The News!!

Ok, the news is coming a bit early. :)

As of tomorrow, August 1st, I will be the new Curly Education Director at East 42nd Street Salon.

What does this mean?

I will be developing a curriculum to teach the junior stylists on how to cut, color, and care for curly hair. I also will be in charge of product research, trends, and will have many more opportunities to improve my own education.

I will still be working behind the chair as a stylist on the same days as I have been previously.

Although my training at Devachan Salon will be part of the developing curriculum, it will be but one piece of a much larger focus on how to truly understand and appreciate curly hair and the clients who have it. :)

What does this mean to YOU??

I need your input!

I have learned just as much (if not more) working with each and every one of my clients than in all of my formal training in curly hair. Below is a very short questionnaire, asking you your basic impressions of stylists who have worked on your hair, past and present. I feel I would be highly remiss to not consult the heart of the matter -- the curly client -- when writing this curriculum.

Please send your responses to carolyn.east42ndstreet@gmail.com, and thank you in advance!

I am very, VERY excited about this opportunity and greatly appreciate the chance to take what I love to the next level. :)

Peace and love.

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Curly Client Questionnaire

1. What do you think is the first mistake a stylist makes when cutting your hair?

2. How would you rate the average stylist’s product knowledge when it comes to daily curly hair care?

3. What is your biggest fear when it comes to seeing a new stylist, in terms of how your hair will look at the end of the service?

4. Has a stylist ever told you to wear your hair straight? If so, why do you think she/he suggested this?

5. Give me three words that describe how you wish your hair to be treated by a stylist as a curly client.

If there is any additional input you would like to share, please do!!

Exciting News Forthcoming....

I plan to have something to announce to the blog on Saturday or Sunday, that will involve all of you...

Stay tuned!!

Adjunct: Yoga Love

I have several clients who are interested in yoga, so I thought I would write a bit on why I love yoga, as well as talk a bit about where I do it....

My job is standing-intensive. One doesn't realize this fully until you do yoga. :) In that sense, yoga is ESSENTIAL to my performance as a stylist.

I do yoga because it makes me aware of where my body is in space. It brings my consciousness back to the building blocks-- breath, muscle, movement, heart. When I finish with a yoga class, I carry it with me throughout the week. I remember to tuck my pelvis forward when my back hurts after a long day on my feet. I remember to slide my shoulder blades down my back to help my arms release and move better around a head of hair. I feel more grounded in my work; I breathe slower and deeper.

I also do yoga because I have found no better way to obtain and maintain strength. Using one's own body weight as resistance is an experience in intensity that working with weights and machines can't duplicate. The first time you truly feel your arm muscles engage in a pose like plank is exhilarating. I feel powerful as well as fluid.

I practice yoga at The Yoga Center of Minneapolis in the warehouse district on 3rd Avenue North. It is a lovely, airy, natural studio with a very calming and grounding atmosphere. I chose that studio because they offer a class aimed at larger women and men that is designed to keep the psychics of your body in mind when you go through poses and breath work. It's inspiring to see women of all sizes being so strong and flexible and graceful. It is essential in a yoga class to feel completely comfortable in your own skin, and being a bigger woman it is encouraging that such a place exists.

The Yoga Center also offers classes that range from deep meditation to the most vigorous of yoga flows. Countless workshops and events are offered, and the studio strives to really build a community out of its practitioners.

If you are looking for a yoga studio, I can't recommend The Yoga Center enough. Visit their website and look around-- you will most likely find something that speaks directly to you. :)

http://www.yogacentermpls.com