Trust In Our Experience
News
I hope this email finds you well, and that you are all staying safe.
We are of course in lockdown 3.0 and have been since 20th December. The novelty has sooo worn off! As I pull out a very bad batch of apple muffins from the oven, and pour myself yet another green tea, I realise that lockdown has lost it’s appeal, and how much I am missing salon life. My clients, and my team. Do I miss the long hours, definitely not! Is my tennis elbow thankful for a rest, and am I keeping motivated and busy, definitely.
But I do miss creating, the whole reason I entered this profession, as a teen, as well as the lovely chit chat that comes with my working day - I appreciate just how hugely rewarding my role is. Something to feel very grateful about, as I know many people who’s work offers no such luxury.
In moments where I need a break from the laptop, I have been reading a selection of books,
( a 2021 goal is to read at least 10 books by year end). My bedside pile consists of 'A New Earth' by Eckhart Tolle, ‘Untamed’ by Glennan Doyle, and ’Immunity, The Science of Staying Well’ by Dr Jenna Macciochi. All thoroughly enjoyable if you need a recommendation.
I am also endeavouring to cook more from my ridiculously large selection of cookbooks, instead of just automatically googling online, and it’s been really pleasurable to delve in to
them for inspiration, and actually read them !. My waistline may not agree if we lockdown for too much longer. I have also ordered a spin bike (which may appease my waistline) although
it is yet to arrive. This has to have been one of the most purchased items during this year of Covid!. Let’s hope it’s not a fad in my house, and that using it will give me the body of JLo
that I am always aspiring to, otherwise I will be demanding a refund! If you, like me, need
home workout inspo, I have discovered Heather Robertson via Youtube. She offers a plethora of workout videos, easily done in a small space, and gets you very sweaty. She’s great, the videos are professionally put together, and there is no annoying chat. I make it my first ‘to do’
in the morning, and I feel all the better for it. (https://heatherrobertson.com)
But, enough rambling ... this first newsletter of 2021 is just to update you on what we have been up to, and a few little recommendations for you to give you a little lockdown motivation, until we can meet up again in person. In the summer lockdown of last year, a box arrived daily from Amazon, something that I am trying not to repeat this time. Not least because I have given myself strict instructions to curb my spending, but if I do need to spend, I am trying to supporting small businesses online. It just feels right to do so, and reminding myself that I too am a small business, and hugely value our clientele and their support - it’s time to pay it back!
TEAM NEWS
As I write, Luke is sunning himself on a sandy beach in Barbados, having managed successfully to slip away at the end of December. He will be returning to grey old Blighty at the end of January, with maybe a stint locked down in a hotel of the government’s choosing, according to the news this morning. Let’s hope for his sake it’s not a Travel Lodge - he will not be amused! I am not going to be the one to break that piece of news to him via Whatsapp. Lynn has been in hospital to have an operation on her neck, and is now recuperating at home, and according to a message from her this morning, is feeling very grumpy at not being able to get up and do anything. I am sure you will join us in wishing her a speedy recovery. Katie as I am sure you all know has now moved to a new life in the Cotswolds, with her husband, and the lovely Buddy, their beautiful, and extremely well-behaved, black lab (who put’s Mabel to shame!). She is starting up her own free-lance bridal hair business, and is using this time to get her branding and social media content up and running. She will be hugely successful, I am in no doubt, she is such a positive, driven individual, and we will miss her terribly. She has been one of the very best team members we have ever had. But, we have already decided we will be having many visits to the area to see her…we don’t need any excuses. On that note, if you were one of Katie’s treasured clients, please do not worry, we will be accommodating you into the fold, with either myself, Luke or Danni (hair colour services only), and you will continue to be looked after with the same care and attention that you have always received at The Hair Advice Centre. Danni is really looking forward to taking care of your colour services, should you decide that she is your ‘Go-to Girl’. She is immensely talented, and it will not be long before she will also be offering haircut services too. I have had one hair colour service with Danni in 2020, as well as one haircut with Luke, and can categorically say that Danni is an absolute gem of a young stylist. I know it will be an age before I manage to get a hair appointment with either in 2021. We are expecting to be extremely busy when we return to the nest. We will keep you updated with Danni's progress. Such a fantastic protege for our salon..
PLEASE WAIT FOR US! WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!
One of the biggest concerns we are hearing from clients is how to cover their white hair when their roots start to appear.
