Celebrating National Day at Chapter 2 MS

Celebrating National Day at Chapter 2, Marina Square! From 01.08.2013 to 15.08.2013, you can enjoy the following services by Creative Stylists at a very special price.

1. KERATIN CARE @ $245 (UP $350)
2. CUT & MOISTCARE @ $88 (UP $127)
3. STEAMBOND @ $168 (UP $249)
4. COLOUR SINGLE @ $98 (UP $149)
5. COLOUR DUO @ $128 (UP $189)
6. COLOUR CREATE @ $158 (UP $229)

Be the first few to enjoy this special one-off deal for a limited period. Very limited vacancies, only 2 – 4 slots at specific time available each day from 01.08.2013 to 15.08.2013, act fast, don’t miss it!

If you are interested, find out more at http://www.leixure.com/celebrating-national-day-at-chapter-2-ms/

Pursung a Career in Hairdressing

People from all parts of the world, of both sexes, decide that they want to become a hairdresser. Some do it simply because they love working with hair. They are the ones who, as children, spent hours brushing, combing, braiding and generally playing with the hair of any long-haired relative who would sit still long enough. They have the “calling” to be hairdressers.

Others see hairdressing simply as one of their options in life. They have had lots of practice with their own hair, or with friends’ hair, and probably know a hairdresser who is a friend or family member. For these individuals, hairdressing is a job they are familiar with and feel comfortable pursuing.

Regardless of what brings them to consider a career in hairdressing, every candidate will need training, and these candidates will have different expectations from a hairdressing career. Some want to be hairdressers for the stability. Most hairdressers can always find work, whether they are employed by a salon, or work for themselves renting space in a salon or open salons of their own.

Others see hairdressing as an outlet for their creativity, and a way to make a living doing something that allows them to be artistic and creative. They look forward to a job doing something that makes them happy because they are making something they find beautiful.

 Some people see hairdressing as a way to gain notoriety. They want to be on the front lines of the trendsetters, and see hairdressing as a way to make a name for themselves in their communities. These people enjoy being the one others consider the expert on matters of style and beauty.

Pros and Cons of Being a Hairdresser

 

No matter what brings you to want to be a hairdresser, or what you expect from a hairdressing career, there are good and bad points about this path. Just like any career or occupation, there are going to be things you will and won’t like about hairdressing. Here are some of the pros (good things) about being a hairdresser:

• People – Being a hairdresser is all about serving clients. Because of this, you will come in contact with lots of different people every day. This keeps your job fresh, challenging and rewarding, since it gives you a constant source of opportunities to show someone else just what you can do for them.
• Flexibility – As a hairdresser, you can choose how you practice your profession. You can work for someone else, or for yourself. You can make your hours a regular 9 to 5, or work by appointment only, setting appointments at whatever times are convenient for you and your clients.
• Variety – Most of your clients will want different types of services. You may give mostly haircuts, but will also have styling appointments, chemical services (such as color, perms and straightening services) and depending on your level of training, you may also have clients who want esthetic services such as facials, hair removal, and nail services. With the different number of services available, you will always have something different to do every day.
• Training Options – In order to become a licensed, professional in your area, you will need training in the services and procedures you will need to perform. There are options that are available for almost every individuals needs. You could choose to attend an accredited Technical College for training or a specialized school that teaches you the things you need to know to perform your chosen profession. In most cases the cost of getting your education from an accredited school can be off-set by scholarships and grants from state and federal agencies. Some people need a less expensive means of getting their education, or prefer a more hands-on approach to getting their training. These people may opt for an apprenticeship. Apprenticing usually takes longer to get your certification, but for some people, it is the best option, and it allows them to train in the same environment in which they will be working once they are trained and licensed.

Of course, as with any profession, there are down-sides or perhaps a better term is “difficulties”. These are the things that make the profession more challenging, and must be carefully considered before you become a hairdresser:

• People – This was also listed under the ‘pros’ section, but it must be included here because dealing with people as a part of your job can be very problematic. Some customers can be very difficult to please, and you must be very careful to communicate fully with them or you will never make them happy. You need to hone your people skills and your communication skills to their sharpest if you’re going to make dealing with people a successful venture.
• Responsibility – Being a hairdresser is a BIG responsibility. Most people, regardless of their age, gender, and profession are very particular about their hair. When they come to you for a haircut, color service, or other procedure, they expect you to make them look their best, and will hold you responsible for anything that goes wrong. Accidents can happen, and hair does grow back, but you can be assured that when mistakes occur with any client, it’s rare that the client will want to return for a second chance. You have to make sure to never do something to a client unless you are sure of the likely results. Remember: clients may forget to tell others specifically who gave them a great service, but will make a point to tell anyone when they get a bad service.
• Physically taxing – Many people consider hairdressing to be a cushy job, without much in the way of physical demands. This isn’t true. In most cases, a hairdresser spends 90% of his/her day standing, which can be hard on the feet and legs. It is important to know what physical ailments can be caused by this kind of stress. Swollen feet and ankles, varicose veins, back aches and joint pain are all common complaints among hairdressers.
• Competition – Competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something all potential hairdressers have to contend with. Every year, hundreds and thousands of new hairdressers will become licensed in your area. Often, a client will not be concerned about switching to a different stylist for whatever reason comes to mind, regardless of how good the service you gave was. You will have some clients who are loyal and who will come to you for their needs exclusively, provided you offer good service. However, every potential client you see will be courted by every other hairdresser. If you let it bother you, you can easily become discouraged.
• Continuing Education – After you’ve been trained and licensed, your education in the beauty industry is far from over. There are new techniques constantly being developed, as well as new products and processes that have to be learned in order to stay current with trends and styles. A hairdresser who sits back and rests on his or her laurels will soon find his business waning. In some areas, state and regional licensing boards require that you take continuing education courses in order to renew your license and continue practicing your trade legally.

If you’re serious about pursuing a career in hairdressing, be sure to consider all the pros and cons of the job, and never think that hairdressing is an easy job. Like any other career, you will have aspects of the job that you will find good and bad. If after knowing all the negatives of the career you still feel that hairdressing is for you, then join the millions of hairdressers worldwide who’ve undertaken the task of making the world a more beautiful place ... one client at a time.

Do you feel that you have a talent for hairdressing? Are you Customer Orientated and a Team Player? Kimage Apprenticeship programmes now available for Singaporeans and Singaporean PRs.

If you are ineterested, and wish to find out more, please click here.

What is Hairdresser?

A hairdresser, or less commonly hair dresser, is a person who specializes in coloring, cutting, and styling hair. There are many different kinds of hairdressers, ranging from professionals who work solely with children to those who only work with elderly clients. Becoming a hairdresser requires a small amount of schooling followed by extensive hands-on experience.

The best way to begin a career as a hairdresser is to attend a specialized hair school. There are many private hair schools scattered throughout the world, and most of these schools offer short-term courses. In fact, many schools have programs that last less than one year. In addition, various hair schools offer apprenticeship programs that allow students to practice hair skills on various clients. This type of program adequately prepares students for a position within a private hair salon.

Following the successful completion of a hair school course, graduates will then have to find employment. This can be accomplished by applying for positions at salons. Alternatively, a hairdresser may seek employment through other institutions such as nursing homes.

While the position of a hairdresser can be extremely rewarding, this type of work can also be highly demanding. Prospective hairdressers should be able to communicate efficiently, work well with others, and have the ability to listen carefully to customer concerns and wishes. Also, hairdressers spend numerous hours standing, which can be physically demanding. As with most other types of professionals, a hairdresser who stays abreast of current trends will likely gain a steady clientele.

To accomplish the task of understanding current hair styles and trends, many hairdressers take part in hair competitions. These competitions involve showcasing cutting, styling, and coloring skills. A salon that has an award winning hairdresser will often gain a large client base. In many instances, salons encourage hairdressers to partake in competitions in order to gain public attention.

Depending upon a hairdresser’s place of employment, this profession can be a fairly lucrative one. Many hair stylists who work for larger salons often enjoy a greater salary. Some stylists may also decide to open salons upon graduating from hair school.

Hairdressers can be found in nearly every country across the world. Within Singapore, hairdressers are often found within salons, though this isn’t the case within every country. In many countries, hairdressers make house calls instead of working within salons. Regardless, the position of a hairdresser is one that most societies cannot live without.

Do you feel that you have a talent for hairdressing? Are you Customer Orientated and a Team Player?

Kimage Apprenticeship programmes now available for Singaporeans and Singaporean PRs.

If you are interested, please click here to find out more.

$35 – $55 Rebonding at Kimage Hairdressing School

Do you know that you can have your hair rebonded at Kimage Hairdressing School for just $35 – $55? If you want to have you hair trim or cut after rebonding, you just have to pay an additional $6!

