c/cosmetologists

34

andrewh43•1d ago

Finally listened to my mentor about sectioning hair for color

My mentor Janice at the Aveda school in Denver kept telling me to take smaller sections than I thought I needed. I always figured I was saving time doing bigger ones. Last week I finally tried her way on a full head of highlights at the shop on Colfax and the blend came out way cleaner. Has anyone else had a teacher give advice that felt slow but actually worked better?

11

keithharris•1d ago

Spent $150 on a color depositing shampoo that ruined my foils

I bought into the hype about those colored shampoos to refresh my highlights between appointments. After one wash, my carefully placed foils turned an orange mess. My stylist had to do a full color correction that cost more than the shampoo. Anyone else have problems with these trendy shampoos?

25

taylor.paige•2d ago

That cosmetology school teacher told me to use rubbing alcohol on brushes and it ruined mine

My instructor at Jolie Academy swore by dipping brushes in 70% rubbing alcohol between clients. I did that for about 3 months and noticed my bristles getting all stiff and frayed. Turns out alcohol breaks down the glue inside ferrules over time. I lost about $120 worth of brushes before I switched to a proper brush cleaner spray. Has anyone else had a teacher give them advice that just wrecked their tools?

5

derek_ramirez•3d ago

Found a weird trick for fixing frizzy bobby pins that actually works

So I had this problem where my bobby pins would get all frizzy and weird after a few washes, making them impossible to slide into hair without snagging. I tried tossing them, tried scrubbing them with soap, nothing helped. Then one day I was lazy and just threw a handful of them in an old sock and ran them through the dryer on low heat for like 10 minutes. They came out smooth and slick again, no joke. I've done it three times now and the same set of 20 pins has lasted me 6 months. Has anyone else tried something like this or got another weird fix for old hair tools?

22

casey393•7d ago

Saw a cool gel nail trick at a salon in Austin last weekend

I was waiting for my appointment at this little spot called Blush Nail Bar on South Congress, and I watched the tech next to me do something I'd never seen before. Instead of wiping the sticky layer off the gel color before the top coat, she just applied the top coat right over it and cured it. Then she used a lint-free wipe with alcohol to clean the whole nail after curing. She told me it helps prevent the color from lifting at the edges, especially on clients with oily nail beds. I tried it yesterday on three of my regulars, and two of them already texted me saying their polish is holding up better than usual. Has anyone else tried skipping the wipe between color and top coat?

22

noah_chen17•7d ago

Still riding the high from a compliment last Tuesday

A client in her 60s told me I made her feel like she looked 20 years younger, and she actually teared up a little. Has anyone else had a moment that made them remember why they got into this?

30

hugo238•8d ago

That time a client asked for 'icy blonde' and brought a photo of platinum

Last month at the salon I had to talk a client out of using box bleach after they showed me a picture from 2015 and I'm curious how other stylists handle folks who come in with unrealistic inspo pics.

7

abby189•8d ago

Tried that bond-building shampoo everyone's hyping on TikTok and my fine hair turned into a greasy mess by lunch

I got the K18 shampoo sample from my distributor last month. Used it Wednesday thinking it would fix my damaged ends. By 2pm my hair looked like I hadn't washed it in a week. My client actually asked if I was trying a new oil treatment. Guess some stuff just doesn't work for every hair type. Anyone else have a product that bombed on your own hair but works great on clients?

11

taylorlewis•10d ago

Dropped $180 on a fancy hair steamer and it almost ruined my week

So I got this new steamer for processing perms and deep conditioning treatments, thought it would be a game changer for my clients. Cost me about $180 off a salon supply site. First time I used it, the thing started spitting hot water everywhere and scalded a client's scalp a little. She was cool about it, but I felt terrible and had to comp her whole service. Has anyone else tried switching tools and just regretted it immediately?

6

paige_ellis59•12d ago

My old mentor told me to ditch the blending shears for blunt cuts back in 2008

I thought she was crazy but after losing a few clients who wanted that sharp bob look I switched back. Anyone else have a senior stylist give advice that seemed outdated but actually made sense?

27

nina147•12d ago

Vent: wasted $60 on that 'miracle' hair growth serum from Instagram

Saw this ad for a serum that promised thicker hair in 2 weeks, so I bought the full kit. After a month of using it, my hair looked exactly the same and now I'm out 60 bucks. Anyone else fall for those influencer hair products?

27

reese_anderson43•12d ago

My mentor told me to stop using thinning shears on men's cuts and I fought him for months

My old boss at Great Clips in Phoenix kept telling me I was ruining my fade jobs by reaching for thinning shears every time. I thought he was being old school and closed minded. After about 6 months of stubbornly doing it my way I finally tried a full week with just clippers and shears. The difference was night and day. My blends got way cleaner and I stopped getting complaints about choppy layers. Has anyone else had a senior stylist give you advice that felt wrong but turned out to be the real deal?

16

lucas_perez•13d ago

I finally had the worst client day of my career last Thursday

I had three back to back appointments that all went sideways starting at 9am. First woman brought in a photo of a color that was clearly from a wig, not real hair, and got mad when I told her it wasn't possible. Then my next client showed up 40 minutes late and still expected me to fit in a full foil and cut. The cherry on top was a lady who insisted I use drugstore box dye she brought in her purse, and when I said no, she walked out mid appointment. I lost about $200 in income that day between the no show and the one who left early. My stylist chair felt like a prison cell by 2pm. Has anyone else had a day where you just wanted to lock the front door and go home?

