{"id":154,"date":"2013-10-11T13:17:52","date_gmt":"2013-10-11T13:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/hair\/texture-textbook\/"},"modified":"2013-10-11T13:17:52","modified_gmt":"2013-10-11T13:17:52","slug":"texture-textbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/2013\/10\/11\/texture-textbook\/","title":{"rendered":"Texture Textbook"},"content":{"rendered":"

click image to zoom<\/span> <\/span><\/span> Love doing curly hair? You\u2019ll also love the income which might be driven by targeting
texture. Whether all your salon becomes a hub of texture specialists or simply some of you
position yourselves as curl authorities, the consideration can put you well known. Christo, who has established himself as a curl guru and his NYC salon, Christo Fifth Avenue, as a haven for all things curly, says word-of-mouth brings 80 to 150 new clients to his 2,500-square-foot salon every month. How are you going to generate that level of viral buzz a few texture specialty? You don\u2019t ought to admit defeat your straight-haired clients, but to capture curlies you could contemplate your enterprise in numerous terms\u2014on everything from A to Z.<\/p>\n

A<\/span><\/span>maze<\/span>. \u201cWow\u201d a curly, and you’ll see that client back for your chair. \u201cA lot of curly clients are available feeling defeated,\u201d says Anthony Cress, the 2013 NAHA Texture winner in addition to educational and inventive director at Studio 4 in Newport Beach, California, and a member of the Sebastian Design Team. \u201cIt feels to them like they’re going to never achieve that stunning hair they\u2019ve always wanted.\u201d Stacy Hill, owner of DyeVerCity Salon in Martinez, Georgia, which provided this Texture! issue\u2019s cover style, says that clients are acquainted with a disheartening routine: \u201cA lot of salons say they do curly hair, but what they honestly do is straighten curly hair after which style it.\u201d Transforming a shopper who walks in fearing her texture into person who walks out loving it’ll spark the engine that revs up word-of-mouth. Sums up Shawna Parvin, a countrywide educator for Aquage and the 2009 NAHA Texture winner, \u201cThe more makeovers you do on clients who really love their curl, the more you are able to advertise yourself as a texture expert and the more curly clients you\u2019ll get.\u201d<\/p>\n

B<\/span><\/span>rag<\/span>. This isn’t the time for modesty! Dramatic before-and-after texture photos will grab attention. \u201cA picture truly is worth 1,000 words,\u201d says Sherri Jessee, the 2013 NAHA Editorial Stylist of the Year. \u201cI recommend snapping plenty of photos of your transformations\u2014why not take a before-and-after of each client?\u201d At Jackson Ruiz Salon, an Aveda Lifestyle Salon in Austin, Texas, the work is everywhere. \u201cSeeing is believing,\u201d says co-owner Allen Ruiz, named NAHA\u2019s 2013 Hairstylist of the Year. \u201cWe often shoot images of highly textured models, which we utilize within the salon and on our website. It makes new texture clients feel more well-off and assured.\u201d Communicate. Make certain staff both inside and out of the salon are aware that you\u2019re seeking to build your texture business. \u201cI\u2019m booked a year upfront, so I refer new curly clients to other stylists within the salon who i do know can do textured hair,\u201d says Jeff Duckwall, a GKhair lead creative team member and inventive director at Maddison Taylor Salon in Cincinnati. \u201cI even refer some to a former assistant who works at a distinct salon. It\u2019s about filling the purposes of that client.\u201d Front desk is prime besides. \u201cIt\u2019s as much as you to invite the receptionists to thrill send you all of the curly clients who call,\u201d says Parvin.<\/p>\n

\n

D<\/span><\/span>emonstrate<\/span>. \u201cOnce you\u2019ve taught curly clients ways to style their hair,\u201d Parvin notes, \u201cthey can be cheerleaders and send you more clients.\u201d Anthony Cress estimates that he gets five new curly clients for each texture client he enlightens. \u201cTexture clients have had curly hair their whole lives, and yet no stylist has told them tips on how to work with it,\u201d Cress says. \u201cI walk them through it step-by-step .\u201d On the Ouidad Salon in Santa Monica, California,Ouidad educator Morgan Willhite posts how-to videos for curly clients to access. And while they\u2019re in her chair, the clients style a section of their new look under her supervision. \u201cIt\u2019s true of all clients, but with textured clients you want to make extra-sure they can maintain the look themselves,\u201d Willhite notes. \u201cIf you teach the textured client about her hair and her new style, she\u2019ll trust you.\u201d Clients transitioning from relaxing services to natural hair need re-education. \u201cMost clients who were relaxing their hair are still fighting the curl,\u201d says Cress. \u201cThat\u2019s because
they don\u2019t know the best way to work with curly hair. Once they do, their whole life changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

