So Much Has Changed/The Beginning

So hey,

Work has been busy!

We changed training providers, so now I am officially a part of the salon's very own academy. In fact, during out first training session our boss filmed us and made a short video of our work. The video was posted on Facebook and Tigi London, British Hair among others liked it! That's quite exciting, as we've barely entered the industry and we're already getting good attention from big brands.


Leading on from that, I should also note that we've been booked in to have a colour eductation session with a master colourist from Tigi in November. I am SO excited for this as I'm fascinated by colour and I can't wait to start learning about it properly.

It's just a quick one today, I'll try and post a few pictures of the graduated bob cut we did in our last training session soon, but I'm finding it hard to get a quiet moment to do work like this as my days off are so random at the moment and it's been a few weeks since I've actually had 2 days off in a row.

I can't complain though, I'm absolutely loving my job!

 - Alice

What's Happening Now?

Hey,

It's been a little while since I've posted now.

I've been pretty busy these past few weeks. In fact, the only reason I've managed to find the time to turn my PC on and write this post is because I've been off work due to an unsightly (and painful) rash on my feet.

I've been working in the salon for 2 months now, and it really has been great. I'm enjoying the work and it's getting closer to the point where I'll begin my education.

A few things may have changed in that respect; it's still TBC but it's possible that my training provider may change, which means I'll only be trained in house. This is pretty awesome as my boss will be directing a lot of this training. As he was trained by Vidal Sassoon I completely trust his knowledge and I think I'll have a much better quality of eductation in the salon. Not to mention that it'll be 1 to 3 tutoring rather than 1 to 30.

Note the slight graduation

The bob was bevelled in the back

The completed bob

Using free hand cutting, we fixed the graduation on the neck when the cut was dried.

I did my first haircut on a block at my last training session. We were taught to cut a bob - which is apparently the hardest haircut in the book to master. I didn't find it too hard to do really, although my final product did have a little graduation in the bottom. We were taught how to fix this but it's something to keep in mind for my future training sessions. After how well that session went, I'm confident that I'll progress nicely as a hairdresser! I really enjoyed it actually.

If you're training in hairdressing and are looking for some scissors, I found these on Amazon for only £11.50. They worked brilliantly. They're nothing special - don't use them on clients - but for blocks they're perfectly acceptable. And they're rainbow which is super cool.


Ok I guess that's sort of it for now. I'm sure I'll have plenty more to post about when my training is in full swing.


Alice

The Run-Up to College

Hey,

So I've been in the salon for about 3 weeks now.

Last Thursday a college advisor came to the salon to sign me into the course. We had to fill out some paperwork and had a breif chat about health and safety, fire procedure etc. etc. basically as a formality to ensure I was safe at work. As I'm over the age of 18 I think a lot of that stuff doesn't actually apply to me, but it's something they had to do with regards to their paperwork. They asked me what I was being paid, if I knew where the protective equipment was and where the toilet was (ha! Imagine if I didn't by now...). It was all very simple and we finished the session in about half an hour.

One of the girls who's been working there longer than me has a hair show today. Her model was absolutely hopeless (she didn't turn up to a training session twice in a row) so I've been elected as her model. It's a little inconvenient as I'm going to lose about 6-7 hours of my day off doing this show, but it does also mean I can learn a little from watching the work going on around me. I may even end up posting a picture of what I end up looking like after it's done.


Last Monday we had our first training session. I was given my first block (training head) and I was taught a little bit of blow drying. Unfortunately a good hour or so of my training time was taken up by a practise run for this hair show (which did annoy me cause I was really enjoying myself) but I definitely still picked up a lot of information from the training time I did have.

Curly Blow Dry in Salon

I already knew the basics of blow drying the hair in a downwards direction to smooth the cuticle; it's something I've known for a long time as I picked it up when I was quite young from an article on the internet. I didn't find it too hard, and as I managed to blow dry the whole head to a satisfactory standard (for a first go at least) Daniel decided to teach me a slightly more complex technique. He showed me how to blow dry hair curly, which was so cool! Essentially, you're just using the round brush as a roller, and using the heat from the dryer to set the hair in the shape of the brush. It turned out so well, and when I went home I wet my whole block again and practised the curly technique all over the head. I think practising like this really helped with my technique; after all, practise makes perfect!

Curly Blow Dry at Home

It's not as smooth looking as I think it needs to be, but it shows I have the basics of the technique down and I need to now focus on making sure I can keep the hair as smooth as possible. I've also bought some sectioning clips which will really help me as I was pinning the curls up with bobby pins, and also clipping back my sections with them (they really weren't ideal for the job)

Next training session will be cutting, which I'm so excited for! I bought my first pair of scissors, and they seem to be pretty good. I got them off Amazon for a discounted price, and the reviews are good. I'll make sure to OK them with the stylists before recommending them on here.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading,

Alice

Just Over a Week In

Hey!

So I've completed just over a week at the hairdressers now, and I know it's early days but I gotta say I really am enjoying myself.

Everyone is so friendly, I feel like I've joined such a welcoming and genuinely lovely team. I'm finding my feet well and am definitely feeling myself become more and more comfortable being there; which is good as sometimes that transition from being scared and new to feeling like the workplace is normal can be a long process.

I've done a fair bit of shampooing now and I feel like I'm really getting to grips with it. I have a good routine now and I've had a considerable amount of good reviews and compliments which is really reassuring! I shampooed a woman who - by the sounds of it at least - is quite fussy the other day, and she was nothing but lovely about it and even went so far as to say I was brilliant (!).

