According to Pivot Point, “Meta: Men offers a body of work featuring four classic looks, four contemporary looks and shear-over-comb techniques to inspire stylists and provide fresh ideas to share with male clients. The versatile designs in Meta: Men are suitable for busy professional lives and offer easy transitions to trendy, low-maintenance looks for nightlife and weekends.”

Step 1: Preset hair with a strong blow dry set or a marcel set and your favorite sleeking products. Begin by isolating a large, off-center triangle section on the left of the head and clip out of the way. Try not to go below the temple area, as that hair will be incorporated into your french braid.

Step 2: Isolate another large, off center triangle section on the opposite side of the head and clip out of the way. This section can be larger than the first, bringing it below the temple and back toward the crown.

Step 3: You should now be left with a third section, which is your braiding section. Begin about 1-inch back from the hairline, create your favorite style of french braid, directing it back and down tight toward the nape and securing with a elastic band. (Leaving out a small section of hair on the left side of nape).

Step 4: Take your section from Step 1 on the left side and bring it softly down around the face, adjusting to the client’s needs and face shape. Make sure that the right side of your section is covering a portion of the left side of the french braid. Wrap the ends around the pony and secure with bobby pin.

Step 5: Sub-divide your second triangle section into two smaller sections. Bring one section smoothly around the head, making sure the left side of the section is covering a portion of the right side of the french braid. Wrap ends around pony and secure with bobby pin.

Step 6: Taking your remaining divided section from the right side, bring it around to the left side of the head, slightly lower than the previous section and down to the ponytail. Using the small section of hair left out at the nape, start braiding into the current section OVER the ponytail. This will give the illusion that the french braid is coming out into the pony. Finish the ponytail as you and your client feel best. For a more undone/messy feel, try rouging the ends or to keep it softer and more romantic, create a soft wave or curl pattern! Have fun and get creative!

There are varying degrees of food allergies. A reaction can range from mild to severe, and can even be life threatening. Some people are so sensitive to a food that just being around someone who has touched that food item can be dangerous. Clearly, this is a serious issue and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

As service providers and co-workers, it is important to be aware of how our actions might affect someone with a food allergy. Fortunately, there are simple things we can do to avoid causing an allergic response.

EIGHT COMMON FOOD ALLERGIES

Be aware of the most common food allergens. While any food can cause a reaction, these are the most common—in fact, these eight foods account for 90 percent of all allergic reactions:

peanuts  •  tree nuts  •  milk  •  eggs •  wheat  •  fish  •  shellfish  •  soy

SOAP + WATER = CLEAN HANDS

Some people are so allergic to a food item that simply smelling it or being touched by someone who handled that food can bring about an allergic response. Wash your hands with soap and water after every time you eat or are around food.

Keep in mind that sanitizing lotions and gels DO NOT eliminate allergens from the skin. They should not be used as a replacement for soap and water. This is especially critical for stylists who touch customers’ skin during a haircut.

BRINGING FOOD TO WORK

If you eat at your place of work, it’s important to be aware of co-workers who may have a food allergy. Granted, it is their responsibility to share this information, so if you do know this, respect the situation, especially if you use a common refrigerator, microwave or prep area. It doesn’t mean you can’t bring that food item to work (unless they are so sensitive that just being around the food brings on a response); it just means you have to be very diligent about cleaning up after yourself.

IF SOMEONE YOU WORK WITH HAS FOOD ALLERGIES

• Be considerate to those with food allergies. Don’t criticize them when they  choose not to eat something that is offered.

• If you share a workspace or food-prep area with co-workers, don’t eat at your desk and clean up after yourself.

• When planning work-related social events, consider menu choices and locations that are friendly to co-workers with food allergies.

• Remember that all employees, including those with allergies, have a right (through the Americans with Disabilities Act) to a safe and healthy work environment.

IF YOU HAVE FOOD ALLERGIES

• Tell at least one of your co-workers or your manager about your food allergy. Share with them a story about what happens when you are exposed. This will reinforce the seriousness of your situation.

• Be aware that other people may not take precautions to prevent your exposure to a food allergen. Be proactive to protect yourself.

• Depending on the severity of your allergic reaction, provide emergency information to your manager or co-workers.

• Help other people understand food allergies. Share your story in a calm, simple manner.

The best thing someone with a food allergy can do is talk about it. The best thing a co-worker can do is listen and then respect the situation. Even better, take advantage of Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 13–19, 2012 by talking with your co-workers about what you can do to make Great Clips a food-allergy-friendly place to work.

Additional resources:

http://www.foodallergy.org/page/raising-awareness-making-an-impact

http://newlookatfood.weebly.com/basic-definitions.html

Learning and perfecting this skill takes a lot of practice so give yourself several weeks to master it. Here are some helpful tips to use while learning.

