#28 On Safety & Common Sense in a Salon

Last week I was asked by a salon professional for a list of ingredients in each of our products. When she first asked, I thought she was asking me for an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), the information sheet required by federal law that lists content, associated hazards and proper storage procedures.  She did not know what I was talking about. Every salon should have an MSDS for every product they use in the salon, from Windex to hand sanitizer to hair color and perm solutions. If your staff doesn't know what an MSDS then they should not be working on clients.

 Fortunately, all of our products have the ingredients clearly listed on the bottle, but I must say I am deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of her clients if anything should happen. Everyone who works in a salon has the right to know what chemicals they are being exposed to and what the risks are.

 I know I was taught about OSHA, MSDS, and Efficacy Labels while I was in beauty school.



If you don't know what these terms are, please educate yourself for the safety of yourself, your co-workers, and your clients.

http://search.usa.gov/search?affiliate=usdoloshapublicwebsite&query=salon OSHA regulations regarding salons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_safety_data_sheet
What is an MSDS?

On product labeling: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/CosmeticLabelingLabelClaims/default.htm

Please take this seriously. Salon professionals and clients have been seriously injured or become ill from repeated exposures to normal, every day use of chemicals in the salon without proper steps being followed. Don't put yourself or your clients at risk!

#27 e-Cure Demo at Prestige Salon, NYC

Today Iaisha and I went to visit Prestige Salon http://hairsalonprestige.com/  here in NYC to demonstrate the amazing e-Cure Treatment. Our model had dry, porous, overprocessed hair:

 



Our model had been shampood with a clarifying shampoo and dried before we arrived. First, I saturated her hair with M-3.2 until it was dripping wet. 

Next, the S-series shampoo (our model loved the s-3 Sakura scent) gets mixed 50/50 with M-3.2 and shake until foamy and mixed. Massage this foam generously into the hair.

Cover the foamy hair with a plastic cap and place under the dryer for 10 minutes. While our model was sitting under the dryer, we demonstrated Pida, an exfoliant gel that gets massaged onto skin for about 30 seconds. After the massage, rinse off with a quick spritz of M-3.2. Pat dry and follow up with your favorite lotion. After our model tried it, everyone else wanted to try it too!

After ten minutes under the dryer, the hair gets sprayed with P-3.2, combed through to the ends. After 2 minutes, hair is rinsed until water runs clear. You can already see the smoother, healthier texture of the hair!  There is no conditioner added to the hair after the rinse. Her hair is this smooth and healthy

because it is now infused with moisture. After gently but thoroughly drying with a towel, the hair is sprayed with M-3.2 by itself as a blow-out spray. This is the only product used in the hair. No gel, no mousse, no shine spray, no hair spray.



Look at how smooth her hair is! It felt soft and silky to the touch.

As her blow-out progressed, everyone was impressed with the dramatic change in the condition of her hair.

Now scroll up to the "before" picture and look at the difference!

The after pics are amazing. Not only is her hair softer and full of shine, but wow her hair is full of body and movement. No more frizzy ends!Ready for a demonstration at your salon?

#17 On the Beauty Industry

Happy Friday! Another week of summer gone. Back to school stuff is in every store. The leaves are starting to change. But wait! We have the dog days of August ahead, and judging by the summer so far, it's going to be very humid and hot until mid-September.
I am so happy to have regular readers now. Did you know that my co-workers here at Armada-USA also have blogs? Check them out:

Iaisha writes http://armadastyle-i.blogspot.com/

Mayu writes http://mayu-e-cure.blogspot.com/

Mayu's most recent post mentioned that because she works in the beauty industry, she is always looking for news on ways to stay youthful. She's right - those of us who work with hair, make-up, and fashion are constantly searching for the latest and greatest trends. A lot of fads have come and gone and come back as a recycled fashion statement. Thankfully the Mullet has not made a return yet.
Some products become classic: Noxema cold cream is an example of a product, created in 1914 that has not changed its formula in years and it still does the job. http://www.noxzema.com/

Our products are considered new to the US Market but the science behind them is as old as the study of science itself. Not a passing trend, not some newly approved chemical - its as simple as the idea that opposites attract.

