♔The Tonsorialist♔ (Modern Barber): Up Close: Straight Razor Hot Towel Shave Buster A....

♔The Tonsorialist♔ (Modern Barber): Up Close: Straight Razor Hot Towel Shave Buster A....: Buster A. Boyd ***click "Show More" to see vid info*** Owner/Hairdresser/Barber Absinthe Hair & Grooming Parlour 1549 S. 1100 E. Salt L...

4 Tips for longer Hair! How to grow your Hair Longer

Click the Following link to an article on our Salon's blog about growing Long, Healthy Hair!  


http://absintheparlour.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-wont-my-hair-grow-any-longer-how-to.html

Bespoke Men's Barbering in Salt Lake City, Utah. Barbershop

Music: Danse Macabre, Op. 40

Absinthe Hair and Grooming Parlour is a full-service salon and barbershop committed to providing an unforgettable experience, with a dose of old world flair. Personalized attention and skilled artists create the alchemy of contemporary hair design that we provide.

Absinthe Hair and Grooming Parlour is also Salt Lake City's Original source for unique absinthe accessories such as: Spoons, Glasses, Fountains, Artwork and MORE. Our collection is ever-growing so check-in often.

www.AbsintheHairParlour.com

Absinthe Hair & Grooming Parlour Salt Lake City, Utah.
David A. Boyd

The pH scale is Logarithmic: What this means for Hair Brains

One more interesting tidbit on the pH scale that really changed the way I look at pH and how acidic or basic a shampoo, conditioner or hair color may be: The pH Scale is Logarithmic!

What does this mean? Who cares? Haha. Well, it means that each value on the scale is 10x more acidic or basic than the previous. For example: A conditioner that is a pH 4 is 10 TIMES more acidic than a shampoo that is pH 5. That's a big deal! That means that a hair color that is a pH 8 is 100 TIMES more basic than a color that is pH 6! See what I mean? I used to think that there was little difference between a solution that is pH 7 and a pH 8. BUT, they are 10x different! To take it even further: a pH balanced shampoo at pH 4 is 1000x more acidic than pure water which is pH 7 or neutral. On the flip side, pure water is 1000x less acidic than the acid mantel of the hair.

I hope this can influence the way we choose and use our various hair products, back bar, hair colors and lighteners. You could be wasting your time and money if you apply an excellent detangler or conditioner and rinse it for 5 minutes in water. This type of knowledge can lead to much less aggressive color and lightening services and much healthier hair for your guests long term!

Trust me, if you slowly but surely over-process people's hair over a year or so, they will notice that you have been making their hair worse and less manageable. PLUS, doing what you can to preserve and maintain people's hair is what will keep them around for YEARS instead of MONTHS. PLUS, if you can really take a professional approach to treating hair the right way, you will be 1 in a Million that takes your job so seriously and your guests might never know why you are the ONLY one in the area that can do as much with their hair for as long as you have. Brighter, more vibrant colors. More Durable colors and healthier, stronger, smoother and LONGER hair!!! This makes you $$$! pH influences everything that hairdressers do and it's worth it to go out of our way to understand a little bit more about it. That makes us unique, informed and professional. It will set us apart from the ocean of stylists that want your clients!

What is pH and what does it do to your hair? The effect of pH on Hair

Myth vs. Fact:

I LOVE HAIR. For real. Call it a passion. I love my job and I take it seriously. We are 'splitting-hairs' with this stuff. Maybe we are getting TOO deep here.

This article is not for everyone, let's just be honest. There is only a certain type of person that will find this type of stuff interesting so feel free to skip this post if you are not the kind of person that wants to know the HOWs, WHATs, and WHYs about HAIR.

The kind of person that will appreciate this info is the kind of person that pays attention to detail and wants to feel like they are really great at what they do. OR, this article is for the kind of person who really cares about what happens to their hair. My friend Dave Holland says that if you want to make as much money as a doctor, you need to work as hard and study as hard as a doctor. To the stylist that wants to be the best or the consumer who wants to make informed decisions about their hair care... read on.
What is pH? It stands for Potential Hydrogen. It measures to what extent a solution is an ACID or a BASE. The pH scale goes from 0-14. On the scale, 7 is neutral. Anything less than 7 is ACIDIC and anything over 7 is a BASE. In terms of hair and beauty, we talk about ALKALINITY instead of bases. ALKALINITY and BASES are definitely related but they are NOT the same thing. While the pH of a solution may be lowered (basicity) it's alkalinity can in fact remain the same. ALKALINITY is the ability to neutralize acids. Bases are the chemical opposite of acids.

