Beautiful Lengths of Love

One of the most amazing things we get to be a part of at the

Salon at Kids Club is hair donation.

Not only is it so much fun to see a transformation,

but it also is extraordinary to see kids give something of themselves to

a cause without hesitation.

At the salon we support both Locks of Love and Pantene Beautiful Lengths;

two incredible organizations trying to help those who have lost so much

regain a sense of normalcy.

 

Pantene Beautiful Lengths:

Pantene Beautiful Lengths was created in 2006

to help women who have lost their hair

 due to cancer treatments.

“We created Beautiful Lengths because healthy hair means a lot to us, and the appearance of healthy hair means so much to women battling cancer.

We want to be there for women when looking and feeling healthy is so important to them.

 As one breast cancer survivor put it,

‘It was very hard when my hair started falling out.

It really takes away who you are when you look in the mirror’.

Many of the women we help say that putting on a wig

makes them feel like themselves again. And when you donate your hair to the cause,

you’re helping make that happen.”

(http://www.pantene.com/en-US/PanteneBeautifulLengths/Details/beautiful-lengths-about-the-program.aspx)

Locks of Love:

Locks of love achieved its charity status in 2007.

They provide hair pieces to financially disadvantaged children in the

United States and Canada.

Most of these children have lost their hair from Alopecia Areata,

a disease which has no known cure or cause.

The current president, Madonna W. Coffman,  suffered from this disease, but it wasn’t until her 4 year old daughter lost her own hair from the same disease that Coffman knew

she needed to be a part of an organization that changed her life.

“Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy

to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails

to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children.

The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need”. (http://www.locksoflove.org/)

These two charities help people fighting battles that could be made easier

with something as simple as hair.

Giving them something that most people take for granted,

hair which can help them feel less isolated

and more like a regular healthy individual.

Party Outside With Us!

Summer is just around the corner!

I am so excited to go outside and enjoy the music and style your child's hair this year. Guys, come get a faux hawk with the color of your choice. We have awesome Joico Spikers gel that colors and styles hair, and washes out at bath time! Girls always enjoy getting braids and pigtails, topped off with our Glitterati sparkles. 

Did you know, every time your child gets a hair cut at 

The Salon at Kids Club they get the same special styling? 

It's true!

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I love seeing all the familiar faces every year and love getting to meet new kids too. The Salon at Kids Club table at Summer Concert Series has been a great opportunity for people to discover our salon, many of the kids I have met there have become our regular clients after meeting us there!

Visit the Kids Club table right next to us for fun and free kids activities every night too!

Located in the U Village parking lot in front of 

The Ram and The Apple store.

Every Wednesday starting July 13th through August 17th

from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

I hope to see everyone at Summer Concert Series this year!

-Leslie 

Rachel's Recommendation for Swimmers Hair

As summer approaches here in the Northwest, two things come to mind, long warm summer days and spending time in the pool. Swimming was always one of my favorite pass times as a kid. I spent most of my summer days in my grandparents pool and, boy did it take a toll on my hair! By September it was tangled and green and I would have to get a bunch cut off to make it healthy again. Now, as a stylist, I have found there are a few easy things we can do to help prevent the chlorine from damaging our children's hair. 

First, get their hair completely wet in the shower. The hair will soak up the clean, unchlorinated water, and will not soak up as much chlorinated pool water.

Second, when they are done swimming it is best to shampoo with a swimmers shampoo before the hair has a chance to dry. Once the chlorine dries in the hair it is much harder to get out. My two favorite brands of swimmer shampoos are: So Cozy and California Baby. The So Cozy smells great, like fresh apple, and many clients have told me the California Baby has helped their child's hair to return to it's original beauty.

[left to right: California Baby Swimmers Condition, California Baby Swimmer Shampoo, 

So Cozy Swimmers Shampoo, Surf's Up Zero Knots Detanger]

Last, but maybe the most important, CONDITION! I know it can be hard to get an extra step done on a child, but swimmers shampoo opens up the outer layer of the hair (the cuticle) and you need to use a good conditioner to smooth it back down. If you don't, you won't be able to get a comb through it! My favorite is the Surfs Up Zero Knots detangler. This conditioner is lightweight but slick. It won't weight th hair down and get the tangles right out. A spray detangler is great for getting tangles out on non-washing days, but is not enough to smooth the cuticle down after a swimmers shampoo. Just a quick wipe of conditioner through the ends and a rinse, can save you a lot of tangles and tears in the end.

I hope with these tips, your little darlings will have beautiful, chlorine free hair all summer long.