25

jamienguyen•14d ago

Color depositing masks ruined my client's blonde

Saw this viral video of a stylist using a blue mask to cancel brass. Tried it on a regular client last week. Big mistake. Her hair turned greenish at the roots. Had to do a double clarifying wash to fix it. Anyone else have bad luck with those trendy color masks on light hair?

1

fiona_lane•20d ago

A client's question about why I use certain products made me rethink my whole routine

Last Tuesday a regular asked why I always reach for the same brand of setting spray and I realized I'd been using it for 3 years without trying anything new, has anyone else had a client's curiosity shake up their go-to list?

12

andrew854•20d ago

My foiling station chair broke mid-highlight yesterday

Honestly, I was in the middle of sectioning off a full foil on a client yesterday when my chair just gave out. The hydraulic cylinder snapped and dropped me about 6 inches. I had to finish the whole foil standing up because I didn't have a backup chair. Has anyone else had a chair fail on them like that? I'm looking for a brand that actually holds up to daily use.

27

gavinp44•21d ago

Question about mixing custom colors with darker bases

I used to always start with a light base when I was mixing custom colors for clients. Like I would grab a level 8 or 9 and add my tone from there. But last month I had a client who wanted a deep auburn red and her natural level was a 4. I tried my usual method and it came out way too muddy after about 2 washes. So I tried the opposite approach for her touch up - I mixed the color directly onto her natural dark base with a higher volume developer and just a little bit of lightener in the formula. The difference was night and day. The color stayed vibrant for over 5 weeks and didn't fade weird. Has anyone else found that working with darker bases instead of lightening first actually gives better staying power for certain shades?

2

jason524•21d ago

Tried that new bond repair treatment on my own hair and it snapped off

So I got a sample of a popular bond builder from a supplier at the last CosmoProf show in Orlando. I figured I'd test it on my own hair first before using it on clients. Big mistake. I left it on for the max time like the bottle said, but my hair felt like straw after rinsing. Two days later I had little broken pieces all around my hairline. I think maybe my hair was too damaged already from lightener, or maybe the product has a really small window where it works. Has anyone else had a bond repair treatment backfire on them like this? I'm trying to figure out if it was user error or the product itself.

18

terryallen•22d ago

Had to choose between a $400 color analysis class or just trusting my eye for 10 years

I've been doing hair in Portland for about 6 years now and I always thought my color matching was solid, but a senior stylist at my salon told me I was missing undertones on brunettes. I signed up for a $400 hour-long color analysis class last month and honestly it made me question every formula I've done since 2018 lol. Anyone else ever dropped cash on a class that either totally changed their work or felt like a waste?

8

angela_allen53•23d ago

Rant: Hot tool burn marked a client's hairline last Friday

I was at my station in the Solana Springs salon doing a blowout on a regular client, Mrs. Reyes. My flat iron slipped and left a half-inch burn mark right along her temple before I could even react. She was understanding but I felt awful and ended up comping the whole service plus a deep conditioning mask. Has anyone else had a close call with a tool and found a good way to handle it without losing the client?

14

seanjohnson•23d ago

Vent: overheard a client say their last stylist "just got them" in 20 minutes flat

Dude was bragging about a $35 cut that took no time at all, and I wanted to scream about the difference between a quick snip and actual consultation work. Has anyone else had to politely smile while someone compares your prices to that kind of rush job?

8

willow_garcia•24d ago

That one client who kept saying 'just a trim'...

Had a woman come in last Tuesday at the shop in Salem, said she wanted 'barely an inch' off. I showed her the length with my fingers and she nodded. After the cut she looked in the mirror and said I took off way too much. She had 4 inches in the sink. Anyone else have clients who can't visualize what they're asking for?

22

matthew864•25d ago

My mentor told me I was buffing too hard and it clicked finally

I had a conversation with my old instructor from beauty school last week, and she said I was grinding my nails into the surface instead of letting the buffer do the work. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you've been overcomplicating a basic technique for months?

8

parkerh38•25d ago

My brand new foiling boards started peeling after just 3 uses

I spent $60 on these fancy teal foiling boards from a beauty supply shop downtown. After only three sessions the top layer started bubbling up and peeling off like cheap stickers. I was so mad because I prep my clients hair carefully and these boards just look nasty now. I tried using a little nail glue to stick the peeling parts back down but it only held for like a day. Honestly I should have just stuck with my old cardboard ones that lasted me six months. Has anyone else had this happen with the newer plastic coated boards or did I just get a bad batch?

9

noah880•28d ago

Unpopular opinion: High end makeup brushes are NOT worth the hype

I used to swear by my $60 Sephora brush set, thought it was the only way to get a flawless blend. Then I grabbed a $12 set from TJ Maxx in Nashua last month on a whim, just to try something different. Turns out the cheap ones blended my foundation even better and haven't shed a single hair after 4 weeks of daily use. The expensive ones started fraying after 3 months, total letdown. On the flip side, I've had a $50 powder brush from Ulta that's lasted me 2 years solid. So is it really about the price tag, or is it just luck with individual brushes? Who else has had a cheap tool outperform a fancy one?