Consultation Process

 

CONSULTATION

The consultation process is an important step to successful, beautiful results. 

 During the consultation we are:

•  Building a positive and welcoming relationship and rapport

• Determining whether this service is ideal for your needs and hair style goals

• Obtaining accurate chemical history of your hair for optimal results 

• Preserving a safe and respectful environment for you, myself, and all salon clients. 

CHEMICAL HISTORY

Cooperation & Honesty are necessary to book an appointment.  I need accurate chemical history.  I cannot deliver great results without clear chemical history.  

Once I apply the solution, the hair will light up like a NEON sign,  revealing  hidden highlights, overlapping & over-processed color, or other chemical services.  At that point it is too late to avoid damage and an emergency rinse is often necessary to prevent further damage to the hair.  I will charge you for the full service in the event of such an occasion, even though it is likely that I cannot finish the service.

There are often solutions in approach, technique, timing, product strengths, etcetera for hair with multi-canvass chemical history.  I can only apply appropriate techniques if I have a clear chemical history of your hair.  Please be honest and forthcoming with prior chemical history.

ETIQUETTE

Occasionally, a client asks me what types or brands of product I use.  This is not a good practice to share this information and I don't.  There are too many factors to consider in this determination of which the client is unaware of.  If I were to teach every client that asks, I would be giving away years of accumulated information and experience.  I DO share immense amounts of information and educate my clients while they are in my chair because I want them to know what approach I am taking for their hair.

If you prefer a particular brand, please let me know.  Yuko, for example, is not only the premium brand available and the most gentle, it will not straighten all hair types.  I will try to accommodate your preference if possible.

I use several different brand names.  I may use a combination of some as needed for different hair canvasses which may require different strengths and timing.  I may dilute a formula or apply heat as needed.  My products and techniques are intellectual property which I never share with my clients.  

It is important for my clients to understand that I am responsible for the results and I would never allow my client to make a decision on any of these factors as it would be irresponsible, unprofessional, and reckless.  I am not allowed to sell any of these products, by law, to clients unless they are licensed professionals.

A potential client who is disrespectful of my time, specialty, or experience will not get booked with me.   Less than courteous language or exchange during the consultation process will not receive an appointment with me.

I may refer you to another stylist if I feel we may not have a productive and courteous working relationship.   

MY PRICES ARE FIRM

I am wary of clients that bargain hunt or have a tendency towards cheap services or products, as it raises the likelihood of compromised integrity of the hair.   Such hair will have less than favorable results.  I do respect a client's budget, though.  I discuss that further below.

Oiling the hair or applying product to minimize the appearance of volume, hiding hair, or sending a child's photo for your estimate will become obvious when you sit in my chair and I will not be able to provide the service for the estimate I provided under misleading information.

I charge at a rate of $60 per ounce of product necessary to straighten your hair.  Upon texting me a photo of your hair, I will estimate how much product I will need to determine the price before we book your appointment.

Starting price is $300 with $600 being average.  $1,000 is not uncommon for extra long, thick hair.

Do you have a budget and interested in options to trim the price? 

There are choices available:

a.  I can offer a referral to another stylist.

b.  I can cut off length of hair to minimize price.

c.  I can apply the solution further away from the scalp which trims time, work, and product.  This option may not be ideal for clients with thick or tightly curled hair.

Please ask if you are interested in alternative options to fit the service into your budget.  

If you wish to proceed with a consultation, please contact me at 972.388.6279 or text a photo of your hair from the back so that I can see how much hair you have for pricing and further questions.

Meet Taylor.  She was the first person I straightened their hair with the Japanese method.  She was 12 when I first straightened her hair.  She later became my model.  

She was 14 in the photo below.

My Website 

Natural (Air) Neutralizing Vs Chemical

 

ReBonding   Hair   Naturally   after   Rearranging Disulfide Bonds into a Straight Pattern

Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening

Oven Cleaner In Your Shampoo? Yes, Really.

Is Sodium Hydroxide Lurking in Your Shampoo & Body Wash?

Sodium Hydroxide | NaOH - PubChem (nih.gov)

Sodium Hydroxide is a highly alkaline substance with a pH level of 14, but what does that mean to you?

