fbpx
Ideas are born by the emotions we experience!

Ideas are born by the emotions we experience!

by | Feb 27, 2020 | Hairstylist Life

This is a personal story but one worth sharing since I know it’s relatable. This is my experience, my light bulb moment, when I realized it was about so much more than the hair.

My name is Carrie Robinson and I am the proud owner of the Studio.

Here is my story…..

I loved playing with hair from a very young age but it wasn’t until my teen years that I knew I wanted to be a Hairstylist.

Whenever I was having a rough time as a teen, or when I wanted to take a break where I couldn’t feel guilty for doing ‘nothing’, I would make a hair appointment.  I’d look forward to that appointment from the day I booked it until the second I walked in the salon door.

As soon as I stepped inside the salon I felt looked after.  I was the focus of my Stylists’ attention and I knew once I was finished, I’d feel confident and beautiful.

It was a boost to my mood, but more importantly it introduced me to what self-care truly is, and how vital it was for me.

Sometimes the Stylist would genuinely connect with me, invest in making me look and feel amazing, and other times not.  There were a few times things went south and I didn’t walk out feeling great about myself or my appearance at all.  Times where I had to stare at that bad hair service in the mirror for weeks, feeling the disappointment, while it grew out or while the colour faded. 

Those times taught me what I didn’t want.

My visits were frequent enough that even my Mom noticed.  After a particularly rough week in teenage drama land ?, I’d just hung up the phone from making a hair appointment and my Mom said…

‘You can’t just go and get your hair done every time you have a bad day!’

That was when it clicked. When I realized how much a visit to the salon actually did for me, and it really wasn’t about the hair. It was so much more than that.

In that moment I decided that I wanted to make other people feel the way I did when my hair service was amazing.  I wanted them to feel special and taken care of every single time they got their hair done. Not sometimes, every single time.  I wanted to provide an atmosphere where self care was simply part of the experience. 

I didn’t want to provide a simple service. I wanted to provide an experience.

Armed with a love for doing hair and an idea spurred on purely by an emotion, I knew in order to make it happen I had to accept responsibility to learn and do whatever necessary to provide a client with that level of service. The level where service truely does become an experience.

And the rest of the story? There are chapters upon chapters just waiting to be told ? but I’ll share the next one another time ?

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

How to Choose a Hairstylist Part 2 – Window Shopping!

How to Choose a Hairstylist Part 2 – Window Shopping!

by | Feb 22, 2020 | Just for Salon Clients!

How did you make out last week?

After the intro to this blog series on How To Choose a Hairstylist, you were off to look at inspiration pictures to narrow down exactly what you want to show your new Hairstylist. Hopefully you’ve found some good ones and you’re ready for the first step in your Hairstylist search.   So here we go with part 2!

 

The world is online and your new Hairstylist should be too!

Career Stylists will be visible on Facebook and Instagram, as well as on a personal or salon website.  Just being there isn’t enough though! 

Now that you know what you love and have your inspiration pictures ready, what you want to do is find similar examples of the colour, cut or style you are looking for right in yur potential new Stylist’s portfolio.

Seriously, I can’t stress how important this really is! 

Every Hairstylist naturally develops a style and by paying close attention to their pictures you will be able to tell tell which style they excel at. 

 

Your new Hairstylist needs to excel in what you want!! 

 

Read it again: YOUR NEW HAIRSTYLIST NEEDS TO EXCEL IN WHAT YOU WANT!

The best thing you can do is find your inspiration picture right from that Stylist’s portfolio.  Loving a portfolio is wonderful but if you can’t see yourself with the hair in that portfolio, it’s probably not the right match.  Keep in mind we are definitly talking about the overall ‘style’ of the hair. If you don’t see your exact colour that’s ok! As long as you love the overall look of the images, the Hairstylist very well could be your match!

So it’s time to window shop! Take the time to really look at a bunch of different local Stylist’s portfolio keeping this handy little checklist in mind.

