Sensual Hair

Worth the price...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 09:15:00 +0000

Got a call this afternoon from a delightful young lady who has visited us once before, back in July! Why did she wait so long? Because Kenneth's cuts LAST that long for women who wear their hair long!! It's not that he cuts it any shorter so it will last (that's NOT what a client really wants!). It's how he cuts it. With the experience he's got (yup, he's been cutting for 52 years and he STILL is passionate about his craft!), he's learned how to cut hair in a manner that holds and maintains the shape of the style he creates much longer than just the average haircut. The ends are natural looking. His clients never have to worry about having a haircut that LOOKS like it's just been cut!

How does he do it? Over the five decades of his career, he has been fortunate enough to work with some of the best cutters in the world. He's studied them and picked up pointers and techniques which he has worked on and adapted for his own style. And then again, as he often points out to me, his talent "is on loan from God" (phrase borrowed from Rush Limbaugh) meaning he didn't come by it all by himself. He is able to analyze others' cuts and techniques as well as each of his clients' own hair, and be able to reproduce the results or create his own version using his own techniques and skill. (That's another post....)

Anyway, as we chatted and as I was scheduling her next appointment, I was bowled over by her comments: "I REFUSE to go anywhere else to get my hair cut," Julie E. said. "It's the best cut of my entire life! Kenneth's cuts are really worth the price. It's the only good haircut I've ever gotten in my life!"

"Worth the price"... let me mention something here. The value of a Kenneth Cut is priceless. Why? Because they last so long, especially for long-haired women. If you wear your hair long, you need come in only 3 to 4 times a YEAR! Know how much you can save with him? (I'll put the answer to that in a subsequent post!) If you wear your hair shorter, his cuts will last half again as long as a cut from any other salon. And unlike most other salons in our city, he offers a complimentary bang trim in between Kenneth Cuts to help get his clients through the 3-to-4-month interval between visits. How's that for saving time AND money?

WOW. Thank you so much, Julie, for your kind comments! You made our day! What a blessing that we get to make so many people happy... it's a great feeling and it's certainly worth all the extra effort we put forth to make our clients feel special.

Julie E. is one of the many women of Cincinnati who truly appreciate the Rolls Royce of haircuts (available only from Kenneth Collopy at Perfections Salon)!

We've discovered Zija - Nature's Perfect Food!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:16:00 +0000

Kenneth and I discovered the amazing Zija product line while I was recuperating from double foot surgery (bunion and hammertoe deformity correction). Zija is a product created to improve health and we are living proof it works!

I started taking Zija to reduce inflammation in my feet after surgery and speed recovery. I've been out of our salon for about 5 months and I'm almost to the point where I can start going back to work a couple of days a week. Feet take the longest time to heal.

We've been drinking Zija now for about 4 months and we are both amazed at how much weight we've lost and how much better we feel! I was 135 lbs. and now weigh in at 111 lbs! Kenneth lost about 20 lbs and we've both kept the weight off. I am just drinking Zija's Smart Mix, its original product, for the health benefits, whereas Kenneth is taking the entire Weight Management System program (more on that later).

To our amazement, in addition to losing weight, Kenneth discovered that the Zija products improved his mood enough that he no longer takes antidepressant medication! That's huge! His energy has increased about tenfold, his mind has more clarity and he's a happy guy! Also, his blood glucose levels are more normalized and with the weight loss, he no longer needs to take insulin injections for his Type 2 Diabetes! That's also huge!

We are distributors through our salon, and we tell all our clients about Zija and its health and wellness benefits. If you are interested in losing weight and getting healthy, ask us about Zija!

Keeping long curly hair mat-free...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:49:00 +0000

I answered a call today that caught me off guard (in a good way!). A really nice mother (named Debbie) of a seven-year-old beauty with waist-length naturally curly hair called me with exasperation in her voice.

"I need help with my daughter's hair," she began. "I was doing really well up until this summer."

