c/cosmetologists

Unpopular opinion: I tried a 'cold perm' on my own hair to test it before a client

I used the L'Oréal Professionnel Curl Contour kit at home, following the steps exactly, and my hair came out with a weird, uneven wave pattern instead of the soft curls shown. I think my hair's natural texture, which is a bit coarse, reacted differently than the fine hair they used in the guide. Has anyone with thicker hair gotten this to work, or is this method just not for us?

Finally got a client's hair to match their inspo pic after three tries

Had this client come in with a super faded blue and wanted a bright, even lilac. The first two times, the toner pulled too gray or washed out in a week. This time, I pre-lightened to a pale yellow, used a direct dye mixed with a clear conditioner, and processed it under a cap for 45 minutes. The color came out perfect and she actually teared up a little. Has anyone else found a better way to make pastel shades actually stick?

Pro tip: My cordless clipper battery died mid-fade on a groomsman 20 minutes before a wedding ceremony.

I had to finish the entire left side with my old corded backup clippers while the guy was literally bouncing his leg, and the bride's mom kept popping her head in the salon door asking 'are we almost presentable?'

I used to think a 20 minute process was fine for a Brazilian blowout until a client in Austin said her hair felt like straw after 3 weeks.

Now I always do the full 45 minute smoothing step my trainer showed me, even if the client is in a rush, because that extra time lets the keratin really set (which, you know, makes the whole thing last way longer).

I used to be so scared of doing a full bleach out in one sitting

Like, back when I first got my license, I'd stretch a level 5 to a 9 over three separate appointments because I was terrified of damage. That was maybe 5 years ago. Now, after taking a class in Denver last fall, I do it in one go with Olaplex No.1 in my mix and a careful watch on timing. The change was seeing how much more even the lift is when you control the process instead of letting old color build up. Has anyone else made that switch and noticed less breakage, or is it just me?

Had a client yesterday who asked for a color correction after a box dye disaster.

She came into my chair in Austin and showed me a photo of her hair, which was a patchy orange mess from a $10 store kit. I spent four hours lifting and toning to get her back to a cool brown. What's your go-to product for fixing that kind of orange brassiness?

PSA: I compared a $15 ceramic flat iron from the drugstore to my usual $150 professional one for a month, and the damage to my test mannequin's hair was shocking.

The cheap one's inconsistent heat and rough plates caused way more breakage and frizz after just 10 uses, so what's your go-to affordable but still safe hot tool brand?

TIL a lot of stylists are still using the wrong brush for smoothing treatments

I was at a big beauty show in Chicago last month and I kept seeing stylists on stage using round brushes for smoothing treatments. Like, the kind you'd use for blowouts. It made me cringe because a flat paddle brush is the only thing that gives enough tension for a proper keratin or brazilian blowout. I learned this the hard way three years ago when a client came back after two weeks with frizz because I used my regular round brush. My mentor at the time showed me her Denman paddle brush and said 'this is your smoothing tool, not that other thing.' Since switching, my smoothing treatments last the full 12 weeks every time. How many of you are still using round brushes for this? What's your go-to tool for getting that glass-like finish?

Had to choose between a classic bob or a textured lob for a client with fine hair. Went with the lob and layered it with a 1.5 inch iron.

I rolled my eyes at the 'cold water only' hair washing advice for a long time

For about a year, I kept seeing stylists online say you should only rinse conditioner with cold water. I figured it was just another weird trick. Then my own hair felt flat and heavy no matter what I did. I tried the cold rinse method for two weeks straight, and my hair has way more volume now. It actually works. Has anyone else had a client come in with hair that just won't hold a style and found this helped?

I used to think the whole 'scalp detox' thing was a total scam until a regular at my bar convinced me to try it.

Question about using a heat protectant on damp vs. dry hair

I mean, for like 5 years I always sprayed my heat protectant on completely dry hair before flat ironing. I thought it needed a dry surface to bond. Then a client in my chair last Tuesday said her stylist in Austin always does it on towel-dried hair. I tried it on my next three clients, and their hair was way shinier and had less frizz. The product just seems to spread better when the hair is still a bit damp. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed a difference?

