We have a “season” of education and it is upon us. In two weeks we will be in Chicago for the American Beauty Show. Then in April it is New York for the  IBS. The final one for us is in Los Angeles for the American Board of Certified Colorists.  We attend many classes at these events. You have heard stories about “Show” and booths  which you do find in Chicago and New York. The Sogno Team plots out the classrooms and our days are jam packed with as many  classes as we can fit in. Hair color, trend cuts and bridal make-up are our focus. It’s our time to catch up with fashion , trends and developing the craft that we love so much!

Did you know that Sogno’s team are concerned first and foremost about the integrity of  your hair? We feel that we will create a closer bond with our clients if we are honest and realistic about the results you are going to get. We are not afraid to say no to a service (it’s not about the money). We believe it is better to create a loyal relationship than to do a service that could damage your hair and our reputation.

We always here women complain “They hate there hair. or they say my hair is so ugly” Well here is the fix!  Tell your friends to email us a pic of their  Vugly hair and we will pick the 6 most needed. They will receive new cuts and color, smoothing treatments, make-up and have a professional photo of themselves when they are done. (yes, we need their OK to participate!)  Amy Wilton will be the photographer. Visit Amy’s work at www.amywiltonphotography.com/   This is a value of over $400.

This is a great opportunity for you to help a friend who needs a change this time of year. Or maybe your office co-workers ( all 6 of them?)  would like a new beginning to 2013! Watch Facebook in January for more details.

So do you think you know someone who has worn the same style for much too long?

Looking back at this wonderful year…

First, our wonderful team.

Laura Collard who has been with us almost since the beginning. Laura is a very talented stylist. She has that attitude that there will never be enough education. Her thirst for knowledge and always wanting to improve her craft makes her the most wanted stylist in our area.  She won the Peoples Choice Stylist of the year award for Knox county! Laura also completed the Color Certification class required by Sogno Salon.  As well as advanced education held in NY, Boston, Portland, Chicago, and LA.

Jenn Baca joined our team before she had graduated Capilo Cosmetology school. Jenn came in on Saturdays as part of out training program that we mandate all new stylists to complete before they may work on our clients. Jenn gives her all to her career.  She is very serious  about being the best at what she does. She never misses an opportunity for education. Jenn also completed the Color Certification class required by Sogno Salon.  Jenn attended classes in NY, Boston, and Portland.

Megan Siegenthaler , our salon coordinator, left us this year. Megan is still  in the background, assisting us with reports, inventory. and producing our monthly newsletter. Megan was instrumental in setting up our computer, inventory, most of our systems and organized our events.

Donna Capato  joined us recently as our full time receptionist. Donna is a native New Yorker who has a background in running salon front desks. She has a degree in writing, and has been a copy editor. She brings a great sense of humor and patience to her position.

Bri Widdecomb is our Saturday desk person. Bri is in our mentoring program as she has an interest in one day being a cosmetologist. She was a great assistant at The Union Fair Wild Blueberry Pageant.

So many miles traveled for education, making young woman beautiful in pageants, two Ambush Make-overs, and more great clients have joined us. And the “Dream” continues!

May your dreams be in color,

Nancy

It’s  a time of great hustle and bustle here in downtown Rockland.  Main Street looks so great with all of the lights. Some of the stores are open late. It’s a fun time of year. For me it is a time for reflection. We have a wonderful staff. Our clients are incredible. (Thanks for all of these holiday goodies you bring us!)

I want all who pass through our doors to know that they are important to us. I know we can not please everyone. But I can still want to! I mean what we say! We teach…We Listen…We care!

I want to wish you all…   Happy Holidays, A Bright New Year and of course Great Hair!

Nancy

I do not often find time to read blogs much less write them but Seth Godin is very inspiring for me.  I would like to share a bit of this one and how I feel it fits with Sogno’s dream.

I want to put you in a category  from Seth’s Blog

When I meet you or your company or your product or your restaurant or your website, I desperately need to put it into an existing category, because the mental cost of inventing a new category for every new thing I see is too high.

I am not alone in this need. In fact, that’s the way humans survive the onslaught of newness we experience daily.

Of course, you can refuse to be categorized. You can insist that it’s unfair that people judge you like this, that the categories available to you are too constricting and that your organization and your offering are too unique to be categorized.

If you make this choice, the odds are you will be categorized anyway. But since you didn’t participate, you will be miscategorized, which is far worse than being categorized.

So choose.

What is this thing? What are you like? Are you friend or foe, flake or leader, good deal or ripoff, easy or hard, important or not? Are you destined for the trusted category or the other one?

Make it easy to categorize you and you’re likely to end up in the category you are hoping for.

Who is Sogno?

Friend ( caring , friendly honest)

Good deal ( we give great value for what we charge and The Sogno experience is incredible)

Easy ( once the client is booked the salon coordinator cares for them re-booking, changing appointments, its like having your own private concierge) So please be nice to the Salon Co-ordinator. She works hard for you and me!

Important_ At Sogno Salon we think our clients are very important and our community, too We give back with Free Days of  Beauty for deserving people, supporting Downtown Rockland, shop local, donating time and $$ to local charities, heating assistance, animal shelter and individuals in need at Christmas

We value you, our clients. We want you to trust us. Please have a great day!

Nancy

What is all the fuss about? Spend mucho dollars on a tool for hair? The answer is maybe.Everyone asks me “Which flat iron is the best?”.

Plate width is important
Determine which plate width you need – one inch does not fit all. Not all irons come in all sizes so this can help you narrow down your selection.

Fixed or variable temperature settings?
Flat irons come in fixed or variable temperature settings. The type that works best for you depends on your hair’s texture and your styling needs. My personal preference is a variable setting – I like control. (you all know that!)

