Do you notice that every season there seems to be a rebirth of the pony tail? It’s a back-to-school look in fall, a chic switch from daytime to the holiday party in winter, a prom option in spring and, now, here we are approaching summer for the usual need to give clients a tidy way to keep their necks cool. I think it’s well worth your time to play with different pony tail looks on mannequins and in your hair styling classes.

The tail of the moment, as evidenced on celebrities lately, starts with a pouf on top before being gathered into an anticlimactic teardrop of hair. By giving clients the proper products and teaching them how to create this look, you become valuable to them as a source of trendy options they can really use.

But as with any discussion about their hair, you have to listen to what your clients tell you they need. Do they want a perfectly neat look? A messier, textured tail? You have endless styling choices. You can spread that pony tail so wide it turns long hair into a deceiving bob; you can add hair extensions to bolster length or volume, throw a braid into the mix or color the hair to accent the pony. Don’t forget accessories! You can tie that tail with everything from the hair itself or a simple black band to butterflies, bows and barrettes. It’s a look for the ages—and for all ages.

Speaking of makeovers as I did in the previous post, I want to alert you to a different type of makeover competition. If your salon could use a bit of an overhaul, you might want to enter Redken’s “Reinvent Your Space” Salon Makeover Contest, open June 1 through July 31.

It’s worth entering just to receive the book, Reinventing Space: The Clear Logic to Successful Salon Design and Retail Merchandising, by Peter Millard, which Redken promises to send free, in hardback, to everyone who enters. One Grand Prize winner will receive new fixtures for the salon after a full design consultation with the author of the book, plus two tickets to the 2009 Redken Symposium in Las Vegas. You’ll have to pay for your own airfare and hotel, but you’ll have tickets to three classes for two days of hair education. You also can win a private “Step UP!” course with salon business coach Michael Cole for your salon’s entire staff.

To enter, you must submit a one-minute video of your salon—you can use youtube.com if you want—and answer a few questions, including 500 words on why your salon could use some reinventing. Even if you don’t win, I think it’s productive to go though that type of exercise now and then. So often we think, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But updating a salon periodically is critical to staying relevant and keeping clients interested in coming back. Click here to go to the contest page, and good luck!

You know how much I love makeovers. I was checking out some dramatic makeovers online when the photos confirmed what I see again and again on shows like “What Not to Wear”: properly applied makeup is key. Lining the eyes, arching the eyebrows, choosing the right lip shade to play up sexy poutiness, smoothing out the skin’s fine lines and dark splotches—all of the makeup artist’s tricks make that face come alive. Frame it in an amazing hair style, and you change your client’s life. So if you haven’t had a makeup lesson for a while, I suggest adding it to your continuing cosmetology education.

The online makeovers that got me thinking about this—find them by clicking here—present attractive women who have carried their undisciplined long hair into their 30s and 40s. Surrounding the increasingly middle-aged face, the teen look doesn’t play well. The article offers five classic shapes to transform these women from blah to bravo: the bob, the shag, the pixie, long hair with fringe, and long layers. Add vibrant color, highlights or gray coverage to those five cuts, plus the makeup, and you have a recipe for success with every client.

When you check out the site, read what each woman says. As you know, a new look is all about how amazing it makes the client feel. She loves feeling younger, having more energy and receiving compliments. When you have the hair education to match the cut to the person, that’s what you do for people!

I’ve been seeing various silver linings in this recession. As I always mention, one is that you may have time now to take classes in hair cutting and coloring to keep your skills sharp. But also, sometimes I notice a way for you to directly make up for any income loss. This particular silver lining shines on appliance sales.

In 2008, sales of salon appliances increased by 8.5 percent, more than three times the industry’s growth of 2.8 percent, according to the 2008 Professional Salon Industry Appliances Study. Conducted by Professional Consultants & Resources, a salon industry strategic consulting firm, the study attributed the impressive rise in sales primarily to “huge increases in home hair styling during the recession, mainly due to the use of ionic dryers and flat irons.” Other factors were “new product innovations, higher premium prices and general upgrading to new appliances.” Specifically, curling and flat iron sales rose 25.5 percent, blow dryers grew 10.2 percent and clipper/trimmer sales also saw increases.