 

Window shop until you can tick off each item on this list:

✔ Your new Stylist is on Facebook and  Instagram

✔ Your new Stylist is featured on a Salon’s website or has their own site

✔ Your new Stylist posts work regularly

✔ Your new Stylist has multiple pictures that are the style you really like

BONUS:

✔ You are able to choose an inspiration picture for your appointment right from the the Stylist’s portfolio

 

The best thing about this is you can window shop to your heart’s content! Take your time with it, see what options are local to you and broaden your search from there if necessary.  

A word of warning…..you know the saying ‘Don’t grocery shop while you’re hungry’? Ditto for this.  

I can hear you saying…..’these bangs won’t wait’…..’I need a change NOW’…..or the dreaded situation that’s left you saying  ‘I HAVE to get this fixed, TODAY!!’.  

 

I hear you, I really do but it’s time. Time to get off the rollercoaster ?  

 

If taking a few extra days to make this decision means you can find your forever Stylist, the one who will get it right each and every time, wouldn’t you do it? 

Time to Window Shop.  

I’ll be back with part 3 in the series soon! ?

If you have any comments or questions as we go through this please pop them below! I’m happy to help! 

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

 

 

 

How to Choose a Hairstylist – Part 1

How to Choose a Hairstylist – Part 1

by | Feb 18, 2020 | Just for Salon Clients!

Forward

About a year ago I wrote a free ebook about making the process of choosing a Hairstylist a little easier for clients. There were downloads of the book in it’s entirety but I really want to help more clients, regardless of the salon they choose, know the best things to check out before you decide.

So here we are! I’ve updated some info and can’t wait to share!  As there is a lot of information in each tip they will be shared in a series of blog posts so as not to info overload all at once.  Happy Reading!

 

If you’ve ever felt the pain of a haircut or hair colour that really wasn’t what you wanted, you already know why I’ve compiled these tips.  For those of you who haven’t experienced that (knocking on all surfaces of wood), here’s the deal…..

 So often new clients tell us how hard it has been for them to find a great Hairstylist that not only did amazing work, but really listened to what they were asking for. 

 As Stylists we know exactly what to look for before, during and after a consultation, and we also know a red flag when we see one. 

The problem is how are YOU, the most important person, supposed to know??? 

Now you will.  

So if this blog series prevents one more wonky haircut, one more damaging hair color and makes your life easier? Mission accomplished!

Think of the process of choosing a Stylist this way.

You are hiring a Hairstylist to complete a job for you.

How many applicants are hired without doing an interview? Without having to document their skills and education?  Without having to prove why they are the best person for the job? Without having references?

It doesn’t happen very often (if ever) and there’s a BIG reason for that. Hiring without doing some homework first simply doesn’t work.  What I’m suggesting, is that finding a Hairstylist shouldn’t be any different!

By working through these 5 Tips in the order I post them, you will know everything you need to watch for and do, to find the Hairstylist that’s the perfect match for you!

A little word before I finish this first post………

Yes, we are a hair salon full of Stylists who would be happy to help you but that’s not the point.  The point of this is for you to feel confident in choosing the right Stylist for YOU, no matter where they may work.

And since its all about you……. I have to honestly tell you that before you even think of choosing a Stylist you have to know what you want. Yes your Stylist should help you choose and yes your Stylist can help you gain clarity on what you’ll need, but I can tell you with 100% honestly that Stylists cannot provide a result you will love unless it is 1000% what you actually want.

We aren’t mind readers.  Oh how I wish we were, but we aren’t quite that magical ?

So here’s a bit of homework before the tips role out!

If you want to book with a new Stylist for a haircut, you need to bring two pictures with you.  One showing the front and another showing the back.  This shows us the exact shape you are wanting.  You will also need to know the answers to a couple of questions. What you are willing to do for styling your hair each day and how often you’re willing to visit the salon for maintenance.

If you want to book with a new Stylist for a haircolour, again you need to bring two pictures with you.  One that shows the actual colour you love (platinum, caramel, chestnut, hazelnut, etc, etc), and one that shows the placement or style that you love (ombre, colour melt, bold highlights, super natural highlights).  You don’t need to know what the techniques are actually called – you just need to know how you want the colour you love to actually look on your head!  Ditto on the questions above about daily styling and maintenance.

