Growin’ a goatee
In Puerto Rico every guy has a goatee. We went there. I can home with a goatee as my souvenir. I lasted nearly a week. It was driving me batty. By the 7th night I could not sleep. Itchy, scratchy, drove me nuts. I am not destined to have facial hair. It came in nicely. More dark then white. Comments were running positive. My sons were upset. The little guy thought I looked creepy. The big one was just jealous. At 16 he cannot grow a mustache fast enough. He wants a soul patch. Maybe I can build him one from hair clippings since he cannot as of yet grow his own.
Reminds me about the Gaotee Svaer. Have you seen this thing. Neat-O invention. I saw it at a show last fall. Refer to the link below. Interesting item. Well made. A solution in search of a problem? Maybe. But it would sell in Puerto Rico. Every guy is a potential customer.
http://www.goateesaver.com/
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Page views through the roof.
Page views through the roof...
My page at my online book publisher’s web site tracks my page views. Normally I track about 100 page views per week. This past week I was over 640 page views. Interesting coincidence that I was on vacation for the week… doing nothing to drive page views. Someone must have posted a link on a beauty industry related site and I am getting a lot of click through traffic. I checked my http://www.clipperguy.com web site. Click outs from there to my book page are at the same level as usual. There is a slight delay from page views to book sales, so it will be interesting to see if all this additional view traffic results in a higher level of sales. This will indicate if the gateway that is sending the traffic is sending realistic prospects or just traffic. At first I though I might be a featured title from the publisher on their page… that would explain lookie loos… and few real sales.
Stay tuned… the mystery will be solved. Mean while… Go there. Have a look. Buy a book.
http://www.blurb.com/clipperguy
P.S. Since I typed this we are on to the next week... page views are running ahead this week, but not at last weeks level... but definitely ahead of "normal". Hmmmmm? Interesting... Stay tuned.
My page at my online book publisher’s web site tracks my page views. Normally I track about 100 page views per week. This past week I was over 640 page views. Interesting coincidence that I was on vacation for the week… doing nothing to drive page views. Someone must have posted a link on a beauty industry related site and I am getting a lot of click through traffic. I checked my http://www.clipperguy.com web site. Click outs from there to my book page are at the same level as usual. There is a slight delay from page views to book sales, so it will be interesting to see if all this additional view traffic results in a higher level of sales. This will indicate if the gateway that is sending the traffic is sending realistic prospects or just traffic. At first I though I might be a featured title from the publisher on their page… that would explain lookie loos… and few real sales.
Stay tuned… the mystery will be solved. Mean while… Go there. Have a look. Buy a book.
http://www.blurb.com/clipperguy
P.S. Since I typed this we are on to the next week... page views are running ahead this week, but not at last weeks level... but definitely ahead of "normal". Hmmmmm? Interesting... Stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 9, sidebar
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 9
I am not alone.
So I have embarked on the cutting my own hair mission. I am having fun. I am learning. I am not alone. Just a short while back I was asked by an family member… Mom’s first cousin’s husband If I could get him a clipper…. He wanted to start cutting his own hair. Or, more precisely, he wanted his wife to cut his hair. So I got him a clipper. Just last week I got a great phone call. He had asked her to cut his hair. She was busy, told him to wait. He was impatient, decided not to wait. He decided to have a go at it himself. Apparently things did not go too well. She did what she could to fix, blend, salvage. Bottom line, she had a good laugh. She told me he has a very short clipper cut for now and it will have to grow in. I am not alone in my efforts to cut my own hair. I am, however, having a bit more cusses. Hope I am not speaking too soon.
I am not alone.
So I have embarked on the cutting my own hair mission. I am having fun. I am learning. I am not alone. Just a short while back I was asked by an family member… Mom’s first cousin’s husband If I could get him a clipper…. He wanted to start cutting his own hair. Or, more precisely, he wanted his wife to cut his hair. So I got him a clipper. Just last week I got a great phone call. He had asked her to cut his hair. She was busy, told him to wait. He was impatient, decided not to wait. He decided to have a go at it himself. Apparently things did not go too well. She did what she could to fix, blend, salvage. Bottom line, she had a good laugh. She told me he has a very short clipper cut for now and it will have to grow in. I am not alone in my efforts to cut my own hair. I am, however, having a bit more cusses. Hope I am not speaking too soon.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 8
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 8
Vision Quest
So I am all set up in the haircut area in the basement. My hair is clean and dry. I have the bathroom mirror down there with me. The light is good. Problem is, I cannot see my hair. I can not cut the sides with my glasses on. I can not see my head without my glasses. Problem. How am I going to work around this. Upstairs I go to the bathroom. Do I still have a pair of old contact lenses? Do I have any fresh and not outdated solution? Lenses and solution could be my solution. Ten minuets later I am back down in front of the mirror, eyes dry and blinking a lot. I am not used to contacts, but I can see my head and my glasses are not in the way. Who would have thought that cutting my own hair would be such a complicated undertaking? If I was cutting your hair we would have been finished a long time ago and on to something else… which gets me thinking… I have the three world haircutting records for cutting OTHER peoples hair. Is there another record in my future for cutting ones own hair? If there is than I have a long way to go to get my speed up.