"Oh? What happened this summer?"
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"We were taking a lot of swimming lessons."
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I thought, that means chlorine. But it turned out Debbie was doing everything right: soaking her daughter's hair in tap water, then covering it with inexpensive conditioner to keep the chlorine from penetrating into the hair shaft and burning off the cuticle layer prior to getting into the pool. Turns out Debbie had borrowed the Deva Curl book from the library and had taken really good notes.
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She made sure she braided her daughter's hair prior to bedtime each night. She placed a satin pillowcase on her daughter's pillow to ensure no snarls overnight. She turned a satin gown into a car seat to ensure the waist-length hair didn't mat into a ball during the 1-hour drive from their rural neighborhood to the closest shopping mall.
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"I want to make sure she grows up loving her curly hair and not feeling like she HAS to have it straightened."
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That's a dedicated mother! Bravo, Debbie!
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Unfortunately, she continued, she had a lazy night one evening and let her little beauty drift off to sleep without the obligatory braiding session. Next morning, she was distressed to find a veritable rat's nest at the center of the back of the child's head. She promised her daughter she would work out the knots later, but her little girl took the initiative and found a pair of scissors to rid herself of the knots first. She was afraid it would hurt too much if her mother tried to loosen the knots!
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So, some time in the not-too-distant future, Debbie will bring her daughter in to the salon, meet Sarah, our Curly Girl expert, and discuss proper Curly Girl etiquette to get her daughter's hair back into the pristine condition she knows it can achieve.
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Can't wait to meet you, Debbie! You are a woman after our own hearts!

Rest in peace, good friend...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:46:00 +0000

We lost a good and loyal friend yesterday. Carl H. Lindner Jr. was my husband's close friend and mentor. Kenneth has been Edyth Lindner's hairdresser for many years. Mrs. Lindner introduced Kenneth to her husband early on and he has taken care of Mr. Lindner's hair since then.

Carl believed in Kenneth and supported him in his many endeavors. He was instrumental in getting Kenneth into the Masons some 25 years ago. At one point in his Masonic career, Kenneth served as the Worshipful Master of McMillan 141 Lodge in downtown Cincinnati. Without Mr. Lindner's guidance, he most likely would not have joined nor gone so far in his Masonic endeavor.

Mr. and Mrs. Lindner and their son Craig and his wife Frances attended our wedding some 18 years ago. Carl was also Kenneth's spiritual mentor. It was because of Mr. Lindner's gentle persuasion that Kenneth and I first began attending Horizon Community Church. Mr. Lindner's sons were instrumental in the founding of that church some 10-11 years ago. We have been members of Horizon for nearly 10 years and were baptized together by Horizon (in Mr. Lindner's swimming pool!).

It was from Mr. Lindner that Kenneth learned some of his most important lessons in the business world. To this day, my husband carries the cards Mr. Lindner gives to his close friends with his favorite sayings on them. From where I sit writing this entry in my living room, I can see the stack of cards on the sofa table across the room close to Kenneth's chair. He always keeps them close.

Mr. Lindner's family is precious to us. Mrs. Lindner, know that we keep you, your sons and their families in our hearts and our prayers always.

While Kenneth is devastated by the loss of his beloved friend, he knows in his heart that Mr. Lindner is now with the Lord and is no longer hurting. We rejoice in the knowledge that Carl will be with our heavenly Father in his glorious realm for eternity.

Rest in peace, good friend. Thank you for your years of friendship... years that my husband will never forget.

Rumors of Kenneth's retirement...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Like rumors of his death, rumors of Kenneth's retirement are always swirling around in the wind, fueled by those (competitors) who would very much like to see him retire.

Unfortunately for them, he is having the time of his life! He has never enjoyed cutting so much as he does now. He's at the top of his game, and at 68, that's a nice place to be, in his opinion. (And in mine.)