From what I understand: Substances that can neutralize acids are bases. A base that will dissolve in water is an alkali. So, while all alkaline solutions are basic, not all bases are alkaline. Haha! Whatever.

FUN FACT: Hair does not have a pH. For a while now, I have had several talks about the pH of hair and such. But hair in fact does not have a pH. To have a pH, something must be water-soluble or dissolved in water. What does have pH is the ACID MANTLE that is on your hair and skin. The acid mantle is an acid film that is found on hair and skin. It serves as a barrier to bacteria, viruses and other contaminants. We often say that hair has a pH of 4.5-5.5 but really that is the pH of the ACID MANTLE found ON the hair. Doing what we can to maintain or restore the natural pH of the acid mantle on the hair is what helps keep hair healthy and youthful.

The Effect of pH on Hair: Basically, acids help to close-down the hair or seal it shut. This adds natural shine, increases elasticity, detangles hair and locks in moisture and strength. Keep in mind though, that it's not just because it's an acid, but because the solution has pH equal to, or lower than 4.5-5.5 that creates this effect. To be even more specific, solutions with pH LOWER than 4.5-5.5 have the previously mentioned effects. Yet, even pure water (pH of 7 or Neutral) has the ability to swell the hair as a base or alkali would, simply because it is 'less acidic' than the hair.

Bases, or Alkaline solutions have basically the opposite effect on hair. Keep in mind, that even some acids that have a higher pH (over 5.5 but lower than 7) can also have similar effects. These solutions serve to swell the hair cuticle or hair shaft. This is important when you are trying to permanently color or lighten the hair, clarify or deep clean the hair, or even to add texture/volume/body to the hair.

This type of stuff is more common than you think. pH-balanced shampoo is a shampoo that has a pH close to that of the hair. Conditioners and detanglers are most likely acidic. Hair Color and lighteners are alkaline in order to actually penetrate the hair. Clarifying shampoo or volumizing products products may not be basic, but simply less acidic or more alkaline than the hair's natural acid mantle. Wet hair is much easier to cut and can be set in rollers to make curl because water is less acidic than hair and actually has the ability to soften and swell the hair.

It's late... That's enough for now.

What is a Surfactant?

(Pictured above: Buckcherry. Why? I didn't have a pic of Surfactants)

For whatever reason, I was under the impression that a Surfactant was a harsh detergent or cleansing agent. Well, more technically, a Surfactant is a substance that is supposed to help certain ingredients in products either repel or attract water. what is that supposed to do? Well, if you were a company trying to make a shampoo, a surfactant would help the ingredients that don't usually mix (like oil and water) to mix together and not separate. You can imagine how gross it would be if your shampoo had a layer of oil on top. That's the basic explanation.

Actually, there are many types of surfactants. But, as far a hair goes, that is mostly what they are used for. In addition, surfactants are used to help more solid ingredients in product to stay mixed in liquid and not settle to the bottom. They are also used to help a product foam up and stay foamy. As far as cleansing, the type of surfactant that is used to clean hair and skin operates by helping the water in the shampoo to mix in with the oil and dirt on the scalp and hair to then be rinsed away.

You can imagine that you'd want to be careful with surfactants since they could potentially strip off the natural and essential oils that are in your hair and skin. But, for the most part, surfactants in common hair products are mellow and pretty important. In order for your hair to grow freely and robustly, it is important to get a good deep cleanse from time to time. It's important to keep your pores and follicles clean and free of obstruction to ensure full and thick hair growth. Also, with all the hair product, sun, wind, pollution and chemical damage on modern hair, it's essential to clarify or detox the hair once in a while. This will help keep your hair from getting too dull, drab or damaged.

How can you tell which products contain an appropriate amount and type of surfactant? How can you determine which are harsh and which are safe for regular use? EASY!!! As a professional Hairstylist!!!! It's our job!

Poetry for the Poisoned. Silent Killers?

Fact or Fiction?

