c/cosmetologists

Had a regular tell me her extensions saved her marriage

This woman came in last Tuesday for a touch up and out of nowhere said her husband started treating her better after she got the extensions. She said he noticed her more and actually complimented her for the first time in years. I mean I just do hair and glue them in, I didn't think it would fix a whole relationship. Has anyone else had clients say something like that about their work?

3 comments

paulw87•5d ago

Just found out my color gloss is way more expensive than I thought

I was at the supply store yesterday getting my usual tube of color gloss for touch-ups, and I saw a price tag that stopped me cold. I've been using the same brand for like 3 years and never paid much attention to the cost per application. But I did the math while waiting in line, and it turns out I'm spending around $8 per client for gloss alone. That's like 20% of what I charge for a full service when you factor in everything else. Found it on the back of the box too, there's a little chart that breaks down coverage per ounce. I never looked at that part before. My last class at the community college mentioned markup on products, but this hit different seeing it with my own numbers. Anyone else ever crunch the numbers on their regular supplies and get surprised?

2 comments

jordan_anderson90•10d ago

Spent 2 hours trying to fix a brush that just needed to be cleaned properly

Was about to toss my favorite boar bristle brush. Tangled up. Hair all stuck in the pad. Thought the bristles were bent for good. Took it apart. Soaked in warm water and a drop of shampoo for 15 minutes. Used a comb to pull the hair out. Good as new. How many brushes have you tossed that could have been saved?

2 comments

clairem47•12d ago

Switched from box dye to pro color and it saved my hair in Portland

I had been using $8 drugstore box dye for years and my hair felt like straw. Last month I paid $120 for a professional color at a salon in Portland and the difference is insane. My stylist used a Redken formula that actually left my hair soft and shiny. Has anyone else seen this big of a change switching from box to pro products?

2 comments

murphy.barbara•13d ago

Shoutout to the client who finally let me fix her grown-out brows

Had a client come in last Tuesday who had been getting her brows waxed by someone at a chain place for like 3 years. They were just doing the same tiny stencil shape every time even though her natural arch was totally different. The inner corners were practically shaved off and the tails were way too thin. I asked if I could just let her natural shape grow back in for 6 weeks and she agreed. Yesterday she came back after that growth period and I was able to map her brows properly using her bone structure instead of that cookie cutter stencil. She cried happy tears in the chair because she said she never knew her brows could frame her face like that. Has anyone else dealt with clients who get stuck in a routine with a tech who is just doing the same bad shape over and over?

3 comments

gibson.elizabeth•14d ago

My aunt who cuts hair out of her basement told me to use mayo as a deep conditioner and I walked around with hair that smelled like a deli sandwich for a week.

She swore it would make my highlights look salon fresh, but all it did was leave me with greasy roots and a craving for rye bread, has anyone else been given a home remedy that backfired this badly?

2 comments

david_rivera4•15d ago

Unpopular opinion: My mentor told me I was using too much developer and I laughed it off

My mentor at the salon in Austin said I was pouring 40 volume when I only needed 20 for a root touch-up. I ignored her for 3 months thinking she was being extra careful. After frying a client's ends so bad they turned gummy, I realized she was RIGHT all along. Has anyone else had a senior stylist give advice that felt wrong but turned out to save your reputation?

3 comments

james_kim•16d ago

Client told me my highlights looked 'too stripey' so I had to rethink my whole technique

I had a regular named Sarah call me out on her foils last month. She said it looked like I was painting stripes on a zebra. I realized I was weaving too thick and not blending enough at the root. Switched to a finer weave and added some babylights in there. Has anyone else had a client totally change how you section hair?