Without getting too deep into the pH scale, let me give you some other numbers as a frame of reference.  Tap water has a pH of 7 which is neutral.  Battery Acid has a pH level of 0.  Your body's chemistry is about 7.34.  Hair is healthiest between 4.5 to 5.5.  The higher the pH on your hair actually opens the cuticle, leaving it vulnerable to damage.  Shampoo and conditioners are balanced in this range.  Over rinsing your hair actually raises the pH higher than it should be.  This is what leads to tangling and dryness.  I actually love Redken's Acidic Bonding pH Sealer which has a pH or 3.0-4.0 which is sprayed onto the hair after rinsing your conditioner which brings the pH of your hair back down to a 4 or 5 after it blends with the water remaining in your hair.  this closes your cuticle and traps in moisture, leaving hair shiny and less vulnerable.  That wonderful Redken product is shown below.

After I found out that some shampoo brands are putting Sodium Hydroxide in their formulas, I read a claim on a chemical safety website that I greatly disagree with.  Sodium Hydroxide is the active and sole ingredient in Oven Cleaners, Liquid Plumber, Drano, Lye Soap, Hair Relaxers, Hair Removers such as NAIR, and Callous Removers.  I call Sodium Hydroxide, when added to shampoos and body baths, a MICRO MELT.  I am positive they are adding it to their formulas for appearance of "smoothing" frizz so you'll buy their brand. 

The problem is the chemical is VERY damaging and drying which, accumulatively, is very noticeable.  You might blame your hot tools or your colorist.  Although heat and chemicals do cause damage over time or if used incorrectly, none are as damaging as Sodium Hydroxide to your hair nor your health.    

We don't want to encourage damage and certainly shouldn't be putting caustic chemicals on your hair, scalp, or body.  Loreal is in a lawsuit now because a woman believes her uterine cancer was caused by the Sodium Hydroxide in her Relaxer Service she has received for years.  

Manufacturers claim Sodium Hydroxide is added to balance the pH.  That is ridiculous as WATER, itself with its pH of 7-ish raises the pH too high which is what leave-in treatments do.  They balance the pH back down to the 4-5 range which is ideal.

I loved my Redken Shampoos until I found out that all of them have Sodium Hydroxide in them.  Sodium Hydroxide is also very damaging to hair that has had Ammonium Thioglycolate applied to permanently straighten the hair.  In cosmetology industry, we call it a chemical haircut.

I switched to Moroccanoil brand Shampoo & Conditioner.  Here is a photo of them.  (I am not paid for any products I recommend, by the way.)

Is sodium hydroxide safe to use in shampoo and body wash?

The safety of sodium hydroxide in shampoo and body wash is a controversial topic. Some people believe that it is safe to use in small amounts, while others believe that it is too dangerous to use in any amount.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the use of sodium hydroxide in shampoo and body wash. This means that there is no guarantee that the products are safe to use.

How to avoid sodium hydroxide in shampoo and body wash

If you are concerned about the safety of sodium hydroxide in shampoo and body wash, you can follow these tips to avoid it:

• Read the labels carefully:  When choosing shampoo and body wash, be sure to read the labels carefully. Look for products that do not contain sodium hydroxide.

• Choose natural and organic products:  Natural and organic products are less likely to contain sodium hydroxide.

• Talk to your doctor:  If you have any concerns about the safety of sodium hydroxide, you can talk to your doctor.

Color Damage that Cannot be UnDone!

 

Are You Over-Processing Your Hair with Color?

I cannot straighten hair that's been colored at home or over-processed.

         An (unnamed) franchise salon in Frisco is selling memberships to their clients to keep their chairs full.  They also sell their "professional" color to clients to take home and apply for convenience.  The woman in the photo above stated that she is going in every 2 weeks for her root new growth color. At such frequent intervals, it is impossible to avoid overlapping which eventually leads to Over Processed hair.  That means that the hair is damaged!!  Hair is dry and brittle.  All the hair around her face is even worse.  

She has not been trained all the factors in how to apply correctly at home, where, and what not to do.  Furthermore, the salon franchise claims their formula is ammonia free.  Well, it is impossible to open the cuticle enough to get the large sized color molecules into the cortex where it must go in order to permanently color your hair without some type of similar chemical.  It is misleading and may not be safe with other chemical services or color.

The variation in healthy vs over-processed hair will not present itself until after a straightening is attempted due to the potential of healthy hair losing up to half a level of color.  I have never heard of a salon coloring new growth on two week intervals.  

Do NOT color your hair at home and avoid memberships.  It is recommended to have roots colored no sooner than 5 or 6 weeks.  This salon above is not only doing a disservice to the client, but responsible for damaging her hair.

