Last week, I had a new client book an appointment and she asked if she could film her visit to post on her YouTube channel. I  was hesitant at first due to her appointment falling on an evening slot on my busiest work day (a Friday) and I knew I wouldn't have the time to "entertain" but I thought, "Hey, why not?"  Chrishinda is a new mommy who is sharing her motherhood and natural hair experiences on social media and it was rather refreshing to meet her.  You should check out her content and subscribe/follow @HeyChrishinda (Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram).

 

During her consultation, she showed me an image of her ideal haircut and hair shape and I took it from there.  She didn't want her shortest layer as short as her inspiration pic so I kept her graduated layers pretty close but the proof is in the picture (check out the difference layering makes in the shape of her beautiful hair). There are a lot of "Natural Hair Myths" that I have to tackle on a daily basis but I try to do it in a fun, yet educational way.  I really enjoyed her (and her new baby and husband who patiently waited). 

 

I pride myself in providing each of my guests a fun salon experience while I share my knowledge.  I also pride myself in being a natural hair specialist so if you're looking for a professional HairBestie,  look no further than Tongela Curry at The Diamond Salon:) 

 

Click HERE to watch the video of her experience while visiting The Diamond Salon located in Little Rock, AR.   

 

Strong hair?

TAKE BACK YOUR STRENGTH – ELEVATE YOUR STYLE


Design Essentials® Strengthening Therapy System provides the ultimate in

style flexibility, versatility and manageability. Straight today, curly

tomorrow…it’s whatever you decide…for up to 12 weeks of smooth, manageable, frizz free styles. STRENGTH IS THE FOUNDATION. Design Essentials® Strengthening Therapy System

is formulated with micro-fine amino acids that penetrate deep into the hair shaft to restore

and strengthen hair with each use. Design Essentials® Strengthening Therapy System is a

best in class collection of smoothing and curl stretching therapies for all hair

textures, including frizzy, naturally curly, transitioning, bi-textural and processed hair.

Design Essentials® Strengthening Therapy System delivers up to 12 weeks of frizz free,

humidity resistant, lasting style with significantly reduced root-to-tip swelling and

maximum reversion resistance.

Design Essentials® Strengthening Therapy Silkening Spray is designed to strengthen, treat

and repair chemically processed, weakened or damaged hair.

• Blend of Amino Acids and proteins deeply penetrate hair shaft to swiftly renew hair health

• Immediately reduces breakage and shedding

• Progressively strengthens hair with repeated use

• Emits luxurious shine

Design Essentials® Strengthening Therapy System is an Amino-Acid Based system, using the active Cysteine Amino Acids. It does not contain Formaldehyde nor any Formaldehyde derivatives. It does not emit harmful gasses as other Formaldehyde or Sulfite Urea systems.

Is the Strenghtening Thearpy System a chemical?

No, the Design Essentials® Strengthening Therapy System is not a chemical. It is a protein

based treatment that does not contain any harsh or permanent chemicals. Unlike chemical based products, Strengthening Therapy System does not break nor rearrange the bonds. In contrast, it fills the hair fiber with micro-fine amino acids, resulting in the stretching or elongation of the hair strand, while repairing the hair for maximum strengthening.

So if you are looking for stronger, healthier hair, call Tongela Curry today to schedule your consultation or appointment. She became certified to use these products after receiving classes from a team of Design Essential trainers in 2012.

Tongela Curry, Owner

The Diamond Salon

www.thediamondsalon.net

thediamondsalon@yahoo.com

(501) 747-2328 Salon

(501) 348-3480 Mobile

Exercising: Hair tips

For the active client, it can be a challenge exercising to maintain the physical body AND the look of the hair!  It is important to keep the scalp clean as sweating produces salt deposits that can have a drying effect upon the hair. There are a vast amount of women who fall off of their exercising routines because of the difficulty in maintaining their hairstyles.  Exercising is IMPORTANT to your health…not to mention you HAIR, SKIN and NAILS.  To keep you encouraged, here are a few Tips:

·        Choose simple styles or sets.

·        Secure the hair with a scarf during the workout.

·        Allow the hair to air dry before combing.

·        Moisturize the scalp and hair daily or as needed.

·        Keep hair clean and do deep conditioning or hydrating treatments to replenish moisture.

 

Let's talk Relaxers!

There is still a huge percentage of people with textured hair that choose to get a relaxer.  You CAN have relaxed hair that is healthy AND growing IF it is done right, the proper products are used, and you keep up the maintenance.