Thinking of Colouring your hair? Well, Highlighting at Kimage Hairdressing is $20 – $30, and Technical Colour is $25 – $45.

All services are performed by students completing a Kimage Certificate or Diploma programme and are fully supervised by our teaching team.

If you want to find out more what we have to offer, please post at the comment box below. If you want to make an appointment*, you can call our hotline at 68832700.

*Appointment is needed.

All you need to know about Air Wave Perm

The Air Wave uses the “power of air” to control the temperature and moisture level of hair to produce incredibly natural texture. Gorgeous, airy, and lush texture. A silky finish that can be recreated again and again.

Cutting edge technology born from air

The perm styling possibilities are endless.
While the Digital Perm uses heat to create curls, the Air Wave is a brand-new technology that uses the power of air/wind to perm hair. It’s gentle on your hair, and you can expect a silky, lush finish.
Like the Digital Perm, the curls reappear when you dry your hair. We especially recommend it for people who have experienced dryness using the Digital Perm process.

Pros:

• Even if you were unable to recreate the curls in the past, you can easily create a soft, curly style at home. (We especially recommend this for people who want loose curls or a silky finish.)
• Your curls will last longer. *1
• Since it uses the power of air, your hair received very little damage during the process.

Cons:

• The process cannot be performed on hair that has been chemically straightened.
• Due to Singapore’s hard water, your hair will dry out more easily after the process.
• The process can be time consuming. Noise from the machine may be loud. *2

Kimage’s Air Wave

• Waves are created by manipulating a layer called the cortex in your hair, and rearranging the cuticles that cover each strand of hair.
  
  While traditionally permed hair can take on a more or less dry, frizzy appearance, the Air Wave process substantially minimizes the damage. Some people have even felt that their hair was softer to the touch post-treatment.However, the quality of our machinery would be meaningless if the products used were low-grade, or we did not have the ability to make an accurate selection.
  
  At Kimage, we work exclusively with products by high-end brands, and by creating a custom mix, we are able to control damage and accurately respond to every hair type (such as volume, length, and processing history). By eliminating excessive damage risk, we maximize the potential of the Air Wave.

• Kimage takes every step possible to minimize the risks.
  • Appropriate product selection
  • Accurate leave-in time
  • Meticulous heat processing skills

Please experience the difference in quality, born from respect towards our work.
*1 Results may differ due to your style and amount of prior hair damage. Curls will last for approximately two to three months.
*2 Processing time including a hair cut will take around 3 to 3 and a half hours.

The Facts About Keratin Hair Treatments

  
If you Google “Brazilian hair treatments” or “keratin hair treatments” you will see hundreds of message board posts, blog entries and articles on the topic. These treatments are truly “the newest trend in defrizzing and smoothing many textures of hair from curly to relaxed,” says Ted Gibson, a salon owner who recently starting performing the La Brasiliana treatment.

Those who have had keratin hair treatments call them a “miracle” and applaud them for making blow drying and straightening hair much easier for months at a time. But the buzz about the treatments isn’t all positive, mostly because many of the brands on the market contain or initially contained formaldehyde. But as Mauricio Ribeiro, creator of the Brazilian Blowout explains, “[The treatments] have evolved so much.” Saying that customers no longer complain about a strong chemical smell, but that “you need a chemical to make the process work.” Chemist Doug Schoon, president of School Scientific in Dana Point, Calif., agrees. To get “shiny, straight hair for months, formaldehyde or other aldehydes must be used,” he says. Adding that he “believes [clients] have no risk” of being harmed by the treatments.

Bottom line, the choice is yours when it comes to deciding if these treatments are right for you. To make your decision easier, read on to get answers to commonly asked questions about keratin hair treatments and feedback from readers on some of the big-name treatments.
There are so many keratin hair treatments available now, so if we missed one that you love or one that you had a bad experience with, please tell us about it by commenting on this story.

Your Questions Answered: No. 1: What is a keratin hair treatment?

Also known as Brazilian hair treatments, keratin hair treatments are a semi-permanent, hair-smoothing, curl-softening professional chemical treatment. They make hair straighter, shinier and even healthier. The treatments are usually made up of a chemical like formaldehyde (which creates the long-lasting smoothing effect), conditioners, and some keratin (a protein our hair is made of to add strength).

No. 2: How does a keratin hair treatment differ from Japanese straightening?