Vision Quest
So I am all set up in the haircut area in the basement. My hair is clean and dry. I have the bathroom mirror down there with me. The light is good. Problem is, I cannot see my hair. I can not cut the sides with my glasses on. I can not see my head without my glasses. Problem. How am I going to work around this. Upstairs I go to the bathroom. Do I still have a pair of old contact lenses? Do I have any fresh and not outdated solution? Lenses and solution could be my solution. Ten minuets later I am back down in front of the mirror, eyes dry and blinking a lot. I am not used to contacts, but I can see my head and my glasses are not in the way. Who would have thought that cutting my own hair would be such a complicated undertaking? If I was cutting your hair we would have been finished a long time ago and on to something else… which gets me thinking… I have the three world haircutting records for cutting OTHER peoples hair. Is there another record in my future for cutting ones own hair? If there is than I have a long way to go to get my speed up.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 7
I cut my hair again tonight. I am starting to get the hang of it. You can just now begin to see that my disaster of a haircut is starting to grow out in a positive direction. Today's tip number 5 is actively at work on my project at this point.
Tip Number 5 - Work in Sections - From my live shows one of my popular sayings is, “how do you eat a rhinoceros?” The answer, of course is, “one bite at a time. You have to break it down. The whole head is just too much. One of the first things that professional hair cutters learn is to break haircuts down into small, clean sections. Cut just that single section. Cut it carefully. Cut it well. Then use that section as a guide for the next one. By working in sections you have better control. This is almost part in parcel to tip number 4, Keep it Simple. If each section is just a small haircut, a good full haircut is just made up of a bunch of good little haircuts.
Over the years I have had a few clients on which I never cut a full haircut. They would come in more frequently than most. Each visit we just cut a part of the haircut. Just the top on this visit. Just the sides on the next visit. Just the back the time after that. Four or five visits and we were back to the part we cut five visits ago. I have a feeling that this is how my haircuts are going to go. This time I cut most of it. I am going to take my own good advice and do just single sections at a time over the next few outings.
Tip Number 5 - Work in Sections - From my live shows one of my popular sayings is, “how do you eat a rhinoceros?” The answer, of course is, “one bite at a time. You have to break it down. The whole head is just too much. One of the first things that professional hair cutters learn is to break haircuts down into small, clean sections. Cut just that single section. Cut it carefully. Cut it well. Then use that section as a guide for the next one. By working in sections you have better control. This is almost part in parcel to tip number 4, Keep it Simple. If each section is just a small haircut, a good full haircut is just made up of a bunch of good little haircuts.
Over the years I have had a few clients on which I never cut a full haircut. They would come in more frequently than most. Each visit we just cut a part of the haircut. Just the top on this visit. Just the sides on the next visit. Just the back the time after that. Four or five visits and we were back to the part we cut five visits ago. I have a feeling that this is how my haircuts are going to go. This time I cut most of it. I am going to take my own good advice and do just single sections at a time over the next few outings.
Monday, April 13, 2009
NW Hands-on format debuted
WoW!
I debuted a new hands-on workshop format today. It went over very well. The attendees were thrilled, although they did not know it was a new, piloted program as this was their first opportunity to experience a workshop with me.
The new format covers a lot.
We covered:
shear style cutting, spool texturizing, backhand layering, skip guard tapering, clipper-over-comb, 4 min fade technique, flat top cutting... a whole lot in just 3 hours.
I will use this NEW format for the hands-on workshop o Sat in Orlando at Premiere, June 6. Spaces still available http://www.premiereshows.com for more info and to register.
I debuted a new hands-on workshop format today. It went over very well. The attendees were thrilled, although they did not know it was a new, piloted program as this was their first opportunity to experience a workshop with me.