Retail can’t take the place of your service earnings. But if clients are stretching their appointments, they’ll require not only the proper appliances but also color protection shampoos, deep conditioners, sunscreen and hair ornaments. As long as they’re going to purchase these products and tools somewhere, it might as well be from you. Further, these sales give you a chance to gain clients’ trust and demonstrate your expertise by teaching them how to do their hair at home. Can’t hurt to ask!

The salon industry suffered a great loss on May 6 with the death of Toni&Guy and TIGI cofounder Guy Mascolo. A sudden heart attack stole Guy from us at age 65 while he was still very much involved in salons, product manufacturing and hair styling education. About ten years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Guy, originally from Italy, for inclusion in MODERN SALON’s cover story naming our selection of the 75 most influential educators of the 20th century. With brothers Toni, Bruno and Anthony, Guy launched the highly respected Toni&Guy Academies.

“The first time we were asked to teach, we didn’t even have a school,” Guy told me. “We were in London and had gotten very popular all of a sudden. So when we were asked to give a class we turned our Mayfair Salon, which was quite small, into a school.” Years later at a hair show in Rome, his brother brought him on stage by surprise. “I got a standing ovation and I didn’t even do a cut!” Guy marveled. “I couldn’t speak. It was such a surprise, but it was wonderful.”

When I asked how Guy would like history to regard him, he responded: “I’d like to be remembered for developing good, precise hair cuts, but also for helping to maintain the femininity and softness of a woman. In this sense, we’ve always stuck to our guns despite the trend of the day.” Guy will be remembered for all of that and so much more.

I don’t think there’s a better way to let people know that you truly can perform miracles than to show them before-and-after shots of your most dramatic work. The next time a disaster walks into your station—hair that’s bushy, overprocessed, way too long or badly colored—try to get a photo! You don’t want to insult the client, of course, but during the consultation you’re bound to talk about the major changes you would make. Then you can say, “You know what would be fun? To take before-and-after shots! A lot of my clients do that. I have a camera right here.” Make sure you have a photo release form prepared so you get in writing permission to use the person’s image to promote your business.

Your website is the perfect place to post the pics, because it’s a free and easy way to recruit new clients. You also can devote a wall in the salon or a photo album in the reception area to makeovers, but while that’s inexpensive it’s seen only by people who already are in the salon. If you’re spending money on advertising anyway, try using the makeover shots in an ad. I bet you’ll bring in a new segment of clientele.

Promoting yourself in this way requires a certain level of confidence. Make sure you take regular hair classes and practice on mannequins with all types of hair. Click here to check out a page of one salon’s makeovers. You can do that!

The other day while interviewing a high-earning hairdresser and exploring how she managed to do so well, I asked her how quickly she worked. I tend to find that stylists with the highest incomes fall into one of two polar groups: those who spend forever with their clients, making them each feel special and pampered., and those who whip through the day with double bookings and 15-minute cuts. So I was interested in this stylist’s response.

“There are two speeds we can work at,” the stylist told me. “There’s teaching speed and salon speed. The reason a lot of hairdressers don’t make more money is that they never get past working at teaching speed.” So, okay, she’s in the quick-service camp. I’ve seen either extreme do very well, but those with fast fingers have certain advantages since there are only so many hours in the workweek.

Let’s assume that the recession will end, and clients will come pouring back in. If you’re working at “teaching speed,” or the speed you used when you were learning a technique, you will be much less productive than if you’re working at salon speed. Take hair classes to discover some new tricks, and then practice, practice, practice. Obviously you’ll be able to book more appointments in the hours you have available, but you’ll also have time to explain the benefits of professional products, fit in an impromptu eyebrow wax or talk about the client’s friends who might want to be referred to you.