Trends for 2007

Loyal Customer

Confessions of a Hairdresser

Short hair is in
Sligo stylists agree that short hair is in for spring/summer 2007. Posh Spice’s bob still leads the trend but this season we will see variations on her so-called ‘Pbob’ that still keep the hair relatively short. Her new blonde LA haircut is also tipped to become popular on the streets this summer. Straight hair is out for summer ’07. Swap your poker straight look for GHD curls, or loose waves.

Brunettes are back
Hairdressers around town also agree that brunettes are back. Blonde highlights have been in demand in recent years but now women are going back to their roots. Request rich, vibrant brunette colours with a hint of copper to compliment pale Sligo complexions beautifully. However, if you still think that blondes have more fun choose a cool ashy blond shade – but don’t straighten it. The bleach and the heat don’t mix well and cause extensive breakage.

Use hair-friendly techniques
There is a strong emphasis on keeping your hair healthy this year. Use hair-friendly styling techniques such as finger scrunching, or wet rollers. Towel dry your hair first and finish off the style with a hairdryer when it is damp but not wet.
Use a good shampoo and conditioner. Sligo stylists say Pantene, Trés Semme, Herbal Essences and L’Oreal are all good cheap options. However, they also agree that you should buy a more expensive brand if you can afford to. Salon products are said to last longer and leave less residue in the hair. It is important to ask your hairdresser which product will suit your hair type.

One loyal customer

Una McMeekin has been getting her hair done by the same stylist for almost 20 years. She spoke to the Weekender about why she keeps going back to Anthony Kilgannon.

“I like the salon and I like the staff. Even the other customers know me now. It is like going from home to home.
“Anthony gets me to try new things. I had a perm before and now it is straight. He is very helpful. He tells me how to manage it myself.”
Una first went to Anthony 19 years ago after one of her daughters recommended him to her. At the time Anthony was working for Ignatius Bagnall in his salon just up the road from Salon Two on Adelaide Street.
Una gets her hair done every Saturday at 1.30pm. If she can’t make it on Saturday she makes her appointment for Friday. Anthony always fits her in. “We are good friends now,” she said.
The personal touch is also very important to Una. She said Anthony is very generous with his time. “I had a brother who was very ill and Anthony came out to the house to do my hair,” she said.
Una lives in Finiskiln now, but is from Ransboro. She is married and her three daughters are grown up. She has three grandchildren, two grandsons and a granddaughter. “It is my treat in the week,” she said.
Una has noticed the changes in what hairstyles are fashionable over the years. “You can see styles coming and going. It does a circle. All the very way out styles are in fashion now.”
Una said she will not be changing her hairdresser now. “I threaten [to stop coming] every now and again when we are getting on each other’s nerves. “At this stage I’ll stick with him,” she joked.

Confessions of a hairdresser

Everytime you get your hair cut, coloured or permed you put your trust in your stylist to do a good job. You expect to leave feeling confident and ready for a night out on the town. But once in a while, no matter how good your hairdresser is, things can go wrong. Sligo stylists, confessed their disaster stories to us.*

“I was in charge and a stylist was doing blonde highlights. The customer was wearing a rubber cap and the stylist was pulling the strands of hair through the holes in the cap using a steel prong. The stylist accidentally stuck the prong into the woman’s earlobe. The customer was alright but the girl doing her hair fainted,” said John.

“The worst thing that ever happened was when I was training. I turned a girl’s hair green. It was bright blonde and I was darkening it. I should have used a hint of red to cover it but forgot. I was able to fix it though. Luckily she was one of the girls I was training with,” said Sarah.

“When I was training I cut one side of a girl’s hair up shorter than the other. It was awful. When I’m doing someone’s hair I am worried. You never know how a colour will take,” said Lisa.

“There was a woman who came in and always got her hair cut very short at the nape of her neck. I was shaving it with about a four blade and the top of the razor just flew off and went to the zero setting. I shaved a patch bald. I had to go over the rest of the area with a one blade. Luckily she didn’t mind because she liked her hair very short. Needless to say she got her haircut for free,” said Brian.

“I have no major disaster stories but there is one group of people who are always very difficult to please – teachers. They always complain. I think they must like to be in control. Other friends who are hairdressers would say the same,” said Noel.

“A girl was getting married and she was getting blond highlights. I was supervising a stylist doing the colour. I was called away to do first aid on someone and when I came back I realised they had been left on too long. The bleached hair fell out when it was being washed and blocked the sink. The other stylist nearly died but the girl didn’t notice,” said Joe.

Luckily horror stories are not that common these days. Many salons now insist that new customers have a skin test for allergies before they have their hair coloured.
It is also uncommon to have your hair bleached and permed on the same day. Years ago, such procedures were done regularly and caused clumps of hair to fall out.
There is a bigger emphasis on caring for you hair now. For insurance reasons hairdressers are more cautious. They will refuse to do some procedures if they think it will damage the hair badly.

*The names of the stylists have been changed.

Stylists' Secrets

Hairdressers hear all the gossip before it hits the streets. Some Sligo stylists told us about their relationships with their customers.

Martin McDermott, owner of Naturelles, said he hears lots of stories from clients but it is kept between you and your customer. “Some of the girls become very friendly with customers. You hear things but to be honest it goes in one ear and out the other. It is confidential. I can’t say did you hear so and so has left their husband.”
He said he sometimes hears things and just forgets about them. “A month later my wife will say to me did you hear about such and such. I’ll go - yeah sure I heard that in the salon weeks ago.”
The most important thing was proper communication with your clients, he said. “You need to know what lifestyle they have, and what likes and dislikes they have.”

Anthony Kilcoyne from Salon 2 says hairdressers have to be able to adjust to a client's personality. He said some people love to talk. Others just want to read a magazine. However, he said he had heard some funny stories in the salon. “Working with women you hear things before they happen,” he joked.
A couple used to both have their hair cut by Anthony. He met them together on several occasions. One day the woman came in and told Anthony she was thinking of splitting up with her boyfriend. To Anthony’s dismay the man came in the following day. Anthony wasn’t sure whether they had broken up yet or not. He just kept his mouth shut and avoided any conversation about the relationship.

Janelle Branley from David Martin Hairdressing Group in Sligo thought people confide in her because, as a stylist, she was impartial. “You don’t know the people they are talking about. They tell you things you don’t want to know. You become personally involved with the client.

Denise Leonard from Wizards salon said: “It is great to see regular customers. You build up a trust. They can tell you very personal things. Going to the hairdressers might be the only time they get out in the week. Sometimes it is almost like a counselling service.”

Cliff Baird, owner of Kaos said: Communication is important to build trust. “I sit down with every client and have a full consultation. “For someone who is changing salons it is like changing your dentist. You are putting your trust in someone else.”