Have you ever stood in line behind that one lady with light or golden roots, but black ends?  Well, she is coloring her own hair.  The black area is over-processed and the light area isn't "taking" the color because it is resistant and the wrong formular, timing, and application.

Go to a salon, Ladies, and don't look for bargains, coupons, or discounts!

Smoothing Vs Straightening

 Keratin   &   Brazilian Blowout

vs

Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening

"Keratin Smoothing Treatment" and the "Brazilian Blowout" are both temporary smoothing treatments.   

• How long do the effects last?    

• 1 to 12 weeks of gradually decreasing smooth benefits depending upon the texture of the hair.     Soft, fine hair strands benefit the most.  Mediterranean, Asian, or Eastern Indian hair tends to last no more than one or two shampoos.  This is not typically beneficial when the service runs between $150 to $300 or more.  

• Touch-ups are actually a complete new service with the same gradual texture returning as before.

• Will it straighten my hair? 
• Probably not unless your hair is fine with light wave pattern.
• Medium to Coarse hair is usually not affected by this service at all.
• It is a Smoother, not a Straightener.             

This service is ideal for highlighted, bleached, or lightly textured hair.  It is not a committing service and curls, waves, frizz do return within days or weeks.  Hair is easier to style.   12 weeks is manufacturer recommended expectation for the benefits of the service to last, but dependent upon individual hair care routines.

Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening / ReBonding 

is truly PERMANENT.  

• How long do the effects last?

• Treated hair is permanently straight.  It can be styled into waves, volume, curls with styling tools, but the hair will revert back to straight hair upon getting wet.  Texture NEVER returns to straightened hair unless curls are permed into it.

• New growth will need to be straightened from 4 to 24 months later, depending upon hair texture, to maintain the look.  In the meantime, new growth can be flat ironed around the face and part line to maintain the straight style.  Hair grows at a rate of .5 inches per month, so only 6 inches of new growth will be visible after a year.

• The price starts at $300 and goes up from there based upon how much hair you have.  $600 is average.  $1,000 is not uncommon.

This service is ideal for healthy, long, thick, frizzy, strong waves, or tightly curled hair.

BOTH services can cause serious damage to the hair if performed improperly.  It is important that price shopping, coupons, bargains, or discounts are not a factor when choosing your Japanese Permanent Straightening Stylist as hair damage cannot be undone.  It can take years to "grow out" damaged hair.  Experience, skill level, and service knowledge are critical with the success of all chemical services.

972.388.6279 to book and appointment

Website

Pregnancy and Permanent Straightening

 

Pregnancy and Permanent Hair Straightening

I have actually had chemists and scientists with Masters and PhD's ask me this question after they are sitting in my chair for their straightening.  No hairstylist can legally answer that question as it is considered by the State of Texas as, "practicing medicine without a license."  You should always ask your doctor.  They know the answer off the top of their head.  They have responded to that concern for innumerable excited parent's-to-be.  I am glad that you asked before you made your appointment.  The following information will save time and ensure your doctor knows what service and chemicals you are referring to.

Active Ingredient:  Ammonium Thioglycolate. 

(Chemically breaks the disulfide bonds in order to be re-arranged later with the flat iron.)  It is not applied within 1/2" of the skin but does makes brief contact with the scalp during the 7-minute thorough rinse.  An odor of ammonia is experienced and inhaled during the application and processing of the first solution, but not enough to have ever involved OSHA regulations.  No odor beyond that except usual scents from conditioners applied.

 

The neutralizer: A low-level hydrogen peroxide solution -about 1.5% (which re-bonds the sulfides making the altered texture permanent) That info will help your doctor advise you. Let me know if you'd like me to send a .pdf file of the Material Safety Data Sheets, or MSDS info of the exact products I use for your doctor to review. 

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Clarifying the Fuzzy and Tangled Information in the Search for Smooth Shiny Locks & Carefree Hair

about Michelle Moore & this Blog

Expert Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening Specialist

My introduction to Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening was in 2004 when my niece asked me to perform the service for her two friends.  I did the service at my home for the 12- and 13-year-old girls, Taylor and Morgan.  The results were not only life transforming for the girls, but addictive to me!  Although the new service was very intensive and required meticulous and precise steps, it kept my mind busy and me on my toes. This is not a service for the lax or faint of heart.  

