Ted Gibson’s “Celebrity Couture” class at Premiere Orlando 2013 had everyone crowding around to get a closer look at the techniques. Gibson’s class featured an “Ask the CEO” session, two demonstrations where Gibson showed how to nail the perfect French Twist and chic ponytail.

HOT TOPIC in the “Ask the CEO” session: When was the last time you raised your prices?

In this segment Gibson asked the class, “When was the last time you raised your prices?” Some class members were hesitant to answer. Some felt like it wasn’t an option because of the bad economy. Others felt like they would lose their clients. Gibson asked one class member how many clients he saw per day, the answer was 15-18. “I was never a hairdresser that was able to do 15-18 clients in one day,” says Gibson. “However, a better strategy would be for you to limit yourself to 10 clients per day and raise your price. I want you all to know that you don’t have to do that many clients, and you can still do things the way you want, your prices will just go up. For those clients that love you they will cooperate.” 

HOT TOPIC in the demonstrations: The French Twist and the Perfect Pony

Gibson showed the class how to create a Hollywood French Twist in a matter of minutes. See his full tutorial in the video below.

Gibson’s class touched on the Trifecta Hairstyling System, which many of Ted Gibson’s stylists incorporate into the team’s overall styles on clients (and at New York Fashion Week). The technique features three parts: First you style the hair, then you put it in a ponytail, then you pin it how you would like. The key points are ponytail placement (high or low on the head), using backcombing to add volume or create texture, and then twisting or braiding the ponytail and then incorporating it into a chignon or twist.

“Positioning the ponytail at different points on the head each provides its own feel and look,” says Gibson. “Your client’s personality can determine the type of ponytail that will fit them, the higher the ponytail gives a more  ‘cheerleader’ feel, the lower is more ‘sophisticated.’ Gibson showed students how to backcomb a ponytail properly, sleek it over and how you can form it into a chignon, ballerina bun or fanned out bun.

“Backcombing a couple times can make all the difference in the final look of the style. Properly backcombing a couple times can give the hair four inches of volume. With this system you need to be able to control the hair, don’t let the hair control you, so we advise using workable products that you can layer on top of each other. Once you know the basics, you can go beyond,” says the Gibson team.