Running on Hot Coals

So for weeks and weeks ive been losing sleep concentrating on beautifying my ladies and getting dudes hot. I worked on Thanksgiving, no questions asked. What resulted was many happy clients but intense stomach aches for me and more meditation, something i need more of anyway lol! I appreciate everyone in my chair and am more than happy to shoot the shit with great clients, even into the midnight hour!

back to bloggin

stress, anxiety and juggling romantic and career oriented responsibilities..... thatst the what the past month has had in store for me. Brazilian Blow Out and its safety testing has been a huge relief and i have met some great people. M.R., Q and many others have felt my warmth and care for great hair and im happy everyday for clients like them. Soon it will be holiday time and im ready for some crazyness while i get everyone holiday ready. its all about the client experience so let the champagne flow for all! love you guys!

MORE GREAT NEWS ABOUT BRAZILIAN BLOW OUT

Exposure to Cosmetologists and Clients Is Well Below OSHA's Air Level Requirements

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - November 10, 2010) - On October 29, 2010, Oregon OSHA released results of a comprehensive air monitoring study conducted across seven salons. Each case yielded Formaldehyde exposure levels well beneath OSHA's Action Level, Permissible Exposure Level, and Short-Term Exposure Level.OSHA's Action Level of 0.5 parts per million is the most stringent level of exposure set by the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The average Formaldehyde gas exposure level for the seven salons tested by Oregon OSHA was 0.079 parts per million; over six times lower than the OSHA Action Level of 0.5 parts per million.

Sample Case Study #7 (cited directly from Oregon OSHA's recent report entitled "Keratin Based" Hair Smoothing Products And the Presence of Formaldehyde):

Case 7: The seventh salon had four stations with a false ceiling. No doors or windows were left open and the stylist did not use any fans during the treatment. She did not wear gloves.
br> Breathing zone samples were placed on the stylist during the process, which took 94 minutes. The samples were changed every 15 minutes. Samples were also placed to the right of the stylist, near the stylist's sink and to the left of the stylist. The stylist's peak exposure was 0.471 ppm, while applying the solution. Her average exposure during the procedure was 0.255 ppm and the 8 hour average was 0.050 ppm.

The results did not exceed the 8-hour limit and it is unlikely that multiple treatments would have done so.

CONCLUSION: Air sample tests conducted by Oregon OSHA demonstrate that Formaldehyde exposure levels are safely below OSHA's Action Level.

Brazilian Blow Out Test results! Still safe and consumer friendly!

LOS ANGELES, CA -- November 9, 2010) - The following statements are attributed to Brazilian Blowout -- Last week, Brazilian Blowout (www.brazilianblowout.com) formally initiated legal proceedings in response to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health Division's (Oregon OSHA) inaccurate and unsupported conduct. Brazilian Blowout intends to seek an award of punitive damages to dissuade Oregon OSHA (OR-OSHA) from acting so recklessly again in the future. It is the company's intent to distribute all awarded proceeds to the salons and stylists who have supported Brazilian Blowout in the face of this adversity.



Flaws were immediately found in the testing methods first used by Oregon OSHA. Upon this first set of tests conducted by OR-OSHA, the organization issued an alert to Oregon hair salons about Brazilian Blowout's products. Test results publicized in OR-OSHA's release of Oct 08, 2010 are inaccurate. OR-OSHA claimed to have found levels of Formaldehyde in Brazilian Blowout Professional Solution in "upwards of 10 percent or more in some samples." OR-OSHA and its officials failed to distinguish between Formaldehyde and Methylene Glycol and published the percentage as Formaldehyde only.



The only method that accurately measures Formaldehyde in water based cosmetic products is called "13C-NMR," and OR-OSHA did not conduct this correct type of testing. Had OSHA performed this test, they would have discovered that only traces of Formaldehyde are detected, in this case .0011%.



On Oct 29th, OR-OSHA released results of a comprehensive air monitoring study conducted across seven salons, each case yielded exposure levels that are safely below OSHA's Action Level, Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL), and Short Term Exposure Limit.



Despite these findings, OR-OSHA continues to misrepresent to the public that the Brazilian Blowout product is unacceptable and dangerous. This misconduct and these misrepresentations have resulted in immeasurable damage to the tens of thousands of stylists who are successfully providing Brazilian Blowout services throughout the world.



