Cutting Only - No Colouring?

[Sammi74]

Hi Geeks, advice please! i am a mobile stylist and I have always been more confident and happy with Cutting, i love it. Colouring on the other hand I find not enjoyable and even a few years into my career I still really don't like doing it, I am ridiculously nervous about it, I don't mind highlighting but I lose sleep if I have a new client who wants a colour! I'm not intending on going to work in a salon (as my family commitments don't fit in with normal hours) so I am happy to keep being self employed
but thinking about not advertising colour, just cuts and blow dries.

Has anyone else been in this position? I wondered if any stylists have done this? I can only imagine the relief I would feel if I never had to colour again!

Many thanks in advance XXXXXX

 

[Pika]

Hiya babe, what exactly is it that worries you about colouring? xx

 

[Sammi74]

I don't feel qualified enough to be taking risks with peoples hair colour, I am only basic level 2 n v q and feel my limited salon experience of colour isn't enough to know what I'm doing or talking about, I just took to cutting straight away and have a natural flair for it whereas colour has too many areas where it could go wrong and I'm being honest when I say I wouldn't feel confident knowing exactly how to put it right. I do mainly cuts anyway with regular clients as the time scale I work on is limited so makes it better for doing cuts and blows, I just have a feeling that colour is not my forte and after a few years of feeling like this its not going to change x

Sent from my Orange San Francisco using SalonGeek

 

[persianista]

If you feel that way then say no to it. You are in charge of your own career.

Most Toni and Guy stylists only ever cut or colour. They don't do both either.

 

[Sammi74]

That's encouraging to hear persianista I would rather excel in one thing than try and be Jack of all trades and master of none, feel less of a failure now ! Thanks x x x

Sent from my Orange San Francisco using SalonGeek

 

[Ammej85]

When i trained in hair i was the opposite! LOVED colouring, everything about it, the theory, the working it out, the mixing (or cocktail making as i called it!) the application. That nervous excitement as you start to dry it....

Whereas cutting, i did it, and never did bad but hated it!

Maybe we should go into business together lol, we could call it 'To Me, To You' lol just like the chuckle bro's!!

On a more serious note, have you ever done some advanced colour courses or workshops.

We did a few Sebastian and Wella colour workshops and they helped no end!

 

[Buttercup Honey]

I could have written your post:hug:
I'm the very same, love cutting, love blowdrying but when it comes to colour I lose sleep too so youre not on your own there!
Funny, I was thinking the same too but tbh I'd imagine a lot of people like being able to get their colours done at the same time as a cut. They seem to go hand in hand. I have two new clients for cuts only tomoro and love it, really looking forward to it. Have a colour on new client on Fri and its in my head evry hour Its awful isn't it? Looking forward to hearing other replies xxx

 

[Vanilla Pod]

Hi

I go to a gentleman for my haircuts , he too only cuts hair, and is the best i have ever been to, and he does a roaring trade xx:hug:

 

[Sammi74]

lol "to me, to you" classic - love it! To be honest I only get the odd new client asking for colour, it must be a sign of the times but a lot of ladies
I know colour their own as they dont want to pay the money for a professional to do it.

I think what I dislike most along with my inexperience is it seems no matter how many questions you ask about what colour they are looking to achieve, some clients say "well its not quite what I thought it would be, I thought it would be lighter/darker etc" when they have clearly stipulated the colour they want. Not to mention the hassle of consultation (one lady had me around to her house twice to have yet another "chat" about colour) i guess my hearts just not in it.

Years ago when I did an salon apprenticeship, I loved working with the stylists learning from them all about choosing the right tone, depth etc, I really enjoyed it, and i think if i had had more in depth training at college this time around maybe i would have felt the same again.

I thought about doing advanced courses but I think it's ok as it will boost my knowledge and confidence initially, but its more the ongoing daily back-up of other stylists I need, maintaining the confidence and skills when you dont necessarily use them everyday is the hard bit.

It's good to know there are stylists out there that do just do one or the other though, thats encouraging to hear, thanks for all your replies, it's good to hear how other people feel too

 

[Buttercup Honey]

"I thought about doing advanced courses but I think it's ok as it will boost my knowledge and confidence initially, but its more the ongoing daily back-up of other stylists I need, maintaining the confidence and skills when you dont necessarily use them everyday is the hard bit."


