I used to think that most miserable people worked at the Secretary of State offices, but I was wrong, dead wrong.  Try talking to a curly haired woman in the middle of July, she will tell you exactly how much her life sucks on that particular day.  She will gripe about the humidity, the sun, the rotation of the earth and how the curvature meets the sun much too close this time of year.  Her hair expands, frizzes, and becomes unruly by the second.  Keep your distance my friends, this woman has not experienced what an Anti Curl service can do for her summer.

Anti Curl is a specialty service that is offered to those clients with curly and frizzy hair.  It tames and controls, and kills the frizz for up to three months without damaging the hair.

The phrase "you can have your cake and eat it too" is one of my favorites.  Curly haired women can have beautiful curls in the middle of a scorchingly humid midwestern summer without the frizz. 

As the dew point rises for these women, so does their anger.  That brief moment between the air conditioned house and the air conditioned car, turns curly hair into a tumbleweed of hate.  (just ask me, I know, I married one).

It takes an hour and a half to change that misery into bliss.  Simple really, when you think of all the hours blowdrying and scrunching in the morning before you go to work at six am.

Phil Stone is a Master Stylist and International Guest Artist at BIANCHIS Salon in Clinton Twp.

www.myspace.com/phil_stone

www.modelmayhem.com/philstone

I am a third generation hairdresser in my family.  I grew up in my grandmothers salon and watched the old ladies smoke an enitre packe of cigarettes each while getting thier Saturday afternoon perms.  I then watched my mother go through the same thing, and later learned from her and got where I am today.  The technology and chemistry over the years has advanced exponentially in this industry, but some things stay the same.

The biggest concern in any salon at any time or generation is hair loss, how to prevent it, and how to reverse it.  A woman with thinning hair is miserable and everyone within a twenty foot radius knows it.  I have many a client that has retained at least six hairs and wants me to make them look like eight.  (it's a comb, not a wand).  A womans hair is her crowning glory, starting at a very young age when she thought she would grow up to be a princess.

Hair loss and thinning hair is a common occurance.  It happens due to high stress levels, diet, and some medications.  Heredity plays the biggest role.  Women with this affliction seek out the Holy Grail of an answer to their problem and go through every concoction sold on QVC or at CVS.  Sometimes the simplest answer is the best. 

You can change your diet, reduce your stress, take your vitamins, and curse your parents, but to get to the heart of the matter, all you need is a scalp analysis.  At the salon the I work at, we offer just that, a scalp analysis.  Many times the problem is due to a poor growing environment, healthy hair comes from a healthy scalp.  It took me five years to figure out how to successfuly grow a garden, all I had to do was treat and change the soil.  The same may be said for hair.

In some cases, scalp oils or hair product build up on the scalp creating a "second skin" on the head.  As hair falls out as it naturally should (about a hundred and fifty hairs a day), the oily dandruff covers up the folicle, until no more hair can get through, literally choking out the new growth.

After a successful scalp analysis is completed, a proper treatment can be applied.  This can be from an intense dandruff treatment, to something as easy as brushing your hair every night to break up the collected oils and product, or even an exfoliant for your scalp.  (oily dandruff is different than typical dandruff that you see flaking on your clothes).

Of course my cosmetology liscense cannot alter the gene pool, again, it's a comb, not a wand.  But these measures, starting with an analysis, can help prevent if not reverse in some cases the effects of thinning hair.

Phil Stone is a Master Stylist and International Guest Artist at Bianchis Salon in Clinton Twp.

www.myspace.com/phil_stone

www.modelmayhem.com/philstone

I have to relate this story to you, it disturbed me to no end and still does to this day.  Not much rattles my brain, I think I have pretty much heard it all (or done it all).  The names have been deleted to protect the identities.

I had a client in my chair the other day that I have not seen in over a year.  This is common, people bounce around all the time, that is not what disturbed me.  Her hair was a mess, jacked up to high heaven.  I never ask who did the clients hair prior to me, it's one of my policies.  Secondly, I never tear down another stylists work, I let the client do that themselves.  She told me that a friend does her hair at another salon and she was coming to me to "fix" it.  I know this other stylist very well, that's not what disturbed me either.

