Edwin Johnston, KMS California artist
My favorite curly headed anecdote is when a particular client—we will call her Mary—came into the salon with what seemed like 10 times the normal amount of hair, curly as a Brillo Pad, and requested a blow dry to make it straight and smooth. Being caught off-guard on a busy day, not really considering the client’s hair, and of course considering myself a self-proclaimed “Blow Dry King,” I declared that I was up to the challenge. After all, this was just a new client in for a “simple” blow dry—easy. So I set out to give Mary an amazing experience and had her shampooed and conditioned, telling my assistant, “Be sure to use Flat Out Shampoo and Conditioner.” When we met back at my chair, I was surprised at how almost-dry Mary’s hair felt, but I began to prep the hair to be blow-dried straight anyway. Using Moist Repair Revival Creme, I worked the leave-in conditioner through her hair from roots to ends. Next, I applied Flat Out Relaxing Balm from roots to ends, combing it through to make sure every strand had product applied to it.
And so began the longest blow-dry of my 22 years in hairdressing. It took no time to remove the excess moisture, but each section became harder and harder to straighten. Finally after what seemed an eternity, Mary looked at me and lamented, “How am I ever going to do this on my own?” (I was wondering how I was going to finish it myself.) I took this opportunity to talk to Mary, and she told me her history with other stylists—how it seemed every ’dresser’s desire was to make her hair as big as humanly possible. I soon realized that no one had ever taken the time to explain how to care for her hair properly. I explained to Mary that she could wear it curly and, with the right haircut and products, could have amazing hair. After further consultation, I rewashed the hair, trimmed out the frizzy curls and left the healthy smooth curls to create an erratic layered feeling that left enough weight through the top to allow for better control. I then showed Mary how to apply product correctly. I started with KMS Silk Therapy, combing it through with a wide-tooth comb, to allow for even distribution of the product. Then I applied KMS Curl Up Control Creme, wrapping sections of hair around my fingers in a spiral manner and working from the nape up. Since that day, Mary has sent me many new clients with curly hair. Lessons learnt: Always give a thorough consultation at the beginning of each appointment, and learn how to do curly hair so that clients will seek you out!
