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My Old Cosmetology Journal and a New Entry for Today March 29th, 2004
This is my old journal that I used to post in my Yahoo Club / Group. At the very end I added a new entry for today since it belongs there. Enjoy
Its a Journal within a Journal. Isn't that a Shakespeare thing?Wednesday August 2, 2000 - My First / Second Day of School
I was supposed to start school yesterday but because of personal reasons I quit yesterday. Then I got home and the reasons for quitting wasn't there anymore. The things we do for love LOL. Well anyway today I went back to school and they let me back and I will never quit again. We spent the day trying to learn finger waving. The way that works is you have to start with a natural part and then try to make little C shaped curves above the eye so that they line up with the center of the eye. I was able to get it a few times but the hair kept being messy and there kept being a chunk hanging down. After you get one row of C's you make another row under it facing the opposite direction so it forms an S curve. I didn't want to go home but they close at 4:30 and they don't lock you in. My instructor Mrs. St. Clair is really nice. She is a ball of energy and we have 2 students in the class who are licensed cosmetologists and are studying to be instructors so they can also teach us. They also showed a few cutting videos but I was out of the room because I had to go to the office and fill out the paperwork I missed yesterday for orientation. I love this school. There is no pressure at all. If you are supposed to get there at 8:30 you get there between 8:30 and 8:35 or you wait until 9:00 - 9:05 to sign in. They don't make us sign out for breaks either. We can leave during all three of our breaks and go to restaurants. I was working 7 am - 3:30 pm with one 15 minute and one half hour break. Here I can have a 10 am 15 Min, a 12 pm Half hour and at 2:15 another 15 min. Also I can choose to stay till either 2:30 or till 4:30 or anywhere in between. The more I stay the more my hours get used up quicker. Well I am officially a cosmetology student now and thats not gonna change until next november when I get rid of the Student part and replace it with Pro.
Thursday August 3, 2000 - My Real Second Day of School
Today we studied Relaxers a bit. We looked at our books a bit and we started to watch a video before lunch. We also worked on our finger waving most of the day. I am still not able to do it all but I did get past the first step. The first step is to make a row of C's along the part going towards the back. Well all day yesterday i was trying to do them by combing from the front of the hair and I was supposed to comb it from the part instead. Finally I asked what I was doing wrong today and within an hour of doing it the right way I had my first good row of C's. It was so good that Mrs. St. Clair grabbed my mannequin head and started praising me really loud. She starts shouting look at this here is what happens when someone fine tunes their skills. The principal just happened to be in the room at the time and Mrs. St. Clair made it a point to show her and praise me some more. I still havent gotten the next step down but after that Mrs. St. Clair says I'm gonna let you be a little bit because you seem to be able to get it with practise. Thats always been the case with me though. If I do something I learn it, I can't learn from books only it has to be hands on. It takes alot of patience to learn these things but once I learned that part and what my mistakes were I didn't make them any more. The next step is to make a ridge and make an opposite direction curve below the first row to form an S shape.
Friday August 4, 2000 - My Third Day of School
Well today was another good day for me. Today we had a student volutneer to have her hair relaxer retouched. Her hair was straight in some areas and curly in others and it was really thick. The teacher was doing the Demo. After consulting with the student she began applying the relaxer. According to the student she hadn't had her relaxer done in at least two months and that the last stylist overlapped it. For those who don't know about relaxers the are meant to straighten hair by breaking down the bonds in the hair and once its done you aren't supposed to do the same spot again or the hair will break. Well the teacher starts examining the hair and sees that there is only 1/2 inch of new growth at the scalp so it can't have been more than a month or so since the last relaxing. She also doen't see any evidence of overlapping. So she goes about applying the relaxer and has one of the Instructor trainees who has worked in a salon help out so they can finish quicker. After the relaxer is removed and shampooed, neutralized and then contitioned the girl still has curly areas in her hair. It is now that she tells the teacher that she presses her hair herself. This girl has hair down to her bra strap but it is so damaged that the splits go all the way up above her neck. The teacher didn't want to cut that all off because she doesn't like to do students usually and you see why but she did give a trim of about 1.5 inches or so. It turns out that if the girl had given all the information the teacher could have just used a blow dryer and straightened it. The rest of the day was spent working on my finger waving. I now am able to form my first ridge all the way back to the crown but its still not very neat. While we were sitting watching the girl get her trim she looked at me and said she wanted hair like mine and the teacher got a bit upset. She gave a speach about how all of us have God given beauty and if we just take care of it we don't have to beat ourselves up. When she said that to me my words were " Yeah it looks good now but thats after finding out the hard way that if you don't trim your hair for two years it gets cut off." Thats all for today.
