Tools are your “third hand.” They’re so visible during the styling process that they generate client curiosity just by being themselves. Clients notice intriguing technology, an untraditional color or an iron that creates a cool effect. “If you have an unusual tool at your station,” says ghd’s Gavyn  Melgar, “clients will ask, ‘Oooh, what’s that?’” This interest is supported by your festive holiday retail displays that invite clients to style their looks at home with the same capable tools they  admire at the salon—and gift friends and family with the same benefit. Who could resist an invitation like that?

TRENDS OF THE SEASON

1. Texture blends. No longer do clients choose between curly and straight or sleek and full when  they can have it all! Create contrast with flat fringe against a voluminous bob, or make it more  subtle by bumping high curl against soft wave throughout the head.

2. Glam curl. An updo is not the only signature style for dressy holiday parties, according to Jim  Roberts, director of education and shows for BabylissPRO. “Holiday is a time for variety,” Roberts
says. “You can help clients express themselves through volume, movement and curl. Put a little glam in the holidays!”

3. Thermal protection. Remind clients that healthy hair isn’t fried. Demonstrate how to move a flat iron during use, and drive home the need to prepare hair with a heat-protective spray. Also, expand clients’ options by introducing them to no-heat tools like Curlformers. “Quick and easy to use, Curlformers are perfect for every occasion,” says Deborah Blake, founder of  Curlformers and owner of Shirley Valentine Salon in Manchester in the UK. “We recommend them for weddings, little princess parties, weekends away and holiday events, without worry about whether hair will frizz in the weather.”

4. Breakout colors. Surprise and delight clients by using Cricket’s baby pink Ultra Smooth  Professional Hair Dryer or the red styler from BabylissPRO’s Elegance line. “Black is fine, but it gets boring!” says Melgar. “Colorful tools are fun conversation pieces.” The tropical tones of ghd’s Bird of Paradise tool-and-mat collection remain relevant well into the new year.

5. Travel Tools. When suggesting minis in products for clients’ holiday travel, don’t forget tools! You can save clients a lot of luggage space by pointing out Paul Mitchell’s Art of Travel Limited Edition Express Ion Mini Tool Gift Set, which also makes an excellent gift. Melgar suggests purchasing a Bird of Paradise iron for your own trips. “The irons have universal voltage and  come with a mat and bag,” she notes.

UNWRAP THESE TECHNIQUES

For Sleek, Straight Hair:

1. After cleansing hair with CHI Iron Guard Thermal Protecting Shampoo and Conditioner,  fashion a clean, very flat center part.

2. Spray CHI 44 Iron Guard from mid-length to ends and CHI 44 Iron Guard Style & Stay at the root area, which will provide enough grip and hold to let you blow-dry without clips, bands or  pins.

3. After applying a small amount of CHI Silk Infusion from mid-length to ends, blow-dry to  achieve a very smooth and shiny finish.

4. Ramp up shine with the CHI G2 Titanium-Infused Ceramic Hairstyling Iron, but do not straighten hair like a sheet.

Tip: “We gave the models with mid-length hair a bit of a kink at the ends using the Hairstyling Iron. This little bend adds some movement and reality to the hair.”—Paul Hanlon

For Luscious Curls:

1. Apply MiraCurl Styling Cream and create volume by blow-drying the hair with the Nano  Titanium hair dryer and the 3" Boar Bristle Brush.

2. Start at the bottom with multiple curling irons, and gradually smooth and soften the volume and wave as you move higher. For multidimensional texture in the mid-section, use the 1"  Titanium Iron in a ribboning technique, followed by the flatiron for smoothness, volume and curl as desired.

3. Spray with MiraCurl Hair Spray for added shine, hold and thermal protection.

Excerpted from MODERN SALON HOLIDAY 2014, an exclusive custom edition with CosmoProf and Armstrong McCall to help salon pros plan and grow holiday business. See the complete digital edition at modernsalon.com/holiday.