Everybody loves and urban legend. It's always interesting how quickly and easily they spread! There is something about 'em that makes them appealing and makes us want to believe. Today, we will discuss 2 very common and current topics: Parabens and Sulfate

Dun Dun Dun!!!! Scary sounding aren't they? Good or Bad, it's important to know what the concerns are and to develop your own opinion. Staying current will help you provide for and protect yourself, your business and your clients.

Before we go any further, you may have no interest in this discussion. That's fine. But if you have wondered about the safety of these two extremely common ingredients in everyday hair products for yourself or your clients.... read on. Note: the following is my OPINION.

Parabens: There are six types: methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben. Parabens are Preservatives that are used in food, drug, cosmetic and hair products. Their function is to increase the shelf-life of products. They are highly effective in preventing the growth of fungi or bacteria within the products. Thus, they are pretty important to the quality and safety of the products that you and I eat and use daily.

The claim, or concern, is that parabens act like estrogen in the body and may be a factor in the development of Breast Cancer through a process known as "endocrine disruption." For this reason, many products boast 'Paraben Free' formulas.

From what I have read and researched, these claims are interesting but have not been proven as fact. Parabens are still considered safe by the U.S. FDA and European Cosmetics Regulations.

Some studies have brought this issue to the attention of the public and raised concern. While I have seen a response to these concerns on the part of product brands and stylists alike, an article on the website www.CosmeticsInfo.org states, "these studies, which have been conducted in animals, are observed only when they are dosed with extremely high amounts of Parabens – far greater than anyone would be exposed to under actual conditions of use or with repeated use. The simple fact is that the Parabens are 100,000 times weaker than natural estrogen in the body - far too weak to have any effect in humans."

Conclusion: Hype. I don't buy into this concern YET. I am always concerned with the safety of my clients. This includes not freaking out and overreacting to every whim or fad of the industry. I would prefer to avoid creating fear and confusion with my guests and taking them on a roller-coaster ride. A consistent, reliable, stable and knowledgeable experience is my priority. BUT, if further and more compelling evidence emerges, I'd be happy to join in the war cry against Parabens.

SULFATE: The word is serious and scary enough that it would almost make a great name for a Heavy Metal band. At this point, it's not too difficult to find a wide array of shampoos boasting 'Sulfate Free' formulas. Sounds great, and it probably is great. But, is it necessary? Sulfate is classified as a Surfactant.

There are many types of surfactants and they do various things. In this case, and article on the site www.CosmeticsInfo.org states, "surfactants wet body surfaces, emulsify or solubilize oils, and suspend soil. These ingredients contribute foaming and lathering properties to cleansing products and bubble baths." Basically, they are important to getting you clean. They help to break down oils and soil to then be cleansed and rinsed away.

The Claim is that sulfate is overly Harsh, Corrosive, Irritating, Drying and may even lead to Hair-Loss or Cancer!!!! WAIT. It's important to know that we are talking specifically about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate. HERE is an article on the website www.Healthy-Communications.com about the 'dangers' of sulfate for humans.

Honestly, on this issue, I wouldn't claim to know any better as to the safety of sulfate in hair products. But, something in my gut says Hype on this too. Again, on the website www.CosmeticsInfo.org, they claim that sulfate is fine and that concerns cited stem from a HOAX. You can read the article HERE. They state, "There is an e-mail that has been circulating on the Internet for several years which falsely states that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), ingredients used primarily in some cosmetic “rinse off” products, can cause cancer. This allegation is unsubstantiated and false, and typical for Internet rumors notorious for publishing inaccurate and untrue information."

Conclusion: Purely my Opinion... Hype. I'm open and willing to be wrong on this, but I know that fear is a great way to sell new and improved product. If there is a scare, there will be an opportunity to respond with product to sell. The choice is obviously yours. Again, I'd like to consider myself knowledgeable and informed on the issue for the benefit of my clients.

END OF STORY: If products formulated without Parabens and Sulfate are in fact safer, more effective and superior to products that contain them.... then GREAT! I'll use and sell them ALL day long. But so far, I'm not too worried about 'em. Keep in mind, hair product companies don't always make all their money selling you what they think you need... they make millions selling you what you want and ask for (most often is a mix of both). If we are nervous and willing to pay for sulfate-free... you better believe they'll give it to us.

Do homework and decide for yourself!! Feel free to comment! I'd love to hear what you all think!

