Upcoming Color Forum!

I will be having a private Color Forum class on September 28, 2015 here at Salon Ratay in Lake Mary, FL. The class starts at 10:00am and concludes at 5:00pm. I have had five previous color forums, so this makes the sixth. The day will be filled with an in depth conversation about haircolor. We will review topics I've discussed in previous classes such as the difference between MEA and ammonia, “organic” haircolor, and the new technology called ME+ which is a derivative of PPD and PPT, but also we will discuss different topics such as hair color application processes like permanent and demi permanent grey coverage, foil tecniques such as baliage and sombre, the hair color oxidation differences in hair color formations, and fundamentals of a business such as pricing, budgets and marketing. I love teaching classes at my salon because it is such an intimate setting. Everyone can actively participate, as well as ask as many questions as they can think of without having such a huge crowd. I feel like my students and even I walk away with much more knowledge of every aspect of the hair color industry. You do not want to miss it!

Tuition cost is $199.00 per person. We are pleased to offer our “Friend Package”. Bring a colleague or industry friend and their tuition is $99.00 when you purchase a full price ticket.(a savings of $100.00) Call Salon Ratay at 407-320-5151 or email salonrataymanager@cfl.rr.com for more information.

Check out our website www.salonratay.com for any other information!

Orlando Premiere Beauty Show

This year’s Orlando Premiere Beauty Show was bigger and better than ever before. It also happens to be the biggest beauty show put on in the country every year. Premiere also puts on Premiere Columbus and Premiere Birmingham which are always the largest every year followed by Orlando. The show floor has a mass amount of exhibits from booths on salon software, building business, color manufacturers, salon furniture, and of course my favorite booths on face and body products. I actually spent a bit of time in the PCA (Physician's Choice of Arizona Company) booth looking at all of their new products, wishing I could own all of them.

Additionally, there are stages for all categories of beauty such as hair color, hair design, makeup, and many more. Many people come to watch experienced professionals share their knowledge on their spin on their talented skill. There were even some special events such as fashion shows by Paul Mitchell and Keratin Complex that are always exciting to watch. I had one of my color conversation lectures on one of the color stages on Sunday morning. The audience was filled with over 200 talented hairdressers; it’s always rewarding to share my knowledge with them.

In even another section of the convention center where Orlando Premiere show was held, there were many classrooms where you could take a class on basically anything you wanted to learn or increase your skill on. I had two classes of my own just like most of the shows I go to about my Haircolor Applications, Techniques, and Trademarks. When I was not teaching my classes I got to sit in a class through a company called Summit. The class was on business building which was refreshing to listen to new ideas and reinstate others. Christina the teacher spoke on topics such as the front desk, customer service, and livelihood of a successful business. It really helped me take a look inside my own business to make changes to improve and make it the best it can be.

Overall the weekend at Orlando Premiere Beauty Show was a great one. I had a great lecture and two, three hour hands on classes. It’s always rewarding to me to help other hairdressers think differently about hair color.

Image Expo Houston 2015

For the past show I went to, I traveled to the Lone Star State for Image Expo hair show in Houston, Texas. It was an exciting weekend filled with a few curve balls. Although, they ended up being an exciting learning experience for me.

Jennifer Aniston's baby lights technique.

The show in Houston started with my color conversation on Sunday from 9:30am to 11am. We discussed the trends in 2015 such as the sombre, which is here to stay. The sombre is different from the ombre because it is a much softer version. I would almost describe it as the marrying of colors instead of such a huge contrast in the midlengths and ends in the ombre. Another trend is called baby lights this year; Jennifer Aniston looks amazing with this trend. Baby lights incorporates soft delicate pieces that, unlike sombre, go from the scalp to the ends. A more complex version of the baby lights would be incorporating many of these highlights which are around the same level such as 6, 7, and 8 or 7, 8, and 9. I love my color lectures and the hour I have always seems so short.

I also had two hands on classes which ended up being over sold. It was a great thing but I was very stressed because I was really only prepared for half the amount that showed up. When I found out the night before the class, I had so much anxiety I couldn’t sleep. In the morning I planned a solution to have stations, and oh my…it was one of the greatest ideas I have in a long time. Since my classes are usually long being 3 hours the stations made the time break up and time went by quickly. For an hour and a half I described the techniques and demonstrated so the attendees would be able to repeat the same process. Then going from station to station, experienced attendees wouldn’t have to take as much time on each mannequin head, but newer students could take as much time as they wanted and add more foils. It was a huge AHAH moment for me, and I knew it was meant to happen because I am definitely running my classes that way from now on. Then to end my class we had an intimate Q and A which is always my favorite part. I love conversing about color and even more about business. It so interesting to me to hear from people what works in there salon and what hasn’t. It’s beneficial to all of us business owners to see how other businesses run and maybe even learn something.

I left so enthused about how a bad situation turned in to such a good solution. Beth Minardi and I also got together for dinner. We went to a great place called the Groove. I had a mouthwatering chicken with crisp chardonnay. We chatted about the new studio Beth just opened in New York, and how excited I am to I will be joining on a monthly basis. Houston was definitely an eye opener and a great experience. I also have recently heard about the floods there and my hearts and prayers go out to everyone and their families living there.