Saturday August 5, 2000 - My Fourth Day of School
Well today was a mix of highs and lows for me. We started out the day practising clicking and twirling an old fashioned stove heated curling iron and then we watched the demo video. Then we got up and practised doing the first curl with the iron still cold. This is when I was having difficulty because I wasn't twirling and pulling quick enough and the end of the hair wasn't getting wrapped into the curl. I sat through lunch kinda frustrated but after lunch Aneeba, one of the instructor trainees started helping me and within an hour I had my iron hot and had 2 good curls. By now I was having fun and didn't care if the ends were sticking out because I had the twirling going well and wasn't getting stuck anymore. I had to leave early today so I didn't get to finish the head but I got about 6 or 7 curls made going from the top to the back in the center. I didn't burn myself either. What a change 2 hours can make in your outlook. I wasn't really frustrated earlier I was just getting hot and tired because I was standing too close to the stove. I really enjoyed doing those curls and the ones that did come out sloppy I just finger tucked the ends back in because it was fun and it was looking good. You see I take pride in being kind to the mannequins even if they don't complain. When I rinse them off or their hair gets in their face I take my hand and caress it out of the way like it was a human. Its all about giving love to get love. Then again you all know me anyway and wouldn't expect any different would you? Thats all for today.
Tuesday August 8, 2000 - My Fifth Day of School
Today we studied Pin Curls & the chapter on wet hairstyling. We spent the first part of the day reading the chapter. The middle part of the day we were watching the teacher demonstrate Pin Curls & then we got to try it. I think I have it figured out but as always there is never enough time for me to get it right in school. I can't wait till friday when I get my mannequin so I can bring it home & practise. I only have 3-4 months to learn this stuff & everyday we are learning something different & I can't keep up. She expects us to be able to do the whole head the same day we try the first section and I just can't keep up. I can learn it & I can do it and I don't give up but I need to finish learning one thing before we start something new or at least have the knowledge that if I don't have it down right now I will be able to come back to it later after practising. Can you blame me? I have never touched another head of hair until a few weeks ago much less styled it. Tomorrow we have a quiz on Wet hairstyling & I don't know how I am gonna do but it is only a review quiz and not a test so afterwards we will go over the answers. Not having money is another thing driving me crazy because our school is poor & doesn't supply everything so I will end up having to buy extra stuff on top of the $400 I am already spending for the full kit. Thank God for Student discounts. I bought $2 worth of clips today for $1.50 with my discount. Well thats enough for now I have to study for the quiz.
Wednesday August 9, 2000 - My Sixth Day of School
What a difference a day makes. I had my best day yet at school today. As I said yesterday we had a quiz on Wet hairstyling today. I didn't really get a chance to study last night and I was really worried I would fail. Well I am worried no more because not only did I pass I was the only one who did pass and I got an 85 % and a green star on my paper and praise from Mrs. St. Clair and all that good stuff. Then if that wasn't enough I actually did the whole head of Pin Curls and I had a ball and at lunch time when I was only half done Mrs. St. Clair went and showed my mannequin to the principal again. The mannequin I was using had been cut into short layers in back so I wasn't able to do the whole back side but because I was able to make do with what I had to work with I still got credit for it. I had to make pin curls smaller than a dime LOL. Then while my mannequin was drying fo the last 45 minutes under the dryer I got to work on my Thermal Iron curling some more and I like doing those so I had a day filled with nothing but highs. I have been given new life and energy today because I finally finished something and I feel like I have got what it takes to do hair and do it well and all I needed was just to see it for myself. No more worrying for me. Once I get that mannequin I'm gonna practise till I can style a head in 2 minutes. Thats all for today but it was good
My Mission Statement for Myself As a Stylist
I dont want to be upscale. I don't want to charge a fortune. I'd rather have a big clientele that trusts me and comes in on a regular basis and just take care of them the way everyone should be. I want to make everyone feel good when they come to me and I want to help them learn how to keep their style and how to do it themselves and all the things a good stylist should do. I want someone to come in for a trim and leave wearing a fancy up do just because I took the extra 5 minutes to a half hour and did it for them for free. If any customers would complain about having to wait extra time to see me they would be greatful when they received the same treatment. I would take my time with the shampooing and I would always blow dry and style and if they didn't want to pay for it I wouldn't charge them. I have been to stylists who have done things without charging or they knock a few bucks off so it is possible. Besides in my opinion giving those extra touches would mean more tip for me and I could always pay for the service with my tips if the boss got mad.
Thursday August 10, 2000 - My Seventh Day of School
I had a decent day today. Even though I had some struggles today it didn't bother me because I no longer say "I can't do it". The day started off with me combing out my Pin Curls from yesterday & they came out great. I love the way it came out. I'm taking my camera to school tomorrow & I'm taking a picture of it to post here & to keep for myself. I loved the way that no matter what way I combed it, it had nice waves & the wave patterns connected really well in the back. I am proud of myself. I sat through all 3 of my breaks today just combing it out different ways to see what I could do with it. Today we tried making skip waves which are a combination of Finger Waves & Pin Curls. The way it works is you make a row of C shaped strands but when you make the second row of C's that form the S pattern you take that second row & Pin Curl it & then the next row is a finger wave & so on. I am still having difficulty making finger waves but I finally figured out how to make a ridge today. I am still a bit behind but I am supposed to get my mannequin tomorrow so I can start practising at home. I think once I start using my own tools & products I will start knocking things out. At 2 pm Mrs. St. Clair divided the class in two teams & she gave us a paper with 26 made up names on it with descriptions & what we had to do was pick 10 out of the 26 to go live on this new made up planet. Well I think thats all for today.
