| Revised Date: 5/01/07 - Original Publication Date: November 2002 |
November 7, 2002
Confused About Hair Brushing?
Question
Dear Karen,
I hear a lot of conflicting information about whether it is good
to brush your hair every day or not. Even worse, some people
swear that you should brush your hair 100 strokes before you go to bed
while others say you shouldn't brush your hair unless it is
tangled.
What is the real truth?
Mattie
Answer
Dear Mattie,
You are right. There
are many different opinions about hair brushing. The first rule
of thumb is to adopt a brushing strategy designed for your hair type
and condition. The old belief that brushing 100 strokes every
night is good for you is based on days of old when hair was only
washed a few times a month. In those days brushing 100 strokes
helped to redistribute the buildup of sebum or natural hair
oils. It also help remove dirt and foreign objects.
In today's modern world of
regular shampoos and hair care treatments, brushing 100 strokes a day
could actual harm your hair. Many trichologists believe that
hair should be brushed on an "as needed" basis. While
brushing does stimulate the scalp and removes daily pollution, the
wrong brush used too often can accelerate split ends and/or other hair
damage.
When determining your own
brushing needs consider the following:
1. Do you shampoo on
a daily basis?
2. Is your brush "hair friendly" and gentle.
3. Is your hair healthy, damaged or somewhere in between?
4. Does your hair tangle easily?
5. What type of results does brushing net for you?
If you shampoo your hair
every day, have damaged hair or hair that tangles easily, you may do
best to brush only to detangle before you shower or before your
bedtime. Brushing your hair more than a few strokes might cause
split ends or broken strands.
Healthy hair that doesn't
tangle easily can probably withstand more brush strokes than hair that
is damaged or has a tendency to develop product build-up.
Whether you brush daily or
not or average a few or a lot of brush strokes, always start with the
best brush you can afford to buy. Many trichologists recommend
either a boar's head or a combination boar's head brush. Look
for a brush that doesn't contain hard round knobs on the end of each
brush spoke. The little knobs can catch on fragile hair and pull
them out.
Mason Pearson is
considered the best of the boar's head brush world. However, if
you are on a tight budget Ambassador brushes makes a line of boar's
head brushes that fit just about any budget.
If you prefer a mix of
boar's and synthetic be sure to find a gentle brush that will not harm
your hair.
Always do a test with any
brush to see how your hair responds. If you notice that the
brush seems to cause split ends or accelerate hair shedding, cut back
on the amount of brushing you do. In other words, be your own
real world brush judge and adjust your brushing based on the results
you get with your hair.
Finally, never, ever brush
your hair when it is wet or damp. Hair is in its most fragile
state when it is wet and will more easily snap or break.
Happy brushing.
Karen
November 6, 2002
Hair Customer From Hell
Question
Dear Karen,
I own a very small spa and retail store in New England.I found your site just in time to read your September answer to the
stylist that was distraught about the client who demanded all of her
money back after the stylist bent over backward to warn her that her
hair may not accept a spiral perm and spent lots of time with her.
I have to tell you that your answer made me feel better about
a current customer problem I am having. You addressed a topic
that many salon/spa owners struggle with. Many of us are
honest and ethical but deal with customers that want something for
nothing or even worse.
I sell several high end products that are imported from
France, England and Germany in my retail beauty supply store.Many of my distributors will not accept returns from me on
opened/used products. Therefore, I can not afford to accept
returns on hair care products that customer buy "just to
try" at my expense.
I go out of my way to make my return policy clear in
advance and to talk to customers who want to try new products to
make sure that they understand how a product may work on their
hair.
Even after all the steps I take to advise my customers, I
still have some that insist on buying products that they have never
used and just want "to try".
One recent new customer who had never used one of the more
expensive lines bought $125 worth of the products. I explained
to her personally that I could not accept opened or used products as
returns. I suggested that she start small with just one of the
products and even offered to trade with her if she started small
with just one of the products. That would have given her a
chance to try the product first before spending all that money.
Instead she bought the $125 worth. I spent close to 30
minutes with this woman talking to her about her hair and trying to
help her. She did not take any of my advice.
Two weeks after she first visited my store she returned with
all the products opened and used. Approximately 2/3rds of the
bottles remained. She said that she did not like any of the
products and demanded all of her money back. I explained to her that
some of the higher end products can take up to two weeks to work on
some hair types and offered to help her use the products. She
refused and said I was insulting her. I was just trying to
help and was very polite in the process.
