July 7, 2014

And You Thought A Hair Brush Was Just A Brush . . . .





I will never forget the first week of Vidal Sassoon BOOT Camp as I endearingly called it.
They threw our List of Tools "TO PURCHASE - ASAP " at us.

Y O U
NEED
to BUY THIS LIST
OR FORGET SHOWING UP

( yep, that was the ambiance of V.Sassoon; you come to appreciate it )

How many of you have one of these brushes?

I was stunned, thought I knew everything. Thought I had tested and tried every hair product and tool on the market and I would have the best loot. Ha!

Never go to school in your late 30's and think you KNOW-IT-ALL . . . .
never-never-never-never!
Because soon, you will learn how little
you do
and not just about school supplies
"life" is an even bigger SHOCK

Denman brushes were thrown at us....
a 9-Row Denman,
a 7-Row Denman,
a DenmanVent Brush,
a Denman Paddle was a bit newer and once I learned....began buying them on my own without anyone 'forcing' me to. I just don't do well with someone 'forcing' me to do anything...maybe THAT was the problem. Either way these brushes were just weird looking...and I thought these damn Brits, they just don't know quality products.

You guessed it. . . . I was wrong one more time.
I continued to be wrong much of my career at Vidal Sassoon.
Which had to do a lot with me staying on a full extra year... just Assisting, Interning, doing anything they would let me, so I could soak up all the brilliance there - - that I was just too stubborn to be receptive of that first year. I mean I could ace the tests, but until you take down a wall of " you damn Brits don't know anything" - - well you really don't learn or absorb much, I can now admit to. You only learn what is necessary to get by.
I didn't want to do hair that way.
I wanted to be the best, like I strive to in every other aspect of my life.
Miss Petty Perfect . . . yep that's me!

So anyway, lets get back to the tools they made us buy and my surprise at the list of those brushes.
There was a 'method behind their madness'..........I did discover that.
Denman brushes as goofy as they look ( now they don't to me, but I STILL remember when they did) have a Sassoon PURPOSE.... they way they are made, WHAT they are made of and HOW they are made.
As silly & lame as I thought were.....needed to be eliminated from my mind if I were to cozy up to these weird things - and get my technique down.

Denman Brushes began their long career in 1938, in London, England.
Sassoon of course began his life in 1928, in London England.
Mr. Sassoon segregated to Beverly Hills after splitting up his empire by selling the Salons and Schools to a British Duo --> Annie Humphries and Tim Hartley....and the "products" which bear his name to Proctor & Gamble the King of hair care ( and Advertising) in America.

When we were first introduced to these brushes in Hair Academy, most of us were a bit shocked. They didn’t look like anything special and frankly seemed like cheap drugstore brushes and it wasn't just me, you have kids from all over the world in classes there - everyone agreed. But, there was "no choice" in the matter - we either had them or we were "out"... that school is not very forgiving.

However, after many months of blow drying practice (which they do much too much of at Sassoon, although it turned out I was grateful for, eventually ;-), it became crystal to all of us, why this line of brushes is used.
All top European Hair Stylists (which is the home to the best hair in the world), taught with these at both Vidal Sassoon Academy’s and finally all of Denman’s brushes are used in every Sassoon Salon worldwide, exclusively.

Soon as all the Flat Iron’s slowly burn every hair off of every clients head … the use of them will slowly diminish and the Denman 9-Row and unfortunately the ‘round-brush will return to everyday use by everyone.
For the first 7-8 years I never used a round brush as Sassoon doesn’t believe in them (AT ALL!), their philosophy is: If you are a refined enough hairdresser than you should be able to get any curl or any amount of straightening one needs out of a Denman Brush – it is so much healthier for the hair …than one can get out of a round brush…..and you know what?
They are right.
100% right.
With enough practice – which you DO get there, they feel one can make the hair do anything one needs with a 9-ROW DENMAN.
They do NOT concentrate on passing the State Board Tests, while you are there (the ONLY thing regular Beauty Schools spend their time on)…Sassoon feels you should do that studying at home and on your own time, they feel anyone can pass that silly test....and again, they are right.

When you begin there... that thought is a bit daunting – - – to say the least – - – but as you become accustomed to their regimen & protocol and if you relish and appreciate ’Excellence’{as I do so very-very much} as opposed to ‘Average’…it makes all the sense in the world.