Friday August 11, 2000 - My Eighth Day of School
Today was a regular day for me. We started out with the teacher demonstrating Roller Curls. Then we went to work on the mannequins. We had to pit one of each of the 4 types of roller curls on the top of the head. For those who don't know they are On Base, 1/2 Base, Off Base, & Indentation. The base refers to the area of the section near the scalp between 2 partings. The difference between them is how the roller sits on or off that base. I was able to understand roller curls pretty easily. We were told to also put the skip waves on the sides of the head. These were explained yesterday. I finally have my ridges forming pretty well & I got the right side of the head done but then when I went to the left side I was having trouble again because you have to comb in a new direction. Just before it was time to go I finally had it figured out and was getting it so I had to leave it for tomorrow. I got my mannequin today. Its a pretty one too compared to some of the unhappy looking ones we have been using. The ones we have been using did not have hair longer than 6 inches but when you get them brand new they have at least shoulder length hair. I think they expect me to cut all this hair off so what I'm gonna do is buy another mannequin to leave the hair long because I want to be able to practise things on long hair too. For obvious reasons
Well that was today.Saturday August 12, 2000 - My Ninth Day of School
I had a pretty good day today, I finished up the skip wave and roller set & put that mannequin under the dryer. For the first half of the day we had Mrs. Harris teaching us while Mrs. St. Clair was on the clinic floor working. Mrs. harris showed us how to do French twists & then she helped me make French braids on my new mannequin. I made two frech braids on her right side and one on the left side & then I made a rope braid next to it because I already know that one. In the back it had a frnch twist. Then the second half of the day we worked on thermal curling with Mrs. St. Clair so I did spirals on top. I was the only one who stayed after 2:30 today. I didn't quite finish the curls because we closed early. They still credited me my hours though. On the way home I stopped & bought another Mannequin so now I have 2. I finished the spirals at home with my mom's curling iron. I finally can do finger waves now. The reason is because I have a mannequin at home, I washed her with my shampoo thats doesn't tangle, & I used my own gel. What I couldn't do in 3 days at school I was doing in 30 minutes at home. Now I'm taking my own stuff to school. We didn't have alot of gel at school so I couldn't use alot like I can now. I still have to learn how to make them with setting lotion but at least now I know how. I now have 2 days off to practise & I plan to use them. Thats all till Tuesday.
Some possible mottos or slogans
"I don't strive for making perfect styles, I strive for putting my love into them"
"I don't just create styles, I create smiles"
Tuesday August 15, 2000 - My Tenth Day of School
Well since I practised over the weekend I'll start with that & work towards today. On Sunday I sat for 3 hours making 6 French braids on one of my Mannequins. I put 3 braids on each side section. Then I took the top and back hair & I put it into a Dutch Braid (Indie-Out French Braid. I took my other mannequin and blow dried her so the finger waves would set. Then I combed her out and the waves were still there & they looked nice, I just wish I'd have done the back too. Today I took them to school. The finger wave mannequin has about 3 inches less hair than the other. I didn't want to take my braids out of the one so Ms. St. Clair said I could use the other today. We started the day by reading the chapter on Haircutting / Hairshaping & then we did the review questions. After Lunch we started to work on setting up our mannequins to do our first haircut. I spent the next few hours figuring out my sections. The hair kept tangling on me so I kept having to comb it & then I kept having to pull more hair out from other sections to even them out. I left off with my head all sectioned out and ready to start but I only had 1/2 hour left so I stopped working on it. I then spent the last 1/2 hour taking my braids out of the other one so I can work on it tonight. Thats all for today.
Wednesday August 16, 2000 - My Eleventh Day of School
I did my first ever haircut today. It was on a mannequin & we used a razor instead of shears. It was only a trim. I did pretty well with it & I got credit for it. My left front side was a tiny bit long so I had to clean that up but I knew it from when I checked it. Mrs. Pennamon the principal was supervising us when Ms. St. Clair left early so she checked my work. I told her that I had uneven sides so she checked it & showed me that I had about one finger length of hair on the left side that needed a slight cleaning up so I did that & she checked again & it was good. The cut took me a long time because I'm still getting used to parting the hair & I probably wasn't dropping enough hair each time to go faster but I would rather be careful & slow than fast & sloppy. Especially when it comes out the right way. That took most of the day so I don't have much else to write for now.
Thursday August 17, 2000 - My 12th Day of School
Ms. St. Clair was not in today so Mrs. Hamilton taught us today. We spent the first half of the day studying the Haircutting Chapter and going over a handout. The second half of the day we had a choice of what we worked on so I tried to do some thermal curling. I had a bit of difficulty this time because I was using an iron that was heavier because the barrel wasn't hollow. I got a bit frustrated because last week I was doing so well with it & now I was having trouble again mostly because I was told not to pre-section the hair. After the 2:30 break I calmed down a bit & I went back to doing things my way & I started making good curls again. Thats it for today.