This is what distrubed me....

I finally asked her if she had been seeing the same stylist who has been wrecking her hair.  She said she always sees her and every time, something is screwed up about the haircut, this time it was out of control, and it was.  At this point I had to stop what I was doing and ask her point blank for my own insight why she would stay with the same person if they kept ruining her hair.

This is what disturbed me more.....

She said not only herself, but a group of women from an organization that both they and the stylist shared went to her.  They apparently ALL had gotten messed up every time all the time.  She explained further that they only went to her because they knew the stylist friend had been going through some hard times with a divorce and was a single mom.  They thought it proper to give her their business at the sacrifice of their hair.  They all believed that leaving her was not the best answer and if they did leave, the stylist would fail as a person and be left destitute.  Evidently this last haircut put my client over the edge and had to do something.

So this is what disturbed me to no end.....

I put this into perspective.  If this stylist had a group of several women that stayed with her out of sheer pity, then I assumed she had a larger group that stayed with her for the same reason.  Pity.  This stylists business was held together by the pity of others.  Every dollar that stylist recieved was out of goodwill and guilt.  I couldn't fathom it.

Pity is something we should not give another human being.  Compassion, yes.  Pity, no.  As human beings we should help the person being pitied to help themselves or not help them at all.  I believe that if you pity someone, you are putting them much lower than you, lower than humaity itself.

As a business person behind the chair, I can not fathom having a clientelle based on the fact that they feel sorry for me because I might be down on my luck, or not being able to make ends meet. 

I like Meijer.  But if Meijer starts selling me bad meat or wilted vegetables, I sure as heck wouldn't keep shopping there until they could get their act together.  Bottom line is this, if the product is bad, don't buy it.

Phil Stone is a Master Stylist at BIANCHIS salon and Spa in both Clinton Twp. and Troy MI.

www.myspace.com/phil_stone

www.modelmayhem.com/philstone

"Mr. Moo Moo" the cow is grazing in the pasture with his little buddies.  Along comes the farmer and steers him and his friends into a truck and ships them off to the slaughter house to be "processed". 

At the end of the "processing", the hamburger meat produced is shipped off to different buyers at restaraunts to be made into hamburgers.  Now here is where it is interesting.  These are all the same cows ground up and in the end made into burgers, but the price of the burgers are totally different at each restaraunt.  McDonalds charges $.99  TGIFridays $7.99  Longhorn steakhouse $12.99, same cow, same meat, different price.  So what constitutes this?  What makes Mr. "moo moo" more expensive in some places and cheaper in others? 

PRESENTATION and skill in preparation my friends, along with dressing up the burger with spices and sauces and served on bread I can't pronounce. 

The same goes for hair.  What constitutes the difference between a $5.99 haircut and a $60.00 haircut?  PRESENTATION and SKILL.  The experience you recieve from a $60.00 haircut should be TOTALLY different from a $5.99 haircut.  The skill recieved for a $60.00 haircut should be above and beyond that of a 15 minute $5.99 haircut.  Extensive training in the hands of an artist that can create an entire look for the individual justifies price.  I would much rather eat a hamburger from Ruth Criss Steakhouse than a $.99 burger from Wendy's.  The difference is night and day.  But what I really want to talk about is the COMPLETE package.

In order to sell more burgers and fries McDonalds employed a clown, Burger King, a king, and Wendy's, a dead niece of founder Dave Thomas.  These icons are what create recognition to consumers.  How does your hairdresser fit in?

A stylist could give the greatest haircut in the world, but his or her personality could be downright rotten if not absolutely void.  The chance of a client returning to that stylist is next to nil.  When I give a hairstyle to a client, I want the client to talk about me as well as the hairstyle that I gave her.  It's much more flattering when a client raves not only about her hair, but about her stylist as well.  It's a complete package. 

