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Well, long shots pay off sometimes...and this one did, I'm delighted to say.   Olive's mother, Harriet, generally  answered the door when my mother rang the doorbell. The front door opened o

Still on the subject of hairdressing.  A couple of weeks ago I drifted back to my hairdressing days and changed hair colour.  

Hi Jill Sparrow Its nice to see some give hairdresser's a kind word , like Nonna i did a 3 year apprenticeship which my mum and dad borrowed £75 for my indentures. The last perming machine used i

Do any of you gents tip your barber ? I tip my hairdresser just a small tip,in my hairdressers I can get coffee ,tea,juice or water free and they have sweeties on the counter.

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My wife cuts mine, and she definitely doesn't get a tip. It's an honour for her to do it. Well I think so anyway !

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I always cut my husbands hair and he likes the way it is done, so that saves some dosh. I only ever have a "Dry Trim" which takes approximately 5-10mins and costs £10.50. Same for me Freckles with the free tea and coffee.  I always put £2.00 in their box for them all to share. I think that's quite enough for ten minutes work.

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Good for you Melissa. But when I had to cut long hair at work it always made me a bit sad.

I dressed hair for 14 yrs and yes the wages were terrible. I was at Godfreys on Noel st then at Park salon at canning circus as manageress.

Peppers was one of our suppliers and I remember the rep Mr Lambert think his name was. He had lost an arm and had a hook. I was always fascinated at the way he was able to use it.

I cut my husbands hair occasionally, but I have no interest in it now. Knowing all the tricks of the trade I am very fussy who I choose as my hairdresser.

From when I started in hairdressing I was never my natural colour right up to 2009 when I was forced to have my hair very short and to stop colouring it. Oh dear I thought its going to look a mess but gradually its turned a lovely grey. Very light at the front and going darker towards the back. Its never been salt and pepper. I teased my husband and daughter the other day about having it tinted grey. They hit the roof. " You've got what people pay a fortune for" was their comment.

So what do you say?

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Brilliant idea to donate your hair,  Melissa.   After my first child was born, I had my nearly waist length hair cut because all I ever did with it was put it in a pony tail - seemed a bit pointless.  I had a hairpiece made with it, which I've still got.  Never use it now,  even though my present hair colour would sometimes match it.  (I change my hair colour quite often - have done since I was 16!!).   On the subject of hair cutting, I've only ever been to a hairdresser about 10 - 15 times in my whole life.  I always cut my own hair, I cut my sons' hair till they were mid teens and still do my daughter's and Paul's.   

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Hairdresser thanks to joe public are now getting the wages that they should have had a long time ago.

I like most apprentice's in the 60s only had wages £1 10/- a week. but we were governed by the wages council who told you what the wage should be paid. The wages went up ever six months, you worked as an apprentice for 3 years then an improver for the next 2 years, after that you were qualified hairstylist, you also had the wages council telling you how many holidays you could have a year, like many of us, at that time you had to work for a whole year before you were entitled to time off, also we did a 44 hour week.  A lot of young people go into hairdressing thinking an easy option but believe its not, its hard work and dedication plus you need to keep updating your skills.  At the time I started the top hairdresser's were Stanley Dennis. Stanley Barbers, John Cornels. and Pendred's.  We relied on our tips to make up our wages. What I myself dislike now is that after 2 years NVQs a lot of people think they are budding hairdresser's and that they are qualified not so! you need a lot more training to be qualified, but City and Guilds hairdressing industry have only themselves to blame as hairdressing was the pilot for the NVQ. 1,2,3,4.

I used to work for a gent of the name Alan Simm's and I would like to quote what he used to say!!!

QUALTIY IS REMEMBERD WHERE PRICE IS FOR GOTTEN.

If you do a good job. that is.

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I agree Mary. My wages were £1.12/6 my bosses mother used to give me an extra 2/6.  My boss was very much into competition hairdressing and we went to every one  Lamond trophy, clynol cup. What was the name of the apprentices comp. In her dayshe won them all and when she didn't her sister won them. They were a big hairdressing family, father 4 daughters and one son who sons also went into the trade. I dont think I would like to go back to it now. It ruined my back 

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My earliest memory of a haircut is at Jimmy Dainty's, on Highbury Road, Bulwell, next door to Kenneth Clarke's dad's jewellery and watch shop. Sat on a board laid between the arms of the chair, looking at the Styptic Pencils and wondering what they did.

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Hi nonnab

The comps that I remember where The Wella gold, The Clynol cup, The L'oreal colour , Goldwell and I seem to recall one being named The Rose bowl. We went to see the comp's at The Sherwood rooms, there was also the big Comp at Tower Gardens in Blackpool. There was The Wigmakers and hairdressing Guild and many more which I can't recall. Just came to me there used to be a big comp in Paris France. Can you add any more?

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The Langdon  trophy was the apprentices comp. It came to me at 6am yesterday morning. 

I cant think of any more, maybe tomorrow morning at 6am.

:Shock:

I think we must have missed each other at Clarendon. We were the first 3rd years at Clarendon, the 1st and 2nd were at the original college on was it Waverly st or Clarendon St. I remember the final exam. My mum was my model and I had to do a demonstration of high frequency. Dont know what went wrong but I couldnt get my hands free of it, it was like a magnet. Ive been terrified of it ever since.

Anyway passed the exam with flying colours. Thank goodness.

