Things You Should Know About Your Stylist But Probably Don’t…
1. The Cost of Being a Stylist : Stylists are responsible for maintaining the tools necessary for completing a number of service types. Stylist shears are one of the most important tools in their kits, as they are specially designed and crafted to cut hair without damaging the strand. Stylists usually have anywhere from 3-5 different types of shears for different types of cutting, and these tools alone can range from the hundreds to the thousands of dollars. Additionally, they must have professional quality heat tools like flat irons, curling wands, and blow dryers. It isn’t uncommon for these to need replacement twice per year. Your stylist is regularly spending several hundred dollars from their own earnings to ensure their tools are the best quality, allowing them to provide quality results.
2. Continuing Education : While cosmetology school teaches the basics, continuing education is imperative to your stylist keeping up with the trends. As popular styles change, stylists must change their skill sets to be able to provide what their clients request, and this means learning how to perform many new techniques. Annually, professional brands will change their product formulations, which requires stylists to re-learn how to properly use them. Unfortunately, none of this education is free. Classes can range from $25 up to the thousands of dollars, and some even require travel.
3. Doubling as a Chemist : While color services seem straight forward for most clients, they are anything but. Unless you arrive to your appointment with a perfectly white canvas of hair, your stylist is going to have to custom-formulate your color using color wheels and chemistry to ensure your color comes out as close as possible to what is being requested. Imagine coloring a sheet of paper with a brown marker, then trying to color over it with a pink marker. The color you get at the end will not be pink, but a muddled mess of hues. This is the same approach your stylist must take to coloring your hair, considering the color of your hair canvas now and what you are asking for. Stylists are rarely given credit for the scientific nature of their roles.
4. Retail Sales : We pride ourselves on not being “pushy salespeople” when it comes to buying product, but we also want to help preserve the work we’ve put into your new look. Remember when we talked about the importance of continuing education for your stylist as well as their clients? Well one of the best ways for stylists to attain education without taking out a second mortgage is to sell retail products that earn them education incentives from professional brands. The more you support your stylist, the better quality of service they will be able to provide you. So, yes, it is ill-mannered to ask if you can take picture of the products your stylist recommended to go purchase later at Ulta.
5. Stylists as Entrepreneurs : Even under the support of a salon, stylists are responsible for many aspects of their own success. Between client appointments, stylists must focus on marketing and promotion, budgeting, research, scheduling, event planning, sales skills, etc. Being a hairstylist is a full-time job even after finishing up behind the chair for the day. With the advent of social media, stylists are constantly responding to client requests and offering consultations through messages they receive. They must constantly flex their availability and work hours to accommodate what works for their clients, and that might sometimes mean beginning at 8am and finishing up at 10pm.
We work hard because we do what we love. You can help support your stylist by keeping these truths in mind!
Why Are We So Obsessed with Curls?
The last few years have seen a Curl Revolution with men and women all over the world finally embracing and showcasing their natural tresses. For too long, curly hair has been underappreciated and even discriminated against. What makes curls so special and why are we obsessed with being Hampton Road’s go-to resource for curly clients? Here are our top reasons for committing to curls:
Hair cuticles in straight hair are circular and smooth, allowing the hair to lie flat. In curly hair, the cuticle is elliptical-shaped which adds natural body and life to curls. Because of this, though, it is essential that the hair cutting technique used accounts for this, especially when sectioning and shaping. Most (if not all) stylists don’t learn this in cosmetology school.
Curly hair does not extend from the scalp and lie straight down - it naturally falls at a diagonal. This means shaping and styling big, sexy, voluminous curls is more creative and fun! It requires exercising the artistic muscles that stylists love to work out.
Most clients have more than one texture/curl pattern on their head, which means each curly haircut and wash’n’go is like a puzzle to be solved. There is no simple way to complete a haircut like one might on a client with straight hair - there’s an inherent challenge that is enticing.
Being graced with curls allows for so much more flexibility with styling. All curly clients can achieve straight hair, but not all straight hair clients can achieve curls! You simply cannot understand the excitement of stretching your curls out for a “growth check” unless you have curly hair!
We love and celebrate curls for all kind, and we invite you to embrace the gorgeous texture you’ve been graced with!
Salon Trips with the Little Ones
How do you know when it’s time to bring your little one to the salon for their first professional salon service? We service all ages of children and perform a variety of services for them, so we’ve developed some helpful tips to consider when thinking about booking a salon appointment for your young child:
There is no best age to start - it depends on your child’s unique hair needs. It also depends on their level of comfort in a salon environment, with new faces, and sitting still for periods of time. We tend to think that the younger they become comfortable with caring for the health of their hair, the better!
The salon is a place where we often have loud noises, lots of energy, and lots of new experiences that can be intimidating for children. For first timers, consider coming in for a consultation in the days before your scheduled appointment so we can allow your child to meet our team and feel comfortable coming to see us. We’d love to show you around!
Consider nap times and meal times when booking. Make sure your appointment time is scheduled so that your child will be prepared to sit in the salon chair for periods of time. We’re happy to provide WiFi codes for your tablets, just don’t forget to pack headphones.
Gently detangle your child’s hair before their service begins. This helps your stylist provide a more calm, comfortable start to the appointment and gain the trust of your little one.
Reach out for help! If you’re nervous about your child’s first salon appointment, give us a ring! We are happy to provide accommodations as we are able and help you plan ahead to ensure smooth sailing and a memorable first salon experience.
Raising Awareness in October
October is a BIG month for Versus Salon!
Each year, our team participates in several charity events in the month of October to help support the communities that we serve! We wanted to share what we’ll be up to this month and ask for your help in supporting the organizations that are near and dear to our team
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Hosted by the American Cancer Society, we are hoping to raise $500 for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research! Then, on Saturday 10/26, we’ll be celebrating Girl Power at Mt. Trashmore with other lovely ladies in Hampton Roads.
*How You Can Help : Please click here to donate to Team Versus 757 and help us Save the Tatas!
Paint 757 Purple
October is also an important month for raising awareness about Domestic Violence. We’ve partnered with Samaritan House to participate in their annual fundraiser.
*Participate in our Raffle to win a gift prize with $200 of our favorite professional products and a Versus Salon Gift Card! Each raffle entry is $1.00 and every dollar earned will be donated to Samaritan House. Raffles can be purcahsed in-salon with cash or check. Out-of-Towners may participate by donating directly to Samaritan House on their website and sending us a screenshot of your donation receipt!
*How You Can Help: Come join us on Thursday, October 24th to help raise money for this incredible organization! Additionally, when you spend $100+ on your favorite products, we’ll donate a full hair care kit full of the necessities for clients of Samaritan House.
We hope you’ll pay us a visit this month and pick up a PINK or PURPLE ribbon (or both!) to represent the causes close to our hearts -xoxo