Summer services at SELF/STYLED Sunday – Creative HEAD Magazine

Economic times are tough, but freelancers still need to make money. The day’s speakers explained how to get clients in for more

On a sun-drenched Sunday, Creative HEAD’s freelance community jumped online for a summer colour and styling edition of SELF/STYLED Sunday.

The demonstration filled day on 4 June wasn’t just about the hot new techniques to know, the focus was on expanding service menus to make the latest colour and styling offerings irresistible to clients, giving independent stylists more money in their pocket.

The day began with Claire Chell (pictured above left), Uberliss ambassador, celebrity colourist and as of a year ago, an independent stylist herself. The buzz around the Uberliss bond system, new to the UK this year, was still strong among viewers, but what makes it so different?

Bond-building is everywhere, but the Uberliss version is “a bond regeneration system made for all hair types,” explained Claire. It’s also “designed to work on the weakest” strands whereas others often focus on the strongest hair types, making Uberliss uber powerful.

Claire offers the treatment to clients that want to go lighter before their colour service, meaning it’s good for hair and bottom lines: “The superior hair condition you’re going to get is second to none. I know the hair is going to be stronger every time.”

To see the powerful effects of the system in action, Claire introduced her hair model, Nadia who has a natural depth of 7 and flits between very dark and very light.

By using the Uberliss bond reforming system, Claire lifted Nadia’s hair from “almost jet black” to bright blonde with less damage.

Nadia’s had a lot of lightener on her hair, including balayage and a full head of foils, with more foils to come in her next appointment, but in Claire’s words, the system allows Nadia “to be as playful with her hair as she likes without the condition being compromised.”

The bond-building muscle packed into the Uberliss bond system also meant that Claire didn’t have to cut the hair excessively, so Nadia could keep her length.

But when should clients book in for the Uberliss bond treatment? Two weeks before their lightening appointment, she suggests. Uberliss also offers some great retail opportunities, like the bond sustainers which are neutralisation toners for use at home and in the chair.

Next up, it was Indola’s UK ambassador and fellow freelancer Abbey Jarrold’s turn to delight the viewers with her session on using the brand’s vibrant CREA-BOLD colour line.

Abbey, (pictured below left) believes that bold, bright colours are set to be a trend this summer, but these looks can be tailored to different client tastes, and this is where the versatility of the CREA-BOLD colour line comes in.

In her demonstration with her model Ruby, Abbey showed that bright colours don’t have to look overdone by leaving part of the natural root intact and incorporating elements of her faded base colour into the show stopping red and blue look.

For clients who need a more subtle steer into CREA-Bold, Abbey said you can play around with the colours and mix your own creations. As there is no development time, you can see the results in the mixing bowl. “I once came out with a sage pale green pastel colour.”

Abbey credits the upcoming Barbie movie to bleach blonde hair making a comeback and CREA-BOLD can be used here by adding some pastel dimensions on bright blondes. “Summertime is when people get more creative with colour.”

For clients who might be a bit nervous about going full whack on CREA-BOLD, Abbey suggests a couple of large balayage pieces instead.

In the last session of the day, Wella’s blonde expert Daisy Goord, (pictured above) talked all things blonding and the power of face-framing.

Daisy is a balayage queen, but as a lower maintenance option for clients, how can stylists get them back in for more regular treatments to keep the money flowing? Two words; face frame. For Daisy, they are one of her biggest money-makers, and she does them in the evening as they take between 1.5-2 hours.

Face framing requires a toner service, so that’s more money on top. So, if an average balayage client is coming in every four months, Daisy can get them in every eight weeks for a face-framing service. “You’re not losing your clients, that’s a really important thing.”

But the hot technique today is about skinnier face-frames and less harsh, obvious styles. Daisy advised that stylists make their application bespoke to each client, as in her words, no-one has a doll’s head!

Look out for recession points, widows’ peaks, and baby hairs, she adds. Leave the baby hairs as lightening them can make them look like breakage.

(Pictured above; Kelly Laurie, Wella’s wholesale education lead talks toners.)

What if a client has a cowlick? Look at their hair placement, advised Daisy, and see how they like to wear it plus look at some images together. If they want a high impact look, do the face frames like a sunflower around their head, if they want a Scandi hairline, paint it on at the basin or you’ll struggle to get to the root at the cowlick. A root shadow around the hairline can also take attention away from it.

For clients with full fringes, unfortunately face frames don’t work, but a shadow root blonde works better. Here, communication is essential to explain why it doesn’t work, as fringes are cut so regularly, they can easily get darker.

What a day that SELF/STYLED Sunday was! The main takeaway? Always have an eye on upselling services. Your clients won’t always come to your door on their own…