Friday August 18, 2000 - My 13th Day of School
Today was a pretty good day because all we did was Theory work today. Theory work is the textbook work. Practical is the name for doing the work on someone or something. I was supposed to have a haircutting test today but I didn't have to take it. The reason is because we all have review books for the state board test & Tuesday when we got done reading the chapter I decided to try the review quiz in the book. I told the teacher I was taking it like a quiz & that I wanted her to check it for me. I sat through break on tuesday & did the quiz & gave the book to her to check. She didn't have time to check it until today & it turns out that the quiz I took from the book is the same quiz she was gonna give us. I got a 93% on the quiz & I didn't have to retake it today. The rest of the day we all studied our textbooks on Permanent Waving. So thats it for today.
Saturday August 19, 2000 - My 14th Day of School
We started doing the practical work for perms today. We aren't using chemicals yet just water. I had a mixed day today. I was kinda tired this morning & I got stuck in a few tangles & they started to make me mad. I was trying to comb the hair straight back. Luckily my frustrations came right at break time so I had a few minutes to rest & cool off. After break I had some better luck with sectioning & by the end of the day I was wrapping the sections. I can't believe how much I have learned in just 3 weeks. The thing is after next week the new students come in so I won't be in the new group anymore. I won't be a rookie anymore LOL. Its the weekend now so I'm gonna do some practising on my own.
Tuesday August 22, 2000 - My 15th Day of School
Today was a decent day of school. I spent the day doing different types of sectioning for perms. First I did the basic wrap sections & then I worked on the diagonal wrap sections. Tomorrow we have to do the same thing only faster. So I guess I'll have to get a move on & get in gear. So till tomorrow "No Tangles."
Wednesday Aug 23, 2000 My 16th Day & Thursday Aug 24, 2000 My 17th Day of School
I forgot to post yesterday so lets start with what happened then. We had our timed sectioning for perms yesterday & even though I didn't get it done on time I did do way better than I had done. We spent the rest of the day watching a video and working on the Piggyback perm wrap which is a type of perm for long hair. the way it works is you wrap one hair strand around 2 seperate rods so they stack up on each other or Piggyback. Today was a day for us to do practical work for our White books. We had to do a side part fingerwave, then do a roller set skip wave pin curl combo, then do a whole head thermal curled. I spent the first half of the day trying to get the fingerwave done and struggled with it. Finally at 1:00 I figured out what I was doing wrong & within a half hour had a whole head done. Mrs. St. Clair asked me to do it again since I had figured it out so I walked balk & combed it out & then I slapped another whole head of fingerwaves on it in 20 minutes and I got a grade for it this time. She gave me 85%. She told me to try it again so I went back & this time I got it done in 15 minutes & got another grade of 95%. Now it was 2:30 so I started my skip wave & pin curls. I not only got it done but I got 97% on it. It was still wet though so tomorrow I have to put it under the dryer & then comb it out & I get another grade for that. If I average my current grades which are 85, 95, 97, & 90 percents I am averaging 91.75%. "No Tangles"
Friday Aug 25, 2000 My 18th Day & Saturday Aug 26, 2000 My 19th Day of School
Once again I'm late with my journal entries but better late than never. On Friday we took our writtien test on Permanent Waving & I got an 85%. Then I spent the rest of the day doing thermal curling. I combed out my skipwave pincurls & I got 95% on that. Thats pretty much it for friday. Today we had Mrs. Harris teaching us to do a hat weave. You make 2 five inch rectangular sections on top of the head & you make little strands hang down from them & then you weave them to make them look like she is wearing a hat with a brim. Its not that hard to do it just takes a bit of time. I'm gonna take a picture of Sequoia wearing them. By the way I got 100% on my weave. I bought a portable hood dryer today so I can practise wet sets at home. I can also give conditioning treatments to my clients. Anyway thats all for now. "No Tangles"
"How would you like me to care for your hair today?"
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday days 20-22, 8/29 - 8/31/00
Tuesday: We started the day with a timed basic perm wrap. Last week we had 35 min to do sections only & I didn't finish that. This time we had 45 min to get sections done & start wrapping. This time I got my sections done in only 25 min & I got about 7 rods in by the 45 min time so I am improving. The second half of the day Tuesday we started learning Facials with the teacher doing a demo. We then watched a video on haircolor.
Wednesday: We had a sub teacher, Ms. Brown today while Ms. St. Clair is moving. We spent the first part of the day doing our fingerwaves. It was supposed to be a 30 min time limit but Ms. Brown didn't want to offset what Ms. St. clair has going so she just let us practise them. Needles to say i was ready & I did two whole heads of fingerwaves in 45 min. I decided to time myself
We spent the rest of day doing theory work on manicures.Thursday: We spent today doing more manicuring theory & doing more haicolor theory. We had Ms. Brown again. I spent the day doing the review questions from the text book. I did like ten chapters worth today so thats gonna help my grade. It was one of those do your own thing days anyway so I made the best of it. I only have about 6 chapters out of 26 left to do. Well thats it for now, "No Tangles".