E<\/span><\/span>ducate<\/span> yourself. \u201cFirst and foremost, really learn and make sure you know how to work with confidence on all types of textured hair,\u201d Ruiz advises. \u201cSpecializing means you\u2019re an expert at something,\u201d adds Franco Della Grazia, global artist and texture ambassador for Matrix and a leading stylist at Cutler Salon in NYC. \u201cWhen a client asks you a question about texture, you need to be able to answer it. You can\u2019t fool someone with textured hair. Hairdressers who are successful at this are the ones who really know their craft.\u201d click image to zoom<\/span> <\/span><\/span> Texture classes and videos are becoming more common. Christo offers both at his salon, while Hill\u2019s stylists research the product formulas and present the information to each other. Willhite suggests becoming certified in texture. \u201cIn 2000, I became the third person to be certified by Ouidad,\u201d she says. \u201cToday more than 250 salons are Ouidad-certified, applying to multiple stylists per salon. Our facility in New York offers training in how to properly cut curly hair and how to use all of the styling products. It\u2019s hands-on technical training, but you\u2019re also training your eye to look at hair differently because of the texture.\u201d To truly be a texture specialist, Della Grazia maintains that you need to be able not just to manage curl but to create it. \u201cWe aren\u2019t calling them \u2018perms\u2019 anymore, because we\u2019re changing the perception,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re just getting bend on the ends and lift at the root, so we\u2019re putting in fewer rods. There\u2019s a huge market for this; not everyone is born with the beachy hair texture that women desire today.\u201d<\/p>\n

F<\/span><\/span>acebook!<\/span> Also tweet! Post videos on YouTube! If any industry benefits from social media, it\u2019s the visually inspired beauty industry. Posting your work online communicates that you\u2019re serious about what you\u2019re doing, says Jessee, who owns Sherri\u2019s Hair Salon in Bristol, Virginia. \u201cWhen you post a lot,\u201d she notes, \u201ceventually people will want to find out more about you and your salon.\u201d Christo estimates that his p.r. team spends two to three hours a day on social media in addition to one staffer who is a dedicated social media marketer. \u201cWe do it all,\u201d Christo says. \u201cFacebook, Instagram, Tumbler, Pinterest\u2014you name it. We do a lot of fun stuff, and our contact list keeps growing and growing. One morning, I sent out a stylist and make-up artist to do a financial advisor who was going to be on TV and has more than 25,000 followers on Twitter. We exchanged our services for her tweets plus one Instagram. You would be amazed at how many people you can reach.\u201d Hill reminds stylists not to neglect the hashtag. \u201cWe constantly get new people joining our Instagram page just from seeing a photo that pops up on a hashtag like \u2018hair,\u2019 \u2018curly hair,\u2019 \u2018natural hair\u2019 or \u2018textured hair,\u2019\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

G<\/span><\/span>oogle<\/span>. To assess your online marketing power, don\u2019t google the name of your salon; google what potential clients are googling. \u201cI ask new clients how they found us, and often their answer is that they did a search on \u2018best curly stylist\u2019 in their geographic area,\u201d says Willhite. Do that same search; if your name doesn\u2019t show up on the first page, work harder to create an association between your salon and curly hair. Make sure your website includes keywords like \u201ccurly,\u201d \u201cfrizzy\u201d and \u201ctexture\u201d as well as the name of your curl-friendly product line. Write a blog, which creates fresh content regularly\u2014something the Google engine notices. And don\u2019t forget to send out press releases. \u201cTwo months ago The Wall Street Journal came into our salon under cover and gave us the best review!\u201d Christo recalls. \u201cWe got a lot of clients from that. It\u2019s always effective when a respected publication tells your story.\u201d<\/p>\n

