CONTINENTAL HAIR BLOG

February 18, 2012

When we make a custom wig or piece one of the variables is colour. This can be tricky. In the case of a woman with high lights we usually pick one or two ‘base’ colours and then do what a woman would normally do – namely get it highlighted (or foil lighted).

It is important to nail it.

Posted in: Ask Michael, Integration Systems, Postiche, Wigs

February 10, 2012

Everyone says it, but it does not always translate into reality. I got an email from a woman that was very upset. She is a cancer patient and had bought a wig from a wig salon at her hospital (not Continental Hair’s wig salon at The Odette Centre, just to let you know) and was not at all happy. Why? Because they refused to style it. Any wig, even a synthetic like the one that she purchased, needs to be styled. But they said that not only could they not style it, but that no one should either. It would ruin it.

Well, she heard about us and asked if we could help. I emailed back to her that its not usual for us to work on someone else’s stuff but I would make an exception for her. I told her it would cost $150 and we could not take any responsibility for the outcome. I know that does not sound very accommodating but it was more than she was getting anywhere else.

She came in this afternoon. I was not here and did not even meet her. However, after I got back from wrestling with my Toyota dealership (well, that is not entirely fair, they were very nice), I got this email which I immediately shared with my staff, and now with you.

“Hi Michael:

I want to sincerely thank you so much for allowing me into your salon. We received the upmost exceptional service ever at your salon today! I went in very sad and depressed about a wig that I purchased for a great deal of money that I refused to put on because I just hated to look at myself in the mirror. Corale was my stylist and she was so kind., helpful, knowledgable and professional. She made my experience today life changing along with all the other stylists in the salon today. You have the best staff.”

Its nice to know that I don’t even need to be here and people are happy. I might not want to advertise that too much though.

I started saying it in the ’80s, a wig out of a box looks like a wig out of the box. You can’t wear a suit without it being tailored. Its just the same thing. Actually, usually it takes more than one styling session as it sometimes needs to be “tweaked” as we call it around here. So make sure that when you are looking for something that they not only will style it, and that they stand behind their styling, but that you can still get it changed.

Have a great weekend. Making someone this happy has already made mine.

Posted in: Ask Michael, Testimonials, Wigs, Your Stories

February 8, 2012

That is the time you have to wake up if you are hosting Breakfast TV’s Live Eye. They get to the salon at 5 in the morning to start setting up. And someone has to be there to let them in. I thought, briefly, about sleeping on the couch in my office but decided that it would not be a good precedent. So I tried as best I could to go about getting ready at home without waking up the wife and kids.

The other thing is that you have to get the staff in at a crazy hour. About 6am. How do you get them to do that? And on their day off to boot? Its surprisingly easy. They love showing off, so you let them. It is also easy when the host is Jennifer Valentine (does she ever sleep?). She is the greatest at this. She came in at 6:10, took off her coat to reveal a beautiful dress, turned around and said “Zip me up!” She didn’t want to wake her husband up to do it so she just hopped in the car and had it done on site.

I think what I find I am most grateful for is the clients that are willing to be models on TV. And I am so happy that they have a good time. It is something that I never take for granted and never forget. It is so much of a personal endorsement, much more than any celebrity could do. Its because it is so personal that I take it personally.

And everyone had fun.     Seven hams it up with Ivana during a commercial break.

And here is Jaqueline, Richard, Ivana, Jennifer, Corale and Seven at the end of the morning, happy that there were no really insane live air mistakes. Where am I? I was down the block getting Jennifer’s car.

Posted in: Ask Michael

January 28, 2012

In an earlier post I talked about a booklet that my father wrote back in the 60′s. One of the subject’s he talked about was “REMMI” hair. Back then, remmi hair was defined as a bundle of human hair that had all of its cuticles, or scales, going in the same direction. All the roots were at one end, and all the tips at another. This made sure that the wig didn’t instantly tangle when it was made into a wig. Any wig made with hair that still has it’s cuticle will occasionally bunch, but you gotta see to believe what happens when its mixed up. This is why even with remmi hair in a wig you have to be careful washing it since the cuticles expand with water and when can barb at the roots.