A word of warning.  If you have an entire Pinterest board pinned with 14 different cut and colour pictures you love, you might not be really sure what you want yet.  And that is totally ok! Sometimes we don’t know what we want.  Sometimes it takes a few weeks of looking at pictures and deciding yay or nay.

Ask any Hairstylist what their response would be to coworker who’s asked them to do their hair, then showed 12 photos of what they like. It will absolutely sound something like this:

“You have to narrow it down.  I can’t do it until you know for sure what you really want.”

Amen ??

I understand that as a client, its not that simple and you do need help with the process!  That’s what we are here for and are happy to help you with.  Just have a look at the number of pictures you plan to show.  If it’s over 5 for cut and/or colour, you still need to narrow it down a little more.  Once you get to about 3 or 4 pictures max, that is an amazing time to book an appointment!

Ok – you know what you need to do! Get busy finding those pictures and narrowing things down and I’ll be back to turn the focus to exactly how to choose the right Hairstylist for you!

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

What does it take to be a Master Stylist, and who makes the rules about becoming one?

What does it take to be a Master Stylist, and who makes the rules about becoming one?

by | Jan 25, 2020 | Hairstylist Life

 What does it take to be a Master Stylist, and who makes the rules about becoming one?

Simply put, everyone makes their own rules.  Sorry to say but its absolutely true.

There is no universal system, no Industry standard of exactly what is required to earn that title – and it’s simply that – just a title.  And it you dig a little further, its actually a marketing title.  Seriously! Think of the implied trust you feel when booking with a Master Stylist! That’s marketing at its finest.

Surprised? It’s always blown my mind.  In an Industry where practical experience, continuing education and personal dedication make a massive difference to the skill and service abilities of a Stylist? Here’s the biggest doozy of the entire thing:

Literally anyone can become a Licensed Stylist and 3 days later decide to call themselves a Master Stylist.

Anyone!!

Now you may feel this blog getting a touch hyprocritical seeing as we currently have a Master Stylist position in the Studio, and I myself used the title in the latter part of my time behind the chair.

But there’s a difference between hypocrisy and honesty, and as always, my focus is on the latter.

 

The best way to explain is always to break it down as much as possible, so let’s start with the definition:

mas•ter (noun): A skilled practitioner of a particular art or activity

Sounds like someone who knows it all right? Someone who’s seen it all, done it all and perfected everything.  Not a single thing left to learn. Done. Complete. No further action required.

The truth is, our Industry evolves incredibly quickly with new products, ideas and techniques, and claiming you know and can do it all is like asking you to believe I rode my Unicorn ? to work today and she’s available for pictures ? in the parking lot. 

Laughable, right?

 

For me the title ‘Master’ (even though I get it is a noun when used as a title?)  has actually always been meant as a verb in reference to a Master Stylist:

mas•ter (verb): Acquire, complete knowledge or skill in (an accomplishment, technique, or art)

Stylist titles are not a descriptor of who we are, but of what we are committed to doing day in and day out.  What we are committed to acquiring.

A Master Stylist has perfected the art of seeking the unknown and making it known.  They’ve mastered the process of dedicating themselves to continual, obsessive learning.  It speaks of someone willing to fail, make mistakes, try again and never allow the clients they care for to suffer because of their learning process. Someone who cannot stop until what they are working on becomes exceptional to their standards and instead of rests, find something new to do it for – all. over. again.

 

Bottom line? Ask what a Stylist’s title means to them. As for us, let me assure you:

Is there a system? Of course.

Is it based on a series of key performance indicators that access the level of service they give? Obviously.

Is it indicative of the price they have the ability to charge and their level of compensation?  Absolutely.

