With over 10 years experience choose the hair salon that is best for you. Mallory Cook – MMC Style hair salon in Madison, WI. The Hair Salon and Hair Color Pulp Riot Specialist carrying many hair care and hair styling products. #mmcstyle
Brides: Salon & Spa Advice For the Big Day & Leading Up To It
Dear bride-to-be:
First of all congrats! Take a moment to remember how excited you were the day you were proposed to, smile, breathe deep! Focus on that positive, beyond ecstatic feelings you had in those moments whenever the planning process gets tough! While a wedding is a major milestone in ones life, so should the planning process and all events leading up to the big day. Think of it all as one, big happy celebration, from the moment you know it’s happening, to the moments your saying your “I-do’s,” toasting your guests, and having one last dance to end your wedding night.
I’m here to help, with some simple advice to help with planning your beauty needs for your wedding planning adventure. From appointments you may last minute realize you wanted, or even needed, but didn’t think to book, to who is paying the tab at the salon for your hair and makeup appointments for the day of. Here is some pointers that will help make things smoother, and help avoid surprises through the process.
Pre-wedding appointments:
There’s a lot of events surrounding a wedding, these all can end up feeling like a big ‘to-do’ if not properly planned for, you can end up feeling like a chicken with your head cut off and then even worse, realize you don’t have time or don’t have the skill to fix up your hair and makeup to the level you feel it should be. After-all, these events are for YOU, you are the star, and you deserve to feel beautiful, and not have to stress about taking care of these things your self if you are not confident in your ability! These are the events you may want to consider getting in for a blowout, maybe a quick makeup face, or even a classy yet simple curl style:
- Wedding showers: Now I understand some of these are more casual, and your usual day style is completely acceptable. Some showers brides family or friends will throw for them entail a rented out banquet hall, or restaurant, etc. These you may feel you want to feel a bit nicer for. Hitting up your local blow dry bar for a blowout style and some makeup is a great way to start your day feeling special and pampered. It really sets the tone to get excited to go to your party where friends/family/loved ones are going to pamper you with encouraging words, and shower you with thoughtful gifts.
- Bachelorette party: Depending on yours and your friends style, these can be an easy day trip, or out of town adventure. Planning something big like a night out of dinner and dancing in a big city and want to feel fabulous? Ask your crew if any are interested in a salon date to start the evening out right, you not only include your girls in getting ready, you ALL get to feel fabulous together with your last rendezvous before your date of become Mrs. Again, setting up an appointment with a blow dry bar is a great option here, or if you’re in your hometown ask your stylist if she and a couple other stylists would be interested in taking care of your wedding parties styles before heading out. I personally would love to be a part of this for a client of mine, helping getting the girls ready while they sip on some bubbly is always an exciting time.
- Nail appointments before the wedding: Thursday is a BIG day to get nails done before your wedding weekend. You will want to be sure at least three months in advance to have this scheduled for you and your party if this is an appointment you’d like to be sure you, and your girls standing next to you have done. I suggest the Thursday before to take pressure off of the day you already will be worrying about running around for rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, but do what is best for you and your schedule!
- Rehearsal dinner: Sometimes the stress of dealing with family and your wedding party right before the big day can really get to ones nerves. Scheduling an appointment with your stylist who will be doing your hair for your big day can be a great way to one, not only have your hair looking on point when your family and friends are the most stressful to you, but also guarantees success for setting you and your hair up for how it needs to be the next morning before doing the wedding style.
The trial run:
Unless you’re from out of town and have trouble scheduling this, I always recommend a couple months before the wedding setting up a consultation and wedding style trial run with the stylist who will be doing your hair. This appointment has many benefits to you and your stylist. Your stylist gets to know your hair and how it holds curl, reacts to products, looks when up, half up, or down. This gives you a chance to see how you like your hair in the style you picked out for your big day, maybe you will change your mind on how you thought you’d like it. After all, no ones hair is exactly alike, you may have your eye set on something that isn’t the best option for your hair type or look you want. Your stylist should also take the time to get to know the style and vibe you want to achieve with your look, the feel of your wedding style, and the style of your dress.
Your hair stylist should take pictures and notes that will help to make things seamless on the day of. If you have any changes you decide on between the trial and the day of, I highly recommend emailing your stylist so they are prepared. Make sure you don’t make any major haircut or color changes that could change how the style is executed after your trial run, unless recommended by the stylist doing your wedding hair.
If you are having makeup done for your wedding and have a particular way you like your makeup done, I highly recommend a trial run for this as well. You don’t want to be in the chair on your day of having to have them remove something and change it multiple times.
Spray tans:
Everyone likes a healthy glow and typically feels better with a tan year round. If you’re someone who gets spray tans regularly you have a pretty good grasp on how long in advance to get one for how you want it to look by a particular day. Example: I like my spray tan best starting at day 2, day 1 can be a bit severe for me, day two it has softened and I won’t be like “whoops I was too tan” while looking back at pictures. If you’re someone who is not used to spray tans, pick your salon you wish to go, and I recommend getting one before one of your events, shower or bachelorette party. This will help you learn what day you liked it best, and figure out how long it lasts so it is at it’s best on your wedding day. You may decide all together to scrap it if you didn’t like how it looked. Better to find this out ahead of time!
Confirmations:
I like to recommend calling or emailing with the salon about a month before your wedding, and a week prior to make sure there have been no changes to stylists, and to be sure proper communications were made to have the right times, right number of appointments, and correct time to be done. This will not only be a relief to the salon that you are staying on top of things and they can rely on your party, but you know everyone’s appointments to be beautiful for your big day are secure.
The big day:
If in doubt or not specified, PLEASE, show up with CLEAN, and DRY hair and notify anyone else in your party to do the same!!! It used to be the thing to show up with dirty hair on your wedding day, it was known having clean hair made a style not stick as well, or so we used to say. Nowadays everyone is accustom to not washing their hair daily, using dry shampoo. And I know me, I’ll go a week and a half without shampooing, that would not be great for someone trying to do a formal style on my hair. Stylists use hair spray and hair powders to “dirty up” clients hair if I need to add some texture, grit and hold before starting my style. Coming with clean hair gives us the chance to prep the hair properly for the look we want to achieve.