"I have a close friend who is in his 90's," Kenneth said the other night, "and he still goes to work every day. He has had a huge influence on my life over the years. He has influenced my perspective about living and even my spiritual life. If he can continue to work and accomplish goals at his age, I'm certainly not calling it quits yet! I'm cutting today better than I ever have. I plan to continue working as long as I love it and have a passion for it. At least another 25 or 30 years!"

When I first met my husband some 18 years ago, he was on the verge of retiring then. I couldn't understand why he would want to walk away from such a vibrant, exciting business. He was enjoying his avocation of bass fishing back then, and contemplating doing it professionally. Fishing in bass tournaments was his no. 1 past-time! He could have done it full-time and made a living at it. But as it turned out, his heart was really with his clients. (After all, we all know he got into this business because he loves being around the beautiful ladies!)

"I remember thinking how much I would miss my clients," he said to me. "It was never work for me. Work has never been drudgery or difficult. Every day has been like a party. I have fun at work; I enjoy talking with my clients and seeing what's new and exciting in their lives. I love helping them find new ways to express themselves by wearing a new style or trying a new product. And while I still love the solitude of fishing on a lake by myself, if that were all I did, I would miss the excitement of seeing my clients on a daily basis. I need that interaction. It's part of who I am."

Perfections is pushy...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 01:53:00 +0000

I read a not-too-flattering review of our salon on the internet the other day. Among other derogatory comments, the writer referred to us as pushers... as in, "They push products. Just ignore that and get a good haircut."

Hmmmm. One of the cardinal rules of good hair styling is that (if you care about your clients) you should educate them on how to recreate the look you created while they were in your chair. If a client cannot recreate that look at home, you haven't done your job.

That doesn't mean you have to be "pushy" about it. What it does mean is that you have a responsibility to educate your clients about the easiest, most economical way to look great. Part of that process is exactly what product(s) to use and how to use it / them. If your clients don't care to use the product(s), that's certainly their decision and their prerogative. We are there to serve them.

That's why we will sample any product we carry that we are able to sample (except, e.g., those under pressure) so our clients may try them first to see if they really like them. You don't even have to be a client to get a free sample or two from us. All you have to do is ask!

So if offering education and knowledge along with some free samples to our clients (and even to those who just walk in to look around and happen strike up a conversation with us about products) is being pushy... I think I'll accept that label. Gladly.

But she's my friend...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:51:00 +0000

"My stylist is my friend," she said to me. "My daughters go to her... it's kind of a family thing."

I understand. But, then again, I don't.

Women have this thing about not wanting to hurt their hairdresser's feelings. "I've been going to her forever." "She's a friend of mine." "I wouldn't know what to say to her if I went somewhere else."

OK, I get it. You're not into hurting her feelings. But let me ask you one question: Do you pay your hairdresser/friend for her services?

A hairdresser's client becomes a friend the day the stylist STOPS asking her client to pay for her haircuts and colors. Not until.

If you are paying someone to provide a service for you that you cannot perform for yourself, then it's a simple business transaction. Now, let me ask you one other question: Do you really LIKE your hair?

The thing is, most of the women who stop in at our salon's beauty boutique to shop for professional hair products or just to talk about hair problems more often than not share this same story with me. Their stylist is a friend. They've been going to her forever.

And I understand, I do. But what I want to tell them is, "But your hair is a mess! It's an awful haircut. You are so pretty and you could be so much prettier with a hairstyle that was designed for your face and your body, your lifestyle, your hair. But you cannot get couture haircuts like that just anywhere. You have to go to someone who has the knowledge, skill, vision, passion and experience to deliver a one-of-a-kind hairstyle designed to enhance your particular features."

Sometimes I do tell them that. And sometimes, I simply keep my mouth shut, give them guidance on hair products and leave it at that.

When I do present my argument for trying someone new (like my Kenneth), I usually get them to agree to take that first tenuous step into the unknown. And when they show me their new finished hairstyle, it is usually with a huge smile. They recognize the difference in their hair and how it behaves almost right away. And sometimes, after they get home, they send me an email like this one:

Jill,

I wanted to say thank you again for taking the time to squeeze me in and help me out in my time of hair crisis! You were so helpful and kind in getting me in at the last minute. I cannot believe the difference the cut that Kenneth gave me has made! I bought all of the Deva Care/Curl products and it is amazing the difference they make.