I see so many stylists in so many salons walking around with color processing in their hair while styling clients, or stylists walking around the salon with their hair still wet from the morning shower or not done at all.  They look sloppy and unkempt.  They have the appearance of not caring.  A stylists outward appearance reflects their inward attitude.  This is obviously ruining their total packaging of their product.

Bottom line is this, an upscale hair cut with an upscale price should be justified by the toal package.  From the skill demonstrated, to the attitude and outward appearance of the stylist.  You are buying into the complete deal.

Phil Stone is a Master Stylist at BIANCHIS salon and Spa in both Clinton Twp and Troy locations.

www.myspace.com/phil_stone

www.modelmayhem.com/philstone

This past Easter was very good to me, in fact, too good.  I broke my back molar tooth on a piece of "old-fashioned" rock candy on a stick.  This hurt, a lot.  I had to wait two weeks to get into the dentist for him to grind it down.  He is a great dentist, so good, he tells the truth.

You see, while he was checking out my mouth and my broken tooth in the back, he noticed a cavity in the front, probably from a past Easter.  He filled it but left the back one alone.  He told me he wasn't very good at the back teeth and referred me to his partner who was.  Now this would scare the average person when a dentist tells you he is not proficient in a certain part of your mouth, but for me, it instilled confidence.

I appreciate truthfulness.  I practice it in the salon.  If a "look" will not go with your features, I will tell you up front, even bluntly.  What I fear are the sylists who promise the world and deliver a handful of dirt.  Every client is different and has to be approached as such.  I hear all the time a that a stylist promised a brunette blonde hair, but ended up frying it with bleach.  If something can't be done, and a stylist tells you why, believe that stylist.  Be wary of the stylist who says ANYTHING can be done to you.  Trust the ones that examine your hair with a critical and thoughtful eye. 

This may come off as negative, but this is how most hair disasters begin.  Empty promises and poor executions.  Every client should be treated like a growing relationship, and every relationship begins with trust and honesty.  Let's face it, your hair is your biggest piece of fashion, you want someone who treats it as their own.

Phil Stone is a Master stylist and International Guest Artist at BIANCHIS salon in Clinton Twp and Troy, MI 

www.myspace.com/phil_stone

www.modelmayhem.com/philstone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPVDRuC4IIM

One of the great perks of travelling the world doing hair is the fantastic restaraunts I get to visit.  You don't exactly get a chance to research what's good and what's not, so you rely on common sense.  In any city, all you have to do is walk around or drive in circles for a bit like a drunken tourist and look for the busiest one.  It was a sure bet that it was great if the place was packed.  If a parking lot was empty, more than likely the former patrons were still at home sick.  If it was packed full and there was a wait for an hour, you knew something good was going on in there.  It was one of the few times that I trusted the "majority". 

As of late, I have been dragging my feet about writing, my mind has just been blocked and preoccupied.  But lately, in my chair, I have heard a similar story from several clients.  It seems they trusted their "common sense" and used it for hair dressers.  They went to the busiest ones.  The stylists that juggle four or five clients at a time.  All of the clients that told me the similar story had similar results. 

They were briefly consulted by the stylist.  The ASSISTANT applied the color, the ASSISTANT shampooed them, The STYLIST cut them, the ASSISTANT blow dried them.  How many times does ASSISTANT appear in that run-on sentence?  Too many.  While these clients were being shuffled around, other clients were being squeezed in.  The results?  Botched colors, flawed and bland haircuts, inadequate service.  All this for top dollar.

A lot of stylists operate with this tactic.  Not all of them have the same dismal results.  But some do.  How do you think these clients ended up in my chair to tell these stories? 

What I'm saying, and I may come off as a bit bitter, is that the chances of mistakes heightens when the individuals' service is juggled about a number of hands.  Trains of thought are challenged, timing is compromised, service is obliterated.

Going to a stylist who is always busy with three or four clients is a risk.  The law of averages says so.  I understand that with quantity comes higher income, just ask COSTCO, or SAMS CLUB.  BUT, this is a service industry, you can't treat clients like a five gallon bucket of mayonnaise. 