I saw something at a bridal show in Portland that made me rethink updos

I was working a booth at the Northwest Bridal Expo last month, doing quick style demos. This bride came by with hair down to her waist, super thick, and she wanted a full, intricate updo. I started pinning and twisting like I always do, trying to get that perfect, tight look. But halfway through, she just stopped me and said, 'Can you make it look a little... messier? Like I did it myself?' I was so thrown. I mean, we're taught that neatness is professional, right? I loosened it up, left some pieces out, and she loved it. Now I ask every client if they want 'polished' or 'lived-in' before I even pick up a pin. Has anyone else had to unlearn the 'perfect' look for something more relaxed?

TIL that the average person loses about 50 to 100 hairs a day, and that's normal

I found this out from a dermatologist's talk at the Midwest Beauty Show in Chicago. I used to panic when I saw hair in my brush, thinking it meant damage from a color service. Now I know it's usually just the natural cycle. Has anyone else had a client freak out over normal daily shedding?

Read a study that said 40% of hair color damage happens in the first 10 minutes of processing

I found this in a research paper from the Journal of Cosmetic Science last week. It made me rethink my whole timing approach, especially for high-lift blondes. How do you all adjust your application speed for different formulas to cut down on that early damage?

My instructor said to never use a razor on dry hair, but a client insisted.

She came in last month wanting a drastic texturizing cut on her thick, coarse hair and refused a wet section. I did it dry like she asked, and the result was so choppy and uneven it took me an extra 45 minutes to fix. Has anyone else had a client push back on a basic technique and then regretted it?

Showerthought: A client's comment about her wedding photos made me see my work differently

She said, 'I didn't realize how much my hair color faded in the sun until I saw these pictures from last summer.' Now I'm adding a specific sun exposure warning to my color aftercare sheet. Do you guys mention sun protection during consultations?

Just realized something about hair color consultations after a client chat

A client last week told me she felt rushed during her last color consult at a different salon, saying 'they just showed me swatches and picked one.' It made me think about my own process. I now spend the first 10 minutes just talking about their daily routine and how much time they really want to spend on upkeep. It changes the whole color plan. How do you structure your consultation time to get better info?

I just read that the average person loses about 50-100 hairs a day, which seems like a lot more than I thought.

Found that stat in a dermatology journal while researching for a client with thinning concerns, and it's making me rethink how I talk about normal daily shedding during consultations.

A client in Phoenix told me my blowouts were causing too much heat damage, so I switched to a lower heat setting and it's been a total game changer.

A client's toddler decided my color bowl was a hat

I was doing a root touch-up in my home salon in Austin when my client's 2-year-old grabbed my mixing bowl. Before I could stop him, he plopped it right on his head, smearing a stripe of 6N brown through his blonde hair. I had to keep a straight face while his mom freaked out. Has anyone else had a kid cause a color disaster mid-service?

TIL I've done exactly 1,000 balayage services since I started keeping track

I was cleaning out my appointment book from 2022 and decided to count them all, lol. It hit me that each one takes about 3 hours, so that's a wild amount of time spent painting hair. It matters because I can now spot the perfect formula for a client's base color in like 30 seconds flat. Anyone else have a number that snuck up on them?

My curling iron handle cracked in half during a busy Saturday morning appointment.

It happened about a month ago, right in the middle of a bridal party appointment. The plastic just gave out, and the hot barrel nearly hit my client's neck. I had to quickly switch to a backup iron and apologize for the scare. Has anyone else had a tool fail at the worst possible time, and what brand did you switch to after?

Okay, I'm going against the grain here. My $80 flat iron from the supply house died mid-client yesterday, and I just grabbed my backup from the drugstore.

It was a 2pm color correction. The iron just went cold. No warning. I had a client in the chair and waves to finish. My backup is some Revlon thing I bought for $25 three years ago. It worked fine. Not as fast, but it got the job done. Everyone says you need pro-grade tools for everything, but sometimes the cheap stuff saves you. What's your actual emergency backup plan when something breaks during an appointment?

I thought those cheap color removers from the beauty supply store were a total scam.

A client came in with a box dye disaster, her hair was this weird orange from a black dye job. I grabbed a $5 color remover packet as a last try before a full bleach. It actually pulled most of the pigment out in 20 minutes, left her hair in way better shape than I expected. Now I keep a few on hand for corrections. Has anyone else found a budget product that actually works for color correction?