I am so thankful to have found "my salon" that knows exactly what to do with my kind of hair. I have been recommending Perfections Salon to everyone and telling them about it.

You will definitely be seeing me in the future and have a very happy client!

Kindest Regards, Ashlie J.

Red and Black feathers are IN!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:58:00 +0000

You asked for them... we got them for you!

Apparently, there are a lot of high schools in the Greater Cincinnati area that have red and black as their school colors. We have been innundated with requests for black-and-white grizzly feathers and red-and-black grizzly feathers for hair extensions!

Sooooo... I went to my plethora of small biz entrepreneurs who work with feathers and asked them what they had. And boy, did they deliver!!!

Call soon, because with the demand for red and black, these won't last long.

For those of you who are into different colors, I also ordered some really pretty turquoise feathers and some new purple feathers, as well. There are pictures on the salon's Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perfections-Salon/99570789739

See you soon!

What a sweet thing to say...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:30:00 +0000

One of our recent new clients (and friends) who have come to us through DealsThatGiveBack.com sent us this message via Facebook:

"I absolutely love my hair! Thank you all so much!! I have never had a better experience at a salon, and I have definitely NEVER left a salon with tears of joy in my eyes!!" - Opal B.

And she sent us a self-portrait with that gorgeous smile of hers! Isn't that the cutest haircut??

Talk about tears of joy! Isn't that just the sweetest comment ever? See? I TOLD you Deals That Give Back send us the nicest people!!

Thank you, Opal. You really made our day!!

DealsThatGiveBack.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:39:00 +0000

Everyone's looking for a deal today. Makes sense. Money is tight. Jobs are tighter. Tension is in the air. (Affordable) Gas is in short supply. Times are not easy.

Women don't want to give up their creature comforts, however, and I can understand that, as well. How we look affects how we feel. How we feel can affect how we act.

As I noticed more and more "deals" being offered all over the web, I did some investigating. When Groupon first appeared in Cincinnati, they approached us about our salon. I listened, thought about it, then did what I usually do when I find an opportunity for the business: I go to my mentor, my husband Kenneth.

Turns out that Groupon was not a good fit for us. Because we needed to be able to restrict the offer to new clients only in order to grow our business, and at that point, Groupon refused to allow us to do that, we could not do business with them. Groupon can easily destroy a small business (and has, many times over across this country). Destruction was not what I had in mind. A promotion to let new potential clients find out about us and try us out was what I was looking for.

If everyone could purchase (with no restrictions) a "deal" for services at lower than the regular rate, eventually current clients would want to purchase the deals (of course, why wouldn't they?) and in no time at all, our business would have no money to pay salaries, rent, overhead, supplies. And we'd have to close our doors. Not good for my stylists (they couldn't make a living and take care of their families), not good for my clients (they wouldn't have us to continue to make them gorgeous!). We offer promotions to our regular clients throughout the year, and we do everything we can to make our services not only affordable but valuable for them. Giving away our services to everyone serves no one but the "deal" makers.

Next came LivingSocial.com. Same story: they refused to allow us to restrict the offer to new clients only. I did the math and saw the end of our business. We couldn't do business with them, either.

Then a bright, smiling face walked into my salon one afternoon and presented a totally local, completely unique Cincinnati-based proposition: DealsThatGiveBack.com. They were nice people, easy to do business with. They allowed us to place the restriction we needed to be able to offer a workable "deal" through their website. It gave the purchaser the ability to choose a local non-profit organization to receive part of the deal's purchase price. And it worked.

Deals That Give Back sends us the nicest people, just delightful ladies who want a great hairstyle, gorgeous color and a warm, friendly environment where they can feel safe and cared about, where they know the suggestions and recommendations they are given are presented to them honestly, based on our expertise and not just because the salon wants to sell them something.