ALL relaxers contain hydroxide.  This chemical processes the hair by opening the cuticle and penetrating the cortex where they break the disulfide bonds and cause the hair to become relaxed, resulting in a looser or straighter texture. Most relaxers are strongly alkaline and have a high pH.  It is extremely important to know WHICH relaxer to use on your clients as well as yourself.

There are FIVE relaxer types:

·        Sodium Hydroxide (Regular, Super, Special)

·        Calcium/Guanidine Hydroxide (Time Released/Sensitive Scalp)

·        Lithium Hydroxide (Lo-Lye)

·        Potassium Hydroxide

Sodium Hydroxide relaxers have a tendency to:

·        Be irritating to the scalp

·        Cause less drying

·        Leave the hair with more sheen

·        Penetrate the cuticle at a faster rate

No-Lye or Low-Lye relaxers (Calcium, Guanidine, Potassium, and Lithium) have a tendency to:

·        Be less irritating to the scalp

·        Leave the hair in need of more frequent conditioning and treatments

·        Penetrate the cuticle at a slower rate

·        Be more drying on the hair and scalp – the hair will need to be moisturized more often to avoid dryness and breakage

Please stay away from “Box Relaxers” and seek a professional who has been trained on the proper procedures for chemical application.  There are many factors to consider when selecting relaxers:

·        Porosity – the hairs ability to absorb chemicals (high, normal, low)

·        Texture – size and shape of the hair strand (fine, medium, thick/coarse)

·        Timing – do NOT exceed manufacturer’s processing time (application choices:  virgin, retouch, corrective under-processed, corrective over-processed, and permanent color treated hair)

Relaxer TIP:

·        To maintain the integrity of the hair, volume, and elasticity….relax hair ONLY to 65%-75% straightness!

·        Do NOT relax previously relaxed hair (new growth only) unless you’re performing a corrective chemical relaxer.

·        Try to extend the time between relaxers (no sooner than every 6-8 weeks).

·        Do NOT perform a relaxer application with out the base application (protect the scalp).

·        Always do a consultation and keep records of results.

·        Have your clients sign a Hold Harmless Agreement stating that they are aware of the risks of chemical services.

·        Everyone isn’t a candidate for chemical services……..

Owning a salon interview

1.      What is the most important aspect of wanting to own a salon?

Unfortunately, many people go to beauty school with aspirations of owning their own salon without researching all that it entails.  Beauty School gives you the technical skills to obtain a license to perform a service but not the business skill needed to open and operate a salon. I would have to say that the most important aspect is DRIVE. If a stylist wants to own a salon, they must assume many additional roles (or hire someone): as realtor (scout locations, sign lease/mortgage agreements), as manager (create/manage contracts, recruit staff, pay bills, open/manage accounts, purchase equipment), as PR (market, advertise, network), as Janitor (yes…it’s mostly on YOU),  as Therapist (all salon problems will become yours), and overall be prepared to be like the Greek God Atlas who carried the weight of the world on his back because you will have to be proactive and know how to handle complications (power outages, loss of hot water, unsatisfied staff/clients, theft, etc).

2.      How do you begin to envision your business plan? With any business, you need to have a strategic business plan that explains the who, what, why, when and how. This will serve as a blueprint to your business and may help you obtain financial backing from banks and investors.  If you plan to provide a product or service that is a commodity (something common like a salon), you’ll need to show your niche strategies of what will make you different and successful. If there are already 400 salons in your city/state….why would people come to your NEW business vs the other 400?

3.      What are the key necessities to starting such a business? This is where a lot of people get discouraged but you have to be (or have) a great manager who will stay on top of getting and keeping current all licenses (salon/barbershop, staff, business), permits (sales/use tax), Tax ID#, Determine legal structure, register your business name, apply for trademark to protect your brand, register for state/local taxes, etc. There is WAY more involved than just signing a lease!!!

4.      How do you choose and evaluate your team? Recruiting is a very important task in ensuring your business’ success. Your staff should represent your overall vision. Recruiting the right people will save you from headaches in the long run.  The worse mistake you can make is to just “fill up your chairs.” Stylists have a tendency to “shop hop” if they aren’t satisfied so spend the extra time to recruit those whose goals are in line with your overall vision.

5.      When it comes to style, presentation and customer service, how would you coordinate the essentials? To attract WHO you want (staff and clients), your overall presentation must appeal to them.  If you want a higher end clientele, you’ll have to invest more into chic décor, products, and diversify your services.  If you wish to be the neighborhood hot spot, you may need to provide more entertainment.  If you seek a more professional consumer, you may consider offering extended hours and fast services. It’s hard work getting new clients but you also have to retain them and that could be easy if you always focus on your vision and keep them pleased with your total package!