The brush you use on your hair truly is extremely important.
Every Denman brush :
  • Excellent quality
  • Easy to work with
  • Perfect for non-tangling + Styling while blow drying
Forget the Flat Iron, Bring Back the Blow Dry – your hair will love you for it!
Denman makes a huge variety of brushes – we only offer 2 right now...
but more are on their way as they have expanded their quill of weapons (wink-wink)

This is the best all around brush I have found. truthfully

For detangling, smoothing and grooming all types of medium to very long hair, try the DENMAN Paddle Brush.
Features and Benefits:
  • Air-cushioned rubber pad for gentle control
  • Ball-tipped nylon pins for comfortable styling and maximum comfort
  • Staggered pin pattern follows the contours of the head
  • Ergonomic design for balance with a textured non-slip handle
  • Ideal for scalp massages
  • Hygienic and durable with resistance to heat and chemicals
  • Made in the United Kingdom
Brush Care:
  1. Regularly remove loose hairs with a comb
  2. Wash occasionally in warm water ensuring that the air hole is covered
  3. Rinse and leave to dry away from direct heat and sunlight
Especially for the price....as much a I use my brushes,
these things last forever.
I never want to say anything but I think they are a helluva 'buy'




. . . perfect for the present economy
6 comments on "And You Thought A Hair Brush Was Just A Brush . . . ."
  1. hi, i just stumbled on your blog because i've been researching hairstyles.. it's incredible. i've been perusing your site for over an hour. this is the information about hair color, etc i've been wanting. it's so hard to communicate with a stylist when you don't know the vernacular. and it's equally frustrating for the stylist, i'm sure, when their client knows what they want, but can't express it.

    i've been wanting to do what you call paint drip color, and also considering a permanent wave, or spiral perm, or something. i searched your site for information on perms, but i wasn't finding a blog topic about them. could you give me some insight?

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  2. HI KC!

    This is my first time on your site and I have stayed up til 3:15 am reading it! It has a vast amount of beneficail information. I was wondering- what is the pH on JMO shampoo? Also, is your secret supplement one of those hair, skin, nails type? I have been long searching for solutions of obtaining long, strong, healthy hair and have had no such luck. My hair shoulder length, wavy-curly and baby fine. It is on the normal/oily side and falls out in clumps. For the past three months I have stopped using daily conditioner and have just used ECOLY tri-wheat leave in conditioner so I thought it was ironic that you were reccomending that combination as well! I have used all types of shampoos from Nioxin to Panteen, Dove, Finess, Matrix til I switched to Johnsons Baby shampoo which I used for awhile and somewhat liked. I will be trying JMO as soon as I find out the pH. Also, I would love to try Thriven but am very VERY afraid to as I feel that deep conditioners cause my hair to fall out in great amounts. My hairstylist told me to use Morrocanoil deep conditioning protein treatment once a week- I treid to leave it on my hair for 20 mins when I rinsed clumps of my hair fell out- so I mainly stay away from deep conditioning treatments. Is Thriven similar to Moroccanoil? Soryy for the long comment!

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  3. anonymous,
    thanks for your compliments . . . I do not believe in perms... and made that decision early on in my career as the quick rolling procedure necessary for the art of the perm needs to be "kept up"...and with the area I worked in ( Malibu) in 13 years I think I had 1 or 2 requests. Which I would turn down because I just don't believe in them. As a hairstylist that truly cares about my clients hair...I never wanted to apply a perm on them - - because many times the only way out of them is to cut them out. All depending on the porosity of course.
    But I had and have many clients that like to change their hair often.
    So hair health is the most important factor,
    hth
    KC

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  4. Hi KC
    So glad to find your site. I have a question. Is it okay to use Nexxus Mousse Plus.
    Your information on thinning hair is awesome. Thank you for taking the time to help so many.
    Mary Ann

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  5. jasmine,
    Nope, its not moroccan oil at all. I hadn't heard of Argan Oil till 2 years ago...Thriven has been around for many years
    hth,
    KC

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  6. My husband bought me my first Denman brush from you, KC, 2 years ago. My teen daughter has since stolen it from me - it's a great brush. Still looks good as new after heavy use. Will have to buy myself one again.

    ReplyDelete

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