1940s Salon Owners Saved Time and Money

An interesting article from 1942

SAVE TIME!
SAVE EQUIPMENT!
SAVE YOUR ENERGY TO HELP WIN THE WAR!

Practical Suggestions for Wartime Short Cuts
by ALBERT of Fifth Avenue, New York City

Save on Hairstyling!

Encouraging my patrons to accept the new trend toward more waves and fewer curls in their hairstyles is proving a definite time-saver in my salon. Hair can be manipulated into waves with the fingers and comb much faster than the same amount of hair can be wound in pin curls.

The use of more waves and fewer curls not only saves the operator time and labor, but saves hairpins as well—an important consideration in these days when hairpin production has been limited to meet the needs of war production.

By "waves" I do not mean the old-fashioned idea of forcing the hair into stiff-set "washboard ridges." This outmoded type of waving requires almost as much time and energy as setting an entire head in pin curls. Modern waves are "directional waves," quickly and easily formed by following the natural inclination of the hair and directing it gently into shadow wave lines. The hair is waved down to the scalp, of course, so that the wave lines will hold solidly, but strenuous forcing of the hair in unnatural directions will not produce a lasting wave. Remember, "Easy Does It !" and you'll get better results with one-third the amount of labor!

What about extremely fine hair or hair that is too limp to hold a finger wave? Naturally, it is not practical to set very fine hair in flat waves and expect them to last. To produce strong waves in fine hair, I dress the hair in pin curls and brush the curls into waves when the hair is dry. Only a pin curl setting will give certain textures of hair the necessary body and "zip" for strong waves. However, when a pin curl setting is absolutely necessary, I save a great deal of time, and many hairpins, by using only one or two hairpins to secure each curl. One hairpin, or at most two pins, correctly inserted through the curl, will hold it securely and is less likely to mar the curl than three or four pins. I find that only one hairpin is necessary to secure 80 per cent of the curls in the average hairdress, particularly the curls across the back of the head and on top of the crown. Around the front hairline, where a deep wave is needed to direct the hair into a certain style line, I use two hairpins to hold each curl, but never more. My time-saving, hairpin-saving method of correctly inserting one pin, and also two pins, through a curl is clearly illustrated in the sketches on this page.

One Pin: The hairpin is inserted through the center of the curl, where it takes a "stitch" in the hair. The curved end, or head of the pin, holds the right side of the curl flat; the open end of the pin holds the left side of the curl. Two Pins: The first pin holds the right side of the curl, one prong inserted under the outside loop of the curl, the other prong on top of the hair. The ends of the pin go through the center of the curl. The second pin is inserted on a direct line with the first pin and holds the left side of the curl. One prong is inserted under the inside loop of the curl, while the other prong goes over the top of the hair.

By using only one or two pins to each curl, I save from ten to twelve minutes in dressing a head of fine hair which requires an all-over pin curl setting. I can save about 15 minutes on a head of coarse hair by setting it in flat waves and using only one to two pins to hold the necessary end curls. Drying time is saved, and wear and tear on my hair dryers is thereby reduced, by using a light finger waving lotion well distributed through the hair. This makes for fast, even drying.

I find that much time can be saved in combing out a hairstyle if, when the hair is being set, the stems of the curls are carefully directed in the positions in which they are to lie in the finished hairstyle, and the curls are pinned solidly in their intended final positions. If the curls are carelessly pinned in haphazard directions when they are set, the hairdresser loses much valuable time in combing out by trying to force the curls into directions in which they were not planned to go.

Here's a stunt used in my shop which has effected a real saving in drying time When the patron goes under the dryer we hand her a paper clock dial on which the hands are set for the time her hair should be dry. By this means, the patron knows exactly when to shut the dryer off herself . . . . which she gladly does, rather than sit under the dryer, seemingly neglected by a too-busy operator, long beyond the necessary time. Our paper clock dials save time for the patrons and operators, and cut down on electricity consumption and wear and tear on the dryers.

Save on Permanent Waving!

When the hair is to be shaped before permanent wave, I eliminate the time under the hair dryer by observing the following routine. After the hair has received the preliminary shampoo, I quickly remove the excess moisture with a towel instead of placing the patron under the dryer. As soon as the excess moisture has been removed from the hair with the towel, I begin to shape the hair. By the time the shaping is complete, the hair is dry enough to be blocked for the permanent wave.

