 There are a ton of people scrolling through Google with the hope of discovering someone who can properly cut curly or wavy hair. These individuals shudder at the idea of heading into a conventional salon, and for good reason. They have grown tired heading home with either tears or triangle. They long for someone who won't just attempt to manage or tame their hair, but rather shape it into something flattering, functional, and stylish. Many think the simple solution to this involves better training in school. While this will help a bit, it won't instantly solve the problem.  There are many things the salon industry promotes which are often nothing more than an attempt to monetise a desire to look and feel good. The idea that hair should be cut every 6 weeks is one salon recommendation which is completely ridiculous. If a hairdresser cannot design and execute a cut which can support the growth which occurs in just 6 weeks, they simply aren't very skilled or are attempting to have a client visit frequently purely for financial gain. With all but the very very shortest of cuts, designing with growth in mind alleviates the need for such regular maintenance. Too, with a longer interval between cuts, a client has the opportunity for greater control over changes in style.  Actively questioning and deconstructing what we do is a crucial part of personal and professional development. Often this can mean having to sort through contradictions to concepts that were picked up and adhered to long ago. Professionally, one that comes up with regularity is face shape and the relation to hairstyle selection. It often begins with an individual feeling as though because of 'x', they can't or shouldn't have 'y'. This falls into an area of absolutes that I'm quite firmly against.  It's no secret that I find social media, for the most part, to be a massive waste of time. It contributes little to society and has been shown to have a multitude of negative effects both in society and individual lives. That said, I have been pondering how to possibly engage in a way which would actually contribute something useful rather than blithely serving up vacuous self promotion. What there is to work with is the experience and perspective of an almost 30 year career and how that relates to full-time private practice. Many in my chair have listened to (or politely endured) numerous rants over the years and thus, this blog will attempt to flesh out those concepts with considered critical reflection and analysis. I'll aim to cover a few common topics with hope that those who have questions will benefit. Also, it will provide an avenue for something I enjoy...writing! All up it will likely just be a highly opinionated reference about the industry, society, life and how I attempt to operate within it to make people happy and live better lives. Hope you enjoy it. |