Dear Reader-
Keeping hair color fresh and vibrant over the summer can be a tricky business. Vacations, swim camp… there are so many elements that can fade your hair color. Check out this video for our tips and tricks on how to help your color during these trying times.
Truly,
As The Curl Turns
p.s- hard water stains? Try dipping the item in white vinegar.
Dear Reader-
Aging gracefully? Let’s do it! We’re dishing out advice about transitioning from artificial hair color to your natural gray.
Sincerely,
As The Curl Turns
Dear Reader-
As one starts to pickle, she begins to feel more brazen about canning. Maybe death isn’t imminent from ptomain poisoning. Maybe I can do this! What else can I try?
For me the next step was jam. Hubs grandmother has given us her jam before, and it is always so tasty. I find an age old recipe for strawberry jam that is not too intimidating, where else? The Farmers Almanac! We grow a small crop of strawberries in our Victory Garden, so the first step is to harvest what I can, and I purchase the rest.
These lilliputian strawberries are my favorite. What they lack in size they make up for in cuteness and perfect shape.
They need to be hulled and mashed. I have a lot of old kitchen utensils that I love to use. That is actually an old potato masher. Thanks Mom!
Next we mix in the sugar and cook the fruit mixture. Mmmmm, healthy!
Now we use all the canning equipment and other ingredients. This includes the most essential piece-the beer. This does not go into the jam. This goes into my mouth.
We have been sterilizing the jars to prevent death. This is the new jar grabber that came with my canning kit.
This is my old one. It was a promotional item given away by the garage Bertone and Bowen, complete car service. Fun stuff, right?
Now the fruit is cooked, the jars are sterilized, and it is time to rush the concoction into the jars and the jars into the canning bath for 10 minutes before they become contaminated by some sort of deadly virus. Man, those canning people sure scare you when it comes to sterilizing! I’m all about it, but the Black Plague part scares the you-know-what out of me!
Now it cools and you anxiously await the POP! I anxiously await 5 POPS! actually. The wait is long, as this fruit is incredibly hot!
I steal a canning label from a World War 2 propaganda poster about canning and make it my own. After 60 years isn’t it public domain anyway? And voila! Jam!
Making jam was kind of like making pickles or dilly beans. Sterilizing, cooking for 10 minutes, cooling…….now that I have the hang of it, who knows?
Best,
ATCT
p.s- if your jam is a little runny, add a bit of Sure Jell next time.
Dear Reader-
Welcome. As a typical woman, you have joined the club of the many, the proud-the Hoarders of Product. You impulse buy, you try, you don’t like it, but you don’t throw it away…..that seems like a waste! So it joins the ever growing pile of jars and pucks under the sink, a vast wasteland of crushed hopes and dashed promises.
How do you avoid wasting more money and valuable storage space? Step One-Purge. Since you are not going to use it, toss it. There is no maybe in this equation. In the garbage it goes. I, of all people, realize how difficult this may be. My great grandparents lived through the Depression, and I saw how this impacted the rest of their lives. Next, talk to a professional hairstylist. Let them guide you down the path to the right products for your hair. There should only be a few. Once that is accomplished you will not only have better hair, but more space. Grandma may say two birds one stone, and As The Curl Turns agrees.
Happy Spring Cleaning!
ATCT
p.s.- Soaking candles in cool salt water will prevent them from dripping.
Dear Reader-
Backroom Basics Episode 11 has been launched! In this episode we discuss the issues surrounding clients bringing their children to the salon.
Kindly Yours-
ATCT
Dear Reader-
The coupon conversation has taken place in every language in every business on this globe. On one side of the match we have those who believe that initial savings will drive individuals in the door. Once the patron is wowed by the service they receive they will be back and more than happy to pay full price from then on. On the other side of this debate we have those that feel that a set price at the very beginning of a business relationship makes expectations very clear. Waters are not muddied by negotiations of pricing or perceived values of service. So who is right? Oh, if only it was that easy!
When it comes right down to it, money talks. Most people-not all, but most people will defer to their budget before they defer to their wants on a regular basis. Patrons that clip salon coupons and offers will most likely hop from one salon to the next that has an offer. Clients that patronize a salon that does not offer any promotional coupons or discounts are more likely to be the solid, re-booking clientele that salon is aiming for. The clients know the pricing up front and know whether or not they can afford it. So while you might receive some initial cash business from a promotional offer, it may not be the kind of long term business your salon is hoping to retain. Grandma may say a penny saved is a penny earned, and As The Curl Turns agrees, as long as it truly is what is best for your business.
Best,
ATCT
p.s-Looking for something more exciting than a celery stalk to put in your next Bloody Mary? Try a spicy pickled asparagus spear instead.
I heard from a client on Saturday that she went to a salon to get her hair styled, and her hair didn’t hold the curl. They stylist blamed it on everything except her own incompetence. The layers in her hair, the texture……Lordy.