Karen, I could not accept all of the products back. As
you probably know, there are health requirements that prevent me
from reselling the products to other customers. Plus I do not
want to take the legal risk of selling used products that may be
contaminated. Doesn't anyone remember the Tylenol case?My vendor will not take them back. For me to refund all of my
customer's money would have been a significant financial lose to me.
Even though I tried to warn her of my policies, she made a
huge scene in my store and was very nasty. I politely but
firmly refused to take the products back reminding her that I had
warned her in advance of my return policies. She continued to
make a horrible scene until one of my other customers actually
stepped in and suggested to the woman that she leave my store, which
she did.
She called me on the phone and said that she would report me
to the Better Business Bureau unless I gave her all her money
back. At that point I felt she was using blackmail. The woman
then called the Better Business Bureau to report me as she had
threatened. They completely supported me after I presented all the
facts, which was so nice. However, she has been spreading
rumors about me all over town that are false. I have talked to
my attorney and he said that I could probably take action for
slander.
Although most of my customers are honest and ethical and
understand that I have to follow good business decisions, this one
woman has made my consider closing my shop.
Any insights you have would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Jenna
Answer
Dear Jenna,
My heart goes out to
you. Although I am sure you try very hard to be a good
businessperson and please all of your customers, it is virtually
impossible to please everyone all of the time.
This is often a hard
business truth to swallow. Yet it is true that there are just
some people that no matter what you do or say will not be
satisfied. No matter what.
The bottom line is that
you have to do what is the best for your business and your good
customers. If you have discovered that taking opened/used
products back is a business and financial loss, than you need to
either be firm about not taking products back or you need to raise
your prices to account for customers that are unwilling to follow
your policies.
All you really can do
with the woman in question is what you have done so far. You
can make a special effort to help select the proper products for the
customer's hair type and explain your return policies in
advance. You can also suggest that customers who want to try
new lines, do so slowly, one product at a time. This minimizes
the investment risk on both sides. Customers have to be made
aware of the fact that sometimes products involve an initial
purchase risk.
The most important
customer service occurs before the sale concludes. During this
time you can advise a customer about the proper products and their
use and warn them of any risk factors including your return policies
on the product they buy.
It is unfortunate that
your customer made a scene. Studies have shown that customers
who are the most obnoxious have the least impact on customer service
departments when it comes to a win/win resolution. This is
because most customer service departments want to be helpful but are
also tasked with upholding the company's purchase policies.Abusive or obnoxious people have a lot more to lose then gain.Polite customers get a lot better results when there is a
problem. When a customer is polite and tries to find a good
resolution, the chances are good that the business knows they can
retain that customer. When a customer is obnoxious or abusive,
the business knows that they will never hear from that customer
again and will also prefer not to have further business dealings
with them.
Most of the time the
Better Business Bureau will try to be fair to both the business and
the customer. If you did everything correctly from working
with the customer and warning her of your published policies in
advance it makes sense that they would support you. You may
want to consider putting together a little booklet about your return
policies and slipping it into the bags of customers that you feel
might not be listening or could be a concern.
The majority of hair
consumers understand that when they made the decision to try new
products that it is at their own risk. I personally have about
100 different shampoos and conditioners in my bathroom that I have
tried out over the past year. Some were very expensive and
some were not. Some worked well for my hair and some were
horrible. Unless a product is obviously damaged or has some
foreign object in it I would never consider trying to return the
products that I opened and used since it was my decision to try the
products in the first place. Most hair consumers feel the same
way and they understand the risk.
Of course hair type and
texture has an impact. This is where you come in. By
talking to a prospective customer about their hair type and texture
you can help them make a better educated guess on what products
might work for them. If they chose to ignore your advice than
again, you did your very best.
Most people understand
when testing a new product line not to buy more than one product
from that new line at any one time. That way it minimizes the
investment and overall risk.
Ebay has several pages
of shampoo and hair care products listed for resell and trade.This is a wonderful way for consumers who want to try out new
products to have a win/win. If they buy a product that they
don't like they can sell it or trade it for a product they like for
equal or better. Not only can hair product testers make
new friends, they can try lots of new products on a rotating basis.