I have somewhat higher prices in the salon, but you are paying for my time, and skill, and most of all, vision.  When you get me, you get me, the entire time.  The law of averages is in my favor.  A stylist like myself makes fewer mistakes and provides a higher standard of service.  Taking your time while creating the "look" has value.  Great value.

This has been a huge debate for years and years, which type of stylist to go to.  Bragging rights of your stylist, or bragging rights of the quality of your hair.  I only use myself as an example of the latter type because I know myself so well and only hear stories of the first type.  I can say that if I do make a mistake, I will be the one to take the responsibility for it, not my ASSISTANT.  There will be no doubt in my clients head that I personally messed up her hair, no one else.  It leaves the guess work out of "WHAT HAPPENED?" 

Call me a control freak, or OCD, either way it's up to you, the client, to find out what works best for you. 

PHIL STONE is a MASTER STYLIST at BIANCHIS SALON in Clinton Twp. and Troy

www.myspace.com/phil_stone

 http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=269358

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2EvaT62uCQ

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1130034041

Last night my wife suckered me into watching the 80th Academy Awards on television.  Although I love fashion and hair, I am not too thrilled about the whole celebrity thing and just can't muster enough "swoon" for it.  I did get a kick out of the fact that they threw some bleachers up for spectators to gawk and snap blurry photos of passing stars.

Anyway, to say the least, the hair was incredible.  It remained simple, chic, and feminine.  Pulled back, loose, and defined ponytails and chignons dominated the red carpet.  very sexy.   But how much does sexy cost to them?  ALOT.  From 200.00 to 500.00 alot.  And in essence, it's a pony tail or a glorified "bun".  Loose curls pulled back, wrapped and tucked.  But every piece is PERFECT, to the "T".  Thats where the money goes, into the time, perfection, and detail. 

Meanwhile, back in Macomb County......

Sally is getting married.  Sally schedules an "updo" and wants something big, extravaggant actually with all the bells and whistles to boot.  Flowers, ribbons, and an heirloom hatpin from great grandma thrown in for good measure.  Sally obviously wants to get noticed, and believes it will double up as something sexy.  Sally is wrong, dead wrong.

When Sally walks down the aisle that day, the only thing that people notice is the hair, the flowers, ribbons, and some catch a glimpse of the ugly hatpin.  No one really notices Sally for who she is or what she really looks like for that matter.  At the end of the day, too much is too much.  You are not paying per curl with an updo, you are paying for a style that enhances your "look" and features.

The reason celebrities wear the hair that they do on the red carpet is to allow the viewers to see them for who they are.  You recognize their face, it's their trademark, their bread and butter.  If a celebrity wore Sally's hair down that runway, that particular celebrity would end up on the back page of the ENQUIRER for "worst hair disaster".

I've blogged about this before and I cant stress it enough.  When you dress up your hair, do it to enhance your "look", bring out your best features, hide the bad.  Sometimes simple is always better.

Phil Stone is an International Master Stylist at BIANCHIS SALON and SPA in Clinton Twp. and Troy, MI.

Homepage:

 http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=269358

youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2EvaT62uCQ

myspace

www.myspace.com/phil_stone

When I purchased my new computer at Circuit City last summer, I told the salesperson that I needed the best system for playing video games.  He sold me one, and assured me that it was the best for my gaming needs.  He informed me that all the gigbytes were in order, the circuits at top peak, and reinforced the fact that I couldn't get a clearer picture.  I took his corporate nametag as the authority above all.  Never questioning a word that jutted from his mouth.  At that moment, I was satisfied.

Almost a year later, my system is outdated. Technology had done a 50 yard dash past me in a flash.  My system is now not the best, there is something better out there, more flashier, higher speeds, gigabytes beyond comprehension.  In less than a year my gaming needs are now settling for second best.  The salesperson's corporate nametag is now tarnished in my mind. 

We are today, in such a pursuit of the "best" in everything.  Everything we buy.  Everything we own.  Everything we do.  That constant word, "BEST".  It was the best, He was the best, I swear it's the best you can get.  It's a large yet miniscule, monosyllabic word that decieves and manipulates. 

