Hi. So I went to cosmetology school in NY state back 10 years agao. My hours are still valid so I could technically still take my state bordes and see what happens but even if I do pass there a lot I dont remember from school. Do y'alls think its a good investment in money to go back to school so I can relearn some things. Manly haircutting I'm pretty rusty on. But I herd that school's dont really focus too much on teaching new stuff, they juat teach how to pass bordes. Any thoughts?

This is a post for all Australian Hairdressers - particularly those based in Brisbane/ Queensland like me. The salon phone rang on Monday, i never received a name for the person but it sounded to me like a feminine, male voice. he began to explain that he was wanting to book in haircuts for his 2 daughters, specifically asking for a flat top, an ordinary hairstyle for a teenage girl to have but i continued to listen. he rambled on about how one of his daughters was lesbian and that she often had tantrums, needing to be punished/ have their hair cut shorter for his convenience. he began telling me stories of times he went to the barber shop to get his girls hair cut and went into great detail about how "funny" it was to watch their hair be cut off and "slide onto the barbershop floor" i listened and laughed of course as i would any client that calls the salon but of course was thinking in my head that this was a particularly peculiar request and conversation i was having, especially since the phone call lasted up to 11 minutes. he included specific details about how he wanted the girls hair to be cut and asked questions about the different clipper guards, almost as if he was trying to drag the phone call out as far as he could. he also mentioned that one of them has been wanting to get their hair cut this length, while the other - the more "difficult" one would have to be forced to. i was unaware of these types of phone calls being a "thing" in the australian/ nz hairdressing world at the time. which is why i booked in the two girls for thursday this week, and took his number also so i could get the stylist to have a follow up discussion on what he wanted with the girls hair, as he also mentioned he would not be coming to the appointment with them.

This Morning (wednesday) i arrive at work and i tell the stylist that we would be expecting a call from a client about two girls haircuts and i went into small detail about the phone discussion i had had with their father two days prior. she tells me that she sms messaged him on Tuesday to give the salon a call when they got a chance to discuss what the girls were wanting to have done with their hair. she goes on to explain that he rung back before i had arrived at work to explain what he wanted done with the girls hair. my coworker tells me that he instructed her to be "firm" with his daughter even if she resisted having her hair clipped that short. my co worker tells him that it would not be possible for her to cut his daughters hair if she is not consenting to the haircut being given, despite my coworkers repeated reminders to the man on the phone that she would not be able to cut his daughters hair if they didn't want her to he was completely set. we were both so confused/ disturbed by this phone conversation - it didn't feel right whatsoever. my coworker brings up how salons can often get prank calls and that it might be one of those. it made sense - but also didn't. why would someone pull such a pointless prank? however i did some digging and discovered through many online sources that there is indeed a man who goes by the name of "Christine" / "Charmaine" that in the last 20 years has been ringing hair salons/ barber shops telling an extremely elaborate story of "two naughty daughters that had to get their haircut as a punishment" and throwing in random details that they were lesbian, often using the name rebecca for one of their names. it had happened in many salons in New Zealand aswell as salons in Victoria and NSW (link to article attached, worth a read as there are creepy theories/ conclusions drawn by psychiatrists).I did some research on TikTok also and to my surprise, a video came up of a female hairdresser on the phone with "private number" when the person on the other side of the phone spoke i was absolutely shocked - it was the exact voice i had heard, saying the exact same random details explained above, some slightly altered and randomised to which suited him i suppose. it was so strange to know that we weren't the only salon that had received a phone call like this, a few salons had received calls from him multiple times!

My request for any Australian Hairdressers who have experienced this - please please share what happened under this thread I'm so interested if anyones gotten closer to discovering why this person is doing this!? share anything you may have heard on this topic, any therories would be awesome too. what do we think??? I'm so so intrigued!!!

I've been going to the same hairdresser for years and will continue to do so until he retires. I've already decided he'll cut my kids' hair when they are a bit older. He's great.

I love to bake with my oldest and it's our go-to gift for family and friends as a thank you or just because. Is it weird if we take one to him?

I used to be a teacher and it felt goo when parents would send baked goods from bakeries or from home to us; I'd imagine hairdressers don't receive many gifts? Correct me if I'm wrong. Would you think it's weird?

Just a question that wants n answers and more of a solution

The whole Barrel size and titanium vs ceramic research bandwagon is not going to save us fine hair girlies. 
I mean yes tool choice matters of course but also theres a whole step AFTERR you release the curl.

I wholeheartedly believe this is where we fumble it. This is the rsn your fine hair curls are gone by lunch.

