Tuesday, December 17, 2013

How The Cut And Blow Dry Changed Everything


The method of Blow drying hair to bring out the shape of the cut created by a hair stylist had only becoming popular around the time I began my hairdressing carrier. At first the blow-dried style's were slow to take off and it was only the young and trendy who sported them. Then as the general public became accustomed to the sharp lines of the cut and the sleekness of the finished hair styles it marked the death-knell for the roller set and curling tongs salons. Any hair or beauty salon that did not blow-dry was not making money and eventually closed. Videl Sasoon was taking the fashion world by storm with his totally new geometric bob styles and within a few short years blow drying hair was in and hairdressing salon's were big business. It was like the industrial revolution of the hair dressing trade. Hair salons were getting clients to come into their premises two or even three times a week to keep blow dry styles in shape while salon owners made a fortune. Many of today's big name salons made their name on the back of that cut and blow dry business. of that time. It never came into their client's mind that they could do their own hair themselves at home.

Amazingly it took a long time to enter the heads of the hair product manufacturers minds that they also could make a killing if they sold their blow dryers and hair products to the high street consumer. Eventually the hair companies coped themselves on and today blow-drying hair is the main way hair is styled into shape both in the salon and at home.

With the great success of the blow dry the hair industry had to find another product to keep their profits high and the publics new found interest in hair fashion alive. This new product tat arrived at our door was the Curly Perm. Just as with the blow dry it caught on like mad. I remember that my fingers used to be constantly tender to touch because my hands were always steeped in perm lotion as I wound the perm rollers. Everyone had the curly perm style and I do mean everyone. Women and men walked hand in hand around wearing the same hair style and even had their hair done the same way for the total look!
Then as the curly perm came to the end of its business curve blond highlights were pushed as the must have hair fashion. All of these fashion changes are what keep clients coming back to the salon.

I feel the only mistake that hair salon industry have made in the last while is the over zealous promotion of straightening irons. With straightening irons a prospective customer can get away with not going into the hair salon for many weeks. They can repeatedly keep putting the irons through their hair every day and make it look sleek and shiny. Only visiting to the salon every now and again for a slight trim to the ends of their hair to prevent any split ends. After that they are out the door and you may not see them for months.

Over the years I have read many articles on the condition of peoples hair in this straightening iron age and amazingly the manufacturers who push conditioning products are blaming the blow dryer for drying out your hair. This does not make any sense when you think that for a straightening iron to do its job correctly and actually iron your hair straight must be seriously hot. Much hotter that the air coming from a blow dryer.

Sometimes I wonder if the reason why people are not told this is so that the companies that make and sell moisturizing hair products, can make more revenue from all of those gullible consumers? Just a thought.

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