For makeup, I am not a makeup artist, but I can tell you showing up with a clean face, moisturized lightly will create a great base for your makeup artist. Talk to your esthetician/makeup artist before hand on any other specific instructions they may have.
If you or any of your party has extensions in your hair be sure to let the salon, or your traveling stylists know so they expect to take a little more time with that person. I always like to get a list of how many people are in the party getting their hair done, this includes mothers and flower girls, and get a feel for what they want done in advance. If someone is wanting a specific kind of up do that is a little more specialized it is also good to know. For a salon they will take care to place each person in the party with the stylist who is best suited for the style they’d like created. Please be sure to have a time frame of when you need to be done and make sure to notify your stylist your working with or the salon so they can be sure to accommodate appropriately. If anything changes with that time make sure to let them know right away, but be mindful before changing your schedule for the day of, the salon or stylist has other clients and may need be able to accommodate major timing changes, it is best to get the schedule locked in before booking the appointments.
All of these prep steps followed allow for you and your whole party to really relax, and have fun with the getting ready process. Depending on the time of day getting ready, you can plan to have breakfast (scones, bagels, fruit, coffee, juices) ready and out for your party to grab as they are getting ready, or have a sandwich tray ordered and delegate who and what time is to pick that up and deliver to the salon or wherever you are getting ready. It’s also a usual thing for the bridal party to have wine, champagne, or mimosa fixings to sip on and enjoy while getting ready. Be sure to have one or more people tasked to take some pictures of the group while they’re getting ready as well! Documenting the whole process you will appreciate later because the whole day is so exciting, parts of it can be a blur.
Paying:
Most salons or stylists will take some kind of deposit and have it due within reasonable time before the wedding day. Confirm when paying your deposits the amount of time scheduled, and the people scheduled to be sure everything is in place. You’ll want to be sure you’ve discussed pricing before your appointments so there are no surprises. Make sure to talk with your whole bridal party about the prices if everyone is expected to pay for their own hair. Some brides will take on the price of these appointments themselves if they are requiring all girls to get their hair and makeup done for their wedding. While some don’t require the appointments so then the bridesmaids will pick up the tabs for their own appointment when finished. Talking about this plenty in advance avoids any annoyed, or frustrated feelings on the morning of!
I hope this information helps you feel set up and prepared for your big day! My biggest piece of advice on top of any of this is if you have questions just ASK! Ask trusted friends and family members who have been married, and ask your service providers any questions you may have. You don’t know what no one tells you, people in the service industry are in the business of helping, so ask away and enjoy your process of planning one of the biggest days of your life!
- Published in Hair Salon, Trending Hair Styles, Women's Haircuts, Women's Hairstyles
You don’t offer online booking? Just look at the benefits!
Supreme Salon Convenience – Online Booking
Although the benefits of booking online are evident to my clients, many salons remain dedicated to a phone booking system (auto or non) that takes the customer more time, involves more staff members and can unfortunately lead a larger margin of error.
Our clients have evolved, shouldn’t our customer service? I chose function first, so I went to the starting line – bookings. I’ve found that the majority of my clients prefer to use the internet to do their salon appointment bookings versus calling direct and in both cases, I’m linking them into the same efficient system allowing them to reschedule up to the day before (my settings).
I wanted something that allows potential new clients to book a hair consultation for FREE, but also allow them along with my existing clients to book services they are looking for. Using inspiration from the name my parents gave me, I divided that into three categories: Misters, Madams and Color. With an additional Style category for products I sell online (we’ll get to that on a later post).
Salon Benefits of Online booking vs. Offline Booking
There are many benefits to booking online for salons or hairstylists taking bookings, benefits that make the life of both the customer and owner much simpler. Here are some of the most evident advantages of booking appointments online:
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A Salon Online Booking System Offers The Utmost Convenience
As a salon owner or an individual stylist, you’d like your potential and existing clients to be happy and making the booking process convenient for them is a perfect start to achieving that goal. When clients can easily make their bookings online, you offer them the SUPREME convenience of booking.
Your salon clients can book a new haircut, style, color or whatever appointment they feel like it, time of day or night doesn’t matter. Anyone can use any device they prefer, as long as they can reach the internet. An added bonus for new clients is they have the option to think about their bookings or if unsure, schedule a hair / color consultation without any pressure.
These are excellent arguments that support an online booking system, top that off with service payments and product sales….well, that’s pretty convenient.
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Booking Online Makes Your Salon Always Available
Online Booking is Always Available
Your salon is now open and available anytime, anywhere. If you choose a salon booking application you will simplify the booking process incredibly while making your location available for booking new business or selling products online 24/7.
You don’t need an 800 number, auto-secretary, extra staff, or packed email boxes that you’re always checking. Plus, no hold times and instant gratification for your clients!
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Booking Online: Lower Costs
When offering online booking, you reduce costs for your salon. Booking apps are very affordable now, so the don’t cost a fortune anymore. All you need is a website equipped with scheduling software. It is as simple as that. No need to rob the bank to accept reservations right away!
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Booking Online: Increased Profits
By giving your clients the ability to book online, you make your salon available 24/7/365. This equals being able to receive more bookings then you may during your normal service times on the phone.
More bookings translate into more appointments. Besides, less people handling the reservations with reduces your overhead and possible errors. Ultimately this allows you the ability also hire less, but more experienced, better paid staff.
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Salon Online Booking Systems Allow You to Measure Results Easier
Measure Results & Feedback
Offline bookings can be difficult to track and, as a salon, you have no idea who your potential clients may be or how they heard of you. However, online bookings are transparent and allows you to communicate through channels your client provides like email, phone or text.
The online booking system provides you with accurate data as far as client’s appointments – past or future, which you can consequently use to design marketing strategies and loyalty programs tailored to them without being invasive or spammy. (most clients like using those little extras on their services or finding out you have a new product perfect for them)
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Salon Online Booking With Social Media
Bookings on social media is easier then ever , which makes social media networks such as your salon’s profile on Google, Facebook, Instagram and more may become your new best friends to help fill some gaps in your calendar.
