Archive for the ‘Grooming Tips’ Category

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Professional Shampoo vs. Drug Store Shampoo

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Ask the men’s grooming expert…I was speaking with a customer today during his haircut about shampoo and he said to me, “all shampoo is the same”. What he said has some merit. All shampoo cleans hair, but not all shampoo is created equal. What I explained is what separates drug store shampoo and professional shampoo bought in a hair salon or beauty supply is the quality of ingredients. Non-professional shampoo contains alcohol, detergents and polymers that can build up on the hair and scalp. They are generally watered down and easy to overuse because of its concentration. Professional shampoos contain water so they are soluble, do not build up on the hair and scalp, and are heavily concentrated. The more concentrated the shampoo, the less you need to use, thus saving you money.

His other argument was professional shampoo is expensive. It is more expensive than drug store shampoo because you are buying better quality and ingedients. As I mentioned before, professional shampoo is highly concentrated requiring less to go farther. A professional shampoo will last two to three times longer than a drug store shampoo of the same size. Drug store shampoo is so watery that most of it goes down the drain as you try to apply it to your hair. Where as professional shampoo stays in the palm of your hand until its applied to the hair. That is why it lasts longer and therefore costs less over the lifetime of the bottle.

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In Salon Continuing Education for Hair Stylists

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Do you think your hair stylist should participate in continuing education after being licensed? I do. I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 23 years and continue to be amazed that the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology does not require licensees to have continuing education hours in order to renew a license. Because the Board does not require continuing education, it is left to salon owners to require their service providers to get outside education in order to stay current on industry trends. At metro FOR MEN, not only do we require our service providers to seek outside education in order to grow within the salon, we also host in salon education. Shawna, with Aveda, recently hosted a men’s hair cutting class where all my hair department team members were present.

It was one of the best classes hosted within metro FOR MEN. We were shown three new haircuts for men and then shown how to recreate them. At the end of the class, the staff was excited, energized and educated. I think it is important to stay educated and connected to my chosen career. In a typical year I receive at least 40 hours in continuing and enjoy it. I lead by example to my staff and show my team at metro FOR MEN that successful service providers continue to be educated no matter how long in the industry. My advice to customers of salons and stylists, entertain salons that require continuing education and in salon education and get services from stylists who regularly attend industry education.

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Did you get a good haircut?

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

I posted a question on our Facebook Fan Page (www.Facebook.com/metroformen) the other day asking our fans “how do you when you got a good haircut?”. For me, I know when I got a good haircut when my hair is easy to style myself. The responses I got were:

“when I leave metro FOR MEN”

“when it takes one try to style”

“when it even looks good wet”

What is your good haircut experience at the leading men’s salon in Orange County, CA–metro FOR MEN? Share your comments at www.twitter.com/metroformen or www.Facebook.com/metroformen

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Good or Great?

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

What makes a service provider exceptional and successful?  Service providers that do things that are unexpected make them exceptional and highlysuccessful!  As metro FOR MEN gets even more busy, it has become necessary for me to go back behind the chair for a while.  Last night, one of my service providers came to me to share a new client is driving to see us all the way from Rancho Cucamonga, has been on the road for over an hour and is still 15 minutes away.  He is in need of a haircut for a big meeting the next day at 8:00am!  He chose us because of all our great reviews on Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/metro-for-men-irvine).  It was 6:30pm and the shop closes at 7:00pm.  I expressed we can’t tell him we can’t take him.  That would be horrible customer service because he has been driving to get here and then we tell him “sorry your late…”  I would never want that to happen to me, so we stayed open and I provided him that necessary haircut. 

The entire time he kept saying, “I can’t believe you stayed open just for me”.  Doing those unexpected things has put me where I’m at today.  I have always happily done the unexpected and know that’s the reason I’ve been successful as a hairstylist.  In my career, I’ve been in charge of training all stylists in the east bay for a chain of salon, built a six figure client base, enjoyed at 96% retention rate of all new guests, and being requested to provide men’s grooming training in other salons and cosmetology schools.

Today, I’m the proud owner of metro FOR MEN, the leading men’s only salon in Orange County, Ca.  I would not be where I’m at today with out desiring to go above and beyond for customers.  I’d love to hear about times when a service provider has gone above and beyond for you.

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How to pick the right hair product

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

How do you pick the right product? Many factors should be considered:

1. What is the style you are trying to achieve;

2. What is your hair type; and

3. what is your hair texture.

A qualified stylist can answer these questions for you and help you select the right product for you. I had a new client the other day and he showed me a picture of the hair style he wanted. I then asked him what product is he using to style his hair. He explained it was a paste of some kind. While a paste is a great universal product, it wasn’t the right product to achieve the style he wanted. I suggested grip wax by m from metro FOR MEN which is a low shine wax. I suggested this product for him because he had a lot of dark course straight hair and a paste will dull his hair color. In contrast, a wax will add a little shine while still showing texture and controlling his course hair. I also showed him how to use it to achieve multiple styles for day or night. His comment to me was, “why has no other stylist ever explained this to me?” and gave metro FOR MEN one of the best reviews ever.