The Japanese hair straightening treatment (a.k.a. thermal reconditioning) is permanent — it actually changes the internal structure of your hair, removes all curl to create pin-straight strands and may damage hair. On the flip side, keratin hair treatments only last three to six months (depending on the product used and your lifestyle), they only soften curl (though they will straighten waves), eliminate frizz and can make hair healthier over time.

No. 3: What does the treatment involve?

Typically your hair is washed with a clarifying shampoo and blow dried before the treatment is applied section by section, and combed through the hair. Then you may sit for a bit with the treatment on your hair before the stylist blow dries your hair a second time, and seals the treatment onto your strands using a flat iron. Next, one of two things will happen — you’ll either be done and walk out the door knowing you can’t wash your hair, put it in a ponytail, get it wet or put it behind your ears for 72 hours, or the treatment is rinsed out, hair is blow dried and you leave knowing you don’t have to wait any time to style or wash it. The entire process takes two to four hours depending on your hair type and length. (There isn’t really a difference in results between these two styles, just that newer technology is allowing users to wash and style their hair sooner after treatment.)

No. 4: Who’s the best candidate for a keratin hair treatment and who isn’t?

If you spend a ton of time blow drying and flat ironing your hair and/or have curls that you want to loosen, or if your hair has frizz or lacks shine, you’re likely a good candidate. Keratin hair treatments work on a variety of hair textures including African American hair types, and color-treated or previously chemically-treated types, according to Jordana Lorraine, stylist and keratin hair treatment technician at the Dino Clark Salon in Santa Monica, Calif. Do avoid these treatments if you are pregnant, have severely damaged hair from too much bleaching, bleached hair that’s super fine, stick straight fine hair or have slight waves you want to keep intact. Basically, if your hair can stand a 450-degree flat iron, it can handle this treatment.

No. 5: Are keratin hair treatments safe, what’s all the controversy about?

Keratin hair treatments are controversial because some contain/contained formaldehyde, or more correctly, a chemical called formalin (or methylene glycol) that “when heated to 450 degrees can turn back into formaldehyde,” Schoon says. Formaldehyde is on the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Reasonably Anticipated to Be Human Carcinogens” list, and has been linked to certain cancers like leukemia. But Schoon explains that the levels of formaldehyde found in these treatments are safe according to OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) especially when proper protection and ventilation are used, and this is in regards to the stylists who do many of these treatments weekly. He believes that “in the course of getting their hair done [clients] will never exceed the [safe] limit” of formaldehyde exposure. And that the “only risk is if [clients] have an allergy.” So unless you have an allergy to formaldehyde or other aldehydes — many products on the market use alternatives to formalin that fall in the aldehyde family — Schoon believes you “have no risk” of being harmed by these treatments. And if the salon you go to has special “source capture” ventilation you won’t even experience watery eyes or an irritated throat — common temporary irritations associated with the treatments.

No. 6: If treatments claim to be “formaldehyde free,” what chemical is used instead?

For a keratin treatment to give you shiny, straighter, frizz-free hair for months, Schoon explains that it must contain formalin (formaldehyde) or another aldehyde or a chemical that works in a similar fashion. Common “formaldehyde free” products often contain: glutaraldehyde, biformal (a.k.a. oxalaldehyde — note the “aldehyde”) and ammonium thioglycolate (the same chemical used in perms).

No. 7: How do I know which keratin treatment is best for me?

It’s best to consult with a stylist (most offer this free of charge) because the treatments “offer similar but slightly different results,” says Lorraine who works with three different brands. Depending on your hair texture, the result you want and your lifestyle, some may be better suited for you.

You Decide!

We are in the midst of preparing next month promotion. It is very hard to think of a service item that benefits all members. After several discussions, we are still not able to reach a final decision.

Do you want Chapter 2 or Kimage promotion?
Rebond, Colour, Perm, Cut or ???

Why not we pass on this task to the clients. After all, you are the one who will benefit from it. Okay, here it is, you decide!

Please post your suggestion in the comment box at http://www.leixure.com/you-decide/

NTU Alumni Card

NTU Alumni Card holders enjoy 10% discount off all hair services at Kimage outlets island wide.

• Not valid in conjunction with other promotions / discounts
• Not valid for services by Junior Stylists
• Prior appointment required
• Discount is non-transferable
• Customers must show this card to enjoy discount.

Valid from 01 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.

Find out more at http://www.leixure.com/ntu-alumni-card/