No matter how you feel about social media, the Masses love social media, and they are more than open to booking on a network that they are more familiar with. This makes social media very useful for sales, booking and communicating with your clients with instant messenger abilities.
The great benefit of integrating booking with your social media page or more importantly your google profile is that you make it easy for your new potential clients to direct family members and friends by searching for you online or their social platforms and instantly book.
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Online Booking Equals A Completely Optimized Appointment Schedule
Tired of using a pencil with no eraser?
A salon booking system where clients book their appointments online allows you to sync your business, personal or any calendar with accuracy. An online booking system enables you to maintain an accurate calendar almost effortlessly across all your devices or categories.
Either you or your staff can quickly access the system to check when they may have appointments, the type of services they need to provide for each appointment, which clients they’ll be seeing, and what they should prepare for to give their client the service they deserve.
Booking online involves less scheduling-related errors, including over-booking, double-booking, or those mythical lost bookings nobody ever wants to take credit for. With online salon booking, appointments can be quickly updated, moved, or rescheduled by you, staff or the client with everyone getting the same notifications.
An online booking system offers an overall perspective of the appointment calendar for your salon to identify the gaps easily that may require particular attention and could be filled.
The availability and hours of staff can quickly be adjusted depending on the booking volume, you can even set filters or timers to make your reminders and notes top of mind.
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Salon Booking Platforms Relieve Your Staff To Do What’s Important
Save your time to cater to clients.
How does a well working salon booking system affect you and your staff members handling customer service? Well, it is evident that updating your salon and website to accept online booking for your clients will now hugely reduce their phone time, playing phone tag with clients and give that pencil at your front desk a break.
On online salon booking system means that you and your salon staff no longer need to spend as many hours over the phone with clients – with most salon programs available now you can provide all the details of an appointment via reminder texts or emails. Also, no time is wasted managing schedules and/or playing phone tag.
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Online Booking Eliminates the Bottleneck That Telephone Booking Creates
Do you think your clients have ever seen this look?
Put yourself in your client’s shoes and remember how it feels like to wait for your call to be transferred to the right person when you want to book an appointment over the phone or get a question answered. How many times have you given up on the appointment because of the long waiting time?
Your clients go through the same thing if you choose to stick to your traditional system. The bottleneck associated with conventional on the phone is eliminated when you equip your website you make the possibility of booking online available to your new or existing salon clients.
Also, remember that phone booking is only available to clients within a given time interval when clients are at work and usually have less time to call you.
Unless you can afford more staff members to handle several phone lines, basically only one caller at a time can get the help they need, the result is the rest of the clients potential or existing are left on hold. You salon will suffer and you probably have heard a few of your own stories involving a dropped call, didn’t book and or asking for a discount for wasting their time.
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Online Booking: Increased Sales and Marketing Synergy
Use your data to market or inform
A big problem posed by the traditional over-the-phone booking system is having to refer clients to your website for more information because today most salons put all of the information a client may need to know. If you’re smart about it, why not include software that not only books your client, but can also ask more information if you choose to help market fun gifts for birthdays, electing to join your loyalty program or products just for them. (all updated in one place)
If clients can find everything they need on your website, why not use the site for booking online at a time that is most convenient for them, when they can make an appointment without feeling rushed or pressured or even redirected back to the website.
When you take a client from your website to the phone, you lose those spontaneous bookings because the client may get discouraged and frustrated while waiting on the phone to make an appointment or postponing the reservation for “tomorrow” during office hours.
Make the most of your website’s excellent copy and capitalize on impulse bookings by equipping your website with a salon online booking software.
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Booking Online: It’s not the future, it’s now
You are living in the age of the internet, when people no longer use phone books to find a “salon near me.” They use the internet to find everything they need to know quickly online without any additional hassles. As of this moment more are not even bothering to type in a search and just asking their phone or chosen home device to contact the internet, search or go directly to your page. People like the convenience of doing everything online and now speaking to their favorite digital voiced companion.
It would be a huge loss for a salon to not capitalize on the technology offered today. Integrate a booking platform with your product pages on your website or social media pages is a big step, but maybe it should be your first! Your customers are online, so that’s where you need to reach them. Don’t miss out!
Disadvantages of Online Booking Systems
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A Salon Online Booking System Comes at A Cost
Online Booking – MMC Style
Nothing comes for free in today’s age. It is a mistake to believe that a free booking system will come with all of the benefits of a paid one. Yes, an online booking platform will cost you but will not cost you a fortune and will undoubtedly be worth the small investment.
Most systems allow you to pay monthly or at a discount for annual. Depending on what salon software / online booking program you choose. You may also consider having a custom-made system that may cost more in the beginning and will also generate maintenance costs for support, spam, anti-virus protection and more.
As an existing salon, new salon or a hair stylist in a suite, you should already be used to the idea of cost, but, you should also be used to identifying a situation where the benefits compensate for the costs.
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Any Online Booking System Depends on the Internet
Although it may not seem like a disadvantage, making an online booking depends on having internet access. It is a fact, and there’s no way going around the problem. BUT with internet access available on more and more devices, static or mobile, and with the internet being available in almost every corner of the world, it’s a problem that will soon become a benefit.
In Summary
Plenty of new salon client prospects that look to the internet to book their appointment. You have plenty of opportunities when looking into technology that no salon should miss out on. Including generating more time with additional revenue, saving time for your staff to perform at their best, and overall less overhead on your salon.
- Published in Hair Salon, Men's Haircuts, Trending Hair Styles, Women's Haircuts
Men’s Hair Color: Functional & Creative
Men’s color, haircut and style by Mallory Cook of MMC Style in Madison, WI
A lot of men hear about their female friends or significant others going to spend a good chunk of time at the salon for color services, but it doesn’t even cross their mind that men’s hair color could be a type of service for them. They think women get to have all the fun and enjoy a couple hours of escape from life, while they themselves go in for the “usual” “number 2 on the side and longer on top” type deal. Well I have news for you guys, color services are for YOU as well, and you do have more than one option when it comes to color!