For more information about Brazilian Blowout, please contact Eileen Koch @ Eileen Koch & Company INC. 310.441.1000 or email eileen@eileenkoch.com. Please visit www.eileenkoch.com



Contact:
Eileen Koch
Eileen Koch & Company INC
310.441.1000
Email Contact
www.eileenkoch.com

Halloween!

im already getting halloween requests for hairstyles! my awesome redhead wants a medusa 'do! so exciting!!!

Colors abound

tonight i made a platinum blond with black and pink lowlights into a strawberry blonde and we loved it. the darker lowlight was pulled out with pravanna color remover and the pink was little tough but the eq shades orange, red and 6rb cellophane worked it out! now all she has to do is wash her hair in cool water to preserve the shade!!!!!!!! the picture above is NOT me client but a color thats closest to the finished result this evening.

Extras for all my Clients!

Ive been using tons of products since i started in this business, things that aren't sold at my salon and i don't get any perks if i get clients to purchase them but one thing i have had so much use out of and that makes my job easier is Redkin Real Control conditioner for dense, color treated hair and i speak purely from personal experience when i say it worked on my hair after 3 bleach processes and it does wonders on my clients hair, making my blowouts amazing and creating a noticeable difference in the health of the hair. Even when i do Brazilian blow outs and rinse the uber rich Brazilian blow out mask out, i put the real control in for extra extra glossing and smoothness. And now that school is back in session and everyone is back on schedule now that fall has arrived, I'm seeing so many many color clients for highlight touch ups, bleach and tone touch ups and single process and root retouches and of course I'm using the buttery like conditioner on each and every one of them:) It smells awesome, it can be purchased at wilshire beauty supply or larchmont beauty supply, rinses clean to let the hairs natural volume to come through and its great for any and all hair types!

being there

I love what i do and have been super available for my clients, especially in the last couple months........ I value my new found friends and treasure their trust. I have nothing but gratitude for what those who sit in my chair share with me and the referrals they bring:) I'm a proud, hard working and happy stylist and I thank whatever higher power exists that I can get up every morning and do what i love!

Lena

Yesterday i did my beautiful friend Lena's hair for the VMA awards that happened in LA! I did a basic straight blow out with some root lifting at the crown and it looks gorgeous! She is also a babe so that helps whatever work i do on her look 100 times better.....THANKS LENA!

Blond

today was a triumph of sorts. i worked the hell out of my new friend pazs' hair. its going to be a long haul but im gonna work the hell out of it til its platinum and healthy

Last Weeks Blurbs

Last week was pretty quiet but I managed to stay busy and even got an Emmy 'Do on Sunday! I made her hair loose with some waves and she had a beautiful headband she made at home and we placed it kind of at the top center of her head with loose waves framing her face. I did her highlights/lowlights the day before and her waves had a great contrast of platinum blond against a deeper blond with mahogany tone in it. I loved it and so did she! I also had a color referral and we had a good time together and of course my lovely Brad! Hes such a nice guy and loves all the suggestions I make and what I do to his hair!:)

Emmy Weekend

tonight, the emmys are happening here in los angeles and refuge salon will be a-buzz today with women getting their make up and hair done so theyll feel glamorous and red carpet ready.

COSMOPROF NEW LOCATION

I went into the new Cosmoprof location this morning and it was so easy and the staff were awesome. Other Cosmoprof beauty supplies in the area are full of junk every where and the staff sucks balls but this new one ( located at 2ND st. and Vermont in Korea town ) is organized and the manager was very knowledgeable and smart. Thank God! I'm so happy there's one so close to me that functions so well so i can get in and get the hell out!

EMMYS

Its Emmy time and the clients are flooding our phone with style requests for that special evening! I'm so excited to do the fancy hairstyles and cool California waves on some hot Hollywood execs, writers and actresses! Yay! I'll be posting all the styles i create the evening of the 30Th so stay tuned!

