The Right Hair Dryer For You

It's time for another installment of "Beauty by Bond". This months question comes from all the way on the other side of the USA!  Anita from Los Angeles writes:

"Hi Oscar and Wendy! I love your blog and have a question that you might be able to help with. I own a salon right outside LA and I am constantly ordering one product on a weekly basis; hair dryers! I was satisfied when I first ordered the ones that I currently use but I find that they are now outdated and break down a lot easier then they used to.  So I was wondering if you could recommend a dryer or perhaps some tips on picking the right dryer for your business? Thanks and keep up the good work with the blog!"






     Thanks Anita for your question as it is a GOOD one.  Wendy and Oscar are actually asked this question a lot by their client who are tired of using their hairdryer that they got for $20 and then wonder why it stops working after 6 months.  With that said, Oscar and Wendy will recommend tips on picking a good dryer out of the sea of dyers out there!

1. HEAT: When testing out a blow dyer you are thinking of buying, make sure it gets hot.  We aren't talking it gets hot enough that you feel warm, NO, we want that baby scorching!  Part of the problem with buying a hair dyer is that you have to wait a few  minutes for it to reach its full "heat potential".  So when you are looking at buying one, don't rush!  Turn it on, let it run for at least 3 minutes and see just how hot it gets.  If after three minutes it hasn't reached its full "heat potential" it's time to put that one back on the shelf.

2.  Size: Remember, bigger is NOT always better. Oscar and Wendy meet with clients on a daily basis that say, "I bought such and such dyer because it was the biggest and most expensive I could find. But there is a problem with it."  Sometimes the smaller, more compact dryers work even better than the large ones that take up half your suitcase.  So don't judge the dyer by its size and give the little guys a chance!
3. Power: Your basic hair dyer will have a slow and fast setting on it, along with a blast of cool air button.  If your fast setting is the same as the slow one, that isn't the dyer for you.  You need something that will get the job done in a decent amount of time so power is important. As hairdressers, we make our living meeting with clients. The more clients we meet with, the better our day is. Do you really want to be waiting around for an hour while your dyer decides to take a nap? No, so make sure to get a dryer that really packs some punch to get the job done.

4.  Avoid the bells and whistles:  Oscar and Wendy recently saw a brand new state of the art hairdryer at a trade show that had  a built in comb going right through the blower. Do we really need that? When drying a clients hair, you are going to be holding your brush and dryer and giving that client your full attention. NO short cuts allowed there! So avoid the dryers that have excessive attachments and buttons. Most of those functions won't work and you don't need them. 

So there you have it.  Keep your dyer simple, yet effective.  You will find that if you take your time looking for one, you will get the best value for you money. Back when the hair dyrer was invented in the 1890's, women were using vaccume cleaners as a way to dry their hair! We sure have come a long way!

Keep the questions coming to Oscar@thebondacademy.com  and thanks again Anita for your question!

Getting rid of the After Holiday Blues

It's time to answer our first inquiry from a fellow cosmetologist.  This question came for Donna who owns a salon in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Donna asks the following:

"As a hairdresser, my staff and I are so busy around the holidays!  We are completely booked up through New Years and loving it! However, and this has happened every year since I opened my salon in 2008, January becomes so slow.  We literally go from 60-0 overnight and it can really hurt my employees. Especially after the holidays when they have credit card bills to pay from their seasons spending! So I was wondering if you had some tips on how to avoid the after holiday lull and keep appointments on the books in January and February?" ~Donna, Pittsburgh PA

This is a GREAT question that Wendy and Oscar get asked quite often.  It is befitting because the holidays are upon us so let's get down to business. Here is something Wendy and Oscar used to do after the holidays when they owned the Oscar Bond Salon. 