I bring this up becauseI had a call from a woman that was talking about remmi hair, or perhaps remi hair, and said that she was told it was hair from India. I could not speak to that. And even the urban dictionary on line does not have a definition. So I guess everything is equally valid.

Yet for anyone that discusses hair with me they should know that I follow my father’s use of the word. I call hair from India “Indian Hair”, and hair from China “Chinese Hair, and, hair from Europe “European Hair”, etc. I think its easier that way.

Most human hair in wigs has been ‘stripped’ of the cuticle. This is done for two reasons. One, to make the hair less prone to tangling and two, to give coarse hair a finer feel. If you ever want to see if hair has been stripped all you need to do is rub 5-10 strands of hair between your thumb and forefinger. If the hairs bunch up, there are cuticles on the hair.

Posted in: Ask Michael

January 24, 2012

Live television is always exciting. I remember years ago I was on a phone-in show where people called in with their questions. Near the end of the hour a woman called saying that her mother had bought a hair piece from me over the weekend. My mind raced because I knew that I did not sell a partial to a anyone over the weekend. Why was someone calling to say that if it did not happen. Was it someone with a grudge? Were they going to start saying nasty, nasty things about me on air? I thought that this can’t be good. Then she talked about how her mom was treated “like rolled gold” at Continental and how beautiful she looked and how everyone loved her hair. She even started crying at how wonderful the experience was.

I was quite taken aback a this. Who was this mysterious admirer? And why would she say such nice things about me? The first thing I did was double check my records for that Saturday. My memory, for once, was correct. I did not sell any partials that Saturday. I then got suspicious of my marketing advisor. Did she have someone planted to call and say nice things about my work? I confronted her and she swore up and down that she would never do such a thing.

Then a couple days later a woman called and started telling me about how she and her family had been calling City-TV like mad trying to get on the air and that she finally did. She said her mother loved “the piece” and everyone wanted to say so on television. I checked and I said, “But your mother bought a full wig.” She replied that she knew that, but she calls it ‘a piece’ anyway.

So, it was a matter of semantics.

And we had Breakfast TV here yesterday morning. I was up at 3:00 am. I let the tech guys in at 5:00. My staff started showing up at 5:30. And the hostess, Jennifer Valentine, arrived at 6:10. When she left home her husband was not yet awake so I had to zip up her dress. Its like carrying a woman’s purse for her, after 20 years of marriage its no big deal.

We had been planning this morning for a long time. I realized the night before that there was nothing left I could do. It was either going to be a success because of the work that we had put into it or not. The biggest concern was if my client/models would arrive. Cold feet? Snooze button fail? Anything could go wrong. But nothing did. They were all there and I have to say I am so grateful to them. It was funny because they thanked ME for the experience. They had a great time. That is the mark of a successful event.

The only glitch was that we had no idea Jennifer Valentine wanted to model our wigs. She wanted to have a different look for each of the four segments. So we scrambled to get looks that would be different for her but also complimentary. It worked, except in on shot the wig slipped and you could see a sliver of the cap underneath. That was the only thing that went wrong. Actually, she liked the look of the long, dark wig so much she had me take a photo of her so she could immediately use it as her facebook profile picture.

After everything was done my staff got a picture with Jennifer Valentine. I am not in it because I had gone to get her car which had to be parked a couple blocks away. They look pretty good for having to come in so early on their day off.

So it was a very successful morning. A lot of women saw that they have some options when it comes to their hair loss. And that’s what it all about. Now I can sleep.

Posted in: Alopecia, Ask Michael, Chemotherapy, Integration Systems, Postiche, Wigs

January 12, 2012

In a family business you always have some history bubbling up. Some hairstylist in Yorkville (or Vancouver) saying how he used to work with my parents. A client saying her mother got a fall from us in the 60′s. And you come across things in the basement that you never thought you would see again.

My father wrote this back in (I can only guess) 1968. It has our old address at 219 Avenue Rd, Toronto 5. It is to “give the hairdresser some practical information regarding wig handling…” It describes different types of hair, processing, advice on what to get for a client, wig care, measuring, colouring. It just goes on, with the wildest drawings and black and white photos. And there is my mother’s design of the ‘postiche’ and how to cut it. They developed the ‘lift’ as well. This would go underneath a fall or wig to give it more hight at the crown. This is not in demand any longer (obviously) but I would love to come across one.