Friday Day 23 9/1/00
Its a sad day in the life of my school career yet it is still happy. My teacher Ms. St. Clair is no longer my teacher. She has moved on to better things so I am happy for her but she will be missed by all of us. This women has given me a firm foundation of learning & has taught me to not give in to frustration. I thought I was patient before I met her but she taught me even more patience. Well this now leaves a bit of a cloud on the future because I have no idea who will be my teacher now. I don't think our principal, Mrs. Pennamon would hire a bad teacher so I do not worry as much as the other students. This was a shock to us because she didn't know until yesterday herself. Anyway, today with Ms. brown we studied facials & some of the students did demos of it but one of the students got a little hoggish with doing too many people & didn't leave me a partner so I didn't get to do one. We got a few of the new students today & they are really nice. I feel like an older brother because I can tell them about school & that its not hard. Today was also Mrs. Brown's graduation day as an Instructor Trainee & she won't be teaching at my school so we lose her too. Today was such a blown off day as far as work because of all the events. I mostly spent the day talking to the new students & helping them get situated with what kind of book work we do. I won't say it was a bad day though. When Ms. St. Clair came in to tell us I was the first one to get up & give her a hug. I feel like I am grown & leaving the nest. It is a sad day but I feel like I can fly now because she prepared me. So for now "No Tangles or Torn Feathers"
Saturday Day 24 9/2/00
We had Mrs. Harris teaching us today. I like when she teaches us. I spent the day doing a trim on Sequoia. I had one of the new students watching me so I was teaching her how to do it. I got 100% on my cut in my white grade book. Which was a surprise because I thought I messed it up. I thought the left side was shorter than the right but she showed me a different way to measure it & it wasn't as off as I thought. I guess not if she gave me 100%. I spent the rest of the time sectioning for a perm but because of the holiday weekend we were let out early so I didn't get to work on that much. I am getting quicker with my sectioning. I got them done in about 15 minutes this time. Last time it was 25. The first time it was about 45. Now I just have to get my parts a bit straighter. The sections are the right size I just have to get my lines going straighter. Oh yesterday I gave Mrs. Pennamon a copy of that hair info I posted here & she says she is gonna show it to a lady in the corporate office because its so good. That was all today, No Tangles.
Tuesday Day 25 9/5/00
We don't have our new teacher yet so today Ms. Hamilton was our teacher. Most of the new students showed up today so she went over orientation with them while my group worked on practical. I decided to do a roller wet set because I haven't done a whole head yet. So I worked on that & got it done but it wasn't dry enough when I left so I'll have to comb it out tomorrow. I used a combination of different sized rollers. I used bigger rollers on top & smaller at the bottom. I used 4 different sizes. I am thinking that by doing that it will give her more volume. The smaller tighter curls at the nape & ears will hold up the larger longer curls. So I will just wait till tomorrow to see how it turns out. "No Tangles"
Wednesday Day 26 9/6/00
We had Ms. Hamilton again today. I combed out my roller set later in the day today & I got 100% on it. I averaged out my practical grades & so far with 11 things done I am averaging 95% on my practical. For those who are new, Practical work is doing hair & Theory work is Book learning. Today we did manicures & I got to do one. The new student Aleta, who I was helping out last week was my manicuring partner. She has some tiny fingers. Her Thumb nail was only a tiny bit larger than my Pinky nail. I did a good job on the filing & such but I am not good at painting so I kinda slopped up the polish. Then again like I said she has small nails. I got 85% on my manicure which I felt I didn't really deserve but I'll take it. I have never been good at painting with small brushes. I've done tons of Plastic models & I always paint outside the lines. Guess I'll just have to get better. Thats all for now, "No Tangles."
Thursday Day 27 9/7/00
Well today was a good day but I didn't get much done. We spent the first half of the day talking over Public Acts (State laws) & some other theory stuff. The second half of the day we had our choice of what we worked on & I decided to work on my basic perm. Well the new students were learning finger waving & I couldn't help but try to teach them. So I ended up not doing my perm & not much of anything. Oh well you all wouldn't be here if I wasn't like that so I'm not gonna complain. I just have it in my blood to teach people to make things easier than it was for me. So until tomorrow, "No Tangles."
Friday Day 28 9/8/00
Well there is something significant about today's date. Today would have been 5 years of working in that Gear factory. Instead I am 28 days into Cosmetology School & not looking back. So on with today's events. Nothing much happened today. I worked on trying a new fingerwave pattern & Ms. Hamilton was helping me learn some new techniques so at least I got some learning today. Once again the majority of the teaching was for the new students. Tomorrow is Saturday so things should be better. Don't get me wrong, I am not frustrated, I just need to get some better use out of my hours. At least the new students are learning quickly so they can catch up easier. I'm supposed to do a manicure & get one tomorrow so if my partner shows up I'll get some credit. So till then, "No Tangles."