My male clientele, just like my female clientele, gets a scalp and neck massage at the shampoo bowl, any the same care that the appointment is about them, I’m not here just to rush through appointments and get people in and out monotonously. Not for guys, and not for women. Same for color appointments then, I will make sure to consult before we get started on what you’d like to achieve, and also give you any ideas of my own I may have for you if you’re looking for some advice. Here’s a couple of color methods I really enjoy for my male clients, and I think they really like too.
You’ll also get more than the quick 20-30 minute appointment with your stylist, call it your “forced relaxation” appointment if you so need. Guys need pampering and an escape from life too! And sitting an extra 45 minutes to an hour in your stylists chair can be a great way to get some stress relief from the everyday grind.
A dusting of lightness
Added in lightener (bleach) pieces by way of highlighting the hair in foils, or painting the product right on the hair is a really fun, simple way to update your look, looking like you just hit the beach. Or go bold and add in some platinum or silver light pieces for a very modern, cool vibe.
My male clientele, just like my female clientele, gets a scalp and neck massage at the shampoo bowl, any the same care that the appointment is about them, I’m not here just to rush through appointments and get people in and out monotonously. So the same is true for men as is for my female clientele, I will take the time to find what look you’ll feel good with and create a placement of the lightener that works with your style. This is also not like how you guys may remember from middle school or high school days of the guys rocking the yellow looking frosted tips. I know I as a stylist in 2019 have so much education at my finger tips and the availability of amazing products, I am sure to use a lightener that lightens your hair past that deep yellow phase, and then use a hair color as what’s called a toner to counteract any yellow tones left in the hair, and leave you with a nice, naturally sun kissed looking color, and at that point we could add in some cool silver, or even a daring slight shade of blue or anything else you may be feeling.
Blending Gray:
One of my favorite ways to blend grays for any client of mine is using a sheer coverage color. So a hair color that will cover some of your grays partially, and some more resistant pieces will remain gray (I also will leave out some grays if I want to make sure they’re not colored at all). Pulp Riot’s permanent color line Faction8 has the ability to be turned into a more sheer color, showing through what’s naturally beneath on your hair, but getting rid of just how much natural gray/silvers you have. A lot of my clients like this that are not ready to completely go gray yet, it’s an easy way to grow their hair out because there is not a harsh line of outgrowth when their hair starts growing after a color.
Covering Gray
This is pretty self explanatory, to my guys who don’t like your grey, whether you just don’t like how it looks against your skin, don’t want to feel it is aging you, or just plain old don’t like it, it is totally acceptable to cover it up. You can cover it with a color close to your natural, or even choose a new color a bit darker or slightly lighter than your natural for a new look. The nice thing about staying close to your natural is you don’t see the color growing out as severely, so you feel like you can make it through to your next haircut appointment before needing a touch-up.
Creative Coloring
While all of the previous methods are all creative coloring, especially if you’re in my chair. I love to come up with custom colors for all of my clients, I like it to have a tone or a hue you will not find on any of my other clients walking around!
But most people when speaking of creative coloring are talking wild colors, rainbow hair, or something very unique and eye-catching. For example a rooted section we bleach out and paint a rainbow on, some highlights we color violet, or a full head of rocker red hair. Is this loud creative coloring something you’ve ever considered, just been hesitant to pull the trigger? I’d love to hear from you and discuss how we can make this a reality for your hair, and fit it in your lifestyle!
Here’s an example of something you could come your hair one way to mostly hide, and then when you’re out and about could pop up and show off. Now you could keep this to one color if you choose, or even just a couple of your just! It’s all custom, learn to find pictures for inspiration, thinking about what you like and don’t like about any hair cuts and colors is what all tell all of my women, you, my guys, maybe haven’t heard this before. It sure will help give you some inspiration to maybe let yourself have some fun, and get to spend a little more you time in the salon!
- Published in Hair Color, Men's Haircuts, Men's Hairstyles, Trending Hair Styles
Hair Accessories To Elevate Your Hairstyle
A couple simple ways you can add some “style” to your “hairstyle”
I don’t know about you, but I am obsessed with the overabundance of hair accessories/hair bling I’ve been seeing all over my Instagram and Pinterest feeds in all kinds of hair styles right now!
From every occasion, every hair style hair accessories across the board are being utilized to add style. Scrunchies, sparkly bobby pins, glittery words on pins, pearly clips, chains in pony tails, and headbands with every type of finish, I can’t freaking decide what to choose! That being said… I recently totally splurged on some mykitsch.com accessories, and I’m obsessed!
Fashionable fun:
There’s no such thing as overdone anymore. If you’re a Bravo reality TV fan like myself, you recently at least saw some snippets of Dorit, of Real House Wives Beverly Hills, with her insane amounts of glitzy clips covering her head that looked amazing with her overall sparkly, glam look! But for those of us who aren’t stepping over the fashion boundaries, a more subdued look is easier to wear, and can elevate a look for a night out of any kind! Check my selfies here, I was not ready to be about to go out in either of these, but having fun playing with these clips from mykitsch.com.
Hair Accessories – Mallory Cook
Hair Accessories – Mallory Cook
Hair Braids:
I’m loving the braids hair stylists have been showing off with string or some kind of chain intertwined. Cuffs and charms are another thing that I’m seeing and you can be so creative with these. Even digging out some old jewelry you don’t wear anymore is an option for this!
Hair Braids & Accessories
Head banded hairstyle:
Thanks to a variety of options, it’s easy to have “lazy day” hair, and make it look totally stylish. Headbands can be used around your head, tied around a pony, and you can even tuck your hair around the bottom to make it look like a sweet up-do done in a few minutes.
Headbands – Mallory Cook
Headband Hairstyles
Everyday messy ponytail or bun hairstyle:
With a scrunchie, or some kind of fun glittery clips or pins to hold messy hair in place. It’s easy to throw your hair up now and have a passable hair style for the office, or any kind of professional, polished setting with these accessories. Try some dry shampoo, such as Pulp Riot Berlin Dry Shampoo, for some extra volume before pulling your hair back. Then finish with some Pulp Riot Los Angeles to add texture and gently pull hair at the base of your head from your pony tail holder to create a tousled up style. Finish with your favorite hairspray like Pulp Riot Zurich for a flexible, medium hold.