**Attention Stylists*** Hot Tip on Lighteners!

The Devil you know... Lighteners are $$ for stylists and maintaining a beautiful blond is our bread and butter. They can be tricky and they are not afraid to burn you... or your guest. Used correctly, they can yield fantastic results and new technology is making them less and less harsh while increasing their effectiveness.

Just a thought today: Peroxide has a pH close to 7. Most developers that we mix with lighteners also have a pH close to neutral. To penetrate and lighten hair in the cortex, obviously we work on the alkaline side of the scale (from around 8-9.0). This highlights the importance of following manufacturer's mixing ratios closely to get healthy and predictable results.

Just keep in mind then that the alkalinity needed for lightening hair is coming from the lightener, whether powder or cream. I know that some stylists are temped to mix in more developer thinking that this will increase the strength. It doesn't. It will actually water down the mix and make it weaker. On the other side of the picture, some stylists like to mix lighteners to consistency. Perhaps a thicker mix makes for easier foiling or better balayage results when freehanding? Just be cautious.

Consider that more lightener (most especially clumps that have not been properly mixed) have more concentrated alkalinity and can often create weak and over-processed spots and breakage. Why damage hair more than you need to or should? Especially because your guest wouldn't be too happy if they thought you were being reckless with the health and integrity of THEIR hair. For women who have or want glamorous long hair past the shoulders, bleach jobs like that will haunt them for years.

You know what I'm talking about. Those strands and split ends that you cut, but 1 week later (or less) the split end is back again and those pieces just keep getting shorter and shorter rather than longer and longer.

Avoid overlapping fresh lightener on already lightened hair. It's important to you and it's definitely important to your guest. Formulate and apply lighteners thoughtfully and skillfully. Think of your services as roads to a distant destination. Don't turn down roads that will take you and your guest farther from your goals and don't make your job harder for yourself now or in the future. Damaging or over-processing hair now will severely limit what you can do with that same strand of hair in the future. ex. breakage, poor texture, dull color, lifeless hair. It's hard to make $$ on a canvas like that.

Keeping clients means protecting, respecting and cultivating your canvas (their hair) and keeping future color and style options wide open. Take it easy with developers. Don't rush it and damage hair unnecessarily. Be ultra cautious using heat with lighteners. Think about investing in more premium lighteners that may inflict less damage and yield great results. Good decisions now mean great hair later and limitless opportunities for artistic expression and $$$ later for you as you guide your guest and their hair safely through the process!

Comments Welcome!

Lost in Translation: How to speak Hair

This is good stuff for guys and girls.

I'm a dude and I live with 5 other dudes not too unlike myself. You can imagine what our bathrooms look like. Without going into too much detail and to avoid some scary visuals, suffice it to say, you would find 6 or more different types of shampoos and conditioners. That's fine and dandy, but honestly most of the products chosen by my peers didn't really seem appropriate based on their hair types and the effect created by the chosen product.

Not like it's really a big deal, but I think a lot of people are spending money on products that aren't doing much to contribute to their style or might actually be working against them. While I don't doubt there are plenty of guys that know their hair product and even more women who do, it has become apparent to me that a basic break-down of product terminology may be useful in choosing the right type of product for yourself and perhaps saving you some money!

Anti-Dandruff: Dandruff can be an irritating and frustrating condition. It can cause discomfort as well as embarrassment in severe cases. Fortunately, there are many affordable options for treatment. MORE fortunately, these treatments are NOT necessary MOST of the time. I have found that in the vast majority of cases, people that may think they have dandruff are actually experiencing itching and flaking of the scalp because of simple lack of moisture.

If dryness is the culprit and NOT dandruff, you are probably making your itch and flaking worse by using some of the intense and medicated treatments available over the counter. As things get worse you may be opting for more and more aggressive treatments with leave your hair and scalp more and more dry and sensitized. You may be pleasantly surprised by how easily you can remedy your discomfort with a simple moisturizing/hydrating shampoo and conditioner. It is also possible that you may be shampooing a bit too aggressively or too frequently. Consider shampooing 2-3 times per week but conditioning each time you shower.

Dandruff happens and can be treated fairly easily. BUT, it should be diagnosed by a professional.

