This episode is dedicated to exploring the essential tools that every hairstylist, especially those in their first year, should have in their toolkit. We’re talking about the importance of each tool, how to shop for the best quality, and my best advice for maintenance and use.
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This episode is dedicated to exploring the essential tools that every hairstylist, especially those in their first year, should have in their toolkit. We’re talking about the importance of each tool, how to shop for the best quality, and my best advice for maintenance and use.
Can I ask you a favor? If you enjoy the show, will you follow us and leave a 5 star review? This helps our show move up in the charts to help more stylists. Thank you!
Welcome to the Aspiring Stylists Podcast with Tracey Franklin. Where to begin, grow and aspire to become the best stylist you can be. Whether you're thinking about becoming a stylist opening a salon, or developing your skills as an experienced stylist the next step of your beauty career starts here. Each week we'll discuss strategic ways to design, plan and execute on becoming a stylist that excels behind the chair and above the bottom line. Here's your host, Tracey Franklin.
Tracey Franklin:
This episode is dedicated to exploring the essential tools that every hairstylist, especially those in their first year should have in their toolkit, we're going to be talking about the importance of each tool, how to shop for the best quality, and my best advice for maintenance in use. Let's be honest, there aren't a lot of recent graduates out there starting out with the most advanced and most expensive equipment out there. If you're lucky, you can score some of these beauties as graduation gifts or maybe you're able to purchase them yourself. Either way this industry and everything about it continues to evolve every day, including the tools that you will use. So even if you start out with the most current stuff out there, something better will be along before you know it. So no need to feel like you have to spend a ton of money or go into debt starting out. There are a few things that you can invest in to make sure you're set up for success and producing the best results possible. If you're planning on using some of those dole shears that you used all through school on mannequin heads, I'd like you to consider an upgrade or at least get them sharpened before you hit the salon floor. Good shears can make your cuts look better and they are usually more economical meaning better for the stylist and for the longevity of your hands and wrists. Same thing goes with good finishing tools, professional blow dryers and hot tools are made of with the professional in mind. These companies understand the demands of a busy stylist and they build these tools to last and they're also much more user friendly for the stylists who's going to be using them all day long. Lightweight blow dryers and long barreled curling irons with automatic shut off are a few examples of things that make my life easier. Let's revisit shears for a minute. There are so many options out there, it's really easy to get overwhelmed. A few favorites around my salon or shark fin Hanzo and arc shears. All of these companies have a wide variety and a wide range of pricing. In my opinion, every stylist needs a five and a half to six inch cutting shear. I prefer a swivel thumb for ease of use and for being able to get in those tougher angles and harder to reach areas. You're also going to need a good texturizing shear for blending and removing bulk and for one of my favorites, the razor for those really fun high texture styles. Now again, this is a baseline for starting out you should definitely keep investing in additional sizes and styles whenever possible. A dry cutting shear is great for finishing touches and can't be beat for cutting hair extensions. I absolutely love my dry cutting shears. You will also need a good pair of clippers and trimmers. cheap ones don't last and tend to rest more easily. Not to mention they pull your client's hair which is really uncomfortable. So how do you even know which shear is right for you? What size what handle tie? What does it need to be made out of? Well, luckily you don't have to figure all this out on your own. There are great stylists and barbers out there that are willing to give you the lowdown on their must haves free information from people you admire readily available on social media every single day. Just watch out for those paid partnerships. They are getting paid to tell you how great things are. So you may not get the whole story and do a little bit of independent research yourself to make sure those shears or that blow dryer are really what you're looking for. Lastly, once you've made your investment take care of your stuff. Keep your shears cleaned, oiled and stored properly. And this goes for all of your cutting implements. Ooh, let's move on to combs and brushes. So when it comes to combs and brushes, guys, the options are endless. But a few things that every stylist should have are three to four tail combs. You're going to use these all the time for sectioning, foiling and all types of hair extensions. You're going to want some longer cutting combs for those guests with all the hair. Smaller cutting combs and taper combs are great for shorter hair and those hard to get areas around the ear. When it comes to brushes, you're going to need a variety. Each brush is going to do something totally different. A wet brush is my go to for detangling. The flexible bristles are comfortable