The Hair Industry is Cycling Back to its Roots!

Weave/Wig  versus 

Silver hair

Cornrows 

and 

a Mohawk

all rolled into one.

2018.

I used to think that my brilliant mind was enough to attract any man that I wanted.  However, a woman' hair alone can drive men wild.  Enhanced or not, biblically speaking, the hair is a woman's glory.  So why am I seeing so many Black Panther Wakanda haircuts? There are so many short afros, fades, and almost baldheaded women around every corner.  I respect the independent, bold thinking, but please make sure that your body is right and tight.  

Men keep saying that they don't want to feel like they are sleeping with another man.

On a separate note, the cost of living is now where two incomes are needed. Women need hairstyles that they can maintain despite the weather changes. Most women are now working women. Protective styling can be the easiest way to look polished without the daily grind of hairstyling. So men need to support their working ladies because 2018 is a balancing act!

The Hair Business: Cancellations, Tipping, and Salon Ownership

Cancellations due to Weather

So it never rains in Southern California . . . this makes for many more gorgeous hair days.  California's low humidity has been perfect for those with press and curls over the years. Only when people move from California to the East Coast and begin fighting rain and humidity that they realize how much the weather does make a difference with their hair upkeep.

I researched some years back that Santa Barbara, California was voted the best city for hair because its weather stayed consistent for most of the year.  So what about those of us who live in cities where rainfall can be quite a regular occurrence?

Without some hairspray or extra holding spray, you have to wonder if it is even worth going to the salon.  Some clients go because they need a clean head, but for those who are more focussed on style, cancellations may come more commonplace because getting it styled on a rainy day is somewhat risky.  No one wants to waste their money, and many complain when too much holding spray is used.

Rainy weather makes it tough on the salon business in 2014 when people are already trying to stretch their dollars.

Tipping
The rule of thumb used to be "not to tip" the salon owner because the owner was already making money off their other hairstylists working for them.  Sometimes I have run into customers that stand firm on not tipping the salon owner even if the salon owner is the sole and only operator in the salon.

With many hairstylists moving into salon suites, they are salon owners, but many never considered the fact that they could lose their tip money because they branched out into their own individual styling studio/suite.

I have not figured out a way of tackling this topic with those who stand firm on not tipping the salon owners.  Often times, I find that "tipping" is such a delicate topic and a courtesy that it almost seems taboo to educate on the tipping process.  Maybe this article will open up dialogue about when to tip the operator even if they are the owner of the hair business.

Salon Owners
In some states, state laws do not require salon owners to have a license to do hair. North Carolina is one of those states.  The problem with this practice is that salon owners who do not practice the art of hair can NOT effectively make sure their clients are happy in case a service correction needs to be made.  Granted, salon franchises such as Sports Clips, Great Clips, Hair Cuttery, etc  have built brands where people know that finding someone great working there may be a gamble, but for the affordable price, they may be willing to take their chances. Many of these "fast haircutting places" work fine with business savvy people owning them. However, when non-franchise salons are being run by business people who just want to own a salon in theory, they are less likely to survive in 2014 because the retention of hairstylists as well as the retention of clientele for those hairstylists can be challenging..  A example of two salons bumping heads is described in this link.

Weather, Travel and Hair!

Have you ever relocated and/or travelled to a different area and all of a sudden your hair starts to break?

It is the weather. God forbid if you are in a city where the weather is constantly changing.

What do I mean by this? There is both dry heat and high humidity weather that you have to be on the lookout for.

If you travel to parts of Texas, Los Angeles, and any other "dry heat" city, then you need more moisturizing conditioning treatments. Very little protein. Protein treatments and dry heat can cause breakage. If you are travelling to a dry heat area, then please buy a moisturizing mist such as Pureology Colourmax spray for your hair while you are there or make sure that you receive a pure moisturizing treatment such as Graham Webb Back to Basics Coconut Mango conditioner or Pureology Hydrate conditioner if you want some scalp stimulation.

IF you are in a high humidity area, you do not have to worry about hair breakage, but you may worry about holding a style! You need more protein added to the hair in order to hold the style in high humidity areas. Always balance the protein with a moisturizing conditioner. A good protein boost would be Paul Brown Hawaii's Ressurrect conditioner. It is a good balance of protein and moisture. Redken's Real Control Intense Renewal Masque layered with the Pureology Hydrate Conditioner is also a good protein plus moisture treat for the hair.

Some areas of the South has high humidity one day and dry heat the next; this is dangerous conditions for those who do not shampoo everyday. If your focus has been to keep some protein in the hair to combat thermal styling/flat ironing, then a dry heat day in the middle of the week can be a recipe for breakage. Just keep a Moisture Mist around. Paul Mitchell has one and Pureology has Colourmax. It is not going to drench the hair or mess up your style. It is going to mildly soften the hair; yet maintain your style.

Now, on the flip side, if you know that a high humidity day is coming, humidity block and/or hairspray is needed. Joico has an award-winning humidity Block spray. Spray it liberally. It is not going to make it stiff. Just restyle after you spray it throughout the hair. You will still have the same movement in the hair. Now, if you need the curls to hold, then use a holding spray after the humidity blocker.

Sounds like a lot of work? Weather is unpredictable; but it matters . . .