I am sure the false
rumors are painful for you. If you believe you did the right
and ethical thing then don't feel bad. Look at the bright
side, at least someone is talking about you and often controversial
information will attract more customers than if no one says a word
about you. Know that your good customers will continue to come
to your store and just remember to do your very best on a daily
basis. That is all you can do. Yes, you can probably go
after her for slander but do you want to lower yourself to her
level? Even if you get a restraining order, she will still
probably spread untrue rumors and it will cost you legal fees to
boot.
Please email me the name
and location of your shop and if I am ever in town I am going to
make it a point to come and shop with at your store.
Best wishes,
Karen
November 4, 2002
Hair Shape?
Question
Dear Karen,
I have a new hairstylist who seems to want to teach me all
about hair. Recently she told me that my naturally wavy hair
has a oval shape. Does this make sense or was I not paying
good attentions?
Just Curious Connie
Via Email
Answer
Dear Connie,
Your stylist is correct. As a general rule, hair has one of
three basic shapes. As the hair grows from the scalp, it
assumes the shape, size and direction of the follicle. Under a
microscope hair will generally look like the following:
1. Straight hair appears to have a round shape
2. Wavy hair appears oval
3. Curly or kinky hair is flat
Although hair generally follows this trend, there is no absolute
rule. In same cases straight hair might appear oval while wavy hair
might appear round. For the most part hair follows the trends
explained above.
Best wishes,
Karen
November 3, 2002
Hair Extension Licensing Requirements?
Question
Dear Karen,
I love anything to do with hair extensions. I want to go
to school to learn to apply them. However, I do not have a
hairstyling license and I do not want to spend time going to school
to be a hairstylist since I only want to work with extensions.
Can you please suggest a list of hair extension schools?
Rhonda
Via Email
Answer
Dear Rhonda,
Anyone who works with
hair in any way, whether it be styling, braiding or applying hair
extensions, must first go to beauty school and pass a state
licensing process. Although the states vary a little, all of
the states in the United States agree on this requirement.
If
you are serious about going to a school to learn to work with hair
extensions and you wish to work on clients, you will be required to
first go to beauty school and obtain your license.
Best wishes,
Karen
November 2, 2002
Hairstylist Is MIA
Question
Dear Karen,
My hairstylist of the past 4 years suddenly disappeared from
the salon she has been working at. When I called for an
appointment the manager suggested another stylist. The manager
would not tell me where my stylist went or how to reach her.When I asked if I could leave a message for her, the manager got
very huffy.
I decided to go to a different salon but would love to find my
stylist. Any suggestions?
Susan
Sante Fe, New Mexico
Answer
Dear Susan,
You have stumbled into
the long standing controversy of what happens when a stylist leaves
a salon. Some salons believe that they own the ultimate rights
to the clients even if the stylist leaves. Other salons
believe that the stylist owns her clients and is free to take them
with them.
It sounds like the salon
where your stylist works believes that you should stay with the
salon even if your stylist has gone. You have already decided
to leave the salon and go to another establishment which is
perfectly OK if that works best for you.
Many stylists will
contact their loyal clients after they leave a salon if they are
legally able to do so. Unfortunately this may take some time
for your stylist to catch up with you. Since the salon is
unwilling to help you find your stylist you will need to try other
techniques while you are waiting to hear from your
stylist.
Start by looking her up
in the phone book to see if she is listed. Then call her at her
published number, if she has one, and politely inquire to the
location of her new salon. You might also contact friends or
acquaintances that shared your stylist to see if they have any
information to share on her new whereabouts.
If you can't locate your
stylist through the phone book, try doing a search on the Web.Sometimes stylists will participate in hair related websites and
their emails will be listed in some of the people finder
sites. HairBoutique.com has many stylists who visit on a daily
basis and participate in some of the consumer hair forums.
Finally, you can contact
the state cosmetology board to find out if your stylist has changed
her licensing information. This is a long shot but may work in
some cases.
Can you try to get
information from the other stylists at the former salon?Unfortunately if the salon's management believes that they own the
clientele, it would put the remaining stylists in jeopardy if you
pressed them for information.
I know that losing a
stylist is always difficult. Be patient, take your time in
your search and hopefully you will be reunited with your stylist in
short order.
Best wishes,
Karen
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