Wednesday – 26 October 2011

What I did: Yesterday, I went to see Penny mainly to catch up and simply talk about our plans for the upcoming month. We researched, together, some things on cosmetology (nothing in particular) on a website that Penny uses whenever she needs anything or has questions about something. Manikins, scissors, capes, etc. are a few of the things you can buy from the website. We decided that we would meet up sometime in the beginning of November to start cutting my manikins hair!

Reflection: Talking with Penny really helped me to feel at ease about this whole project. Things have been rather hectic at home with the sudden death of my grandfather and my sisters car accident being so close together. I have noticed I am behind in school, and senior project just adds to the stress. Penny’s positivity and excitement helps me feel more confident with myself and makes me feel like this will actually be a successful project.

Time: 45 minutes

 

Wednesday – 19 October 2011

What I did: After I bought my manikin, I wanted to talk to Penny about it. I filled her in on what had happened since the last time I saw her. I told her that I had bought my manikin, where I bought it, and how much it had costed. We discussed when would be a good time for us to actually start working on the manikin; we decided to meet up sometime in the first week of November.

Reflection: Now that I have gotten all my materials and am ready to get this thing done… I’m getting really excited! I cannot wait to actually start cutting! I feel like I’m in so much control and the best part about doing this is  because of the fact that I don’t even need a license to do it! I’m pretty psyched about November coming up!

Time: 20 minutes

 

Tuesday – 18 October 2011

What I did: For thirty minutes, I sat down in front of my computer and just researched! I spent fifteen minutes researching actual hair cutting techniques and the steps of the cut I plan on doing on my manikin. It was brought to my attention that I need a pair of scissors in order for me to be able to do my product! Go figure! Luckily, my sister works in a hair salon so I won’t have to invest in a pair of scissors, but definitely in a manikin, which is what I spent the other fifteen minutes researching; I looked up beauty supply stores that carry manikins. I learned that Sally’s, a beaty store, carries them and decided (since I had the money) to go ahead and buy it. When I got to Sally’s, I spent another thirty minutes talking to the sales rep. about why I was buying it and she helped me pick out the best choice for my particular situation.

Reflection: Based on the research I have done, I think that cutting hair shouldn’t be too difficult. I know that with long hair, you are supposed to cut the perimeter first and then move on to layers and tapering around the face. I want to do this with my project facilitator standing right beside me. I want to know if I’m doing something wrong so I can get help fixing it. If I do it all by myself and mess up, I might have to spend more money to buy another manikin, which I don’t have. One manikin alone costs $40.00! Every time I do some research or gain knowledge on this topic I feel more comfortable about it. I like the fact that I was able to just browse the web about anything and everything that looked interesting to me on the topic. Now that I have my manikin, I guess I should start cutting!

Time: 1 hour

 

Friday -14 October 2011

Me and Penny after she was done cutting Melanie's hair

What I did: Walking into Penny’s salon, I was anxious to start learning about how to cut hair. As we waited for Penny’s client to come in, we discussed a little about my genre. She told me that generic shampoos are mainly made up of water and the PH levels differ tremendously. When Penny’s client, Melanie, came in, I sat down in Penny’s desk and began observing/asking questions. Penny began the service by washing Melanie’s hair to create a clean palette to work on and I learned that to get a more precise cut, the hair must be wet. After Penny was done washing Melanie’s hair, Melanie sat in the chair and Penny began cutting. Because Melanie’s hair was short, I was taught that you begin with the interior of the hair and cut perimeter last otherwise you will have to redo the perimeter, which will make the hair shorter. Penny began cutting Melanie’s hair by finding the highest point on her head then pulling the hair out in a 90 degree angle. She began from the crown and worked her way down; she used that as a guide to cut all the way to her ears. When she got to the front, she began using a new guide so Melanie wouldn’t end up with a bowl cut. I noticed that Penny was “point cutting” Melanie’s hair. This is a technique that hairstylists use to create more texture in the hair which will help give the hair more volume. At the end of the cut, Penny also used thinning shears to thin out Melanie’s hair and help blend the layers. Penny finished off by adding volumizing foam and blow drying it out.

Reflection: It may not sound like a whole lot of fun, but I really enjoyed just sitting there and watching Penny do what she does best. I learn better when I watch things being done for the first time; observing Penny’s actions and letting her explain what she was doing as she went helped me better understand the art of cutting hair. I learned many new things that I didn’t know before and got to ask questions on the things I was unsure of. I think that the cut I plan on doing on my manikin won’t be as hard as cutting short hair. Short hair requires many layers which can easily be messed up. I really enjoyed just observing. It was a calm atmosphere and I received a lot of free knowledge!

Time: 1 hour