H<\/span><\/span>eal<\/span>. The typical texture client who comes to you has hair that\u2019s dry, stressed and damaged. Fix it! \u201cFor the hair to show off its natural curl, it has to be in good condition,\u201d says Cress. \u201cBeing a texture expert starts with priming the hair with shampoo and conditioner,\u201d agrees Parvin. \u201cUnderstanding the fabric will set you apart and also get better styling results. Companies are emphasizing styling products that also hydrate, so you\u2019re providing the moisture first and then the hold.\u201d Invite. At Planet Curls Salon in Houston, Texas, Geri Curtis holds \u201ccurl parties\u201d to bring in curly clients and their friends. Make it fun while showing your guests tips to style their curly locks and solve their
hair challenges.<\/p>\n

J<\/span><\/span>ump-start<\/span> your speciality. \u201cThe first thing I did when I decided to go full-force into texture was to advertise on NaturallyCurly.com,\u201d says Hill. Curlies search that website for texture-savvy local salons, and Hill says her ad attracted a core clientele. Hill also includes her texture specialty as well as her texture-targeted product brand on her business cards. \u201cI hand out my card everywhere,\u201d Hill says. \u201cWhen I see someone with curly hair, I give her my card and say, \u2018Hey you should check out our website.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

K<\/span><\/span>eyword<\/span>: Keratin. With texture clients looking to eliminate frizz, keratin services and other smoothing systems can be an appropriate solution. Clients rely on you to keep your eye on that moving target because the smoothing story continues to change. From explaining the chemistry to delivering a flawless result, you should know your smoothing systems.<\/p>\n

L<\/span><\/span>ook!<\/span> Closely analyze the client\u2019s hair, because what you see is not necessarily what you\u2019re getting. \u201cIf a new client comes in with her hair blown dry but wants to commit to wearing a curly style, I sometimes wet and condition the hair and put the client under a dryer,\u201d says Willhite. \u201cYou have to find out how the cut will fall and how the hair will dry.\u201d Cress, too, makes sure he analyzes the hair right after it\u2019s shampooed. \u201cAny hidden little trick she\u2019d done to style her curly hair gets washed away,\u201d he says. \u201cYou see the truth in curly hair when it\u2019s wet. You see how strong that curl pattern is; the idea is for the dry look to mimic the way the hair naturally looks when it\u2019s wet.\u201d Della Grazia agrees that curly hair has a mind of its own. \u201cIt always falls back into the same curl,\u201d he notes, \u201cso when you try to push it into a shape it doesn\u2019t want to go, it won\u2019t do it.\u201d Touching is as important as looking, Cress adds. \u201cAs hairstylists, we \u2018see\u2019 with our hands,\u201d he says. Della Grazia recommends observing the client holistically, taking in her demeanor and body language. \u201cYou can tell whether the client loves the spirit of curly hair or is frustrated about it,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

M<\/span><\/span>erchandise<\/span>. One quick way to communicate your texture specialty is to create attractive displays of curl-targeted products. \u201cHaving those products on your shelves helps to reinforce your position as a texture expert,\u201d says Ruiz. \u201cSeparate your textured-hair products from your other products,\u201d suggests Christo, whose salon carries his own curly-formula click image to zoom<\/span> <\/span><\/span> products. \u201cIn addition, have the products right there with you during the consultation. The client has to get the connection that you have this speciality.\u201d At Cutler Salon, Della Grazia says all of the curly products \u201csit in their own little family,\u201d and the stylist\u2019s workspace remains bare of products until the stylist begins using them. \u201cWe go get the product we\u2019re using and bring it back to our station so the client can focus on it,\u201d Della Grazia says. \u201cIt dilutes the retail experience to have a lot of products at your station that you won\u2019t be using.\u201d<\/p>\n

N<\/span><\/span>ame it!<\/span> Curtis named her salon \u201cPlanet Curls\u201d so there would be no mistake about her specialty. \u201cCurly girls will find you no matter what your name is,\u201d Curtis says, \u201cbut an obvious name will help them find you easier on the internet.\u201d Hill\u2019s business name came to her
in her sleep. \u201cAt 1 a.m. four years ago, I woke up and wrote down the name \u2018DyeVerCity,\u2019\u201d Hill remembers. \u201cPeople see that it\u2019s a play on \u2018Diversity.\u2019 It\u2019s worked out really well, because our salon caters to all types and cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n