We love Deals That Give Back. They are wonderful people with big hearts and the desire to give back to their community. I support and endorse them totally. Thank you, Deals That Give Back, for helping us grow our business and for introducing to us the many wonderful women who have discovered us through your website. Isn't the internet amazing?

The Collopy Family Furr Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Make your own scrapbook design

More feathers...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:41:00 +0000

We just received a big shipment of new feather hair extensions! Lots of colors. Wow... it's so difficult to keep these in stock! (Believe me, it's difficult to even FIND them in stock from my vendors!)

Have fun....

Thank you, Julie...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:32:00 +0000

Last week, one of our new clients who came to us from the Dealsthatgiveback.com website wrote this note to me in an email:

"I absolutely love my color and cut! I very much appreciate the personalized attention I receved and the positive atmosphere. It was a wonderful experienc. I will not go anywhere else but Perfections in the future. Have a great week!: - Julie E.

We LOVE DealsThatGiveBack.com! They are a wonderful way for new clients to find our salon and they send us the nicest people! Thank you, Julie, for the sweet comment.

A little boy with a big reputation...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 16 May 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Got a phone call the other day that made my week! Kristie, the mother of the little boy in whose long hair Angie placed a feather extension call me to share a really fun, amazing story.
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Kristie was shopping at Kenwood Mall. She and her son Keegan were standing in a line at H & M when a woman approached her. The woman asked her if Kristie gets her hair done at Perfections Salon. Blown away, Kristie asked the woman, "Yes, but how would you know?".

The woman said she had just had her hair done at Perfections the day before and while she was there, she overheard two stylists talking about a little boy with long beautiful hair who comes in with his mother. The woman said the stylists were talking about installing a feather in his hair.
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"As soon as I saw your son," the woman continued, "and saw how gorgeous he is, I just knew he had to be the boy they were talking about!"
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Kristie said she was just stunned, but she maintained enough presence of mind to thank her for the compliment. "What a reputation my little boy has at only 19 months!" she said to me, laughing.
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What can I say? The best-looking people seem to show up at Perfections Salon!

An unexpected thought...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:28:00 +0000

Over dinner this evening, Kenneth said something really interesting. (It's been 18 years... and I'm still learning new things from him!)

"There's nothing particularly difficult about haircutting," he said. (By now, he's got my full attention. This sounds completely antithetical to everything he's ever said about cutting hair. What is he getting at?)

"A current long hairstyle is pretty basic," he continued. "Long layers, sides on the bias, bangs or no bangs, side part or cut neutral. But every head is distinctive, and the hair growing out of it grows in different, individual patterns. It's what a stylist does to create an individualized style for each and every woman based on how her hair grows that makes a great haircut. That's what most stylists don't understand and don't care to learn. It's sad."

That, we agree on.

It's an art...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Tue, 10 May 2011 22:38:00 +0000

It's an art. It's a craft. It's a science. It's all three rolled into one and it's drycutting. But only the way my husband does it.
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I have to say, in the interest of full disclosure, that the man I'm talking about here is indeed my husband. So to say I'm a disinterested third party to the discussion of drycutting wouldn't cut it. No pun intended.
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As I stand on the sidelines and watch Kenneth cut day after day, I never fail to marvel at the ease with which his hands move through his client's hair, the skill with which he wields his weapon of choice (Fan Out Shears), the gracefulness of the snipped hair flying up into the air and drifting down to land softly, silently at his feet.
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He makes it look effortless. It is not. His ability is the result of years of patient practice, resolute study, and dogged determination. His talent, a gift from God. It can truly be said that God broke the mold with him. There are no other hair cutters in Cincinnati (or Ohio... or farther) with his level of skill, his thirst for knowledge, his desire for perfection.
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Oh, there could be. They could learn from him if they wanted to. But they don't. The desire is not there. This is an industry of egos. Not that that's necessarily bad, but most of the egos are large enough that the individuals behind them refuse to admit they don't already know what he could teach them. And so the landscape remains fairly bleak, with only his artistry to adorn it.
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It's sad, really. It's also laughable. Laughable that other salons in this city (Greater Cincinnati) would boast a stylist here, a designer there, who is the "only" drycutting specialist around. Please. Kenneth has been doing this for more than 50 years. He has been drycutting from the very beginning. It is not a "new" technique. Drycutting had been brought back to the forefront of attention by uberstylist-to-the-elite John Sahag in the 1980s. But even Sahag's cuts were hailed as "shaggy, uneven cuts" in "bold yet choppy styles." Shaggy and choppy are not adjectives Kenneth would want anyone to use in describing his work.
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Kenneth has been using drycutting and developing his own take on it over the past five decades. When we opened Perfections Salon in late 2006, we were the only salon here specializing in drycutting. Meaning, we offered no other technique for creating a perfect haircut than drycutting. I think we still are.