But like nobody talks abt the cooling phase?!! How is anyone supposed to know this if nobody will teach us?

Dw tho i took notes!!

I will also explain the barrel science:

So the classic size recc is ¾” to 1” for fine hair. But does anybody even know WHY?
Heres why:

1. Barrel Size

Smaller barrel means tighter initial curls which means more ‘shrink budget’. 

Since finer hair can lose up to 40-60% of its curl volume as the day goes on, its good to have spare shrink room. 

A ¾” curl falling out will look like 1.25” wave 

So there goes the beachy wave thing we all wonder abt 

1. Barrel material

 

This is more crucial than barrel brand tbh. 

Since titanium heats fastest and most evenly it becomes the best choice for fine hair at lower temps. 
Ceramic holds onto heat steadily which means less hotspot but it can also be spiked with cheaper elements. 

Gold plating is just cosmetic and just shenanigans tbh. 

1. Tapered vs Straight barrel:

This is the REALLL issue imo 

Tapered barrels give a more natural, uneven curl
Which is actually pretty great for finer hair that looks too ‘done’.

A straight barrel gives a more uniform ringlet that reads more polished. 

Neight is objectively better tbh. Its just abt the look you're after.

GOAL: For fine hair: ¾” to 1” barrel, titanium if possible. 
Orrr just follow these tips i guess

What happens when you curl your hair?!

Turns outttttt hair’s shape is kept together by hydrogen bonds inside the cortex. 
Heat breaks those bonds temporarily. 
Thats HOW the curls form bcs you're literally reshaping the bond structure around the barrel 

Here's the golden tip tho: the NEW bond doesn't lock in until the hair cools down completely. 
Crazy concept to me 

Apparently heat opens up the hair cuticles and breaks the bonds, 
Cooling closes the cuticles and sets the new bond. 

Everything in between is just unstable. The curl exists but it hasn't omitted yet 

fine hair has smaller cortex

Fine hair has smaller cortext than thick or coarse hair, 
That basically just means there's less structural mass, fewer bonds, and shorter window before gravity and humidity can start pulling the shape apart. 

A few things that KILLL fine hair curls mid-cooling:

What most people do (and why it wrecks the curl)

The most common cooling phase mistake isn't dramatic. It's just... letting the curl drop and moving on. You release it, it falls, you keep going. Completely normal. Also completely why the curl is half-formed before you even finish the rest of your head.

A few specific things that kill fine hair curls mid-cooling:

• Releasing curl onto shoulder or neck:

 

Bcs when the curl lands on a warm surface it just gets pressed flat while its still setting. So the whole shape is just flat.

• Touching or separating curls while warm:

 

Same logic bcs fingers are warm and running them through hot curls is just undoing them in real time. 

The bond is still open and this is just reshaping it  into a frizzy wave

• Moving onto the next section immediately

The heat from the barrel radiates. If you curl adjacent sections back to back with no pause youre just keeping the area warm longer than it needs to be which just extends the open bond window and gives humidity more time to interfere.

• Spraying hair spray on a warm curl?!

Rookie mistake. Counterintuitive.

This just locks in the curl at half-set shape. Not a finished curl. 

The goal is the spray after it has fully cooled. So that the final shape cant be sealed in. not a work in progress type

Now for the things that are supposed to work rly well

1. Release hair into palm. Not into the air.

 

Cup your hand u der the curls as you release it off the barrel. 

Straightforwards i think we all do this. 

Hold 8-12 secs in your hands (this is what most of us dont do).

And letting it cool in its own shape rather than dropping into freefall. 

1. Pin it if need be,

 

Bobby pins hold the coil flat against your head while it cools

Takes an extra 30 secs but sooo worth it. 

Old technique but foolproof

1. Youre not supposed to touch anything for at least 10 minutes after finishing.

 

Not a single curl.

Let everything cool completely before you even think abt separating or fluffing it. 

If youre in a rush you can just leave the curls intact and separate them in the car. 

1. Product goes at the enddd.

Only and only at the v v end you do a light hold hairspray or a small amount of flexible hold cream on FULLY COOLED curls. 

Apply by scrunching gently upward and not dragging downwards

Rmr that the goal is to shape it from below, and not press it flat from above

TL;DR:

For fine hair: ¾” to 1” barrel, titanium if possible (even hair distribution, no hot spots)

Keep the temp between 300-340 F depending on whether your hair is virgin or processed.

Here's a final hierarchy to keep in mind:

Barrel size > temp > time on the barrel > section size > cooling phase. 

Step 5 being the MOST IMP for curl longevity