2 comments

caseym48•16d ago

Hot take: those $200 serum treatments at the mall kiosk are a total ripoff

I was walking through the mall in St. Louis last weekend and overheard a lady at one of those kiosks telling someone that her $220 vitamin C serum would "transform their skin in one application." I actually do cosmetology on the side and I've been mixing my own vitamin C serums at home for around $15 a bottle. The stuff they sell at those kiosks is mostly just water, glycerin, and a tiny amount of active ingredients that degrade in the light anyway. I used to work at a salon that sold similar high-end serums and the markup was like 400% on stuff you can buy the same base ingredients for online. Has anyone else ever compared the ingredient lists on these mall serums to drugstore stuff and seen theyre basically the same thing?

2 comments

valw36•17d ago

My foiling technique totally failed on a balayage client yesterday

I tried using that new foil-free method I saw on IG. Looked great in the video but on my client with thick hair it turned into a hot mess. Color bled everywhere. Had to start over after 2 hours and just use traditional foils. Felt super embarrassed. Anyone else ever fall for an online technique that didn't work in real life?

2 comments

torres.sage•18d ago

Just had a foil meltdown in my station yesterday

I was in the middle of a full highlight on a regular client at my salon in Austin. Got distracted helping the new girl find a toner and left the foils on for like 12 minutes too long. Client's hair came out this weird brassy orange instead of the cool blonde she wanted. I had to do a quick toner rinse and then a full gloss treatment to fix it, cost me an extra 30 bucks in product. She was chill about it thank god but I was sweating bullets. Has anyone else had a timing slip up that threw off their whole day?

2 comments

johnflores•19d ago

That $50 dryer I bought off Facebook marketplace was a complete waste

I needed a new blow dryer for my station since mine died mid client last Tuesday. Found one for $50 from some lady who said it was barely used. Got it home, plugged it in, and it sounded like a lawnmower with rocks in it. Lasted maybe 4 minutes before it shut off completely and never turned back on. Has anyone else had bad luck buying used tools online?

3 comments

hugo_bennett•19d ago

Finally nailed a balayage on my third try this week

I've been struggling with balayage for months now (my teacher warned me it would be tricky) but on Wednesday at the salon in Austin I finally got one to look actually good. My client Sarah even told me she loved it before I finished the toner. Has anyone else had a technique that just clicked after multiple fails?

3 comments

grant.sam•21d ago

Noticed something weird at the Chicago cosmetology convention last month

I went to the Midwest Beauty Show in Chicago last March and saw this huge shift. Like 80% of the vendors were pushing keratin treatments and bonding systems, and barely anyone was demoing classic foil highlights anymore. Even the younger stylists I talked to said they only do maybe 5 foil sets a week now. Everyone's just slapping on bond builders and calling it a day. Is anyone else seeing this in their salon too, or is it just the convention crowd being trendy?

2 comments

wyattrobinson•23d ago

My old stylist swore by using mayonnaise as a deep conditioner, I tried it and here's what happened

Back in 2019 my first mentor told me to slap on some Hellmann's before a wash and let it sit for 30 minutes. I was like no way that's just a dumb internet trick, but I gave it a shot on a client with super dry hair last month in St. Louis. I have to say their hair felt softer after one round, but the smell was brutal for the next two days and I'm not sure it's worth the hassle compared to a $12 mask. Has anyone else actually gotten good results from kitchen stuff or is it all hype?

3 comments

xena373•23d ago

Had a chat with an old client yesterday that totally shifted how I see high-end hair oil

So I was doing a root touch-up on Mrs. Gable, who I've been seeing for like 8 years now, and she mentioned she switched from that expensive brand I always recommended to a $9 drugstore serum. At first I felt a little insulted, not gonna lie. But she said her hair actually felt softer and had less buildup, and she's been getting more compliments. I asked if she changed anything else in her routine, and she said nope, just swapped the oil after the wash. It really made me think about how much hype we put into products that cost a fortune when sometimes the cheap stuff just works better for certain hair types. I mean, I still stand by professional lines for chemical services, but for daily maintenance maybe I've been pushing the wrong stuff. Has anyone else had a client secretly switch to budget products and get better results?