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Hi nonnaB Started  as an Apprentice on April 16th 1962 only know this as I still have my Deed of Apprenticeship. yes day release was at Clarendon. I also remember The High Frequency machine I used it in the salon, their was one lady client who had the treatment every week it use to cost 2/6 and she would always ask the same question is any hair growing on my bald spot, and of course you had to tell a little white lie, so I always said Yes!!! must confess hated having to use it. Did you see Antiques road show a while back some one had an H/F Machine and the professional dealer did not know what it was. So could not help myself had to face book him and tell him.

Never did get any answer back.

Just found out The Rose Bowl and the Gold Trophy were given by the Fellowship of Hair Artists the rose bowl was for any one who had never gained first prize in a comp and the other was given by General Association of Ladies Hairdressers. The comp in France was a World Championship Competition. The year when it took place was when France were the host. All I remember is seeing hairstyles that the stylist had created and boy was their styling excellent. Can you remember the liquid blue/pink/purple rinse's, you would ask your client how many drops she would like to be put in the hot water the more you put in the more intense  the colour.

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Mary, did you know Sandra Lyons at Clarendon? She was my classmate and neighbour, she left school Easter 62, and attended Clarendon on day release and some evenings while she worked at a hairdressers doing her apprenticeship. I was her model sometimes at Clarendon.

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Mary I started hairdressing in 1957. Just after christmas. Where did you work. The blue rinses we used were always in small bottles ready to use. My hair never stayed the same colour and my favorite toner was pink dream and silver night , Igorel  A beautiful competition colour. 

Thought HF machines were always  recogniseable, shame you didnt get an answer.

Did you ever go to comps in France. I didnt only entered Langford trophy one but never again I was terrified.

We had a customer who came every 3 weeks and had all her appointments booked through year after year. Once her appointment collided with our holidays and she wanted us to change our holidays for her to keep her 3 weekly appointment. When we refused she threw her money across the desk and walked out. We did see her again worse luck.

 

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Hi nannoB did my apprenticeship at Barbara Chapmans at Sherwood only comp I went in for was Loreal colour trophy judge's did not take a second look, Mrs Chapman sent myself and the other junior to Vadel Sasson's to learn how to Privot cut (at the time no one else did this cut) went up to Leeds to Wella school for colour certificate. When I started work we had cubicles and we had to call the manageress Miss Lythel we could not use there Christian name.

Which salon did you do your apprenticeship at?

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Brings back memories Mary. We too had cubicles where my boss worked but my side was open salon. 

My self and the junior went to London for our colour and perming updates and refreshers.

I worked at Godfreys on the corner of Noel st and Beaconsfield st. It was a fairly large place with leaded light windows. The salon was on the corner whilst the house was at the back. My boss's mother lived there and she caused such a lot of hiccups for us. The most famous one was that she used to come into the salon to look at the appointments book. If it was quiet she would switch the immersion heater off and forget to switch it back on, so when the water was used eventually it went cold.  " Mother youve switched the water off again" then it was a rush to boil jugs of hot water. Then she'd make tea and then heat it up again to serve for the next customer. Thing was she 'd forget that as well and the smell of stewed tea permeated the salon. I had to switch the sterilising cabinet on to mask the smell.

when I first started there my boss Gwen Godfrey ( wife of Bob Davison who had riding school The Paddocks at Wollaton) had won a lot of comps marcel waving and was keen for me to learn. We had all the blocks some of which former apprentices had learnt on . One had even cut the hair on one expecting it to grow again. We still had a few marcel waving customers. One in particular never seemed to have clean hair but I think it was some sort of oil she put on her hair. The smell was awful. I got to the stage when I knew she was coming in I would take on an appointment to coinside so I didnt have to do it..

Those were the days....

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Hi katyjay

I'm sorry but Sandra's name at the moment doe's not ring any bells, but it was so long ago I find it hard to remember name's of some girls that I used to work with, but I will keep racking my brains.

Hi nannoB seem to recall where your salon was, when I reached the improver stage of my 5 years I went to work for Alan Simm's all his 8 salon's were named "Aurdrey" (no not her salon on Coronation st) any way each day he would come and check up on us, and each day he would bring lots of tat to put in the window, it was hard to get though to him that we were a salon not a market stall.

Going back can you remember the Superma  Brushwave  well long after salons stopped using this perm, the salon I worked at was invited to a new perm demo that was coming on to the market at a very classy hotel in Nottingham, The new perm was called UNI PERM by i think LOREAL, any way the rep was telling us how good this new perm was and nothing like this perm had ever been done before, any question's he asked. Well I'm sorry just can't help my self. There's nothing new about that perm (my comment) it's just like the "Brushwave"  It's the only time that I have been asked to leave a Demo.

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On 1/11/2014 at 1:22 AM, loppylugs said:

Went to a barber in Carlton named Bert Fisher. Seemed pretty good always packed out especially on Saturdays. Think it was about half a crown. Right next door to the old Regal cinema.

 I remember Mr Fisher. His shop stood between the Regal Cinema and the Pentecostal church on Station Road. His son, Victor, attended Chandos Street School for boys, as did I. You are correct on the half a crown price. Even at age 11, it was usually a short back and sides whether I wanted it or not.

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On 1/10/2014 at 7:32 PM, Paulus said:

The barber of choice for Mods was Ron's, but can't recall exactly where it was, in town somewhere

 

You may have been going to Ron's on Parliament street, opposit the big Co-op store. I also used that shop. 1 of the girls, Jane (an apprentice in the 70's) set herself up in a shop in Sherwood on Newstead Street. Originally called Jane's Cut 'n Blow, she shortened it to Cut 'n Blow. There was also Linda who currently works at Centre Styles on Mansfield Road opposite the Rose of England pub. 

 

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