
Why Salon Work Makes Your Body Ache & What You Can Do to Feel Better
We learn some simple moves and strategies to keep the blood pumping through the muscles and limit posture problems from The Balanced Beauty Pro
Patrick McIvor shares his 6 tips for perfect foiling.



“One thing that sets a good colorist apart from a GREAT colorist is foiling," says Patrick McIvor, Artistic & TechniCulture Director for Goldwell and KMS California. "Almost anyone can section, apply color and fold a foil wrapper, heck even DIY’ers do it, but true professionals have nuances in their techniques that elevate their results to professional."
Here McIvor shares his thoughts on color to help set you apart:
1. Ombré and Blending: Backcomb shorter hairs in each section out of the way and pinch the ends to control the longer hair. This gives more control to easily highlight the proper area of the section.
2. Slow Down When Going Low: Apply a few Level 8 or 9 lowlights to ‘darker hair’ before going any darker. If the reaction is positive, gradually add a few more lowlights during each subsequent visit.
3. Ends: Never bring all the lowlights through the ends, when moving the brush down the strand, pull it away at various points for a more natural look. Gently tapering lowlights on the ends produces the same softness you achieve with point cutting because the color does not uniformly stop at the same point.
4. Don’t Get Horizontal: Never place foils horizontally, this pattern creates noticeable lines, instead use diagonal back and forward placement which produces a soft, natural result and makes it easy to find the strands when retouching.
5. Vertical Pop: When working with a tone-on-tone design without wide variations in levels, place foils vertically to make the color “pop.”
6. Size is Everything: Natural highlights are never uniform, so mix up the sizes and shapes of sections when foiling for more natural results.
Patrick McIvor is Artistic & TechniCulture Director for Goldwell and KMS California (divisions of Kao USA Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Kao Corporation) and founder of HI :) Media Solutions (a subsidiary of Patrick McIvor Color Studio, Inc.)

We learn some simple moves and strategies to keep the blood pumping through the muscles and limit posture problems from The Balanced Beauty Pro

Anny VanDriel, owner of Be Rosie Salon and creator of Pricing Isn’t Personal, volunteered to share a pricing presentation to beauty school students a year ago, and ended up learning more than she expected.

From the launch of the Ulta BeautyArtist Collective to the evolution of Trendspiration, celebrating stylists is what The Salon at Ulta Beauty does best.
Sponsored by Ulta Beauty

With more than four decades in the industry, hairdresser and MODE Education founder Stan Newton has built a career around the art and discipline of cutting hair, learning the rules so he can break them.

Beauty professionals should evaluate each service based on its popularity, profitability, and alignment with current trends. Conducting client surveys and analyzing booking data can provide insights into which services are in demand and which might be phased out.

LifeSpa leader Ali Yanez explains why strong mentorship, predictable income, meaningful recognition and the right work environment help beauty professionals build careers that last.

Whether a beauty professional chooses a commission salon, booth rental, salon suite or salon ownership, the common thread is having more choices than ever before.

Sport Clips Haircuts will host its inaugural "Level Up Live," a first-of-its-kind virtual event that combines live haircutting education, career inspiration, product knowledge, and employment opportunities for licensed stylists and cosmetology students nationwide.

Orthopedic PT reveals three daily exercises plus ergonomic advice that can help salon professionals avoid the aches and injuries caused by standing, bending and repetitive overhead work.

Four publications for beauty industry professionals to enhance their leadership skills, financial awareness, professional growth, and joy!

Salon suite pioneer Karen Kaminski argues that the next evolution of independent beauty businesses won't be defined by beautiful spaces alone, it will be driven by smarter systems that help professionals spend less time on administrative work and more time serving clients.

At a time when many LGBTQ+ people felt compelled to hide parts of themselves, Carlos Valenzuela found a career in beauty and a community that offered opportunity based on what you could do and how well you could do it.

Whether it's social media, fashion, film, art, or culture, Chaz Dean advises stylists to stay aware of what's inspiring people. Take the elements that make sense for you in these five lessons learned through a life in beauty.

For Jessica Domoney, building a successful career isn't about saying yes to every opportunity, it's about protecting your time, investing in yourself and creating an experience clients won't forget.

MODERN SALON sat down with Samuels to discuss the book, beauty education, mentorship and the habits that help beauty professionals thrive.

"The mistake people make is treating AI like a vending machine instead of a personal assistant." Digital marketing expert Scott Moon shares how beauty professionals can use AI while staying authentic

Real-world advice on creativity, consultations, color, burnout, business, boundaries, inclusivity, client care, and career growth from educators and industry experts.