c/cosmetologists

Foiling technique debate: sections vs. freehand

I learned foiling with precise brickwork sections back in cosmetology school in 2018, but now at my chair in Austin I mostly do freehand slices on dry hair. The speed difference is huge, but I worry my highlights aren't as even as they used to be. Has anyone else switched methods and noticed a real difference in the finished look?

Shoutout to that old-school stylist I watched in Philly last weekend

I was at a salon in South Philly watching a stylist in her 60s cut hair with just shears and a comb, no razors or thinning shears at all. She got perfect texture and movement without any fancy tools, which goes against everything I learned in cosmetology school. Am I the only one who thinks we lean too hard on those specialty shears instead of mastering the basics?

I used to think expensive shears were a waste until I tried a pair in Chicago

Last Saturday I was at a CosmoProf in Chicago and one of the stylists there let me test drive her $400 Hikari shears. I've been using the same $60 pair from a beauty supply store for 3 years. After one cut on a practice mannequin, I ordered a pair on the spot. Anyone else have a tool that made you rethink your whole setup?

Hit 20 years behind the chair last Tuesday and it still feels weird

I was looking at my old cosmetology license from 2004 the other day. The picture alone tells you how much the industry has changed, hair wise and tool wise. Anyone else feel like the training they got in school barely covers what you actually deal with now?

Had to pick between two toners after a bleach disaster - went with the wrong one

Last month I had a client with major brass after a bleach session, so I had to decide between a violet toner and a blue one. I went with the violet because it was what I always grab, but her hair had way more orange than yellow. Within 5 minutes she looked muddy and I had to scrub it out and start over with the blue. Cost me an extra 45 minutes and a free conditioning treatment to make it right. Has anyone else messed up a toner choice and learned the hard way about undertones?

Silicone brush vs boar bristle - I made the switch and my highlights are way better now

After 5 years using the same silicone brush for balayage, I grabbed a boar bristle brush from Sally Beauty for $12 last month. The bristles pick up way less product and let me feather the ends instead of leaving those harsh lines. I finally got that soft, lived-in look my clients at the shop in Dallas keep asking for. Any other stylists ditch their synthetic brushes and notice a difference?

My box of 50 foils fell open behind the salon chair, what a disaster

I was reaching for a fresh foil pack during a full highlight yesterday at my station in Nashville, and the whole box slipped out of my hand and burst open behind my chair. It took me 20 minutes picking up foils from under the dryer and between client feet while trying to keep the conversation going. Has anyone else had a supply mishap that totally threw off their rhythm mid-service?

Hit 15 years behind the chair yesterday and it caught me off guard

I was going through my appointment book and realized I started at the Paul Mitchell school in Phoenix back in February of 2010, which makes 15 years exactly. Never thought I would stick with it this long, especially after that first year when I could barely cover my booth rent. For the other stylists who have been doing this a while, what kept you going through the slow periods early on?

Rant: A senior stylist told me I was layering too high on my cuts and she was totally right

I used to always start my layers at the crown (you know, that classic mistake) because I thought it gave more volume. But a stylist with 20 years experience watched me do a layered bob on a client last month and said "honey, you're taking off 3 inches of weight where it needs to stay." She showed me to start layers about 2 inches lower, around the occipital bone, and my cuts actually hold their shape way longer now. The volume still comes through but without that weird mushroom top look. Has anyone else had a senior stylist call out one of their habits like that?

That $12 hair gloss from the drugstore I ignored for years

Bought it on a whim last week after seeing a stylist friend use it on her own hair. My highlights popped like I just left the salon for a fraction of the cost. Anyone else find a cheap product that actually surprised you?

Threw $60 down the drain on that 'miracle' dry shampoo foam

Bought this new foam dry shampoo stuff last week at Ulta because the spray was leaving white streaks on my brunette clients. Worked fine for the first two sprays, now the nozzle is completely clogged and I'm back to my old powder. Anyone else had zero luck with those foam formulas?

Hot take: I think the whole 'less is more' trend in color is going too far

I was at a salon workshop in Portland last Tuesday and the instructor was pushing this idea that we should barely lift the cuticle, just a tiny hint of dimension. She showed us a client who paid $350 for a color that looked basically like her natural hair with a few weak highlights. I get that we all went through that over-bleached phase 3 years ago, but now I feel like we swung too hard the other way. I had a client last month who came in crying because the last stylist barely changed her base and she felt like she wasted her money. She wanted a noticeable balayage, not a whisper of one. I think there is a middle ground between frying hair and making it look like you did nothing. Has anyone else had clients push back on this subtle color trend?

Can we talk about the moment I stopped fighting with bleach and started listening to it?