So true hun, you have just put it into words for me
So what are you gonna do?

 

[Sammi74]

hey geeks, sorry for the delayed reply as a follow up to what I posted about.
Been thinking about the colour situation, i've been given some top advice on here with regards colour and I've been thinking about sticking with the colour work but Last week I was asked by a new client to highlight her roots and I've been in a mild panic ever since, i think about it all the time, and although I love the idea of being good at colour I think a reality check is needed!!

I looked into doing my level 3 again next year but it's gone up now to £850, and I just can't afford the money at the moment, plus who's to say I won't feel exactly the same in 18 months time when I have still had very little day to day salon experience? It's ironic as when I was younger I did my first year in a salon apprenticeship and I was the main junior helping the stylists with their colour clients, oh I wish I could turn back the clock!! I loved it!!

I've been trying to get hold of this client who I've booked in for h/l to try and
get a test piece to try out the colour before I do it and try and match it up
to her mid lengths/ends, but she hasn't got back to me. It's very time consuming as opposed to going and cutting and styling, (in and out in 40 minutes) as I have to make a couple of trips to the wholesalers as i don't stock colours at home, It just seems so much of an effort, and in my opinion
when things become a real effort maybe something needs to change?

so, i'm left with the dilemma now whether to offer just simple bleach hi/li
and low lights but steer clear of the tint?? And do I go through with the
colour for this client or just be honest and say I'm not doing colour now (don't want to come across as a complete joker!!!) and if so how do you say that?

help, think i'm over-thinking things! so glad i have this site with people who
understand that not all hairdressers will just do colour for the money and not
really care how it turns out! I love my job and I want to be as careful as I
can with people's hair!

Many thanks geeks sorry for the waffle... Xxx

 

[Penners]

I feel your pain!!:hug:. I take ages doing colours, I hate every moment and its mainly friends that I do colours for, but when I recently applied for a ft job ( in a school) they all were begging me to still do their colours as I'm better than their previous salon as I take more care to only weave out the highlighted parts to do regrowth etc and they don't get stripes - but for me its 3 hours of hell and worry!!
An option I've always thought of as a 'back-up' if I really do hate it, is to say I'm experiencing a mild allergic reaction and I don't want it to get worse. ( which is actually true for me, I get really burning cheeks and a headache after doing some colours)
you could always say this if you are willing to, and I'm not sure how you price your colours (inc. trips to wholesalers and trips to do skin tests etc. etc.) but I find I make more money cutting and feel so much happier about it:irked:​

 

[Sammi74]

Hi, *breathes a sigh of relief* am so relieved there are more of us out there
that feel the same and not feeling inadequate about just not finding it easy.

That's a really good idea about the allergy thing actually, i do sometimes get tight chested and breathy after using chemicals so maybe its something to think about, I know what you mean about the time thing, i can have done 3 or 4 cut/blows in the time it takes to do colour, not to mention the time it takes to test the hair, go to wholesalers etc etc, i think if I were in a salon I would throw myself into learning everything I could about it and getting good at it as I do love the theory and how colour works and seeing the end result, but I do see it as such a specialist service, a lot of my clients think because I'm mobile and I'm slightly cheaper than a salon for colours, they say they don't mind if its not perfect as they can't afford salon prices (big insult! I am professional and want to be a great stylist!) but of course it's a different story when it's not perfect, and i don't have the skills or knowledge to put it right if it went wrong, and after seeing the other post on here about hair fizzing from metallic salts it scares me even more!

TBH I am building up my clients and out of about 30 or 40 clients I only do one regular client with hi\li 3 or 4 times a year, so it seems obvious that
99% of my income is from cutting and styling, it seems that speaks volumes!!

thanks for your post, would love to hear from other stylists whatever their views are XX

 

[Sammi74]

Aaah! my client rang me back and decided to go for bleach hi/li afterall, phew!
at least with bleach I can vary my peroxide strength and control the level of
lift, I use Goldwell and it always gives a nice clean blonde, am going to take
a few strand tests tomorrow and see how it lifts, am so relieved. Think in future I'm going to offer just the bleach hi/li and say I have a reaction to very high strength peroxide or something??? I'm actually looking forward to doing this now, at least I can sleep at night...