"Straightening" things out -

Well today I had a new client, this infinitely interesting 16 year old girl. It’s amazing how someone that on first glance you think you already know can somehow abruptly and unintentionally change you whole day. Let’s just say for times’ sake that today, well today was not one of my fondest days spent in hair school, frustrating would be an understatement. But this girl, she was my first chemical relaxer, now to someone outside the industry that may not seem like a big deal, but let me just tell you that the area I live in, well it’s not exactly diverse in culture. - German - Norwegian - and of course any other non-exotic nationality that springs to mind.

So, in my chair I found her, shoulder length hair. (natural blonde level 8) - with extremely curly hair. Not just your run of the mill curl, I'm talking that tight natural spiral, that when tamed can melt hearts. It almost broke my heart to turn it straight. What product did I use to relax her? Well of course it was Paul Mitchell (Paul Mitchell relaxers are sodium hydroxide, not to be used over thio relaxer) are you seeing the trend here? I used the regular strength relaxer mixed half and half with the super strength relaxer, processing time was around 20 minutes and my guest only barely complained of discomfort.

The final affect was amazing; the relaxer both conditioned and smoothed the hair. For post treatment, I started with shampoo two (my personal favorite pm shampoo, then moved to Tea Tree lavender mint shampoo and conditioner, and finished with the detangler. After drying her, well, her hair was straight and lustrous. I was needless to say excited, I did go through her hair section by section and straiten her hair to remove bulk, and polish strands.

However, the biggest transformation was in my guest. She had been waiting a very long time for this service. She couldn't wait to show her friends, she actually had them come and meet her at the school. The reason I think this is important is that I feel like sometimes we get caught up in the routine of what we’re doing, we don't look beyond it to see the emotional tie that's buried deep within our guest. This was a turning point, not just for her but for me. I can continue having not so great days or I can choose to see the magic that lives in what do we and create for people on a daily basis. We help people fix themselves. We make people see beauty where they’ve been taking it for granted for years. We help; shy, courageous, 16 year old girls find confidence in their own reflection. That’s how I know I’m in the right industry.

Here are my babies. If you’re curious about what the backbone of my style and finishes look like take a peek.