Dear Beth:

When toning pre-lightened hair, which technique is better: pre-lighten, shampoo, condition, dry and apply a no lift demi-permanent formula OR pre-lighten, shampoo and apply a demi-permanent soap cap at the shampoo bowl?

—Tone Technique

Dear Tone:

While it may seem more convenient to apply your toning formula at the bowl, I recommend that you apply it at your chair. This enables you to apply the color with much more accuracy, plus your client will perceive more value in the service and be more comfortable overall. Besides, as you know, performing bowl applications often prevents you from saturating the back of the head and the nape properly. Click here to read more Q&A with Beth Minardi!

With prom and wedding season closing in, it’s time to fine-tune your updo game—and upstyle guru Martin Parsons is here to coach! First, he suggests you section according to thickness: “If the hair is skinny, create a larger triangular section, subdivide that section into smaller sections and tease the base of each subsection. If hair is thick and heavy, create 1-inch sections and tease at the base to create a foundation for securing the pins without producing too much volume.” Next, it’s time to tease: “Instead of pushing the comb forward when teasing, push it down the hair shaft then pull back. It makes it easier to smooth the hair,” he says. Finally, it’s all in the finish: “Dry spray is the best for updos. Test your spray by misting it into the air; if the ‘cloud’ drops, it’s too heavy. Remember, when you apply hairspray, avoid aiming the nozzle directly at the hair. Instead direct the spray past the section. Count to five then give the spray time to settle, and finally, run the smooth part of the comb along the section for a spectacular finish,” he says. Learn from top educators when you attend International Beauty Show NYC, April 22-24! Register NOW!

Just because the holiday season and Valentine’s Day have come and gone doesn’t mean you should stash those gift certificates away until Mother’s Day. There are some creative ways for you to get people through the door right now! For instance, BTC Best Seller John DiJulius III, author of Secret Service, suggests teaming up with a local business or restaurant in your area with exceptional customer service. Convince them to give you 1,000 gift certificates worth $15. Next, send those 1,000 gift certificates, along with a gift certificate to your salon (you can determine the price) to your best clients with a “thinking of you” note. On the note say, “This is one of my favorite establishments in town. Stop in and see me before you see them!” Not only will this bring in more customers to the restaurant, it will also make your clients delighted they received an unexpected gift. Before you know it, every restaurant and business in town will want to partner up with you for future opportunities, and your chair will be full for months on end. Get 25% off Secret Service in the BTC Bookstore!

If you’ve never participated in a BTC webinar, you’ve missed out on priceless business and technical information from top educators:

• In “Amazing Creative Color,” Goldwell’s Dimitrios Tsioumas gave key advice on how to prevent vibrant colors from bleeding during color application. He suggests applying water to the area around the highlights to isolate the area. Then, make sure to rinse the hair and remove the foils at the same time so the water can help rinse away any excess color. (If you missed this webinar, it features very cool 3-D videos for sectioning and color placement!)

• Beth Minardi gave insights into the “Secrets of Successful Color Salons” and talked about the best time to raise prices: “Make the decision by looking at your books,” she says. “Are you booked up solid for five weeks out? If so, start to inform clients two months ahead of the price hike. And raising your price only five or ten dollars won’t do any good. Instead, try 10 to 15 percent. If that is too high for some clients, recommend a junior stylist so you can still keep their business.” Want more tips from top educators? Shop all the webinars in the BTC Bookstore!

With Mercedes Benz Fashion Week well underway in New York City, we’ve been scouring the runways to see what hair trends we can spot for the upcoming season. Our favorite so far? Braids and buns (and even better, a combination of the two). At the Marc Jacobs show, Redken Creative Consultant Guido created a style that harmonized with the designer’s Dr. Seuss-inspired hats. Two adorable braided buns seemed to be the perfect fit, plus they stay in place and look super chic under a hat! To create the look, Guido began by taking a thin layer of hair from the forehead and pulled over the face to create a veil. Next, he created a clean center part from the forehead to the nape of the neck, pulled the hair into low ponytails under the ears and secured with elastics. Guido then braided each pigtail and wrapped them around into a knot, securing with pins. He finished with Redken forceful 23 super-strength finishing spray. See more braid and bun how-tos from Fashion Week!