O<\/span><\/span>bsess. <\/span>Notice texture on the street and in magazines, join curly hair forums online and practice constantly on mannequins or willing friends. \u201cI am fortunate that our salon is multicultural, allowing me to work with textured hair on a daily basis,\u201d says Ruiz. \u201cClients get bored, so you have to come up with new ideas,\u201d adds Hill. \u201cWe set ourselves apart by not doing the same things clients see everywhere.\u201d When you live and breathe texture, your familiarity with curl and affection for textured hair become apparent. \u201cWhen a curly client walks in, through your body language and demeanor she will know immediately whether you\u2019re comfortable with curly hair,\u201d observes Willhite. \u201cIt puts clients at ease when you\u2019re saying
all the right things during the consultation,” agrees Cress.<\/p>\n

P<\/span><\/span>artner.<\/span> \u201cAlign yourself with a product line that has high-performance products that cater to textured hair,\u201d advises Ruiz. Curtis says she partners with brands that \u201creally care about the integrity of the hair. And I love companies that offer education.\u201d Curlies have tried so many products that they\u2019re less forgiving, observes Della Grazia. \u201cThey\u2019ll use something once,\u201d he notes, \u201cand if they don\u2019t get what they want out of it\u2014bang, it\u2019s gone.\u201d Christo agrees. \u201cCurly-haired clients are more demanding than clients with straight hair,\u201d he says. \u201cThey come in with a lot of questions, and the stylist must know the answers. At least two or three stylists in the salon should learn everything about the line and be able to teach clients how to use the products to control frizz and style their hair.\u201d Product knowledge strengthens your relationship with the client, says Hill. \u201cAt their next appointment, clients will say, \u2018You were right\u2014using the leave-in conditioner when I go swimming does keep my hair from drying out.\u2019 The client learns to trust you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q<\/span><\/span>uestion.<\/span> And listen! The consultation is your time to shine. But before you give information, get some from the client. Hill says, \u201cWhen texture clients complain about their hair, we ask them, \u2018Why do you hate your curls?\u2019 Most of them either aren\u2019t using the right products, or else their hair used to be relaxed and now that their hair is natural they have to relearn how to manage it.\u201d It\u2019s also important to inquire about the client\u2019s routine. \u201cI ask clients how long they are willing to spend on their hair,\u201d says Willhite. \u201cI\u2019m not going to show them a 30-minute styling process if they prefer to spend only 15 minutes. If I can\u2019t give them exactly what they want, I find out what they really love about their hair and incorporate that into a look they\u2019ll like.\u201d <\/p>\n

R<\/span><\/span>eward, refer, rebook.<\/span> Implementing reward, referral and rebooking systems will deliver two more R\u2019s: recruiting and retention. Your business strategies that work for building any clientele are even more crucial to attracting and keeping curly clients, who have a complicated history with salons. Reward them with one complimentary service for every 10 paid services and again if they send you new clients. Toward the end of every visit, remember to say, \u201cTo maintain your style, I\u2019ll need to see you in six weeks.\u201d These systems work. Use them consistently, and you will watch your numbers climb.<\/p>\n

S<\/span><\/span>ample. <\/span>Clients with thick, dense, textured hair can go through bottles of product in no time. And because they\u2019re more open to trying new products than straight-haired clients are, many end up with drawers full of barely used products. Give them a break and hand out shampoo, conditioner and styling gel minis. \u201cGetting free product is always appreciated!\u201d confirms Cress, adding that even with a free sample it\u2019s important to provide full instructions in the proper use so that the product works and they\u2019ll come back to purchase the full size.<\/p>\n

