c/cosmetologists

Tried a $12 paddle brush vs my $45 one - big difference in frizz control

I was at Target last Tuesday picking up some stuff and grabbed their cheap paddle brush on a whim. Used it on a client with super fine hair and the frizz was out of control like half way through the blowout. Switched back to my ol faithful Wet Brush Pro and it smoothed everything down no problem. That cheap one just couldn't grip the hair right at the roots no matter how I angled it. Anyone else notice a huge gap between budget brushes and mid range ones or is it just me?

Hot take: my cosmetology instructor was wrong about sectioning patterns

Tbh, my teacher Mrs. Davies back at the Paul Mitchell school in Austin swore we had to use perfect diamond sections for every haircut. I argued with her for months saying it wastes time and doesn't matter for simple layered cuts. Well, after 3 years doing hair, I finally tried her way on a fussy client last month and the layers blended way better. Has anyone else found that old-school techniques actually beat the shortcuts we learn online?

Tried the quick-dry topcoat from Sally's and honestly the drugstore stuff won this round

I compared the $12 Sally's house brand topcoat against a $4 LA Colors one last week on two sets of swatches, and the cheap one dried faster and didn't peel after three days of hand washing. The Sally's one got tacky halfway through the day and chipped by day two. Has anyone else found that pricier stuff sometimes just doesn't hold up like the basic brands do?

Warning: Don't spend $80 on that fancy ionic hair dryer until you try a cheap one first

I always thought expensive dryers were the secret to smooth blowouts. Then my $80 Babyliss crapped out after 6 months and I grabbed a $30 conair from the drugstore in a panic. Honestly my hair dried just as fast and didn't feel any more fried. Anyone else had the same thing happen with a pricey tool?

Stopped skipping scalp treatments after a salon visit in Austin

I used to think scalp treatments were just a way to upsell clients for extra cash. Then I visited a small salon in Austin last month and the stylist there spent 15 minutes talking about how she fixed a client's dandruff with a basic tea tree scrub. She showed me before and after photos that were honestly shocking. Now I add a 5 minute scalp massage to every color service and my clients keep asking what I changed. Has anyone else seen better results from adding scalp care to their routine?

Spent 4 hours trying to fix a toner that kept coming out patchy on a client in Newark

Turned out I was using way too much pressure on the bowl brush and the color was basically sliding off before it could process - has anyone else wasted half a day on something this stupid?

Spent $85 on a high-end hair straightener and my flat iron fried my ends in 2 weeks

Thought I was doing myself a favor by upgrading from my old $30 straightener to something fancier. Got a titanium plate one with all the bells and whistles. After using it for about 10 days, my hair started feeling dry and brittle. Looked in the mirror and saw split ends forming right where the plates hit. My cheapo one never did that. Now I'm wondering if I should just go back to ceramic or if I got a dud. Anybody else have titanium wreck your hair?

Took me 4 hours to figure out a $5 brush cleaning mat

I grabbed this new silicone brush cleaning mat from the supply store in Austin thinking it'd save me time. Spent like 4 hours scrubbing brushes by hand before realizing the mat actually works way better with warm water and dish soap instead of the fancy brush cleaner I was using. Has anyone else had a tool that seemed useless until you found the right trick for it?

That lady who argued with me about purple shampoo for 15 minutes

Had a client last Tuesday who INSISTED her brassy yellow hair was actually 'golden honey' and that purple shampoo would ruin it. I showed her the color wheel on my phone three times but she kept saying I was trying to upsell her. She finally tried a sample I gave her and came back two days later apologizing because her hair was suddenly cool toned and she loved it. Has anyone else had a client straight up refuse to believe basic color theory?

Finally tried a razor comb for texturizing instead of my usual thinning shears.

Did a bob on a client in Portland yesterday and the razor gave me way softer movement than the shears ever did, has anyone else had that work out better or did I just get lucky?

Just switched my stance on using razors for cutting curly hair

I used to be dead set against using a razor on curly hair. Thought it would cause nothing but frizz and split ends. Then last week I had a client named Maria who had these tight 3C curls and she kept asking for more texture without losing volume. Another stylist at my salon, Kim, watched me struggle with my shears for 20 minutes and finally pulled me aside. She showed me how to use a feathering razor with the curl pattern instead of against it, and you gotta go super light on the tension. Tried it on Maria and her curls actually bounced up even better than before. The whole thing took half the time and she loved the result. Has anyone else had a change of heart on a technique they swore they'd never use?