Strengthening: Any normal person that gives a hoot about their hair is going to walk down the drugstore aisle and see a strengthening or protein shampoo and think: 'I'd like stronger and healthier hair.' Anyone would. BUT, not everybody needs protein. If you have long, weak, dull, color-treated, bleached or regular hair, you probably have an interest improving the condition of your hair. Who wouldn't want stronger and smoother hair with shine and softness? Trust me, Protein is NOT always the answer.

Believe it or not, it's not difficult to give your hair too much protein. If you do, you will find that your hair becomes pretty dry and brittle. Unless you have very processed hair or have been directed by your personal hairdresser, you probably just lack moisture and have environmentally damaged hair. If you have coarse and unruly hair, protein will not help you to gain control.

Shine, softness, smoothness and control will come from hair that is appropriately hydrated, nourished and protected. For medium to coarse unruly hair, you might really enjoy using an oil treatment of some type. If you have fine to medium blond or light brown hair, you would probably like very light, cream-based conditioning products.

Even if you DO need protein and have been directed by your stylist to use a protein product, you should only use it as often as you have been told. Usually strengthening treatments only need to be used once a week or even less. If all else fails, READ THE LABEL.

Clarifying: Honestly, I'm not sure why there are so many 'daily clarifying' shampoos in drugstores. Clarifying is important to maintaining manageable, dense and healthy hair. It's useful to remove product and environmental build-up from the hair from time to time. In order to maintain your density of hair, it's important to properly cleanse the scalp and follicles where the hair grows. BUT, clarifying is not something that most people should ever do 'daily.'

Clarifying shampoos often use harsh detergents and sulfates to provide a deep-clean. This is fine, and hairdressers often need to use such products before color services and other hair treatments to obtain a consistent and predictable result. If used too frequently, clarifying products will leave the hair and scalp without the natural oils and moisture that give hair and scalp their strength and protection.

Of course, clarifiers are NOT recommended for Color-treated hair. Clarifying shampoos are often very Alkaline and will swell/open the hair cuticle in order to cleanse. This can dull shine and color if used too much. If you have oily hair and scalp, you may increase oil production by stripping the scalp of it's natural balance. It may be useful to have a clarifier around, but you'd probably only need it now and then.

Volumizing: Apparently volumizing is not a word recognized by my word processor, but it means adding body, size and fullness to hair and hair styles. 80% of my female clients would love to turn up the volume to 11. In many ways, 'volume' is one of a few Holy Grails of hair that make a stylist good money and happy clients. If you have medium to coarse hair or very curly hair, you may like some volume to you style, but you probably don't need to get too crazy with volume products in general.

In order to create thickness and fullness to otherwise limp and lifeless hair, volumizing products rely on alkaline chemistry to swell and plump each individual hair strand. Acidic products on the other hand, tend to slim and detangle hair. So, as you can imagine, volume products are best suited to fine-medium hair that is flat and limp. Keep in mind that since volume products swell the cuticle, practice caution when using on color treated hair. You may also want to add some type of shine product to smooth and condition the swollen strands.

Smoothing or Slimming: For the most part, smoothing or slimming products are a bit heavier, creamier and/or rich than other products. They can often be a bit too much for fine and/or blond hair if used too generously. You will find that most smoothing products use lipids and silicone-based ingredients to provide weight, shine, condition and smoothness to coarse, dense and unruly hair. An added plus to many slimming products, is that because of their oily nature or silicone ingredients, they may decrease dry-time by up to 30% making hair easier to maintain. One thing to look out for: some of these rich products may lead to skin break-outs around the hair-line and on the forehead.

In general, these products are great for darker hair that is wavy-extra curly and needs some control and softness.

Conclusion: Like anything else, it will be a lot easier and more convenient for you to consult a professional Hairdresser to help you understand what kind of product will help you the most and how you can best spend your money on stuff that suits your individual needs. That is what good hairdressers are for. Excellent Hairdressers can be consulted as your personal hair and style physicians and will have the knowledge and experience to get you set up with the right product the first time. In the long-run, this will save you a lot of time and money. Develop a relationship with a stylist you trust they'll be happy to keep you and your hair healthy and happy.

Of course, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have and would love to have you in to the salon! Gimme a ring!

www.AbsintheHairParlour.com

So I was looking for a Job when....