Just a half-inch off the bottom please...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 05 May 2011 02:57:00 +0000

I will never forget when I first moved to Cincinnati. I had moved here from Cleveland to be closer to my brother Bill. I joined Northlich, a local advertising agency, bunked in with a girlfriend from my hometown until I could get the lay of the land and jumped into my new job with fervor.
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Third week on the job, I went on a blind date with the man who would become my husband. I knew he was a hairdresser and it had been a while since I had been to a salon. I wanted to look good for him, so I went to one of the "name" big box salon/spas in Cincinnati where one of my clients went. She wore a pretty bob and I thought it looked very fetching. So I scheduled an appointment with her stylist to upgrade my appearance prior to my big date. Big mistake.
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I walked in to the big box salon, was initially ignored for a while, but then my stylist appeared. She led me back to her station. I reached up, undid the barrette in my hair and said to her, "I need my hair trimmed, but see this barrette? When we're done, I have to still have enough hair to gather in it. I have to wear my hair out of my face. Other than that, I'd like a bob similar to my client's."
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Skip to the end of my service. I went to pull my new bob into my barette and what did I find? My hair was no longer long enough to pull back into the barrette. I never went back to that salon. It took a YEAR to grow the bad haircut out. (I later asked Kenneth why he didn't tell me to not go to that big box salon. He responded that he never talked negatively about his competition!)
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Why do hairdressers do this? (Cutting more than we asked them to.) Isn't that one of the most common complaints of every woman you know? The last hairdresser they went to cut their hair too short! Do the stylists think they know better than we do? Are they just not listening? Yes to both questions.
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Unfortunately, more stylists than not would rather cut your hair short(er). To cut a long style takes skill, time, patience and desire... all things most stylists have very little of. It's much easier to cut your hair short and tell you to come back in 4 to 6 weeks... even if you're trying to grow your hair longer! They will tell you to come back every 4 to 6 weeks because they have to cut off the "dead" ends in order to keep your hair from splitting. Balderdash. What a crock! They are telling you that because having you come in that often is how they make their living!!! Of course they are going to tell you to come back frequently... they make more money that way!
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The real reason your hair splits is it has either been cut with a razor (ugh! I can't even imagine why anyone would do that...) or, more likely, it has been "cut" with very dull shears. Most designers will only invest a minimum of dollars in their cutting tools. $200,$300... maybe $500 will get you basic shears that lose their edge easily (or never really had one to begin with). These shears don't cut your hair... they pinch it off. And as they pinch it off, the end of each hair shaft is smashed, spreading it out like a fan. That's where the splitting starts. And once it starts, a hair can split all the way to the scalp. (Honestly, this hurts to even talk about!)
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Kenneth has always invested in his tools, the way my father, a surgeon, invested in his (scalpels and other surgical gear). A pair of my husband's shears is worth $1,700 to $1,900 or more. Made by the Japanese artisans who still make samurai swords, and made from the very same materials, his shears almost never lose their edge and are as sharp as a samurai sword. When he cuts hair with them, the hair is cut, not smashed. That is one of the reasons why, if you are growing your hair long, you only need to come to him two to three times a years for a cut. Your ends don't split, your hair grows out looking beautiful and keeps its shape.
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It almost goes without saying... when you leave his chair, you never have to wonder why your hair is two to three times shorter than you had asked for. Of course, that also has to do with his using his drycut technique as opposed to the general wet cut technique every cosmotologist learns in school. But that's a post for another day.