The new format covers a lot.
We covered:
shear style cutting, spool texturizing, backhand layering, skip guard tapering, clipper-over-comb, 4 min fade technique, flat top cutting... a whole lot in just 3 hours.
I will use this NEW format for the hands-on workshop o Sat in Orlando at Premiere, June 6. Spaces still available http://www.premiereshows.com for more info and to register.
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 6
Tip Number 4 - Keep it simple - This should be obvious, but is it not always the case. Do not try to take a head of hair from long, past the shoulders to short and sassy as your first cut. Start with little things. Trim a pair of sideburns. Clean up a neckline. Shorten some bangs. Try small, simple things first. As you become more familiar with the use of the tools and the way hair responds you can ease your way into complete hair cuts and more complicated makeovers.
I trimmed just my sideburns first. Then I got bold and tapered just the front corners. This is why the recent haircut was such a big deal. Even with 21 years of professional experience, 2 licenses, barber and cosmetology, and 3 world haircutting records a full self haircut was to be a big deal for me. BTW, I did not event try to trim and clean up my own neckline. That task was delegated to my wife. For this cut I was to cut most of it. Most of it, that is, except for the front edge. I will not likely need the front edge cut until the beginning of the second Obama administration. This was the biggest whoops of the last paid haircut. His final cut, so to speak, was to comb the front edge straight down and lop it off. The front edge is ALWAYS the longest hair on my head. At least that is how it is supposed to be.
I trimmed just my sideburns first. Then I got bold and tapered just the front corners. This is why the recent haircut was such a big deal. Even with 21 years of professional experience, 2 licenses, barber and cosmetology, and 3 world haircutting records a full self haircut was to be a big deal for me. BTW, I did not event try to trim and clean up my own neckline. That task was delegated to my wife. For this cut I was to cut most of it. Most of it, that is, except for the front edge. I will not likely need the front edge cut until the beginning of the second Obama administration. This was the biggest whoops of the last paid haircut. His final cut, so to speak, was to comb the front edge straight down and lop it off. The front edge is ALWAYS the longest hair on my head. At least that is how it is supposed to be.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 5
Tip number 3 - Work in good lighting. Good lighting is just the basic title of this tip. It goes well beyond lighting. For most home haircutters this is the first place where they go wrong and as such they start at a disadvantage. The expanded tip would be to cut in the best possible overall environment. The kitchen is too dark. The bathroom is too cramped. The wind in the yard on the back deck will mess with the hair. No one wants all that hair in the living room. You will never stop finding clippings in the room you choose. My best suggestion for home haircutters is to cut in the garage. We can worry a bit less about the mess. We can set up temporary lighting. We have plenty of room. Good lighting will fill in shadows and give your best chance to see what you are cutting. If you live in a warm climate and can put up the overhead door this will let in all the light you will ever need. Unless you are doing this at night.
I have a haircutting area already set up in my basement where I cut my kids and wife, my brother-in-law and any other home cuts I do. The tools are there. The light is good and the power is ready.
My biggest issue was to be the mirror. I do not use a mirror much when cutting. Despite the fact that this is one of the most important principles I teach when instructing others. Use your mirror as the cutting tool it is intended to be. I do most of my cutting on stage for the benefit of others. I have developed the ability to do much of my cutting without a mirror. Seldom, in educational circumstances, do I have a mirror even if I need one. Fro my own haircut I will need one.
The wall mirror in the guy’s bathroom upstairs would be the mirror of choice. It easily comes off the wall and is light enough to move easily. It can be positioned on the counter where I have y tools. This will work well. The light down there is good since I had repositioned ht ceiling cans for the haircutting I normally do.
I have a haircutting area already set up in my basement where I cut my kids and wife, my brother-in-law and any other home cuts I do. The tools are there. The light is good and the power is ready.
My biggest issue was to be the mirror. I do not use a mirror much when cutting. Despite the fact that this is one of the most important principles I teach when instructing others. Use your mirror as the cutting tool it is intended to be. I do most of my cutting on stage for the benefit of others. I have developed the ability to do much of my cutting without a mirror. Seldom, in educational circumstances, do I have a mirror even if I need one. Fro my own haircut I will need one.
The wall mirror in the guy’s bathroom upstairs would be the mirror of choice. It easily comes off the wall and is light enough to move easily. It can be positioned on the counter where I have y tools. This will work well. The light down there is good since I had repositioned ht ceiling cans for the haircutting I normally do.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 4
The story continues.
