Best Hair Salons in St. Kilda

Hair Salons St. Kilda is a website dedicated to all those who are having a tough time finding a good hairdresser in the locality. When I first moved here, I was totally clueless as I was very new to the place and did not have any friends or relatives to help me out, I relied totally on the worldwide web to spew forth some good advice on the best hairdressers in town.  But I found a lot of sites that were put up by the hairdressers themselves didn’t quite ring true as they very obviously glorified their own expertise and services.

Even visiting forums didn’t do me much good as I found that they were also infested with many people marketing their services and you never could tell which opinion was unbiased.  After much plodding through various sites, I figured out a method to separate the wheat from the chaff and soon had a crisp and neat list of hairdressers who seemed to have a solid reputation.  By then I had befriended my neighbours and made a few friends at the local pub.  I ran my list by them and found that I had narrowed it down to just 3 or 4 hairdressers, which made it easy for me to pick and choose.

Of course, a hairdresser who styles my neighbour’s hair perfectly needn’t necessarily be the one who is wonderful with my hair too!  But after a couple of trial and error incidents, I found the salon and hairdresser of my dreams!

I remember not so long ago Caroline, my best friend of 20 years, casually dropped into a salon she had never been to before as she needed her hair coloured in a rush.  She normally prefers to cover her few strands of grey with henna, a natural hair colouring agent, but on that day for some reason she opted to colour her hair a nice shade of burgundy with an artificial hair colour formula.

Although she was happy with the results on that day, the colour ran out within a few weeks and when she coloured her hair again with henna, all the hair on her head turned a bright shade of orange!   Before this episode, the henna would only change her grey hair to light brown.

This incident taught me the importance of only going to hairdressers who know their stuff.  If that hairdresser had been even marginally competent, she would have warned Caroline about the possible reactions to changing over from natural colouring to artificial and then back again.

So, this website is just an attempt to capture such warnings and tips on hairdressing, maybe some links to authoritative websites on information you could use, etc.  Have you ever wondered when it is appropriate to go to a barber and when to a hairstylist?  To answer this question, I have put in a few good articles on the differences between a hairstylist and a barber.   I have also put up an article that gives you tips on how to differentiate a good salon from a bad one!

Essentially, Hair Salons St. Kilda, is all set to bring you all you need to know about haircuts, hair colouring agents, best hair salons in your locality, some news and updates on the latest trends in hairstyling, and celebrity news especially if someone gets a crazy haircut or a new hairstyle that is setting the world on fire!  If you are looking for information on hair extensions, best hair colour formulas to use, a good hair salon, permanent hair straightening or perming, wedding hair styling, look no further!

You will also find useful information on how to combat hair loss, what are the best hair loss treatments that actually work, and soon there will be a hair extension care guide, and how to care for your straightened hair, wigs, etc.

Trust me, Hair Salons St. Kilda, is your one-stop resource for anything to do with hairdressers and hairstyling.  Read on to find out more.

Barber Or Hairstylist? Which One To Choose

This section of Hair Salons St. Kilda will talk about the differences between a barber and a hairstylist. Did you know that barbers were also dentists and surgeons centuries ago?  You will find interesting historical facts like this in the article below.  The next article gives a few tips on how to select a good hair salon before going in for a change in your hairstyle or even for a regular haircut.

Parting the Difference Between Barbers and Hairstylists

By Lee Wood

Do you know the difference between a barber and a hairstylist? One cuts hair for boys and one cuts hair for girls, right? Well, not entirely.

A barber specializes in cutting men’s hair, both on the head and sometimes on the face. Traditionally, barbers offered expert shaves of the face and neck. But like the waistcoat and the snap-brim hat, that part of the barber’s role has largely faded to obscurity. Still, a few old-school barbers continue to offer it.

Barber History

The modern barber belongs to an ancient vocation, whose earliest beginnings trace at least as far back as 3500 BC in Egypt That’s more than 5,000 years – a lot of haircuts.

During the Middle Ages, barbers also acted as dentists and surgeons, performing minor medical procedures and treating illnesses. The red and white barber’s pole began as an apparatus that would hold leeches used to draw blood (and the illness therein) out of the patient’s body. In America, a blue stripe was sometimes added to represent the national colors. (Yay, America!)

Barbers train in the cutting of men’s hair and do not receive the other, more expansive training in coloring, texturing, or otherwise chemically altering the hair that hairstylists receive. If this makes you think barbers are less skilled than hairdressers, think again: like a doctor specializing in one system of the human body, barbers are trained and re-trained to deal with men’s hair and all its weird tendencies and adjustments.

Barber Training

Barbers train intensively before cutting hair, usually undergoing a ten to twelve month training course and completing a written exam and practical demonstration. In the United States, barber training is given by specialized academies as well as many technical and vocational schools. Some online training courses are starting to appear, too.

Each state has its own Barbering Board, which often includes certification for Cosmetology as well. The board will grant and renew licenses and will also sometimes certify a barber as a Master Barber, which declares his or her advanced level of technical skill and proficiency.

Hairstylists

Hairstylists, as mentioned above, work at crafting new looks and arrangements for their clients’ hair. They’re not trained in trimming facial or neck growth, but they sometimes receive additional training in skin and nail care besides hairstyling. In recent years, some cutting edge barbershops have begun to include hairstyling extras (colorizing, texturing, et cetera) into their men’s hair care retinue.

Barber of Hairstylist?

Choosing whether to go for a hairstylist or a barber is for the most part choosing where you feel most comfortable. There’s a sense of masculine confidence to the work of a good barber. On the other hand, if your preferred hairstyle requires an awful lot of artificial enhancements (perm, highlights, etc) you’re better off in the care of a hairstylist.

