Monday 30 March 2015

The end of weeks 20 to 22

We have been working so hard for these last few weeks we haven't updated what we have learnt.
We we go...

We have done lots of assessments.
Shampooing
Blowdries
Temporary colours
Hand care
More Total looks
Practised our plaiting and twisting
Said goodbye to Ashley.
Did Judo!
How to do the cap
How we use bleach
What we can use it for.
How to do a uniform layer
It's done at a 90 degree angle.
Doing the back is hard. Lots of angles to think about.
Where you stand makes a difference.
We are up to date with our assignments.
Our Maths exam was easy
We did our English reading exam. 
Doing the cap keeps JayLeigh quiet!
We have the dates for our GCSE resits
We saw the solar Eclipse.
Got the biggest unit out of the way! YEAH
Worked on our skills sheets
We had a guest speaker about domestic violence.
We know what to be aware of about it now.
JayLeigh can blow dry quicker now.
Kirsty has good dance moves.
We all know where we are up to.
We know what we have to do to complete.
We are excited about the competition in May
We managed well doing clients who didn't speak English.
We installed WAMedu and we like it!

Have a great Easter everyone!





Friday 27 March 2015

Goodbye Ashley!

One of our team has left us. She is moving away to pastures new  and has worked really hard for the last few weeks to make sure she completed her course before she went.
This was Ashley when she first started in September.



And this is Ashley now


Here is what Ashley wrote before she left.
'I have really enjoyed the course. Everyone has been amazing! I have enjoyed everything I have don, it's been hard work I pulled through it by not giving up because the people around me have been so supportive. I'm honestly going to miss everyone. 


All the best Ashley, you have been a pleasure to teach and a valuable member of our team. We all wish you the best for the future. 
Here are your best bits!







Thursday 26 March 2015

Thinking about Barbering?

For Adam, Wilson and Zahir, to help you decide...


How I Discovered My Barbering Apprenticeship


reece blakeWe continue to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week with this first-hand account from barbering apprentice Reece Blake. Reece, aged19, is studying a Level 2 Barbering Apprenticeship with Bolton College and working at Head Kandi, Bolton.
“Growing up, I’d always had in my head that I wanted to take on the courageous role of law enforcement officer and fight crime on the streets of Bolton. It seemed like a cool job when I was a kid, but looking back, I was way too young when I left school to know what I really wanted to do.
I enrolled on a Public Services course all the same and started my journey to becoming a policeman, but I discovered pretty quickly that there was a lot more theory involved than I’d thought, which caused me to fall behind on assignments. (Paperwork was never one of my strong points.) When I also realised that I wouldn’t be able to become a fully-fledged police officer until the age of 25, the rose-tinted image of myself in bullet proof vest and reflective jacket quickly began to fade.
Disheartened, I began browsing through what else the College had to offer, and that’s when I stumbled across barbering. Cutting other men’s hair had never occurred to me as a potential profession – why would it? I suppose I’ve always been fairly into my own looks, but I’d never considered that it could translate into a potential career. Perhaps this is somewhat down to antiquated stereotypes about men working in hairdressing; it was never a job that could render the same amount of macho respect and ‘street cred’ as a job in the police force.
But times have changed. Gender stereotypes are dissolving and men have got some great male role models in the industry; you can’t walk down a hair product aisle these days without spotting John Frieda’s ‘Frizz-Ease’ range, and it was Patrick Cameron who opened the College’s Wella Centre of Excellence.
Don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t immediately sure that barbering was for me. The leap from policing to barbering was a considerable one, but after finding out exactly what it involved, I knew it was what I wanted to do. It’s creative, practical, socially rewarding… I definitely want to follow in the footsteps of my employer and open up my own barbering shop one day. At the moment I’m looking to get some exposure in national competitions.
Barbering wasn’t an obvious career choice when I was at school, which is why I’d urge any 16-year-old to do their research, pop into their local college and explore all of the possible professions they could enter before settling on a decision. You might just be surprised.”

Neil and Wolf product review


We have been really excited to try out our new Neal and Wolf styling products and today was the day.
First Lisa sat with us explaining the product range letting us smell and feel them ( they smell lovely).





 Then she showed us the different product cocktails and gave us a leaflet showing us what effect each cocktail can produce.
Once our clients came we decided which combination to use.
 Here are some of the results..


Beckys client had very fine hair. She decided to use Fix on the roots and Elevate on the mid lengths and ends to help add more volume.