T<\/span><\/span>ote the tools.<\/span> Keeping your station stocked with big clips, wide-tooth combs and diffusers shows curlies that you understand their texture. \u201cOn textured hair, you don\u2019t want to use a brush or comb with a lot of teeth or anything that breaks up and expands the curl,\u201d Willhite cautions. Retailing the tools you use helps the client to recreate the look at home. \u201cClients may tell you that they use a sock over their hair dryer and then complain that they still have frizz,\u201d says Willhite, \u201cbut a sock is probably not going to diminish their frizz! And if a client with straighter hair is trying to tease out curl, a sock will not give her the curl she wants. Both clients need to use a diffuser. Give the textured client a diffuser with teeth to help the curl formation and with walls around the edges to keep air from blowing out the sides and causing frizz.\u201d<\/p>\n

U<\/span><\/span>p service<\/span>. Don\u2019t be afraid to add to the ticket with deep-conditioning, maybe a keratin service and, of course, retail. \u201cTexture clients will pay whatever it takes to have healthy, beautiful hair,\u201d Duckwall observes.<\/p>\n

V<\/span><\/span>olunteer.<\/span> Heighten your visibility by getting out into the community and showing off your texture skills. \u201cWe do a lot of Fashion Week styling, and we make ourselves available to charities,\u201d says Christo. \u201cIf I\u2019m invited to a radio station to give advice, I go! Donating your time brings you clients, especially when you have a specialized business.\u201d Hill seeks out events compatible with teaching women about their hair. \u201cI was the featured speaker at an event for Natural Hair Awareness Month,\u201d she reports. \u201cThis type of exposure positions you as an authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

W<\/span><\/span>ear it.<\/span> Be a curly if you can. \u201cMany clients believe that only someone who has curly hair can understand curly hair,\u201d says Curtis. \u201cSome of my clients seem disappointed when they come in and see that I only have beach waves.\u201d Although she straightens occasionally, Hill showcases her natural texture most of the time. click image to zoom<\/span> <\/span><\/span> \u201cA lot of my clients say they trust people who have hair that looks like theirs,\u201d she notes. \u201cThey know the stylist will understand shrinkage and frizz.\u201d Parvin relates. \u201cWhen you\u2019ve had curly hair all your life, the client knows that you\u2019ve had to go through some rough times,\u201d she laughs. \u201cBut that\u2019s just perception. When stylists know and love hair, it doesn\u2019t matter whether their own hair is curly or straight. A lot of very good stylists are men who are bald!\u201d<\/p>\n

X<\/span><\/span>tras.<\/span> Just as you would with any client, go above and beyond expectations. The typical curly client has a long memory and plenty of bad salon stories, so ensure that she enjoys her time with you. Double up on your customer service protocol so that she feels welcome in the salon. \u201cAn extra-fantastic shampoo calms the nerves!\u201d says Cress. Also greet her warmly, offer her a drink and let her know that you value her business.<\/p>\n

Y<\/span><\/span>elp!<\/span> Of all the social media sites, Yelp may be the most pivotal to your business. Curlies like to help each other find solutions. \u201cWe\u2019re always checking Yelp to see how we\u2019re rated,\u201d notes Della Grazia. \u201cAll you need is a couple of bad reviews, and your reputation is tarnished.\u201d In fact, a 2012 study by two Berkeley economists of restaurants\u2019 Yelp reviews found that just a half-star improvement on Yelp\u2019s five-star rating made it as much as 49 percent more likely that a restaurant would fill up for dinner. \u201cClients might look up \u2018best salon Ouidad products,\u2019 and Yelp reviews will pop up immediately,\u201d reports Willhite.<\/p>\n

Z<\/span><\/span>ero in.<\/span> \u201cAbout 70 percent of women have wavy to coily hair, so it\u2019s a big market,\u201d says Christo. \u201cThere\u2019s a movement right now to go natural; if you\u2019re not servicing men and women with curly hair, you\u2019re missing out. People are tired of fighting their curl, and you can have clients for a lifetime. So it\u2019s best to teach them learn how to love their hair.\u201d Parvin agrees. \u201cTexture now is like hair color or highlighting,\u201d she says. \u201cYou should be good at it, because lots of folk have it and<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

click image to zoom Love doing curly hair? You\u2019ll also love the income which might be driven by targetingtexture. Whether all your salon becomes a hub of texture specialists or simply some of youposition yourselves as curl authorities, the consideration can put you well known. Christo, who has established himself as a curl guru and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.angelbeautysalon.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}