Blond Winning Combination

Tonight I had a highlights and cut appointment with Lauren. Super nice girl and in need of serious color on her roots! Shes a really young girl that works in an art gift shop. Shes pretty hip but was in need of an updated soft ashy blond look! I wove lightner cream highlights and a softer low light ( 7n/6wm ) for a natural effect and toned with 8 ash and 9n at the bowl after i washed her hair. AMAZING. It was so natural but beautifully done and i fixed her lopped off bangs too. Just another great relationship built on great listening, dialogue and proper execution!

Head Shots

I recently did my friend Trish Kulicks hair for her head shots and it was super pretty, glossy, bouncy, wavy, blowout greatness! She needed a super feminine soft look that made her look young and fresh since shes putting herself back into the acting world and wanted a modern, lovely style to present herself to agents and representation. I was more than happy to style her hair and its perfecto!

Super Blond Pop Explosion

Today was a super blond day. Mckenzie and Ashley rocked and i toned my friend Parias hair so her platinum highlights would pop! I had so much fun highlighting and low lighting all the girls today and everyone was more than pleased with their fresh Blond locks.

So Many Tales to Tell

The best thing about last week was everything! I had 5 brazilians, quite a few color clients and i even took a dark haired hot chick kaz to a multi - dimensional blond! It still needs some toning but her hair needed a break and we worked on it for 8 hrs! I foiled every hair on her head and then toned toned toned! I did many friends' hair and i am continuing that trend this week. Yay!

Jason Stanton

Today Jason Stanton arrived at Refuge Salon and bestowed upon us wonderful advice and little jewels of wisdom. He started at the age of ten, styling his mothers hair in Sheffield, England and has continued on ever since. He told us if we can see it, it can be done..... in terms of hairstyling and of our career goals. He's done hair for Chanel, Fendi and worked with many great photographers over the course of his career. He was incredibly humble and very kind and had his tea with milk and sugar. I cried the entire visit, his presence an absolute inspiration and a touching day in general was had by all.

Maya

Shes my god daughter and i cut her hair but I'm mostly posting this cause shes so awesome!

FAUX HAWK!

Today i a sweet version of a mowhawk/fauxhawk/punkgirlhair! I did it on my friend Victoria today and it came out so cute. Shes my friend Valerie's younger sis from Arizona and she goes back this Saturday and wanted a new 'do so i hooked her up and picked a cool haircut out of her phones photo log and just went with it. She loved that i picked such a cool cut and was sold and we went with it! It came out cute and she looks bad-asssss!

Im a Blond Machine

I love doing blonde's. From platinum to subtle highlights against dark hair, i love it all and I'm confident doing it all in tones and variations! getting to full platinum has been hard on my friend Jill hair and scalp, we've decided that today was the last day for the double bleach and tone process it takes to get her hair on point to platinum. From now on, we'll do finely sliced highlights with low level developer and tone the hell out of the highlights! Her scalp will be so happy:) My friend Paria had gorgeous dark blond hair and a did a wonderful platinum highlight with huge subsections and it was a hit! Everyone from her job dug em! Awesome.

Stuff In My Mind

So, i did a wedding this past week and it was so fun! The ladies all came into Refuge Salon and Emily, Julio and I did the hair for the Bride, Maid of Honor and some family members! I loved it and i got to do a really fun up do on the Maid of Honor! I'm also trying to grow my hair out so its less like a Christmas tree and more like a pretty flow-y curly mane. Lets see what develops on that! I'm also doing a lot of color lately and its going really well ( for men and women ) and i have another wedding coming in October which I'm super excited about!

FUN

JENNIFER LOPEZ'S BIRTHDAY TODAY!

Today is Jennifer Lopez's 40th birthday! i love JLo and I'm so happy shes celebrating another year of fabulousness! Feliz Cumpleanos BB!

ME AT WORK

Dandruff Woes

Having always had massive amounts of hair, Ive also had massive scalp issues but have come to learn how to deal. i have had itchy scalp for years under all this hair but rubbing my scalp with oils alleviates discomfort and and helps moisturize my scalp, especially in the summer and especially because i dye my hair. i also try to drink alot of water and i use an ENJOY hair / scalp mask and keeps my scalp under control. Baking soda also works, adding some water to it and placing it on the scalp for 10 mins helps exfoliate the scalp.