3 comments

terrybennett•24d ago

Had a client's color turn green right before a wedding

I was working on a bridal party at a salon near downtown Denver back in March. The bride wanted a cool ash blonde but her hair had old box dye that I didn't catch. It pulled straight up green after the toner went on and she had to walk down the aisle in 4 hours. I quickly threw on a red pepper rinse followed by a warm toner and it neutralized enough to look natural. She ended up happy but I still get nervous doing drastic color changes now. Has anyone else had a repair job that almost ruined a special event?

3 comments

sammoore•26d ago

Debate: Should we charge a consultation fee or keep it free?

My friend Jenna who runs a booth at a salon in Austin told me she started charging $25 for consultations after too many people booked a full hour, got free advice, then never booked a service. I always thought free consults bring in clients, but she said she lost 3 people in one month but the ones who actually paid booked full services. Made me wonder if we're undervaluing our time. What do you guys do? Do you charge or keep them free?

3 comments

james_kim•26d ago

Appreciation post for that one client who actually listens to your advice

I had a regular come in last Wednesday who usually fights me on everything I suggest, but this time she actually asked for my opinion on a new color. Three years ago she would have walked in with a photo from Pinterest and insisted we match it exactly, even though her hair was already fried. Last month she finally let me do a bond repair treatment after I bugged her about it for ages. This time she sat down and said "just do what you think is best." I almost fell out of my chair. We did a soft balayage with some lowlights and she actually loved it. Has anyone else had a stubborn client suddenly do a 180 and trust you out of nowhere?

3 comments

christopher_sullivan•26d ago

Got told my blending was too harsh and it made me rethink everything

So I've been doing hair for like 7 years now, and I always thought I had a solid technique for shadow roots. Last month this client straight up told me the blend from her roots to her mids looked like a hard line. She wasn't being rude about it, just honest. At first I was kinda defensive because I thought I was doing it right. But I looked at her hair in that salon mirror and she was totally correct, I could see the demarcation plain as day. So I switched up my method, started using a finer tooth comb and pulling the color through way slower section by section. Now I'm wondering if my old way was actually rushing the process just to save 10 minutes. Has anyone else had a client call out a flaw that totally shifted how you work? Or do you stick with what you learned in beauty school no matter what?

3 comments

loganl22•28d ago

PSA: don't waste $200 on that fancy new hot air brush

I bought that big round hot air brush everyone's been raving about on TikTok for 200 bucks and my hair looked worse than my $40 Revlon one from Target. It just frizzed everything up and took twice as long. Anybody else get burned by those influencer tools?

2 comments

the_jamie•29d ago

My booth rent went up $200 overnight with zero notice

I overheard another stylist saying she just accepts rent hikes because 'you gotta pay to play in a good salon.' But I know three girls who walked out when their landlord pulled the same thing last year. Is it smarter to negotiate hard or just find a new space when they treat you like that?

2 comments

stella_baker•29d ago

Just found out the FDA doesnt actually regulate what "organic" means in hair color

I was reading some blog from a cosmetic chemist last night and she flat out said that claim is just marketing, not any real standard. Blew my mind since Ive been upcharging clients for organic color for years. Has anyone else looked into this or am I the only one who got duped?

3 comments

james_singh7•1mo ago

Client told me my blending looked fake and it changed my technique

A lady named Mrs. Davis told me last month that my highlight blending looked like stripes. I was using a foil method I learned in beauty school for 5 years. She suggested I try a balayage sweep with a smaller brush instead. Took me 3 tries to get it right but now the transitions look way more natural. Has anyone else had a client call them out on something you thought was fine?

3 comments

drew690•1mo ago

Can we talk about taking the cheap option for a haircut?

I had a choice last month. $60 at my usual salon or $20 at the chain place down the street in Denver. Picked the cheap one. She cut one side shorter than the other. Looked like a stack of paper. Had to go back to my regular girl and pay $45 to fix it. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

2 comments