The traditional barbershop was a place where men could unwind, tell a joke, and enjoy one another’s company – it was an hour spent “with the guys.” The old school barbershops still keep that atmosphere, and plenty of new shops uphold that tradition. Some are beginning to merge the barbershop atmosphere with hairstylist versatility, giving their male customers a “best of both worlds” approach to better grooming.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/770073

 

Signs of Bad Hair Salons

By Derek Viveiros

With the necessity for hair salons to offer professional and high quality service to remain competitive in the highly competitive hairdressing salon market, there are becoming few bad hair salons. However, with so many to choose from, it can be difficult for people to find a great salon.

There is definitely a clear distinction between high quality professional salons and other average haircut salons. While this may not be apparent in an advertisement, a visit will quickly help you determine if the salon is a bad one.

One of the biggest mistakes most people make when choosing a salon and hair stylist, is not visiting before they book an appointment. There are so many horror stories about people being brought to tears over a bad experience. People have had their hair ruined by a bad hair color, bad haircut, perm, or experience while in the chair.

So, make sure you check out the salon, ask people who have been there, and take to the hairstylist before booking and appointment. The last thing you want to do is realize you made a mistake when you are half way through your appointment.

How do you avoid booking an appointment with bad hair salons? You have to know the signs. Go in for a visit and make note of the following:

Customer Service

Without customers there would not be a business. Therefore, customer service must be a priority for every hair salon. Take a look around and look at the customers. Do they seem happy? Do they look like they are enjoying themselves? Are they engaged in conversation with their hairstylist?

Beyond this, think about any interactions you have with the salon staff. Were they happy to greet you when you arrived? Do they seem generally happy to be there? Were they accommodating and eager to book you in for an appointment? Do they offer to show you are and answer any questions you had?

Great hair salons will always to their best to ease any concerns you have.

Overall Experience

When you walked into the salon, what was your initial impression? A telltale sign of a bad salon is the lack of customers. However, beyond this, the appearance of a salon is important. All great hair salons are clean, organized, and have a unique appeal. If the hair salon looks dated, the skills of the hair stylists may be dated as well.

Selection of Services

Good hair salons have it all. So, if you walk in and all they offer is the basic cut, color, and blow dry options, you may want to reconsider. Being able to go to one place for haircuts, waxing, and other aesthetic services is ideal. If the salons services are limited, they are probably not up to date about the latest trends and style options.

Avoid a less than memorable hair salon experience by doing your homework. If you doubt the quality of a salon even the slightest bit, it may be best to book your appointment elsewhere.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6022554

The Difference Between A Hairdresser & A Barber

Do you belong to the generation of men who frequented their local barber shop, discussed politics with the barber and other patrons, and leisurely read the newspapers while waiting your turn?  Have you ever wondered what happened to the old fashioned barbers?  This section of Hair Salons St. Kilda is focussed on discussing the differences between barbers and hairstylists and why it is important to know when to go to a barber and when to a hairstylist.

Gone are the days when you went to a barber out of necessity to keep those unruly locks under check.  Getting a haircut is not a simple chore that one wants to be done with in a hurry.  So many salons and spas have mushroomed over recent years that assure you of a complete image makeover.  If you have the time and the money, you can completely transform your hair and looks.

A hairstylist is also a barber but a barber is not a hairstylist!  In the old-fashioned barber shops, you could get a shave or trim your beard and moustache.  But, you could not get your hair ‘styled’.  A haircut at a barber’s is fast and will cost you very little.

Metro males of this generation want to be pampered by their hairstylist and enjoy the shampoo, beard and moustache trim, hairstyling, hair colouring, etc.   Most hairdressers offer manicures, pedicures, massages, and waxing services too.

If any of the following statements ring true to you, it is a barber you need:

  • You want a short, simple, conventional haircut.  Eg. Buzz Cut, Fade, Crew Cut, Flat Top.
  • You are on a shoe-string budget
  • You just want a shave
  • You prefer the laidback ambience of a good ole barber shop with just a few newspapers and some old timers for company

And it’s a hairstylist you need, if any of the following is what you are looking for:

  • You want to maintain long hairstyles
  • You want a trendy haircut to make you look like a celebrity
  • You like using hair products, like hair gel, hair sprays, etc.
  • You want to colour your hair

 

The basic difference between a barber and a hairdresser is that the former is trained to give short traditional haircuts while a hairstylist is trained for something more flamboyant and modern.

There are several retro-modern salons that blend the ambience of a barber shop with modern facilities to make the transition easier for those nostalgic for old-world charm.

And of late, there are the image makeover experts who claim that hairstylists can never give you a good haircut as they do not know you as a person.  They say that your hairstyle should reflect your personality, your work, your public persona, etc.  The hairstylist, being concerned only with your hair, will not be able to give you a haircut that will suit who you are.  If you are constantly in the public eye, and looking good is absolutely essential to your career, it would be a good idea to hire an image consultant to work in tandem with your hairstylist.

As such, barbers and hairstylists come from the same mould.  In fact, they belong to one of the oldest professions of mankind.  And the earliest barbers were so highly respected and revered that they had the powers to solemnize weddings and baptise children.  And several of them were also proficient in dentistry and surgical techniques.

In Australia, a barber and a hairdresser are legally treated as one and the same.   The term ‘barber’ is used more as a common title but does not mean anything different.   But in some parts of the United States, licensing regulations do not allow a barber to offer certain services that a hairdresser can.

In a nutshell, it’s ok to go to a barber for a shave or short haircut when you are in a rush and are strapped for cash.  But if you have both the time and the money, a hairdresser can offer you so much more.