SHEARS

I just got awesome new shears and they are amazing! i love them!

Blow Dry Diva weekends

Every Friday and Saturday Refuge salon is offering an awesome Blow Dry Diva deal; 35 bucks for a blow out so you can look super hot for the weekend with out sweating to death in the summer heat! Im a super pro at lovely, smooth and voluminous Blowouts and so are most of our stylists at Refuge. Check Us Out this Summer and get a great style with out breaking into a sweat!!!!

Julio COMBSSSS

Just got a new Julio comb, its so BOMB! I use them all the time for sectioning and really simple trims and sweep, wispy layer cuts! YAY!

LIFEBOOKER

I love lifebooker.com. Ive created some new, great relationships with some awesome women who have found me and my service deals on lifebooker.com! I did a wonderful color on a lifebooker client and will be doing some brazilian blowouts care of advertising on lifebooker! so cool:)! On another note, I love my clients and learning more and more about everyone in my chair. I met an awesome guy who is a music producer manager and he was so cool and we were so on the same page about life n stuff even though hes from new jersey and new york. we had a great time and when i offered him a beer, i know he'll be loyal forever!

BUSYYYYYY

ive been so busy this week. but i had tons of fun! i did my best friends highlights and low lights. i used a really low developer bleach and a warm mahogany blond as a low light and it came out great:) she loved her hair and so did i. ive really gotten into the mahogany blonde thing and its reaped awesome results with all my blond clients.

HAPPY 4TH EVERYONE!

Enjoy the holiday weekend and go to the beach! the ocean air makes hair look awesome!

JENNIFER LOPEZ, MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE

I love all things JLo and she can do no wrong in my eyes! She rocks and i think she always has a wonderfully polished appearance and truly sees herself as her greatest asset to her business. Shes the shit, shes the bomb and no one has been able to top her in how fashionable and graceful she is, all marriages and engagements aside.

Another pic from Rapunzel-esque Photo Shoot

Swedes!

4 awesome Swedish dudes rolled into our salon last night around 8 looking to get cool haircuts before they go back to Stockholm this Saturday. I picked the most stylish of the bunch, his name was martin, and he was very witty and was looking to have some fun on this side of town. All the stylist said Goldroom, Littlejoy, Shortstop, El Prado and Masa for dinner! We all shared a great time together over Hansen's sodas and haircuts and everyone left pleased.

Many Hairs

Yesterday I worked super hard, i was in the salon til 8:40pm! I had all repeat clients and one referral from my friend Janet. She referred me to a awesome young french dude visiting here for the summer. He was so sweet and had a great wealth of knowledge about music so we had tons to talk about. I did my friend SJ's highlights and used highlift color instead of bleach since she had so much virgin root coming through. My treat to her was throwing 2 panels of mahogany-red blond highlights and looked so purrrrtttyy. pics to be posted soon.

Brazilian Brilliance

So i did yet another Brazillian Blowout and it was gorgeous! My client Christina had long long long beautiful hair that was very dense. she wanted it more relaxed but easy enough so she could wash n go. I did the Brazilian service in 3 hrs but it was well worth it. I kept the product off the root so she could maintain body and she left with a great wave in her hair and her hair was 100 times easier to comb out. She purchased the Brazilian serum since it maintains the Brazilian Blowout service and she loved her hair. She goes to a salon in Montebello once a week for blowouts, but now she doesnt need to, she has wash n go hair!!

Ask Away

Lately Ive been answering alot of styling and product questions. I love moroccan oil, moroccan oil shampoo, redken conditioner for dense post trtauma hair, paul mitchell color, paul mitchell root lifter, paul mitchell dual purpose lightener, paul mitchell coconut scented sculpting foam (conditioning), umberto curl lotion, suave spritz hair spray, biosilk hairspray, kenra hair spray, olive oil, egg, sudzzz, enjoy, and my julio wide tooth comb. I love my hot tools marcel iron, croc flat iron, solano hair dryer, kevin murphy easy ryder cream, grey magic, color care drops, color care conditioner, osmo essence conditioning mask, tourmaline core round brush, my black clips, thinning shears, bobby pins (black extra long), revlon fat curling iron for loose waves, BRAZILIAN BLOWOUT, and ghd heat protector spray for heat styling. Phew, but i love it all and i probably use even more that the items just listed:)