There is a wealth of information in this booklet despite its age. I know for a fact that most people in the hair replacement industry would not know half of what is in there. A lot of what we do, and why we have such beautiful hair to provide for our clients, is documented in its pages. It is one of the reasons why so many tens of thousands of women over almost five decades have been pleased with how Continental helped them with their hair. I am going to keep it safe.

Posted in: Ask Michael, Postiche, Wigs

January 5, 2012

That’s me. Showing off.

In early November I had the honor of hosting the Transitions International Group’s meeting here in Toronto. The Group is a collection of the world’s most respected hair replacement and enhancement professionals from around the world. All in all, almost 100 people at the top of this profession were there. And they wanted to see my place and what I do.

In this shot I have Gene Pletzer from Wisconsin, Flora Fuentes from New York, Danielle Grillo from New Jersey, Sarah McCarthy from North Carolina, and Vicky Birchfield from Idaho. In the background are friends from California and England.

But man, look at how GRAY I am. I am getting old in this business. My parents started Continental Hair in 1964, and we have been in this same location since 1970. I cannot see myself anywhere else. And it was a bit surprising to play host to such a well regarded group of people at the top of their profession. Here I am showing them how I design the part of the postiche to be so natural.

Is this on??

During the meeting The Transitions Group got together with the Canadian Alopecia Areata Foundation to raise awareness of the support available for alopecia sufferers. I had the idea that since we had the very best wig stylists in the world available why not show what we can do. CANAAF does a great job providing support and information to those hit with alopecia and we all had a wonderful time that Saturday morning. (There is a video that will be coming later this month)

Since I was the host I had to, well, host the event. It was great being on stage with such a wonderful group of people. Go to www.canaaf.org and see what they do. It is inspirational.

I have said many times that the meeting room stuff is a very small part of how we learn from each other. At least for me. Most of what I learn I learn in the bar. I mean seriously. Over a drink I can ask my pal Ron Millross from London about a new attachment technique. Or Greg Taylor form San Francisco regarding a way of lifting hair colour. Anyone that has been at a business conference knows that the presentations are for mass consumption. The bar is where you get to work on the individual stuff.

Of course, you have to pace yourself.

But this weekend also showed me what an advantage I have. Being in this group I have access to the latest developments from around the world. I can also ask their advice if I have someone that needs something extra special. I have been a member for over 10 years so many of them have become wonderful friends and I look forward to seeing them every year.

I only wish I looked the same as I did 10 years ago.

Posted in: Alopecia, Ask Michael

January 4, 2012

A little background. I got a call from the mother of an 11 year old girl that has trichotillomania. They wanted to come in the same afternoon if possible. I saw them at 4:00.

The little girl was very charming and mature and confident. Her mother explained what they had been going through in trying to find something suitable. The area that had been picked out was a 3 inch wide swath that went from the front hairline to the crown. This is not an unusual area in these cases. We were able to find a postiche in house that matched her colour and length. We were able to cut it in for her and she left with it on.

Because she was under 12 the piece came under the Wigs For Kids program and was free of charge.

Dear Michael and Staff,

A deep thank you to you and your staff. I have not seen such a smaile on my daughter’s face for several months now. The smile lasted all evening long and I am sure it will continue for weeks. She is so happy with her new look. She also appreciated the kind way everyone treated her. That you Seven with the scissors, the other stylists’ cheer and chat, the receptionist and yourself Michael for your welcome and expertise. You all added your touches of style and devotion that have made a big impact on my daughter.
Many thanks.

Posted in: Ask Michael, Testimonials

January 3, 2012

My name is Dawn Blainey. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2011…. During my journey, I had the pleasure to deal with Michael Suba at Continental Hair in Toronto. I am happy to say I received a clean bill of health and on to a new chapter of my life.

Help me in raising $100,000 for the new CIBC Breast Cancer Assessment Centre at our gala that will take place on February 14, 2012 that will take place at the Burlington Convention Centre. Please visit our Gala website
www.shootingforthestarsgala.com to support and to learn more about the centre and the event.

Dawn Blainey

Posted in: Ask Michael, Guest Entry