for the guest and prevent the hair from snapping when it's wet and its most vulnerable. a paddle brush is great for flat wrapping and smoothing out the hair while blow drying it Do I recommend round brushes in a few different sizes the length of the hair will dictate the size you need along with the desired result. If you want a lot of volume, a large round brush at the root is perfect. If you're trying to add bounce, then a smaller one will really help you show up all those layers. The materials and metals that your tools are made up do matter. So make sure that the quality is there. carbon steel and stainless steel is a great choice for your shears. It's durable and easy to sharpen. Carbon combs are much stronger and are going to hold up really well for heat styling. For your round brushing, I prefer a ceramic base with nylon bristles. The ceramic provides consistent heat distribution while the nylon bristles are great for providing enough tension to really get in there and add the volume and create this amazing smooth finish. Proper maintenance is important for all your tools as is keeping them cleaned and sanitized. Don't leave your tools in the barbicide for days on end. And please do not pull a brush full of someone else's hair out of some dirty water to use on your next client. Make sure you know what the state board regulations are for your state and follow them closely. Let's talk styling tools. Choosing a blow dryer can feel really really hard. I mean, there are so many to choose from. I want you to choose a lightweight, easy to hold one that is professional grade. Other than that the preferences are entirely up to you. But my personal favorite is still the Dyson. It's lightweight, it's quiet, and it dries the hair quickly. But it's also $500. So if that's not an option yet find one you think you will like and make sure it has a warranty and a return policy just in case it ain't all that for curling irons. I love my bio ionic one inch long barrel. I do a lot of hair extensions. So the long barrel really works for me. There are other great brands out there as well. So look for the ones that are made with Tourmaline for the best results at tourmaline. Flat Iron is another great multi use tool you can straighten you can smooth the hair out and you can even curl with one as long as it has those nice, smooth beveled edges. To be perfectly honest, I'm far less picky about these and usually bounce back and forth from a CI iron to a Sambi iron. So what sort of features should you be looking for when you're selecting your styling tools? Some people think brand names really matter. No matter what brand of styling tools you choose, please make sure that they have automatic shut off and an adjustable thermostat. Start low and only increase the heat when you have to. Oh, and please don't forget your heat protectant as far as clips, and capes and aprons and gloves, spray bottles, color bowls, all that they're often overlooked, but they are essential items in a hairstylist toolkit. Now I'm not going to go into too much detail about these because all of that is really up to preference. Just make sure you have them and make sure they're clean. And before you buy a ton of stuff, check and make sure that your salon isn't going to be providing a lot of things that you plan on purchasing. I do I provide a lot of things I've mentioned. But that doesn't stop some of the stylists from purchasing their own items simply because they prefer a certain brand. And that's totally okay. The longer you work behind the chair, the more preference you're going to find and the tools you're using. I believe brand does matter for a lot of things. popular brands have become popular for a reason. People purchased them, they love them, and they prefer them. So there's nothing wrong with trusting a well known brand. For that reason. One of my barber students came in after Christmas with this amazing backpack that stores and organizes and transports all of his tools back and forth. It was so cool. Everyone absolutely loved it. We came over we looked in there we couldn't believe what a cool thing this was. Honestly, I didn't even know it existed. If you know you're going to be carrying your toolkit with you a lot, this might be a good purchase for you. It's not a great idea to just throw your things in a bag all loosey goosey. It's not safe, and it's really hard on your tools. So what about budgeting for all this? Well, this can sound like a lot, right? And if you're buying it all at once, it won't be cheap. But the good news is you don't need it all at once. Focus on the basics and create a budget for adding things to your toolkit when it makes sense to do so. Maybe you use graduation or birthday money or maybe you save all your tips. Whatever you plan to do keep it fun by not stressing out about it and do your research. In closing my advice to stylist on buying quality tools is please remember that more expensive doesn't always equal better quality. There are a lot of options out there for the money savvy barber and stylist who's just starting out.
Morgan Franklin:
Thank you for joining us on this episode of anytime soon. The Aspiring Stylist Podcast with Tracey Franklin. If you enjoyed listening and you want to hear more, make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts. The Aspiring Stylist Podcast with Tracey Franklin is a Morgan Franklin Production. Today's episode was written and produced by Morgan Franklin editing and post-production by Mike Franklin. Want to find out more about Tracey and the Aspiring Barber and Beauty Academy go to aspirebarberandbeauty.com