Becky choosing the right cocktail


Applying the products




The results.
The clients hair felt thicker and it was easier to get the volume in the hair than some other products I have used. It smells and feels rich and was easy to use.


Next.

Emily's client had thick coarse dry hair and she found it difficult to control.
Using a cocktail of Glow and Silk mixed together she applied the mixture to the clients hair.





The result.




Our client was very impressed with how her hair felt. Silky and smooth yet not greasy or lank. 
She then went on to having her hair plaited with curls, after she remarked on how smooth the curls looked. A winning result we think.




We will be reviewing some more of their products soon, in the meantime you can find Neal and Wolf products and plenty of information on their website. Click on the link below.















Tuesday 24 March 2015

Practise makes perfect.

Practising plaiting and twisting today with a willing group of childcare students who came to be our models.

We had all types of hair to deal with.

From very curly coarse hair.


To long fine hair. 


And thick straight hair

But we did well! Lots of formative assessments complete! 


To finish the morning off we also mastered our handcare unit!


We can't wait to do more.










Friday 20 March 2015

Using a streaking cap.

We have been dying ( get it? Dyeing) to colour our block heads. Now we have completed our first uniform layer it was time to show us how to produce some capped highlights.
After demonstration we got underway.


This poor block can't see much



That's better!



Gently pulling the hair through the holes with a crochet hook.



Keep going until all the head is covered.



Next we mixed the bleach and peroxide using one scoop of bleach to two scoops of peroxide. There goes the maths again!



Make sure the hair is all covered.



Put on a processing cap and wait.



It's starting to lift.





Rinse and  put conditioner on the hair to help ease the cap off.
( but don't suffocate your client! as below)




Teamwork! 




Blow dry and see the different effects.




We enjoyed that.

















Thursday 19 March 2015

Working hard and getting better!

We have been working on all different things this week. From total looks to assignments, from cutting to plaiting, from shampooing to curly blow dries, manicures and more.. But that's another post! 
We all got on with the individual things that we needed to practise on and Lisa said we worked really well.



Even Molly is smiling

No rest for the models, even they have to keep working!


Another good busy day





The Streetdancer and the princess

Some more total looks were completed these week.
Wilson our resident streetdancer was Adams model.


Blue hair chalks from hairchalk.com were used to add colour to his hair.



No rest for the models in this class. Wilson still worked on his assignments!

Next Princess Jayleigh modelled for Kirsty


The green plaits matched her outfit perfectly. 


Didnt they do well! 



Monday 16 March 2015

Team building Judo style!

Lisa had arranged some more team building activities for us. But we didn't have a clue what she had planned. We weren't sure at all went we found out it was Judo!


We did some warming up excerises first......
Kirsty helping Molly overcome her shyness. 



Then we got to put the uniforms on! And we got into the spirit a bit more



Soon there was no stopping us! It was fun and better than we thought!



Great takedown Demi!








Friday 13 March 2015

PICK ME

With your interviews for level two and apprenticeships coming up soon. Read this to make sure you stand out in the crowd!

