“Going green” is becoming more and more popular, and people from all walks of life are finding ways to make their lives more eco-friendly. As a beauty professional, you’re in a position to make a huge difference right in your very own salon. Think about it. Plastic product containers tossed in the garbage, incredibly high water and energy usage, and chemicals being washed into water supplies are not doing the planet any favors. So try a few of our suggestions to make your salon a “green” salon!

Recycle

You’d be surprised how many items in salons can be recycled but aren’t. Shampoo and conditioner bottles, hair color tubes and styling product containers can all be recycled. In an effort to do their part to save the environment, Origins Cosmetics will accept and recycle cosmetics packaging from any brand as a part of their Return to Origins Recycling program. To recycle other beauty packaging, visit Earth911.com to find a recycling center near you!

Save Energy

Though energy efficient hairdryers and styling tools are not yet a reality, you can still save energy throughout your salon. For starters, you can swap your traditional lighting out for florescent or LED bulbs. Check out Eco-Lite for energy efficient lighting made specifically for salons. Go the extra mile and turn off lights in areas of the salon that aren’t being used. Another great way to conserve energy is to unplug styling appliances from the wall outlet when they’re not in use. Even if the appliance isn’t on, it is still pulling energy, so unplug it!

Clean Green

Chemical cleaning solutions are big culprits when it comes to hurting the planet. Changing to eco-friendly cleaning supplies is a simple way to make your salon more green. You don’t have to compromise cleanliness and sanitation with natural cleaning products. Try the products from All Green Janitorial Products to keep your salon sparking clean without harming the environment. You can also take old, hair color-stained towels and use them to clean surfaces instead of using wasteful paper towels. Be sure to wash your salon’s towels with eco-friendly laundry detergent and softener to keep things green.

For more tips on making your salon more earth-friendly, visit PlanetGreen.com.

What steps has your salon, spa or cosmetology school taken to “go green”? Share!

No, we’re not marketing a new breakfast cereal, we’re just reviewing a month of stories that made the grade for all our beauty biz divas and dexters. Some stories are from here, some from elsewhere.

Ever hear a beauty tip that you knew was bull chip? Back in December we tracked some wack facts that turned out to be anywhere from slightly misquoted myths to outrageous fabrications about beauty. Heard a good one lately?

On Jan. 7, Beauty Schools Directory took a look at the wow factor apps from the fruit factory. Apple’s iPhone app farm has been growing in every direction, covering media needs for everything from pharmacology, to driving directions and now, the beauty biz, including the virtual face lift app. Are you ready for your close up? Mid-December brought us another swanky beauty trend from overseas that the FDA just can’t wrap their heads around – eyelash perms. Are brushes just not enough anymore?

Everyone seems to love “Going Green” but when dying your hair blonde, it’s probably best to avoid makeup mismatches. Check some hair hue do’s and don’ts that can keep your follicles focused and your face fresh. Tired of fighting your spiral curls in a quest to make them straight? Take two of these and call me in the morning. Bobbi Brown wants you to stop hiding your flaws and instead focus on your features with her “Pretty Powerful” cosmetic line launch, with an invitation for unique women to send videos of how they get their look and why they love it. Green salon products aren’t trendy, say stylists from all over the country, they’re simply healthy. If you had to work with beauty products for hours a day, you would care about which beauty ingredients to keep away from, too.

Finally, we know you’re reading, but wouldn’t you also like to be writing? We cover tips about how to use your creativity to keep readers interested  in your beauty blogging.

See you next month!

With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and a host of other gift-giving holidays coming up, there is the inevitable stress of trying to find special presents for everyone while sticking to a budget.

This year my budget is small, and because I don’t want to be the lame gift giver, I plan on making some quality presents for my loved ones.  Beauty never goes out of style so I have found several do-it-yourself recipes for beauty treats that will benefit the body.  Not only will they help to save some money, the ingredients are all natural!

Bath Jelly: I had never heard of bath jelly before but this looks fun and it’s easy to make.

Ingredients:
•    ¾ cup water
•    1 envelope unflavored gelatin
•    ½ cup liquid soap (unscented)
•    A few drops of your favorite essential oil

Directions: Bring water to a boil and add gelatin.  Slowly add in essential oil and liquid soap.  Pour into a glass container (jelly jars are cute!) and place in refrigerator for 24 hours.  When ready to use, put a spoonful or two under running bath water for a bubble bath treat.

Milk Bath: This recipe is very easy to make, and the finished product can be very beneficial for the skin.  To give as a gift, leave out the water.

Ingredients:
•    1 cup powdered milk
•    ½ cup cornstarch
•    2 cups hot water
•    ½ teaspoon peppermint oil (or your favorite essential oil)

Directions: Layer the ingredients in a glass jar and include instructions to add water.