We treat all of our customers like this and this expert approach is what sets us apart from the rest. This expert approach to service is why metro FOR MEN is the leading men’s only salon in Orange County, CA.

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Top 12 Accessories for men

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

I enjoy reading men’s trend articles and came across a great one from Men’s Health Magazine. They listed the Top 12 Accessories every man should have or already own. Check out the full article at http://www.menshealth.com/style/style-accessories-men?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-MensHealth-_-Content-Style-_-12AccessoriesforMen. These 12 accessories are:

1. Pocket Knife

2. White Handkerchief

3. Credit Card Holder

4. Magnetic Collar Stays

5. Tie Bar

6. Business Card Case

7. Briefcase/Overnight Bag

8. Pen

9. Reversible Belt

10. Umbrella

11. Dopp Kit

12. Shoe Shine

Number 12 is my favorite because a nicely kept pair of shoes completes the package of a well-dressed and accessorized man. Come in to metro FOR MEN and see what we can do for your shoes before investing in a new pair.

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When to use sunscreen

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Calling on Sunscreen!!! Yes sunblock should be worn every day whether it’s sunny or cloudy outside. This is a necessary step in any skin care regimen because sunblocks keeps the skin from absorbing UV rays. UV rays not only cause cancer but they age the skin as well. I often have clients ask me what I do that makes me look so young. While I am petite which helps me to look younger than I am. But I also drink water, don’t smoke, get plenty of rest, eat right and exercise. The key to my youthful appearance is the use of sunblock EVERYDAY no matter the weather. The more the skin is exposed to sun over the years, the skin texture becomes compromised. Sunblock is the fountain of youth in my opinion. Yes men need it too. Us women want our men to stay looking good forever. Stay looking young—use sunblock daily.

metro FOR MEN hosts sunblock by Menscience. It’s waterproof, ultralight and non-greasy and contains ingediients to moisturize the skin as well. This sunblock will not make your hands slippery to interfere with your golf game. I always like that excuse ;-)

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Ask the Men’s Grooming Expert

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Men’s hair style trends for 2011 are quite different than we have seen in the past decade.  Men’s hair for this year is either long and flowing or short and structured—six degrees of  separation.  Less facial hair is synonymous with these trends.  Have you watched Mad Men lately?  If you have, you have seen that the characters are wearing clean, short hair that is combed into place using a gel or pomade, as seen in this example:

    This look is being seen on the fashion runways, in Hollywood and has no age limit.  A new take on the 1940s and 1950s have arrived.

Medium lengths for men went from “the messy look” to long fronts.  Check it out:    This is one of my favorite looks.  This look though is so different than what most men are used to wearing and will require time to get use to.  If done right, this medium, long front look can go from the office to nightlife with the use of the right product.

Men are wearing long hair again whether it has some layers or one length.  A new twist on 80s hair is back.        Trends for 2011 are exciting and fresh from what has been worn by men of late. 

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Ask the Men’s Grooming Expert

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

The new year is upon us and it’s a great time to start fulfilling those resolutions.  Do you have a resolution to get a new look for 2011 or looking for just a tune-up of your current look?  Let the Men’s Grooming Expert give you tips on looking your best this year.  Get your personalized tip by posting your question and current picture on metro FOR MEN’s Facebook Page at… 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/metro-FOR-MEN/75239173883

Happy New Year!

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Ask the Men’s Grooming Expert

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

What does a well-groomed man look like?  A well-groomed man:         

*  Has the perfect hairstyle for the image he wants to portray and uses the right haircare product to achieve that look, including shampoo AND conditioner and a styling aid;

*  Uses a face wash to wash his face with and follows it up with sunblock because he knows using sunscreen will keep his skin looking youthful.  He is also not afraid to use a complete skin care regimen because he understands the why…the  fountain of youth;

*  Keeps his facial hair trimmed and neat.  No ear and nose hair visible.  No single, long, bushy distracting eye brows.  No unruly mustaches, beards or goatees;

*  Has a white smile and used whitening teeth products daily;

*  Wears clothes that fit well and styled to project the image he wants others to perceive;

*  Smells fantastic because he uses the right cologne and doesn’t use too much;

*  Has well-MANicured hands because the right handshake says it all; and

*  Keeps his shoes groomed because he realizes that “you can judge a book by its cover and a man by his shoes”.

At metro FOR MEN we can show men how to get the right haircut for him, which products are best suited for his needs, advise him on skin care, trim facial hair, wax unwanted nose and ear hair, retail at-home teeth whitening systems and cologne, and get his shoes shined.  Do you have a man in your life that could use a new look for 2011?  Call metro FOR MEN today and schedule a free consultation.

Does he need wardrobe styling and image consulting because he wants to take his career to the next level, get that promotion, or land the perfect job?  Call my colleague Diana Jennings with Brand You Image or visit her at www.brandyouimage.com.

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