History of Thermal Reconditioning procedure is relatively simple.  Although the active ingredient, Ammonium Thioglycolate, had been used in the cosmetic industry to add or soften texture since the late 19th to mid 20th centuries, respectfully, it was, then, newly being used in a potentially disastrous, but highly effective technique developed in Japan by Liscio in 1996.  Later, the "Yuko System" was invented by Ms. Yuko Yamashita with a subsequent U.S. Patent in the year 2000 being issued.  These ingredients have been used well over a century in the salon industry .  It is only the technique and reformulation of the strength of the product that is new.  

For me, filling my appointment book with typical cut and color clients was a bit of a drag.  I don't have the hip and entertaining personality that most hairstylists in Dallas do.   I am more of a dry, nuts-and-bolts type that gets business done.  I was lacking the flash-n-dash of the styling industry with larger-than-life egos and fancy, but fun fashion sense.  No trendy tattoos, or cool hair do's for me.   I really preferred to be in the background working and thinking hard.

I am a sculptor and artist, first and foremost.  I love sculpting realistic, but expressive human form that speak for me.  Foundation, structure, texture, and shape are my stomping grounds.  The smallest detail can make or break the image.   Being an artist, I am hypersensitive to criticism which, in the salon, becomes imperative to my professional performance that I convey product knowledge and earn the confidence of my client.  Trust is critical to me being able to focus and deliver.  I take my results, reputation, profession, and license very seriously.   An ecstatic client is the le point d'equilibre ideal of my work.

I have heard many stylists either pull false information right out of thin air or they simply have no idea what they are talking about, not even taking the time to educate themselves.  (So many are afraid to just say they don't know the answer.  There is nothing wrong with being unsure, but fibbing, confabulation, and random regurgitation of internet information risks losing client confidence and disastrous hair.)  Likewise, the amount of misinformation published on the internet by writers, companies, and more is very disturbing to me.  I will link to and point out some of these through my blog to illustrate the gross confusion.  It is time that the public is pointed in the right direction with valid & dependable information.

 My reason for this blog is that as of 2021, I have seen an overwhelming influx of client confusion and misinformation from stylists, websites, writers, and even manufacturers.  I invite you to follow me as I take the uncomfortable position to point out and prove these facts and fallacies.  At least, I hope the big brands correct their misinformation for the sake of their reputations, salon industry, and the profession, itself.  How can any company or stylist ask for your hard-earned money if they aren't even committed to doing their own due diligence for their own futures?   I feel that a client puts a lot on the line, being their hair, their image, their money, and their time in the chair.  We owe it to ourselves and our clients to be educated, experienced, committed to excellence, and thorough in our trade.

I will tackle brands such as  OLAPLEX, online magazines such as myhairdoctor.com, and much more.  Get ready as I dissect and destroy.  Yes, I said that!  You, my dear pretty, will no longer be at the mercy of the "hair misinformation mafia.   It is no wonder that clients are confused.  

In well trained hands, Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening, also known as ReBonding in Europe and Asia or Thermal Reconditioning in America is safe and transformative.  It is known by many trade names, brand names, and colloquialisms.  Separately, and wholly different, are Smoothing Treatments which are Temporary.  Performed properly they are safe and have valuable applications for suitable clients.

Either Smoothing Treatments or Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening services by inexperienced stylists can be damaging and devastating.  The results can take years to grow out and have measureless impact for such an unfortunate client.

Relaxers and Permanent Relaxing are whole other creatures.   Relaxers use lye. a.k.a. Sodium Hydroxide (think Liquid Drano).   Permanent Relaxers are much gentler ammonium hydroxide (muriatic acid - cleans concrete driveways) without the ironing or straightening step.  You can see there is a lot to know before choosing your stylist and service.  hint: avoid any service with the word, "Relax" unless you know exactly what you are getting into.

I love informed clients, but too many are at a complete loss to make informed decisions, which is apparent from the conflicting questions they often ask me during consultations.  Questions such as asking me if I use the "ammonia free"  (impossible as all ammonium thioglycolate has ammonia) or "formaldehyde free"  (no permanent straighteners have formaldehyde) brands for permanent hair straightening comes straight from online "professionals" that have no clue nor have done any research into Japanese Permanent Hair Straightening.  These topics will be explained in depth later in my blog.  I hope to end a lot of confusion and misinformation as we move forward.

My next entry will clarify and simplify all the confusing terms, brands, systems, facts, and lingo into very easy to remember information.  I have specialized in Permanent Japanese Hair Straightening for 19 years now and want to clear and counter the clutter of confusion between you and the service you are looking for.  Until my next entry, take care of that hair!