In my line of work as a hairdresser, I hear that word more often than I should.  I have been told by clients that before me they tried this other stylist who was hailed as the "best" by their friends and co-workers.  This other stylist has also recommended the very best in haircare when it came to shampoo and styling aids.  Nothing can compare this stylist reassured.  The ingredients are impeccable and come from the farthest reaches of Tibet.  They ended up in my chair later on because they had noticed another client of mine walking through the mall.  My client claimed me to be the best as well, and highly recommended me..... Let the pursuit begin.

Bottom line is this....

You wake up every day with your hair.  It's yours.  So it should be up to you to decide what truly is the best for you.  You make the final call.  Like the old saying goes, "If it aint broke, don't fix it".  The pursuit of the best is an endless chase.  This is due to exterior issues driving you in several directions.  I say question authority and go with what you know to be true.  If you are happy with your stylist and your needs are met, stay with that stylist.  If you dont like the stylist, or your hair has been compromised, leave. 

Phil Stone is a Master Stylist at BIANCHIS SALON AND SPA in Clinton Twp. and Troy MI.  Phil Stone is also an International Guest Artist and can be found at:

Homepage:

http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=269358

MYSPACE:

myspace.com/phil_stone

YOUTUBE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2EvaT62uCQ

I was teaching a class yesterday for basic haircutting.  Before the class starts, I alway consult with the models to tell them exactly what I would like to do to their hair.  I came to my second model, and before I could get a word out fo my mouth, she began violently verbally bashing the last stylist who cut her hair.  She hated the cut, cursed the stylist, and wanted me to "fix" it. 

This is not uncommon.  Nine times out of ten, when I have a new client in my chair, the first thing out of their mouth is that the previous stylist "messed up" their hair, and they want me to fix it.

I have to disagree the majority of the time with the statement that the previous stylist screwed up their hair, and this is why.

Salvadore Dali didnt paint like Pablo Picasso, yet both expressed themselves successfully and artistically.  Each had a separate "vision" for the canvas and different execution, yet both were successful.  This goes for hair as well.  Each stylist has a certain vision for the clients hair, whether its a good one or a bad one is ultimately up to the client.  As long as there is vision, there will be some degree of success.

I blame lack of vision when a stylist truly messes up someones hair.  I have a salon owner friend that told me once, "I could train monkeys to cut hair all day, but I could never train them to "see" the end result."  Having a shared vision with your stylist and being on the same page is pretty much the moral of the story here.  Good communication before a comb or blade hits the head is key.  If the vision is not shared, then its time to move on.

Phil Stone is an International Guest Artist and Master stylist at BIANCHIS salon in Clinton Twp. and Troy MI.

YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2EvaT62uCQ

HomePage http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=269358

In the 1980's television series, "Little House on the Prairie", Pa would load up the wagon once a month and take the family to the town of Mancado. This would be a huge ordeal for them. Mancado was then a metropolis compared to Crabapple Cove. The girls would create these abnoxious barrel curls in their hair and tie a ribbon in each one to create a sense of upscale flair. It was a low time for hairdressing at that point, but given the limited resources on the prairie, somewhat acceptable. Around Prom time and Wedding season, I still hear women asking for these "barrel curls" and plastered intricate retro-like updos. I hate to say it, but there is nothing sexy about these types of "looks". There are certain things from the 80's that should never be recreated again. Spandex, leg-warmers, and the crunchy-curled up-do should have stayed in the time capsule buried beneath Ridgemont High. The alternative is pictured above with my model Lauren. Lauren has below-the-shoulder hair that I have dressed up to appear as a loose, flowing, "bob". It's approachable, natural, and sexy. It still meets the purpose of an up-do to change the appearance of the wearer, and create a sense of upscale flair. At the end of the day, simplicity can often make the biggest impact. Phil Stone is a Master Stylist for Bianchis Salon and Spa in Clinton Twp. MI. and is an International Guest Artist for RUSK INC. Photo: PHOTOHIGHLIGHTS Hair: Phil Stone