Sleepers.

Today I had a client come in for a partial weave with paint betweens. Her color card confused me so I was a little unsure of what I needed to do. 20 minutes after her scheduled time she came in. I consulted with her on what she wanted to do. She told me she wanted more contrast in her colors and wanted a strippy look, and wanted white and black colors like a zebra. This took me back since she was an older lady and looked pretty conservative.

I decided to do slices instead of weaves to give her the chunky look. As I went to mix my color I recruited my friend Tamera to help me out. I was short on time and knew this would be tricky. My client had extremly short hair on the sides and back and was difficult to slice. I started to part her off to start the color when she started doozing off. This wasn't a slight dooze, her head was rocking back and forth in every direction! I had the hardest time with the slices. Her head was constantly moving and so my foils kept moving. At some points I was bent over sideways trying to get the foils in the proper place.  It was so difficult and my foils kept slipping. Everytime she would jerk her head they would slip more and more. Tamera and I could not belive it.  We started helping each other out by holding up the head while the one was doing foils. We would also start laughing so hard that we would have to turn away or just walk away. It was unreal how much her head was jerking around while she was doozing off.

The color took way longer then it should have due to her extremly short hair and moving head. When we finally got it done we let the colors process. This is when she decieds to wake up and read a book. Why couldn't she have done that when we were working on her hair?! Once the color was fully processed I took her over to rinse her out. The color looked pretty good. It wasn't my stlye but she loved it! It was very strippy and had a lot of contrast. There was a few foils that bleed, but I knew that was going to happen, and lucky for me it just added to the contrast she wanted!

This was an extremely hard color for me to do. She was late, sleeping, had short hair, and did a style I am not a fan of. But in the end it looked great and I learned a lot from it.  Just please, next time you go and get your hair done STAY AWAKE!! I'm lucky my color turned out, I was extremly nervous to see what was going to happen with the slipping and bleeding. You might not be so lucky with your hair, so stay awake and keep your head stil. Thanks we would all appreciate it.

A Lines

(Picture stolen from Google Images)

For some reason almost all the haircuts I give are A Lines. Maybe its because they are so cute! I just love A Lines, but get a little nervous cutting them. A Lines are one of the hardest cutes to do. We were told over and over how hard they can be. That made me scared out of my mind to do them! But just my luck the first cut I ever do on a real person's head was an A Line. I was terrified. All the sudden I couldn't remember anything I was taught. I had no clue how to start it or what to do. I ran and grabbed my instructor to just start it and give me a guide to follow. The haircut turned out great and the girl loved it!  I was so happy and realized that they really are not that bad.

Then about 90% of the hair cuts have done since that day have been A Lines. I am getting more and more confident in them and really like doing them now. Each of my instructors does it a little different. So I have had so many ways shown to me and I finally found one that i really like! Even though I am getting very confident I usually still have one of my instructors come and give me a guide, because that first layer you cut is the most important. Once they would cut the first layer I could just go at it and do it almost perfect. I am still learning the little things that make it just right.

But today was a little different. I had a lady bring in a picture of what she wanted. (That is another fear of mine. Trying to copy a picture and get it to look just like that! This was the first time I have had to face that fear.) The picture was a slight A Line with lots of layers. I looked at it and then looked at her hair and asked a few questions. She didn't want it just like the picture, she wanted her hair a little longer, wanted to keep her part in the middle instead of doing a side part, and not as stacked in the back. So before I got started I went and explained to my instructor how I would cut this cut to see if I was thinking the right way. She said that is excatly how she would cut it! I was so happy!! She then asked if I wanted her to come and give me a guide...I said no. It was time for me to do it on my own. I went over and started cutting. I spent forever on that first layer trying to get it so perfect. When I was done with that layer I went and got her to check it. I didn't want to mess up my guide and then have to go and redo the whole haircut after. She came over and checked it and said it looked great and to keep going. So I kept going and finished the whole cut, threw some layers in it and thined out the bulky parts. I made sure my client liked it and went to get it checked off. My instructor came over and checked and only had to fix a few minor things. I was so happy!!

I faced two of my biggest fears today. Having to go off a picture, and doing and A Line all by myself.  And I did it!! And I actually did a pretty good job. But sadly I forgot to take pictures. For some reason I never think to take before and after pictures of hair cuts, or if I do its when the cut is all done. But I will get better at  that and start taking more pictures. I am pretty good at taking them when I color, but not cut. I need to work on that!

School really can be fun!

I am in my third semester of school and loving it! I just love doing hair. I have always been intrested in it but never did anything about it. I am regreting that now and wished I would have started earlier so I could really enjoy it and be able to use my skills. If everything goes to plan I will be done with school in a year and I will be able to work in a salon for a year and a half to a year before moving away for my husbands grad school.  As much as I want it to work that way I knew that things never go as planned, so I am just taking it one day at a time.

It is my second semester out on the floor working with real peoples hair! No more mannequins! I am loving doing peoples hair. Not just because it is fun, but I love to talk to new people all the time and get to know them in that short time they are in my chair. Sometimes it slows me down because I start talking to much to them. I need to work on multi tasking!

I feel like I am doing pretty well and really understanding everything. My instructors also feel that way. They always have positive things to say to me and are really pleased with my work. I have some amazing instructors that have taught me so much. Everyday of the week the instructors change so I get to learn from so many different ladies. I love that! Everyone does things different and it is so nice to see all the ways people do it and see what works for you, or get inspired to come up with your own way. I have loved learning from them and have learned so much. Everyday I pick up something new.

My sister does hair and has been doing my hair for as long as I can remember. I have learned so much from watching her and asking her questions. When I was in high school I got a receptionist job at her salon. That job was so much fun and I have realized that is how I knew so much when I started school. When we would be learning about color I already knew most of it but also learned a lot. When I worked at the salon I got to observe many stylist work on clients and could see how they did things. I would also help them mix color and listen to them explain why wanted to do that formula of color. They taught me so much and really prepared me for school. I am so glad that I was able to to work there and really see what stylist do everyday and what its like working in a salon. I can't wait to work in a salon!

I have also loved school for the friends I have made. I have met some great women and have had so much fun with them. Its just a cherry on top that there are such great girls there. We have so much fun and are always helping each other.  As much as I want to be done with school and start working I will miss seeing those girls everyday. I just hope when I graduate and start working that I will work in a great and fun salon.