Saturday Day 29 9/9/00
I did not do the manicure today. I worked on a roller set instead. Ms. Pennamon was keeping an eye on us today. Ms. Harris & Ms. Hamilton do not work on saturdays when the school year starts so we won't be having them on saturdays for a long time. Today was a do your own thing day for everyone. So I did my own thing. Thats all for now, "No Tangles."
Tuesday Day 30 9/12/00
We had a guest speaker & demonstrator today. His name is Kevin Carter, & he does fantasy hair shows. Thats where they make elaborate headpieces out of Human hair & then put them on someone's head & then blend the persons own hair into it. He does his to look like plants. He put on of his big leafy pieces on a student & dressed her in one of his gowns he uses on his models. He did a great job. He won a hair show in Atlanta which is a big one. That took up the whole day. Till tomorrow "No Tangles"
Wednesday Day 31 9/13/00
Today we did the practical of a 7 Part Chemical. We had to divide the head into 7 sections & then do different application techniques for each section. Section 1 is a Virgin Tint going Darker, Section 2 is Virgin Lightener (Bleach), Section 3 is Virgin Tint going Lighter, Section 4 is Virgin Relaxer, Section 5 is Relaxer Retouch (aka touch-up), section 6 is Tint retouch, & section 7 was Lightener (Bleach) retouch. This is how we do these at the state board exam. The whole point is to show that we know the proper application techniques. I got an 85 % on my first try. When we do these in school we don't use the real chemical, we use cholesterol cream conditioner in an applicator bottle & pretend its the real thing. Tomorrow we are supposed to work on permanent waving. "No Tangles"
Thursday - Saturday Days 32-34 9/14 - 9/16
Thursday we started working on perming but I couldn't get mine done because every 15 minutes Ms. Hamilton was calling everyone back to their seats to show something to everyone & not just the new students. I got half of the head done but it looked kinda sloppy. Friday I took my half done rods out & redid the whole head and for the first time actually finished a whole head. I got a 90% on it. I really liked it. Now I just have to work on speed. Saturday was a do what you want day so I experimented with another of my roller sets. I love coming up with new ways to put the rollers in. I made a horseshoe shape going from above the eyes going around the middle of the back of the head where its the widest. I then did a triangle of rollers on top of the head. I left the sideburn area out of the horseshoe pattern so I could do something different with it. The horseshoe rollers were placed vertical (llll) & the sideburn rollers where placed horizontal (---). I placed a few vertical rollers in the nape area below my horseshoe. I think I will draw it up before I forget how to do it. I will post it to the club if I do. "No Tangles."
Tuesday & Wednesday Days 35-36 9/19 & 9/20
Tuesday we spent the morning doing Theory on Skin & disorders of the skin. We spent about 2 hours on that. The we had a guest speaker from Hair Wars. He calls himself DeDerrick & when he does the shows he dresses like superman with HF on his chest for Super Hair Fighter. He spoke to us about how to be entertaining & how to promote yourself. After lunch I combed my Roller set out & after Ms. Hamilton gave me 100 % on it she suggested I try to make it into an up do so I started taking 2 inch square sections on top & twisted them into little bun like twists. I then pinned them in place. I tried a few different things with the sides but by the time I made up my mind which thing to do it was time to go home. I was fighting a cold all weekend & all day Tuesday & Today I called in sick to school so I did not go on Wednesday. Hopefully this Cold / Tangle will go away by the morning. Till then No More Tangles.
Tuesday - Friday Days 36-45 9/26 - 10/6
Last time I posted a journal entry I had not gone to school that day. I ended up being out that whole week with that cold. I finally went back this past tuesday. We finally got our new teacher on Tuesday. When Ms. St. Clair came in and told us she was leaving us on September 1 we had Ms. Brown as a substitute teacher that day & I looked at her & said "We have a job opening Ms. Brown." At the time I was joking with her because I knew she had wanted to get a job at a different school. That day was her graduation day from Instructor school. I had no idea that 3 weeks later she would actually be our permanent replacement teacher. I am glad it is her though. Not only is she a brand new teacher with new ideas but she really wants to make things better for us. She put a cup on her desk with a label that says lunch money on it so people can donate their spare change so anyone who needs some change for something can get some & she was rewarded for it because the cup sheused had a McDonalds game piece on it & it was a $20 instant winner. She has also set up Friday as donut day where if we want to bring donuts in the morning for the class we can. I also like her because she likes my creativity. I'm always experimenting with my roller sets & she likes to hear about it. She also likes to ask me about this club. I should ask her if she has a computer so I can invite her. As far as what we learned this past week we studied Manicuring, Facials, & Makeup. Next week we go back into haircutting so the new students from September can do their first cuts. We also get more new students this coming week. As far as me I have 260 hours in in just 41 days which means I'm averaging 6.3 hours per day still. I have just about caught up to a student who started in June. That means if We were still going by Ms. St. Clair's grouping system I would have moved from group 4 to group 3 just based on my attendance. I haven't been late yet & the days I missed won't count against me. I am averaging over 130 hours per month so I am well above the minimum. Well anyway things are going well in school so until later "No Tangles"