Something I didn't anticipate was that I would get some tips. I don't know why I didn't realise it before, but it's definitely a perk to the job; particularly considering apprentice wage is rather dismal. So far I have £8 in tips, which I'm proud of considering I've done 7 days of work, and for most of that time I've been a near total beginner to shampooing.

Next monday the 18th we have some training, which I'm looking forward to. There's one other beginner to me, and there's 2 apprentice who have been there much longer than me. So the 2 older apprentices will be learning some cutting techniques, while me and my beginner buddy will be learning to blow dry. This is really exciting to me as I wasn't expecting to be learning anything like this until I start college - which won't be till September!

I'm planning on trying to nail blow drying as soon as I can. Like, as in, before I start college. If I can get my blow drying technique down to a point by the time I start officially doing my NVQ I believe I'll be in with a good head start. The quicker I can finish this apprenticeship and qualify, the better to me. I'm 20 years old and I wanna be properly working as soon as I can. I'm not expecting any miracles of course; I know it'll take at least about 18 months, but if I can get it done in that time I'll be more than pleased.

At the moment I'm definitely looking at doing some extensions courses at some point. I don't know if it'll be worth doing it before I qualify or not yet, but I know for sure I want to do weaves as a part of my career. It's something that interests me and I believe I could be good at it. Particularly if I start doing them early on in my career.

Anyways that's it for now,

 - Alice

The Most Ridiculous Day

Hey,

So today I had my interview at the College for my apprenticeship placement. 

Even over the phone they said to me it would be merely a formality (as I've been to the College already for an assessment of my English and Maths skills and a quick interview) and oh boy was it.

I literally came in, sat down, watched them do some paperwork, asked one question then left. That was it.


However, there's a whole big story behind that which bugged me so badly when I finished my 10 minute "interview".

First, let me introduce you to my new shoes. Public Desire, nude patent perspex heels. Gorgeous, right? They're not for everyone (my boyfriend hates them) but I bloody love them. They're so cool and classy.

Anyways, I thought as I only got them yesterday I'd wear them today. They're quite a tight fit so I struggle a little with the zip, especially as the zip has sticky patent fabric beneath it which seems like a bit of a design fault.

 

I set off to catch the train to Exeter at about 3:25, knowing I'd need to be there in good time to catch the train at 3:53. I got there in the nick of time as this asshole in front of me was driving so slowly and so over-carefully that it took me double the time it ususally does to get to the station. By the time I've walked there in my new heels the train is just driving away. Great.

I step back into my car and realise I'm gonna have to drive all the way to Exeter. I didn't want to do this as it was 4:00 and I'd be heading into rush hour traffic but I now had no choice. I took my heels off for the long drive and began barefoot.

The drive was fairly normal. I didn't encounter as much traffic as I was expecting and actually arrived earlier than I expected to. I also had just the right amount of change to pay for parking - that was my one stroke of luck today!

However when I went to put my shoes back on I managed to somehow rip a massive chunk of skin out of my finger on the zip. Fantastic! I would now have to go to my interview with a gross, pus-dripping finger. Yay!


Anyways, after all that stupid trouble I have a placement at the college. Which I was expecting anyway.

So much trouble for a 10 minute interview!

Ah well,

- Alice

My Experience at the Hairdressers and What it's Taught Me

Hey,

So as I mentioned before I have a sew-in weave in my hair at the moment.

It's 4 rows of 18 inches of human hair, doubled-over wefts. It's super thick and long and I absolutely love it.

I had my first re-application appointment last week as it had been 8 weeks and my natural hair had grown out and it needed to be tightened. That's the only slight drawback with weaves as opposed to keratin bonds or nano rings: you need to go to the hairdresser every 6-8 weeks as opposed to every 3-6 months.

However the massive positive is that there's no sticky glue or knotted rings in your hair, which is the reason why I wanted a weave. They're also waaay thicker than individual strand extensions and so much quicker to apply. It's taken about an hour and a half both times for my stylist to attatch the weave.

When I went for my appointment I saw it as a really good opportunity. I would be having my hair shampooed and conditioned, and a head massage in the salon so it was the perfect time for me to learn. Well, I thought at least.

I wasn't prepared for the fact that my hair would be a little matted after the removal of the weave. After a few tugs and pulls in the chair I felt alright about my hair. But when I got to being shampooed and conditioned, the tugging and pulling on the matts during the 'comb through' was so painful! And it made me wonder: why are hairdressers taught to comb from top to bottom?

I've always combed my hair from bottom to top as long as I've known it to reduce the pain of detangling, and also to protect the integrity of my hair. It seemed so strange to me that while my hair was in it's weakest state (wet!) they were tugging and pulling at it from root to tip with a hair brush. It makes me shudder a little now just remembering the intense pain in my scalp.

From this experience I've definitely learned that I'm totally right in thinking we should brush from tip to root; even if a professional stylist has told me otherwise. I'd rather do it wrong than have a client feel so uncomfortable as I did the other day.

Despite this, I'll never give up the weave! I love it so much. Just maybe I'll try and avoid the matting this time (although I was told my hair was much better than most peoples'... I dread to think how their scalps felt)

Anyway that's just what was on my mind for now. I'll be starting the job on Friday, and tomorrow is my last day of work in my old job.

Exciting times!

- Alice

June 2016 Recap

Hey,

So I haven't posted much lately for several reasons.

One being that I've been away. I've had a couple of weeks holiday in Manchester with my boyfriend which was lovely, and I didn't feel the need to break away from that to post.

Second is that I really don't have a lot to say at the moment. I won't be starting my job at the hairdressers until July the 1st, so on the topic of hairdressing I've currently run dry.


To be honest this post was mostly self-gratuitous, just to prove I could post at least once a month (ha!)

I promise I'll be writing more when I'm into the swing of things with my training,

Alice x x x