Queen of Brow GRAND OPENING...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Tue, 03 May 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Haneen Farhan, formerly brow threading expert at Perfections Salon, has launched her new venture, "Queen of Brow" with a Grand Opening this past weekend. If you have never had your eyebrows threaded by a true artist, you need to see Haneen. There is no better threader in Greater Cincinnati!

Her brow and nail salon is located in Blue Ash right next to Blue Ash Chili at 9573 Kenwwod Rd. For appointments call (513) 362-0050.

Fun times in the form of feathers...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:59:00 +0000

Feather extensions have arrived... look out Steven Tyler... Cincinnati is going to have you on the run! (Or at least a passel of students from Miami University. They are coming down in droves to add the fancy feathers to their hair!)

The Party Time mix is amazing. I've seen some of these colors in our clients' hair and just marveled at how they stood out!

Sultry Mix... Reds, Creams, Silvers, Blacks (on the left). Nature Walk Mix (on the right)... muted tones of nature... Golden Olive, Golden Yellow, Olive Green and more.

Meet the NFL's Oldest Cheerleader

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:52:00 +0000

FOX News ran this interview yesterday morning about BenGal Laura Vikmanis. We are soooo proud of you, Laura!

Feather hair extensions...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:14:00 +0000

While Angela and I were in Chicago attending the annual hair show a couple of weeks ago, Angie scouted the show for new and interesting goodies that we might bring back for you. The latest fad: hair extensions made from specially selected rooster feathers in a wide variety of colors. Much like the regular human hair extensions in wild fashion colors, these Featherlocks come in a variety of colors and different lengths.

Featherlocks are being worn by the Hollywood elite, one of the most notable being Stephen Tyler, currently a judge on American Idol.

Women (and men) have adorned their hair with beads, braids, trinkets and feathers since time began, I think. This trend may have come full circle. We will have some sample Featherlocks by early next week. Can't wait to share more with you on this fun new trend!

Good things in small packages...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:46:00 +0000

"Big box" mass merchandisers... you know them. They're the huge chain stores that began popping up across the country as early as 1982 when Meijer emerged as the pioneer of the superstore concept.
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Don't get me wrong... I shop at Meijer and I enjoy the experience. I also shop at Wal-Mart and Home Depot and Best Buy if I can get a good bargain, save money and in the process keep prices lower for the customers of my small business. Superstores can be a good thing.

"Big box" retailers have changed the landscape of retail sales. Superstores, also known as "hypermarkets" and "category killers," began building momentum and by 1988, Wal-Mart entered the category with its first Supercenter. As they grew, they began pushing aside the small family-owned businesses that populated America's Main Street from coast to coast.
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In her 1998 book Cities Back from the Edge, author Roberta Brandes Gatz explains: superstores are nicknamed "category killers" because "[t]hey don't mean to compete with existing businesses. They mean to kill them off and monopolize the market." (pg. 172) With the competition obliterated, the category killer changes the product mix and increases prices.
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Here is what else happens: the friendly shop proprietor with whom you have had a relationship for the past 5 or 10 years is no longer available to assist you with your shopping. When I shop at Meijer, I have a plan: I know what I want (it's on a list), I search out the items, I buy them and leave. I do not expect to have a friendly sales person within talking distance who can help me find what I am looking for. I am more likely to ask a fellow shopper where to find the towels or the crackers or the Diet Coke. There are more of them than there are sales people. And they are usually friendlier.