Choosing your shears

Shears vary in size from 4 inches and up. Smaller shears are for people with smaller hands, and so on. Shears should feel like an extension of your hand for the best control and the safety to your customers.

As a rule, short shears are for detailed work and precision haircutting, while long shears are for overcomb techniques and cutting larger sections.

Remember that you only use the tips of the blades while cutting so make sure that the shears fit your hand.

There are two types of shears: shears with off-set blades and shears with even blades. The main difference in selecting one over the other is personal preference. Off-set shears work well on keeping the hair flat while cutting with minimal damage to your tendons. Even-blade shears work the exact same way if held properly.

As for color, make and metals—again, all personal preference.

How to hold your shears

Add some plastic rings for the finger and thumb grips to your shears. Layer them to get the perfect fit. Ask your local distributor or scissor sharpener to help pick the right sizes for your shears. (They are inexpensive—about $1 for each ring, and they come in many colors so have fun dressing up your shears.)

Another trick is to place adhesive bandages on your finger and thumb, or inside the ring itself, to prevent your shears from sliding down while you learn.

• Place the ring finger into the top hole of the shears. This hole is called the finger grip and it should rest on your ring finger about 1/4 inch below the bottom of the fingernail.
• Next, rest your pinkie finger on the pinkie rest found on the outside of the hole, called the finger brace or finger tang.
• Put your thumb into the bottom hole—the thumb grip—so that the top of your thumb makes contact with the top-inside portion of the hole. The ring should go around your thumb at the bottom of the thumbnail. Over time, you will get a slight callus here, which is actually helpful in keeping your shears in place.
• Now put your index and middle finger together; then, rest those fingers just below where you put your ring finger. Depending on the shears, there may be a slight groove in the shears indicating where your fingers are meant to rest.
• Place the index and middle fingers of your free hand below the blade so that the bottom blade rests on those two fingers.
• Move only your thumb to open and close the bottom blade, called your cutting blade or moving blade. The top blade, called the stationary blade, should not move.

This is the proper way to use hair-cutting shears.

Why you should hold and use your shears this way.

• Never pump your blades at the same time or hold your shears lower on your fingers because this is one of the major causes of carpal tunnel syndrome, which can lead to pain—and a short career as a hairdresser.
• A quick test to feel the difference between the two ways is to place the shears as instructed in Step 2. Watch the movement in your wrist and arm. There shouldn’t be any movement. Now, place the shears incorrectly on your fingers—low down—and watch the movement in your wrist and arm. This will eventually lead to discomfort and pain, and will prevent you from controlling your bottom thumb grip while cutting.

For maximum control in your haircuts, safety to your customers and the long-term health of your body and career, take the time to learn and master the proper shear-holding technique.

Want to rock this look this season? Follow these easy Step-by-Step instructions from Sexy Hair International Artist, Jenny Pietrzak, utilizing Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing & Texturing Powder and Big Sexy Hair Spray and Stay Intense Hold hairspray.

Pompadour Ponytail

• Take a 1” to 1 ½” section of hair from front profile area and over direct forward.
• Sprinkle a small amount of Big Sexy Hair Powder Play at scalp to about 3” to 4” away from scalp.
• Massage product in to activate. This will result in instant life and positive traction.
• Utilizing the same section, lightly backcomb and lock in with Big Sexy Hair Spray and Stay.
• Repeat technique with next sections to the crown area.
• Once completed, smooth lifted area, along with sides and back profile hair, to desired style position.
• Secure with band.
• Finish and secure style with Spray and Stay.

This post is from Sexy Hair and can be found in their March/April 2012 issue of Backstage.

Lauren Gartland, founder of Inspiring Champions: “The major cause of these types of breakdowns is no communication or miscommunication among the parties. When this occurs, the smallest thing will set them off. Solution: We have to get to the bottom of why they don’t get along. Again, if you have a strong code of honor they have agreed to, you have a safe place where they can express anything, anytime. Once we know the cause, we can come up with a solution that both can agree on to move beyond this.”

The article goes on to share how effective communication is just as vital as knowing how to provide a good haircut:

“Eighty percent of our business is relationship- driven—having good communication is just as important as knowing how to do a good hair cut. We believe we are teaching the staff important skills that will help them in the salon and beyond for the rest of their lives.”

Listening is also important when it comes to solving conflicts, as Dale Carnegie Training of Alabama shares,” Listen more and talk less. Hearing each person’s point of view instead of talking over them to get your point heard, will help you understand the reason behind the disagreement and stop any unnecessary arguments from happening as a result of a misunderstanding. Do not appear to be authoritative, appear as an equal to your coworker.”

There’s bound to be some difference of opinion when you work with a diverse group. Managing these conflicts is vital for any organization to be successful – especially ones that deal with the public on a day-to-day basis. What does your team do to avoid arguments and to ensure your salon staff gets along?