6.      Marketing is always key to any business, how should salons be marketed? Marketing and advertising can be very expensive so it is very important to know WHO you want to market your business to.  It’s only effective if you make a connection so spend your money wisely and always set a budget so you don’t compromise your operating funds.  Start with as much free marketing as possible (friends, social media, etc) and ask your clients to be walking billboards for you by posting pictures of your work and wearing your merchandise (shirts, hats, etc).

7.      Clientele – where does it come from?  Initial clientele comes from your efforts and hustle!  Noone will come to you if they don’t know who you are and what services you provide.  Get out and pass out business cards/flyers! Take advantage of slow days by getting out and introducing yourself to potential clients.  Once you start developing relationships and providing great services, then you may get referrals from your clients and by word of mouth. This is why it is important to treat EACH client like your best friend because you never know their connections…they can make or break you.  Bad reviews spread faster than great ones so always provide a positive experience.  Your clients are your bread and butter…source of income.

8.      In one year, what should your expectations be for your hair business? It is vital to set goals and strategies to maintain them.  Periodically, evaluate how well you are doing and always find creative ways to stay (or get back) on track. After your first year in business, always look at your business plan and whatever objectives and goals that you may have forgotten about or opportunities you may have missed, make sure to incorporate them into your plans for the upcoming year.  Sometime we get lost in everyday life responsibilities and we get off track but always follow your heart.  Owning a business is NOT easy but it IS possible to be successful if YOU ensure its’ future with a game plan!  I pray that this encourages someone…Good Luck J

Hair Treatments

Have you hear of the "steam hydration treatments?" As of right now, The Diamond Salon is the ONLY salon in Arkansas that offers this amazing hair treatment service! Steam therapy is a super deep conditioning process that conditions the hair’s cuticle from the inside-out while sealing damaged cuticles. It is the perfect treatment for those with hair challenges (shedding, breakage, color treated, relaxed, dry, brittle, over processed, or scalp ailments). Steam therapy is a 15-30 minute process that helps to achieve and maintain healthy hair. This process has an added benefit for guests with natural hair because the added moisture delays the reversion process and allows them to wear straight looks (thermal styling) longer. With continued steam hydration treatments, natural clients will notice a more defined and manageable curl pattern which will lessen tangling. The key to obtaining great results is the perfect blend of steam and product.


The Diamond Salon offers a variety of therapeutic hair treatments:
1. For clients with healthy hair but desire more softness: Deep conditioning

2. For clients with fly-away or brittle hair: Awapuhi Therapy

3. For clients with product build-up, dandruff, or impurities: Detoxifying Scalp Therapy

4. For clients with dry, tangled or limp hair: Hydrating Steam Therapy

5. For clients with over/under processed or hard to manage hair: Strengthening Therapy


These treatments can be combined since they are not chemical treatments and won’t permanently alter the physical state of the hair’s structure. So whether you are on a natural hair journey or maintain chemically treated styles, we would love to discuss options that would give you the ultimate look!
Call us today!
The Diamond Salon

www.thediamondsalon.net

thediamondsalon@yahoo.com

(501) 747-2328

Traction Alopecia

As girls, most of us can remember sitting in the hair salon getting our hair braided and squiring in pain or leaving the salon with hair headache because our hair was pulled too tight. Many women today are suffering from Traction Alopecia, a condition in which the hair follicles are damaged and results in hair loss, because of the bad habits we learned as children.

Traction Alopecia is almost always a result of applying too much stress on the hair (typically around the hairline) by excessively tight braids, cornrows, or pulling ones hair in tight ponytails. Traction alopecia is also a result of using chemicals incorrectly, like leaving relaxers on too long. It is even a result of using bonding glue or lace wig adhesives and pulling on the hairline.

Traction Alopecia affects mostly African American women is the United States and is a result of hairstyling methods. Weaves, whether bonded or sewn in, can be done safely. Some important tips to prevent or stop the progression of Traction Alopecia are:

·        Telling your stylist not to braid your hair too tightly

·        Leaving you edges out when getting a weave

·        Avoid leaving relaxers on too long (remove a relaxer immediately when it starts to burn)

·        Avoid excessively tight hairstyles

·        Speak Up! If you feel like a stylist may cause damage to your hair, let them know immediately or go to a different stylist.

Remember that Traction Alopecia can be prevented and even reversed if caught early. The key is proper hair care.