I opened my own Salon! Haha! And it's been amazing so far! It is called Absinthe Hair and Grooming Parlour. Parlour=a social space. It's cozy, elegant, rock 'n roll and a little bit creepy. Just how I love it! It is located in Sugar House at 1549 S. 11th E. We open officially in January 2011. I have 7 other talented Stylists that will be working with me and it's going to be Epic!

Come in and see us!

Click HERE for the Absinthe Official Website

Ha! Favorite new Commercial!

Before and After

One of my best childhood friends JB, gave a call the other day and said he needed to get cleaned up for some head shots. JB has always been a gifted actor and screenwriter. I was excited when I heard that he had his targets set on a local film that was going to get underway in the next months. As part of the audition, he would need to get some head shots together. I figured I could at least get a few Before and After pics for my own good. We got him all cleaned up and got some pics.

Before:

After:

Men's Hair Cuts

Recently, my many room mates decided that they were cool enough to let me cut all their hair, style it, and take pictures in the corner of our living room. Armed with my Sony Cybershot, we went to work. This is the result:

Time Warp Fashion Show

Way back this spring, we had a fashion show at the school. Turned out, it was also a competition and the winners would be sent to a Paul Mitchell Advanced Academy training at the PM east bay school. Cutting is cool and color is awesome... but, styling and fashion shows are kinda terrifying... to me at least. I figured that I was more bugged by being scared than I was by the chance of looking like an idiot so I signed up.

The theme of the fashion show was "Time Warp," and they asked me to design the poster. Each contestant would then be able to choose a time period that they would try to represent with hair, make-up and wardrobe. I chose to go with the Ice Age. My friend Courtney was courageous enough to volunteer which worked out great because together we won! She pulled it off flawlessly and the huge braids and ice cold outfit made a real impact. One thing that I really like about the Paul Mitchell School in Salt Lake, is how many opportunities we get to do more than simply prepare for our state boards.

Cut and Color

On a trip to the Paul Mitchell School in the East Bay area of california, I learned a new hair cut from Dave Holland and a new color placement from Taryn Aiken, both members of the PM Advanced Academy! Got her home and styled her a sec. This is what turned out!

Razor Cut

One thing about myself that I find a bit frustrating is my inability to keep long hair on my mannequin heads. I had decided to keep this on long so I could practice long hair styling and blow drying. Unfortunately for her, I had a little too much time on my hands and gave her this razor cut.

Calendar Shoot

So one day at school, I was told that I would need to style a model for a calendar shoot in about 17 minutes. I would have about 1 hour to get it all done. Needless to say, I was pretty nervous! I did my model and it turned out pretty well. Then, after I was done, another model Cali, needed to have her hair completely re-done. We banged out some curls and such and our last-minute result was this picture.

Make-Up Class

So, we had a make-up class today. They basically told us to do whatever we want. So I did. The hard part was finding someone that would let me do it TO them! ha. Lucky for me, my friend Carly is a champ and she was going to get a facial that day any way. So, she let me do this to her face!!

Mice!!!!!

For about 2 weeks our house had way too many mice running around. One evening, I was watching Harry Potter and I saw in the course of about 5 minutes, a mouse run right into my room, sit in the middle of the floor and then run under my desk. About one minute later, I saw another come running up our stair and hangout on the landing for a second before running into my room mate's room. Our Solution: Romulus!!!

I picked her up from the Humane Society here in SLC. She was a little sick for a while when she first got home, but she promptly made herself right at home. The mice were gone after a few days and we found out that Romulus loves water! Anytime anyone ran into the bathroom, she'd run in after them to play in the sink, toilet or shower.

She was a lot of fun to have around, but she wanted to be outside so much. We live right on the corner of a very busy street so she's been transplanted up to my parents house in Farmington, Utah. Up there, she can spend all day outside and it's much safer. I've heard that her new hobby is to eat her food as well as the other cat's food, then run around the house and throw up somewhere. ha

Just a few of the pictures from Caper

Here are just a couple more pics from our Vegas trip to Caper 2010.

An updo/styling class on day 3.
The view of the Bellagio fountains from our suite in the Caesar's Palace.
A snap shot of the hair show.

Paul Mitchell Caper 2010 in Las Vegas!

I'm home sick today from school so I'm getting caught up a bit on my posts and the highlights of my education at Paul Mitchell the School Salt Lake City.