There is no doubt that test curls save time by eliminating guesswork. By taking test curls, I avoid mistakes which might result in a patron's demand for a rewave. I always take at least two test curls. If the patron asks for a medium priced wave, I use medium priced materials on one test curl and higher priced materials on the second test curl. The patron sees the difference in the finished results of the two test curls, and this often leads to the sale of the higher priced wave.

I have observed that some hairdressers, when blocking the hair for a permanent, try to "fit" the number of curls to the number of heaters on their machines, thinking that this will save steaming time. If the machine has 24 heaters, for example, the hair will be bunched into 24 curls, although the hair is thick enough to require more curls. This, in my opinion, saves no time at all, because when the hair is bunched the steaming time has to be increased in order to penetrate the heavy curls.

Save Time! Save Equipment!

My method of cutting down the time required for the steaming process is to take test curls equal to the difference between the curls on the patron's head and the heaters on the machine. This eliminates heating the machine three times, once for the test curls, again for the curls over the head, and still again for any curls which may be left over because the machine has too few heaters to steam all the curls at once. Let us say, for example, that a head requires 28 curls, and there are only 24 heaters on the machine. I would take four test curls, leaving a balance of 24 curls, the exact number of heaters on the machine. Thus, the machine would be heated only twice—once for the four tests and once for the remaining 24 curls. Obviously, if the machine is shy more than three, or at the most four, heaters this system would hardly be justified, but I find that it is practical in many cases . . . . and when it is practical, it is a worthwhile time-saver.

Save by Combining Services!

Many minutes are saved in my shop by having one operator start the manicure while another operator styles the hair. Time passes faster for the patron and the nails are thoroughly dry by the time the hair is dry and the patron is ready to leave the shop. We have special operators who give the shampoos and relieve the stylists for additional appointments. Shops that do not have special operators for the shampoos can save time by having a girl who is not busy give the shampoo instead of letting the patron wait until her appointed operator is free.

From my own experience, I know that it takes less time to sell additional services to a patron who is already in the booth and in a receptive frame of mind than it does to start selling a new patron from scratch. Oftentimes, an appointment for only one service can be turned into an appointment for several more services without any, or only a slight, increase in the time. For example, the patron who comes in for a scalp treatment can be sold a pedicure and given the pedicure while her hair is being steamed. The patron who comes in for a shampoo and wave can be sold a manicure while she sits under the dryer.

Here is an example of the way I double my sales by tactful suggestion, and combine services in one appointment in order to save time. A woman came in recently for a hairdye. While the softener was on her hair, I noticed that she had an unattractive growth of superfluous hair on her face. I tactfully suggested that she have the facial hair removed. She agreed and we removed it while the hairdye was in progress. I also suggested a neutral highlight rinse for her hair to give it extra gloss and sheen, and we gave her this during the final shampoo following the hairdye. By this time the patron was in a "buying" frame of mind, and it was an easy matter to sell her a manicure which we gave while her hair was being dressed.

There are many ways in which the smart shop owner can double and triple service sales, and combine items so that several services can be given in the same time as one. Here are other payable examples: The next time a patron makes an appointment for a facial, suggest an eyebrow shaping service. Have the operator shape the brows while the facial pack dries. To the next patron who comes in for a henna pack, give a relaxing facial while the pack is on the hair.

Save Time for Your Patrons!

We do all we can to accommodate our busy war worker patrons by saving their time. We serve the war worker her lunch in the beauty shop so that she may have her shampoo, hairstyle and manicure in comfort during her lunch hour. Lunch is ordered by the receptionist and the meal wheeled into the booth on a portable table. This is a great time-saver for the patron and has helped us to keep the patronage of many women who otherwise would not have the time to spend in a beauty shop.

Save Your Breath!

We have one unbreakable rule for the operators in my shop: Don't talk "war" to the patrons! Aside from being dangerous and unpatriotic, war talk in the busy beauty shop is a waste of time. The operator who works with her mind on her business works faster than the one who gossips. If you must talk, talk the beauty business and suggest extra services to your patrons!