My husband Kenneth has the bottom line on the difference between the big box stores and the independent retailers of all kinds (hair salons included): "The big boxes do whatever they have to do to get your money. The independent retailer does what he has to do to earn your business, your trust and your loyalty."
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I'd much rather be us than them.

Photography by Segurd Decroos, www.cobrasoft.be

Lorraine Massey and the Curly Girls...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 04:33:00 +0000

Last night, Sarah and I drove to Chillicothe, my old stomping grounds where I lived and worked for four years, to attend a book signing event at Elements Luxury Salon by Carolyn. The author, Lorraine Massey, has just come out with the second edition of her ground-breaking book "Curly Girl: The Manual" and we were on a mission to meet her.

The salon was lovely... a place I would have been proud to have my hair done, had it been available back when I haunted the streets of Ohio's first and third state capitol. Unfortunately, there were no totally cool salons back then, so I made do with JC Penney's salon, and it was OK for what I needed at the time.

Evan Minney, the manager of Elements, was the perfect host for the event. He made Sarah and me feel like we were old friends. He introduced us to Lorraine who was as gracious and lovely and down-to-earth as we had expected.

Lorraine flitted about from one patron to another, signing books and evaluating each woman's curl type while dispensing tips on curl care. Sarah and I picked up a few pointers we hadn't learned before by listening to Lorraine and watching her work with each of the attendees.

Evan's mother, Carolyn, was being the perfect hostess while also demo-ing the DevaCurl 3-Step service to several guests.

What a lovely woman. We left there working on a plan to invite Lorraine to Cincinnati to meet all our lovely Curly Girls and have a fantasti-curl experience at Perfections! Stay tuned....

Sarah and Lorraine Massey.

Ombre' hair color technique...

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:39:00 +0000

I've been thinking about tie-dying for the past few days. It's been too many years to remember since I've dunked a knotted T-shirt into a tub of Rit [tm] dye and pulled out a fashion masterpiece.

But it's not so much the piece of clothing I've been fixated on as the technique's result: a gradation of dark-to-light hues of primarily one color.

It's the subtle gradation that pulls me in. A similar technique in hair coloring has been dubbed the "Ombre' effect." Although not new (Ombre' had its genesis in the fashion world where it was applied to the technique of diffusing color in fabric*), recently it has been showing up in actresses' and models' hair in Hollywood (of course) and beyond.

Angela Gatrell, Grand Master Colorist for Perfections Salon, brought the Ombre' look to Cincinnati and we're going to take you through it right here with Shannon Lake, former BenGal cheerleader and regular guest at Perfections.

Right after Angie completed the multiple-step Ombre' coloring process, she and Gary Mooar began drying Shannon's voluminous mane. Gary, if you recognize him, former owner of International Academy of Hair Design, visits us from time to time to keep his hand in the game!

*In French, "Ombre' " literally means 'gradation,' and when used in clothing, it means a nuanced progression of monochromatic colors. (And here I thought it meant "man" in Spanish!) As far as I can tell, it first made its debut on the fashion catwalks of Milan in Italian designer Alberta Feretti's Fall 2007 collection. We're not too far behind the curve, eh?
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But I digress. Hollywood Ombre' early adopters include Rachel Bilson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow and the Olsen twins, among others. Angie just returned from an L.A. hair show where she was working at the side of Tom Dispenza, the internationally recognized color guru formerly of Clairol and Bristol-Myers and the creator of the high-end professional hair color line Chromastics.

Angela, always on the outer-edge of fashion developments, brought back with her the Ombre' technique as interpreted by Dispenza (whose high-quality color Perfections has been using from the beginning, thanks to Angela).

Here, Kenneth finishes the look with his signature drycut.

And now, the finished Ombre' piece de resistance. Darker at the roots, lighter in the mid-shaft and lightest on the ends.

Personally, we think Shannon outshines any actress you'll see on the red carpet!

(tie-dye texture photo by Erin Calaway-Mackay)

Happy Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Jill) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:50:00 +0000

(Photo/image by Billy Alexander)