Tip number 2 - Work with decent tools. There is no need to spend a lot of money on top end professional hair cutting scissors. At the same time, it will be easier to get good results with something better than the kitchen shears that you used to dismantle a chicken last night. A basic pair of home hair scissors can be had for under $10 and a home clipper kit is under $20. Basically you can have good tools to work with for about the cost of one bad haircut experience. You own the tools. With proper care they will last a good long time. Look at it this way. Your first home cut is break even on the $. After that they are all really FREE. Any Sally Beauty Supply store can get you hooked up with good tools inexpensively.
Of course, I own some of the best hair cutting tools in the world. This was a natural for me. But be sure, I was thinking, “all the great tools in the world and I can still mess this up”.
Tip number 2 - Work with decent tools. There is no need to spend a lot of money on top end professional hair cutting scissors. At the same time, it will be easier to get good results with something better than the kitchen shears that you used to dismantle a chicken last night. A basic pair of home hair scissors can be had for under $10 and a home clipper kit is under $20. Basically you can have good tools to work with for about the cost of one bad haircut experience. You own the tools. With proper care they will last a good long time. Look at it this way. Your first home cut is break even on the $. After that they are all really FREE. Any Sally Beauty Supply store can get you hooked up with good tools inexpensively.
Of course, I own some of the best hair cutting tools in the world. This was a natural for me. But be sure, I was thinking, “all the great tools in the world and I can still mess this up”.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 3
Ivan Zoot and the adventures of ClipperGuy cutting his onw hair - The saga continues. It is both the tale of my own hair cut but also a living lesson for yours. Read on...
A review of my ClipperGuy top 5 tips for successful home haircutting starts with this one:
Tip number 1 - Work with clean hair. A shampoo the night before or just prior to a haircut makes the hair easier to work with. Hair that is free of styling product and scalp oil will section better, lay more naturally and be easier to work with. You do not want the hair to be wet and dripping, just clean and towel dried, damp.
For my haircut experience I was cutting my hair at the end of a long day. The gel was all brushed out and the basic look/shape of the cut was in place. I had run wet fingers through my hair to put it where I wanted it. Since this was to be a clipper cut I was to work with drier hair. The basic shape was there and this was not to be a full revamp of my look, just good steps in a better direction.
A review of my ClipperGuy top 5 tips for successful home haircutting starts with this one:
Tip number 1 - Work with clean hair. A shampoo the night before or just prior to a haircut makes the hair easier to work with. Hair that is free of styling product and scalp oil will section better, lay more naturally and be easier to work with. You do not want the hair to be wet and dripping, just clean and towel dried, damp.
For my haircut experience I was cutting my hair at the end of a long day. The gel was all brushed out and the basic look/shape of the cut was in place. I had run wet fingers through my hair to put it where I wanted it. Since this was to be a clipper cut I was to work with drier hair. The basic shape was there and this was not to be a full revamp of my look, just good steps in a better direction.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 2
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 2
Home haircutting has been everywhere lately. Blame it on the economy. Blame is the wrong word. It has been a very good thing for my economy and Andis’ business. Sales of home haircutting kits are way up. Traffic on YouTube for the cutting videos is up. People are looking to save a $ anywhere they can. Home haircutting is an easy choice. My motivation was not $. I would gladly pay a bunch more for a great cut. I am just like everyone else, though, I do not want to pay a penny for a bad one. My reason for thinking I should cut my hair was purely based in frustration.
With a keen business eye focused on home cutting and its current opportunities I have been working on ideas for me and Andis. I am leaning towards home cutting as my real opportunity to make the leap from “fame” and awareness within the industry to broader appeal to the masses of the hair covered world. Might there just be opportunity for a “celebrity hair cutter” who has risen through the ranks of the professional side of the business to carve out a niche as the savior of the everyman haircut and the aspiring, frustrated home hair cutter?
To that end I have been prepping for TV opportunities and print articles by crafting my “ClipperGuy top 5 tips for successful home haircutting”. These not only will form the basis for my efforts to propel the topic into the mainstream but also as guideposts for my personal adventure.
My next five blog entries will list these tips. Stay tuned as the story progresses.
Home haircutting has been everywhere lately. Blame it on the economy. Blame is the wrong word. It has been a very good thing for my economy and Andis’ business. Sales of home haircutting kits are way up. Traffic on YouTube for the cutting videos is up. People are looking to save a $ anywhere they can. Home haircutting is an easy choice. My motivation was not $. I would gladly pay a bunch more for a great cut. I am just like everyone else, though, I do not want to pay a penny for a bad one. My reason for thinking I should cut my hair was purely based in frustration.
