During my education at the Cinta Aveda Institute, I have been assisting at the Zindagi Salon on Grant Street. Absorbing as much as I could in a real-life professional salon, I was able to perfect my skills in shampoo and style. It matters what tools you are using and, as a stylist, it is important to invest in the right tools. Although it may be pricey to have the perfect arsenal while in school, saving up and acquiring sturdy tools will help you save in the long-run, as cheaper tools, non-specific for hairstylists, will break or deteriorate faster. More expensive tools will produce better results and last you longer. The saying is true in this case: You get what you pay for. Be savvy and shop around; you can find discounts if you look hard enough.
Personally, I enjoy using the ceramic round brush, specific for volume and shine. My guests so far have all enjoyed having voluminous “Texas Hair”. This calls for the Aveda Pure Abundance line, which comes as both shampoo and conditioner to create grit and texture, allowing the hair to be more full. I like to be generous with the volumizing tonic, it’s my go-to for every style. It’s a sweet-scented spray, heat-activated, and helps the root elevate creating a nice 60’s beehive look reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. I like to keep the crown last, and when working on the section, spritz the tonic at the root of the hair again after blow drying the rest of the head. Then I divide the crown into sections small enough and narrow enough to fit my brush, then blow dry upwards making sure the root gets blasted with heat. I make sure to have a nozzle on; that concentrates the heat to flow directly onto where I’m concentrating to create volume. Hair has a memory, when you wet the hair and dry it into a certain shape, this shape will stay until you wet the hair again, so blow drying upwards will coax the hair at the crown into feeling and looking fuller. Pin these sections into curls as if you had hot rollers with small clamp clips. Pin at the root. Finish off the crown and let cool dry, then take those curls out, and spray them with some Air Control hairspray to maintain this style during the day.
There you have it! My perfect blow-out for any day of the week and any occasion.
Student resources