Home Hair Colour
Of course with no re-opening date, to date, we know that for those of you who have hair colour, this will be becoming a concern in the coming weeks. We stand firm on our ethos of not distributing professional hair colour for you to apply at home. However we can recommend a brand that we feel would be a good option for those of you who simply cannot leave your regrowth colour. E-Salon's online colour service (please see the link below), have a reasonable consultation process to assist you with the colour choice, as well as offering a parcel with all you need to apply your hair colour - however please do get in touch with me, as I will be happy to guide you to the best colour shade for you as an extra safeguard. Alternatively I would suggest for darker blondes to brunettes, L’Oreal Castings, as one of the lesser evil box colours, and as long as you apply to your roots only, and follow manufacturer’s instructions to the ’T’ you should be absolutely fine. BLONDES BEWARE you cannot join this party! Please do not entertain doing anything without getting in touch with us to help you. Yellow labrador is NOT the on-trend hair colour for 2021!! There is far more at stake for blondes, and home colour should be avoided at all costs. Dark roots are preferable to buttery yellow roots, take my word for it.
For those of you who do take the plunge into box colour maintenance, I cannot stress enough the importance of doing a colour test beforehand. This is not a time to be heading off to A&E because you are having a serious allergic reaction - and be under no illusion, you can still react to a hair colour, despite having coloured hair.
Please note: we cannot guarantee your colour results should you decide not to wait and do a home colour, we are simply suggesting these as a worst case scenario option if you really cannot wait for us. Please also be advised that all clients will need to have a skin sensitivity test prior to their first return visit to the salon. We will be in touch once we have an opening date, and will be sending out or offering collection days/times to get this actioned, to make your transition back to the salon a smooth and stress-free experience. We will also be offering Facetime consultations to clients prior to their first hair colour appointment to assess what booking and service will be required to restore their tresses to tip top condition and hue.
A HAIRCUT CALLED ‘BOB’
The most longstanding haircut trend of all time. It is timeless. But, it can be boringly dull, and add years to you if not executed well. A bob with bells on, is a whole other thing. A little 'new year, new you’ inspiration below. Something to aspire to in the Spring, to update your look, with the changing season, and fingers crossed brighter times? You may already have a bob, maybe it just needs a tweak. Or, you may decide to get a bob - whatever one it is, these are the elements that make the difference, from good to great. Consider the change….
Fine Hair
Yes you can have layers! But placement is key..
Layers are kept around the perimeter length for texture. Super stylish and so easy to style.
French Girl Bob
Great of you have a long forehead, this heavy fringe and razored shape is the sassiest of bobs. Works really well on most hair types, but adaptation of the cut is needed depended on the natural hair texture. For example, razoring wouldn’t be advised on fine hair, but texture is still possible.
The 90s Bob
Great if you have thick-ish hair with natural movement. Weight can be removed in the interior with length left longer through the top sections. Wear tousled for a fresh modern take .
ONLINE LEARNING? WE ARE….
We have signed up to loads of online courses for the team to keep our creative juices flowing. So important
in a bid help keep us all motivated, and help to constantly do a review on ourselves, and unlock our potential.
As a business we are always looking for ways in which to evolve, and expand our offerings to you.
We look forward to keeping you posted on these ventures, and when you do return, we will have news on what we will be doing to progress the business in 2021.
YOUTUBE VENTURE
Yes we are launching a youtube channel. Exciting, and way overdue. We will be offering all kinds of things from hair tutorials, product and styling tool recommendations, as well as hair advice (our thing!) on various topics. We will be in touch once it has launched, and hope to see you visit us on this platform. Don’t forget you can also access us via Facebook and Instagram. If you are anything like me I have an aversion to social media and being on a phone for too long. I am really trying to limit my device usage as much as I can, but equally I do realise the importance of promoting our business, and keeping in touch with clients, via these platforms. So I grit my teeth, and try to keep up. It’s not my forte, but I am always learning. Join me in the teeth gritting part, and come see us on the web - your support there is so very valuable to us too.
Take a look
KEEPING IN TOUCH
We will of course, now we are more current with our methods of keeping in touch, keep you up to date more regularly. You are very welcome to unsubscribe should you wish - but we promise not to bombard you. We are also on Facebook and Instagram should you wish to take a little look online, and keep up to date that way.
NEW APPOINTMENTS
I will say goodbye for now, and look forward to seeing you back in the salon very soon. Given the extension to lockdown we are not rescheduling clients at present. Once we have a confirmed date to reopen from the government we will make sure you have an appointment. I have already come to the realisation that I will be working a 6 day week for the foreseeable future when we do return, and I know that the team will be right behind me, working hard to give everyone a much needed slot. We will also continue to take salon hygiene and our covid measuresvery seriously, as well as keeping clients distanced as much as we can, so please be assured we will be taking every precaution, as we have done for the last year.
In the meantime please stay safe and well, and keep in touch with us, we welcome it. you can reach us via email on info@thehairadvicecentre.com
Best Wishes
Louise & Team
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