• You want to get together either a post card mailing or an email blast list of all your clients. A good salon will already have this handy and easily access able. So if you don't have one of these already, get on that! If you do, for the holidays, stick to the method that has worked best for you. Oscar and Wendy found that even in the age of email they still liked to do regular US Postal Mailings. People enjoy getting mail these days and after the holidays they will appreciate ANYTHING that isn't their credit card bill!
• You want to create your postcard using your logo, color scheme and message that has already been branded for your salon.  Outsourcing jobs like this to professional printers is always recommended and will give you a better return on your investment.
• On your postcard you will want to give your clients a discount, thanking them for all the support they gave your salon in the previous year.  It should read like follows: "Thank you for your continued patronage in 2011.  To say thanks, bring this card in between January 1st and February 28th 2012 and get 20% off any service. " 
• With the post card you are "killing two birds with one stone". Not only are you thanking all your clients, but you are also saving them money after the holidays.  This is a win/win for everyone involved. Your employees will have appointments, your salon will make some much needed cash after the holiday season and your clients will be pleased with the discount!

We want to thank Donna for her question and invite everyone to share their thoughts and/or something they do after the holiday to avoid the lull.  Also, below is an example of a post card Oscar and Wendy sent out from the Oscar Bond Salon in 2008. If you like what you see, feel free to contact Karen at Bedwick and Jones Printers ; (570) 829-1951 or kfritzges@bedwickandjones.com.  They would be happy to assist you with your holiday post cards as well as printing needs! Tell them Oscar and Wendy sent you!

ho hohoho ho ho

ho ho ho ho ho ho

ho hohoho ho ho    (Front)

ho hohoho ho ho

You don't need a red suit to be Santa

The Oscar Bond Salon is going to be Santa for the next two

months by giving our clients a special discount on their first

appointment in 2008. To thank you for your patronage this past

year, you will receive 15% off all services for that day. Consider

pampering yourself with one of our spa packages, or indulge in

a customized day of relaxation and beauty. Remember, the

more you treat yourself, the more you save.

[This gift can be redeemed 1/1/08 until 2/29/08. The discount is a one-time-only offer

and is not transferable. Offer excludes hair extensions and thermal relaxers.]
Happy Holidays!42 w o o s t e r s t r e e t s o h o • n e w y o r k 1 0 0 1 3 p h o n e : 2 1 2 3 3 4 - 3 7 7 7 • w w w. o s c a r
b o n d s a l o n . c o m

The Oscar Bond Staff

Welcome to Beauty by Bond

 Oscar and Wendy Bond have been so blessed to have had nothing but success in their careers.  It was such a humbling experience when they won the NAHA in 2010 for Master Stylists of the year. They felt an overwhelming sense of gratification and love for the industry on that day and want to thank everyone who has supported them throughout the years.  They  have both traveled the world with L'ANZA and have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful stylists. They are always so honored and humbled when they ask them for advice and tips on the latest trends in cutting and color and love sharing their over fifty years of experience with the world.  That's why they decided to start this blog; to give them a chance to spread that knowledge with a broader audience. 
Oscar's  motto has and will always be "We not only change our clients, but we change how the world sees them; It's a powerful thing". A great deal of people will say, "But it's just a hair cut." To that Oscar would say, " You live your life in it. It helps define you as a person.  It can say many things about you without saying anything at all. That is powerful."   With that said, Wendy and Oscar would love to help their fellow stylists by offering them some of the newest and best ways to help their clients realize their full potential.  Please email us your questions on cutting, coloring , running a salon or training staff to Oscar@thebondacademy.com.  We will be posting various blogs, answering your specific questions and offering experience and know-how on these subjects. Perhaps there is an area we haven't mentioned that you would like some light on such as make-up application or skin care?  We will accommodate those questions as well by consulting friends in the industry and getting their take on those issues.  We will also alert you on this blog of our advanced classes that we will be holding at the academy. These will offer you an opportunity to come and work with Wendy and Oscar up close and personal and get some hands on experience. 

So don't forget to email us your questions and you may be the subject of our first blog!
And remember....We not only change our clients, we change how the world sees them; It's a powerful thing.
Oscar and Wendy Bond