Of course, writing this blog and other articles does require some research. I use a variety of resources to keep up with what's going on in the industry. http://cosmetics.einnews.com/country/unitedstates Primarily, I love Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ecuretreatment and Twitter https://twitter.com/eCURETreatment  because I can see instant updates from my customers salons, fashion show trends http://www.hair.becomegorgeous.com/newest_trends/fallwinter_20112012_hairstyle_trends-5202.html , movers and shakers (we do have some well-known celebrity clients) and even things like new medicines being approved and stock market trends. If a pharmaceutical company manufactures a new high blood pressure medicine that has a side effect of increasing hair growth, I want to know about it! I'm not exaggerating either: this is how Rogaine was developed. http://minoxidil.us/history.htm

If a commonly used ingredient in hair care products is found to be harmful, I need to know about that too. http://www.ewg.org/book/export/html/26953 Fortunately everything in the e-Cure Treatment is all natural so we will never need to worry about that here.

I urge all of my readers to do your research and inform yourself of what you are putting onto and into your body. Stay healthy and enjoy the weekend!

#12 On Tea

In August, we are discontinuing the S-series shampoo in Orange and replacing it with S-4 Black Tea. Some samples arrived for us to experience this new, amazing fragrance. It made me wonder about Tea in general. What I perceive as a simple daily routine actually has a history that stretches back millenia, across world cultures and religions.
According to http://www.stashtea.com/info/history, one of the first recorded uses of tea is in China during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), in which it was taken medicinally. The earliest record of tea as an everyday beverage comes from the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). I wonder how it was discovered: perhaps someone had some tea leaves accidentally fall into boiling water and the resulting beverage was found to be delicous, satisfying, and invigorating.
There are four types of tea to enjoy, with countless subvarieties based on where the tea was grown, what season it was picked, how it was processed after picking, and what additives are added to it before brewing.

White Tea: http://whiteteaguide.com/ is the least processed form of tea. Because of this it has both reduced caffiene and more nutrients compared to other teas.

Green Tea: According to the University of Maryland website http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/green-tea-000255.htm , green tea has many health benefits.

Oolong Tea: these tea leaves are allowed to wither in the sun and oxidize before curling and twisting the leaves. http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/oolong-tea

Black Tea: Black tea is fully fermented, giving it it's dark color. http://www.blackteas.com/history-of-black-tea.php

Tea, in any of these forms, offers many health benefits. For me, a good cup of tea with a little sugar or honey provides relaxation, comfort, and great place to dip cookies. I definitely prefer traditional black or green tea. I have discovered I do not like flavored teas. Even with the caffiene content, I enjoy a hot cup of tea before bed. Amazingly, science and medicine are still finding new uses for tea.

And now, our newest S-Series shampoo has a Black Tea fragrance. I can't wait to try it!





#10: Gifting the client

Every month we publish the e-newsletter for our customers to enjoy. I write an article or two, usually from a cosmetologist's point of view, about a particular topic. I just finished a piece for the next issue on retailing e-Cure Treatment products for salon clientele. As I submitted the article, I realized there were no photos of the retail items we offer to salons. So today our marketing guru Michael and I made some gift baskets for clients who are getting married, celebrating an anniversary, having a baby, moving, starting a new job, etc. Whatever the occasion clients become loyal to stylists who give them a personal experience, as opposed to just a shampoo/cut/style. It is well worth it to invest some time into making special thank-you gifts to your clients. Or just wrap up the retail items like gifts for clients to purchase for themselves or as gifts to otheres.
My article is going to look fantastic. Hopefully will inspire others. I would love to see what you come up with. Please post your pics of your ideas on our facebook page. There are so many occasions a client will need a gift for and so many occasions you can "gift" your client:

• Anniversary: Milestone Wedding Annversary- 1st, 5th, 10th, 25th, 40th, 50th; Dating Anniversary: 6th month, annual; Company Anniversary: 1st year, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th...

• Birthday: 1st, 13th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 75th, 100th

• Graduation: Pre-School, Kindergarten, Grammar/Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, Graduate School, Technical School

• Religious: First Communion, Baptism, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah

Baby Shower	Good Luck
Congratulations!	Encouragement
I miss you	Remember when...?
Housewarming	New Baby (Pamper Mom)
Retirement	Bridal Shower
Condolence	Sympathy
Get Well/Feel Better	Bon Voyage
Welcome Home	Hello again
Best Friend	Thank You
What would I do without you?	Love you!
I'm sorry	World's Best Mom, Dad, Brother, etc
Can't live without you.	Thinking about you

#1

Hi there,
I am the newest person to join the Armada-USA Team. As the on-staff stylist, I can answer questions from a behind-the-chair point of view. I've never written a blog before. My goal is to connect with other stylists and clients so that we can share information and experiences in order to help everyone achieve healthy, shiny, hair. I also enjoy discussing movies, cooking, shopping, music, theater, history, culture, travel, and odd news. I am fond of writing top ten lists as opposed to actual paragraphs. As a busy mom of three young boys, I love time saving tips and sales and discounts too!