Serious Business Conference in New Orleans Inspires

I recently attended Neill Corporation’s Serious Business: Soundbyte Wisdom conference in New Orleans at the Roosevelt Hotel, an inspiring event intended to provide Neill’s customers and vendors with the most current and innovative thinking and concepts in such topics as salon management, employee motivation, marketing strategies, retail sales and staff education. The event, which was attended by 1,000 salon owners, managers and professionals, featured presentations by Daniel Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future; Bruce Tulgan, author of Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y and It’s Okay To Be The Boss, Tim Sanders, author of The Likeability Factor and Saving the World at Work and the former chief solutions officer at Yahoo!; Peter Sheahan, best-selling author of Flip; and industry icon Robert Lobetta. Neill is an Aveda distributor for seven Southeastern states and owns the Paris Parker chain of Aveda salons and spas, 11 Aveda Institutes, the eco-friendly Etopa line of salon furniture, and SalonBiz and SpaBiz software. In keeping with Neill’s mission of taking the environment into consideration with every action it takes, the company encouraged attendees to make a $10 donation to help offset carbon emissions. During the event, they also asked attendees to text 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross’ Haiti relief efforts, in addition to holding a viewing party for the Saints/Vikings playoff game, with proceeds going to Haiti relief.

Ruth Roche Talks About Her American Salon Cover Shoot

Roche starting her '40s-style twist

The creative inspiration for this photo shoot for the February 2010 issue came from the idea of working with texture in the family of curls and waves. Influences came from different time periods and what fashion designers are showing on the runway. One look is reminiscent of the ’20s, one of the ’40s and one from the ’80s. The six looks are still wearable and beautiful, even though the textures and ideas are quite strong. They are soft and elegant, yet really strong shapes. The muted colors and soft textures in the clothing carries the Pureology look of luxury and elegance with rich ingredients and textures.

We knew we wanted to do something different. Sets of all kinds have been making a huge comeback, not only traditional looks but with alternative textures as well. These textures range from a slight wave to beachy to glamorous. Taking these textures and creating timeless shapes also provided a new twist on the classics.

Roche touching up her "Dynasty" bob

To create these styles in the salon, always begin by preparing the canvas. A great cocktail for this is mixing Pureology Powerdressing, Nanoglaze and a small amount of Shinemax to damp hair, and blow-dry smooth or rough dry, depending on the set that will follow. If the look will be more textured, it’s important, especially when going for something with hold or creating an updo, to create some “grab” in the hair. This first step to prep the hair creates structure and shape. Then while working use InCharge for flexibility. To finish the look use InChargePlus for high hold, intense shine and touchable hair. Make sure to stay 10-12 inches from the head—a little hairspray goes a long way!

My favorite look is a tie between the Dynasty-inspired bob and the 40’s-era red twist. I love the simplicity of both, yet the shapes are strong!

Ruth Roche is a salon owner, editorial stylist, platform artist and educator, whose work has appeared in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Vanity Fair, Interview, Self, More and Cosmopolitan. Her celebrity clients have included Sheryl Crow, Claire Danes, Lindsay Lohan, Kelly Ripa, and Mariska Hargitay. With almost two decades in beauty, Ruth has been honored multiple times by the North American Hairstyling Awards, including Master Stylist of the Year, and is featured in the documentary Stars Behind the Chair: The Leading Ladies of Hair. She opened Rare by Ruth Roche/Pureology Salon in 2003.

Goldwell To Host Free Color Zoom 2010 Webinar

Just Naked was introduced at the 2009 global event in Las Vegas

On Wednesday, February 17 from 6 to 9pm EST, Goldwell will present a complimentary webinar designed to get colorists ready for the 2010 Color Zoom Challenge. The webinar will feature Deb Gavin, an international artist for the Color Zoom Team and the co-owner of Fresh Hair Studio in Southampton, PA. Gavin will be reviewing the Just Naked Trend World, which focuses on refined simplicity and essential sophistication, and offering advice on the following:

• Building a storyboard
• Collaborating with a photographer, fashion stylist and makeup artist
• Selecting a model
• Tips for hair color and lighting
• Writing up your technique

United States Color Zoom finalists will have the chance to compete in the global event, set to take place in Paris in October, and help Goldwell’s International Master Trend Team in designing the Color Zoom 2012 collection.

To register for the webinar, click here.

Sam Villa Wipes Out the Blocks to Creativity

Each of us possesses inborn creative abilities that can be strengthened just like physical abilities. If you love this industry and want to pursue a career in it, you don’t even have to be artistic. If you’re not great at cutting or coloring hair, you can express your creativity through advertising and promotion, product research and development, salon management or business training.

Many people, though, permit cultural and emotional blocks to limit their creativity. To keep your creativity fresh, push back against these blocks:

• Narrow thinking. We’re at our most creative when we’re very young. As soon as we go to school, we’re put on a schedule, instructed to color between the lines and “enlightened” about what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s possible and what isn’t. We learn this very well, and it can hold us back for the rest of our lives.
• Fear. When you’re afraid of making mistakes or appearing silly, you won’t take any risks. Becoming creative requires a very positive outlook, so soften your judgmental eye and don’t worry about what other people will say about you.
• Ego. While ego is somewhat the opposite of fear, it produces the same result. When you give in to self-satisfaction, you’ll stop experimenting with new concepts. You may fall in love with the cutting technique that made you a star and never challenge yourself to test out different methods. Pretend you’re a postage stamp: stick to something until you master it, and then move on to something else!