Curls and Waves

Today i got into a facebook dialogue with an old friend from high school about how I create the perfect waves and curls. I use hottools marcel iron for both but I use it differently for different results. For waves I use the curing iron as a hot rod of sorts, taking a vertical section of hair, wrapping it around the iron for 3 seconds, then releasing and letting it cool in a pretty wavy curl. Wrap the vertical section away from face, not towards face. don't clamp hair into iron for wave effect, wrap! For loose curls, clamp hair the same in curling iron for 6 seconds or longer and for a more structured curl pattern, clamp vertical and horizontal sections of hair with the hottools marcel iron and use pin curl clips to pin each section of hair to head and let head cool and set once done for about 5-7 mins. Release all curls and unravel a few around the face with fingers. Use Kenra or Biosilk hairspray but don't spray directly on hair...... spray above head and let mist fall. Shake it out a bit and the hair will be great.

Rough Week

Ive been so busy this week but I feel so drained. Some days, SOME, I feel like I'm lacking talent, its hard but some days I'm fooled by a sneaking insecurity. I've not gotten much sleep in the last 2 weeks and have been eating terribly for the last 3 weeks so I'm sure that's attributing to my shitty mood. This week, I'll trump my darkness and shine for everyone.

This Week......

This week has proven to be nutsssss. I've encountered some great people that think I'm great and just want me to do their hair. Tuesday was all about referrals and it felt great, one client wanted my business cards to pass around to her friends since she only wants anyone she knows to come see me! WOWSERS! I've been crackin out Brazilian Blowouts too and this whole weekend revolves around color services and friendly encounters that have turned into great business relationships.
Wednesday I even had a friend say to me I am an inspiration and she wants to mold her business plan after mine. WOWSERS again! The fact is, I love what I do, if it we lived in a rent free society I'd do hair for free on the corner....... Passion makes a business successful.

Check Out My New Hair Color

B logger!

i cant upload pictures but i wanna make a great post soon, stay tuned:)

Hair Recovery, I Am Queen!

I recently experienced quite a hair conundrum; a fellow stylist and great colorist, Emily Welton, did a double bleach process with lowlights and a toning and my hair went on freak out mode. For the last 3 weeks I had been on the hunt for moisturizing shampoo's, conditioners and treatments. My haircolor was great ( a nice brown with warm reds, a nice change since I had jetblue-black hair for almost 3 years) but my curl texture was compromised and I was really worried about the dehydrated state of my hair. I'm a die hard fan of sulfate free, moisturizing shampoos and conditioners but nothing I had in my possession was doing the trick..... WHAT TO DO???? I did olive oil treatments, tried many new shampoo's but nothing was moving, until..... a friend recommended Moroccan oil. I thought sure, my hair is almost hay so why not. I purchased Moroccan oil at my salon, Refuge, and was directed to try Moroccan oil shampoo and a conditioner masque by Redken for dense, dry and post trauma hair. PERFECT. I slept overnight with the Moroccan oil saturated in my hair, washed and applied the masque by Redken the next morning and could feel the difference. I re-applied the masque again the next time i washed days later and I can say I see a fabulous difference in my hair. Its being rehabilitated if you will to its original texture, health and shine. It has weight again and bounce and is less malleable. I am very happy I found Moroccan oil and the other great hair care products, i really recommend all the new products i use to anyone who has had a color or chemical service. They'll re hydrate your hair for sure!!

Taking the Time Every Time

Clients call with many needs and its our job to stay on the phone answering as many questions as we can. They are our key to business and look to stylist for advice and suggestions. I get calls and love talking about haircare and products. Ive gotten referrals on color and chemical services and its so exciting!

Rapunzel Magic Curl Soft Photo Shoot

Yesterday, June 15th, I did a beautiful photo shoot. The model, Allison, had amazing platinum blond hair that went on for days. Her hair was stick straight and my job was to make it Rapunzel Magic Curl Softness and I achieved it in 40 mins!!!!! It looks so beautiful and I'm glad to finally get a chance to chip away at creating a portfolio, and a professional one at that.