This week we studied haircutting again. Tuesday I was graded on another roller set. I spent most of the week trying to finish one haircut. We have spent most of the mornings doing theory work and yesterday we spent the morning watching haircutting videos that I brought in from my own collection. I bought another manikin head on wednesday. When I brought her home her hair kinda looked like a reddish copper color but it turns out that was because my bedroom light is yellow. Anyway I chose a name for her based on thinking she had red hair. I named her Sonya (after the movie Red Sonya). Her full name is Sonya Rose Sienna. I started to give her a trim today but I ran out of time before I could start the last section. I took about 5 written tests this week & got lots of things signed off in my white book for practical work so I really am catching up now. Tomorrow I will get credit for another haircut as soon as I finish Sonya's trim. Today was donut day so I brought donuts for the class. During one of my breaks I was drawing on the blackboard how to explain geometry & angles as they relate to a head so I could simplify it for people. Haircutting involves angles so people need to understand where those angles are in relation to a curved head. I'll probably do another cut tomorrow & then maybe another roller set or a perm. So till next time "No Tangles"
Saturday - Day 46 10/7/00
I finished up the trim on my new manikin Sonya and then because I had given her an undercut I blew her hair dry to style it. Undercutting causes the ends to curl inward by making the hair on top slightly longer than the hair closer to the head. I then did another wet set with rollers on Veronica. I used only rollers that are conical in shape. That means they are like cones with an angle to them. Once again I used my own design. I made a side part on the right side. I put smaller rollers on the right side & larger on the left & top. I'll comb it out on tuesday so I will know how it turns out then. If I can draw my pattern I will & then I'll post it. I'll also draw the horsehoe design I did a few weeks ago. Till tuesday, "No Tangles."
Tuesday - Saturday Days 47 - 51 10/10 - 10/14/2000
Once again I have put off posting my journal entries for a whole week. Tuesday we did theory on Properties of the Hair & Scalp. Ms. Brown was out with Pink Eye so Ms. Graves the student instructor and Ms. Pennamon were taking turns teaching. In the afternoon Ms. Pennamon showed us how to do proper roller sets & we worked on that. Wednesday we worked on our roller sets again & more theory on Hair & Scalp. Thirsday Ms. Brown came back. We did more theory on Hair & Scalp & I spent the rest of the day doing the last of my required roller sets for junior division. Friday we took the test on haircutting. I had already taken the test in august so taking it again doesn't count. I took it anyway & got 100% on it. The first time I took it I got 93%. They were not the same test. I also took 4 other tests and passed them all so I only have 4 left to take. Saturday I did my second permanent wave. I got a 98% on it. I started another one before time ran out. As of right now I am up to 334 hours out of 1500. 350 hours is the division between junior & senior division. That means only a week or two until I will be working on real people. I hope I will start writing these more often again. I left out alot of good details because I forgot them this time. So hopefully I will write again on Tuesday. Till then "No Tangles."
Tuesday ~ Day 52 ~ 10/17/2000
Today we spent the first part of the morning doing haircolor theory. Around 9:00 am we had a speaker return for about an hour to finish up some business with some students who were interested in his programs. After that we continued theory on haircolor and then we started doing the practical with cholesterol. I finished mine and got credit and then I worked on my perm for the last hour. I still have to finish it. Tomorrow we are supposed to continue haircolor theory and practical. Till then "No Tangles."
Wednesday - Friday ~ Days 53 - 55 ~ 10/18 - 10/20
Wednesday & Thursday we studied Haircolor theory & did practical. For those who haven't read my previous entries, theory is book work & practical is doing the work on manikins or people. On Thursday at 10:45 am I reached 350 hours. That means even though I still have to catch up on my work I am now a senior student. My official monthly average of hours is 134 per month. At that rate I only have 9 months left. Today the class took the test on the properties of the hair & scalp but I took that last friday so I didn't have to take it. The rest of the day we worked on practical for haircolor. We are not actually using haircolor. Instead we use cholesterol cream. Thats all for now, "No Tangles."
Saturday ~ Day 56 ~ 10/21
Saturday we kinda did what we wanted as usual. I worked on some fingerwaves & then worked on some perms. I finished the one I had been working on & then I started one with blue & yellow rods. For those who don't know those are the really tiny rods for really short hair. They are skinnier than a pencil. Then Ms. Pennamon looked over my supplies & said that whatever I didn't have she would get them for me so I won't have to spend $200 on the school's kit. So that's what happened. Till tuesday, "No Tangles."