My own cultural block was being encouraged to be logical and discouraged to be irrational. I had to learn that what society considers a flaw was sometimes exactly the attitude I needed to lift me to the next level in my creativity. Ideas in your imagination may not always make sense at first, but they can turn out to work very well for you when you play with them. Throw your cultural and emotional blocks overboard, and start playing!

Sam Villa has more than 25 years experience as a platform artist and educator for major salon professional companies. Part of the Redken family for the past 11 years, Sam is Redken’s Education Artistic Director and Design & Training Consultant and appears on redken.com as a spokesperson for consumer consultations. He is in constant demand at international and domestic trade shows and in-salon programs, where his progressive teaching approach enables stylists to absorb new techniques quickly and for practical use in the salon. In 2008, Sam launched his website, www.samvilla.com, along with his own brand of digital media education and styling tools for salon professionals.

FUNraising part 2

Wow, sorry everyone, it’s been a while since my last post, I was having computer problems forever! Anyway, I have lots to update you on so its good.

School has been great, we’ve been busier than ever. Since I last spoke to you we’ve had Guilio, a Paul Mitchell Master Associate, come as a guest speaker, we’ve had our FUNraising launch party and conference call, we had our Cut-A-Thon for Haiti, and we recently started our new fundraisers as well.

First off, Guilio was amazing, so funny and inspirational, he made sooo much sense and got everyone thinking about appreciating themselves more.

The conference call for our FUNraising kickoff was really cool, it was good to hear from the top ten schools that raised money last year. They had great ideas and giant goals they had set for themselves this year.

Our Cut-A-Thon went amazingly well, we’re most definately gonna host more of those to raise money in the coming months. We raised over 1,000 dollars in less than six hours cutting hair, and it all went to help Haiti.

And this week we also kicked off two new fundraisers. Yesterday and today we had a bake sale, everyone chipped in bringing all sorts of goodies, and we made about 200 dollars from just that! Plus we had Jean Day as our theme yesterday and almost everyone participated. We’ll be having alot of those from now on. And we’re selling Valentine’s Day Grams this week! Our holiday grams for christmas went really well so hopefully valentines will too.

Nico was our guest speaker this week and she gave two of our girls awesome haircuts and new color. They look so beautiful and trendy and different.

Last but not least, Caper is coming up next week! Everyone who is going has been in and out of meetings making sure they have everything prepared for the event. It’ a great opportunity to network and make new friends. I can’t wait for them to get back to hear about it all.

Until next time,

<3 Hanna Compton

Moroccanoil Helps Stars Look Hot on the Grammy Awards Red Carpet

Several celebrity stylists used Moroccanoil products to get stars looking glamorous for the 52nd-annual Grammy Awards. Here’s how they did it:

Jennifer Lopez, styled by Robert Vetica

For Jennifer Lopez’s 70’s-inspired hair, featuring lots of volume and texture, Robert Vetica applied Moroccanoil Treatment to wet hair and blow-dried it with a large round brush, creating a center part. Working from back to front and lifting her hair away from her head, Vetica used a 1-inch curling iron on sections of hair, dragging the curled spirals down. After the curled hair set, he finger-brushed the look and applied Hydrating Styling Cream to hold the set and add additional texture. Finally, he brushed out the hair, then back-combed underneath for maximum fullness and volume. Vetica finished with Luminous Hairspray for free-moving, shine-enhancing hold.

Pink, styled by Marco Santini

Pink’s look, created by Marco Santini, was a shimmering vision of modern glamor and sophistication—both before AND after her water-soaked aerial performance. Santini wanted a style with a “unique, flowing shape that emphasized volume, height and the illusion of movement.” Santini started by applying Moroccanoil Treatment throughout the singer’s damp hair to create a silky-smooth shine, then worked the argan oil-infused Hydrating Styling Cream from the roots through the ends for lift and hold, as well as create a “grip” for his brush while blow drying shape and direction. After Pink’s cropped locks were blow-dried, Santini misted new Luminous Hairspray on the outer layer and saturated several layers inside the hair from root to end. He then brushed the sides of Pink’s hair back and sculpted a rockabilly fold toward the nape of the neck. Santini finished the look with a light mist of Glimmer Shine Spray all over the hair (from a distance of 10-12 inches) for an instant boost of shine. The final touch to Pink’s Grammy look was a star-shaped diamond brooch that was fastened to the front of her hair for an elegant touch.