Is your hair thin, delicate, damaged or fine? Choose a flat iron with a variable temperature setting so you can control the heat and keep the iron from getting too hot.

Is your hair thick and hard to straighten? A higher temperature would be a good choice for you so you can crank up the heat on those pesky pieces that just won’t straighten.

Curling hair with a flat iron?
Most flat irons today will create curls, but (ahem) the curls are only as good as the user who creates them Ask us to teach you.

What about this Ceramic Technology?

Ceramic/Ionic
Almost all professional grade flat irons , curling irons and even blow dryers are Ceramic and Ionic these days. This technology is important in generating negative ions to smooth the hair cuticles. NONE of the flat iron plates are 100% Ceramic. They are infused with Ceramic (and/or other materials) to straighten and smooth the hair.

Aluminum
Some older, lesser quality flat irons are pure Aluminum. These irons are usually referred to as the “drugstore variety” and do not contain Ceramic. This is why you notice a huge difference when you upgrade to a pricier iron – the addition of Ceramic/Ionic. What’s so great about ionic activity?

Everyone’s hair carries a positive electrical charge that is caused by dryness. Over time, this positive charge increases, and as your hair becomes drier, more hair cuticles open, creating ‘ragged’ unhealthy looking (and feeling) hair that is difficult to style, and let’s be honest, looks like it has seen better days. Enter the flat iron, or even the hair dryer that creates negative ions.

When the flat iron or hair dryer is heated, negative ions are created. The negative ions created by the appliance cancel out the positive hair charges, and while you glide down your hair with the iron, or blow dry, you smooth down those ragged open hair cuticles. Viola… healthier looking hair

Destination weddings and weddings held at special event centers are very popular now.  So often we are asked to travel to where the wedding party is staying or the wedding is being held.  So we must charge a travel fee. The reason for this for the time. For the  salon this requires many more hours of packing, unpacking, and driving to that destination. This is time taken away from our regular guests at our salon. Most of the time we have to close our business for a whole day.  That being said; we want this day to be effortless and fun for you, the bride. So  I wish to share some thoughts I have to help you make your wedding day more relaxed and more organized.

First there seems to be a casualness with  having the professionals come to you. This  is wonderful but quite often the party looses track of time and then there is  a mad rush to get hair and make-up done. I have found that the bride and mother of the bride get their hair done last quite often.  They are the most important women on the wedding day, therefore they should be first!  The maid or matron of honor should be third; this way, the bride can start getting dressed even if the rest of the bridal party is not finished.

Please be respectful of your professional’s time also.  You are paying us a lot of money to create beautiful hair and make-up.  Waiting for members of your party to arrive, showing up with long wet hair is a no-no.

Here are some guidelines:

Long hair should be clean, dry, and have some product in it. (gels or foam) If hair is extremely curly use a product that gives some texture and cuts down on frizz. Please have it dried. To dry curly hair with a diffuser on the day of the wedding could take an unplanned extra hour.

Shorter hair that will have no pinning can be freshly shampooed and damp to wet. We do not shampoo unless we are in our salon.

I encourage you to having a solid timeline. This relaxes the bride and allows her to enjoy her day more.

Make sure you wear a button-up shirt when getting an up-style. You won’t want to ruin the masterpiece by trying to pull a shirt over your head when it comes time to put your dress on.  An alternative for many bridal parties are purchased matching robes they have found on Etsy to wear while they prepare for the wedding.

Make sure you have a can of hair spray, bobby pins and hair pins that match your hair color, and a curling iron. After we have left there could be a mishap!

Offer to allow the stylists to take a couple pictures for their albums. It is a nice way to show your appreciation and help grow their wedding business.

We are always appreciative of you allowing us to be part of this very special day!

Nancy

Our salon’s pricing structure offers clients the opportunity to experience our services at pricing levels that best suit your needs.

We have three levels, Junior, Senior, and Master Levels.  The Junior level is a stylist who has recently graduated from cosmetology school and has completed out training program. Jenn Baca is our JS.  Jenn was a star student in cosmetology school. Working hard and always one step ahead. Her art background( she has shown in galleries around Mid Coast Maine) came in to play. She now turns her artist talents into great hair as our newest member of Sogno’s team.

Our Senior Stylists are hairstylists who have completed at least 250 hours of continuing education through in-salon training and attendance at approved education based hair classes.  Generally our SS’s have completed at least one year at the JS level. Laura Collard has been in our SS level for two years. Laura’s background immediately moved her into our SS Level two years ago. Now, Laura has completed another 200 hours of education and is in high demand for her services. Laura has great passion for hair and believes education is the key to great hair.

Master Stylists  are hairstylists who have excelled in at least two of our three requirements for a level increase.   They have mastered the most up-to-date cut and color techniques and they have the ability to teach these techniques to  our staff.  A MS  must have built a great reputation as a hairstylist in the community.  A MS in our salon takes appointments by request only. These are the most sought after hairstylist in the salon not only because of their very advanced education level but also because of their well known reputation in the community. Nancy Mason-Allen  was voted Stylist of the Year 2011 for Knox County and is the owner and Master Stylist,

These levels are the result of the stylists achievements, their experience within our salon, knowledge of the business, and level of advanced training they have received. Stylists at higher levels have established a higher demand for their time and services, so a promotion to a higher level is awarded for a  career advancement.

Spring is the time when Sogno Team members are on the move to see what is going on in the world of Fashion and Trends. We recently returned from Chicago where we attended The America Beauty Show. Leaders in our industry were there such as Tabatha Coffey, Nick Arrojo, Ken Paves and many more. Asymmetrical styles, curly hair texture and hair extensions are all the rage right now. We are excited to announce that we were certified in a private class to do natural hair extensions.

Coming in April…our annual trip to The International Beauty Show in NYC. Watch for details!