One of the best parts of my time with Paul Mitchell was our annual Caper event. Caper is a huge hair show along with two full days of cut, color and styling classes. It is available to any student who would like to go... all you have to do is sell a certain amount of Take Home products and your trip is completely paid for!!!

This year it was held in the Caesar's Palace Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip! As part of our preparation for the trip, our school had a T-Shirt design contest for the shirts that we would take with us to the event to represent our school. I was fortunate enough to win the contest by the skin of my teeth with the above T-Shirt design at the top of this post. It was definitely a bit more fun to be cruising the strip and seeing my design walking around!

If I had one piece of advice for anyone considering attending a Paul Mitchell School, it would be to take advantage of any and all opportunities that they offer you. At our school in particular, we are given numerous chances to win trips to Paul Mitchell Advanced Academy trainings in California as well as trips to Caper and Paul Mitchell's Signature Gathering. It's absolutely terrifying to end some of the fashion shows or styling competitions, but so far it has been more than worth it. Seriously, you might as well.

Every time I decided to enter a competition, I would be pretty optimistic. Then, as the competition draws closer, I get really nervous and decide that I absolutely don't care if I win or not, but I'll do it any way just for the experience. Somehow, I've been lucky enough to win a fashion show and and a styling competition allowing me to visit the East Bay PM School twice! Honestly the secret to winning has been just to show up and have fun. For real, I've found that other people are just as scared and usually end up dropping out any way.

In the News

I'm glad that we just had a still camera for when I met Robert Cromeans because I would have looked like an idiot on film. I had been wandering around at Paul Mitchell's Caper event 2010 when my friend Tehani grabbed me by the arm and dragged me behind the curtain to where Robert and all the other Paul Mitchell All-Stars where doing their magic before the big show. Any way, the result was this picture of Robert holding the holster that I had made for him with turquoise and sterling silver accents! What a Rush!
A picture of my friend and mentor Jason Reyes from Florida and his scissor holster on stage.
Personal friend and mentor Taryn Aiken with her holster right along side PM color genius Linda Yodice! This was one of many amazing segments of the Caper 2010 event in Las Vegas!

Been A Long Time!!!!

So, School has been great! The time has flown by and I haven't been very diligent in my posts on here. One of the things that has been the most fun has been making custom leather Scissor holsters for friends and mentors. Each one is handmade and features exotic accents. The holster pictured above has a Python skin accent with silver cross.

Plenty of pictures of all the various types and styles of holsters can be found on my Website here: www.DavidTheBoyd.com

More than anything, it's a great distraction or way to unwind at the end of the day. I've always had fun working with leather since I was in grade school. Turns out, the holsters have been an excellent networking tool. I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of people that I would never have otherwise met and It's been cool to see them in action on the stage!

Just in Case!!!! Shawn and Angie!

My relationship with Paul Mitchell The School and Lunatic Fringe Salons is an interesting one. Several years ago, something in my brain clicked. It's as if my body started to produce a hormone that made me care about things like pants that fit. I also started to enjoy paying a bit more money for high-end hair services. For whatever reason, I ended up at a salon called Lunatic Fringe just across the street from Trolley Square. The atmosphere was awesome and a stylist named Brooklyn introduced me into the seductive and sexy world of Hair!

Years later, I began working at Contender Bicycles just down the road on 9th and 9th. At which point I was briefly introduced to Shawn and Angie Trujillo, owners of Lunatic Fringe and PM The School. By this time, I had attended a couple of LF's fundraising fashion shows (which blew my mind) and started to frequent the Sugarhouse location of Lunatic Fringe. Now, I am a full-time student at PMTS SLC.

About a month ago, a special class was held for those who had maintained perfect attendance for the month of september. This class was taught by Shawn and his wife Angie. They told us all about how the built their businesses from the ground up and gave us a ton of advice about our futures. It was awesome. They are pretty outstanding folks and it was very inspiring.

Apparently, someone high up in the PM Empire found my blog here and emailed the faculty at PMTS and told them to check it out! Ha! Luckily there is no compromising material on here but Angie asked me when I was going to put her on here! Well, I thought I had a couple times, but just in case...

Makeup Class

Just in time for Halloween, we had a theatrical makeup class focusing on creating wounds and the like. My classmate Kiesha (sp) being the theatrical makeup guru that she is, created this disturbing work on my friend's forearm. SICK! Ha, I had to get a pick of it cause it made me dry heave a couple times!