Messy Ponytail look
I know there’s a million ideas out there for fun, unique, and different hairstyle accessories. What’s your favorite accessory for your hair? I’d love to hear about it!
- Published in Hair Products, Trending Hair Styles, Women's Haircuts, Women's Hairstyles
Hair Product Spotlight: Pulp Riot Liverpool & Glasgow
2019 Hair Product Spotlight by Mallory Cook of MMC Style
Discover Pulp Riot’s new launches and best sellers right here in Madison, WI. In the interest of full disclosure, I do sell professional hair color, hair care, and hair styling products here on my website.
In continuation to a previous post all about Pulp Riot Munich hair serum and Toronto firm hold hairspray, I’ve picked another couple of favorites to write about. The next two: Pulp Riot Liverpool root lifter and Glasgow sea salt spray. Now that summer is over, I’m feeling hair products that are going to provide volume, as well as a strengthening hold to combat the drier air that is to come.
Pulp Riot Liverpool:
Pulp Riot Liverpool is a root lifter that is an easy to apply, spray in foam. While your hair is damp, lift your hair up around the top of your head and crown area and spray, focusing on the root area. Gently massage in and then style as usual. I have had a lot of success using this on fine and coarse hair, it offers a lightweight voluminous effect without getting sticky. I love even after a couple of days of styling hair with Liverpool the hair is still lightweight and airy feeling. Sometimes what I will suggest with second or third day hair is to just add a bit of water to the root area on the top of your head and re-blowdry style quick. It nicely reactivates the Liverpool in the hair for an extra day of wear.
You can purchase off my website for in store pickup at the time of your choice, with your next appointment, or have it shipped to you.
Purchase
Pulp Riot Liverpool Root Lifter in the 8 oz size.
Pulp Riot Glasgow:
Pulp Riot Glasgow is a sea salt spray with multiple hair styling attributes. It adds texture, volume and has a light hold. I love to recommend this for clients with natural curl, or who like to curl their hair often, as well as for my short hair cut clients for added volume and texture. Not only does this product smell amazing, it also has sea salt and sea kelp extract which helps promote naturally healthier and stronger hair. Styling your hair and taking care of it at the same time? Sign me up! Glasgow can be applied to damp, and/or dry hair and will also add in enhancing natural curl, great for my curly girls in the winter whose curls get lazier in the dryer air.
Check Glasgow out on my store, and check out the other new Pulp Riot products available for sale through me!
Purchase
Pulp Riot’s new hair styling product, Glasgow Sea Salt Spray.
- Published in Hair Color, Hair Products, Hair Salon, Men's Hairstyles, Trending Hair Styles, Women's Hairstyles
Why just a trim isn’t just a trim
The hair trim “sticker-shock” haircut price
Have you ever booked, or asked your hair stylist for “just a trim,” and had sticker shock when in the end the cost is your usual haircut price? I’d like to put you at ease that if you are going to a hair stylist you trust, you are not overpaying for a “trim” priced as a haircut.
A trim is a haircut
First of all, a “trim” is not some kind of special, short-cut service, and you should be thankful it is not. Your stylist, as long as you are going to someone who is skilled in their craft and actually cares, will still take the time to carefully section your hair, check for any adjustments needed on the ends of your hair strands and within the layers of your hair based on how it’s grown out. They will check for thick areas that could use a touch-up on texturizing of any kind. So this means: this is NOT JUST a trim.
The cost of a haircut is what is left on your head, not what is on the floor
Our hair does not grow the same all over between visits. Think of how much further the hair from the top of our head has to travel than hair from the nape (neck area) of our head. Also, with all of our strands of hair being at different growth phases at different times, it does not overall grow out even! So a stylist will keep this in mind, as well as your head shape and desired style of haircut while trimming away the unhealthy ends of your hair to do any kind of shaping. While also making adjustments to the abundance of hair, whether your someone with excess amounts of hair that likes to have it thinned during an appointment, or someone who likes slightly to severely shattered ends in your style, all of these things need to be adjusted at the time of a haircut/trim appointment.
Hair Trims & Haircuts – Mallory Cook
Overall, you don’t want a haircut change if you’re asking for a trim, so is a trim necessary?
Yes! Our hair from any kind of damage, sun, heat styling, color, every day wear and tear, gets dry and will start splitting up on the ends. It’s best to keep up with those regardless of your hair goals, whether you are trying to grow it out, or maintain a particular look/length. Not keeping up with your split hairs will result in them splitting further up the hair strand, which not only makes you totally lose the look of the style of your hair, it leads to your hair looking, dull, dry and fuzzier than usual. It also helps to keep your hairstyle in a nice shape, rather than just a motionless, frumpy mop on your head.
Hair Trims, Haircuts & Hairstyles – Mallory Cook
While at your haircut trimming appointment:
Your stylist will check in with you on all things to help support you and how you’d like to wear your hair. Making sure you have the right products at home, the right tools to achieve your styles you like to wear, and make sure the direction your going with your haircut is right for you!
Customize your blonde: lowlights, toners, shadow roots
Your blonde hair has options with color and style
Contrary to what most people think, the biggest thing that differentiates one blonde from the next is not always the amount of highlights put into the hair, but the amount of blank space left in between, lowlights added in, toners, and shadow roots. Blondes have become a lot more fun for me to do after understanding and using more of these techniques.
Hair Color – Lowlights
Lowlights are typically a color that will be foiled or painted in to add some depth into hair. A color picked for lowlights depends on the overall desired end result. Some people will pick a color that is just slightly darker than the all over color they have going on, some like it drastically darker, or even more fun, we can add in some pops of blue, or green, or whatever fun color a guest may fancy! Strategically placed lowlights can be very soft and subtle, or more dramatic for a noticeable amount of contrast.
Blonde Hair Color & Style – Mallory Cook #mmcstyle 💇
Hair Color – Toners
If you’re someone who gets highlights, or bleaches your hair, you have probably heard your stylist mention they need to tone your hair, sometimes this can be done at the shampoo bowl in damp hair, some stylists will bring you back to their chair and dry you really well with a towel, or even blow dry before applying. Tone refers to the color you want to see in your hair, and how much depth you want that color to have. You may want a “cool” blonde, which refers to something with a violet, blue, or even silvery tone to it, but just a touch of that “tone” so it isn’t visibly blue per say to the eye. So essentially what we’re doing with toners is neutralizing, which would be correcting unwanted tones in the hair color, or using a toner to add a desired certain amount of color to the hair.