Moisturizing Hair Oil: Adding a few drops of this oil to hair can help keep it moisturized despite the dry winter climate, and smelling yummy!

Ingredients:
•    1 oz. rosemary oil
•    1/8 oz. lavender oil

Directions: Combine the two oils and store in a dark container.  To use, apply just a couple of drops of oil to your hand or hairbrush and run through your hair.  Enjoy!

As a present or future cosmetology or esthetics professional, chances are you have an arsenal of unique talents and a strong creative mind. So in the Internet Age, how can you share what you have to offer and gain a wider fan base? The answer could lie in blogging!

Recently, I came across an entertaining blog called The Daily Nail that inspired me to think about what makes a blog fun to read. Though the author of The Daily Nail does not claim to be a professional nail artist or technician who has graduated nail technician school (just a nail polish addict), she has committed herself to creating 365 new nail designs in 365 days. So even if ninja nails or mustache nails aren’t your thing, you may be able to find a novel nail polish idea within these webpages.

Now do you feel inspired to start up a blog of your own? First, think about what you’re good at - executing great hairstyles, trying out new makeup looks, or just doing wacky beauty things. Creating your own blog could be the perfect way to put yourself out there, and even gain devoted clients and readers.

Need some tips for your own blog? Here are a few ideas to get started:

1. Get creative. If you’re a current cosmetology student, try to think of an offbeat, unusual or humorous way to show off your talents.

2. Make it visual. Incorporating photographs, videos or pictures can catch the eye and keep people reading.

3. Be yourself. Keep your writing fun and personal - as if you were just hanging out and chatting with your friends.

4. Showcase your talents. Show your readers what you’re great at, and present it in a way that makes them want to pay cash-money for your services!

5. Free advertising! There are tons of websites all over the Internet that can host your blog for free (two of my favorites are Tumblr and Blogger). Some sites that display advertisements may even pay you for blogging.

Now, it’s time to take the web by storm! We’d love to hear about your blogging experiences, so tell us what you’ve tried, or share your blog with the group.

Everybody seems to be going green, and it is becoming popular in the beauty industry as well.  A green beauty market can present exciting cosmetology career opportunities in an ever-growing market.  Here are three different ingredients that should inspire you to incorporate more green products into your own beauty regimen.

Parabens: Parabens are used as preservatives in many beauty products including shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, and cleansing gels.  They can cause allergic skin reactions and have been found in breast cancer tissue samples.  Although the link between cancer and parabens needs further research, it is generally agreed that this chemical is responsible for a wide variety of skin irritation.  Avoid paraben by checking for ingredients like methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben or butylparaben.

Phthalates: Phthalates can be found in many beauty products including nail polish and deodorant and are linked to birth defects.  Unfortunately this chemical is not listed on product labels, and can only be detected through laboratory analysis.  Avoid phthalates all together and buy organic! You can also make your own beauty products at home.

Fragrance: Fragrance can be responsible for breathing difficulties and allergies.  Although thousands of different chemicals are permitted to be used in fragrance, they do not have to be listed on the product label.  Cosmetics that use fragrance can contain 50 to 100 chemicals.  Further, fragrances can easily penetrate the skin and are often made of chemicals derived from petroleum.  Petroleum has been linked to skin irritation. Avoid excess fragrances when considering green beauty products.

Not only do green products help to protect the environment, they are also key to maintaining superior health.  Possible side effects of chemicals used in beauty products can be extremely detrimental to both human and environmental wellness.

As the popular green trend continues to push forward, it is important to stay on top of recent developments.  Beauty school can help you understand organic and natural beauty innovations, enabling business success and growth.  Going green in the beauty industry is a promising way to meet client demands in a new market.

What has science done for the beauty industry lately, you ask?

Well, for one, scientists in Australia have recently discovered a “curly hair gene,” AKA the trichohyalin gene. This gene, discovered by scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), is the one responsible for creating straight or curly locks.

Based on research done in Europe by Professor Nick Martin and Dr. Sarah Medland of the QIMR, 45 percent of Europeans have straight hair, 40 percent have wavy hair and only 15 percent have curly hair. As a curly-haired guy, himself, Professor Martin wondered what genetic variations were responsible for hair texture.

To learn more about these genetic processes, the team analyzed data collected from a 30-year study of 5,000 twins in Australia. When the twins’ genome maps were compared, twins exhibited the same types of variations in the trichohyalin gene depending on if they shared either curly hair or straight hair.

What else has Professor Martin concluded? Because the trichohyalin gene creates an amino acid change, which in turn influences the hair’s texture, it may be possible to develop treatments to make hair straighter or curlier as an alternative to heated hair straighteners or chemical hair treatments like perms. Maybe someday soon, we’ll all be popping pills instead of ironing out those curls every day or heading to the salon for a perm. (Of course, you could always embrace your natural curl instead!)

Science. What will they think of next?