If you want a job application that gets you noticed for all the right reasons, you’ll need to avoid these common mistakes most hairdressers make on their CV.
1. They forget to include a personal statement
You want to stand out from the crowd, right? Well the only thing that is going to sell you is you. Don’t be bland, show enthusiasm. Demonstrate your passion for hair and the aspects of it that you are good at in one introductory paragraph and you’re off to a perfect start.
2. They include bad photos of hair
Be objective about your portfolio and ask other people to give you their honest opinion too. If you’re not 100% sure that your portfolio reflects you in a positive light then invest some time in creating some images that are good enough. It is more important to have good quality hair than professional shots, so photos of friends or clients taken on your phone can be enough.
3. They don’t explain away any gaps
If you took some time out, had a period between jobs or went off in a different direction for a while, then think about ways you can explain this. Don’t just leave big gaps between roles in your CV or the employer might question or come up with their own theories on what you were doing.
4. They forget to include a photo
For many industries, including a photo is a bit of a no, no, but many salon owners like to see a picture to get a feel for who you are. If you do decide to include an image, it will need to reflect you and marry up to the values of the salon you are applying to. It goes without saying that your hair will need to look fantastic.
5. They detail how much they love to do their friends’ and families’ hair at home
This is such a cliché! Styling your friends and families’ hair is very different skill to the time constraints of working in a salon and can evokeschild-like connotations. There is also an underlying hint that ‘I might just take your clients and do their hair at home too’.
6. They fret about their grades
So you didn’t get on so well with academic work at school? You’re not going to be the first hairdresser to say that. If you are a stylist who can demonstrate passion for the industry and hairdressing flair, that is going to stand you in far better stead than straight A grades. If you want to do an apprenticeship, you will need A-to-C grades in maths and English in order to enrol on NVQ training, though.
7. They don’t check their spelling and grammar
There is NO excuse for spelling mistakes, nor simple grammatical errors. You might not have the best academic skills, but your CV is an important document and not checking it carefully gives the impression that you are sloppy and lazy. Use the spell check on your computer to resolve any spelling errors or types and, if you are unconfident about grammar, ask someone you trust to double-check. There is a really useful guide to some of the most common grammatical mistakes hairdressers make here.
8. They don’t mention details of industry courses they have been on
Been on a specialist colour course, a product house’s training or learned an additional skill like extensions or hair smoothing? Spell it out. You never know what expert knowledge your potential employer is looking for and if you don’t tell them about additional education, they are never going to know.
9. They write too much
If it is a popular salon with a great reputation (and quite frankly, why do you want to work there if it isn’t?), the chances are they are going to be bombarded with applications. Make your CV as easy to process as possible by filtering out the important information. Use bullet points and bold type face to highlight your key skills and experience.
10. They go over too many pages
A CV should be no longer than two pages. Even the most experienced applicant can keep their resume down to this length by avoiding repetition and being selective about what information they include. Stop and think what you write: do you really think a prospective employer wants to know that you enjoy nights out with friends or that you played the clarinet when you were 12?
If you have loads of work that you’re proud of, put it on a website – even something like Pinterest, Tumblr or your Instagram page will work – and include a link. Just make sure that the rest of the pictures you upload reflect you in a positive light, as it doesn’t take much work to search through your entire online profile!
11. They omit details of industry events they’ve attended
Rather like industry courses, your future employer will not know you have a genuine interest in the industry unless you can prove it. Attending Fellowship, HABIA, NHF or FHA hair shows or hairdressing exhibitions like Salon International demonstrates a commitment to your craft.
12. They don’t mention accreditation of industry bodies
If you’re a member of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing or a State Registered Hairdresser it says a lot about your philosophy and your standards. Make sure you shout about it.
13. They don’t supply suitable references
Even if you are just starting out as a hairdresser and are looking for an apprenticeship, it is never ok to include references (or testimonials) from friends or family. Former bosses or college tutors are ideal; senior members of staff at a former salon are acceptable if your boss isn’t exactly happy that you’re moving on. In the worst case scenario, clients who have been with you for years are all potential referees.
14. They don’t print it on good quality paper.
It might cost an extra pound or two to buy some decent paper, but it will be worth every penny when it lands you the job. Thick, brilliant-white paper is going to help you stand out from the floppy crowd. You might also want to think about putting your CV in a plastic wallet to really make an impact. Make sure it is pristine – under no circumstances should there be any creases or, worse still, coffee stains – on your resume.
With thanks to Rachael Gibson, Penny Etheridge, Radiant Hair Consultancy; Scott Smurthwaite, Cream Hairdressing; Steve Rowbottom, Westrow.

Tuesday 10 March 2015

LOOK!! Number one tip for your level two interviews!!!



All the best everyone
From Lisa and Mary. 

Hair chalks and mascaras.


Today we had a challenge with the college block heads, trying  different ways of using temporary chalks and hair mascaras before we try them out on ourselves.


The products we used were from www.hairchalk.co.uk. They have a great range of colours and products.

Click here to go to their website

First of all we blow dried the blocks into a style to take before photos then added the colours in different ways. Here is what we created.



For a subtle result, using the chalks on dry hair and gradually build up until you get the desired look.



 
Making a contrast by just colouring a section can look good. This was done by twisting the hair as the chalk was applied. As shown in the  Hints and tips  on their website. Giving it an even cover and building the layers of colour up. 



Here is quite a dramatic look using a mixture of chalks and the mascaras. Great for a night out or a special occasion.



Finally a look for volume and curls. Using the hair marscara, building it up on the ends slowly and using the chalks to create a colourful victory rolls at the front.

They washed out of the hair easily by just using warm water too.

Blocks are hard to use so next time  we will try them on ourselves and see what results we get then.