for hair extensions, many people just start doing them and have no idea how much damage can be done if they are improperly installed or monitored.
I had to tell this woman that if I were to take her on, no one but myself can perform the services she needs, and that she would have to follow my explicit instructions for care. She would have to sign a "contract" and be sure to let me know if any issues came up ASAP.

I do not believe in contracts that state that the client is not free to seek another professional if they are not happy with me, but unfortunately because many clients do not understand how dangerous chemicals and hair replacements can be, if applied in a sloppy manner, I do feel it is necessary to all we can to see that the client is protected because sometimes they know just enough to be dangerous!

And keep in mind, a cheap job is just that. Price is not the only thing one must consider when getting hair extensions.

Chris for Hair
Her Secret

The price of feeling good about yourself

2011-07-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

I am getting calls from potential clients asking for pricing of my services and of course like most business I don’t like to quote prices over the phone. There are too many variables to consider when one is considering a complicated service to really even give a ballpark estimate.

For this reason my answer is usually, “I need to see you in person before…” I offer free consultations for all hair addition services, and that consultation is the tool I can use to do the research needed to give the potential client an accurate estimate of the cost of their service.

Clients need to understand that it does take time to do the necessary research before discussing money. The price of hair fluctuates, mostly upward, on almost a daily basis. Add to that the time necessary to create the product that will eventually give the client more hair. We manufacture most of our own hair additions to be certain they are up to our standards. Just buying hair from a vendor has become risky in this business as the demand for hair grows, some unscrupulous manufacturers use inferior hair and call it Remy hair, even add synthetic hair to the product thinking no one will know.

At Her Secret and Chris for Hair we believe in providing the best possible product and for this reason we do not just quote a price, and hope we can find cheap hair so we can make money on that job. We take the time necessary to consult, research, and analyze before we discuss pricing.

www.chrisforhair.com

Why can't I just be a good hair stylist?

2011-06-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

I just signed up for Twitter, now I have to learn to tweet, I have a facebook page, for what I don't know....then there is my new profile at About Me (chrisforhair), what is next?? I have no idea of what I am supposed to do with all this "social networking" only that I must do it if I am to promote my business effectively.
What ever happened to doing a great job at a fair price? Today's marketing is not a simple task. If one wants to be successful they must engage all their friends, aquaintances, neighbors, possibly even their pets...(I know Leo supports me, but Daisy???)
I want the old world back, the one where you can be effective, honest, and make a good living. Anybody out there just want a great hair cut?

www.chrisforhair.com

Keeping hair color fresh in summer

2011-06-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

Most people who color their hair are aware that hair color fades. Unfortunately it fades faster in the summer when we are out in the sun, swimming in pools or the ocean. What can be done to protect your hair color? First, most shampoo lines now have sulfate free options, that is a start. These shampoos are usually milder and strip less color out of the hair. Also, look for a leave-in conditioner with UV protection. If you can not find one cover your hair with a hat or scarf when you can, and before you swim try filling your hair with conditioner. It won't look cool on your way to the pool, but will help keep clorine out of the hair shaft, and once your head gets wet who cares what it looks like?
Once you leave the pool wash your hair ASAP to remove any residual clorine or salt and minerals it may have absorbed.

Beyond that...just enjoy the summer, you can always get a glossing demi to restore between touch-ups.

A new day, a new town...

2011-06-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

During the past 5 years I have had to move my business three times now. This is the first time however I have moved to another town, and I must admit I am excited AND fearful. It is exciting to explore new businesses, meet new clients, and work in a more exclusive environment.
Change is something I have yet to embrace. It has always been forced upon me, usually because of a crisis. This time will be different! This time I plan to really try to enjoy all the issues that surround my move, make the best of it I can, and once again start to grow. It has been three years now since I decided I could no longer take new clients, however now it is time to reverse that decision.
Livermore is a great town, full of interesting people. Hopefully I will get to meet many of them, help with hair issues, and start the next leg of my journey, where ever it leads me.

What makes a stylist good?

2010-06-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

Having been in this business now for over 30 years I have seen styles come, go and then come again. Many of today's looks were popular in the 1960's and early '70's, so it seems like there is really not much new out there, just a recycling of old looks. There is nothing wrong with this except that we like to think that our techniques that create the look have advanced since the last time the style was popular. Unfortunately this is not always the case, and some older techniques like razor cutting can actually damage the hair and make it more difficult for the client to work with his or her hair at home.

In the salon we can always manage to make a hairstyle look polished, but I still propose that clients want cuts and chemical services that they can work with at home as well as when they are in the salon. When a stylist starts hacking at the hair with a razor he or she must be very careful to still work with guidelines that can be reproduced the next time the customer sits in his or her chair. This takes a lot of practice, and careful concentration on the part of the stylist. A good razor cut can be done, but usually it just creates a dis-jointed cut that is impossible to reproduce, and will not style easily at home.

A good hair cutter knows that there are certain angles that create a look, and that for the most part all angles should work together in the hair cut. When the stylist knows his or her craft, he/she can adapt the hair cut "template" to create any style desired. Today however, too often I see stylists that have not been taught basic cutting principles, and have no idea how angles work in a hair cut. They simply start cutting willy-nilly, not thinking about how the cut will work at home. Too often I have heard from clients, "I loved the cut when I was in the salon, but at home I could never reproduce it." This is because the cut itself never did work, the stylist was simply good at styling the hair. As professionals we know how to bend the hair into a shape regardless of the cut, but at home it can be difficult to do this.
So I maintain that it is still the cut that makes a style work, and without a good template, the cut will not work. These principals never change, they can be adjusted to create any look in current fashion. Techniques such as razor cutting should be used to accent a good cut, not to create the cut. Unfortunately today very few stylists are taught these principals therefore it is really difficult to find a stylist that knows cutting. Maybe there is an advantage to being older in this profession.....

OMG Now I have to blog.....

2010-05-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

And so it is, I must bring my online presence into today's world and have little idea of how this will work. Any and all suggestions are welcome, those that are X rated will be deleted. At times I have read other blogs that have degenerated into post after post of the most vile and rude comments, hopefully that won't be the demise of my first attempt at blogging.

Last week was prom night in Pleasanton, and I had the honor of creating a prom "do" that the client wanted to look like a mohawk. Prom styles change, but usually they stay pretty classic in nature, I was afraid I might not come through on this one. As I began to pin and curl I could tell she was excited but also was not sure an old lady like myself would understand her concept.

Mom showed up to take pictures of the event which made me a bit nervous also. What if I made her into a clown and the pictures documented her disappointment? I remember one prom I had my own hair done for and I looked like Frankenstein! I still have those pictures....

As our appointment continued I knew I was on the right track by watching her face and her comments. And when I showed her the mirror her face erupted into a huge grin. She was glorious! Her response made my day, for me nothing compares to the look of happiness that happens when I hit the target. Saturday was a great day to be in the salon!