I was in my salon in Austin last Tuesday, doing a full highlight on a client with dark brown hair. I mixed my usual formula, applied it like I always do, and 20 minutes in I saw the roots processing way faster than the mids. Panic set in, I threw on some foils to even it out, but by the time I rinsed, the roots were almost yellow while the ends barely lifted. The client was cool about it, but I felt terrible. That's when I realized I'd been ignoring how different porosity acts at the scalp versus the ends. Now I section differently and apply bleach in stages, starting with the mids and doing roots last. Has anyone else had a specific bad bleach day that totally changed how they do things?

Had a client walk out mid-service at the mall salon - now I check everything twice

I was doing a balayage at the Regis in Oakbrook Mall last Tuesday and a lady just got up and left after I started applying the lightener because she said my gloves "smelled like chemicals." Turned out she was 4 months pregnant and hadn't told me, and now I ask every new client if they're sensitive to smells before I even mix anything. Has anyone else had a surprise reaction like that throw off your whole appointment?

Switched from drugstore shampoo to salon quality and my hair actually changed

I used to think all shampoos were basically the same so I bought whatever was on sale at Walgreens for years. Last month I finally tried a professional brand from my stylist, Redken something or other, and the difference was NIGHT and DAY. My color stopped fading after just 2 washes and my scalp isn't dry anymore. It cost me $28 for a bottle but I only wash twice a week so it's lasting way longer than I thought. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a huge difference with their clients or themselves?

Found out last week that hair only grows about 6 inches a year on average

I was looking up why some clients seem to get zero progress between cuts and the growth rate stat honestly blew my mind. Made me wonder if there's any trick to speeding that up or if we're all just stuck waiting it out.

Just had a client in Miami ask for a vivid color melt that turned into a 4 hour disaster

I usually freehand my color applications but after that experience I'm wondering if sectioning grids are actually safer for complex blends, does anyone else feel like winging it with vivids is a recipe for regret or am I the only one who got burned?

Thought color theory was just fluff until last Tuesday

Spent 3 hours trying to match a root shadow on a client with ash brown hair. Kept pulling too warm. Finally stopped and looked at the actual undertone. A 20 minute consult would have saved me almost 3 hours. Anyone else skip the basics and regret it?

Hot take: I switched from blow drying to air drying curls and it's a game changer

Used to always rough dry my clients' hair with a diffuser on high heat, thinking it gave the best volume. But after 6 months of trying air drying with a leave-in cream first, I get way less frizz and more defined ringlets. Anyone else seeing better results skipping the blow dry step for wavy hair?

Stopped using toner and my highlights actually look better now

I was having this issue where my highlights would always come out brassy after a few weeks, no matter what toner I used. I tried three different purple shampoos and even dropped $60 on a professional toner from the supply shop downtown. Then my mentor, who's been doing hair for like 25 years, told me to just stop using toner altogether and go with a high-lift color instead. I figured why not, what have I got to lose? Tried it on two clients last month and their blondes stayed cool and fresh for almost six weeks. The secret was lifting two levels higher than I normally would and using a demipermanent color with a pearl base. Has anyone else ditched toner and found something that works better?

That 6 month difference I saw in my own hair after switching shampoos

I started using sulfate-free shampoo back in January and by June my scalp irritation was totally gone. Has anyone else noticed that big of a change just from switching one product in your routine?

That purple shampoo I laughed at actually fixed my silver hair

I've been doing hair for about 8 years now and I always thought purple shampoo was just a gimmick. Figured it was something the product companies pushed to make more money. Then last month I had a client named Carol who came in with this beautiful silver bob but it was all brassy and yellow. She begged me to try a specific purple shampoo she bought from a salon in Denver. I told her honestly I didn't think it would do much but she insisted. After three washes at home she came back looking completely different. That yellow was gone and her silver looked like actual silver. I had to admit I was wrong. Now I recommend it to every older client I get. Has anyone else had a product surprise them like that?

Shoutout to the stylist who showed me what a real balayage looks like

I used to think balayage was just throwing some lightener on the ends and calling it a day. But then I went to a workshop last month at SalonCentric in Dallas and saw this master stylist do a before and after on a client with dark brown hair. She spent almost 2 hours just on the placement, painting tiny sections instead of chunking them. The smooth grow out was crazy different from what I was doing. I realized I was just skipping the technique and relying on bad habits from beauty school. Now I'm going back to the basics with my brush strokes and I've already seen way better results on my clients. Any other stylists here change up their balayage method recently?

Told my coworker "that toner won't lift enough" and she proved me dead wrong

Hot take: most people are over-mixing their color formulas

I was at a salon last week watching this stylist mix up a color and she was stirring it like she was making cake batter. I mean she went at it for a solid 45 seconds. I used to do the same thing until my mentor stopped me and said you are just introducing air bubbles that cause uneven deposit. She told me to fold it gently for like 10 seconds max and that is it. I tried it on my last three clients and the color came out way more consistent with zero patchiness. Has anyone else noticed this or am I just being picky about technique?