31
March
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Jane Handforth From Handforthhair
We had the great pleasure of meeting with Jane Handforth from Handforthhair. Jane is a Master hairstylist specializing in color and cuts.
When we asked Jane how she started her hairdressing career, she said:“ I got into hairdressing because I really like applied chemistry. I used to bake on government ships but wanted to do something more social but also deal with applied chemistry.” Now she has been in the hairdressing business for 23 years, has been an educator for Keune for 14 and has a chair at rplace Salon in Vic West.
But before I get into how Jane uses applied chemistry on a day to day basis, I’d like to talk about hairdressing. The interesting part about it, which I honestly would have never thought about, is that you need to think about it like an architect. Jane could be spending an hour and a half prepping your hair and it could feel like she spent an awful lot of time on the non-artistic part but in order to create a lasting and beautiful updo, the foundation needs to be solid.
After creating a strong foundation, she can get started with the artistic part.
And Jane doesn’t merely offer intricate up does for weddings, proms or family events. (Which she is amazing at btw)
If you are a business woman and take part in networking events, have to go to an important meeting or have a presentation coming up where you need to look your best, Jane will help you create a look that will boost your confidence.
During our interview Jane mentioned:” Something a lot of people don’t realize, is that hairdressing has to do a lot with math! When you are cutting hair, you are putting a geometric shape on top of a geometric shape and when you are coloring you have to use algebra to calculate the color you have, the color you desire and what developer you need to use.”
She also said that you have to keep in mind that your chemistry changes. A hair color that has worked for the last 10 years might look completely different this time around because your hormones might have changed, you are taking different medications, or your diet has changed.
That is one of the main reasons Jane offers a consultation prior to coloring hair. She will ask about any changes in your diet etc., your timeline and your budget in order to achieve the best results possible.
Jane is all about hair integrity, she will tell you honestly if it can or can’t be done.
Another very interesting coloring technique we talked about is Balayage also called hand painting.
It was created to imitate the look of a 5-year old’s blond hair in the summer and will give you a very natural look and is very low maintenance. So instead of using foils which will create “lines” Jane will use 3 or 4 different techniques to create darker more natural looking smudged roots and a very natural looking appearance. It’s the perfect solution for every busy woman who is looking to achieve a natural look but keep it low maintenance. Coloring men’s hair is also something Jane loves to do. She does this in a very discreet way because a lot of people perceive coloring to be something only women do.
“Often times man find silver hair makes them look older, so I put more “pepper” into their hair to create a more salt and pepper look. I do this very discreetly as well, so it never looks like its colored and just fades off, so they don’t have that line of demarcation. They will be at the sink for 3 minutes which makes it look like I might just be rinsing their hair.
Nobody needs to know.”
One of the other things Jane talked to us about is the difference between a barber and a hairdresser. You might think, why go to a hairdresser…
While barbers do an awesome job with clippers and straight razor shave, they often are not as skilled with cutting the longer lengths that are the up and coming trend in men’s hair.
