I took another hand tied weft class from a local distributor today. It wasn’t Aqua and I’ll tell you a few big differences that I noticed. The method of installation leaves the client’s natural hair much more vulnerable to breakage and tension. Both of those are a problem. The support provided by the thread and the knotting does seem slightly more delicate but I feel it also leaves the client’s natural hair more vulnerable to feeling stress from the installation. I did meet some really nice people in the class. Including another local stylist who is also named Jenn B, she works with my favorite beauty school colleague and we had the same color nail polish! We were meant to be together.
The class was all day long! It seemed to be oversold to me, there were about 50 students and only 3 educators. The students were crammed in together so tightly that the educators could hardly get in between us to answer our questions.
The class also seemed a little scattered. It moved in a linear direction from consultation to checkout and I liked the tips that they gave us in both of those arenas. Since I have been doing hair extensions for a long time I was comfortable with not being able to ask a lot of questions because I already knew the answers, but if I was a stylist that was new to extensions I don’t think that I would have left that class feeling confident to charge the client the amount they suggested for the services that would be rendered after that training. An example is that they never covered what to do if you run out of string during the installation, what to do if you miss a knot, miss a bead, the weft sags because it doesn’t get included in the sewing. What to do with a client who doesn’t have enough hair in the temple area for a successful installation. What to do if a bead bucles or breaks and you have a difficult time removing it. There can be a whole lot of problems and if a stylist is going to charge a premium price that they are going to be required to provide all the solutions.
Anyhow I did enjoy the class. The company did give away a ton of great product and discounts. The videos that they showed were a great way to allow everyone to see the method of installation and removal. I do feel like I got my money’s worth out of the class. Oh and the fed us lunch and I love that they held the training in town and at my favorite hotel, The Riverside in Garden City, ID.