Lea Michele, styled by Mark Townsend

Glee star Lea Michele went sleek and sexy with her new look from Mark Townsend. “Since the Grammys are the biggest night in music, I wanted to give Lea a little rock-n-roll edge, so we went with straight hair that had great shine, with a full, side swept bang to complement her Ramona Caveza dress, “ Townsend said. He started by adding a few drops of Moroccanoil Treatment to Michele’s wet hair, blow-dried it with a large round brunsh, then flat-ironed it with a slight bend on the ends for some movement. Next, he mixed Hydrating Styling Cream and Glimmer Shine Spray in his hands and raked them through her hair for amazing shine with a light, natural hold. To add a little texture, Townsend sprayed Sally Hershberger Genius Spray Wax all over. To finish, he sprayed Luminous Hairspray on a natural bristle eyebrow brush, brushed down any flyaway hairs and ran the brush through her bangs to keep them swept to the side.

Jet Rhys on Reaching New Heights

Volume at the spring 2010 runway shows ascended to new heights, and Hollywood is jumping on the trend. The advantage? Going up-up-and-away to a new altitude slims the face and elongates the body for a taller, more fabulous appearance. Be warned, though, longer, heavier hair needs a strong set to hold volume for an entire day—let alone all through the night. Time to try what we call the “Jet Set” at my San Diego salon.

It’s key to prep first: Prime locks with volumizing shampoo and conditioner, then towel dry and apply a quarter-sized amount of L’oreal texture expert Infinium 3 strong hold working spray (my personal fave). Since most thickeners are heat-activated, speed blow-drying time by working strands’ undersides, then the surface and finish with a large-sized Marilyn boar-bristle brush.

Now steal a runway secret by curling the hair to create extra texture. For a Jet Set, wrap four jumbo-sized hot rollers in the interior sections only—leave the hairline free. Mist with a little spray and wait for rollers to cool completely before you unwind. The final touch for supersizing hair? Backcomb underneath the crown for a mega-volume boost, then smooth the surface for a flawless finish. When keeping the sides up and away from your face, clip them up and mist on hairspray lightly. Let the spray dry before ever-so-gently pulling the clips away.

Jet’s career started at the age of 6 in her grandma’s beauty salon in Chicago. Since those humble beginnings, her talents have taken her across the globe working with and teaching hair color for Vidal Sassoon salons for 10 years. Jet is co-founder of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego. Recently selected by Self magazine as one of the top colorists in the U.S., Jet frequently works behind the scenes creating the money shots of those glossy, swingy manes for national television and print ads.Jet’s motto is “look, study, attack.”

Mehron Makes Pink’s Grammy Performance Golden

One of the most talked about performances at Sunday’s Grammy Awards was Pink’s daredevil trapeze routine. While the singer wore a barely there body suit, her dancers were covered in Mehron Makeup’s body paint. “Mehron’s Metallic Powder in Gold with Mixing Liquid was off the charts,” said makeup artist Yvette Beebe. “It went on so smoothly, easily and had staying power.” Good thing, too, as the dancers hung from the rafters of the Staples Center for much of the performance.

—Beth Furtwangler

Shear Genius Starts Tonight!

Regular readers of this blog know that I have a weakness for Bravo reality shows, and Shear Genius is no exception—especially now that my longtime favorite Jonathan Antin has joined the cast as a judge! Several other stylists American Salon has worked closely with over the years will be making appearances as well, including mentor Orlando Pita, judge Kim Vo and guest judges Oribe and Ken Paves. We can’t wait to see what kind of wisdom they impart to the latest group of contestants. After you watch tonight’s premiere, let us know your favorites!

In other Shear Genius-related news, previous winner Dee Adames will be at IBS New York! I met her briefly last year when the Season 2 finalists all took to the mainstage for a styling demo and Q&A session, but I’m excited to see her in action again next month. To register for IBS NY, click here.

Oribe Styles Hair for Armani Prive in Paris

After a personal invitation from Giorgio Armani, hair icon Oribe flew to Paris for the designer’s Armani Privé fashion show during Paris Couture Week last week. To go along with the lunar-inspired collection, Oribe created crescent-shaped updos for the models.

“I thought, ‘Let’s create something very modern and unique that will complement the clothes with a fresh look,’” Oribe said. “A girl that lives on the moon. A girl that is allergic to the sun. A very space odyssey hairdo.” He continued, “Knowing Mr. Armani, I knew that precision was a must. Not a hair out of place. I created a helmet-like texture with an ‘Alexandre’ inspired chignon … with a moon top.”

For the show, Oribe tapped into the resources of his new brand, Oribe Hair Care, putting together a backstage team that combined his National Education team and select Artistic Directors from Oribe Member Salons across the country. The team included Luigi Bruni (Luigi Bruni Salon, Birmingham, MI), Adam Livermore (Spalon Montage, Edina, MN), Kien Hoang (Umbrella Salon, San Jose, CA), Scott Miller (Scott Miller Salon, Rochester, NY), Vu Montgomery (Obadiah Salon, Bellevue, WA) and Jordan Blackmore (Three Square Studio,  New York City).

“I think it is very important to share experiences and I feel like we always see incredible hairdressers every time we go into member salons to speak and educate,” Oribe said. “I wanted a team that was aware of the Oribe brand and could use the products and create the look of shine and precision that would fit the Armani aesthetic. I was able to tap into each different stylist’s expertise for this incredible project, and the result was fantastic.”