 

As a final thought I leave you with the words that sum up my vision of a Master Stylist perfectly:

‘People who become ‘Elite’ at what they do aren’t striving to be ‘Elite’ just to join some special club.  They take great joy and satisfaction in the pursuit of mastery, and they compete against themselves, not others.’ – Justine Musk

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

Hairstylist Life! Hair Contact before Eye Contact

Hairstylist Life! Hair Contact before Eye Contact

by | Jan 4, 2020 | Hairstylist Life

A quick trip to the grocery store.  A night out meeting a few new people.  A binge session on Netflix.  Do these things have anything in common for you? Before this gets too weird let me explain a phenomenon of the Hairstylist Life: Hair Contact before Eye Contact.  Yep – that’s right – those of us who live, eat, breathe and sleep our careers as Hairstylists know this debilitating problem all too well. Basically it boils down to Hair Contact before…well….anything!

For most of you this may not seem like such a big deal.  ‘So what? You notice the hair?’ Just for interests sake let’s have a look at the definition of ‘notice’:

Notice [noh-tis] verb: To pay attention to, or take notice of

Believe me when I tell you – we don’t ‘notice’ the hair.  We painstakingly, obsessively, analyze, overanalyze, formulate, recolour, recut and restyle the hair all within the first 30 seconds of setting eyes on it, all while appearing in the throes of a catatonic state.

Seriously.  This is the Hairstylist Life.

Let’s take the example of a quick trip to the grocery store. This is a true story from the vault.  

I was running in quickly to grab some bananas and as I’m approaching the produce section a beautiful haircut catches my eye.  I don’t know whether I’m still walking or have now stopped dead in my tracks in danger of being cart rear-ended, but I don’t even care. I am transfixed by this haircut.  I’ve already broken down the first 3 steps of how I would replicate it, thought of two different clients with the right hair type that I could give it to and rolled over the possibilities of who the Stylist was that created this beautiful piece of art.  I have taken memory still shots, calculated my cut angles and I’m only coming up on 25 seconds.  The haircut turns to the left, I reach the 30 second mark and I am quickly transported back to the real world where I will now make eye contact (or simply notice that there is a head and body attached to the haircut).  Huh.  That’s when it hits me that it’s a client. I just made hair contact before eye contact with a client whose hair I have been cutting for the last 4 years.  I was to my car before I even realized I forgot the bananas.

One of my favourite things to do is binge watch on Netflix.  Whether at 2am when sleep won’t come or on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the dangerous autoplay keeps me tuned in far longer that I should be. While I’m sure lots of you love a good Netflix marathon, I doubt your partner, in pure desperation screams, ‘can you STOP talking about the hair!!’ while trying to coexist in your viewing space.

For instance – did you wonder how long Gemma’s hair could stand up to those highlights during the first few seasons of Sons of Anarchy?  Did you notice the exact episode when she had to start using extensions for those blonde pieces? Your Hairstylist did. When Joey and Dawson had their emotional breakup while standing on the dock of the Creek were you thinking about how much James Van Der Beek needed a haircut, and that he was dancing precariously close to the edge of mulletville? Your hairstylist was.  Or lets see…..while the entire school was chanting ‘Donna Martin Graduates!’ were you obsessively fantasizing about flat ironing Donna’s frizzed out, desperately in need of a trim hair? My guess is no – you probably weren’t but your hairstylist definitely was!  It’s Just a side effect of the Hairstylist Life!

We won’t even get into the embarrassment of being introduced to someone for the first time and spending the first 30 seconds of hair contact time mute, left eye twitching, right hand reaching out to touch said strangers hair and suddenly snapping out of it to realize you violated their personal space before even saying hello.

Hair Contact before Eye Contact is simply part of the Hairstylist Life.

Being a hairstylist isn’t something we can shut off when we leave the salon – it follows us, invades our minds and inevitably makes us better artists because of it.  Inspiration can and does strike anywhere.

So be kind – we realize we are a special breed and that those who love us have a special appreciation (or tolerance) of our constant obsession.  And really – even with the embarrassing experiences – I would change a thing.

It’s the Hairstylist Life.

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

hairstylist

Pin It on Pinterest