I do not contest that there are the rare few out there that have hair that defies all logic and won’t hold anything. But in this case, long, lustrous, naturally wavy hair will hold whatever you do to it. So, in order to have successful curling, follow these simple rules.
Rule 1- Use hairspray. This is a necessity when using your curling iron, so just deal with the fact that you want it “natural.” Too bad! Hairspray evaporates and leaves the hair dry and not weighed down. Hairspray is key!
Rule 2- Take a reasonably sized section of hair, maybe a dime size in diameter, and start curling in the middle of the section, midshaft. You need to warm up the hair in the middle or it will never curl.
Rule 3- Let it cool in the curled formation. So important!
Now that you have this in mind, begin. Take your dime size section and spray the whole thing with hairspray, keeping the can about 10 inches away. Be generous with the spray-not insane, but get it on there. Now take your iron and clamp it midshaft and turn it so you are warming the midsection and the top section, leaving the bottom out. Do not start at the bottom and roll up, or the bottom will heat but by the time the iron is to the midsection there is too much hair for the heat to get through. Slowly open and close the iron so it releases the hair a tad while pulling the iron down the shaft, so you are now warming the bottom, and roll the curling iron all the way up. Now the whole section is hot and will hold so much better. Release the hair and clip in into place so it cools in this formation. Once the head is cooled use the tail of a rat tail comb to separate the curls, and spray again with hairspray. You will be successful if you have patience and follow these steps.
Sincerely,
p.s- if you have trouble reaching the back zipper on your dress when you get dressed alone, hook a hairpin through it and use that extra length to grab the zipper and pull it up.
You should. Hair is a 360 degree experience, and while you may not see the back, everyone else does.
This is especially important for those of you who flat iron. Take the time to address the back completely, or you will have wavy hair at the top of your head and straight hair on the ends. Conversely, those of you who use a curling iron should heed the same advice. I saw a woman just the other day who had meticulously curled the front of her thick longer hair in glorious Dynasty fashion. But the back was completely straight. It was such an odd combination, I couldn’t help but stare. I saw her again today, and she looked exactly the same, so I know she didn’t just run out of time. And for all you home box colorists, covering the gray in the back is as important as covering it in the front. Keeping your gray a secret is impossible when the back of your head is telling tales. So take a twirl every once in a while to make sure you are looking just as good going as you are coming.
Sincerely, ATCT
p.s- making brownies but don’t want to use so much butter? Substitute applesauce instead.
As a devoted disciple of RuPaul’s Drag Race my first inclination is to say never. But I have replaced many an accessory on my own head when my first choice sat awry , so I know the opposite is true.
The key is balance. Balance in the hair, in the clothing, and in the overall look. I tend to feel that a hair accessory can razzmatazz most any outfit, but some just don’t call for it. Sweatpants for instance. If you are on your way to the store and you are in your very casual weekend wear, a flower can look misplaced. Nothing can spiffy up sweatpants. Especially rhinestones, but that is for another column. My only exception to this rule is children. Bows and things in a little girl’s hair is always adorable.
Jeans and a t-shirt to formal evening wear is a range that can support the addition of some hair bobbles, as long as the hairstyle can hold one. Hair down and straight has a hard time successfully holding on to anything with weight, so a clamped-in flower may start sliding around. The less ornate the hair the smaller the accessory should be. More proper affairs can afford either a larger piece or a larger number of smaller pieces, depending on how they are dispersed. I love to see small flowers or pearl pins spread over an updo. It always looks so elegant and fun. Chanel said to look in the mirror right before you leave the house and take one accessory off, and As The Curl Turns agrees.
Sincerely,
ATCT
p.s- speaking of RuPaul’s Drag Race, all my faves were robbed except Sharon Needles. I just loved her. But my girls Raven and Alaska were jipped to be sure.
Dear Students-
It is a common myth that because one has wild hair that it is good looking wild hair. Crazily colored hair does not make you automatically alternative. I have seen a fair amount of newly licensed students, and it has left me wondering.
When one is in beauty school, experiments on yourself and others will inevitably take place. Go for it! Hair is cut off, shaved off, bleached, bleached and bleached again. You look different than when you entered those doors for the first time. More daring. But that does not mean that salon owners will be impressed. Salon life is nothing like beauty school. Not everything goes. Salon owners do not just look for an alternative hairstyle as the mark of a creative. The assistant/apprentice needs the whole hairstyle and color to look not only cohesive but polished. Like a professional did it. So please take a good long look at yourself before you start applying for positions. What does your hair really say about you? Does it say you are punk rock, or does it say you were attacked by a lawnmower in the dark of night? Would they, and you yourself, accept this level of work on a paying client in their establishment, and send them out the door proud to say such? Grandma may say you look radical, but As The Curl Turns believes that a step back and an honest appraisal will be much more beneficial.
Kind Regards,
p.s- breadcrumbs can be collected and made at home by emptying your toaster catch once a week. Place crumbs in an airtight tupperware and before you know it you will have enough for a dinner.
As The Curl Turns 