-Rachel

 To help you get ready for swimmers season, for the 
 month of June all swimmers hair care products are  
 20% off! 

Great Styles for First Communions

Last week, we had the pleasure of doing special occasion hair styles for 6 young ladies for their first communion. We had so much fun creating fun styles that suited each girl.

Here are three of them:

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Eleanor wanted something sleek and pulled back, with just one bouncy curl in the front. Elizabeth incorporated braids, curl, and a bit of volume in the back for a very cute and  modern first communion hair style.

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Mia wanted it all pulled up and a cascade of curls. The pretty hair clip she brought with her added the final touch to the great hair style Leslie created for her.

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Fiona wanted a playful mix of traditional ringlet curls and modern braids. Rachel fastened the headband veil that Fiona brought in for the final touch, and she was ready to go.

-Elizabeth, Leslie, & Rachel

Schedule an appointment with one of our talented stylists for

 your next special occasion! 

Call or drop in to have a consultation about the hair style you'd like. 

We would love to help you create exactly what you want.

(206) 524-2553

Check out our website and facebook for more information about 

The Salon at Kids Club and to view more great photos of our hair cuts and styles.

facebook: http://on.fb.me/imRqZu

website: http://bit.ly/iD8r2s

1st hair cut, locks of love, and a birthday!

Last week, I had the cutest little girl in my yellow taxi cab! Adriana came in with her family for not only her first hair cut, but it was also her 3rd birthday, and she donated 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love! She came in with long flowing curls and left with a super short and cute stacked bob! She was such a pleasure to have in the chair. She was such a good listener for her first hair cut, if I didn't know better I would have thought she had been getting hair cuts for years.

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 I hope to see you again Adriana!

-Megan

How to Prevent Head Lice Using Rosemary Repel Products

'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.'

-Ben Franklin

Lately, it seems that a 'Lice Outbreak' notice is going home to parents every month. What are you supposed to do to keep lice from infecting your children and home?

Here are some helpful tips from 
Fairy Tales Hair Care for Children:

TIPS TO PREVENT HEAD LICE Avoid head to head contact at school and home. Do not share clothing, hats, scarves, sports uniforms and helmets,                                coats and hair accessories. Do not share combs and brushes or towels. Do not lie in beds, on couches or car seats that have recently been in                        contact with an infested person. Lice are usually spread thru head to head contact and less frequently  by lice that crawl. Preschool and elementary-age children, 3-11, and their families are infested most often. Girls get head lice more often than boys.  In the United States, African-Americans rarely get head lice. Personal  hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with  getting head lice.

TO PREVENT RE-INFESTATION

• Do not worry about furniture sprays, they are useless. Vacuuming the areas such as floors, carpets, bedrooms, and couches is sufficient. Don’t forget to vacuum car seats!
• Wash the bedding each morning in hot water. Dry on high heat for at least 20 minutes.
• Store all stuffed animals, large comforters, etc. in a sealed plastic bag for 2 weeks.
• Soak combs and brushes in Lysol or rubbing alcohol for at least 1 hour.

Watch this helpful video about using Fairy Tale products:

For more information about lice or Fairy Tale Rosemary Repel products visit their website:
http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=107

Hooray! We have a new appointment system!

You may or may not have noticed that in the past we kept our salon appointments on a hand written monster of an appointment book. It was very hard to write notes about specific hair cut instructions, write last names that are longer than 'Smith' and read tiny phone numbers to do reminder calls.

We have finally come into the future!

Here is what our future looks like!

It will take a bit of time to get all of our clients added into the new system, but soon when you call or stop by to make an appointment, you will only have to tell us your child's name and we will be able to look up the rest. We even have the option of keeping photos and instructions for how you like the hair to be done. For example: clippers #2 on the sides, and #3 on the top, or a stacked bob with the front layers to the chin, or even if they like braids or spikes at the end, or if they really don't like the blow dryer.

The next time you check in for your haircut you will be asked to fill out a form with your info. Your privacy is VERY important to use so we will not share this information with anyone else. We will now be sending your confirmation via email and sms text message. If you would still like us to call you, we are more than happy to, just let us know.

Please bear with us as we make this transition. It may take us a little while to get the hang of everything, but we promise this new system will be MUCH better! We now even have the option of keeping track of customer loyalty points, so we may be doing something fun with that in the future.

Leslie Loves Faux Hawks!

Faux Hawks are still in style!

Use kid-friendly products from The Salon at Kids Club to get your kid's hair to

ROCK THE HAWK!