With a keen business eye focused on home cutting and its current opportunities I have been working on ideas for me and Andis. I am leaning towards home cutting as my real opportunity to make the leap from “fame” and awareness within the industry to broader appeal to the masses of the hair covered world. Might there just be opportunity for a “celebrity hair cutter” who has risen through the ranks of the professional side of the business to carve out a niche as the savior of the everyman haircut and the aspiring, frustrated home hair cutter?
To that end I have been prepping for TV opportunities and print articles by crafting my “ClipperGuy top 5 tips for successful home haircutting”. These not only will form the basis for my efforts to propel the topic into the mainstream but also as guideposts for my personal adventure.
My next five blog entries will list these tips. Stay tuned as the story progresses.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Cutting my own hair - Chapter 1
So, after 21 years in the business it has finally come to me cutting my own hair. Over the next few blog entries I am to tell to story of just how we cam to this point in my technical development and the actual adventure of the cut and its results.
Stay tuned. it is to be an interesting trip.
As many friends and readers know I get frequent haircuts. During my shorter phases I am known to get a cut every week. Some times I go to my favorite barber in the neighborhood. he is amazingly skilled but a bit slow on the cutting. haircuts are long. The wait can be long, but the cuts are PERFECT. Well worth it at times. If I am to be on TV there is nowhere I would go besides Roy.
Lately I have not had the time or the location to go to Roy. Lately I have had a few less than ideal haircuts. The last one was really bad. The quote from a co-worker was "like a cross between Eddie Munster and Wolverine". Not good.
Recently Andis has seen an upsurge in the sale of home haircutting kits. We have sold them for years and their volume has grown with the company. In recent quarters, though, with the softening of the economy, home haircutting has become a fashionable way to shave the budget and save a few $. I have long been an advocate of home haircutting. I do not believe in the past it has cut into salon traffic... different groups of folks. Now, though, I can see it might be making a dent.
So, between the recent issues I have had and the recent surge in this as a legitimate option for more and more folks it was time for me to give it a go.
At the very least, I figured, I am supremely more qualified than most to attempt this.
Stay tuned. More to come.
Stay tuned. it is to be an interesting trip.
As many friends and readers know I get frequent haircuts. During my shorter phases I am known to get a cut every week. Some times I go to my favorite barber in the neighborhood. he is amazingly skilled but a bit slow on the cutting. haircuts are long. The wait can be long, but the cuts are PERFECT. Well worth it at times. If I am to be on TV there is nowhere I would go besides Roy.
Lately I have not had the time or the location to go to Roy. Lately I have had a few less than ideal haircuts. The last one was really bad. The quote from a co-worker was "like a cross between Eddie Munster and Wolverine". Not good.
Recently Andis has seen an upsurge in the sale of home haircutting kits. We have sold them for years and their volume has grown with the company. In recent quarters, though, with the softening of the economy, home haircutting has become a fashionable way to shave the budget and save a few $. I have long been an advocate of home haircutting. I do not believe in the past it has cut into salon traffic... different groups of folks. Now, though, I can see it might be making a dent.
So, between the recent issues I have had and the recent surge in this as a legitimate option for more and more folks it was time for me to give it a go.
At the very least, I figured, I am supremely more qualified than most to attempt this.
Stay tuned. More to come.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
NEW Scissorboy video
This is the latest video from Scissorboy:
http://scissorboy.com/video/?episode=20
The hair color portion is a bit dry... but the dual comb cutting technique is one I have seen before and have used myself. it is actually a better clipper technique than it is a scissor technique. When you watch, imagine you were using a clipper instead of a scissor... Wouldn't it work even better? Yes it would. Try it today... Dual comb clipper cutting... but do not use a clipper comb.. use large cutting combs as he does in the vid.
Have fun.
Try something new.
http://scissorboy.com/video/?episode=20
The hair color portion is a bit dry... but the dual comb cutting technique is one I have seen before and have used myself. it is actually a better clipper technique than it is a scissor technique. When you watch, imagine you were using a clipper instead of a scissor... Wouldn't it work even better? Yes it would. Try it today... Dual comb clipper cutting... but do not use a clipper comb.. use large cutting combs as he does in the vid.
Have fun.
Try something new.
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