Bought a $200 salon chair from an online auction - worst mistake ever

I saw this deal for a used salon chair on an auction site and thought I was being smart saving money. The listing showed it in great shape, looked like a brand name chair. Got it delivered and the hydraulics were shot, the base wobbled like crazy. I spent another $60 trying to fix it with parts from a local supply shop but it still felt unsafe. My first client sitting in it nearly tipped over when they leaned back. Now I'm out $260 total and the chair is just sitting in my garage. Anyone else get burned trying to save money on equipment like this?

Had the worst day in my chair yesterday

Three clients in a row canceled and it was already a slow Tuesday so that was my whole paycheck. Then my hot towel cabinet just died mid-service on the one person who did show up. Has anyone else had a day where everything just fell apart like that?

Just hit 500 blow-dries in my chair this week without even tracking it.

I was looking at my appointment log for the last 6 months and counted up 500 blow-dries I've done. That's way more than I thought I was doing, especially since I mostly do color work. Has anyone else noticed a surprising number from their day-to-day work?

Rant: That one Tuesday where every single toner pulled total orange

I had this day last month where I did three blonde touch-ups in a row and every single one came out brassy no matter what I used. First client was at 9 AM and I thought maybe my purple shampoo got watered down, but by the third one I knew something was off. Turns out my assistant had been mixing the toner batches with week-old developer and I didn't catch it until lunch. Has anyone else had a run of bad luck like that where you just want to throw your brushes in the trash?

Just crossed 500 color correction clients and I'm exhausted

I hit my 500th color correction appointment last week and honestly it made me stop and think. That's five hundred times someone came to me because their box dye went wrong or another stylist messed up their highlights. My hands are shot from all the foiling and I've probably spent 2000 hours just removing unwanted tones. What really gets me is how many of those clients could have avoided the whole mess with a simple consultation beforehand. I started tracking it about three years ago when I noticed corrections were taking over my book and it just kept climbing. Anyone else feel like color corrections are taking up way too much of their schedule now?

Keratin treatment blowout at a salon in Denver made me question if we're overpromising clients

I watched a stylist charge $350 for a treatment that barely lasted 6 weeks on curly hair, and while she swore by the results, the client walked out crying after it frizzed in the rain 3 days later so what's the real line between what we sell and what nature decides?

That Wednesday where every toner pull from the bowl was perfect

Last month I had a Tuesday where I did four full highlight and tone sets back to back and every single one lifted even and processed exactly how I wanted. I even had a root smudge on a level 4 base that came out so seamless the client asked if I had been doing her hair for 10 years. Has anyone else had a day like that where everything just clicks and you feel like a magician?

I used a tiny bit of conditioner on a dry cut and it changed the game

I was doing a dry cut on a client with really thick, wavy hair last week and it was just fighting me, sticking up everywhere. On a whim, I sprayed maybe two pumps of a light leave-in conditioner into my palms and smoothed it over the sections before cutting. The hair laid down perfectly and I could see the true shape forming without any static or flyaways. It gave me way more control than I ever had with just water or dry cutting alone. Has anyone else found a little product helps with precision on dry cuts, or is that a big no-no in your book?

Showerthought: A regular at my chair in Charlotte said my blowouts looked 'too perfect' and stiff, which made me switch to a diffuser on medium heat for the last five minutes.

Has anyone else found that clients sometimes want a more lived-in, natural finish over that salon-fresh look?

Showerthought: My sister, who's a nurse, asked me how much I actually make per hour after a $200 color correction.

She broke down my time for the service, travel, and product cost, and it was way less than I thought. Anyone else have a moment that made you really look at your pricing structure?

Bought a cheap bulk color remover that cost me a whole afternoon

It was supposed to save me money on a corrective color, but the formula was so weak I had to apply it three separate times. Wasted about $40 on the product and 4 hours of my Saturday. Anyone have a remover that actually works in one go?

Remember the old school way we used to wrap foils?

Back in my first salon job in 2008, we'd fold those foils like origami, using just our fingers and maybe a tail comb to tuck. It was slow, and you'd get color bleed if your fold wasn't perfect. Around 2015, I switched to those pre-formed plastic foils with the adhesive strip. It cut my application time for a full head of highlights from about 90 minutes down to 60, and the seal is way cleaner. I miss the craft of the old fold sometimes, but the consistency now is hard to argue with. Anyone else still use the hand-fold method for certain techniques, or is it all about the modern wraps now?

Just hit 500 hair color formulas saved in my custom app, and it's made a bigger difference than I thought it would.

Just saw a client with serious hair damage from a new 'fast bleach' powder

I had a client come in yesterday with hair that felt like straw after she tried a new brand that promised lifting in 15 minutes. I compared it to the gentler cream bleach I've used for two years, and the difference was huge. Her ends were snapping off, while my usual method leaves hair feeling strong. Has anyone else had clients bring in damage from these quick lift products?