Hair Color – Why Toners?
Blonde Hair Toners – Mallory Cook #mmcstyle 💇
When we use lightener on hair it doesn’t lift right to a natural looking, pretty color right away. It leaves the hair with raw tones that look yellowy to orange, and lack shine. Using a color to tone those raw highlights either right after a lightening service, or in between lightening service appointments to correct any off colors caused by hard mineral deposits in our water, or from heat styling too much, gives you a prettier, desired color. It has shine, the proper color, and overall looks so much healthier and dare I say natural looking as well, even those fun rose gold tones, or silvery/violety tones people are wearing a bit bolder lately!
Blonde Hair Toners – Mallory Cook #mmcstyle 💇
A toner will not brighten your hair, so if your hair needs to be lighter your stylist will first have to apply a lightener in some kind of form if your hair is not light enough to pull of the tone you are looking to do. This may have to be done in more than one step, or even appointment if you’re looking for a nice bright, icy platinum blonde end result. If there is too much depth left in the hair you can only tone to that same level of lightness or darker. So you may be OK with being more of a medium blonde, and in that case a toner usually to neutralize some orangey-yellow is necessary.
Hair Color – Shadow Root
Blonde Hair Shadow Roots – Mallory Cook #mmcstyle 💇
A shadow root is another way to add depth to any hair color for many different reasons. I like a very soft shadow root on my blondes to blend the line of highlights at the top, whether they be highlights right up to the scalp, or highlights that my guest likes a bit more “worn in.” So as you can imagine some shadow roots will be very minimal, so these I don’t like to have much darker than my final color. Some shadow roots can be more extended or dramatic, for this I may pick a color that is a couple of shades darker than our end color for a noticeable result.
A lot of pictures of bright blondes that have been circulating Pinterest and Instagram lately believe it or not feature a shadow root. That bit of subtle darkness really helps the platinum blonde pop and look dimensional.
Blonde Hair Shadow Roots – Mallory Cook #mmcstyle 💇
You can schedule a consultation, or chat with your hair stylist before your next highlight or color appointment to see how any of these methods can be used to elevate your overall hair color! Or you can book online right here with Mallory Cook – MMC Sytle.
- Published in Hair Color, Hair Salon, Trending Hair Styles, Women's Haircuts, Women's Hairstyles
Salon’s…let’s try starting with a nice greeting.
What should you expect when walking into a Salon?
In the salon industry, even in small metro areas there is a salon, salon and spa, salon suites, etc on every corner. Because of this, clients have come to expect much more of the “VIP” or “ME DAY” salon experience over just receiving the service alone. From the initial greeting to their close out, there’s many steps we need to cover along the way to make sure our guests want to come back. I believe anyone working in a salon or for themselves in a salon suite should take note. You’re never too cool to greet your clients with an amazing attitude and service.
Start with the right salon greeting.
Starting with a pleasant “hello, welcome, or a GENUINE how are you?” Goes a long ways, and is something that is so surprising people are missing the mark on. Then taking the moment to find out who they are, are they checking in for a service, are they trying to buy product or looking for info. Then still making them feel welcome, giving them a tour, while along the way showing how you can service them in many ways better than the next salon down the street. Offer them a drink, have plenty of options for everyone, even dare I say an adult beverage such as a glass of wine or a beer from a local craft brewery (obviously only offer this to those you know are of age).
In short, make them feel important! Acknowledgement includes: handshakes, hugs, salutes, funny cheek side to side kissy thing…it’s all what makes you and your client comfortable immediately. No matter what they’ve walked in the door for.
Handshakes Are Alive, dead-fish are unfortunately…dead
TRAINING is Necessary!
Whatever your processes you have in order for how your guests are talked to and sold to on the phone, how their handled in person, to the order of things taken care of when you’re checking a client out, EVERYONE needs to be on the same page in your salon. This isn’t taking away their ability to be personable, it’s making sure one guest isn’t getting offered up more of a greeting, making sure you don’t have a staff member just offering every single person discounts in order to be able to sell, etc.
Everyone should have the same knowledge, integrity, and respect for your business and your customers. This makes for an experience that your guests come to expect, and you want to make sure every single visit you and your staff are knocking those expectations out of the park, not just getting lazy because “oh this client has already been here a few times, we can drop the ball.”
To achieve desired “best” results, continual training is needed.
Think about the day your client may be wishing for.
Our clients schedules are packed with responsibilities and activities for others almost every day of the week. Without them scheduling time for themselves they may continuously wait for a time when things are less hectic or when they have achieved all of their goals. But such a time may never come, so help them plan a me-day ahead of time and put it in your schedules together. Make your clients day special, make it an easy decision to schedule their follow up appointment, try a new hair product or even put in a drink suggestion for next time (and write this down in your notes). Simply put, make an effort, this appointment is for them and not for us.
Need a “Me Day?” We can all relate, but we promise to listen vs preaching our need for one 🙂
Keep me on my toes.
Please share with me other experiences you, as either a provider, or a guest in a salon or spa, have either wanted improved, or totally loved. You can share any questions you have about why things have been done a certain way during any part of a service you’ve received in a salon or spa. I’d love to keep posts like this coming, it not only helps me stay on my game, it helps my industry as a whole, hold ourselves to higher standards and be able to prove our worth to our clients.
Balayage, ombré, foilyage, babylights…what’s the diff?
Madison Hair Stylist Mallory Cook Explains Balayage & More
We’ve been seeing a lot of these fancy sounding words used to describe hair color for a while now. If you’ve ever gone to handy dandy Pinterest to try to figure out the difference, you’ve probably seen a lot of the same pictures pop up for balayage, ombré, foilyage, babylights and more than one, if not all of these terms.
The truth is, you don’t go into the salon to “get a balayage” or to just get “babylighted.” These are all terms stylists use for an application method of color or lightener to create a specific look in your hair. More than one technique may be used to create a particular look depending on what is already on your hair, and what you are looking to have as your finished result. So what that means: the technique used in your hair should be decided AFTER looking at pictures and talking about how you would like your hair color to look with your stylist!