It's a really fun style for boys, young and old.

Surf's Up Wax is great because you can re-mold it throughout the day. So when your little man gets up from a nap, just run your fingers through his hair, and it will perk right back up! For rock star status add a little color to your finished faux hawk with Joico Spikers Gel!

-Leslie

My favorite product for spiking up hair is:

Surf's Up Texturizing Wax

Don't forget!

A super cool style is always included as part of your child's hair cut at The Salon at Kids Club! Get braids and sparkles or a spiked up faux hawk the next time you come in!

Rachel's Rewarding Clients

"I answered the phone one day, about 8 years ago. I was new to the salon. The woman on the other end of the phone explained to me that she had been in the store with her grandson a week or so earlier and that he must have taken notice of one of the hair stylists 'She had pink hair,' she said, 'I found him in his room today trying to color his hair with a pink crayon.' She explained that her grandson had never had a haircut in a salon before. She had always done his haircuts herself, at home, because of his autism she had always thought that the experience would be too overwhelming. For some reason he had taken an interest in the stylist with pink hair, and she thought she would take a chance and come in. They made an appointment with me. Since they had seen me last I had changed my hair color, but for the day of the appointment I used a temporary spray-on color to make my hair pink again, just like he remembered. The first haircut lasted about 10 minutes, and I only did a quick trim around the back and up and over the ears. I worked calmly and quietly, and he sat silent. They booked another appointment with me about 4 or 5 weeks later. The second haircut went a little better than the first, I was able to get a good trim all over. When they arrived for the third haircut I heard 'Hi Rachel,' which was such a great surprise! He is now 14 and has been getting regular haircuts from me ever since. It has been a great pleasure to see him blossom over the years. We now have conversations while he is getting his hair cut, he asks me how I've been and what's new, and tells me what's going on at school. I will gladly cut his hair until he is an old man, if he wants me to."

-Rachel

Since this first, fateful, client Rachel has built many request clients of varying special needs and has received many referrals from the parents of her current clients when their friends are looking for someone to cut their child's' hair. She is able to sense each child's personal level of comfort and her calm approach helps ease each child into the routine of getting a haircut.

It's a gift, talent, or blessing... whatever you want to call it Rachel has it, and we are glad to have her at The Salon at Kids Club!

Helpful tips for kids haircuts!

Here are a few helpful tips for the day of your child's haircut from the stylists at The Salon at Kids Club:

• Before your child's first haircut introduce him/her to a hair dryer and spray bottle at home to get them familiar with these objects so that they don't seem scary on the day of the haircut.

• Have dad show your little guy how his beard trimmer works and insure them that it doesn't hurt. The day of the haircut avoid saying that the trimmers 'tickle,' it makes kids scrunch up their neck, in anticipation of feeling something tickle them, and makes trimming the back of their neck difficult.

• Oh no! You forgot your camera on the day of your child's first haircut! Don't worry, we always take a photo of your child and save a locket of hair in a keepsake card for you to take home. If you would like a few more photos taken of the process we will try our best. Just let us know how we can help.

• If your little one has a favorite toy or blanket that they never leave behind, be sure to bring it. We, of course, have lots of toys and books for them to choose from here as well.

• Bring you child's favorite snack in a spill-proof container, like a Snack Trap, to divert his/her attention during the haircut. We have lollipops, fruit snacks, temporary tattoos, and balloons for a job well done after the haircut.

• Keep your child's daily routine in-mind when scheduling his/her next haircut and pick a time of day when they are usually at their most calm and relaxed. If they are usually cranky right after nap time, or tired when you pick them up from school try to avoid scheduling a hair appointment for those times. We want their haircut to be a fun experience for each child to look forward to.

• Most importantly, Stay calm. If you are relaxed, your child is much more likely to be relaxed too.

Don't get silly on me!

Most everyone has heard of Silly Bandz, but before Silly Bandz there was 'Silly Spray.' Silly Spray has been around The Salon at Kids Club for about 2 years now, however Silly Spray is not for sale. It's my little invention to make kids feel more at ease when I am spraying their hair with water before I begin to cut it. Silly Spray is simply the water in our spray bottles. If kids think that you are spraying them with water, often times they will get upset or scared and it turns what is supposed to be a fun experience into something not fun at all. My solution? I say to them, 'This isn't really water! This is my silly spray - I hope it doesn't make you too silly!!!' This usually brings a smile to their face and then they aren't afraid of the water bottle. All of the other stylists make fun of me but, hey it works!
-Jody