Tuesday - Saturday Days 57 - 61 10/24 - 10/28/2000
Tuesday we had a competition which I did not win. I was not trying to win either I was just experimenting with one of my invented styles. We also did theory on Shampooing. Wednesday we retook tests & did theory on the Artistry of hair. Thats where you judge face shapes & such to figure out the best styles. I worked on finishing one of my perms after that. Thursday Ms. Pennamon subbed for Ms. Brown & we did roller sets & perms. Friday I used a hot pressing comb to comb out 2 of my perms & then I used a thermal iron to curl one of them. Saturday I gave 2 facials. It was a pretty good week. I got some new things accomplished so now I can work on those. Ms. pennamon will be testing me in 2 weeks for my entry to the clinic floor. She is waiting for a few other students to get 350 hours first. In the meantime I have to finish my white book of practical work. I still have alot of things to do in that book. So thats probably what will happen next week. Till then "No Tangles."
Tuesday - Friday Days 62 - 65 10/31 - 11/3/2000
Tuesday - We did timed haircuts. Ms. Brown was absent so we were doing what the student instructor Ms. Graves told us to do. Wednesday Ms. Brown came back & we spent the morning doing haircolor theory. In the afternoon we used some temporary rinse to practise application of color. We were pretending it was real tint & not just the temporary rinse. Thursday we finished haircolor theory & then those who wanted to took some retakes of tests. I took my Hair pressing test because it was the last one I had to take & I got 90% on it which was 9 out of 10 questions right. In the afternoon we did fingerwaves. I got a few more of them done. Today we worked on Permanent waves all day. Tomorrow we are having a Pot Luck lunch. It is also our free day so I hope I can get some stuff done. That's all for now, "No Tangles."
679th Hour of Cosmetology School
I haven't done a journal entry post since post 843. That was November 3. So maybe I should do some updating. On the day after Thanksgiving I took my practical test and I did well enough to go to the clinic floor. That was the test to get me out of the classroom so I could go to the floor and work on real clients. I went to school for the next 2 weeks and then I took a 60 day Leave. I returned to school Feb 20th. I'm starting to get used to being on the floor and dealing with clients. I've done some of the harder things like perms and tints so I'm not as scared as I was. I can do the stuff just fine its just sometimes the little procedures get in the way like when I have to call the instructor to analyze and such. They have their system and I have to get used to it. But as far as the actual work I can do that. Anyway the real reason for this entry is I got my second Progress Report today. I was supposed to get it in November but Ms. Pennamon forgot. This lady is superwoman. She has so many things to be responsible for its not funny. So anyway, I received my first report at 264 hours and that was 9/30/00. Now at that time I was only required to have gone 153 hours and I was at 264. My attendance was 132 %. The second report which I got today was for 11/8/00 and that was when I reached 450 hours. On that day I was only required to have had 246 hours so my attendance had risen to 138 %. Therefore as of that day I could go to school only 20 hours a week and still graduate on time. I am at 679 hours as of today and the next progress report is at 750 hours. So lets close with my motto. "No Tangles"
New Entry 3/29/04
This journal had no more entries. I stopped going to school at approx 800 hours. I haven't ever said this publically so here goes. One day I was doing a press and curl on a young girl. For those who are not familiar with this it involves putting a brass or metal comb into a small oven and heating it up untill its hot but not hot enough to scortch paper. You then comb through the hair and flip the comb as you pull through so that the round part of the comb is smoothing the hair out. Same as using a curling iron but with teeth. Anyway, I was not experienced with doing this and had only done this one time on a manikin prior to this. I got through doing it and the mom asked if I could go closer to the scalp. I tried my best not to touch the scalp but just one or two of those teeth touched her skin for a split second. As you probably guessed this was followed by a yell and some tears. I was devastated. I wasn't put on this Earth to hurt people, especially not kids. It may have been an accident but this could have been prevented had I been given better training. I think the principal ended up finishing it for me. I thought I got over it and I did continue to go for a few more weeks off and on. Then came the last straw. I was behind in my first of 3 white books. These are books of 10 of this and 5 of that, and you have to do them on a manikin or if you do one on a client on a saturday you got credit. I fell behind and should have been done before I even made it out on the floor. Well when I got around 800 hours the principal decided that she would just sign me off on the first book and let me start the second. I was happy and I loved her for it but at the same time I just felt cheated. I needed to do those things, not just get passed along to the next mishap waiting to happen. I started not going again and then after 21 days they had to drop me. That's the most you can miss in a row. A few days later I went and picked up my stuff and when she asked me I said that I was just too 50/50 about wanting to stay. She said that my 800 hours would be good for 7 years. So here I am 3 years later and today I went to 11 salons and emailed another that was closed to ask if they have an apprenticeship program. One said they do have the program and that they would call me with more details tomorrow. Another said he might know someone who has the program and that he or they would call me tomorrow. The emailed one is open tomorrow so I'm going to call or go there because since its so hard to find the program I don't want to leave it to an email to decide. Especially if they didn't get it. So that is where I am at on this now going on 4 year journey. I hope this doesn't end here. I'm wanting so much for this to work. I even got my manikins out this weekend and detangled and trimmed them. Part of that was because I borrowed my dad's digital camera and I'm hoping to take pictures of braids and such that I do on them. Also I might make instructions using them. So that's how things are 2 days before my 28th birthday.
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