What is Balayage?
Balayage in French means, “to sweep.” This term applied to a hair color application technique would be used for someone who is painting color, typically highlights, in a very natural soft way creating a soft effect towards the top, and a heavier, brighter effect at the ends of the hair. Think of your hair, after sitting in the sun, typically the ends of the hair are lighter and brighter from more exposure over time, and closer to the root there is softer brightening effects, usually mostly around your face and right on top. Balayage is a great way to mimic this kind of effect, and you have the power to make it bolder, or more subtle to look like you spent a week at the beach.
What is Balayage? by Mallory Cook – Hair Stylist in Madison, WI
What is Foilyage?
Foilyage is something that fools (foils) a lot of us. I know a lot of stylists will disagree, but this IS a way of applying color to balayage, the difference? Foilage is applied in a foil, rather than free hand painted. Why? Many reasons! You will get a more defined result isolating the hair in a foil if desired, my main reason for going to foilage over balayage is how much more lightness I can achieve having the hair processed inside a foil. We can use a lower developer so we’re not just busting open the cuticle of our guests hair (with open air processing of highlights you usually want a higher developer so it can get the job done before it dries out), and it will lift higher. So if I’m working with a guest who has previously darker colored hair, or just naturally darker hair that doesn’t lift light easily, I will absolutely get the foils out and ready to go to achieve there desired result.
What is Foilyage? by Mallory Cook – Hair Stylist in Madison, WI
What are Teasy Lights?
Teasy lights means we backcomb the section of hair before painting, foiling, whatever application of highlighting we are using. This will create a super diffused line of demarkation, meaning the line where the highlight starts, for the maximum amount of blending in addition to our sweeping/painting method.
What are Teasy Lights? by Mallory Cook – Hair Stylist in Madison, WI
What are Babylights?
Babylights are done in very fine sections of hair, meant to mimic the multi dimensional color of a baby/toddler. These can be done very close together, or further apart depending on how much impact you want for the color. I love using baby lights to blend gray hairs for my clients that aren’t wanting to commit to an all over solid color. I’ll use two different formula, one a shade or two lighter than their natural, one a shade or two darker than their natural. It creates such natural dimension, it covers and blends those gray hairs right in. I’ll use closer sections in areas where there is more gray.
What are Babylights? by Mallory Cook – Hair Stylist in Madison, WI
What is an Ombré?
Ombré is another fancy word, it’s french for shade, or shadow. So creating a shadow, or richer color at the base of the hair, fading out into lighter ends. This technique can, and has been applied in so many fun, creative ways. We see anything from a subtle medium brown into medium honey blonde ends, from extreme nearly black roots into silvery blonde ends, or more fun, fashion color, applications can be done such as dark blue roots into bold yellow ends. Techniques such as babylighting, teasy lights, and balayage can all be used within an ombré to create a nice blended effect.
What is an Ombre? by Mallory Cook – Hair Stylist in Madison, WI
What are the benefits of these techniques?
The beautiful thing about any of these hair color methods is they are super customizable. Bigger sections will create more of a bold impact, especially around the face this can create a very dramatic sunkissed, vibrant look. or fine sections can be taken for the ultimate natural color results.
A few things to remember or notice.
In any highlight or lightened hair as equally import to those bright pieces is our dark hair/negative space in between so those light pieces pop. If you as a client notice your hair getting to all over bright there’s a few techniques that are life savers to help bring contract back into their hair. Ask your stylist how they can add contrast back in. This makes hair look healthier, shinier, and it just pops color more to have dimension vs a solid color of hair.
- Published in Hair Color, Hair Salon, Trending Hair Styles, Women's Haircuts, Women's Hairstyles
Smooth Hair Year Round – Pureology Smooth Perfection
One of my most consistent, favorite go to hair product lines for hair care has been Pureology. I love that the whole Pureology line focuses on colour care and hair protection. Specifically, Pureology Smooth Perfection has been the answer to my client’s and I’s issue with hair fuzziness! Not only does it make styling hair easier, it keeps your hair style intact through humidity, wind, heat, and the dryness of winter in Wisconsin.
Pureology Smooth Perfection Shampoo & Conditioner:
For frizz prone hair, this duo of shampoo and conditioner not only smells great, it also gets a great silky, lather in the shampoo, and the conditioner is nice and thick but easy to spread throughout your ends. They deliver camellia oil and Pureologys exclusive Thermal Antifade Complex®. These ingredients help to make ease of blow dry hair styles, fight frizz, and improve manageability for a perfect blowout.
Leave in Hair Styler Treatments:
- Smooth Perfection Style & Care Infusion: A two formula product, which one looks cool in the bottle, and two really makes you feel like you’re getting your bang for your buck with a two in one product. This features a smoothing styler along with a leave-in-conditioner. It leaves your air smooth while still moving like natural, soft hair. It’s amazing, and great for someone who likes to just do a quick blow dry hair style and be out the door!
- Lightweight Smooth Lotion: This is one of my favs, it has heat protection, is truly lightweight so even my fine haired guests love it, and it has lasting frizz and flyaway control. This lotion has coconut oil as well to help with smoothness in your hairstyle. This one you’ll want to apply to wet hair and blow dry in, as a hot tip you can use a small amount on dry hair to re-smooth any stubborn frizz for the ultimate frizz control.
- Smoothing Serum: I love this for my curly or wavy girls for so many reasons. This serum just like the lotion has heat protection, so it’s got you covered no matter how you want to wear your hair. It works great to apply in and let air dry while keeping the hair looking so controlled, but nice a natural at the same time. Or you can blow dry this in for a nice, sleek blowout that will hold through the weather outside while your hair feels great all at the same time. This one too can be applied to dry hair as well for added sleekness after styling or drying.
The Pureology Smooth Perfection line is really a good one for anybody who struggles with frizzy, flyaway-ish hair! It makes styling so much easier, and with multiple options for leave in products, just about anyone can pick one of these for their desired hair style results.