One whiff of hair dye and you know that the stuff you are breathing in cannot be good for you.  That nasty smell is most likely ammonia: a chemical that preps hair strands to receive color.  Ammonia used in hair color can cause a variety of side effects including:
• Coughing
• Nose and throat irritation
• Skin and eye irritation
• Destruction of hair cuticle
• Damage of Tyrosine in the hair shaft

But don’t worry! Starting in 2010, hair coloring fanatics can opt for hair color sans ammonia without sacrificing results.   L’Oreal will be introducing “Inoa”, their professional ammonia-free hair color line.  Inoa, (Innovation no ammonia), replaces ammonia with a combination of monoethanolamine, oil-based gel and a cream developer.  And after years of research, L’Oreal claims this formula to be as effective as traditional ammonia hair color.

Although Inoa is about 10 percent more expensive than the current L’Oreal hair color line, this new method of hair care can be expected to replace the current L’Oreal Professional line if preliminary trials are successful.  Inoa will be available in 50 shades at salons in the United States and Canada starting January 1 - Just in time for a healthy hair New Year’s resolution!

Photo of Kevon Gordon by Kurt Miller of the Press-Enterprise

Do state cosmetology boards have stringent enough rules and regulations to protect their licensed business owners from racial discrimination?

According to a recent story in the LA Times, several Moreno Valley, California barber shop owners, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) settled a lawsuit charging that the predominantly African American businesses were the target of racial profiling by local law enforcement.

The barbers claimed police, accompanied by California state cosmetology board inspectors, raided their businesses without warrants and unjustifiable cause. One barber said the police questioned his clients about their criminal backgrounds. When another barber objected to a warrant check, he was handcuffed and held in a squad car for 10 minutes. In some cases, minor violations of cosmetology licenses were found, but nothing the barbers felt should have incited armed police raids on the businesses.

In an April 2008 press release by the ACLU, Kevon Gordon, a Moreno Valley barber who’s been in business for more than 20 years, said , “Officers treated my employees and customers like criminals simply because of the color of our skin. It was sickening.”

In the court documents, barbers claimed their reputations in the community had suffered, and business has declined as a result of these raids.

Police and state cosmetology board officials denied any wrong-doing or racial profiling, however the settlement has forced the California state board to “adopt stringent new rules against discrimination and limit joint inspections with local police.”

What do you think about the events that happened to the barbers in Moreno Valley? Do you think the police and inspectors were wrong to raid the barber shops? Do you think this was a case of racial discrimination?

So, you got the dead skin nibbled off of your feet by fish, your eyeliner is permanently tattooed to your eyelids and we’re not even going to discuss all of strange face mask concoctions you’ve tried. What’s the next logical step on your quest toward beauty? Eyelash perms, obviously.

Eyelash perms start with rollers imported from Japan – the rollers come in around 5 different sizes depending on how curly you want your eyelashes. Each eyelash is wrapped around the roller using adhesive. Next, a diluted perm solution and a neutralizer are applied. The end result? One less step in your morning beauty regimen.

Although yesterday was the first time I came across this eyelash perm trend online, spas in the U.S. have been doing this treatment, which began in Japan, for at least a couple of years. The perm lasts around 4 to 8 weeks, which is the time it takes for your eyelashes to grow.

It should be noted that eyelash perming is not yet FDA approved, so make sure you are seeing a trained, licensed cosmetologist or esthetician if you decide to get these services. If you’ve had any experiences with eyelash perming or performed eyelash perms, let us know what you think!

Myth 1: Rubbing lemon on your teeth makes them whiter without damaging them.
FALSE. The citric acid from lemons will make them whiter, but it also wears away the enamel. Don’t make this a habit!

Myth 2: Special shampoos can fix split ends.
FALSE. Special shampoos that rehydrate your hair will only work to prevent damage after you cut your split ends off.

Myth 3: Sunscreen is unnecessary on a cloudy day.
FALSE. Clouds are just made of water droplets. And just like you wouldn’t forget sunscreen coverage for playing in the pool, neither should you for an overcast day. UV rays are the problem-causing light frequency and can easily penetrate any amount of cloud cover. Cover up!

Myth 4: Eating chocolate causes breakouts.
FALSE. As long as you don’t overdo it, chocolate is part of a healthy diet. Diet plays a very distinct role in skin problems. The best way to promote a healthy complexion is to eat a diet rich with anti-oxidants, nutrients, Vitamin E and simple carbohydrates.

Myth 5: Wearing acrylic nails too often will destroy your real nails.
FALSE. They actually do a pretty good job of protecting your real nails. However, you can certainly do damage to your real nails if you try to get acrylic nails off improperly, like picking them off piece by piece. Treat your acrylic nails with the same respect you give your real nails, and everything will be fine.

Got any more beauty tips passed to you that turned out to be bunk? Let us know about them!