It’s time to start perfecting your updos, because it’s only a matter of time until spring brides start lining up for their big day. Having a hard time hiding your pins? No worries! Matrix Artistic Director Nicholas French knows just how to conceal them. First, brush your hair into the desired upsweep. Using a large hair pin, push it though the section you wish to secure from left to right. Use the U-shaped end of the pin to push through the hair, then move the feet of the hair pin towards the crown of the head. Find the appropriate tension to lock hair, and then push the U-shaped part of the pin downwards. By doing so you will find the hair will automatically close behind the pin making it invisible. And if you’re concerned about flyaways, Matrix Artistic Director Daniel Roldan has just the trick. Spray water onto a large brush blush. Run the brush lightly onto the hair style to smooth down the flyaways. Then, spray Matrix Total Results™ Proforma Hairspray onto the same blush brush and brush lightly onto the hair style to keep flyaways in place. Win a year’s supply of Matrix Total Results™!

Here comes the sun! Spring is on its way so get your clients out of the wintery gray gloom. Anita Gutierrez, Master Colorist for Clairol Professional, suggests her signature “Sun Kissed Brown” technique to achieve a sunny, multidimensional and healthy result on your mature clients. Starting on a natural Level 5 (lightest brown) with 30 percent gray, Anita says to section the top of the head in a soft star pattern and isolate it with a clip. On the bottom section, apply 1oz. 6NN + 1 oz. 20-volume Clairol Professional developer and cover it loosely with foil. Next, apply 1 oz. 8NN + 1 oz. 20-volume Clairol Professional developer to the top section. To achieve maximum gray coverage, allow the color to process for 45 minutes before rinsing, shampooing and conditioning. “Using the darker shade on the bottom creates more depth and a stronger outline to the haircut,” Anita shares. “And remember, you can use this technique with any of the NN shades to create this dimensional look.” Get the hair sectioning diagrams and see the steps!

With her mega-sized voice and now a mega-sized trophy case for all those new Grammys, it’s only natural that Adele completes her look with mega-sized, voluminous locks. The singing sensation single-handedly brought big hair back, and we can’t get enough of her style; she always looks classy, feminine and downright lovely. To create an Adele-inspired ‘do on your client, roll sections of hair onto hot rollers, starting at the top of the head. Spray each section with hairspray and allow the rollers to cool. Once cool, remove the rollers, create a deep center part, then brush the curls out to create waves. If your client needs a little boost in the volume department, recommend extensions! A basic rule of thumb for applying extensions to create believable volume, says Great Lengths Technical Director Celeste Lucero, is to add 3 to 5 rows at the sides, 2 to 5 rows at the nape and 2 to 5 rows at the perimeter. Find out the three finalists in the Great Lengths Before & After Imagery Contest!

While shampooing an older male client, he whispered, “I’d get you in bed if you weren’t married!” OMG. That was the last time I did his hair.

Rachael Butler

BTC Facebook Fan

With more staff members than managers, workers have a far bigger impact on each other than anyone has on them, says David Wagner, author of Life as a Daymaker. “Sharing the company vision often helps make our noble purpose a part of employees’ daily lives. We know we have been successful when our staff enthusiastically helps each other,” he says. If you’re noticing your staff isn’t as passionate or eager as they used to be, check out David’s tips for turning their attitudes around: Write thank you notes when you think they did a good job or if a customer complimented them; pass around birthday, get well or anniversary cards for everyone to sign; if they are swamped, offer to pick up lunch or coffee for them; smile and be happy to see them—we all feel uplifted by people who like us. If you need to correct any error or behavior, do it in a gentle, kind way that tells them that while they made a mistake, you still like them and believe in them. Need more help boosting business? Get 25% off all business education in the BTC Bookstore!