Here’s a quick video of my hair using Smooth Perfection Lightweight Smoothing Lotion. I applied the lotion to my wet hair before blow drying, blow dried quickly and then flat ironed. After finishing all of that I applied about a pea size of the lotion to my ends and worked up a little bit to the roots. You can see in this video my hair is flexible and smooth, I love the way the Lightweight Smoothing Lotion feels and makes my dry, naturally curly hair look!
Which Smooth Perfection product do you think is right for you? Feel free to leave a comment below or schedule a hair consultation or hair care product consultation here.
Pureology Authorized Retailer
- Published in Hair Products, Hair Salon, Men's Hairstyles, Trending Hair Styles, Women's Hairstyles
Brazilian Blowout: The Original
To my Midwest women and men that love your hair all winter long because the dry air doesn’t trigger your frizz. Then come spring the second a bit of moisture and heat hits the air you don’t even want to style your hair, all you can do is tie it back, cover it with a headband or some kind of scarf. I have a solution to all of your hair frustration prayers! The Brazilian Blowout.
Ready for Frizz Free hair this summer with a Brazilian Blowout?
If you haven’t heard about a Brazilian Blowout at all, or if you have heard it mentioned and thought at first it sounds like something related to a waxing service, you are not alone.
The Original Brazilian Blowout has nothing to do with waxing and is everything an anti-frizz smoothing system for your hair. In fact, it’s the only hair smoothing treatment that is asked for by it’s actual name. It has been the most consistent smoothing system around our industry that I have seen in my over 10 years of doing hair.
What I mean by anti-frizz smoothing system:
It’s not a “straightener” or “relaxer.” It is a customizable treatment, which improves the condition of the hair through technology that creates a protective protein layer around your individual strands of hair. This leaves you with frizz-free, smooth hair that has the most amazing shine you’ve ever had.
Why I choose to offer and always recommend the Brazilian Blowout over any other smoothing system:
My favorite observations with Brazilian Blowouts on my own hair and my guests:
- Hair is so flexible, more so than usual, it doesn’t get stiff like a relaxer or other treatment. I end up walking around at home shaking my head around singing “I whip my hair back-and-forth!”
- When the Brazilian Blowout is done right after a color service, it really helps lock that color in and adds a ton of shine into an already vibrant color. It creates stunning results, and really elevates how the color and hairstyle looks.
- Hair dries so quickly and styles easily with a Brazilian Blowout. The Brazilian Blowout smooths down the cuticle (outside layer) of your hair strands, so you can blast the water out of your hair very quickly, and a quick blow dry hairstyle is made totally possible!
The more technical perks to the Brazilian Blowout that make it superior to other similar treatments:
- It is customizable, which really makes it unique to your desired results, hair type, and what you like to wear for an everyday hairstyle. If you like to wear your hair curly, you can diminish your frizz; therefore, defining your curls and having worry free styling. You can have some volume left around the top, or choose to go really nice and sleek (and everything in between).
- It works for all hair types, making anyone with frizzy hair a great candidate. Regardless of if you have curly, kinky, straight, or a nice beach wave to your hair, the Brazilian Blowout will wipe out your frizz and keep it smooth even on the most humid days!
- If you’ve ever had a Keratin, another type of smoothing system, or thought about one, you’ve heard the 72 hour rule. Meaning there is NO washing, NO tucking, NO bobby pins, NO putting your hair up, pretty much NO living your life when it comes to your hair for 72 HOURS! With Brazilian Blowout there is none of that, you could go workout with your hair in a ponytail right after receiving a treatment, then go shower and wash your hair off immediately after, amazing!
- All it takes is about an hour and a half of your life for super simplified styling and frizz free hair for up to 12 weeks!
- Unlike relaxers, straighteners, and keratin treatments (which are another smoothing treatment), Brazilian Blowout does not leave a line of outgrowth as your hair grows in. It gently fades off the hair, and even what’s left on because it’s such a natural looking treatment, someone looking at you cannot see a line of where it starts or stops.
You can set up an appointment with me today to either have a consultation to ask any other questions you may have, or to make sure the Brazilian Blowout is right for you (I can almost 100% guarantee it is right for anyone looking to eliminate frizz), or go ahead and book your Brazilian Blowout right here:
Book Online
Does Your Salon Offer a Loyalty Program?
Salon loyalty programs are great for your clients
Getting awards for dollars spent is a way to thank your clients for their continual business known as a loyalty program. You can pay those rewards back to them in creative ways. Offering a free add on service, such as an eyebrow wax or hair conditioning treatment, after so much money spent, a free product, or offer a free whole service. If it’s a great client who is coming back regularly, buying product, reviewing you online, and referring you business, it’s really not costing you anything to be offering these things.
The reason I like to offer up something free more often than discount is because too many people offer discounts, you have to get competitive with how much you discount, customers get addicted to discounts. Because EVERYONE is offering them, they expect to never have to pay full price, even worse, they assume the services provided are not worth the full price.
Try out offering the best hair styling products in your salon
What better way to show your appreciation to clients then showing loyalty to your hair care and hair styling brands you carry. Show which products work best for their hairstyle but focus your programs individually to suit what also fits their lifestyle. This subtle action shows your clients you not only pay attention to the frequency and loyalty they show, but it lets them see first hand how you tailor your choices for them. I think that’s the true definition of VIP Service that every client deserves to get from their hair salon, which promotes loyalty!
What else would you like to see your hair salon do?
Please share with me other experiences you as either a provider, or a guest in a salon or spa, have either wanted improved, or totally loved. Or share any questions you have about why things have been done a certain way during any part of a service you’ve received in a salon or spa. I’d love to keep posts like this coming, it not only helps me stay on my game, it helps my industry as a whole hold ourselves to higher standards, and be able to prove our worth to our clients.
Hair Stylist Mallory Cook at MMC Style Hair Salon in Madison, WI.
Schedule a haircut, color, product or bridal consultation with me today by contacting me by any of the methods below. I look forward to helping you find “The Right Style For Your Lifestyle!”
Mallory Cook | Hair Stylist | Pulp Riot & Redken Color Specialist | Madison, WI #mmcstyle | Online Booking
- Published in Hair Salon, Trending Hair Styles
