Ethnic Hair Care & The Curls That Love It

Curls~Frizz~Kinks

the problems of the ethnic hair crew

I have yet to meet a person who didn't want the kind of hair they didn't have

Just remember that the next time you get down on yourself and your hair... as I know you curly hairs do. Straight hairs wish they had curly, they really do. Its plain and simple human nature I have decided --to want, what you don't have. As you grow older, that will change and go away....you get comfortable in your own skin (and hair).

The challenges facing the Ethnic hair care client are different than their counterparts....but believe me BOTH have just the same amount of challenges - they are just 'different'.
The most common complaints:

• dryness
• fragility & breaking
• styling options
• proper products

Surveys indicate the ethnic hair clients seek professional services every 2-3 weeks while their counterparts regularly come every 6-7 weeks....so they do seek out help more. The most common treatment? Relaxers. Both at home versions as well as the Salon/Professional type. During my years in The Salon in Malibu there was no one doing relaxers and I just didn't understand 'why'... so I proceeded to become a Specialist in them. Not a lot of Hair Stylists do them as they are also the most complicated procedure as well as the most critical, dangerous and challenging. Right up my alley. They are the single Salon service where you make the absolute MOST difference in the hair for a client, and after you have completed a successful relaxer you have made a committed and dedicated client "for LIFE", I have never seen a happier more thrilled hair client than the successful hair Relaxer client. Every single one of them calls 2 days later when they shampoo for the first time literally blown away that after the shampoo the hair did not return to its curly frizzy stage - I have received many MANY fantastic thank you gifts for this service unlike any other service I had performed, it was the coolest thing to me.

From my experience I would just never recommend this service for anyone to do at home... ever ..it is just too dangerous and the 'timing' aspect is too crucial. Having weak hair to begin with you just don't have the leeway for mistakes, besides the ingredients used in professional Relaxer products are simply better for the hair.

If you insist on getting one and cannot afford the Salon price (@ $60.00 to $100.00 per hour it comes in as the most expensive Salon procedure - it can take up to 7 hours to complete) the next best step: look into being a hair model for demonstrating its application, go to the local Beauty Academy and get in on their "model night" or their weekly hair model list. { does not mean you need to be model material all over - don't worry!} I know here in LA,many of you interested in this would be more than welcome at the Vidal Sassoon Academy in Santa Monica, and the Paul Mitchell Academy in Orange County...they are both always looking for hair models as are all good Salons and Beauty Schools they never have enough people to work on.

The advantage to this option is:

• have an instructor standing over their shoulders
• before they ever put product on live model, spent weeks practicing on 'doll heads with shaving cream'
• watch the procedure done by instructor on stage a few times...
• reading on it...
• studying on it....followed by 'written' testing of it
• more doll head work..practicing the sectioning and application -- combing-- stretching and the speed needed to do it....
• THEN they let the students work on real clients

Now I am talking the best Hair schools in the USA which are Vidal Sassoon and Paul Mitchell....the others will be run totally different - do some research. F

This can be a terrific and successful procedure.

When there is a will there is always a way. As this Blog goes on I am hoping more of you will submit questions and comments, I had a lovely girl suggest I write about ethnic hair...I am more than happy to write about every and any subject --- please - - -I look forward to your comments and requests.

Remember a Relaxer is the same exact chemical make-up as NAIR or NEET Or any hair remover....if left on the hair too long........what do you think will happen ? Yes, the hair can be lifted right off the head.

The key to aceing a Relaxer is the "Timing" of it...The timing and the division of the application procedure. I had one Assistant that was trained in depth on Relaxer -application... so he knew {almost} as much as I did, I sent him to 3 different Relaxer Seminars, many stylists do not want to share the job like this...but it is the only way for it to be super successful for both the client AND the stylist. If its done on a man or a woman with a short cut, one can do it, any longer than chin length hair and it becomes the job of 2. When booking one it always had to be on a day he was working because the key to the success is applying - pulling and stretching the hair flat with the Relaxer Creme on the hair and doing it fast....making small sections all around the head and being sure to coat > comb > & stretch...from the minute it has been applied to the minute you hit the shampoo bowl to rinse should be between 9 & 16 MINUTES only! That is not very long, even for the fastest stylists on the planet, doing this correctly at home would be impossible.

That is why you want to have a qualified practitioner perform the relaxer on your hair ~

Remember : TAKE CARE OF YOUR HAIR